Royals with day jobs: European royalty who have pursued careers away from their titles


Farah Andrews
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On Tuesday, it was announced that Prince Harry has taken on a job at the Silicon Valley coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc. The Duke of Sussex stepped down as a senior royal in 2020, and is set to become the chief impact officer at the company, a role that he hopes "creates impact in people's lives".

However, Harry is not the first, and certainly won't be the last, international royal to take a regular day job.

Here, we round up the royals that have been put to work ...

1. Prince Nikolai, Denmark

Prince Nikolai of Denmark walks the runway during the Dior Homme menswear spring / summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in June 2018 in Paris, France. Getty Images
Prince Nikolai of Denmark walks the runway during the Dior Homme menswear spring / summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in June 2018 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Prince Nikolai of Denmark, 21, is the grandson of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and eldest son of Prince Joachim, the queen's second son. Prince Joachim's elder brother, Prince Frederik is the country's crown prince.

Prince Nikolai is currently seventh in line to the Danish throne and works as a full-time model. He has appeared on Dior and Burberry runways, and walked during London Fashion Week in 2018.

Of his son, Prince Joachim, who has worked as a farmer in the past, said: "He shouldn't be forced into anything. Nikolai's life must go completely according to his own plan. I want to help him along the way and try to inspire him."

2. Princess Martha Louise, Norway

Princess Martha Louise of Norway is a businesswoman who takes few royal engagements. The Royal Court
Princess Martha Louise of Norway is a businesswoman who takes few royal engagements. The Royal Court

Princess Martha Louise, 49, is the only daughter of Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja. She is the eldest child, however, her younger brother Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, is first in line for the throne.

Although she is third in line, she is not a member of the royal house and rarely makes official public engagements. She trained as a physiotherapist, but has never practiced. Instead, she established an entertainment business that creates public and televised performances from traditional Norwegian folk tales. She has also released her own children's book.

3. Princess Beatrice, Britain 

Britain's Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice both have jobs away from their royal duties. Ian Jones
Britain's Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice both have jobs away from their royal duties. Ian Jones

Granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's Princess Beatrice, 32, has had a number of jobs, including volunteering as a sales assistant at London department store Selfridges in the summer of 2008.

More recently, she has taken on the job of vice-president of partnerships and strategy at artificial intelligence firm Afiniti. She is also "in charge of [a company] programme to engage senior business chiefs around the world to support women in leadership".

4. Princess Eugenie, Britain 

Like her sister Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, 31, has taken on a number of jobs away from her royal duties. After graduating from university, she moved to New York City to work for auction firm Paddle8 as a benefit auctions manager in 2013.

She has remained within the art world and took on a role at London's Hauser & Wirth art gallery in 2015; she was promoted to director in 2017 and remains listed in that role on the company's official website.

5. Charlotte Casiraghi, Monaco

Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Monaco's Princess Caroline, was named the brand ambassador and spokesperson for Chanel last year. The 34-year-old is the niece of Prince Albert, and is 11th in the line of succession to Monaco's throne. Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly were her maternal grandparents. Before her role at Chanel, Casiraghi modelled for top brands including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.

6. Zara Tindall, Britain

Zara Tindall at a Rolex event in Kentucky in 2017. Ashley Neuhof / Rolex
Zara Tindall at a Rolex event in Kentucky in 2017. Ashley Neuhof / Rolex

Zara Tindall, 39, is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II and daughter of Britain's Anne, Princess Royal. However, she does not have a royal title and has spent her adult life pursuing a professional equestrian career.

In the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Tindall represented Team GB and won a silver medal. She did not qualify for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

She is married to rugby player Mike Tindall and the couple have three children, Mia Grace, 7, and Lena Elizabeth, 2, and Lucas Philip, who was born this week.

7. Peter Phillips, Britain 

Peter Phillips with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at a patron's lunch to celebrate her 90th birthday on June 12, 2016. Getty Images
Peter Phillips with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at a patron's lunch to celebrate her 90th birthday on June 12, 2016. Getty Images

Peter Phillips, 43, is the elder brother of Zara Tindall, and is also a private citizen and not a working royal.

Phillips has had a number of jobs, including working for car manufacturer Jaguar and British Formula One motor racing team, Williams.

In 2005, he took on a role at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has since left to work as managing director at SEL UK Ltd, a "London-based sports and entertainment agency specialising in large scale event delivery, sponsorship and consultancy". SEL's London headquarters are located on Buckingham Palace Road, making his royal connection clear.

Interestingly, Phillips uses his royal status to make money. In January 2020, he featured in a Chinese commercial for Bright Food, advertising milk. In the video, he was described as a "British royal family member".

8. Princess Marie-Chantal, Greece

The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973, however, Princess Marie-Chantal is a princess of Denmark by marriage. Her husband is Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, a male-line descendant of Christian IX of Denmark.

Princess Marie-Chantal, 52, works in the fashion world. In 2000 she launched luxury childrenswear brand, Marie-Chantal. According to its LinkedIn page, she is founder and creative director.

9. Prince Philippos, Greece and Denmark

Prince Philippos is the youngest child of King Constantine II of Greece and Anne-Marie of Denmark; Anne-Marie is the youngest sister of Denmark's Queen Margrethe II. He is the younger brother of Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece and Princess Marie-Chantal's husband, and is named after Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. He is also the godson of the late Princess Diana.

Prince Philippos, 34, works in finance and has worked in New York City at Ortelius Capital Partners, "an alternative investment group specialising in hedge funds and private equity", since 2014. His LinkedIn currently lists him as an analyst at the company.

In 2020, he married Nina Flohr, daughter of Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr.

10. King Willem-Alexander, Netherlands

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the annual summer photocall at their residence in July 2020. Getty Images
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the annual summer photocall at their residence in July 2020. Getty Images

The most senior royal on our list is King Willem-Alexander, king of the Netherlands. He acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. His mother is Beatrix of the Netherlands.

In 2017, it was revealed that avid pilot King Willem-Alexander had served as a first officer on KLM flights for 21 years, "even after his accession to the throne". It is said he was "rarely recognised" while in KLM uniform.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)

Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)

Lazio v Napoli (9pm)

Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)

Sunday

Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)

Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)

Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)

Torino v Bologna (6pm)

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE

Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km