Advertising Read more

Hanover (Germany) (AFP)

Prince Ernst August of Hanover, descendant of one of Europe's storied noble families, married a Russian fashion designer Saturday -- despite the public disapproval of the match by the groom's father.

Borne in a horse-drawn carriage, Ernst August Jr, 33, and Ekaterina Malysheva, 30, tied the knot at the Marktkirche, the main Lutheran church in Hanover.

They were surrounded by celebrities and aristocrats from houses across Europe, including his step-sister Princess Alexandra, the daughter of Ernst August Sr and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Caroline's other children -- Charlotte, Pierre and Andrea Casiraghi -- also attended the event, broadcast on German state television.

But Ernst August Sr, 63, was conspicuous for not being seen at the event, having said he worries what the match might mean for the family's holdings in Germany, in particular its lands and forests in Lower Saxony.

"I continue to hope my son will finally think of the higher interests of our family and give in," he told the Handelsblatt newspaper before the wedding.

"I am ready for talks and reconciliation."

Later Saturday the young couple was to host a private reception for about 600 people at the dynasty's family seat, the neo-Gothic Marienburg castle near Hanover.

The bride, sporting a diadem, wore a classically cut white gown highlighted with pearl-encrusted embroideries, created by the Lebanon-based designer Sandra Mansour.

© 2017 AFP