Why aristocrats are flocking to the creative arts
Once they ran the empire, today they run Instagram accounts
PETER CZERNIN is a successful Hollywood film producer who has been nominated for an Oscar. Yet the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is more interested in his blood than his talent. “I was horrified to see that it said, ‘Peter Czernin is the heir to a baronial title’,” he says. “I don’t want to be defined by the fact that I’m the grandson of the Baron Howard de Walden.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to choose Disney over ribbon-cutting startled their family and fans, but they are part of a broader trend. A genealogical audit of the modern House of Windsor reveals that 42% of King George V’s great-great-grandchildren—who are mostly young adults today—work in the arts and entertainment businesses.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Courting fame"
Britain February 8th 2020
- The risk of Britain leaving the EU with no trade deal remains high
- Why aristocrats are flocking to the creative arts
- HS2 and the return of the fat controller
- How HS2 will transform a forlorn part of London
- Botched nuclear projects put the future of Britain’s defences at risk
- British universities are examining how they benefited from slavery
- Cummings v the blob
From the February 8th 2020 edition
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