Bright Young Royals (10 page)

BORN:
April 12, 1976, in Germany

FULL NAME:
Ludwig Ferdinand Ruprecht

FULL TITLE:
His Serene Highness Prince zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg

ROYAL HERITAGE:
His parents are Albrecht Prince zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Maria Fischer.

LANGUAGES:
German, English, Latin, and Greek

ACTIVITIES:
Computers, sailing, mountain biking

PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF HANOVER

WHO IS HE?
A prince with schoolboy charm and family links to the Monegasque throne

BORN:
June 1, 1985, in Germany

FULL NAME:
Christian Heinrich Clemens Paul Frank Peter Welf Ernst-Wilhelm Friedrich Franz

FULL TITLE:
His Royal Highness Prince of Hanover

ROYAL HERITAGE:
His father is Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover, his stepmother is Princess Caroline of Monaco, and his stepsiblings are the aforementioned Charlotte, Andrea, and Pierre of Monaco. Christian is also in the line of succession to the British throne.

PRECEDING PAGE:

Count Gian Luca Passi and friend

COUNT GIAN LUCA PASSI DE PREPOSULO

WHO IS HE?
A well-dressed nobleman with a heart of gold

BORN:
November 10, 1982, in Italy

ROYAL HERITAGE:
His aristocratic family hails from Bergamo and dates back to the end of the first millennium (A.D. 973).

PASSIONS:
Armani suits and Bono’s Red Campaign

QUOTE:
“It’s not the title that’s important—you have to be a count inside yourself.”
⁸

HRH PRINCE ERNST AUGUST OF HANOVER

WHO IS HE?
A prince with dark tousled hair and plenty of regal siblings

BORN:
July 19, 1983, in Germany

FULL TITLE:
HRH Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswisk and Luneburg

ROYAL HERITAGE:
His father is Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover (yes—it can get confusing!); his younger brother is the aforementioned Prince Christian; his stepmother is Princess Caroline of Monaco; Andrea, Charlotte, and Pierre are stepsiblings. He is also in the line of succession to the British throne.

PRECEDING PAGE:

Wedding of Prince Christian zu Füerstenberg and Jeanette Griesel

HSH HEREDITARY PRINCE CHRISTIAN ZU FÜRSTENBERG

WHO IS HE?
An exceedingly handsome prince who loves fast horses

BORN:
November 22, 1977, in Germany

ROYAL HERITAGE:
His parents are Prince Heinrich zu Fürstenberg and Princess zu Windisch. Prince Christian is the sole heir to the house of Fürstenberg, one of Germany’s oldest and most significant noble families, which dates back to 1070.

LANGUAGES:
German, English, French, Spanish, Italian

ACTIVITIES:
President of the German Racing Association of Arabian Horses

LOVE LIFE:
Married to Bavarian businesswoman Jeanette Griesel

CHARITY:

◆
Order of Malta
Aims to help the sick, the needy, and the most disadvantaged in more than 120 countries.
http://www.orderofmalta.org/english

PRECEDING PAGE:

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (left) with son Grand Duke Georg of Russia

HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUKE GEORGE OF RUSSIA

WHO IS HE?
A brainy royal hugely dedicated to the Russian Dynasty

BORN:
March 13, 1981, in Madrid

ROYAL HERITAGE:
He is the son of Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia and Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia; his godfather is King Constantine II of Greece. George is also in the line of succession to the British throne.

EDUCATION:
Oxford University

LANGUAGES:
English, French, Spanish

CINDERELLA STORIES

H
ave you always dreamed of marrying a handsome prince in a faraway kingdom? These women have done just that! Proving to the world that fairy tales really can come true, Kate Middleton has joined the tiara-wearing ranks of Princess Letizia of Spain, Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Mary of Denmark, and Princess Masako of Japan—all of whom are causing a frenzy of princess mania to sweep across the globe.

Think you have to come from aristocratic stock to be a princess? Think again. None of these glamorous consorts have a smidgen of blue blood running through their veins. Traditionalists are probably outraged, but at some point princesshood officially became an equal opportunity industry.

Just like the new Princess Catherine, the gorgeous Mary, Letizia, Masako, and Mette-Marit all hail from ordinary, hardworking backgrounds. And though none were born into royalty, each more than looks the part of a modern-day princess—moving with graceful ease from jeans to jewels. But not only are these women impeccably stylish, they also have brains and rather intimidating résumés that boast far more than the usual string of curtseys and dinner parties. Most importantly, now that they are firmly ensconced in their royal roles, all four princesses have immersed themselves in charity work in a way that would make the late Princess of Wales very, very proud.

Read on to see how each young woman won the heart of her prince, how their royal romance blossomed, and how each regal couple continue to electrify the adoring public. And don’t forget, if it can happen to them, it can happen to you. . . .

CROWN PRINCE FELIPE OF SPAIN AND LETIZIA, PRINCESS OF ASTURIAS

HIM:
Born January 30, 1968, Felipe is the third child and only son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain. After stints in all three branches of the armed forces, the prince graduated from the Autonomous University of Madrid before earning his master’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University (where he shared a student room with his cousin, Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece).

Gregarious and outgoing, Felipe speaks Spanish, Catalan, French, English, and some Greek. Tall (a towering six feet, three inches!), dark, and handsome, the prince is an avid skier and keen sailor (he sailed for Spain during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics). In addition to his royal charm and heartthrob looks, Prince Felipe is also said to have inherited his father’s strong diplomacy and his mother’s humanitarian spirit.