Ernst August von Hanover turns 70
Is the time for scandals over?
Prince Ernst August of Hanover looks back on an eventful life.
© imago/SKATA
Family disputes and numerous scandals: Prince Ernst August of Hanover has had turbulent years behind him. He turns 70 on Monday.
He is one of the illustrious circles of the European nobility: Prince Ernst August of Hanover (70) is a great-grandson of the last German Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) with connections to the British royal family and the husband of Caroline of Monaco (67). But he made it into public memory primarily with rather indelicate performances. Recently, a bitter inheritance dispute with his eldest son, Hereditary Prince Ernst August (40), also made headlines. Since then we have hardly heard anything from the Guelph Prince. Now that he is 70 years old, is he perhaps heading towards a calmer path?
Years of arguments with his son
The jubilee, who celebrates his milestone birthday on February 26th, is the eldest son of Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Braunschweig Lüneburg (1914-1987) and his wife Ortrud, Princess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1925-1980). the head of the family of the former royal house of Hanover and the former ducal house of Braunschweig.
In 2004, he transferred the agricultural and forestry property of the House of Hanover in Germany and Austria, including Marienburg Castle, to his son Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover, who was born in 1983. He has been in charge of the administration since 2012 and is increasingly responsible for representing the Guelph House.
But the succession that was actually clarified did not go as smoothly as it initially seemed. In 2020, Ernst August wanted to go to court to have extensive gifts that he had made to his son between 2004 and 2007 revoked. This includes Marienburg Castle, south of Hanover, the neo-Gothic ancestral home of the Guelphs. Shortly before the oral hearing, the father withdrew the lawsuit.
Hereditary Prince Ernst August Junior had previously wanted to bequeath the Marienburg Castle, which was in need of renovation, to the state of Lower Saxony for one euro for cost reasons. After his father’s objection, the lock and inventory were placed in a foundation.
Always negative headlines
The family feud is by no means the first negative headline surrounding the Guelph Prince. He also ended up in the media because of criminal proceedings. In 2021, the Wels regional court sentenced him Austria, for example, received a ten-month suspended sentence. The then 67-year-old is said to have attacked police officers while completely intoxicated. Ernst August appealed against the verdict – without success. The Linz Higher Regional Court confirmed the ten-month suspended sentence imposed on him.
The sentence reportedly could have been even harsher. The Guelph Prince faced up to three years in prison. His state of intoxication was interpreted as a mitigating factor in his sentence. Before the trial began, Ernst August apologized. “I take responsibility, deeply regret what happened and am prepared to pay for the damage.”
The Expo incident is unforgettable
What many people remember most about the prince is an incident on the sidelines of Expo 2000 in Hanover. The “Bild” newspaper reported at the time that Prince Ernst August of Hanover had urinated against the Turkish pavilion during a visit to the EXPO and christened him “Pinkelprinz”. He then defended himself with a full-page advertisement in the “FAZ”. He admitted that “I relieved myself during my visit to the Expo 2000 in Hanover, but neither against a wall of the Turkish pavilion nor on the land of the Turkish state.”
Ernst August also repeatedly made it into the media with his private life. From 1981 to 1997 he was married to the Swiss Chantal Hochuli (68), with whom he has two sons. Two years later, the much-noticed wedding to Caroline of Monaco followed – on her 42nd birthday on January 23, 1999. In June of the same year, their daughter Alexandra Princess of Hanover (24) was born. The couple, who recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, were last seen together at an official event in 2009.
After the scandals and various health problems, the prince has withdrawn in recent years. Like “Bunte” in summer 2023 reported that he is said to have turned to a healthier lifestyle.