Royal Wedding Bombshell: Family At War Over Prince Ernst-August Jr. Nuptials
Jul. 8 2017, Published 7:56 p.m. ET
Prince Ernst-August Jr. of the German royal house of Hanover walked down the aisle with fashion designer Ekaterina Malysheva despite his father's bitter opposition, as PEOPLE reported.
The young royal, 33, recited his vows despite his dad, Prince Ernst-August Sr., the estranged husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, not even showing up.
On Saturday, Germany was mostly delighted to see Ernst Jr. marry Malysheva with fanfares, church bells, a coach ride, and a big turnout of young royals.
The two married in a religious ceremony at the Market Church in Hanover before 600 guests while several thousand of their German subjects, many in traditional costume, cheered outside. They had earlier had a civil ceremony.
The happy pair took a romantic carriage ride to the Herrenhauser Gardens for an afternoon lunch reception and later, they were set to celebrate at an evening event at Marienburg Castle.
The groom's dad, Ernst Sr., vocally opposed the wedding days before, saying he wanted to preserve family property that they'd had for centuries.
So he was nowhere to be found on his son's happy day!
"The decision was not easy for me because it concerns my son," Ernst Snr, who is a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, told German newspaper Handelsblatt.
"But I am constrained to preserve the interests of the House of Hanover and the property, including cultural property, which has been its property for centuries."
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The senior prince has reportedly demanded his son return properties that were gifted to him years ago, before he's ready for "discussion and reconciliation."
The older Prince Ernst-August, known as the fifth, is still married to Princess Caroline of Monaco despite being separated from her since 2009. Caroline is the daughter of the late movie star Grace Kelly.
Caroline, who is Ernst Jr.'s stepmother, also didn't attend the wedding, but all her sons and daughters did in one of the biggest royal events of the year.
Ernst Jr.'s mother, Chantal Hochuli, also showed up for the big ceremony.
Russian-born blonde Malysheva looked stunning in her traditional white embroidered bridal gown with pearl appliques, created by her friend Sandra Mansour.
Malkeva, 31, is also a fashionista, running her own clothing line called EKAT; pieces have been worn by such stars as Sienna Miller and Rita Ora.
She and her Prince husband, who works as a banker, live together in London.
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