Since setting off to Harvard in 2017, Malia Obama has been living it up at college, and
that includes finding herself a hot, British, millionaire boyfriend named Rory Farquharson.
With things appearing to be getting serious, let's take a look inside Malia's relationship
with Rory.
In her freshman year at Harvard in November 2017, Malia was spotted doing what college
kids do best — hanging out at a football tailgate and publicly making out.
As it turned out, her partner-in-crime during the PDA fest, the boy TMZ originally labeled
as a "mystery man," was later identified as Rory Farquharson.
Little did we know that young love was blossoming right before our eyes.
It took a couple months for Malia and Rory Farquharson to go public following their PDA
at the Harvard tailgate.
We don't know when they made things official, but by the former first daughter's second
semester, the pair were unabashedly an item — and vying for separate best-dressed titles.
Malia Obama didn't just do good with Rory Farquharson — she did great.
The Brit was apparently one of Harvard's most eligible bachelors, with an impressive education
and sports career behind him.
According to the Daily Mail, he attended the $42,500-a-year Rugby School, one of England's
most prestigious private schools.
At the Rugby School, Farquharson held the position of head boy — class President,
essentially.
But he wasn't just gifted in the world of academics, previously holding a spot in the
Blue Bunsen Society, the school's chemistry club.
He was also a talented athlete, playing both golf and rugby.
According to the Telegraph, insiders claimed that the Brit was "very popular" and fancied
by his female classmates.
Overall, they described him as, quote, "quite a catch."
Though the Obamas have an impressive net worth, they don't need to bankroll their eldest daughter's
longtime beau.
Rory Farquharson is from a very well-off family, so much so that the Daily Mail dubbed him
Malia Obama's "millionaire British boyfriend."
According to the Telegraph, Farquharson's father is a chief executive of Insight Investment
Management Limited, and his mother is a qualified accountant.
The pair have a massive six-bedroom detached home worth around $2.1 million.
The Daily Mail reports that they also have a second $2.3 million property in a posh London
neighborhood.
Needless to say, even though Harvard costs more than $72,000 a year to get the traditional
college experience, this couple probably won't be saddled with any student debt.
In a letter to his 16-year-old self, Farquharson even admitted that his mom offered to buy
him a new car if he waited until he was 21 years old to drink spirits, even though the
drinking age in the UK is 18.
Former first daughter Malia Obama is just about as close as you can get to royalty in
the United States.
But according to the Daily Express, Farquharson is only a couple degrees away from the Queen
and Prince Charles.
The Brit's second cousin, Andrew, was reportedly the Queen's Master of Household and lived
at Buckingham Palace.
She liked him enough to make him a member of the Royal Victorian Order, and he was so
good at his job that Charles allegedly "poached him" from his mother and brought him to work
at Clarence House.
That's not Farquharson's only brush with royalty.
According to the Telegraph, the Brit's athletic career brought him to the 2015 Rugby World
Cup opening ceremony, where he was reportedly included in a video that also featured Prince
Harry.
This was, of course, years before Harry gave up his royal title and moved to Los Angeles
with Meghan Markle.
If there's anyone who could handle Obama's intense lifestyle, it's definitely Farquharson.
As much as we'd like to imagine this couple as a transatlantic, modern version of Romeo
and Juliet, we're sorry to say that there's no relationship drama here.
Rory Farquharson reportedly nabbed a glowing stamp of approval from Barack and Michelle
Obama — and why wouldn't he?
Imagine your parents being angry that you brought home a millionaire with an Ivy League
education who has loose ties to British royalty?
It doesn't get any better on paper.
Regardless, this isn't why the former first couple approved.
According to Radar Online, the Obamas were, quote, "less than thrilled" with their so-called
wild child's college friends.
According to the tabloid, the Obamas hoped that her new beau would "bring a little stability."
In other words: steer her away from the red Solo cups and back to the books, even though
none of us know her GPA or her major.
In reality, Malia's probably doing just fine.
Aside from any speculation, dating a former first daughter has its pitfalls, and no one
knows this better than the Obamas.
