GERMANY’S Prince Ludwig has married Sophie-Alexandra Evekink in a lavish wedding with the royal couple being seen as the country’s equivalent to Kate and Wills.
The pair - who announced their engagement last August - wed at St Kajetan in the Bavarian capital, Munich, on Saturday, as hundreds of well-wishers lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the bride.
Ludwig, 40, is the eldest son of Prince Luitpold and the great-great grandson of Bavaria’s last King Ludwig III.
He is the heir to the head of the Bavarian Royal Family.
Sophie, 32, was born in Singapore to a Dutch-Canadian family.
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The criminology PhD student looked stunning in a classic white dress which was reportedly made locally and included floral detailing on the princess-cut skirt and sheer long sleeves.
Her outfit was completed with a long veil, which “incorporated hidden Canadian and Dutch details,” according to DW.
Sophie-Alexandra’s hair was half up with the rest done in ringlets around her shoulders and she wore a diamond botanical head piece.
There was a moment of drama during the service when Sophie swooned just after having said yes to the marriage.
Thanks to Ludwig’s lightning reactions though he was swift enough to catch her, according to a Bild report.
She and Ludwig were snapped outside St Kajetan sharing a kiss on the steps of the church.
The prince wore grey pinstripe trousers and a black suit jacket for the occasion as well as a light grey waistcoat and set off his outfit with a colourful tie.
The couple, along with their family and friends then headed to the Nymphenburg Palace in the city for the reception.
Their cake, which was 80 centimetres tall, was decorated in light blue fondant with white icing – the colours of the Bavarian state flag.
'THE GERMAN KATE AND WILLIAM'
The wedding was dubbed “the biggest German royal event of the year” by the newspaper Bild who described the couple as “the German Kate and William".
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Whispers the pair were set to marry began after she was seen wearing a large emerald ring on her engagement finger at a wedding the couple went to in August last year.
Prince Luitpold told Germany’s Bild newspaper at the time he hoped the couple would “start a family soon”, adding: “Ludwig made a good choice.
"My future daughter-in-law is a very intelligent and educated woman.”
Official news of their engagement was shared by the Office of the Bavarian Royal House a week later, along with a picture where they posed in traditional outfits.
Prince Ludwig is the eldest son of five siblings to Prince Luitpold and Princess Beatrix.
Most of his childhood was spent at Schloss Kaltenberg and he attended the Rhabanus-Maurus-Gymnasium St. Ottilien in Eresing.
He founded his own IT company when he was 18 and went on to study law in Göttingen, focusing on human rights.
Ludwig has also shown a keen interest in East Africa, particularly Kenya.
He founded Startup Lions in 2015, which is described as a “digital empowerment programme, providing opportunities to learn, earn and innovate for young adults in rural Kenya.”
Ludwig now serves as the chief executive of the company, spending ten months of the year in East Africa and two months in Bavaria.
It is not clear when or how the couple met, with Sophie also having a high-powered career of her own.
Sophie is the daughter of Dorus Evekink, who is a lecturer at the Maastricht School of Business.
PHD STUDENT
The dual Dutch-Canadian citizen gained a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and East European Studies from University College London (UCL) and a Masters in Science from the University of Oxford.
She is currently working on a PhD from Oxford which focuses on justice for victims of conflict-related sexual violence.
Sophie previously worked in New York at the United Nations in various roles for seven years.
According to an online biography, Sophie “has a keen interest in violence prevention and women’s human rights, themes on which she has conducted research in the Middle East and Caucasus, as well as a passion for efforts which help build global consensus and bridge voices of the Global North and South.
“She has previously also written on terrorism and radicalisation, and human trafficking in Central and Eastern Europe.”
