Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover (; born 19 July 1983)<ref>{ { Cite news |url = http://www.haz.de/Hannover/Aus-der-Stadt/Uebersicht/Exklusiv-Hannovers-Prinz-Ernst-August-im-HAZ-Interview |title = In der Prinzenrolle |last = Benne |first = Simon |date = 15 March 2014 |work = Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung |language = de |quote = Unter Nachname steht im Pass 'Prinz von Hannover Herzog zu Braunschweig und Lüneburg Königlicher Prinz von Großbritannien und Irland'. }}</ref> is the eldest child of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover (head of the ancient House of Hanover which once ruled the Kingdom of Hanover), and his former wife Chantal Hochuli. Due to his father's second marriage, he is also the stepson of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, a Monegasque Princess and the sister of Albert II of Monaco.
Background
Ernst August and his younger brother Christian were born in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, while their half-sister, Alexandra, was born in Austria and lives with her mother in Monaco. Ernst August was baptized on 15 October 1983 at Marienburg Castle, his godparents including Felipe VI of Spain and Constantine II of Greece.
Despite the family's residence in Germany through both World Wars, his paternal grandfather, as a descendant of Queen Victoria distantly in the British line of succession, obtained British citizenship for himself and his children in November 1956 under the Sophia Naturalization Act 1705. Their family owned property and conducted business in the post-war United Kingdom. Until his mid-teens, Ernst August and his brother lived at Hurlingham Lodge in London.
He also descends from Germany's last emperor, Wilhelm II, following whose abdication at the end of World War I the Hanovers also lost sovereignty over the Duchy of Brunswick, while retaining much of their continental personal property.
Career and asset management
Ernst August attended Malvern College and then studied history and national economy in New York City. After moving back to London he worked in the banking business for some years. Among other jobs, he worked with an open-end fund of the Islamic Investment Bank in Bahrain and with a London investment bank specialized on financing smaller mining and technology companies in newly industrialized countries.
After his marriage in 2017 he and his wife moved to Hanover. In 2022 the couple moved to Gmunden, Austria, with their children.
Already in 2004, his father had signed over to him the German property of the House of Hanover, including gothic-revival Marienburg Castle, the agricultural estates of Calenberg Castle and the Fürstenhaus ("Princely House") at Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover; the elaborate museum in this small palace, built by King George I of Great Britain in 1720, has been closed to the public since 2011. Since 2004, the prince has taken over many representative tasks on behalf of his father.
The father remained in charge of the Austrian family assets until 2013 when he was removed from the chairmanship of a family foundation based in Liechtenstein, the Duke of Cumberland Foundation, which holds the properties near Gmunden in Austria, the Hanovers' main residence in exile after 1866 when their Kingdom of Hanover was annexed by Prussia. Instead, the younger Ernst August was put in charge, reportedly for negligence on part of his father, at the initiative of the foundation's trustee Prince Michael of Liechtenstein. The foundation manages vast forests, "Cumberland Wildlife Park", the "Queen's Villa", the "Hubertihaus" hunting lodge (where his father lives) and the mausoleum at Cumberland Castle (which itself was sold after World War II) In 2017 Ernst August the Elder filed legal action to recover chairmanship.
In 2014, Ernst August lent a number of paintings and objects for a Lower Saxony state exhibition, When the Royals came from Hanover - The rulers of Hanover on England's throne, which included exhibits in five museums and castles under the auspices of Charles, Prince of Wales. Thirty of more than 1000 items were contributed by Elizabeth II, including the State Crown of George I, while Ernst August provided the king's famous Augsburg silver throne and other furniture dating to 1720. He hosted a parallel exhibition, The Way to the Crown, at Marienburg Castle until through 2016, displaying—among other items—the crown jewels of the Kingdom of Hanover.