Princess Alexandra of Hanover Announces Her Engagement

Princess Alexandra of Hanover is engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Ben-Sylvester Strautmann, after a relationship spanning roughly a decade. The 27-year-old Monegasque royal shared the news on Friday through a series of social-media photographs that placed her distinctive yellow diamond ring at the center of the announcement.

The couple kept the message concise, pairing the images with the phrase “The marriage plot.” The photographs showed Alexandra alongside Strautmann and offered close views of the ring, including one frame featuring her long-haired dachshund. Friends and figures connected to European royal circles quickly added congratulatory messages.

A relationship rooted in Monaco

Alexandra and Strautmann, who is also 27, moved through similar social and academic circles while growing up in Monaco. Strautmann was born in Lower Saxony, Germany, before relocating to the principality with his family as a child. The pair were first seen together publicly in late 2016 and confirmed their relationship around the following year.

Sport has remained a shared thread in their public story. Alexandra competed in figure skating and represented Monaco at the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival, while Strautmann played competitive basketball in the principality. They have since appeared together at major events including the Monaco Grand Prix and the Paris Olympics.

The newest chapter for Grace Kelly’s family

Alexandra is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Prince Ernst August of Hanover. Through her mother, she is a granddaughter of Grace Kelly, the Oscar-winning actor who became Princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III. She is also a niece of Monaco’s reigning Prince Albert II.

The engagement adds a celebratory milestone to a relationship the couple has largely maintained without constant public updates. No wedding date, venue or ceremony details were included in the announcement. For now, the photographs and brief caption stand as the couple’s own confirmation that their long partnership is moving toward marriage.