18 famous royals who visited – or lived in – Hong Kong: from Britain’s Meghan Markle, Princess Diana and King Charles, to Jordan’s King Abdullah, Greece’s Marie-Chantal and Denmark’s Alexandra Manley
Hong Kong may not have its own monarchy, but the former British colony has certainly played host to plenty of royals from all over the world over the years.
Meanwhile, then-to-be royals like Marie-Chantal, Alexandra von Fürstenberg and Alexandra Manley all grew up in the Fragrant Harbour and later ended up marrying European princes.
Find out who came when, and why …
1 and 2. Lady Amelia and Eliza Spencer
In May, Princess Diana’s twin fashion model nieces came to Hong Kong to celebrate a luxury brand collaboration.
3. Meghan Markle
The self-proclaimed foodie enjoyed dim sum, char siu and went to China Club.
4. Princess Diana
The People’s Princess seemed to have a soft spot for Hong Kong, having visited the city twice and due to make a third one soon before her untimely death.
In 1989, when she was still married to then-Prince Charles, the couple were invited to the city to officiate the grand opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC) in Tsim Sha Tsui. Three years after her separation from Charles, the Princess of Wales came back for a three-day visit in 1995 and was welcomed at Kai Tak Airport by the then-governor Chris Patten and his wife Lavender.
5. King Charles
King Charles has also made multiple stopovers in Hong Kong.
His first official visit was in 1979, when he was invited for a four-day trip to carry out various public engagements, and he came again with Diana in 1989. As depicted in The Crown season five, Charles flew to Hong Kong again in 1997 for the formal handover of Hong Kong to China.
6. Princess Margaret
7. Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
Marie-Chantal Miller, 54, has a deeper connection with the city she was raised in.
The daughter of Hong Kong-based DFS billionaire Robert Miller, Marie-Chantal attended The Peak School age nine and has two sisters, Alexandra and Pia. In 1995, she married Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, making her the wife of the current head of the Greek royal family.
8. Princess Eugenie
A pregnant Princess Eugenie, 34, was recently in Hong Kong too! In March, British media reported that the Princess of York took a work trip to the city and was visibly glowing with her baby bump peeking out from her Whistles dress.
9. Countess Alexandra of Frederiksberg (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark)
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Alexandra Manley married Prince Joachim of Denmark in 1995. The former Island School student once lived in Discovery Bay. Although she has since divorced from Joachim in 2005, she assumed the title Countess of Frederiksberg.
10. Princess Haya of Jordan
The daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein came to Hong Kong in 2007 and 2008 for equestrian-related events. Her divorce from her husband Sheikh Mohammed made headlines and she’s now said to be living in rural Wales.
11. Prince Philip
Prince Philip made several trips to Hong Kong before his death in 2021. He made his first official visit as the husband of Queen Elizabeth in 1959, laid the foundation stone for Queen Elizabeth Hospital and launched the WWF office. He once joked that he enjoyed renewing his “limited acquaintance with Chinese food”.
12. Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, aka the Honourable Lady Ogilvy, carried out multiple activities on support of the queen and Great Britain. Among her visits, she went to the University of Hong Kong in 1961, the Hong Kong Arts Centre with Sir Run Run Shaw, chairman of Shaw Brothers in 1980, and toured the Hong Kong Science Museum in 1990.
13. Princess Anne
When Queen Elizabeth’s daughter first visited in 1971, she reportedly had one “worry” about the “rich and exotic Oriental food” concerning her trip. But she later said she left with “a wonderful memory” and was back again in 1988, 1994 and 1997.
14. King Abdullah of Jordan
In 2004, Jordan’s King Abdullah made a three-day trip to meet with the city’s then-chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. The 61-year-old is said to have also met with the local business community.
15. Peter Phillips
Another resident with links to the British royal family, the late queen’s 45-year-old grandson chose not to take his title so that he could live a normal life. He lived in the city for several years with his then-wife and family while working for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
16. Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma of Denmark
The youngest daughter of Princess Irene of the Netherlands moved to Hong Kong with her husband Albert Brenninkmeijer in 2015. The couple, who have two kids, lived in the Fragrant Harbour for three years.
17. Prince Joachim of Denmark
Joachim reportedly met his then-to-be-wife Manley at a party in Hong Kong in 1994, when he was working for shipping company Maersk in the city. The couple later moved to Denmark and are now divorced.
18. Alexandra von Fürstenberg
Another Hong Kong-raised woman who went on to become a royal is Alexandra von Fürstenberg, a daughter of DFS billionaire Miller. She grew up with her socialite sisters Pia and Marie-Chantal in the city, then married to iconic fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg’s son Prince Alexander.
The couple, who are now divorced, share two kids with royal titles: Princess Talita Natasha and Prince Tassilo.
- Hong Kong has played host to many British royals over the years including in 2023 – from Princess Diana’s twin nieces Lady Amelia and Eliza Spencer in May, to Princess Eugenie in March
- Meanwhile, the Miller sisters Marie-Chantal and Alexandra, and Alexandra Manley, all grew up in the city and married princes, while Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne made multiple trips