Who Is Princess Margaret's Grandson Samuel Chatto?

We'll just come right out and say it: Samuel Chatto is a hottie — and we're not the only ones who think so. Even the British press has sung his praises on a few occasions. If you're currently ogling the man and wondering how on earth you didn't know of his existence before today, the answer is pretty simple: He's not a working member of the royal family and mostly keeps to himself. As for how he fits into the family tree? Samuel is one of Princess Margaret's grandchildren. (Margaret, of course, was Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister.) His mother is Lady Sarah Chatto, Margaret's daughter, and his father is Daniel Chatto.

Samuel Chatto was born on July 28, 1996, and he spent most of his childhood in Kensington. After completing his education at Eton College, Samuel enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, where he studied History of Art. Samuel has a younger brother, Arthur Chatto, who also enrolled for a degree in History of Art at the same university. Samuel is 29th in line to the throne, which means he pretty much gets to live a normal life and won't be called in to perform royal duties anytime soon, despite King Charles III's cancer diagnosis.

If you're eager to know more about this royal, you're in the right place. Read on for everything there is to know about the elusive Samuel Chatto.

After Samuel Chatto graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2018, he set his sights on becoming a professional potter. While this might seem like a rather odd job for a member of the royal family, it's not all that unusual. Princess Eugenie makes her money working at the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in London; Chatto's parents both work as professional artists.

Fresh out of university, Chatto set off to North Shore Pottery in Scotland for a six-week apprenticeship, where he spent hours honing his skills. In January 2019, he took to Instagram to share his experience with followers and sing his teacher's praises. "2018 was such an incredible year of self reflection and growth for me," he wrote, before adding that he appreciated the opportunity to learn from his instructor. "Clay consumed my every waking hour and I am so excited to see what I can achieve this year!" he concluded. Clearly, his clay journey had only just begun.

Samuel Chatto's 2018 pottery apprenticeship paid off in dividends, because his career pretty much took off in 2019. While Chatto initially tried to make a career working in the commercial art market, he found that it didn't interest him and opted to do his own thing instead after three months of giving the venture a try. He consequently opened a ceramics studio to showcase his work, and the rest is history.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2019, Chatto revealed a bit about his passion for creating ceramics, saying making things is something he's been passionate about since his childhood. "[I] spent much of my childhood crafting imagined landscapes and sculptural models, which naturally led me to clay during my later years at school," he explained. After realizing that working in the art market left him creatively numb, Chatto started preparing to open his own studio and spent his weekends building a wood-fired kiln in his garden. "The decision to start selling my work comes from a strong belief in the power of beautiful, well-made objects to enrich and enhance our lives," he said.

In October 2019, Chatto exhibited some of his work at Bruton hotel and restaurant At The Chapel. He made the exciting announcement on Instagram, explaining the inspiration behind some of the pieces that will be on display. Chatto drew from Medieval English and Ancient Athenian pottery to create his works of art.

Samuel Chatto might have opened a successful studio in 2019, but he's continued to hone his craft, and in 2023, he undertook yet another apprenticeship, this time in Kyoto, Japan, with porcelain master Yagi Akira. Here, he learned traditional Japanese techniques that provided him with new insights and ideas to incorporate into his work. Having never worked with porcelain before, Chatto found it a fascinating and eye-opening experience.

By the time June 2024 rolled around, Chatto landed himself an exhibition spot at Hauser & Wirth, where Princess Eugenie works. It is here that he got to exhibit some of the art he learned to create during his time in Japan. Chatto took to Instagram to announce the news, explaining that the porcelain tea set he created using Japanese techniques was set to be on display at the prestigious art gallery. "I'm showing a series of vessels and teaware @make_hauserwirth a combination of works made in Japan and Sussex," Chatto explained in the caption. "I hope that my vessels, with their weight and proportion, have the feeling of the maker's hand, and therefore invite the viewer to hold and drink from them," he added. In a note from the studio Chatto added to the caption, he described his work as "the perfect combination of form and function." The studio's note also hinted at Chatto's newfound love for Japanese porcelain techniques, explaining that he was drawn to ways in which the techniques differ vastly from Western techniques.

Samuel Chatto might fly under the radar most of the time, but he's been spotted at royal events on several occasions. He has attended Princess Catherine's carol service (a joyful Christmas event she hosts annually), and unsurprisingly, turned some heads. This event isn't the only royal family holiday tradition Samuel has taken part in — he's also been seen at the Christmas church service at Sandringham with the rest of the royals. Samuel has also made appearances at the Royal Ascot and Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Most notably, Samuel and his brother, Arthur Chatto, had a great time at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018. "The wedding yesterday was so full of love and warmth and joy!!" Samuel shared in a post on Instagram.

Samuel has attended less festive royal events as well. He was at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022 along with his brother and his parents. It's likely Samuel and his family were relatively close to the queen, given that the monarch was said to have taken Lady Sarah Chatto under her wing after Princess Margaret died.

As many outlets have noted, whenever Samuel makes an appearance at royal events, a slew of tweets and Instagram posts follow from royal fans discussing his good looks. Looking at photographs taken at these events, one can see why — the budding artist cleans up quite nicely.

