Princess Beatrice remained professional as she spoke at a conference in Dubai on Thursday, just hours after news of her ex-boyfriend’s death became public.
The Princess of York, 35, looked regal in a blue satin dress as she appeared at the event aimed at fostering collaboration between businesspeople from the UK and the United Arab Emirates.
Just hours earlier, news broke that her ex-boyfriend Paolo Liuzzo had been found dead in a Miami hotel room in February following a suspected overdose. Yesterday it was reported that the princess was “heartbroken” by the news.
In photos posted to Instagram by the Fiker Institute, which organized the event alongside OPUS (of which Beatrice is a board member), the professional royal proved that the show must go on as she smiled alongside other delegates.
Princess Beatrice (pictured) attended an event in Dubai on Thursday designed to foster collaboration between businesspeople from the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
Princess Beatrice, who sits on the OPUS board of directors, gave a speech at the event and could be seen speaking with Dubai Abulhoul, the founder of the Fiker Institute.
He also took the opportunity to speak with Oliver Christian, British Consul General in Dubai and HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan, and President and Founder of OPUS, Sam Tidswell-Norrish.
Commenting on the launch, Princess Beatrice said: ‘As the world continues to accelerate, especially with the arrival of new technologies, it is important to remember that relationships are at the heart of any success story.
“Our mission to connect builders and unlock opportunities is at the heart of that philosophy, and I believe creating a community of entrepreneurs eager to help each other will only further catalyze the UAE’s extraordinary story.”
This week it emerged that, in February, the princess’s young love had been found dead in her hotel room in Miami.
Said Officer Michael Vega of the Miami Police Department. Sun Police responded to a room at the CitizenM Miami Worldcenter hotel at 3:22 p.m. on February 7.
The cause of death has not been officially reported, but Officer Vega said, “It was investigated as an overdose death.” The investigation is open and ongoing.’
Princess Beatrice began dating Liuzzo in 2005, when she was 17 and he was 24, but the couple split in 2006.
The royal, 35, was in Dubai for the launch of a new partnership between Dubai-based think tank Fiker Institute and the UK’s OPUS, which helps business leaders gain access to new opportunities. Left to right: Oliver Christian, British Consul General in Dubai and HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan; Princess Beatrice; Dubai Abulhoul, founder of the Fiker Institute; and Sam Tidswell-Norrish, president and founder of OPUS
Insiders have revealed that Liuzzo struggled with gambling and drugs, and claimed he had racked up debts with loan sharks, according to The Sun. A friend of Liuzzo told the newspaper: ‘Paolo was not very well on a personal level.
“At first he started using a lot of pharmaceutical drugs, but then that led to cocaine and harder drugs. It was a very fast lifestyle and we all feared that he would eventually catch up to it.”
Liuzzo had reportedly struggled with drugs and was previously arrested in Australia for a series of offences, including possession of cocaine.
He was arrested on the Gold Coast on September 27, 2009, after crashing a $90,000 black Audi rental car into a traffic light.
The 27-year-old also failed to pay his accommodation and restaurant bills at the Conrad Jupiters casino.
Australian authorities charged Liuzzo with fraud, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, possession of two grams of cocaine and driving without due care and attention. Liuzzo pleaded guilty and was fined $5,000.
His controversial past began in 2002 when he was accused of the involuntary homicide of a fellow student at the Colegio de la Santa Cruz.
Fellow student Jonathan R. Duchatellier, 19, died as a result of a fight that took place on May 5, 2002, at an off-campus apartment building at 510 Cambridge St. that involved Liuzzo.
The princess wore a navy blue silk satin dress from the Australian brand Zimmerman for the occasion.
The charge was later reduced to assault and Liuzzo served a community sentence.
Liuzzo, originally from Woodbury, New York, was considered a member of American socialite at the time of his romance with Beatrice.
Liuzzo and Beatrice met through mutual friends and began dating in July 2005 and managed to keep the relationship a secret for almost a year, but broke up in May 2006 when reports of the manslaughter charge surfaced, causing a sensation.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson encouraged Beatrice’s romance with Liuzzo, despite their seven-year age difference and their criminal past.
“We all have our own paths and we have to learn our way, but Beatrice is a sensible girl, who will soon be 18, and has many friends, including Paolo,” Beatrice’s mother said when the relationship began.
The royal couple invited Liuzzo on a family vacation to the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Verbier.
It later emerged that Liuzzo had breached the conditions of his parole to spend a holiday with the Queen’s granddaughter and her family, including Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York, in Switzerland in 2006.
As a result, he was brought back to the United States, where the courts extended his three-year probation as punishment, forcing Beatrice to end their budding romance.