Meet Princess Beatrice’s Hong Kong-born stylist Olivia Buckingham: the 41-year-old formed an ‘undeniable friendship’ with the British royal, and has also worked with Carey Mulligan and Nicky Hilton
Buckingham’s talents helped transform Princess Beatrice into fashion icon after the ‘pretzel’ fascinator she wore to William and Kate’s wedding drew ridicule in 2011
Wearing a perfectly appropriate pink coat dress, it was the royal’s outsize, bow shaped fascinator – which looked more like a giant pretzel – that drew immediate backlash from members of the public and press. The image has stuck ever since.
But then Olivia Buckingham entered the princess’ life. Here’s what we know about the stylist who helped get Beatrice’s outfits back on track.
Early life
A fourth-generation Hongkonger, Olivia Buckingham’s ties to the former British colony run deep. Her great-grandfather, Noel Croucher, co-founded the Hong Kong stock exchange.
After spending her childhood in Hong Kong, Buckingham moved to London for her schooling, attending Garden House and Heathfield schools.
“At English boarding school, styling, writing and journalism weren’t really a thing,” she reflected during an interview with Prestige Online in 2023. “You were either going to be a doctor or going to university for more traditional subjects.”
She later studied photography at the London School of Fine Arts and worked as a portrait and landscape photographer before joining a public relations firm. However, it was her return to Hong Kong at age 24 that truly transformed her career path. There, while working as an assistant to a magazine fashion editor, she discovered the world of fashion.
Pivot to styling
After six months of managing samples and making tea, she took a bold step and went freelance.
“I was just doing it as I was going along, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes and meeting amazing people,” she recalled. “I was always the token blonde going to all the fashion events.”