Ayesha Shand, niece of Queen Camilla, has tended to fly below the radar.
But when the 28-year-old attended the Coronation of her aunt and King Charles at Westminster Abbey, she was spotted on the live broadcast and joked about her ‘five seconds of fame’.
Ms Shand looked sophisticated in a green blazer and matching skirt for the event last Saturday and also attended the Coronation concert in Windsor the following night.
Sharing a snap of herself sitting in the Abbey with her 3,260 followers, Ayesha said: ‘Five seconds of fame and serious attitude.’
Ayesha Shand, 28, looked sophisticated in a satin olive green blazer and matching skirt for the Coronation service
Mark Shand pictured with his daughter Ayesha as they attended the Faberge Big Egg Hunt Champagne Countdown party in London in 2012
Ayesha Shand with her aunts Annabel Elliot and Camilla at the Mark Shand Memorial Service at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge
She is the daughter of 75-year-old Camilla’s late brother Mark Shand, who passed away in 2014 aged 62. Mark was a noted conservationist and author, and left the legacy of his own charity, Elephant Family.
Her mother is his ex-wife Clio Goldsmith, a French former model and actress who Mark married in 1990.
Ayesha was raised largely in Rome as an only child, with her father dashing back and forth between his travels. However, their family returned to London in 2008, with her parents divorcing in 2009, but remaining good friends.
She holds a master’s degree in the history of art from the University of Edinburgh and now works alongside Princess Eugenie at the Hauser & Wirth art gallery in Mayfair as an Associate Director.
Ayesha, who is also very involved with her late father’s charity, previously spoke to Tatler about continuing her father’s legacy with his foundation’s work.
The conservationist and adventurer had been enjoying the success of a fundraising auction for his charity Elephant Family when he fell and suffered a fatal head injury.
She said: ‘When he passed away I became much more involved because I wanted to continue his legacy – all the work he did was so important and I wanted to make sure that was continued.
‘I wanted to make sure that there was a family element. For me, it was just really nice to be a part of it, and to contribute to the more creative projects and the fundraising elements, and when it is appropriate, be a spokesperson for it.’
According to Ayesha, her royal aunt helped her cope with the loss of her father, previously saying ‘she has been incredible in being there for me and maintaining my father’s legacy’.
Speaking in 2021 Ayesha said: ‘[Camilla] is amazing — she’s so involved with the charity.
‘She has been incredible in being there for me, not only personally but also in maintaining my father’s legacy and being there for him.
‘I couldn’t be more grateful. It does help with the grieving process. All of these things keep his memory alive, which is so important.’
Queen Camilla and her husband King Charles became joint presidents of Mark’s charity Elephant Family, after his death from an accidental fall in 2014.
The charity aims to preserve the Indian elephant by helping them to live in harmony with India’s rapidly-growing population, and by opening up ‘elephant corridors’ for the animals to move along without disturbing villagers.
Following his death, it was the Queen’s son Tom Parker Bowles and nephew Ben Elliot, the son of Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot, who travelled to New York to make arrangements to bring his body home.
Around 180 people attended Mark’s funeral at the Holy Trinity Church in Stourpaine, a village in Dorset, southwest England, where the family lived. No one was allowed to dress in all-black for the funeral.
Queen Camilla and King Charles leaving the church after the funeral of her brother, Mark Shand, at Holy Trinity in Stourpaine, Dorset in 2014
According to Ayesha, her royal aunt helped her cope with the loss of her father, previously saying ‘she has been incredible in being there for me and maintaining my father’s legacy’
Ayesha was raised largely in Rome as an only child, while her father dashed back and forth between his travels
Queen Camilla’s late brother Mark Shand dedicated his life to saving wildlife, co-founding the Elephant Family in 2002
Ayesha said at the time: ‘I didn’t want 400 people dressed in black crying. I wanted people to have a good time. It was spring and there were flowers, and we had an Indian tent and I wanted everyone in purple and green and Indian colours.’
At the time, Camilla was said to be ‘utterly devastated’ by the news, as she had been extremely close to her only brother.
A statement released by Clarence House regarding Mark’s death said: ‘It is with deep sadness that we have to confirm that The Duchess of Cornwall’s brother, Mark Shand, has today passed away.
‘Mr Shand died in hospital as a result of a serious head injury which he sustained during a fall last night. The Duchess, The Prince of Wales and all her family members are utterly devastated by this sudden and tragic loss.
‘Mark Shand was a man of extraordinary vitality, a tireless campaigner and conservationist whose incredible work through the Elephant Family and beyond remained his focus right up until his death.’
Discussing her brother’s death in a piece for The Times, Camilla described how, on the day she learnt of his passing, the morning had started normally ‘and all seemed well until the shrill ring of the telephone broke the magic’.
She wrote: ‘An anguished voice on the other end told me that something terrible had happened to my brother; my indestructible brother, Mark. Surely nothing could have happened to him?
‘He was in New York raising money for his beloved elephants, but an unfamiliar pavement had claimed his all-too-short life following a hugely successful auction for ‘The Elephant Family’, a charity he co-founded in 2002.
‘My charismatic and sometimes infuriating brother, who had survived tsunamis, shipwrecks, poisoned arrows and even the fearsome Komodo dragons, was no longer with us.’
Ayesha has followed in her father’s altruistic footsteps by starting her own charitable venture to help those in need.
Ayesha Shand (far left) attends the Royal Rickshaw Reception and Auction at Lancaster House in 2015 alongside her aunts Annabel and Camilla and Prince Charles
She is the daughter of 75-year-old Camilla’s late brother Mark Shand and Clio Goldsmith
In 2014, Ayesha co-curated an exhibition which included photographs of her father and his beloved elephant Tara
In 2014, she co-curated an exhibition which included photographs of her father and his beloved elephant Tara, and all of the proceeds were donated to Elephant Family.
These were featured alongside jesmonite renditions of phallic fertility sculptures – which Shand collected from villages across India – by 48 emerging artists.
And in 2020, she and her cousin Alice Irwin set up an initiative called My Dear New Friend which involved children writing to the elderly in self-isolation.
An advocate for those suffering from ill mental health, earlier this year, Ayesha posted videos to her social media account addressing the topic in hopes of destigmatising it.
She captioned one of her videos saying: ‘Today is International Bipolar Day. Having grown up alongside it, I know how isolating, confusing and shameful it can feel. Talking about it openly and helping people understand what it is, is the only way to bury social taboos.’
Ayesha at an intimate dinner hosted by Elephant Family to celebrate International Women’s Day at Gymkhana London in 2022
Ayesha Shand (right) is the niece of Queen Consort Camilla, and the daughter of the royal’s late brother Mark. She is said to be enjoying a romance with Luigi Ambrosi (left)
As she addressed stigmas behind Bipolar, she detailed in her video that she ‘grew up in close proximity to the condition with one of my parents suffering from it intensely.’
While she did not reveal whether it was her mother or father, Ayesha opened up on the ‘isolating’ condition and how it had affected her and those around her.
It was reported in January that she is dating businessman Luigi Ambrosi after the pair rang in the New Year together in Uruguay.
Ayesha and Luigi – who works for his Italian family’s dairy business in America – make ‘a great match’, according to a friend of the pair.
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