Who is Samuel Chatto and is he a royal?

HE may be in line to the throne, but Samuel Chatto has spent most of his life out of the spotlight.

Here is everything you need to know about Princess Margaret’s grandson.

Who is Samuel Chatto and how old is he?

Samuel David Benedict Chatto, better known as Sam, was born on July 28, 1996 – making him 27 years old.

He was born at Portland Hospital in London and was brought up in Kensington.

Like many other members of the Royal Family, Sam attended Eton College.

He then went on to study History of Art at the University of Edinburgh and graduated in 2018.

Whilst at uni in Edinburgh, he was the President of Diagnostic Society – the university’s oldest debating society founded in 1816.

The debates are held at black-tie events, and senior members have to wear robes.

Once he finished his degree, Sam undertook a six-week apprenticeship at North Shore Pottery in Scotland.

As of September 2023, he has over 96,000 followers on Instagram.

You can find his account under the username @samchatto

Is Samuel Chatto a royal?

Sam is the eldest son of Lady Sarah Chatto and David Chatto.

His late grandmother was Princess Margaret. 

He is currently 29th in line to the throne, behind his mother Lady Sarah.

Sam has a younger brother, Arthur, 24, who is 30th in line to the throne.

He and his brother have been described as the royal family’s “most handsome members” by the British press.

The brothers are believed to have a close relationship as they often share snaps of each other on social media.

Posting a picture of them on the day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s wedding, Sam wrote: “I love you bro (and I’m not just saying that cos you’re so big you could squish me).”

Arthur made royal history in 2021 as he became the first member to join the Marines.

The late Queen was said to be “pleased and proud” of her great-nephew’s achievements.

What does Samuel Chatto do?

Sam worked in an art market before becoming a craftsman.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2019, he said: “I’m working in clay to create functional and sculptural wood-fired ceramics from my home and studio in West Sussex.

“I’ve always had a strong affinity with creating objects, having spent much of my childhood crafting imagined landscapes and sculptural models, which naturally led me to clay during my later years at school.

“My creative practice took a back seat while I studied History of Art at Edinburgh, but was revived, in the summer of 2017, by a visit to North Shore Pottery [in Caithness].

He said he was inspired by what he had seen in Scotland and spent most of his weekends setting up a small home studio to “rediscover my creativity”.

Sam continued: “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.”

Aside from his career as a potter, he has also explored other options and previously trained as a yoga instructor in India.

At the end of 2018, he completed his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training; an experience which he described to his Instagram followers as “incredibly eye-opening”.

Although he is officially licensed, he does not plan on teaching anytime soon.

Does Samuel Chatto have a girlfriend?

Sam was previously in a relationship with Sophie Pipe for four years.

He then began dating Eleanor Ekserdjian, another Edinburgh University graduate and daughter of an art professor.

An artist herself, she has collaborated on a project with Sam, and he has even featured as a subject of her work.

The pair were snapped together at Tatler’s Little Black Book party in November 2022.