Princess Beatrice remained professional as she addressed a conference in Dubai on Thursday, just hours after news of her ex-boyfriend’s death became public.
The Princess of York, 35, was regal in a blue satin dress as she appeared at the event intended to encourage collaboration between entrepreneurs in the UK and the UAE.
Just hours earlier, it emerged her ex-boyfriend Paolo Liuzzo had been found dead in a Miami hotel room in February following a suspected overdose. It was reported yesterday that the Princess was ‘heartbroken’ by the news.
In photos posted on Instagram by the Fiker Institute, which organised the event alongside OPUS (for which Beatrice is a board member), the professional royal proved the show must go on as she beamed alongside other delegates.
Princess Beatrice (pictured) attended a Dubai event designed to encourage collaboration between entrepreneurs in the UAE and the UK on Thursday
Princess Beatrice, who sits on the board of OPUS, delivered a speech at the event and could be seen talking to Dubai Abulhoul, the founder of the Fiker Institute.
She also took the opportunity to chat to Oliver Christian, British Consul General to Dubai and HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan and OPUS Chair and Founder, Sam Tidswell-Norrish.
Commenting on the launch, Princess Beatrice said: ‘As the world continues to speed up, especially in the advent of new technologies, it is important to remember that relationships are at the core of any success story.
‘Our mission to connect builders and unlock opportunity is right at the heart of that philosophy, and I believe the creation of a community of entrepreneurs who are keen to help each other will only further catalyse the UAE’s extraordinary story.’
It emerged this week that, in February, the Princess’s young love had been found dead in his hotel room in Miami.
Officer Michael Vega, of the Miami Police Department, told The Sun police attended a room at the citizenM Miami Worldcenter hotel at 3.22pm on February 7.
The cause of death has not officially been reported, but officer Vega said: ‘It was investigated as an overdose death. The investigation is open and ongoing.’
Princess Beatrice started dating Liuzzo in 2005 when she was aged 17 and he was 24, but the pair separated in 2006.
The royal, 35, was in Dubai for the launch of a new partnership between Dubai-based think-tank the Fiker Institute and the UK’s OPUS, which helps business leaders gain access to new opportunities. L-R: Oliver Christian, British Consul General to Dubai and HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan; Princess Beatrice; Dubai Abulhoul, the founder of the Fiker Institute; and Sam Tidswell-Norrish, OPUS Chair and Founder
Insiders have revealed that Liuzzo struggled with gambling as well as drugs, and claimed he had racked up debts with loan sharks, according to The Sun. A friend of Liuzzo told the paper: ‘Paolo was not doing great on a personal level.
‘He began using a lot of pharmaceutical drugs at first but that later led to cocaine and harder drugs. It was a very fast lifestyle and we all feared it would catch up with him eventually.’
Liuzzo had reportedly struggled with drugs and was previously arrested in Australia over a string of offenses including possessing cocaine.
He was arrested on the Gold Coast on September 27, 2009, after crashing an $90,000 black Audi hire car into traffic lights.
The then-27-year-old also failed to pay for accommodation and restaurant bills at Conrad Jupiters casino.
Australian law enforcement charged Liuzzo with fraud, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, possessing two grams of cocaine and driving without due care and attention. Liuzzo pleaded guilty and was fined $5,000.
His controversial past began in 2002 when he was charged with the manslaughter of a fellow student at the College of the Holy Cross.
His fellow student, 19-year-old Jonathan R. Duchatellier, died as a result of a fight that took place on May 5, 2002 in an off-campus apartment building at 510 Cambridge St. which involved Liuzzo.
The princess wore a navy blue, silk-satin dress by Australian brand Zimmerman for the occasion
The charge was later reduced to assault and Liuzzo served a community sentence.
Liuzzo, who is from Woodbury, New York, was considered a U.S. socialite at the time of his romance with Beatrice.
Liuzzo and Beatrice met through mutual friends and began dating in July 2005 and they managed to keep the relationship secret for almost a year – but they split in May 2006 when reports of the manslaughter charge surfaced, causing a sensation.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson encouraged Beatrice’s romance with Liuzzo, despite the seven year age difference and his criminal past.
‘We all have our own journeys and have to learn our way but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends including Paolo,’ Beatrice’s mother said when the relationship began.
The royal pair invited Liuzzo on a family vacation to the exclusive Swiss ski resort Verbier.
It subsequently emerged that Liuzzo had flouted the conditions of his probation to holiday with the Queen’s granddaughter and her family – including Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York – in Switzerland in 2006.
As a result he was hauled back to the U.S. where he had his three-year probation extended by the courts as punishment, forcing Beatrice to end the fledgling romance.
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