The world met Chelsy Davy when she began dating Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, in 2004.
While their history is obviously in the past, here's what she's been up to since she and
the prince called it quits.
Chelsy Davy was born on October 13, 1985 to Beverley and Charles Davy in Zimbabwe . Her
mom was a former model, while her dad was a wealthy Zimbabwean businessman. Growing
up in Victoria Falls, which is home to one of the world's largest waterfalls, Davy told
British magazine Tatler,
"[I had] an idyllic African childhood. [...] I was always on the farm, running around barefoot
with herds of buffalo, and elephants crossing the road. There were often monkeys on the
tennis court, jumping up and stealing the ball."
In 2000, Zimbabwe experienced an internal crisis in which squatters began to seize white-owned
farms, according to The Atlantic, and these actions were supported by President Mugabe's
government. Things got worse after the World Bank and IMF cut aid to the country. Davy
told Tatler,
"The problem was that when all that kicked off, people started leaving, so the schooling
system was affected as well. All the good teachers left. From that aspect, I didn’t
feel like I was going to get a good education anywhere at all. So I came to school in England."
Upon landing in England, Chelsy Davy reportedly felt unsure of herself. Zimbabwe was the only
home she had ever known and she had moved to a country where she hardly knew anyone.
Even finding schools within England proved to be a challenge for her family. As Davy
told Tatler,
"We were actually looking for schools in a 1980s guide book and so the first school we
phoned had been closed for 10 years!"
Following the family's research, Davy enrolled at Cheltenham Ladies' College, where she studied
alongside girls who she felt appeared more sophisticated than her. According to The Mirror,
Davy said,
"I'd never worn makeup and suddenly everyone was in make-up. My eyes were like little saucers."
Davy spent her formative teen years in England and it quickly became a second home to her.
According to Tatler, Davy splits her time between South Kensington in London and Cape
Town, South Africa.
Chelsy Davy values the importance of higher education, and she studied both economics
and law during her university days. Following graduating from school in England, Davy moved
to South Africa for college. From 2003 to 2006, she attended the University of Cape
Town, where she earned her Bachelor of Commerce degree in politics, philosophy and economics.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl's book William and Harry: Behind the Palace
Walls, Davy originally met Prince Harry when the two were introduced by a mutual friend
in England. In 2004, Harry traveled to South Africa during his gap year, where he reconnected
with Davy. The two reportedly started dating while Davy continued her studies at the University
of Cape Town. When she graduated in 2007, Davy returned to the U.K., where she enrolled
at The University of Leeds to pursue a postgraduate degree in law.
"It was like, okay, let's do this."
In September 2011, Chelsy Davy began working as an associate at international law firm
Allen & Overy. She spent six months in Istanbul, Turkey, and as she told Tatler,
"That was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Missy introduced me to some friends
of hers there who scooped me up at weekends."
When she returned to London for work, Davy enjoyed the nightlife like many young professionals.
Unlike her peers, though, she was often followed by the paparazzi and photographed hitting
the town. She told The Times,
"If you go out once, they take a picture, but not of you going to work every morning,
it's of you falling out of a nightclub at 4 AM."
Davy further explained that she had never worked so hard in her life as she did during
her time at the law firm. As she explained to The Times,
"I didn't realize how little sleep you can survive on. Back-to-back deals, working till
4 AM, conference call at eight. We wouldn't even go home, just sleep in the office."
After three years at Allen & Overy, Chelsy Davy went back to school to study gemology
in a one-year program at the Gemological Institute of America. According to Tatler,
"[Chelsy learned] to identify and categorize hundreds of rare stones."
Davy went on to launch her own jewelry business in 2016, an ethical line called Aya. Davy's
collection includes delicate earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets with colorful gemstones
sourced and crafted in Africa. According to the site,
"Aya is an exclusive jewelry range that captures the beauty of Africa through its rare and
precious gemstones and exquisite African craftsmanship so that each piece of Aya jewellery embodies
the unique charm of Africa."
Whether they were on again or off again, Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy's relationship continued
to make headlines long after it reportedly ended. Their relationship status dominated
royal news for years, although they eventually broke up in 2009. While the couple was spotted
out together during their relationship, and even after it was reportedly over, neither
Harry nor Davy revealed much about their romance to the press. In fact, Prince Harry spoke
about his feelings for Davy just once. According to former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt,
Harry said,
"[Chelsy is] very special. [...] I would love to tell everyone how amazing she is. But,
you know, that is my private life and once I start talking about that, then I’ve left
my own self open, and if anyone asks me in the future, then they’ll say, 'Oh well hang
on, you told them but why aren’t you telling us?'"
"You ain't ever gonna find someone who's gonna jump into the position they would hold."
A defining moment for Chelsy Davy's relationship with Prince Harry came when she attended Prince
William and Kate Middleton's wedding as Harry's date in April 2011. Following the busy day,
Davy reportedly joined Harry for the all-night disco at Buckingham Palace, where the two
apparently spent most of the night dancing together. A source told the Daily Mail,
"They were all over each other and Harry went back to Chelsy's flat before sneaking out
and going home. They were very much an item, but who knows what will happen now."
