Name Prince of House Karadordevic dynasty | Role B. 1958 Education University of Paris | |
Born 18 June 1958 (age 65)
Boulogne-sur-Seine, France ( 1958-06-18 ) Father Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia Mother Princess Maria Pia of Savoy Parents Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma Grandparents Umberto II of Italy, Marie Jose of Belgium, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark Great-grandparents Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Similar People Prince Michael of Yugoslavia, Princess Olga of Greece a, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, Marie Jose of Belgium, Umberto II of Italy | ||
Prince Dimitrije "Dimitri" Karađorđević (born 18 June 1958 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France), also known as Dimitri Karageorgevich or Dimitri Karađorđević, is founder, president and creative director of the jewelry firm bearing his name, "Prince Dimitri Company". He was formerly senior vice president of the jewelry department of the Sotheby's auction house. He was named to the International Best Dressed List's Hall of Fame in 1994.
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Life and career
Prince Dimitri was raised in Versailles, attending boarding schools in France and Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Paris with a degree in business law. He then moved to New York City in 1983.
Originally pursuing a career on Wall Street, he decided to move into the field of jewelry. He was offered a position in Sotheby's jewelry department, eventually rising to senior vice president. During his 15 years with Sotheby's, he also became an appraiser and studied gemology. Prince Dimitri began designing jewelry in 1999, with a collection of gemstone cufflinks that was sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. He also designed a line of women's jewelry for Barneys New York and Neiman Marcus. In 2002, he moved to the Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg auction house to head their jewelry department. In 2007, he and business partner Todd Morley founded the Prince Dimitri Company, which did not open a salon in Manhattan. His jewelry has also been sold at auction by Christie's.
On September 4, 2011, at Ridgway, Colorado, Prince Dmitri escorted Sharon Smith, the mother of the bride, at the wedding of Lauren Bush and David Lauren.
Family
Prince Dimitri and Prince Michael of Yugoslavia are the first set of twins born to Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and his first wife, Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, the eldest daughter of Umberto II of Italy in 1958. Alexander and Maria Pia had a second set of twins, Prince Sergius and Princess Helene of Yugoslavia in 1963. Prince Michael has a younger half-brother, Prince Dushan of Yugoslavia, from his father's second marriage to Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein.
Prince Dimitri belongs to the cadet branch of the Royal House of Yugoslavia, descending from Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia. He is a third cousin of Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia.
His maternal grandmother was Princess Marie José of Belgium, whose father was Albert I, King of the Belgians. His paternal grandmother was Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (sister of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent). His paternal great-grandfather was Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, an avid oil painter and son of George I (1845–1913), King of the Hellenes. His paternal great-great grandfather was the Grand Duke Vladimir of Russia, patron of the avant-garde, who spurred the creation of the Ballets Russes. From here, Prince Dimitri’s lineage of creativity can be followed, as can his curiosity and love for fine gems and jewelry. It was his paternal grandmother who related firsthand the magnificence of the jewelry collection of her mother and grandmothers. His great-grandmother Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia had inherited all of the diamonds belonging to her mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a collection renowned the world over for its lavish, exquisite breadth.
Prince Dimitri is also a first cousin of Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice, the son and heir of the pretender to the throne of Italy, and also first cousin of the actress Catherine Oxenberg. Through Prince Dimitri's parents he is related to every royal family in Europe, making him over 1000th in the line of succession to the British throne.