Ludwig Prince of Bavaria, the great-great-grandson of the last Bavarian King Ludwig III, married Sophie-Alexandra Evekink in Munich on Saturday. The wedding bells rang for the couple in the Theatinerkirche in the Bavarian capital, the wedding ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Munich and Cardinal Reinhard Marx. The couple had already married in a civil ceremony in December.

As the Bayerischer Rundfunk reported, citing a spokesman for the administration of the House of Wittelsbach, the excited bride fell over briefly during the wedding ceremony on Saturday. After a drink, however, the 33-year-old was well again. At the side of her 40-year-old husband, she left the church after the service, the celebration was to take place at Nymphenburg Palace.

"It was wonderful," said Sophie-Alexandra after the festive service. Her husband added, "We are very happy." The wedding ceremony in the magnificent baroque Theatine Church of St. Kajetan was cheerful and very Bavarian, with brass band music, traditional costumes, Bavarian anthem and white rose petals falling down on the newlywed couple. Guests included the Habsburgs, the Liechtensteins, the Saxe-Coburgers, the Esterhazys and many other well-known representatives of well-known families.

Donations instead of gifts

Sophie-Alexandra wore a white lace dress and the delicate veil. A Ukrainian designer had woven tulips, maple leaves and a lion into the veil, alluding to the bride's Dutch-Canadian origins. She wore a silver tiara in a tendril pattern and simple earrings.

The groom had already appeared early in the morning with his mother Beatrix, in the classic cutaway, his father Luitpold of Bavaria accompanied the bride's mother Veronica Taylor. They walked through the ranks of the mountain riflemen, traditional costume clubs, flower children and brass musicians, who stood in line for the approximately 1000 guests. Among them were some celebrities, such as the former racing driver Leopold "Poldi" from Bavaria. Politicians such as Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had also come.

The couple is involved in development aid. Ludwig Prince of Bavaria studied law and is on the board of the Stiftung Hilfsverein Nymphenburg. His wife is a political scientist and criminologist, worked at the United Nations in New York and currently teaches at the University of Oxford as part of a doctoral program.

As gifts for the wedding, the two wanted donations for humanitarian and social projects. They were aware of the acute need of many people due to the global crises and their effects, the couple had justified. Nevertheless, they did not want to miss out on a celebration: "Weddings have always been celebrated even in dark times, not least to maintain confidence."