As far as grand royal events are concerned, few have made a splash quite like King Charles III's coronation in 2023. While all eyes were on Prince George as he stepped into his first royal role as the king's page of honor, some royal fans couldn't help but turn their attention to Samuel Chatto as he entered the Abbey with his parents in tow. Pundits quickly took to social media to share that they spotted the rarely-seen royal at the event. Samuel even got his own headline in the New York Post, which dubbed him the "coronation heartthrob." He and his father, Daniel Chatto, looked handsome in their matching suits as they left the church after the ceremony.

One only has to glance at the comments section on Samuel's Instagram page to deduce that he's left an impression on royal fans. While Samuel mostly posts pictures of his artwork and last posted snaps of himself in 2019 (yes, we're disappointed too), it's clear that royal fans have been not-so-secretly crushing on him for years. When he shared a photo of himself sitting at a potter's wheel in January 2019, followers were anything but subtle in the comment section. "Bro is handsome," one wrote. "Cutie," another added. When he shared snaps from an art show later that year, he received similar comments. "Can't believe that I share the same sky with one of God's finest creations," one person wrote. "You are very cute!!!" another added. "My husband," another quipped.

In addition to pursuing his love of art, Samuel Chatto also found the time to become a certified yoga teacher. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, Chatto reinvented himself. In a series of posts on Instagram shared in January 2019, he reflected on the previous year and all he had learned and accomplished, which included completing his 200-hour yoga teacher training in India. Chatto noted that he didn't plan on opening up his own yoga studio anytime soon but said that the experience was invaluable. "It was an incredibly eye opening experience which I am so deeply grateful for," he wrote. "I had the pleasure of connecting with so many beautiful, supportive, and honest/open/loving people, discovered so much about my body and mind, and have come away with knowledge of an invaluable practice and a whole new family of kind spirited friends!" he added.

As far as we know, Chatto is focusing solely on his art these days. However, if he decides to open a yoga studio, we have a hunch it'll be a hit.

As far as the British press knows, Samuel Chatto has only ever had two serious girlfriends: Sophie Pipe and Eleanor Ekserdjian. He met both while studying at the University of Edinburgh. Pipe did her yoga teacher training with Chatto in India after completing her degree in architectural history in 2018. The Daily Mail described Pipe, who was an advocate for body positivity and a vegan, as a "breath of fresh air." In 2019, the couple had already been dating for four years and appeared to enjoy traveling together. 

Sadly, the romance fizzled out and Chatto moved on with Ekserdjian, the daughter of one of the art professors at Edinburgh University and also a working artist. The two collaborated on at least one project and Chatto has been the subject of some of Ekserdjian's work. The two have been keeping their relationship pretty private and the only public outing at which they've been spotted was Tatler's Little Black Book party in November 2023. It's not clear whether the two are still dating, but no breakup news has reached our ears yet. So, for all we know, Chatto and Ekserdjian's relationship is still going strong.

While tragedies have plagued the royal family for the majority of 2024, there was plenty of excitement when King Charles III announced that he would be hosting a state banquet for Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako amid undergoing his cancer treatment. Many senior members of the royal family attended the event, including Prince William, but the banquet was overshadowed by everyone worrying about Princess Anne, who landed in the hospital after suffering a horse-related accident. Anne was also supposed to be in attendance at the banquet, but given her injuries couldn't make it.

Luckily, Samuel Chatto was available to show some familial support. He made an appearance at the grand event, and it seems that his attendance was a surprise to pundits and the press alike. It made sense that Charles invited him, however, given his ties to Japan. "Samuel Chatto was an unexpected guest at the state banquet, but was invited because he has recently exhibited some of his work in Japan," royal editor Emily Nash told Hello! magazine. Nash added that it isn't unusual to invite royal family members who have the background to make small talk with the guests of honor. "Other royals have previously been invited if they have connections to the visiting nation, such as Lady Gabriella Windsor, who was invited to the banquet for the king and queen of Spain because she has worked in Spain," Nash explained.

You might not know this about Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, but she is pretty good friends with Samuel Chatto's mother. It may come as no surprise, then, that she's long supported Chatto's art. When Chatto and his girlfriend, Eleanor Ekserdjian, showcased their work at The Redfern Gallery in London in July 2024, Sarah popped by. What's more, she shared some pictures of Chatto's art to her Instagram page. In the images, Sarah can be seen admiring and posing with Chatto's pieces. 

"I believe in supporting young artists and really pushing them to show off the talent that they have to as big an audience as they can," Sarah wrote in the caption. Referring to Chatto as "my friend," Sarah encouraged her followers to pay the gallery a visit. "I'd urge you to go and have a look up close at the skill and craftsmanship that goes into creating such wonderful art," she wrote.

Since Chatto's art hasn't been publicly endorsed by any other members of the royal family, it was nice to see someone like Sarah do so. Tatler noted it was the first time the royal has posted about Chatto's work on a public platform, but since she seems very impressed with what she saw, we can hopefully expect to see her support some of Chatto's future exhibitions.