A Look Back At Princess Beatrice's Romance With Paolo Liuzzo
Royal fans may recall the name Paolo Liuzzo. The American was a former boyfriend of Princess Beatrice. In February 2024, Liuzzo died at 41 years old, although the news wasn't made public until April 2024. As of writing, his cause of death is unconfirmed, but it's reported to have been because of a drug overdose.
Beatrice and Liuzzo didn't date for very long. They met in 2005 and broke up in 2006. When they started dating, Beatrice was just 17 and Liuzzo was 24. However, Beatrice's mother Sarah Ferguson claimed not to have a problem with it. She said in a statement, "We all have our own journeys and have to learn our way but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends, including Paolo" (via Us Weekly).
The age gap isn't the only thing about their relationship that was a little unusual. In February 2006, Beatrice and Liuzzo's relationship was shared in The Sun. Liuzzo reportedly told the outlet, "I've been given a second chance with Beatrice, and I'm not going to blow it" (via New York Post). He was referring to a fresh start for life after his legal troubles. While a sophomore at Worcester, Massachusetts' College of the Holy Cross in 2002, Liuzzo got into a drunken physical fight with another student named Jonathan R. Duchatellier. Duchatellier died, and Liuzzo was charged with manslaughter. After pleading guilty to the less severe charges of assault and battery, Liuzzo ended up on probation and completed community service.
Paolo Liuzzo's trips with Princess Beatrice caused more trouble
A palace insider told the Sun (via the New York Post) that Paolo Liuzzo didn't try to hide his past upon getting close to Princess Beatrice and said, "But he is a wonderful, thoughtful person, and they all like him very much." In February 2006, Liuzzo had been enjoying a Switzerland ski trip with Beatrice and her parents, Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew, until he broke his arm and had to have emergency surgery in France. When Liuzzo was moved to a hospital in London, Beatrice was there to support him.
Another article from the New York Post published in March 2006 tells a different story, claiming Liuzzo hurt his arm skiing in France and then was invited to join Beatrice and her parents in Switzerland. Perhaps a dark spot in Beatrice's relationship history, drama unfolded after then. It was discovered Liuzzo's overseas travel might be against the rules of his probation — and it came to light all because of the media coverage of his and Beatrice's relationship. Liuzzo didn't tell probation officials that he was living in London, and that he was only supposed to travel in Europe for work.
In a 2007 Daily Mail interview, Liuzzo discussed the initial secrecy of his relationship with Beatrice due to the optics of his past. He said he had permission to be in Europe to "[look] for investors for a club I was starting to help disadvantaged youth."
Liuzzo stirred up drama after his split from Beatrice
Paolo Liuzzo didn't serve jail time, but his probation was extended six months. Queen Elizabeth II then brought Princess Beatrice and her parents in for a meeting. At first, it seemed Liuzzo and Beatrice could stay together. A spokesperson for Sarah Ferguson later said, "They are not going out any more" (via Daily Mail).
Liuzzo told the Daily Mail he and Beatrice officially broke up in May 2006, after a final few days together in New York. He chastised Ferguson for keeping Beatrice from contacting him, something he said left the princess "heartbroken." In that same interview, Liuzzo admitted to not being as serious about Beatrice as she was about him. "I loved her but I wasn't in love with her," he said, before admitting to cheating too.
In the bombshell interview, Liuzzo also claimed Prince Andrew still owed him $1,000 for a favor. He also claimed he and Beatrice got together in Jamaica, and that Ferguson let Beatrice and her younger sister Princess Eugenie go to parties with drugs on that trip. That somewhat contradicts an account from an insider that spoke with the Sun: "[Andrew and Ferguson] were shocked when they heard [Liuzzo] had been using a lot of cocaine and had been seen with other women, and were embarrassed when he later claimed he had smoked marijuana in their presence." Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's relationship is filled with a lot less scandal.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).