Chelsy Yvonne Davy (born 13 October 1985) is a Zimbabwean businesswoman. She is the owner and founder of the jewellery brand Aya and the travel agency Aya Africa.
Chelsy Davy | |
---|---|
Born | Chelsy Yvonne Davy 13 October 1985 |
Alma mater | Cheltenham College Girls' College Stowe School University of Cape Town University of Leeds Gemological Institute of America |
Occupation | Businesswoman |
Spouse |
Sam Cutmore-Scott (m. 2022) |
Children | 1 |
Davy was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to Charles Davy, a South African safari farmer, and Beverley Donald Davy, a former Coca-Cola model and winner of the 1973 Miss Rhodesia contest.[1] She has a younger brother, Shaun,[2] and grew up at her family's homestead in the Lemco Safari Area.[3][4]
Her father, Charles, was one of the largest private landowners in Zimbabwe, and was reported to own 800,000 acres (320,000 ha) of land.[5] He maintained business ties with controversial politician Webster Shamu,[6] of whom he said, "I am in partnership with a person who I personally like and get along with. I am not involved in politics in any way."[7][8] After being criticised by the press, however, Davy sold his share in the business.[9]
Davy was briefly educated at Cheltenham College.[10][11] Prior to that, she attended Girls' College in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (not Cheltenham Ladies' College as has been widely reported),[12][13][4] before moving to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire.[14][15] She received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Cape Town in 2006, and a law degree (LLB) from University of Leeds in 2009.[9][16]
In September 2011, Davy began work as a trainee solicitor at London law firm Allen & Overy.[17] In late 2014, however, Davy decided to quit her position at the firm.[16]
After studying at the Gemological Institute of America, Davy launched a jewellery brand, Aya, in July 2016.[18][19]
In 2020, in an interview with Tatler Magazine, Davy announced that Aya would be branching out into the luxury travel sector to organise African holidays.[20] She then announced the launch of Aya Africa on Instagram.[21]
Davy married hotelier Sam Cutmore-Scott and gave birth to their son, Leo, in 2022.[22]
Davy had what the press described as a "turbulent" relationship with Prince Harry, a member of the British royal family. The pair met in early 2004 while Davy was a boarder at Stowe School, and were an on-again, off-again couple until 2009.[23] Davy announced the end of the relationship on Facebook.[17][24]
In 2011, referring to rumours of a possible reconciliation, Prince Harry publicly professed himself "100 percent single", and Chelsy, who attended the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011, stated that she would not marry Prince Harry due to the rising incompatibility of their life choices within the relationship.[25][26]
In May 2018, Davy was a guest at the wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle.[27][28]
In November 2021, private investigator Gavin Burrows claimed on a BBC documentary that Davy's communications were targeted, and her voicemails were hacked, in an attempt by media outlets to gather information on Prince Harry, an act for which he apologised.[29] Burrow's claims "are yet to be tested in court and are strongly disputed" by The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World.[30] In his witness statement as part of a civil action against Associated Newspapers Ltd, the publisher of the Daily Mail, Prince Harry claimed that the news company learned information on his and Davy's whereabouts through "unlawful means", which left her feeling "hunted" and "shaken".[31] In another witness statement for his action against Mirror Group Newspapers, Harry claimed that alleged unlawful activity by journalists made Davy decide that "a royal life was not for her".[32]
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Aya is branching out into the luxury travel sector, specialising in all areas of the continent. 'It's an organic progression from the jewellery. Africa is where I'm from, where my family is from; it's my heritage and I've always been interested in tourism and conservation.' The plan, she says, is to use her expertise and knowledge of Africa to organise bespoke holidays, working with a team in Cape Town. 'We want to be able to curate incredible trips for people, offering them a personalised, professional service, being there for them 24/7. I'm very knowledgeable about parts of Zambia and Cape Town. We would never send anyone anywhere that one of us hasn't been to, or to an area something more adventurous, like rafting or bungee jumping. We want to curate the trip to fit with your definition of luxury.'