Princess Mafalda of Bulgaria has broken her silence following her divorce from her British financier husband, Marc Abousleiman. Popstar, European It Girl, and scion of Europe’s most noble dynasties, 30-year-old Mafalda would seem, for all intents and purposes, to be living that life de luxe, but since the announcement of her split in November 2024, she has, she admitted, struggled to recover.
‘It's a huge change, and a huge pain,’ she told El País, while promoting her new single I’m Not The Same Anymore, released under the name Ona Mafalda. ‘I wouldn't wish this on anyone,’ the Bulgarian lamented, adding: ‘I spent a year and a half wondering what I wanted, and what I was going to do next. I was overwhelmed by a multitude of emotions, and a lot was happening around me – in that kind of situation, you lose your bearings a little.’
Jane Andrews spent her childhood penniless, but a dream job as Sarah Ferguson's dresser soon saw her rubbing shoulders with the royals: now, a producer from The Crown is working on a ‘partly-fictionalised’ drama about how it all went so terribly wrong. Prepare to meet The Lady.
Princess Mafalda met Abousleiman while studying at university in Boston. When the two married in a lavish ceremony in May 2022 it was a true must-have invitation for the international jet set, who descended on Palma, Mallorca, for the society wedding. On the guest list? Mafalda’s close friends, Greek Princesses Maria-Olympia and Alexia.
According to Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, Marc Abouleisman filed for divorce on May 15 in New York County's Supreme Court. Reports state that while Mafalda moved to Madrid to pursue her musical career, Marc stayed in New York, where he works as Vice President of Future Global, a Park Avenue investment firm.
Mafalda is the daughter of Kyril, Prince of Preslav, and former Valentino muse Rosario Nadal. Through her father, she is related to some of Europe's historic royal families, with her grandparents being the last Tsar and Tsarina of Bulgaria (her grandfather, Simeon, was a fourth cousin of King George VI). She is known to be particularly close to the Greek royals, acting as a flower girl at Princess Alexia's wedding in 1999. Her father was also a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s, and was known to spend holidays with her on board the designer Valentino's yacht.
The mother-of-eight’s dispatches from her picturesque Utah ranch - complete with Aga - have captivated millions online. So why has the whole family decamped to Ireland to go to cookery school? Tatler meets the woman behind the social media sensation
And while her royal friends and family have no doubt been a great support for Mafalda, she revealed to El Pais that she has spent her life facing ‘harassment’ from tabloids eager to report on her regal heritage rather than her musical career. ‘For a long time, they've been harassing me because of my family background, not for my work,’ she explained to the outlet. ‘They're interested in gossip, and for me, that's strange, because all I want is to be talked about for my work.’
And, she added, her life is not the ‘bubble’ that it might seem to outsiders. ‘It sometimes surprises people who know me,’ she continued. ‘They think I'm still in this world of privilege. It used to bother me, but not anymore.’
The princess was born and raised in London alongside her two younger siblings, Olimpia and Tassilo. She met her husband in London, but the two became a couple only when they attended university in the US, she at Berklee College of Music and he at Harvard. She and Marc were married in the hometown of her mother two years ago. It is thought she wore Valentino for her wedding.
An aspiring popstar – who cites Lana Del Rey among her influences – she has released a number of songs. She first put out her single, Don't Let Go, in 2015, and an EP, Daisy Chain, in 2017, performing at Valentino's catwalk show in 2016. She went on to release another EP, Bailando sin sentido, in 2021, followed by her debut album, Ona, in 2023.
