A British Royal Fell Head Over Heels For A Celebrity, But Then Her Double Life Was Exposed

With another American on board, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Crown starts adding a few stars and stripes to the Union Jack. But nationalism aside, who was this mysterious woman stealing yet another royal's heart?

For those big into the reality TV scene, this woman's name may just ring a bell. You see, she appeared on Netflix's hit show Made in Mexico. Any idea who we're talking about?

On top of that, the royal bride is also a published author, does professional speaking, and even has her own foundation. So who is this do-it-all wonder?

Meet Hanna Jaff, who became one of the newest members of the British royal family in 2020. You may be thinking, "Hey, she doesn't look like a face I've seen in the British tabloids." Well, you're 100 percent correct. She's flown a little under the radar.

Born in San Diego, Hanna is of Kurdish-Mexican descent and considers herself Mexican-American. Unlike her fellow American outsider Meghan, however, Hanna apparently does have a bit of royal blood in her.

It's said that Hanna is a descendant of Mohamed Pasha Jaff, a Kurdish king. She's also supposedly related to the chair of the North Bank of Iraq as well as Carlos Henry Bosdet Fixott — the man who installed the first telephone line in Mexico. But Hanna is not one to sit back and ride her family's coattails...

Hanna herself boasts quite a list of accomplishments, including a stint in Mexican politics. And her name is known in Mexico. In fact, one publication gave her a very high honor that not even Hanna herself saw coming.

Hanna was actually named one of Forbes' "100 Most Powerful Women in Mexico 2019" alongside such celebrities as Salma Hayek. She was also ranked among the "10 most admired women in Mexico" by Cosmopolitan. And in 2020 she nabbed a member of the British aristocracy. But which royal are we talking about here?

In January 2020 Hanna became engaged to a certain redhead. That's right — she got set to marry Harry! But, no, not the one you're thinking of. He's already someone's husband, as you know.

Instead, Hanna said "yes" to Henry "Harry" Roper-Curzon — heir to the baronage of Teynham and relative of the Windsor princes. But while the spotlight on Hanna may not be as bright as the one cast on Meghan during her royal transition, it didn't mean she had an easy go of things...

Their relationship all began back in the summer of 2019 when a mutual friend showed Harry a photo of Hanna. And the future 22nd Baron Teynham wanted to meet her immediately. Unfortunately for him, Hanna was still in Mexico at the time.

Several months passed before the two were finally able to get together at an art exhibition in England. Sparks must have flown, as just weeks later the couple announced they were officially in a relationship.

Things began moving quickly from there, with the two spending the Christmas holiday together in both Mexico and San Diego. Then, while on a ski trip in the Swiss Alps in early January 2020, Harry decided to pop the question.

Apparently, the pair had initially planned to wed in July 2020, though this wasn't possible in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. "At the beginning, I was quite sad," Hanna revealed to ¡Hola! magazine, "but given the world is going through so much right now, there are bigger problems to worry about." Later, it was revealed that they had tied the knot in secret in February.

The pandemic may have also served to test the strength of the couple's relationship, as lockdown orders forced them to isolate an ocean apart. "The distance really does make the heart grow fonder. You realize that you have to be thankful for what you have every day," Hanna added to ¡Hola! But sadly, it wouldn't last.

In July 2021 Harry revealed that he was now estranged from his wife of less than two years. "I feel completely and utterly duped," he said to the Daily Mail. "I’m relieved she is out of my life." Yikes! Everyone was understandably curious to know what had caused things to go so very wrong so very quickly.

Did Hanna find the adjustment too much? Marrying into British aristocracy may have meant she was expected to conform to the social standards of the royal family. Reality TV? A total no-go. And to top it off, she may have been restricted as to what she could post on her personal social media accounts.

Hanna's autonomy over her speaking engagements and charitable efforts may have also taken a hit. After her marriage to Harry, she represented the British aristocracy, and so she had to be careful how she comported herself. Was it this that was the deal-breaker?

It seems not. Harry decided to tell his side of the story in his interview with the Daily Mail. During the couple’s courtship, Hanna had apparently made herself out to be incredibly wealthy, well connected, and accomplished. But Harry’s family — his mother in particular — began to have their suspicions.

“My mother was the one who started spotting a lot of things that didn’t add up,” Harry explained. “She started digging and was shocked. Then my brother and sister started digging and then a family friend who lives in Mexico helped a lot. They were all genuinely concerned.”

Their investigations led to the apparent discovery that Hanna wasn’t nearly as wealthy as she’d made herself out to be. Reports say that her family home, located on the outskirts of Mexico City, was worth around $2.9 million. And while that sounds pretty fancy to us, the house Harry grew up in would have had a much bigger price tag. Of course, money shouldn’t matter when it comes to love. But it seems there’s a reason it did matter to Harry.

