The Prince turned actor joining the Tomb Raider cast: German aristocrat who starred in The Crown will play an adventurer alongside Sophie Turner's Lara Croft
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's highly-anticipated adaptation of the video game Tomb Raider already has acting royalty such as Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs and Celia Imrie attached - and now a real-life Prince has joined the cast.August Wittgenstein, 44, is a member of the princely House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, which ruled the former imperial county of the same name; most of which is located in modern-day Germany. His mother, Countess Yvonne Wachtmeister af Johannishus, is also a Swedish noble.In his most high-profile role yet, August will be playing an adventurer called Lukas opposite Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.He has also offered his acting talents in Netflix's hit series The Crown, playing Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse, a relative of Prince Philip's in a series two flashback episode exploring the young royal's move from Germany to the UK.His acting career has been decades in the making: August first began appearing in short films and TV shows in 2008, when he was in his twenties.The budding star has largely made a name for himself in German-speaking movies and series, but has also starred in US director Ron Howard's 2009 thriller Angels & Demons, as well as a Swedish drama called Avalon.He and his sisters, Princess Anna of Bavaria and Princess Theodora zu Wittgenstein, grew up speaking both German and Swedish, and at 15, August was sent to boarding school in Sweden. Later in life, he completed training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.However, according to Tatler, August's parents were not initially so supportive of his thespian ambitions, which were sparked at a young age by watching Sean Connery play James Bond. August Wittgenstein, 44, is a member of the princely House of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Pictured with his wife Mia last year He has also offered his acting talents in Netflix's hit series The Crown, playing Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse, a relative of Prince Philip's in a series two flashback episode exploring the young royal's move from Germany to the UKThey reportedly eventually found peace with his dreams, which saw him condense his name Prince August Fredrik zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg into August Wittgenstein to make his way in the film industry.'I always wanted to be Bond as a child,' he told Hogapage in 2018. 'But I'm happy for someone else to have that role.'Apart from that, I would love to play a really gritty gunslinger...'In 2022, August tied the knot with psychologist Mia Rohla, who is the daughter of an Austrian television presenter.He said the couple - who had a stunning reception at Wittgenstein Castle - met through friends and got more 'serious' during the Covid lockdown.Speaking to Bunte last month, he also shared how his wife helps him with his own work.'Mia provides me with a whole treasure trove of information, which is really great,' he shared.'She's a psychological psychotherapist specialising in cognitive behavioral therapy, so I can always ask her for advice when I come across any particular situations in the script and wonder how the character would react.' While he uses social media to mostly offer behind-the-scene looks into filming projects, photos from Instagram also show August's love of his wife, cute dogs and craft beers The couple announced their engagement in 2021, and enjoyed celebrating their nuptials at the parish church of St Nikolaus in Wolfpassing, not far from Vienna.The Prince was dashing in a suit while Mia was the image of elegance in a fitted bridal gown featuring sheer lace embroidery along the neckline.They were joined by the likes of the Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, Prince Carl-Albrecht and Princess Camilla of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburgm among others.While he uses social media to mostly offer behind-the-scene looks into filming projects, photos from Instagram also show August's love of his wife, cute dogs and craft beers - the latter on which he even used to have a podcast about. 'Beyond thrilled to join the cast of #TombRaider!' he wrote in his latest post, excitedly announcing the news to his followers.In September last year, Sophie Turner was officially confirmed to play Lara Croft in Prime Video's upcoming Tomb Raider live-action series, taking on the iconic role previously played on the big screen by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander,.With Phoebe Waller-Bridge at its helm as creator, writer and executive producer, the show has been long in the works.Inspired by the beloved video game franchise, the series will follow the daring adventures of archaeologist and explorer Lara Croft. Married couple Mia and August - who had a stunning reception at Wittgenstein Castle - met through friends and got more 'serious' during the lockdownSpeaking about stepping into Lara Croft's boots, Sophie admitted she was both excited and daunted: 'I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft.'She's such an iconic character, who means so much to so many - and I am giving everything I've got.'They're massive shoes to fill, following in the steps of Angelina and Alicia with their powerhouse performances, but with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands. I can't wait for you all to see what we have cooking.'The series, backed by a heavyweight team of executive producers, is set to be one of Prime Video's most ambitious launches yet.
