5 Facts About Princess Beatrice's Brother-In-Law Who Has A Special Connection To Sarah Ferguson
Not everyone can say their sister-in-law is a real-live princess, but for the British investor, Alby Shale, it's a reality. On July 17, 2020, Shale's half-brother, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi walked down the aisle with Princess Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne as of 2024. While Shale is not exactly a royal himself, this marriage ties him to his country's most influential family. Brunch with Beatrice? Parties with Eugenie? It's hard to say for sure. However, at Mapelli Mozzi and Beatrice's wedding ceremony, Shale was one of just 30 guests in attendance. He even gave a speech at the reception.
Of course, there is more to Alby Shale than his royal connections. Over the course of his life, the young investor has endured tragedy, lived in different countries, and found love. Throughout this, the British businessman has remained a committed monarchist who's worked with philanthropists fighting for causes bigger than himself.
Alby Shale has a tragic past
Although Alby Shale's life may look like the stuff of fairy tales, it hasn't been all princesses and castles for the British philanthropist. In 2011, his father Christopher Shale was found dead at Glastonbury Festival. He was 56 years old.
At the time of his death, Christopher was an influential member of the Tory party who served then-Prime Minister, David Cameron, as a much-trusted aide. As reported by The Guardian at the time, Christopher attended Glastonbury shortly after discovering that some of his private, political comments had been leaked to the papers. Unfortunately, while he was at the festival, Christopher went missing. He was found dead 18 hours later in a port-a-potty with blood splattered across his face.
The coroners determined that the cause of his death was related to heart disease. However, partially due to the way his body was discovered, Christopher's death became the subject of tabloid speculation and gossip. For Alby and the rest of Christopher's family, the fallout was likely quite traumatic. Not only did they lose a beloved husband and father in a terrible way, but they also had to mourn the loss on a public scale.
He's spent time in cities all over the world
These days, Alby Shale is based in New York City. However, according to his LinkedIn, the British investor has spent time in cities all over the world. He spent much of his childhood in Great Britain, where his father was pursuing a political career, and eventually tried the industry out for himself. In 2011, Shale worked in the House of Commons in London as part of former Prime Minister David Cameron's constituency office. During this time, he traveled with the prime minister all over the United Kingdom to meet with his supporters.
Despite finding initial success in London, Shale headed to New York in 2020 to enroll at Columbia University. He studied at Columbia for three years before moving on to focus on other projects. One of his more successful endeavors involved traveling to Kigali City, Rwanda, where he helped fund a cricket stadium through his charity, Cricket Builds Hope.
Alby Shale is a staunch monarchist
Just because Alby Shale has traveled all around the world doesn't mean that he has forgotten where he comes from. The investor and philanthropist is known as a proud Brit who strongly supports his country's constitutional monarchy. When Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, Shale showed his support for the institution by writing a heartfelt poem honoring the late queen's life.
In a post shared to Instagram just one week after the monarch's death, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi shared the 65-line poem with his half-sibling's consent. In the caption, Mapelli Mozzi wrote "Thank you to my wonderful brother Alby Shale for writing this for Beatrice and thank you for allowing us to share it."
In the piece, Shale thanked Elizabeth time and time again for her years of service. At one point, he wrote, "Thank you for helping our Prime Ministers thrive/Thank you for helping our monarchy survive." The poem reflected Shale's own commitment to the institution of monarchy, as well as his desire to support Princess Beatrice during that difficult time.
Sarah Ferguson is his godmother
Although he is best known as Princess Beatrice's brother-in-law, Alby Shale has had a special tie to the British royal family as early on as his infancy. Indeed, shortly following his birth in 1991, Shale's mother, Nikki Williams-Ellis, asked one of her closest friends to be the godmother to her newborn son. This friend just so happened to be Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. At the time, Sarah was still in a relationship with Prince Andrew and was considered a major player in the British royal family.
Because of this special connection, Sarah was thrilled in 2019 when Princess Beatrice announced her fiancé was Alby Shale's brother, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Speaking to the Press Association (via Hello!) at the time, the Duchess of York shared, "Edo, I've known him all my life. His brother is my godson. I forgot to tell you that. Alby is my godson and I'm so proud. I've known Edo since he was four, and he's got a lovely mum, Nikki. It's really, really good news. I'm really, really proud of them both."
Alby Shale is engaged to Chelsea Peters
Not to be outdone by his brother, Alby Shale announced an engagement of his own in September 2023. According to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's Instagram, Shale popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, Chelsea Peters, and received a resounding yes. As Mapelli Mozzi told his followers, "So happy for my little bro Alby and Chelsea! Finding that special someone is truly the greatest blessing in life. Your engagement news fills my heart with so much happiness. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, and endless adventures!" Daily Mail Diary Editor Richard Eden even reported that Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice's daughter, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, was asked to be a flower girl at Shale and Peters' wedding, hopefully allowing fans to get a glimpse of the young royal.
Shale's brother was not the only one to celebrate this massive news. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was also very happy for the couple. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sarah revealed, "I am so delighted and proud of my godson. His father would be skipping with joy and happiness. Alby and Chelsea are a superb couple. Chelsea is magical and I wish them all the happiness for their future."