Royal Profile: HRH Prince Ernest August of Hanover

Prince Ernest August Andreas Philipp Constantin Maximilian Rolf Stephan Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was born on 19 July 1983 as the elder son and heir apparent of Prince Ernst August of Hanover and his former wife Chantal Hochuli. He has one younger full brother, Prince Christian, and a younger half sister, Princess Alexandra, as a well as two stepbrothers, Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi and a stepsister, Charlotte.

He was christened on 15 October 1983 at Marienburg Castle. The prince's godparents are:

•  Prince Andreas of Leiningen, his paternal uncle
•  Philipp-Ernst, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, a friend of his parents
• Felipe, Prince of Asturias,  a friend of his parents
• Constantine II of Greece,  a friend of his parents
• Maximilian, Margrave of Baden,  a friend of his parents
  Rolf Sachs,  a friend of his parents
• Stephan von Watzdorf,  a friend of his parents
• Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, his paternal uncle
• Princess Welf Henry of Hanover, his paternal great-aunt

Per Hanoverian tradition, as the first son of the pretender, he is named Ernest August, with his other names being after his godfathers, Andreas Phillipp Felipe Constantine Maximilian Rolf Stephan Ludwig.

He attended schools mostly in England, where he resided with his mother. He attended Malvern College, until 2001. In 2001, it was rumored that he was pulled from the school after allegedly getting involved with the wrong crowd and getting caught smoking pot. It is unknown where he completed his education, this royal blogger's therory is that he was sent to live with his father outside of Paris to attend the International School of Paris (of which was also being attended by his stepbrother Andrea) for the following semester before being sent to Germany to finish school at the International School of Germany in 2002. He went on to attend New York University, graduating in 2006. 

In 2006, he returned to London, where he spent several years working at various banks. In 2004, he was signed over the Hanoverian estates by his father. After the sale of his nearby Calenberg manor house in 2010, the young prince is now using the Princely Palace (Fürstenhaus) at Herrenhausen in Hanover as his private residence when in Germany. 

As a stepson of a Princess of Monaco, he occasionally attends events in Monaco. In 2005, he and his brother represented their father at the funeral of their step-grandfather, as their father was hospitalized with pancreatitis at the time; as well as attended the enthronement ceremony of their step-uncle in 2006, and  their step-uncle's 2011 wedding ceremony. He attended his younger sister's ice skating competition in March 2011 with his stepmother.