Princess Margaret's grandson Sam Chatto makes surprise appearance at state banquet
The King and Queen were joined by senior working royals at the Japan State Banquet on Tuesday night, including the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
But there was also another surprise addition to the guest list – Samuel Chatto – the grandson of the late Princess Margaret.
HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash explains: "Samuel Chatto was an unexpected guest at the State Banquet, but was invited because he has recently exhibited some of his work in Japan.
"Other royals have previously been invited if they have connections to the visiting nation, such as Lady Gabriella Windsor, who was invited to the banquet for the King and Queen of Spain because she has worked in Spain."
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Sam, 28, has inherited his parents Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto's artistic talents and has a pottery studio at his West Sussex home.
Having studied History of Art at the University of Edinburgh, Sam went on to train at North Shore Pottery in Latheron, Scotland, where he developed his passion for the practice.
According to his Instagram account, in 2022, he "undertook a Make Hauser & Wirth residency in Scotland where he developed his pit fired 'Cut Vessels.'"
Last year, he was accepted onto an apprenticeship with Japanese artist, Yagi Akira, in Kyoto, Japan, who is renowned for his carved porcelain works.
Sam's skills were showcased in a clip shared to social media by Japanese artist Kazuaki Sakuma, with the late Queen Elizabeth II's great-nephew transforming a mound of clay into a small, elegant bowl.
The caption, originally in Japanese, read: "All you can hear is birds singing in this studio. A tea tree about to turn into a gentle butterfly before my eyes. And the artists from London spinning the sounds.
Speaking to the Daily Mail about his passion for pottery and ceramics in 2019, Sam explained: "I've always had a strong affinity with creating objects, having spent much of my childhood crafting imagined landscapes and sculptural models, which naturally led me to clay during my later years at school."
Sam also completed a six-week yoga teacher training course in India in 2019, calling it an "incredibly eye opening experience".
Early life and family
Samuel David Benedict Chatto is the eldest son of Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband, Daniel, born on 28 July 1996 at the Portland Hospital in London.
He has a younger brother, Arthur, who also studied at Eton College and then the University of Edinburgh.
A former personal trainer, Arthur enrolled in the Royal Marines in 2022.
Lady Sarah, daughter of the late Princess Margaret and photographer, Antony Armstrong-Jones, is a painter and has been exhibiting her work at the Redfern Gallery since 1995.
She married former actor and artist Daniel Chatto in 1994.
The Chattos do not carry out public duties but have joined the royal family at high-profile events, including King Charles' coronation and Royal Ascot.