The couple are so fond of Farquharson that they allegedly sent him a letter apologizing
for any unwanted attention he might get for dating their daughter.
No one said being famous was easy!
Meeting the parents is a big step for a couple.
After Rory Farquharson met the Obamas and received the thumbs up, it was only a matter
of time before Malia had to do the same.
In July 2019, the Daily Mail spotted Malia and her British beau enjoying brunch at a
luxury resort in California with people who appeared to be the Farquharsons.
We're not sure if this was the first time Malia met the parents, but the former president's
daughter reportedly seemed "really calm and relaxed."
A few months later, it was clear she got their stamp of approval.
The Daily Mail reported that Malia spent the Christmas holidays with Rory's family in London
as their relationship grew increasingly more serious.
Malia Obama's smoking habits — which may or may not include cannabis, depending on
which tabloid you ask — have long been scrutinized.
The media circus was so bad that even Ivanka Trump, whose father has long positioned himself
as Barack's political rival, defended the former first daughter on Twitter.
As it turns out, Malia's longtime beau, Rory Farquharson, shares the same vice, much to
the likely dismay of her parents.
The couple have been spotted puffing across the globe during lunch breaks at Harvard and
on romantic strolls in London.
This might just be the only thing the Obamas don't approve of in their daughter's relationship,
but they've dealt with it before.
Barack had a longtime smoking habit, which Michelle Obama, who launched the Let's Move!
health initiative during her time as first lady, allegedly helped him kick around 2010.
In an interview with Politico, former House speaker John Boehner revealed that the former
president never snuck a cigarette, because, quote, "he's scared to death of his wife."
Apparently, Malia does not have that same fear.
Though Rory Farquharson has yet to pop the question to Malia Obama, he does see that
in his future.
According to the Telegraph, it appeared like the Brit planned to pursue a career in finance
like his investment banker father, because he reportedly followed several banking-related
accounts on Twitter, back when he had an account.
According to the Sun, he might also opt for law school.
Regardless of his lofty career aspirations, Farquharson doesn't appear to prioritize any
of it over his family.
In a letter to his 16-year-old self published in 2014 in the Rugby School magazine Meteor,
he admitted that his relationships are, quote, "the most satisfying and important things
of all in life," and he planned to focus on nurturing them.
He wrote,
"One day you'll get married and start a family, and all the rivalries and silly preoccupations
of school life will be a distant memory.
And so my final piece of advice is actually not advice at all but an order: have fun!"
As of the making of this video, Malia Obama and Rory Farquharson aren't getting married,
but they may be thinking about taking a massive step in their relationship.
The pair may be looking to move in together.
In January 2020, amidst Malia's holiday visit to the UK, Hello! speculated that shacking
up is the couple's most logical next step.
They believe Malia and Rory will end up in North London near Rory's parents, rather than
stateside with the Obamas.
Honestly, their families are wealthy enough that they could probably just do both.
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard predicted that the pair will opt for a one-bedroom flat
that was listed at just over $1 million, but it's a little too early to tell.
Malia hasn't even graduated and still has to attend classes at Harvard until 2021, though
60 percent of students went virtual for the fall 2020 semester.
Rory Farquharson and Malia Obama took the next step in their relationship and committed
to an indefinite period trapped inside with her parents during the start of the coronavirus
lockdowns.
On a December 2020 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barack Obama divulged that the family
brought in a very special guest in the early days of the pandemic: Malia's beau.
For most people, an endless string of family game nights with the not-quite in-laws would
be a unique kind of torture, but the couple actually appeared to enjoy spending time with
Malia's parents.
Obama said,
"Like, I think, a lot of families, we went through that first month where we were playing
games every night and doing little arts and crafts projects and then slowly they started
to get a little bored with us."
His favorite part of the quarantine experience?
"Maybe teaching Malia and Sasha, and Malia's boyfriend who was with us for a while, Spades,
and then having some Spades games."
Regardless, there wasn't really much of a choice.
As the former president shared on the podcast, Farquharson couldn't leave the country.
"He's British.
Wonderful young man.
He was sort of stuck because there was a whole visa thing, and so we took him in, and I didn't
want to like him, but he's a good kid."
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