Samuel Chatto, the 29-year-old grandson of the late Princess Margaret, is engaged to his university sweetheart and fellow artist, Eleanor Ekserdjian.
The couple, both 29 and residing in London, plan to marry next spring. Chatto's parents, Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto, along with Ekserdjian's parents, Professor David Ekserdjian and Ms. Susan Moore, have expressed their delight. His Majesty King Charles III has been informed and is reportedly very happy for the couple.
Chatto, an artist known for his ceramics, created the unique engagement ring for Ekserdjian from porcelain. The couple is believed to have met in 2021 while attending the University of Edinburgh and have been publicly pictured together since 2022.
Ekserdjian has become a familiar presence within the extended Royal Family. She accompanied Chatto to the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling in June and spent Christmas 2024 with his relatives at Sandringham. Her attendance at the Sandringham festivities, a gathering traditionally reserved for married or engaged partners, fueled speculation about an engagement prior to the official announcement.
Both Chatto and Ekserdjian are graduates of the University of Edinburgh and have pursued further artistic studies at the Royal Drawing School in London. Ekserdjian, described as an abstract painter and film artist, has been inspired by Chatto, incorporating him into her work. Chatto, who completed an apprenticeship in Japan with a potter, comes from an artistic family; his mother, Lady Sarah Chatto, is a painter, and his father is the actor-turned-artist Daniel Chatto. His maternal grandfather was photographer Lord Snowdon.
Ekserdjian's parents are also figures in the art world: her father is art historian Professor David Ekserdjian, and her mother is art critic Susan Moore. Ekserdjian has undertaken residencies in Japan and Scotland, and her abstract paintings are held in private collections.
The couple has been seen together at various events, including a fundraiser for the National Gallery's Bicentenary campaign in 2022 and London Fashion Week in February 2025, where Chatto publicly supported Ekserdjian's work.