Fairytale princesses might wear glass slippers, but the most fashionable, real-life ones wear Dior "head to toe". Such is the case of 19-year-old Princess Maria Olympia of Greece, who stunned at amfAR's seventh New York Inspiration Gala on Thursday night.
With her first year of college under her embellished belt, the Greek royal chatted with HELLO! at the star-studded event presented by Harry Winston, M·A·C Viva Glam and The Points Guy, telling us all about her experience at New York City's Parsons School of Design, her fashion role models and tight-knit bond with her London-based family.
Olympia stunned in a Dior gown at the amfAR Inspiration Gala
Reflecting back on her first year of college, Princess Olympia, the daughter of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, told HELLO!: "It was fun. I had a really great freshman year and I'm really excited to do another three more years.
"I was told that Parsons first year was the toughest so I was ready for it and it was, but I honestly had the best time. I love Parsons so much – I’m excited to go back."
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The sophisticated teen, who is fond of snapping photos of her family, is currently pursuing a degree in photography at the New York City design school. During her freshman year, Olympia took a number of courses ranging from history of art to drawing. "It was a lot, but I loved it," she told us.
The student is closeto her four younger brothers
Though she thoroughly enjoyed her first year of studying in the Big Apple, Olympia's family on the other side of the pond was never far from her mind. She told us she kept in contact with her family "all the time."
"I think I'm closer with my family than I was before, because I FaceTime them all the time!" she revealed. "I FaceTime them when they’re all having dinner and I'm, like, walking to school. We're always speaking."
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Despite the constant communication, Olympia admitted that being far away was hard on her mother Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, a mum-of-five, because, "I'm her only girl." She jokingly added, "I'm her favourite – I'm kidding, I'm so kidding!"
Princess Olympia and her equally stylish mother, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal
Thankfully for Olympia, her family soon plans to be close by. "They're moving back to New York," she revealed. "I'm really excited. I'm just so close to my family and my brothers – Princes Constantine, Achileas-Andreas, Odysseas-Kimon and Aristidis-Stavros – so I'm really excited to have them back."
Having her mom in the same city will no doubt be an added bonus, seeing as the royal mother-daughter pair is constantly trading fashion and beauty secrets. "She's always telling me about the next thing to do with my hair or I'm always stealing her lip glosses," the college student said. "She’s always taking my mascaras. Like we always take everything."
While both she and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal are known for their impeccable fashion sense, Olympia does admire the style of another royal. "[Princess] Rosario Saxe-Coburg I think has great style and I've always admired it. She always has gorgeous Valentino gowns," she said. "Rosario is like my family, like a really close aunt, and I've always been like, 'Damn, I want her dresses!'"
