James Ogilvy
Template:Short description Template:Other people Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person
James Robert Bruce Ogilvy (born 29 February 1964) is a British landscape designer, and the founder and editor of the magazine Luxury Briefing. He is a member of the extended British royal family as the elder child and only son of Princess Alexandra of Kent and Sir Angus Ogilvy. Queen Elizabeth II was a first cousin of his mother, both of whom were granddaughters of King George V.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref name=royalist/> As a result, he is a second cousin of King Charles III and 56th or 59th in the line to the British throne.
Early life and family
Ogilvy was born on Leap Year Day in 1964 making him a Leapling. He was born in Thatched House Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=telegraph/> He was the first of four children born to royalty within a space of nine weeks in 1964, the others being Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones. Ogilvy was baptised by Arthur Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, with Queen Elizabeth II among his seven godparents.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At birth, he was 13th in line to the British throne.<ref name=bbc>Template:Cite news</ref> As of January 2025, he is 58th.
Education and professional life
His education began in the "palace school" with his cousins Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones.<ref name="royalweddingbook">Template:Cite book</ref> Subsequently, Ogilvy attended Gibbs<ref name="Seward">Template:Cite book</ref> pre-prep and Heatherdown Preparatory School (with Prince Edward).<ref name="Seward" /><ref name="princeedwardbio">Template:Cite book</ref> After that, Ogilvy and Prince Edward went separate ways, the prince to Gordonstoun and Cambridge, and Ogilvy to Eton College and the University of St Andrews.<ref name="pantonbook">Template:Cite book</ref> From St. Andrews, he earned a Scottish Master of Arts degree in History of art.<ref name="pantonbook" /> He then attended the full-time MBA course at Cranfield from 1990 to 1991, obtaining the MBA qualification.
He worked for Barclays de Zoete Wedd (BZW) and then a shipping agency in Edinburgh.<ref name="shark" />
He is the publisher and founder of Luxury Briefing, a magazine launched in 1996,<ref name=royalist/><ref name=luxury>Template:Cite web</ref> and has served on numerous boards of directors.
Ogilvy is also a professional photographer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and landscape designer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
He married Julia Caroline Rawlinson, daughter of Charles Frederick Melville Rawlinson, of Arkesden, Essex, a merchant banker, on 30 July 1988 at St Mary's Church in Saffron Walden, Essex. The couple have two children:<ref name=royalist>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Flora Alexandra Vesterberg (born 15 December 1994 in Edinburgh, Scotland) who studied History of Art at the University of Bristol and has a master's degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art: she runs a contemporary art agency.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She married Swedish financier Timothy Vesterberg at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, on 26 September 2020 and renewed their vows the following year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was diagnosed with autism in 2025.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- Alexander Charles Ogilvy (born 12 November 1996 in Edinburgh, Scotland) who attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He attended Sandhurst and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) in August 2025.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
He is also a godfather of Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of his second cousin, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and Sarah Ferguson.
In 1997, while on holiday in Florida with his wife and children, he swam out into the ocean and was bitten by a shark. Ogilvy had several leg wounds and required 30 stitches.<ref name="shark">Template:Cite news</ref>
Ancestry
His maternal grandparents were Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George V; and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Princess Marina was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (later known as Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark). He has a younger sister, Marina Ogilvy.<ref name=telegraph>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Honours
- File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg 6 February 1977: Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
- File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
- File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg 6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
- File:UK Queen EII Platinum Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg 6 February 2022: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg 6 May 2023: King Charles III Coronation Medal
References
External links
Template:S-start Template:S-hou Template:S-other Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:End
- Pages with broken file links
- 1964 births
- Living people
- 20th-century British publishers (people)
- 20th-century English photographers
- 21st-century British publishers (people)
- 21st-century English photographers
- Alumni of Cranfield University
- Alumni of the University of St Andrews
- British magazine publishers (people)
- Clan Ogilvy
- English landscape and garden designers
- English magazine editors
- English publishers (people)
- People educated at Heatherdown School
- People educated at Eton College
- Shark attack victims
- Descendants of Prince George, Duke of Kent