Nathalie Decker

**Nathalie Decker van Straten** (née **Decker**; born 23 December 1980) is a South African businesswoman, blogger, and former fashion model. She is the daughter of Paul, Duke of Massachusetts and his first wife Anneke Esterhuyse, and a relative of the New Anglian royal family.

Decker was born to an Afrikaner family in Cape Town and raised in the Cape Town suburb of Durbanville. Her parents separated in 1985, and afterwards divorced in 1987, leaving Decker to be raised by her mother and stepfather. While a student at Durbanville High School in 1996, her father became engaged to Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Massachusetts, thrusting her family into the spotlight. Decker and her mother did televised interviews talking about their strained relationship with her father, although she and her father later reconciled. Decker was present at the 1997 wedding, while her mother was not. The New Anglian media featured Decker heavily in their wedding coverage, with commentators stating that she "stole the show," further thrusting her into New Anglian and international celebrity status.

After graduating from high school in 1998, Decker moved to New Anglia to enroll in New York University the following year, studying media, culture, and communications. While in New York, Decker signed a modeling contract with Manhattan Model Management, although she later left her modeling career in 2002, in order to focus on school. After graduating with her degree in 2003, Decker launched her fashion blog *The Decker Report*. By 2010, her blog was cited by the media as one of the premier fashion blogs in New Anglia, and she was receiving "millions" annually through ad revenue and sponsorships. In 2005, Decker launched her own brand *Thalie*, which initially sold women's accessories. The brand later expanded into fashion for men and women, home decor, and wine.

Decker has been hailed as one of the most successful fashion bloggers in New Anglia. Her net worth was reported as $105.4 million in 2018, and that year she was named the highest-earning fashion blogger in New Anglia with an annual salary of $8.4 million.

## Early life and education

Decker was born on 23 December 1980 in Cape Town to parents Paul (born 1955) and Anneke Decker (née *Esterhuyse*; born 1955). Her father worked various odd jobs in different industries, while her mother was a paralegal. Following her birth, her parents began to have marital problems; they separated in 1985, and later divorced in 1987. After their divorce, Decker was raised by solely her mother, and her father moved to New Anglia in 1988. In 1994, her mother married South African lawyer Carl de Kock (born 1943); she has two elder stepbrothers from her stepfather's first marriage. Decker was raised speaking Afrikaans, and in the Cape Town suburb of Durbanville.

Decker began her education in 1985, attending an Afrikaans-language primary school in Durbanville. She later began high school at Durbanville High School (*Hoërskool Durbanville*) in 1993, where she was both a popular student and high academic achiever. Decker later graduated from the school in 1998. She spent one year interning at a fashion magazine in Cape Town, and afterwards moved to New Anglia to enroll in New York University in 1999, studying media, culture, and communications. She graduated with her degree in 2003.

## 1997 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Paul Decker

In May 1996, Decker's father became engaged to Princess Elizabeth, the youngest child of Charles II and his wife Queen Frances of Montpierre. They had met three years prior, when Elizabeth became a member of Decker's father's pilates gym. Instantly, the relationship was controversial in New Anglia. Decker's father received criticism for his perceived rude and arrogant behavior, the 17-year age difference between him and Elizabeth, and the fact he was the father of a daughter only eight years younger than his fiancée.

After the announcement of the engagement, Decker and her mother were thrust into the New Anglian spotlight, with numerous media outlets requesting interviews. In July 1996, a crew from NABC was flown to South Africa to interview Decker and her mother. In the interview, both Decker and her mother spoke of their strained relationship with her father, with her mother alleging that he was verbally abusive and unfaithful. Decker offered no negative comments of her own, but commented that she felt "hurt" by her father's engagement after having "minimal" contact with her throughout her upbringing. The interview further hurt her father's public reputation in New Anglia, and the New Anglian royal family attempted to make amends by inviting them both to the wedding; Decker accepted while her mother refused. In the run-up to the wedding, Decker and her father were said to have made amends and were in "active contact."

Decker was selected to serve as one of Elizabeth's five bridesmaids in the wedding on 6 December 1997 at Columbia Cathedral. During the wedding's live broadcast, Decker received widespread national and international attention, with commentators stating that she "stole the show." Following the wedding, Decker was reportedly offered modeling contracts, but declined in order to focus on her schooling.

## Career

### Early modeling

After moving to New Anglia in 1999, Decker revisited past offers of modeling contracts. She ultimately decided to sign with Manhattan Model Management in December 1999. While a college student, Decker participated in magazine photoshoots and also walked in New York Fashion Week in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

Despite her success in modeling, Decker ultimately decided to request a release from her contract in September 2002, due to her wish to prioritize her education and pursue other ventures. She later went on to state that modeling was getting in the way of her grades, and her agency had requested she miss several classes in order to participate in photoshoots and fashion shows.

### *The Decker Report*

After graduating with her bachelor's degree in 2003, Decker opted to launch her own fashion blog *The Decker Report*. With the blog, Decker offered insider scoops into the world of elite New York City fashion, and also provided behind-the-scenes scoops at fashion events and interviews with fashion industry people.

The blog expanded by 2005, when Decker began offering outfit suggestions and giving readers styling advice. That year, she launched her own personal styling business tilted Decker Styling, which she used to offer personal styling for events in New York City. By 2010, *The Decker Report* was hailed as one of the premier fashion blogs within the New Anglian fashion scene, and Decker was listed as an "elite fashion insider." Also that year, it was reported that Decker was receiving "millions" in annual compensation due to ad revenue and sponsorships from her blog.

In 2014, she also launched her personal Instagram account, in order to bring her blog to a second platform. By 2020, she had amassed 1.6 million followers on the platform.

### *Thalie*

In 2005, Decker launched her own personal brand *Thalie*. The brand released their first collection in September 2005, consisting of women's accessories such as handbags, scarves, and socks. The accessories collection was a success, and sold out within one day.

In the following years, the *Thalie* brand expanded exponentially. In 2006, it branched out to women's clothing, then to men's clothing in 2009, later beginning a home decor collection in 2011, until beginning to sell wine manufactured on the East End of Long Island in 2014. By 2018, the *Thalie* brand was valued at $35.6 million.

### Other ventures

In 2015, Decker was featured as a houseguest on season 16 of *Celebrity Big Brother*, later reaching third place. She later appeared in season four of *Celebrity Big Brother South Africa* in 2016, going on to win the competition.

In 2020, Decker was cast in season 2 of *The Masked Singer*. Competing as "The Butterfly," she was eliminated in week three.

## Personal life

Decker began a relationship with New Anglian hedge fund manager William van Straten in 2010. They later became engaged in 2012, and married in a destination wedding in Bali, Indonesia in 2014. Decker and van Straten have three children together: James (born 2017) and identical twins Christina and Catherine (born 2019). Decker reportedly has a close relationship with her younger half-sister Princess Theresa of Massachusetts, and her step-cousin Princess Alexandria.

Since 2016, Decker and van Straten have resided in a townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, valued at $10.5 million. They also own a beach house in The Hamptons, where they spend summers. Decker is fluent in both Afrikaans and English, and is raising her children bilingually. She holds solely South African citizenship, but is a New Anglian permanent resident. Decker was raised within the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, but has called her family "quite secular," and added that she does not identify with a religion.