Tamara Czartoryska

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Czartoryska and the second or maternal family name is Picciotto.

Tamara Laura Czartoryska
Coat of arms	Czartoryski
Born	(1978-03-23) 23 March 1978 London, England, United Kingdom
Noble family	Czartoryski
Father	Adam Karol Czartoryski
Mother	Nora Picciotto

Styles of Tamara Laura Czartoryska
Reference style	Her Serene Highness
Spoken style	Your Serene Highness
Alternative style	Ma'am

Princess Tamara Laura Czartoryska (Spanish: Tamara Laura María de los Dolores Luisa Fernanda Victoria y Todos los Santos Czartoryski y Picciotto; born 23 April 1978) is a Polish-Spanish former model, television star, and aristocrat. She is the daughter of Prince Adam Czartoryski y Borbón, first cousin to King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Family and upbringing

Her mother, Nora Picciotto, born in Cairo, worked as a public relations consultant in the film industry, and married her father in London. Her parents separated and divorced before she was seven years old.

She did not perform well at the Sacred Heart all-girls boarding school in Woldingham, except in drama. When she was 15, she attended a tutorial college in Oxford for A-levels. After her father suffered financial reverses when Lloyd's of London crashed, expensive pastimes such as riding ceased. She has said that this, in addition to her mother's break-up with her stepfather, left her confused and without direction.

Frustrated with her behavior, her parents severed her allowance. She left home at the age of 15 in hopes of pursuing a career in show jumping. She cleaned out horse stables in exchange, and she credits this experience to having taught her about the lives of the less fortunate.

Upon turning the age of 18, she enrolled at Emerson College in Boston, studying news media studies. Once again, she found herself socializing with people who worked hard but earned little. Unfortunately, this did not prompt her to do well at her job as a waitress for a relative's restaurant.

Returning to Europe with a reputation as a "society girl" that she felt obliged to disprove, her initial entry into modelling proved challenging. Ultimately, she was pleased with the opportunity to be represented by a reputable fashion agency.

The endowment of Czartoryski Museum by her father has been challenged by Tamara, and in 2018 resulted in the in-family lawsuit between Adam Karol and his daughter.

Ancestry

Paternally, Tamara belongs to the Czartoryski family, one of the most influential nobles in pre-World War II Poland. She also descends from kings of Spain and France of the House of Bourbon through her grandmother, Princess Dolores de Borbón y Orléans, sister of King Juan Carlos's mother, whose dynastic surname she has appended to her own.

Personal life

She is married to Portuguese aristocrat Lourenco de Castro de Vasconcelos e Sa (b.1976). They have one son, Liam August (b.2018), and one daughter, Taya (b.2019).

Television

Her sporting achievements and aristocratic background led to roles as a presenter on a Thai kick boxing show, and appearances on Granada and Celebrity Five Go Dating.

In March 2005, Tamara was one of the contestants on series three of The Games, winning the bronze medal.

In 2006, she appeared on the reality television programmes Australian Princess and American Princess during which she offered advice to the competitors.

In 2007, she was a contestant on Sky One's reality show Cirque de Celebrité.

Ancestry

Prince Adam Ludwik Czartoryski (1872–1937)

Prince Augustyn Józef Czartoryski (1907–1946)

Countess Maria Ludwika Krasińska (1883–1958)

Adam Karol Czartoryski (b. 1940)

Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1870–1949)

Princess Maria de los Dolores of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1909–1996)

Princess Louise of Orléans (1882–1958)

Tamara Laura Czartoryska (b. 1978)

Ferdynand Picciotto (1914–1996)

Eleonora Picciotto (b. 1942)

Edith Rothenberg (b. ca. 1920)