According to the Daily Mail article, the Roper-Curzons had actually accumulated masses of debt. It’s possible, then, that Harry saw Hanna and her apparent fortune as the answer to all of his money woes. But in reality, she wouldn’t be able to help as much as he’d thought. And Hanna’s finances weren’t the only thing that was brought into question.

Hanna has her own website, on which she showcases her academic credentials, her philanthropic work, and even her family history. As part of her career history, Hanna claims that she’s UNESCO’s (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Kindness Ambassador. But around the time of her separation from Harry, the organization clarified that this was not, and had never been, the case.

And even though Hanna’s LinkedIn page stated she had studied at Columbia University and a prestigious university in Paris, she didn’t attend full courses, as is perhaps implied. The classes she went to were only running during the summer. Harry may well have known this when the pair were courting, but there is one big thing about Hanna that he claims he was never told.

Harry’s marriage proposal wasn’t the first one that Hanna had said “yes” to. In 2016 a man named Jorge Ancira got down on one knee in front of her — this time on a sandy beach instead of snow. For whatever reason, though, the relationship fell through. And Harry claims he had no clue about any of this when he started dating Hanna. She was supposedly telling people she’d turned down four marriage proposals, staying quiet about the engagement that had gone wrong.

We know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t Harry do any research about Hanna before they were married? It wouldn’t have been hard, as she was on a reality show. Well, the truth is the British aristocrat said he “couldn’t bear” to watch anything like that on TV.

When Harry’s family did finally do their research, the pair were living in separate countries — he was in the U.K., and she was in Mexico. What he’d found out about Hanna and what she’d told him just didn’t seem to add up. So Harry’s next step was to hop on a plane to Mexico City, probably hoping to discover the truth once and for all.

“She was very calm in a weird way,” he told the Daily Mail. “She refused to take it in and was saying, ‘Look, Harry, we’ll work it out. Don’t listen to the haters.’” But it seems Harry just couldn’t get the “haters’” voices out of his head, and the pair’s marriage went up the creek at the start of 2021. Reports say they haven’t spoken since then. But Hanna hasn’t been wallowing in misery if her Instagram is anything to go by.

It would appear that Hanna has kept up her philanthropic work, teaching students at university and donating books to refugees in Mexico. And she’s also been on another skiing vacation, so the memories attached to the last one can’t be too painful for her — even with divorce proceedings seemingly in full swing. When news of the split broke, the royal family may well have been exasperated. But they could at least be grateful that this breakup was much further removed than those that had occured in 2020.

As years go, 2020 was a bad one for the royals. It was packed with scandals and problems. In January, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle announced — apparently without consulting the rest of the family first — that they would be stepping down as working royals and moving to North America. And that wasn’t even the last of it.

Hot on the heels of that came the announcement of a big divorce. The Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn, the parents of two young children, were set to split after twelve years together. They had actually been separated since 2019, but hadn’t informed the media, only their family.

And just a week later came the announcement that David and Serena Armstrong-Jones were divorcing. A spokesperson for them released the statement, “The Earl and Countess of Snowdon have amicably agreed that their marriage has come to an end and that they shall be divorced. They ask that the press respect their privacy and that of their family.”

As is often the case with divorcing royals, the Earl and Countess of Snowdon had children to consider. They have two children, one born in 1999 and one in 2002 - Charles Patrick Inigo Armstrong-Jones who has the title of Viscount Linley, and Lady Margarita Elizabeth Rose Alleyne Armstrong-Jones. Both of them have their own, non-royal, careers.

The news came as a shock to many royal fans, especially as the future looked so bright for the couple back in 1993 — the year they married. Amidst all the drama in the wider royal family, with the Charles and Diana divorce and all the rest, they seemed to be a sensible match. Serena herself was an aristocrat, not a commoner. She was the daughter of Viscount Petersham.

David Linley is the nephew of Queen Elizabeth and the son of Princess Margaret, he’s also known by his full title: David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon. And when he was born, he was fifth in line to the throne — but his ranking has since dropped to 25th.

When their wedding was announced, Antony Armstrong-Jones told the media, “Both David and Serena are very lucky, especially as they share so many common interests, from their love of the arts generally to the enjoyment of outdoor sports, from architecture to ballet and from fashion to furniture design.”

The wedding, which took place in early October, was very well attended indeed. The Queen was there of course, as were a lot of other royals and a selection of celebrities as well. The guest list included the Queen Mother, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Princess Diana, Jerry Hall, and Elton John.

Even though their marriage had been a turbulent one, Linley made sure to honor his parents during and after the wedding ceremony. In 2017 he told Vanity Fair magazine that he always wore his father’s crest on a chain around his neck next to his wedding ring. The ring had also been designed by his father.

