The Stunning Transformation Of Lady Marina Windsor

Though she'll never be a working royal, Lady Marina Windsor has been a mainstay of elite social circles. Windsor is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and his wife, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, and among the aristocrats breaking free from the constraints of regal life. Indeed, there are many normal things that royals such as Prince George and Prince Louis will never be able to do, but Windsor has been able to enjoy the best of both worlds as a non-working royal.

Her noble ancestry bestows a lofty social status, yet she is also a free spirit living her best life away from The Firm. From her surprisingly normal childhood to her engagement with activist causes, this is one aristocrat who has made a remarkable transformation (just don't expect her to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace any time soon). Here's a look at the stunning transformation of Lady Marina Windsor.

The royal family may be the embodiment of pomp and prestige, but some royals live like normal people. Despite being a member of the Windsor clan, Lady Marina Windsor had a rather ordinary childhood. Born in 1992 to the Earl and Countess of St Andrews, Marina was raised in Cambridge. Her mom, Dr. Sylvana Tomaselli, is a history professor at the city's prestigious university. Meanwhile, her father, George Windsor, who is a graduate of Cambridge University, is similarly academic: in 2017, he was appointed chancellor of Bolton University and has also worked in the antique book business. In an interview with CSP Times, Marina described an artistic childhood in which literature was touted by her parents as paramount to personal fulfillment. "Growing up in Cambridge, we were lucky to have dogs, rabbits, and other pets, who were our great friends, and as my parents are academics, our house was full of books," she said.

Marina and her sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, attended a day school and enjoyed being free to explore the world as noble persons not bound by duty. "We went to a really lovely day school where we had a lovely group of friends," Amelia told W Magazine. The sisters were later sent to St. Mary's, a Catholic boarding school in Berkshire.

Like her grandmother, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, Lady Marina Windsor has never been a fan of the spotlight. But part of the reason Windsor has been particularly media-shy compared to her fellow royals lies in her place — or lack thereof — within the line of succession. Her Canadian mom, Sylvana Tomaselli, is Roman Catholic, and Windsor shares her mother's faith.

Upon her birth, Windsor was 25th in line to the British throne. However, it wasn't until 2008 that it was revealed that she is Catholic and thus ineligible for a place in the line of succession. This is because all potential monarchs must be strictly aligned with the Church of England, over which they will reign as head of state. She was a teenager at the time, so no doubt being relieved of the burden of the crown enabled Windsor to forge her own path in life.

In 2010, Lady Marina Windsor modeled for Tatler along with her sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, and brother, Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick. Then, at age 18, Marina was looking every inch the natural model; she exuded effortless cool and elegance while attending a glitzy gala with her mom, Sylvana Tomaselli, the following year. Speaking to Tatler, Marina was also delightfully self-deprecating, revealing that her style icon is her paternal great-grandmother and namesake, Princess Marina. "She was the most elegant woman I know of," she said (via Daily Mail). "And one I've made many failed attempts at emulating."

However, the following year, Marina announced that she was done with modeling. In fact, she told The Telegraph that she and her siblings only agreed to the Tatler shoot because they owed a favor to courtier Hardy Amies, dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth II. "We owed them a lot because they had done so much for our family," she said. Instead of becoming a model, Marina hoped to work for the UN. "I'm very interested in diplomacy," she explained. "It's very hard to get into the UN – there is a lot of competition – so I'll have to work very hard."

By 2012, Lady Marina Windsor was growing up fast. So much so that the 20-year-old showcased her tragus piercing while attending Queen Elizabeth II's pre-Christmas lunch. One can't help but wonder what Her Majesty and other senior royals made of the metal modification. The piercing is arguably a sign of college rebellion; Windsor, hoping to study at Oxford University, was on a gap year at the time. Gap-year students often indulge in youthful expressions of rebellion, so Windsor was likely embracing an opportunity to express herself authentically.
She followed in the footsteps of celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, one of the first stars to popularize the tragus piercing. Of course, Windsor wasn't the first royal to stun with her piercings. Back in 1998, 17-year-old Zara Tindall debuted a frenulum piercing and left royal tongues wagging. It seems that Zara walked so Marina could run.

Throughout 2018, Lady Marina Windsor was seen living her best life on social media. She may not be a working royal, but she shared a snap of herself looking effortlessly regal on Instagram. Windsor appeared markedly more mature than her aforementioned rebellious phase, wearing a pastel floral dress by colorful sustainable fashion brand Olivia Rubin. She also attended an event for the restaurant group D&D London, wearing a flowy striped dress that exuded old-money chic.

Though she looked every inch like an elegant aristocrat, Windsor wasn't seen at the royal event of the year. That spring, she and her sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, were snubbed by their third cousin, Prince Harry, in the lead-up to his highly publicized nuptials with Meghan Markle. "They were a little surprised not to be invited as they were looking forward to going ... Perhaps Harry just wanted to keep the family invited to a small number, or maybe he didn't want anyone upstaging the bride," a source told The Sun.

She may not have been invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's lavish wedding, but in 2019, Lady Marina Windsor turned heads at another royal wedding. Attending the nuptials of Lady Gabriella Windsor and the late Thomas Kingston at St George's Chapel in Windsor, Marina looked all grown up in a floral dress and dramatic red fascinator.