According to The Daily Mail's royal correspondent Katie Nicholl, Prince Harry had allegedly
told friends he was hoping to get back with Chelsy Davy following his brother's wedding.
However, that wasn't what she had in mind. According to a source, Davy enjoyed Prince
William and Kate Middleton's wedding, but she didn't foresee getting married any time
soon. Her focus was instead on her career.
According to royal biographer Angela Levin's book Harry: Conversations With The Prince,
Davy knew upon attending William and Middleton's ceremony that the royal lifestyle was not
for her. Levin wrote,
"A friend revealed that seeing the enormity and pomp of the day convinced Chelsy that
she and Harry had been right to separate."
For Chelsy Davy, the intense public interest and scrutiny into her relationship with Prince
Harry was just something she believed she'd never get used to. As a young woman, she didn't
enjoy living her life in the spotlight, and told The Times,
"It was so full-on. Crazy and scary and uncomfortable [...] I found it very difficult when it was
bad. I couldn't cope. I was young, I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible."
Davy has also complained about her reputation as a party girl and getting photographed leaving
London’s nightclubs in the early hours of the morning. In addition to criticizing her
behavior, some even called Davy's name into question. According to British journalist
Tom Sykes, Harry's ex would've had a difficult time following in Kate Middleton's footsteps.
In an article for The Daily Beast, Sykes suggested that Prince Harry's girlfriend's name was
originally intended to represent the class and sophistication of the London district
of Chelsea. However, according to Sykes, it had apparently lost that connotation altogether,
and he rudely wrote,
"It is almost completely impossible for the British public to imagine a princess called
Chelsy. [...] It's one of those things that shouldn't matter that really, really does
matter so much."
When Chelsy Davy started planning the launch party for her jewelry line, Aya, she knew
she wanted to make sure her close friend Princess Eugenie was on the guest list. When the two
women reunited at the London event in 2016, Davy and the princess were reported as being
ecstatic when they saw each other. According to Hello! Magazine,
"Despite the fact she split from Eugenie's cousin Prince Harry more than six years ago,
Chelsy greeted her with a warm embrace and was beaming as they had a catch up in front
of the cameras."
Davy and Eugenie's friendship has continued since then, and in October 2018, Davy was
in attendance to support Princess Eugenie when she married Jack Brooksbank at St. George's
Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Both Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas, two of Prince Harry's ex-girlfriends, attended the
prince's May 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle. According to reports, though, Davy almost
didn't attend the royal wedding.
In the days leading up to the nuptials, Harry and Davy allegedly had an emotional talk over
the phone. According to royal expert Katie Nicholl in Vanity Fair, a source revealed,
"It was their final call, a parting call in which they both acknowledged Harry was moving
on. Chelsy was quite emotional about it all, she was in tears and almost didn't go to the
wedding."
"I tried to warn you as much as possible."
Davy also reportedly felt slighted that she was only invited to the ceremony and post-wedding
reception at Windsor Castle but not to the exclusive evening reception at Frogmore House.
However, Davy didn't keep her invitation to the wedding a secret. Instead, she shared
the news with all her close friends. And like many women who know they'll be seeing their
exes, Davy made sure to spend time shopping for the perfect gown, deciding on a classic
navy blue dress and matching fascinator.
Considering that she was born in Zimbabwe, attended university in Cape Town, finished
law school in England, and spent six months in Turkey for work, it's no secret that Chelsy
Davy loves to travel and explore different parts of the world. A quick look at her Instagram
account reveals snaps of Davy jet setting all over the world, dining with friends in
exotic places, and hitting the beach multiple times a year.
In 2020, Davy decided to expand her jewelry company, Aya, into the luxury travel sector,
and told Tatler,
"It's an organic progression from the jewelry. Africa is where I'm from, where my family
is from; it's my heritage and I've always been interested in tourism and conservation."
Her passion for travel and her experience of seeing the world will come in handy during
her next business venture. As she told Tatler magazine,
"We want to be able to curate incredible trips for people, offering them a personalized,
professional service, being there for them 24/7. I'm very knowledgeable about parts of
Zambia and Cape Town."
As they develop these exclusive excursions, Davy ensures that they'd never include anything
on the trips that she or her team haven't experienced firsthand. She explained to Tatler,
"We want to curate the trip to fit with your definition of luxury."
Having done only a handful of press interviews throughout her life, Chelsy Davy has made
it clear that she's always valued her privacy. Having endured the relentless press attention
that her relationship with Prince Harry garnered for more than five years, Davy seems to appreciate
the quiet and calm she's since found. Royal biographer Angela Levin wrote in her book,
Harry: Conversations with the Prince,
"Although they had a lot in common, she saw clearly that because they came from such different
worlds it could never have worked, especially as she valued her privacy and guarded it so
carefully."
Davy is instead happy to focus on her freedom, revealing in an interview with Tatler that
she's content with the direction her life has taken her. She revealed,
"I’m very happy with where I am right now. I’m happy with everything. I’m doing something
in Africa that I’m passionate about and I’m excited for what my vision is and what
that will create. Everything is falling into place."
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