EXCLUSIVE: Princess Eugenie hits the Big Apple this month - and it's all thanks to Princes William and Harry's old school chum
- Prince Andrew's youngest daughter will be working for Alexander Gilkes, who went to Eton with William and Harry
- Pippa Middleton dated Alexander Gilkes' older brother Charlie - another close friend of the Princes
By Sara Nathan
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Princess Eugenie will make her New York debut within weeks – as she moves to the Big Apple to start work at a trendy auction house co-founded by one of Princes William and Harry’s multi-millionaire old school pals, MailOnline can reveal.
The 23-year-old graduate will be working for Alexander Gilkes, 34, the dashing Old Etonian brother of London nightclub entrepreneur Charlie Gilkes.
Both Alexander and Charlie were invited to Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton in April 2011 and Eugenie is a firm fixture in the same social circle, attending Alexander’s lavish nuptials to stunning fashion designer Misha Nonoo in Venice last year.
Friends say that Eugenie will be in New York by the end of the month and will then start work at Alexander’s auction house, Paddle 8, based in the city’s trendy Soho district.
Crossing the Pond: Princess Eugenie - seen here with her mother Sarah Ferguson in London in July - will move to New York at the end of the month to start work at Manhattan auction house Paddle 8
Royal connections: Alexander Gilkes and his wife, fashion designer Misha Nonoo on their wedding day in Venice in August 2012
Alexander’s links to the Royals go back to his school days at Eton.
His older brother Charlie is a firm friend of Prince William and dated the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister Pippa after they were both students at Edinburgh Univeristy.
Charlie, who founded London nightspots Maggies and Kitts, was even spotted on board a barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, alongside the Middletons during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee in 2012.
And Eugenie, alongside her older sister Beatrice were in attendance at Alexander and Misha's wedding last year, a three-day affair that saw the couple get hitched at the Forte di Sant’Andrea, a 16th-century island fort that had once guarded Venice and had before never been used for a private event - for which they had to obtain permission from the mayor of Venice.
Also in attendance were James Middleton, Kate and Pippa’s younger brother, while guests including bride’s cousin Houda Nonoo, the Bahraini ambassador to the U.S, multi-millionaire banking scion Matthew Mellon and Helen Rockefeller were treated to a performance by singer Lana Del Ray.
Good friends: Pippa Middleton and Alexander Gilkes leave Soho House in New York last September. Pippa attended Alexander's wedding to designer Misha Nonoo in Venice
Sharing a smile: Pippa Middleton and Alexander Gilkes in New York last summer
Former flames: Pippa Middleton and ex-boyfriend- and close friend of Prince William - Charlie Gilkes - leave The End of Summer Ball, Berkeley Square, London, in September 2008. Charlie's brother Alexander has now given Princess Eugenie a job
In fact, Alexander remains so close to the Royals that he was spotted out with Pippa Middleton, 30, during her visit to Manhattan last summer.
The couple were seen leaving Soho House - while Pippa was clad in a bright red dress designed by Mishal Nonoo.
And while it's as yet unclear where Eugenie will be living in New York, there's more than enough room at the Gilkes' new pad. Last month, they bought a sprawling Greenwich Village condo formerly owned by Nate Burkus, a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show until he got his own talk show - now axed.
The couple splashed out $4.95million on the 3,000 square feet pad that's spread out over two floors - and also features 1,000 square feet of outdoor private deck space.
Dashing: Princess Eugenie is dating Jack Brooksbank. The couple are seen together at the Masterpiece Midsummer Party in aid of Marie Curie in London in July
Connected: Princess Eugenie will be working for Alexander Gilkes, who went to school with Prince William, and whose brother dated Pippa Middleton
Friends in high places: Charlie Gilkes (far left) joins former flame Pippa Middleton and her family on board a barge during the Diamond Jubilee Thames River Pageant in June 2012
Having a laugh: Charlies Gilkes with Carole and Michael Middleton, former girlfriend Pippa Middleton and her brother James Middleton on board the Spirit of Chartwell
The Daiy Mail was the first to report Eugenie's move to the States in June.
And although she will have to leave behind her Stowe-educated boyfriend Jack Brooksbank, who works in the gastro-pub trade, the two plan to commute whenever possible.
‘Since leaving university Eugenie has been committed to working in the arts world and has done some internships but is now set to take on a permanent role at graduate level,’ a friend of the Duchess of York told the Mail's Richard Kay.
Eugenie got a degree in Art History and English Literature at Newcastle University and will work in New York before returning to London to help set up Paddle 8 in the UK. She has already done a stint at auction house Christie’s, where her cousin Viscount Linley is chairman.
She has also worked at the Royal Collection in Buckingham Palace, where she won praise after queuing and joining fellow workers in the canteen there.
The move is significant for it comes in the wake of plans inspired by Prince Charles to slim down the number of front-rank working royals, which would almost certainly exclude Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice.
Following the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's son, Prince George, Eugenie has now slipped down the line of succession from six to seven.
The Firm: Princess Eugenie joins her father, the Duke of York, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony on June 15, 2013 in London
Siblings: Princess Eugenie and her older sister Princess Beatrice enjoy Derby Day at the Derby Festival in Epsom, Surrey, in June
Status-driven Andrew has always insisted that as the only two ‘blood’ princesses, his daughters should be a central part of a working Royal Family.
But while devoted to the Queen, Eugenie is a modern young woman who wants to make her way in the world.
‘She is determined to be a working woman with a full-time job,’ according to her mother's friend.
A spokeswoman for Paddle 8, whose backers include art world luminaries such as Damien Hirst and Jay Jopling, said there were 'no updates at the moment.'
Stunning: Fashion designer Misha Nonoo married Alexander Gilkes in a lavish Venice ceremony
Lucky: Alexander Gilkes and his wife Misha Nonoo snapped up a Greenwich Village co-op for $4.95million from Nate Berkus in August
Please keep them over there. We need to take care of our own college grads this side of the pond who have every intention of putting in 80 hr. work weeks and more if needed cause that's what it takes to get ahead. I don't think she needs the O.T. or will have the motivation to keep up with the demands of the job. We want hard workers over here, not soft, self entitled royals.
- Kaylee , Oakland, 15/9/2013 16:49
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