The “Hottest British Royal You’ve Never Heard Of” Is Heading to Military Training at the Same School as Prince William and Prince Harry

Alexander Ogilvy wearing a navy suit and pink tie and smiling in front of a white tent

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

published 5 November 2024

We all know there's been plenty of royal heartthrobs over the years (raise your hand if you had a poster of Prince William on your wall growing up), but there's one hot royal you've probably been sleeping on. Alexander Ogilvy is the grandson of Princess Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth's cousin, and it turns out he's making his mark at the same military school Prince Harry and Prince William once attended.

Ogilvy, 27, is currently taking part in the grueling 44-week-long course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where many a royal has attended over the years. In addition to Prince Harry and Prince William, who graduated from Sandhurst in 2006, the Duke of Kent also attended the British military school.

The choice might come as a surprise for Alexander—once dubbed "the hottest British royal you've never heard of"—who happens to be a Brown University graduate who once dated Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo. Prior to enrolling at Sandhurst, he worked as a product manager for NYC tech firm Prove.

Alexander Ogilvy wearing a tan suit standing with his sister Flora Vesterberg wearing a white dress in front of a white picket fence — Big sis Flora posed with her brother at the Cartier Queen's Cup in September.

Alexander Ogilvy wearing a suit and medals at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth — Alexander attended his cousin Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022.

The newest Sandhurst recruit was born to Princess Alexandra's son, James Ogilvy, and Julia Rawlinso in 1996 and has an older sister, Flora, who married Timothy Vesterberg in a stylish 2021 royal wedding. The brother/sister duo enjoyed a relatively normal childhood despite their royal connections, as neither have titles or official royal duties (Alexander is currently 59th in line to the throne).

Flora, who works as an art historian, took to Instagram in September to share her excitement at her little brother's military path, writing, "We're full of admiration for you. Forever thoughtful and inspiring."

While his sister Flora makes headlines in the art world, Alexander has chosen a more private path, though he occasionally appears at select royal family gatherings. Most recently, he attended Queen Elizabeth's 2022 funeral.

As for photos of the newest Sandhurst student in uniform, watch this space.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.