King Charles' Great-Nephew Samuel Chatto Engaged to Armenian Artist Eleanor Ekserdjian

Armenian artist Eleanor Ekserdjian is set to join Britain's extended royal family after announcing her engagement to Samuel Chatto, the great-nephew of King Charles III and grandson of the late Princess Margaret.

Chatto, 28, shared the news on Instagram, revealing that he proposed with a porcelain engagement ring he crafted himself.

"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," he wrote.

The couple has not announced a wedding date, though British media report they are expected to marry in the spring of 2027. Reports also say King Charles has been informed of the engagement and is pleased by the news.

Ekserdjian, whose artwork is deeply influenced by the Armenian diaspora, has built an international reputation as an abstract painter. Her work has appeared in private collections, including London's Redfern Gallery, and she has completed artist residencies with Hauser & Wirth and Kyoto's Sokyo Gallery. She studied at the University of Edinburgh and comes from a family immersed in the arts. Her father, Professor David Ekserdjian, is an art historian, while her mother, Susan Moore, is an art critic for the Financial Times.

The couple has been together publicly since 2021. In recent years, they have attended several royal and cultural events together, including the royal family's Christmas gathering at Sandringham. Their appearance drew attention because unmarried partners have traditionally not been invited to the annual celebration, signaling the seriousness of their relationship within the royal family.

Chatto has chosen a career in the arts rather than royal duties. A ceramic artist based in West Sussex, he creates wood-fired functional and sculptural pottery. He recently completed an apprenticeship in Japan with master potter Yagi Akira and later attended a Buckingham Palace state banquet honoring Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan.

Creativity runs through Chatto's family. His mother, Lady Sarah Chatto, is an accomplished painter, his father, Daniel Chatto, is an artist, and his late grandfather, Lord Snowdon, was one of Britain's most celebrated photographers.

Although Samuel Chatto is not a working member of the British royal family, he remains a familiar figure at major royal occasions. His engagement to Ekserdjian is the beginning of a new chapter that also brings an Armenian artist into one of the world's most closely watched families.

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