IN a not-so-classic fairy tale, a woman moved abroad to start a yoghurt factory and instead got hitched to a prince.
When Hande Macht, 31, set up shop in the Netherlands she never expected to fall for a member of one of Europe’s oldest royal dynasties.
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The former economics student, from an ordinary background in Turkey, had once dreamed of being an astronaut.
Instead, she is one of Europe’s newest princesses – officially now known as Her Highness Hereditary Princess Hande.
It all started when she moved to the Netherlands to study in 2010.
Fast forward nine years, and Hande began setting up a yogurt business with her brother.
Prince Alexander, the crown prince of Germany’s Mecklenburg royal clan, joined the company as an investor and fell head over heels for the young businesswoman.
The pair, who live in Rotterdam, got married last year in a picture-perfect wedding fit for a princess.
It took place in the Great Hall of the Mirow Palace on June 17, 2022, while a second ceremony was held at the Church of Neustrilitz in September.
On top of being Her Highness Hereditary, her full title includes Princess of Wenden, Schwerin and Ratzenburg, Lady of the Lands of Rostock and Stargard.
The family traces its ancestry back to before the Norman Conquest with Prince Niklot, Prince of the Obotrites and Lord of Mecklenburg.
Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I formalised the creation of the Duchy of Mecklenburg in 1701 by imperial decree.
Now Hande and Alexander, who was partly educated in Ireland, are forging the next generation after the birth of their son, Duke Leopold, was announced this month.
In her homeland, Hande is celebrated as the first Turkish duchess and the newlyweds are planning a proper visit as a family.
In an interview on the eve of her wedding, Hande said her ascension to one of Europe’s oldest royal families was the last thing she had ever expected to happen.
“I always wanted to be an astronaut. I did not have a dream of being a princess,” she said.
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