Everything pointed towards Linley and Serena being able to last the course, but despite having a good run, they couldn’t save their marriage. What had happened? Various insiders spoke to the media about it, and hinted about what had gone wrong. The couple, they claimed, had simply grown apart.

One source told the Daily Mail, “[Linley] is George VI's grandson and part of the inner circle of royals. But he is also Mr Non-grand Royal. He turns up on his bicycle wearing a high-vis jacket and gets mistaken for a traffic warden. He is popular and social.” However, no other parties were thought to be involved in the split.

The source continued, “And he is the hardest-working royal – albeit not for the Royal Family. He is endlessly abroad through his Christie’s role… all the travel put a strain on the marriage. Serena spends most of her time in Gloucestershire. He lives in Kensington. It’s been a slow drift apart. I think the impetus for the split is with her but she is very sad about it.”

The anonymous friend went on, “It is going to be tough for David. Everyone is surprised. Even if things weren’t perfect between them, they are both very family oriented. Their main focus now will be on ensuring that their two children and them remain a family unit even if they are no longer living together as a couple.”

But for obvious reasons there was also money to consider. Royals are rich by nature, and over the years Linley has put together a vast fortune. Among the properties he owns are a hunting lodge, Chateau d’Autet in southern France, and an expensive London townhouse which was left to him by his late father.

The Queen’s nephew has always seemed to delight in making money, and in working hard at his furniture business. In 2011 he told British newspaper The Telegraph, in an article titled “My perfect weekend” that for him it was “difficult to escape work completely at weekends because I juggle two careers.”

In the interview Linley also said, “I’m launching the Linley Bentley in China this week. It’s great to have the opportunity to travel; I think cultural changes are very important for the soul and I wouldn’t discount moving abroad completely if it was the best for the family, first, and for my career, second.”

But, as some people had suggested his father before him had done, Linley had apparently lost his marriage through overwork. The Daily Mail newspaper speculated about the fortune, saying, “The divorce itself will involve a complicated division of assets. Linley once confessed that his overriding motivation in life was money.”

Some truly large sums are involved. Reportedly, Linley’s furniture firm alone makes the sort of money most people could only dream of earning in a lifetime. And when Princess Margaret passed away in 2002, she apparently left her son $7 million. That is more than enough on its own for a luxury lifestyle.

Additionally, Linley has always implied he’ll do plenty to maintain that lifestyle. In 2006 he and his sister sold off some of his late mother’s jewellery at auction, which reportedly infuriated their father and caused a lot of furore in the media. He explained to the Sunday Telegraph why he did it the following year.

In July 2007 Linley told the newspaper, “I had the sale for a very simple reason, which was an inheritance tax situation, and wanting to build for my family’s future and my children’s education — normal family requirements.” However, at the time his net worth was estimated to be at least $25 million.

Linley’s justification to the Sunday Telegraph continued, “We are a modern family who need to live in a certain way. The sale rationalised the collection. We still have some of the best pieces, which we will always treasure, but it was an opportunity to put everything on an even keel.”

Controversy had focused on Linley’s decision to sell his mother’s wedding tiara, but he countered, “being realistic, we have a young family that needs educating, and education does not seem to be getting any cheaper, going by the recent figures. We looked very long and hard about whether to include it or not, but I think that my mother would have felt it was a good idea.”

And that wasn’t even the first time Linley had faced criticism regarding his parents’ assets. In 2000, while his mother was still alive, Linley sold her Mustique home, Les Jolies Eaux, for roughly $2.6 million. The land the home was built on had been a wedding present, and reportedly the princess wasn’t happy.

So will this divorce lead to yet another big money controversy? Well, it is worth pointing out that Serena does have plenty of money of her own. From 2010 until 2014 she had her own business, a shop which sold luxury bath products. Furthermore, Serena’s father, Viscount Petersham, is thought to be worth around a staggering $300 million.

If Linley does lose some money in the divorce, he at least seems to be prepared for it. As news of the split spread another insider informed The Sun tabloid newspaper, “If it’s amicable it seems likely assets will be split. If it’s as much as £40million [$51million], each will get half.”

That does indeed seem to be the case, as another anonymous source told newspaper the Express, “David and Serena have agreed that their marriage has broken down, they have in effect been living separate lives for some time. But they are determined to handle their separation in a civilized manner.”

The source went on, “There is no blame or acrimony on either side. They have simply reached a point at which they both feel they have to move on.” However, reportedly the Queen, already apparently unhappy about the scandals hitting the family in 2019 and 2020, was far from pleased at the news.

Royal family expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Express, “This is undoubtedly a sad moment for the Royal Family… The fact that it is ‘amicable’ doesn’t detract from the surprise that this has happened and also when it has been announced.” However, despite that — and the money Linley stands to lose — this particular royal divorce is still a long way from some of the others when it comes to scandal.