Prince Ludwig of Bavaria Set to Marry Oxford PhD Student This Spring

While there likely won't be another wedding in the British royal family anytime soon, that doesn't mean we're completely devoid of royal nuptials. Prince Ludwig Heinrich of Bavaria, the great-grandson of the last King of Bavaria, King Ludwig III, is set to marry Oxford PhD student Sophie-Alexandra Evekink this May. (It should be noted that while the German monarchies were abolished in 1918, the royal families still exist.)

The prince proposed to Evekink with an emerald ring earlier in summer 2022 in Berchtesgaden, a town in the Bavarian Alps. It's unclear when Evekink and Prince Ludwig met, or started dating.

The engagement news was announced in August 2022 by the Office of the Bavarian Royal House. Prince Luitpold, Ludwig's father, told Bild, a German paper, "Ludwig made a good choice. My future daughter-in-law is a very intelligent and educated woman." He also shared, "I hope they start a family soon. It is very gratifying that Ludwig is now more in Bavaria again. He worked as a development worker in Africa for almost 10 years."

In March 2023, it was announced Prince Ludwig and Sophie Evekink are set to marry on May 20, 2023 in Munich, followed by a reception hosted at Nymphenburg Palace.

"The couple’s wedding arrangements will reflect the family’s strong desire to include regional elements throughout the celebration, including through traditional delegations across Bavaria taking part in the ceremony and the church, as well as through incorporating local food and drinks," Herve Verhoosel said, per Tatler.

He continued, "Duke Franz and the bridal couple are also mindful of the number of global crises which have taken place in the recent period. In particular, they are aware that the cruel war of aggression against Ukraine is likely to continue into the summer of 2023. As a result, for the wedding the fiancées have, instead of presents, encouraged a call for donations towards such humanitarian initiatives. Details on the purpose of the donations will be announced soon on the Nymphenburg Foundation website."

Prince Ludwig, who studied law in university, launched Learning Lions in 2015— a
"digital empowerment program" in East Africa for young adults. He currently splits his time between East Africa and Bavaria, where he will one day inherit Nymphenburg Palace as the future head of the House of Bavaria.

Evekink, born in Singapore, is a dual Dutch-Canadian citizen, and is currently a part-time doctoral student in criminology at Oxford. Per her Oxford faculty bio, "her work focuses on justice for victims of conflict-related sexual violence." In addition to her research, she works in Geneva at the World Health Organization.

Additionally, Evekink "has a keen interest in violence prevention and women’s human rights, themes on which she has conducted research in the Middle East and Caucasus, as well as a passion for efforts which help build global consensus and bridge voices of the Global North and South. She has previously also written on terrorism and radicalisation, and human trafficking in Central and Eastern Europe."

Evekink is on Twitter, @sophieaevekink, where she shares news of her work:

We'll update this as we learn more about Prince Ludwig and Sophie-Alexandra Evekink's royal wedding.

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