James Ogilvy

British landscape designer and publisher (born 1964)

For other people named James Ogilvy, see James Ogilvy (disambiguation).

James Ogilvy

Born|  (1964-02-29) 29 February 1964 (age 61)

Thatched House Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey, England

Education|

* Heatherdown Preparatory School
* Eton College

Alma mater|

* University of St Andrews (MA)
* Cranfield University (MBA)

Occupations|

* Landscape designer
* magazine editor

Spouse|

Julia Rawlinson

(m. 1988)​

Children| 2
Parents|

* Angus Ogilvy (father)
* Princess Alexandra of Kent (mother)

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.[1][2][3] As a result, he is a second cousin of King Charles III and 59th in the line to the British throne.

## Early life and family

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Ogilvy was born on Leap Year Day in 1964 making him a Leapling. He was born in Thatched House Lodge, Richmond Park, Surrey.[4][5] 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.[6] At birth, he was 13th in line to the British throne.[2] As of January 2025, he is 58th.

## Education and professional life

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His education began in the "palace school" with his cousins Prince Edward, Lady Helen Windsor and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones.[7] Subsequently, Ogilvy attended Gibbs[8] pre-prep and Heatherdown Preparatory School (with Prince Edward).[8][9] 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.[10] From St. Andrews, he earned a Scottish Master of Arts degree in History of art.[10] 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.[11]

He is the publisher and founder of Luxury Briefing, a magazine launched in 1996,[3][12] and has served on numerous boards of directors.

Ogilvy is also a professional photographer[13] and landscape designer.[14]

## Personal life

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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:[3][15]

* 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.[16] 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.[17][18]
* Alexander Charles Ogilvy (born 12 November 1996 in Edinburgh, Scotland) who attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.[19]

He is also a godfather of Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of his second cousin, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York.

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.[11]

## Ancestry

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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.[5][20]

## Honours

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* 6 February 1977: Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
* 6 February 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
* 6 February 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
* 6 February 2022: Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal[21]
* 6 May 2023: King Charles III Coronation Medal

## References

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1. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (28 December 2004). "Angus Ogilvy, 76, Banker With Ties to British Royalty, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
2. ^ a b "Royal baby for leap year day". BBC. 1964. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
3. ^ a b c Ruhl, Ana Maria (29 August 2006). "James Ogilvy: A Luxury In Briefing". The Royalist. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
4. ^ Wakeford, Geoffrey. Thirty Years a Queen: A Study of H.M. Queen Elizabeth.
5. ^ a b "James Ogilvy, Princess Alexandra's son, talks to Cassandra Jardine about his life as a junior royal". The Daily Telegraph. London. 26 October 1996. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
6. ^ "Baptized". Time. 22 May 1964. Archived from the original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
7. ^ Donnelly, Peter (1999). Invitation to a Royal Wedding: Edward and Sophie, June 19, 1999. Bramley Books. ISBN 9781841002217.
8. ^ a b Seward, Ingrid (1995). Prince Edward. London: Century. p. 32\. ISBN 9780712675567.
9. ^ James, Paul (1994). Prince Edward. Ulverscroft Large Print Books. p. 48\. ISBN 9780708987438.
10. ^ a b Panton, James (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press. p. 361. ISBN 9780810874978.
11. ^ a b "Princess's son bitten by shark". Times Newspapers Limited. The Times of London. 5 November 1997.
12. ^ "Luxury Briefing". Luxury Briefing. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
13. ^ "Ogilvy Photography".
14. ^ "Ogilvy Landscape Design".
15. ^ "James Robert Bruce Ogilvy". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
16. ^ "Arteviste".
17. ^ Foussianes, Chloe (1 October 2020). "Queen Elizabeth's Cousin Flora Alexandra Ogilvy Marries in a Surprise Wedding at the Chapel Royal". Town & Country. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
18. ^ Petit, Stephanie (10 September 2021). "Royal Wedding, Round 2: Regal Guests Fete Flora Ogilvy's Marriage (Again!) a Year After Intimate Ceremony". People. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
19. ^ Hallemann, Caroline (23 June 2019). "Queen Elizabeth's Distant Cousin is the Hottest Member of the Royal Family That You Haven't Heard Of...Yet". Town & Country. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
20. ^ "2d Child, a Daughter, Born To Princess Alexandra". New York Times. 1 August 1966. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
21. ^ Mumby, Max (19 September 2022). "The Committal Service For Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II". Getty Images. Retrieved 26 September 2022.

## External links

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* James Robert Bruce Ogilvy in the National Portrait Gallery
* Luxury Briefing

James Ogilvy

Born: 29 February 1964

Lines of succession
Preceded by

Princess Alexandra

|  Succession to the British throne
grandson of George, Duke of Kent
great-grandson of George V | Succeeded by

Alexander Ogilvy
*[m.]: married