Typical of the quirky, non-working royal, Marina's outfit was noticeably unconventional; indeed, her floaty dress was more boho chic than Buckingham's ballgown. Windsor also carried a fairly large purse with her, which may be due to her habit of filling her handbags to the brim. "I'm fairly well known amongst friends for carrying a large amount of unnecessary things in my handbag, but generally, I make sure to have my refillable water bottle, a book, headphones, a reusable bag, and my diary," she told CSP Times.

Lady Marina Windsor has a wide array of highbrow interests and hobbies, making her one of the artiest folks in the Windsor clan. In 2020, she attended the New Generation festival, which supports young artists across the globe through music, theater, and opera productions. Posing at the festival, Windsor wore a fetching and ever so slightly mismatched red ensemble, a far cry from the pristine looks royals typically don in public.
As Windsor explained to CSP Times, her parents encouraged her to embrace the arts from a young age, introducing her and her siblings to arthouse cinema. "We watched mostly foreign cinema, which ignited a lifelong love of film in all of us," she said. "I think my childhood made me, my brother, and sister interested in the world, [and it] encouraged us to be kind, curious, and open-minded and to enjoy the beauty of life with a sprinkle of silliness and humor." She revealed that her perfect day out would involve going to an independent cinema and then seeing an exhibition or a play. Testament to her unwavering thirst for knowledge, Windsor began writing for Vogue that year. She published an article about female artisans in Beirut, a very on-brand topic for the socially conscious royal.

Having survived the pandemonium of the pandemic, Lady Marina Windsor emerged looking even more regal than ever. In 2021, she shared an Instagram snap of herself wearing a fitted gown and fascinator combo; indeed, it was the sort of outfit that wouldn't look out of place on Princess Catherine at Trooping the Colour. And yet, Windsor is a royal who works a regular job.

In 2021, she began working for Blue Marine Foundation, an ocean conservation organization. "They really align with my values because I'm very passionate about anything to do with the environment and the planet," she told Hello!. "I was always very keen to work somewhere that was really focused on helping mitigate the climate crisis in one way or another. I've learned so much since being there."

And Windsor remains true to her values. Though royals are invariably escorted all over London in private cars, Windsor doesn't drive. As part of her commitment to green living, she prefers to walk or take public transit. "Walking or tube/bus are always my go-to, and I love how much of the city you can see by getting around on foot," she told CSP Times. She likely developed an affinity for green transport at a young age, with her sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, previously telling W Magazine that cycling was normalized while the two were growing up. "Everyone cycled everywhere, and all used to play musical instruments that never lasted very long," she said.

Making an appearance at Wimbledon in 2022, Lady Marina Windsor looked equal parts nobility and it-girl influencer in a floaty floral dress, accompanied by Princess Michael of Kent. Despite her regal bearing at the tournament, Windsor's life isn't too dissimilar from those of her fellow Millennials. It's becoming increasingly common for Millennials to live with their parents well into their 30s. In Windsor's case, she lives with her grandparents, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and Katharine, Duchess of Kent, at Wren House in Kensington Palace. In an interview with The Telegraph in 2022, Katharine discussed her love of music and literature, so it isn't hard to see why she and her granddaughter get along so well. Windsor is incredibly close to her grandparents, as she divulged in her chat with Hello!. "I love my grandpa," she said. "He's an amazing man, and he's definitely inspired me."

King Charles III's coronation may have been the royal event of the season — if not the decade — but as a non-working royal, Lady Marina Windsor didn't get an invite in the mail. She needn't have worried, however, as she has a super active social life. While the rest of the royals were mingling at Westminster Abbey, Windsor was living her best life, partying with pals at museum galas and attending multiple friends' weddings across the globe. And as Charles was preparing for his coronation in May 2023, Windsor was busy celebrating the nuptials of her friends in Lagos, Nigeria. In a photo uploaded to Instagram, she and her fellow bridesmaids wrapped their heads in geles and wore matching purple dresses.

In addition to her plethora of pals, Windsor is in a relationship with cyber security account executive Nico Macauley, whom she is believed to have started dating around 2023. The couple was spotted together at Glastonbury in 2024, with Windsor sharing a sweet selfie of her beau cuddling up to her.

Attending another pal's wedding in 2024 with her mom, Sylvana Tomaselli, Lady Marina Windsor stunned in a yellow maxi dress by independent brand Saloni. Evidently, the aristocrat has an idiosyncratic approach to personal styling, often sporting vibrant and unique attire by brands such as Reformation, Stine Goya, and Mondo Corsini.
In her interview with Hello!, Windsor explained that she was trying her best to be an ethical consumer, which meant eschewing fast fashion entirely. "Fast fashion is incredibly destructive to our planet," she said. "I try to shop from charity shops, vintage shops, sustainable brands, and often I borrow clothes off friends. That's a pretty good way of doing it. That's what my friends and I are trying to do a lot more." The environmentally conscious royal also sweetly revealed that she enjoys borrowing from her mom's wardrobe, noting that clothing from her parents' generation tends to last much longer than the often disposable, contemporary clothing that floods stores these days. "I think the generation above us kept their clothes so well. I'm trying to do the same thing," she added.