Samuel Chatto has been a royal fan favorite for quite some time. Chatto, who is Princess Margaret's grandson, made a rare public appearance at King Charles' pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. And on Christmas Day, Chatto joined the Royal Family to attend church at St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, where he was accompanied by his girlfriend, Eleanor Ekserdjian.
According to the Daily Mail, Chatto has reportedly inspired engagement rumors by inviting Ekserdjian to spend Christmas with the Royal Family. The couple have apparently been dating since 2021, and they're both graduates of Edinburgh University. While it's unclear whether or not they're heading towards marriage, the Daily Mail's Richard Eden suggested Chatto and Ekserdjian's relationship is serious.
Chatto and Ekserdjian seemingly have a lot in common as they're both artists. Princess Margaret's grandson is a talented ceramic artist and was recently a guest artist at the Monumental Studio at the Center for Ceramic Art. Meanwhile, Ekserdjian is an abstract painter, film artist, and curator who has collaborated with her boyfriend.
According to her official website, "Ekserdjian's practice involves projecting the moving image onto paper or canvas and drawing from and over it, her physical and emotional responses being made visible through rapid mark-making. These paintings and drawings become lyrical landscapes which explore her evolving emotional response to the film."
In 2019, Chatto discussed his creative practice with the Daily Mail, saying, "I'm working in clay to create functional and sculptural wood-fired ceramics from my home and studio in West Sussex." He continued, "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."
Chatto revealed that his "creative practice" wasn't able to thrive until after he'd completed an MA in History of Art at The University of Edinburgh. Working at North Shore Pottery [in Caithness, Scotland] allowed Chatto to develop his skill as a ceramic artist.
"Inspired by what I had seen in Scotland, and completely uninspired by my three-month job in the commercial art market, I spent my weekends setting up a small home studio to rediscover my creativity and built a wood-fired kiln at the bottom of my garden," he told the outlet. "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."
