Congratulations are in order after Sam Chatto announced he has proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Eleanor Ekserdjian.
The couple announced their engagement on Instagram, with Sam writing, ‘I’m really delighted to say that Ellie and I are engaged. And we couldn’t be happier. I proposed with a porcelain ring which I made.’
A new royal wedding is on the way after Sam Chatto and Eleanor Ekserdjian confirmed their engagement
They shared the news with a carousel of photographs, including a close-up of Eleanor's highly personal ring. Flora Vesterberg, the granddaughter of Princess Alexandra, the Hon Lady Ogilvy, was among the first to congratulate the pair, writing: ‘Very happy for both of you.’
First reports suggest the couple will wed next spring. Regardless of when the ceremony is held there is no doubt they will be joined by his close-knit family: his parents, Daniel and Lady Sarah Chatto and older brother, Arthur Chatto.
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The happy news of their engagement comes just weeks after the couple sparked fresh rumours around an upcoming marriage after they were spotted among the guests at the ‘intimate’ Gloucestershire wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling in June.
An invitation to such a high-profile occasion would be daunting for many young women. But not Eleanor, who is no stranger to major royal engagements. Despite not (yet) being married to her dashing beau, Eleanor has already been given the honour of joining the Windsors for Christmas at Sandringham.
Indeed, the couple sparked rumours of an imminent engagement when Eleanor was snapped arriving for the traditional Christmas Day church service alongside the family in 2024 – an honour usually only bestowed upon married spouses. The one other person to have attended Sandringham as a royal plus one before tying the knot? Meghan Markle, who joined Prince Harry in 2017, before the pair wed in May 2018.
So who is Eleanor Ekserdjian, the woman who is now organising a royal wedding of her own?
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Born to an illustrious artistic pedigree, her father is the lauded art historian Professor David Ekserdjian, who serves as Emeritus Professor of History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester. Professor Ekserdjian is married to Susan Moore, art critic at the Financial Times. Like Sam, Eleanor is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh.
An abstract painter, much of Eleanor's work is inspired by the Armenian diaspora, and has been held in numerous private collections, including one at London’s Redfern Gallery. One of her pieces, simply titled ‘SAM’, is an evocative sketch of her royal boyfriend, once displayed at The Gallery at Green & Stone’s summer exhibition.
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Muse as well as partner, Sam Chatto is also quite the artist himself. Having found himself ‘completely uninspired by my three-month job working in the commercial art market’, Lady Sarah Chatto’s oldest son took matters into his own hands, and now describes himself as ‘a British artist and maker currently working in clay to create functional and sculptural wood fired ceramics, from my home and studio in West Sussex.’
An accomplished ceramicist, he last year conducted an apprenticeship in Japan, under the noted potter Yagi Akira. His experience was no doubt behind King Charles inviting him to Buckingham Palace last year for a State Banquet held for the state visit of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan.
And his time in Japan will have left plenty to discuss with Eleanor, who has completed a residence with the Sokyo Gallery in Kyoto. Eleanor is not thought to have any blue-blooded connections, but her career has brought her in contact with royalty before. Another of her residencies was undertaken with Hauser & Writh, the art venue where Princess Eugenie serves as director.
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The couple’s relationship, which Eleanor confirmed to Richard Eden back in 2021, came after Sam Chatto’s partnership with his former girlfriend came to an end during lockdown. The couple stepped out together for Tatler's Little Black Book Party in 2022, and often join Sam's parents at events on London's cultural scene.
Eleanor must fit right in with the Chattos – truly a family of artists. Sam’s mother, Lady Sarah, is the only daughter of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. The 62-year-old is known to submit her works (mostly florals) to the Royal Academy’s annual summer exhibition under the name Sarah Armstrong-Jones. His father, Daniel Chatto, is also an artist, and his grandfather Lord Snowdon was, of course, a lauded photographer. Now there is a new artsy member of the family circle to embrace: Isabelle de la Bruyère, the former Christie's executive who is in a relationship with Sam's uncle, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon. Eleanor recently joined Lady Sarah, Daniel and Sam at an exhibition of 'Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies' at Somerset House.
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Their fringe position within the Royal Family grants Lady Sarah and her two sons a level of anonymity not afforded to more senior family members, although the boys’ classic good looks have made them social media stars. Whenever Samuel Chatto, or his brother Arthur, are spotted at major royal events, countless adoring tweets and Instagram posts follow. They were among the mourners at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, and often join other senior members of the royal family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day.
It was their joint outing to Sandringham that really thrust Eleanor into the spotlight as it marked a major break from royal tradition. Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, wasn’t offered an RSVP until she married Prince William, nor was Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, welcomed into the Victorian country house prior to her wedding to Prince Edward. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi joined his then fiancée Princess Beatrice at Sandringham in 2019, just months before they said ‘I do’. So, King Charles’ decision to extend an invite to Eleanor Ekserdjian was quite extraordinary.
Now, the royal family will be looking forward to toasting Sam and Eleanor at their nuptials – a royal-studded occasion for the ages.
