Monika, Dowager Princess of Hanover ' onMouseout='HidePop("33523")' href="/topics/NEE">née

NEE

NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...

: Countess Monika of Solms-Laubach; born 8 August 1929 in Laubach

Laubach

' is a town of approximately 10,000 people in the region of Hesse, Germany. Laubach is known as a , a climatic health resort. It is situated east of Gießen. Surrounding are the towns of , , and .-Points of interest:...

, Hesse

Hesse

Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

) is the second wife and widow of Ernest Augustus IV, Prince of Hanover

Ernest Augustus IV, Prince of Hanover

Ernst August IV, Prince of Hanover, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Great Britain and Ireland was head of the House of Hanover from 1953 until his death...

. Monika is the eldest daughter of Georg Friedrich, Count of Solms-Laubach

Solms-Laubach

Solms-Laubach was a County of southern Hesse and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was originally created as a partition of Solms-Lich. Solms-Laubach partitioned between itself and Solms-Sonnenwalde 1561; between itself, Solms-Baruth and Solms-Rödelheim 1607; and between itself and...

 and Princess Johanna of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

Solms-Hohensolms-Lich

Solms-Hohensolms-Lich was a County of northern Baden-Württemberg and eastern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was originally created as a union of Solms-Hohensolms and Solms-Lich, and it was raised to a Principality in 1792...

.

In 2008, she sold from her collection, art totaling £1.95 million, almost twice its estimate of £1.1 million, at Sotheby’s.

Marriage

Monika and Ernest Augustus married on 16 July 1981 at Laubach in Hesse, Germany, in a civil ceremony. They were remarried in a religious ceremony on 17 July 1981 at Laubach. Monika was a first cousin once removed of Ernest Augustus' first wife, Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg , was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and a Princess of...

, through her great-grandparents Bruno, 3rd Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen

Bruno, 3rd Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen

Bruno Casimir Albert Emil Ferdinand of Ysenburg and Büdingen was the third Prince of Ysenburg and Büdingen...

 and Countess Bertha of Castell-Rüdenhausen.

Titles and styles

8 August 1929 – 16 July 1981: Countess Monika of Solms-Laubach


16 July 1981 – 9 December 1987: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover


9 December 1987–present: Her Royal Highness The Dowager Princess of Hanover

Ancestry