Princess Beatrice ‘heartbroken’ after ‘playboy’ ex Paolo Liuzzi is found dead in suspected overdose after ‘descending into drugs and gambling’ amid claims he ‘owed large debts to loan sharks’
Princess Beatrice is said to be heartbroken after her ex-boyfriend Paolo Liuzzo was found dead of a suspected overdose in a Miami hotel room.
Prince Andrew’s daughter started dating Liuzzo in 2005 when she was 17 and he was 24, but the couple split in 2006.
Beatrice is said to be shocked by the news of Liuzzo’s death The sunafter police were called to a room at the CitizenM Miami Worldcenter hotel on February 7 at 3:22 p.m.
The cause of death has not been officially reported, but Officer Michael Vega of the Miami Police Department said, “It was investigated as an overdose death. The investigation is open and ongoing.”
Insiders said Liuzzo struggled with both gambling and drugs, reportedly claiming he had racked up debts with loan sharks. A friend of Liuzzo told The Sun: “Paolo wasn’t doing great on a personal level.
Princess Beatrice’s ex-boyfriend Paolo Liuzzo has been found dead of a suspected overdose in a Miami hotel room
The cause of death has not been officially reported but is being investigated by Miami police as an overdose
Miami police said Luizzo was found dead at the CitizenM Miami Worldcenter hotel
‘He first started using a lot of pharmaceutical drugs, but that later led to cocaine and harder drugs. It was a very fast-paced lifestyle and we were all afraid it would eventually catch up with him.”
Liuzzo had reportedly dabbled in drugs and was previously arrested in Australia for a series of offences, including possession of cocaine.
He was arrested on September 27, 2009 on the Gold Coast after crashing a black $90,000 Audi rental car into traffic lights.
The then 27-year-old was also unable to pay the accommodation and restaurant bills at the Conrad Jupiters casino.
Australian police have charged Liuzzo with fraud, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, possession of two grams of cocaine and driving without due care and attention. Liuzzo pleaded guilty and was fined $5,000.
His controversial past began in 2002 when he was charged with the manslaughter of a fellow student at Heilig Kruiscollege.
Prince Andrew and Ferguson encouraged Beatrice’s romance with Liuzzo, despite their seven-year age difference and criminal past
Liuzzo and Beatrice (pictured) met through mutual friends and started dating in July 2005. They managed to keep the relationship a secret for almost a year.
Beatrice (pictured here with her parents Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson) was reportedly heartbroken when their romance ended and she returned to Goldsmiths, part of the University of London
‘We all have our own journey and have to learn our way, but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends, including Paolo,’ Beatrice’s mother Sarah Ferguson (pictured left with Beatrice) said when the relationship began
His fellow student, 19-year-old Jonathan R. Duchatellier, died as a result of a fight that occurred on May 5, 2002, at an off-campus apartment building at 510 Cambridge St., involving Liuzzo.
The charge was later reduced to assault and Liuzzo served community service.
Hailing from Woodbury, New York, Liuzzo was considered an American socialite at the time of his romance with Beatrice.
Liuzzo and Beatrice met through mutual friends and started dating in July 2005. They managed to keep the relationship a secret for almost a year, but they broke up in May 2006 when reports of the manslaughter charges surfaced, causing a sensation.
Prince Andrew and Ferguson encouraged Beatrice’s romance with Liuzzo, despite their seven-year age difference and criminal past.
“We all have our own journey and have to learn our way, but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends, including Paolo,” Beatrice’s mother said when the relationship began.
The royal couple invited Liuzzo for a family vacation to the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Verbier.
It subsequently emerged that Liuzzo had ignored the terms of his probation to go on holiday to Switzerland with the Queen’s granddaughter and her family – including Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York – in 2006.
Miami police are investigating the death, which occurred on February 7, as a suspected overdose
Liuzzo (pictured right) had reportedly dabbled with drugs and was previously arrested in Australia for a series of offenses including possession of cocaine
As a result, he was shipped back to the US, where his three-year probation was extended by the court as punishment, forcing Beatrice to end the budding romance.
In 2007, he embarrassed the royal family by claiming marijuana was smoked in front of Beatrice, her sister Eugenie and their mother, Sarah Ferguson, while on holiday in Jamaica.
He was among a group of eight people, including the princesses, who went to the Caribbean for a ten-day vacation in 2005.
The self-styled playboy also confessed to cheating on Beatrice during their relationship – and said she had wanted to introduce him to the Queen.
Beatrice was reportedly heartbroken when their romance ended and she returned to Goldsmiths, part of the University of London.
Liuzzo’s death certificate revealed that he had worked as a consultant in the art industry and had never married.
His body was transported to Long Island, New York, where he grew up, and a funeral was held on February 16.