Member of the House of Karađorđević
Prince Dimitri Nicholas Paul George Maria of Yugoslavia (born 18 June 1958), also known as Dimitri Karageorgevich[1] or Dimitrije Karađorđević, is a gemologist and member of the Royal House of Yugoslavia. He is a grandson of Italy's last King, Umberto II, and his wife, Queen Marie José. He founded the jewellery firm bearing his name, Prince Dimitri Company, and continues to serve as its president and creative director. He was formerly senior vice president of the jewellery department of the Sotheby's auction house. He was named in the International Best Dressed List's Hall of Fame in 1994.
Life and career
Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Prince Dimitri was raised in Versailles, attending boarding schools in France and Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Paris with a degree in business law and moved to New York City in 1983.[2]
Originally pursuing a career on Wall Street, he decided to move into the field of jewellery and was offered a position in Sotheby's jewellery department, eventually rising to senior vice president. During his sixteen years with Sotheby's, he also became an appraiser and studied gemology. Prince Dimitri began designing jewellery in 1999, with a collection of gemstone cufflinks that was sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. He also designed a line of women's jewellery for Barneys New York and Neiman Marcus. In 2002, he moved to the Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg auction house to head their jewellery department. In 2007, he and business partner Todd Morley founded the Prince Dimitri Company, which opened a salon in Manhattan. His jewelry has also been sold at auction by Christie's.[3][4][5][6]
Family
Prince Dimitri and Prince Michael of Yugoslavia are the first set of twins born to Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and his first wife, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, the eldest daughter of Umberto II of Italy in 1958.[7] Maria Pia had a second set of twins, Prince Serge and Princess Helene of Yugoslavia in 1963.[7] They have a younger half-brother, Prince Dushan of Yugoslavia, from their father's second marriage to Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein.[7]
Ancestry
Through his paternal grandmother, Prince Dimitri is a first cousin once removed of: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy and Prince Michael of Kent. Prince Dimitri is a second cousin once removed of Queen Sofía of Spain and King Charles III, making Dimitri a third cousin of Felipe VI of Spain and William, Prince of Wales. He is also a third cousin once removed of Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, Margrethe II of Denmark and Harald V of Norway. Through his paternal grandfather, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Dimitri is a member of the House of Karađorđević cadet branch. He is a grand-grand-grandson of the Prince Alexander of Serbia (Reign 1842–1858). Through his father, Dimitri descends from kings George I of Greece, Alexander II of Russia, and Christian IX of Denmark.
Princess Olga was the sister of Princess Marina, who married Prince George, Duke of Kent (an uncle of Queen Elizabeth II). Olga and Marina were also paternal first cousins of the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. They were also related to brothers Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Through his maternal grandmother, Marie-José of Belgium, Prince Dimitri is a second cousin of King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and a third cousin to Franz, Duke of Bavaria. Through his maternal grandfather, Umberto II of Italy, Dimitri is a first cousin once removed of former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria. Through his mother, Dimitri descends from kings Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Albert I of Belgium, and furthermore from Nicholas I of Montenegro and Miguel I of Portugal.
