EFor the first time in decades, the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian Ducal family has married again. In the city church of Neustrelitz, Georg Alexander Crown Prince of Mecklenburg and 29-year-old Dutchwoman Hande Macit publicly exchanged vows in front of about 500 guests on Saturday. The 31-year-old is the eldest son of the von Mecklenburg-Strelitz family, which otherwise lives in Breisgau but has had more intensive contacts in the Mecklenburg-Strelitz region since 1990.
“When young people dare to get married, it’s a sign of hope,” said the independent mayor of Neustrelitz (Mecklenburg Lake District), Andreas Grund. He came to the city church on Saturday with about 500 guests to attend the first wedding of the ducal family in the region for more than 100 years.
The big city church was always “the church of the ducal house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, where the big family events took place,” said Pastor Bernhard Szymanski. The noble house used to have close ties with Russia, Great Britain and the old Prussia.
Catholic priest Szymanski and his brother in office from the Netherlands, Sjaak de Boer, performed the public church wedding of Georg Alexander Crown Prince of Mecklenburg and Hande Macit. Members of the rifle guild Fürstenberg (Brandenburg) stood in front of the church in uniform with feathers on their hats and gave the right environment.
After about 30 minutes of preaching and singing, both said “yes”. After prayers by family members, a minute’s silence was observed for the late British Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022).
Outside, about 100 people cheered as the ceremony ended and the couple drove down the steps in the beautifully decorated classic black car. The weather looked good, the rain took a break.
There was no ducal wedding in Neustrelitz since 1914. The von Mecklenburg-Strelitz family lived in the region of Freiburg im Breisgau since the end of the war. Only since 1990 has more contact become possible again. So there is an annual commemoration of the family in the family crypt on the castle island of Mirow. After completing his training, the groom also worked for a short time in the forest office in Neustrelitz.
The couple has been legally married since June 2022 and otherwise lives a middle class life in Rotterdam. Georg Alexander has two younger siblings. He studied environmental management. His wife was born in Turkey, his family moved to the Netherlands, where he also took citizenship. 29-year-old, who also studied management, works as a businesswoman. He develops a yogurt with a family. Both are committed to food made with organic raw materials.
“We want to come to Neustrelitz in the future,” said the groom. There are already plans for this, but they are not yet ready to decide. First you stay in Rotterdam.
From 1701 to 1918, the Duchy of Mecklenburg was divided into Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Donata von Mecklenburg-Schwerin and representatives of the House of Habsburg also attended the wedding. The wedding party was celebrated at Ulrichshusen Castle near Waren.
The current British King Charles III. According to the Kulturgut Mecklenburg-Strelitz association, which represents the interests of the house in the region, is in the seventh generation of an ancestor from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.