The Stunning Transformation Of Princess Alexandra Of Hanover

For years, the Monégasque royals have fascinated fans around the world — especially since Hollywood star Grace Kelly married into the royal family in 1956. Now, there is a new young Monégasque royal who is capturing our attention. Princess Alexandra of Hanover, the granddaughter of Grace Kelly and her husband Prince Rainier III, is growing up into a smart, stylish princess paving the way for a new generation of European royals.

Alexandra was born in 1999 to Princess Caroline of Monaco, the daughter of Kelly and Rainier. Alexandra grew up between Monaco, Paris, and Austria. After a childhood filled with high-level figure skating, she went on to study political science and philosophy at NYU. Now, she's a frequent feature at fashion shows and is proving to be one of the most fashionable royals of her generation. Curious to learn more about Grace Kelly's grandchild? Here is the stunning transformation of Princess Alexandra of Hanover.

Although Princess Alexandra of Hanover is a member of the Monégasque royal family, she spent much of her early years growing up outside of Monaco. She was born in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria, six months after her mother Princess Caroline and her father Prince Ernst August of Hanover were married.

Alexandra's birth was a highly publicized affair and even led to a scuffle between her father and a photographer outside the hospital. "[Ernst] asked that [the paparazzi] not take his picture and when one of them refused to comply, Ernst tried to take his camera away," biographer Jeffrey Robinson wrote in "Grace of Monaco: The True Story."

After her birth in Austria, Alexandra was raised in Le Mée-sur-Seine, a small town about 25 miles outside of Paris, where she went to Lapierre public school. In 2009, Alexandra embraced her Monégasque roots by moving back to Monaco with her mother where she enrolled in the Institution François d'Assise–Nicolas Barré — a private Catholic school in the principality.

Much of Princess Alexandra of Hanover's childhood was filled with ice skating. In fact, as a child, she skated competitively. "When I was ten years old, I tried ice skating for the first time," she told Telva in 2020. She allegedly took up skating after being given skates as a Christmas gift. Alexandra even appeared at the 2015 European Youth Olympics where she represented Monaco. She also competed at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

Alexandra eventually gave up skating when she went to university as it was too demanding — nevertheless, her years as a skater taught her a lot. "It will remain as a key aspect of my life," she told Telva. "I admire that mix of an artistic component and athletic discipline. Its level of demand. I had, of course, to show up every day at training, but there was something better; knowing that no one could do it for me. Sport doesn't care who you are or where you come from. You must make the same effort as others."

In addition to figure skating, Princess Alexandra of Hanover played a number of other sports when she was young. As the princess told Telva in 2020, "I grew up riding horses and skiing." In 2011, Alexandra was also photographed playing soccer with friends at the World Stars Football Match.

Her love of sports seems to run in the family. In fact, Alexandra's half-sister, Charlotte Casiraghi, is a professional show jumper who has competed in several equestrian events since 2009, so it's easy to see where she gets her love of horse riding. The family has also been spotted on skiing holidays over the years. Alexandra, it seems, is still a fan of skiing, too, as she was spotted watching the skiing competitions at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. It seems that her sporty upbringing has led to a life-long passion for athletics — both as a player and as a fan.

As is customary in royal families, Princess Alexandra of Hanover made her official social debut as a teenager. Her introduction to society came at the Rose Ball in March 2016 when the princess was 16 years old. The ball is a Monacan tradition started by Alexandra's late grandmother, Princess Grace of Monaco, in 1954. 

At the event, Alexandra wore a long, voluminous rose-colored gown by Chanel made with organza material. She wore her hair down and accessorized with a simple silver necklace. She was pictured smiling with her family members throughout the evening, and when she hit the dance floor, she removed the top part of her gown to reveal a more youthful strapless silhouette. 

At the ball, Alexandra gave her first interview with the press. She apparently told the media to do away with formalities, saying, "You can just call me Alex" (via Tatler).

Even though Princess Alexandra of Hanover showed a lot of promise as a figure skater, she decided to give up the sport when she began university. "Studies came first. I always knew that I wanted to go to university," she told Telva. "So I did it." She enrolled at NYU where she studied political science and philosophy. "More with the desire to nourish myself intellectually than with a professional vision," she explained. 

University wasn't just about learning, though. For Alexandra, studying in America also gave her a chance to lead a more normal, private life away from the press in Monaco. "My life is that of any student my age and the university keeps me out of the media spotlight," she explained. She even said goodbye to her closet of designer clothes and opted for a wardrobe of jeans and sweatshirts.

Like many aspects of her life, Princess Alexandra of Hanover tends to keep her romantic relationship pretty private. However, we do know that she is in a long-term relationship with Ben Sylvester Strautmann, a German basketball player. The pair have been official since 2017 when they first stepped out together at the Monégasque Rose Ball. Strautmann is from a prominent wealthy German family but was raised in Monaco, which might explain how the pair met. Since making their debut, the couple have appeared at numerous events together. 

