Chelsy Davy
Chelsy Davy | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1985 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, former solicitor |
| Known for | Founder of Aya jewellery label and Aya Africa travel company; former partner of Prince Harry |
Chelsy Yvonne Davy (born 13 October 1985) is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur, recognized as the founder and proprietor of the jewellery label Aya, as well as the travel enterprise Aya Africa. She gained additional public attention through her previous association with Prince Harry.
Early life and education
Davy was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She is the daughter of Charles Davy, a South African safari rancher and one of the country's largest private landowners with roughly 800,000 acres, and Beverley Donald Davy, a former Coca-Cola model and the 1973 Miss Rhodesia titleholder. She has a younger brother named Shaun and grew up at the family’s Lemco Safari Area estate.
Although her father had business connections with politician Webster Shamu, he claimed to have no political involvement. After media attention on these links, Charles Davy divested from the business.
Education
Davy’s education included a brief period at Cheltenham College. Prior to that, she attended Girls' College in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (contrary to common reports naming Cheltenham Ladies' College), before transferring to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England. She completed a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Cape Town in 2006 and later obtained an LLB law degree from University of Leeds in 2009.
Career
From September 2011 until late 2014, Davy practiced as a solicitor at the London-based law firm Allen & Overy, before choosing to depart from her legal career.
Jewellery
Following studies at the Gemological Institute of America, she established her jewellery company Aya in July 2016.
Travel organising
In 2020, Davy revealed via Tatler Magazine plans for Aya to extend into luxury travel services, focusing on bespoke African vacations. Drawing on her heritage and industry knowledge, she aims to provide customised, expert assistance through a Cape Town-based team. Aya Africa offers curated travel exclusively to destinations personally inspected by the team, emphasizing luxury tailored experiences. The launch of Aya Africa was subsequently publicized on Instagram.
Personal life
Davy is married to Sam Cutmore-Scott, a hotelier and sibling of actor Jack Cutmore-Scott. Together they have two children: a son named Leo (born 2022) and a daughter named Chloe (born 2024).
Relationship with Prince Harry
Davy first encountered Prince Harry in early 2004 while attending Stowe School; their relationship was intermittent until its conclusion in 2009, which Davy announced via Facebook.
In 2011, both denied rumours of rekindling their relationship. Prince Harry declared himself "100 percent single," while Davy—who attended the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton—confirmed she would not marry Harry due to differing life goals.
Davy was among the guests at Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle in May 2018.
In November 2021, private investigator Gavin Burrows admitted to intercepting Davy’s communications and hacking her voicemail messages to obtain information about Prince Harry, expressing remorse for his actions. These allegations remain contested by The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World.
During legal proceedings initiated by Prince Harry against media outlets, he claimed that details regarding his and Davy’s locations were acquired unlawfully, leaving her feeling "hunted" and "shaken." He also noted that Davy chose "a royal life was not for her," attributing their separation partly to intrusive press coverage.
External links
- 1985 births
- Alumni of the University of Leeds
- Living people
- White Zimbabwean businesspeople
- People educated at Stowe School
- People from Bulawayo
- University of Cape Town alumni
- Allen & Overy people
- 21st-century businesswomen
- Zimbabwean women in business
- 21st-century Zimbabwean businesspeople
- Zimbabwean women lawyers