In May 2017, they were spotted together at the French Ligue 1 Championship where AS Monaco took on AS Saint-Etienne. In July 2017, the couple attended the wedding of Alexandra's half-brother, Prince Ernst-August Jr. to Ekaterina Malysheva. In 2019, they attended an event to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 2018 and 2022, they attended the Rose Ball yet again as a couple. In 2023, the pair looked lovey-dovey in a parade together celebrating 100 years since the birth of Prince Rainier III, Alexandra's late grandfather.

In Monaco, Roman Catholicism is the state religion, however, Princess Alexandra of Hanover was raised a Lutheran like her father. In 2018, Alexandra decided to convert to Catholicism to join her mother, Princess Caroline, and the other Monacan royals.

Before her conversion to the Catholic faith, Alexandra was actually in the line of succession to the British throne thanks to her connection to Queen Victoria on her father's side. As a Catholic, she was removed from the line of succession to the British throne but remained 12th in line to the Monégasque throne. Some royal commentators weren't too happy with the news. As one reporter wrote for the Catholic Herald, the news of her removal signified that "Britain is still an officially anti-Catholic country," adding that "Princess Alexandra's conversion should be of no political import at all; that it is, is the fault of our archaic succession laws. They need to go."

Fashion became a big part of Princess Alexandra of Hanover's life when she was in her teens. For her, experimenting with fashion gave her the chance to play a new character. "I love fashion ... One of the phases [of skating] that I enjoyed the most was when I had to think about what outfit I wanted to wear," she said to Telva. 

Her approach to fashion has always been to immerse herself in a new aesthetic world. "When I was 16 years old I chose to 'dedicate myself' to 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,'" she recalled. In fact, retro looks seem to be her favorite. "My favorite decades in music and fashion are the '50s and '60s, and I wanted to throw a 'Mad Men' themed party ... I could always send a briefing with the dresscode," she said.

Another big inspiration for the young princess was Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first woman to lead Dior. As she explained, she was inspired by how Chiuri always put women at the front and center of her collections and campaigns.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover has always been a dedicated bookworm telling Telva "I love reading" when explaining why she chose to study philosophy at NYU. But she doesn't only read philosophy books — one of her favorite books is the novel "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger. "I read it when I was 14 and it had such an impact on me ... I read it and reread it because it gets better and better," the princess gushed. Her other favorites include Salinger's "Franny and Zooey" and Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." She also loved reading the biographies of Keith Richards and Edie Sedgwick. "She was so fragile and led such a tragic life. I have great empathy for her," Alexandra said. 

Alexandra's love of reading stems from her natural sensitivity and reflectiveness. "When you are introverted you observe before acting, as if you wanted to be aware of your surroundings," she explained. 

Even though Princess Alexandra of Hanover may be studying philosophy and political science at university, her real passion is fashion — and it seems that's the field she hopes to enter one day. "I would like to dedicate myself to something related to art or fashion," she told Telva. "I think [I] would be a great personal shopper. I would buy for others, so I would enjoy that pleasure but in the background, without feeling guilty. I'd take the best part."

It seems that Alexandra is already on track to turn her dream of working in fashion into a reality. Over the years, she's attended numerous fashion shows across the world. In 2011, a young Alexandra was pictured with her mother and Blake Lively at the Chanel show in France. She is also a regular fixture at Paris Fashion Week where she often sits front row. In 2017, she attended the shows of Valentino, Chanel, and Giambattista Valli. She was also spotted there the following year. In 2020, she attended the shows of Dior, Chloe, Chanel, Stephane Rolland, and Giambattista Valli and in 2024, she was spotted at Celine and Stella McCartney shows.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover may love fashion, but she is conscious of her impact on the environment. "I think what is effective is to work on small changes in our daily lives," she told Telva. "Of course there is an urgency, but I don't know where the anxiety of trying to change our homes or our lifestyle from 0 to 100 will take us." She tries to make small changes — for instance, she always uses a reusable coffee cup. 

She also tries to apply the same principle to her fashion by reusing clothes and even borrowing from her family members. "I have to admit that I take a lot of things from my mother's closet," she said. "She is getting used to it and even finds it funny. Now that we have all become aware that we must change the way we buy by investing less and better, I suppose taking things from my mother's closet is more sustainable." In 2024, Alexandra was spotted doing just that when she stepped out wearing a vintage black and white Chanel suit that her mother had previously worn in the '90s.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover may be a member of one of Europe's most glamorous royal families, but ultimately, what she wants more than anything is to be normal. "I am not yet fully aware that I can have a voice," she explained to Telva. "Nor about my status as a princess, I try not to think about it without stopping being grateful, of course, for how privileged I have been. But I want a normal life." 

In fact, two of her biggest idols are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen because of how they have managed to stay relatively out of the spotlight. "I have liked them since I was little, they have dachshunds like us at home, they handle their privacy very well, they maintain the mystery," she explained. By the sounds of things, Alexandra wants to maintain some mystery, too — and so far, the quiet, thoughtful young princess of Monaco seems to be doing just that!