Catherine Oxenberg, the American actress and descendant of European royalty, has an intensely public life that has been marked by both Hollywood glamour and profound personal struggle, including her highly publicized three marriages. As of the current date, December 12, 2025, the former Dynasty star is happily married to her third husband, businessman Ellis Jones, a union that began in a beautiful beachside ceremony in late 2023. This latest chapter follows two previous high-profile relationships, one famously brief and another lasting over a decade and resulting in two daughters.
The fascination surrounding Catherine Oxenberg's personal life stems not only from her acting career—where she famously played Princess Diana twice—but also from her unique background as the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Her journey to finding lasting love has been a winding road, involving a short-lived Hollywood whirlwind, a long-term partnership with a fellow actor, and a new, seemingly serene marriage to a non-celebrity businessman. The timeline of her husbands reveals a life lived in the spotlight, where every personal milestone becomes a public event.
Catherine Oxenberg: Royal Lineage, Career, and Full Biography
Catherine Oxenberg's life began with a royal pedigree that is often overlooked by her Hollywood fame. Born on September 22, 1961, in New York City, she is the eldest daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and her first husband, Howard Oxenberg.
Her mother, Princess Elizabeth, is a member of the House of Karađorđević, which connects Catherine to the royal families of Europe. This makes her a second cousin once removed to King Charles III.
Key Biographical Details:
- Full Name: Catherine Oxenberg
- Date of Birth: September 22, 1961
- Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.
- Parents: Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and Howard Oxenberg
- Notable Roles: Amanda Carrington on the 1980s soap opera Dynasty; played Diana, Princess of Wales, in two television movies.
- Children: India Riven Oxenberg (b. 1991, father not publicly identified); Maya Van Dien (b. 2001); Celeste Alma Van Dien (b. 2003).
- Notable Public Battle: Her tireless and successful fight to rescue her daughter, India, from the NXIVM cult, which was documented in the book Captive: A Mother's Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult and the docuseries The Vow.
Her career launched her into the public eye, but her personal life, especially her quest for love, has kept her there. The role of Amanda Carrington, the long-lost daughter of Alexis Colby on Dynasty, cemented her status as a prime-time soap opera icon.
A Timeline of Catherine Oxenberg's Three Marriages
Catherine Oxenberg’s three trips down the aisle each represent a distinct phase of her life, from a whirlwind Hollywood romance to a long-term family unit, and now, a quiet, mature partnership. Each husband brought a different dynamic to her already extraordinary life.
Husband #1: Robert Evans (1998) - The Nine-Day Marriage
In one of Hollywood's most famously brief unions, Catherine Oxenberg married legendary film producer Robert Evans. Evans was known for producing classics like The Godfather and Chinatown, and his personal life was as dramatic as his films.
The couple married on July 12, 1998, in Beverly Hills, California. However, the marriage was annulled just nine days later. The speed of the annulment made headlines, signaling a relationship that was perhaps more of a spontaneous Hollywood moment than a lasting commitment. Evans, who had been married seven times, and Oxenberg quickly went their separate ways, though the brief union remains a notable footnote in both their biographies.
Husband #2: Casper Van Dien (1999–2015) - The Long-Term Partnership
Oxenberg found her next, and longest, love with actor Casper Van Dien, known for his lead role in the sci-fi film Starship Troopers.
The couple met while filming the movie The Collectors. They married in 1999, a year after her annulment from Evans. Their marriage was a blend of Hollywood and royalty, a dynamic they even explored in the reality show I Married a Princess.
Over their 16 years together, they had two daughters, Maya Van Dien and Celeste Alma Van Dien, and blended their families, which included Casper's two children from a previous marriage and Catherine's eldest daughter, India Oxenberg.
After more than a decade and a half, the couple divorced in 2015. Despite the split, they maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship, a testament to the depth of their long-term bond.
Ellis Jones: Catherine Oxenberg’s Current Husband and New Chapter
The most recent and significant update to Catherine Oxenberg's personal life is her marriage to businessman Ellis Jones. This relationship marks a new, more private phase for the actress, who has spent much of the last decade in the public eye due to her heroic efforts to extract her daughter from the NXIVM cult.
The Engagement and Wedding:
Oxenberg announced her engagement to Jones in June 2023. The couple did not waste time, tying the knot just a few months later. The wedding ceremony took place on October 21, 2023, in a beautiful, intimate beachside setting.
Announcing the news on social media, Oxenberg shared her joy, stating, "My beloved and I tied the knot on Oct 21st. We are so grateful to have celebrated with close friends and family. I feel so blessed."
Who is Ellis Jones?
Ellis Jones is a businessman, a detail that suggests he is not a part of the traditional Hollywood circuit that dominated Oxenberg’s previous relationships. While details about his specific business ventures remain private, his non-celebrity status appears to offer the actress a welcome sense of stability and normalcy after years in the spotlight and the emotional trauma of the NXIVM ordeal.
His presence in her life signifies a fresh start, one that focuses on personal happiness and family. The marriage came shortly before her daughter, India, announced her own pregnancy, adding another layer of joy to Catherine's family life.
The Impact of NXIVM on Her Love Life and Public Persona
It is impossible to discuss Catherine Oxenberg’s recent life without acknowledging the profound impact of the NXIVM cult. Her unwavering fight to save her daughter, India Riven Oxenberg, from the clutches of the sex cult led by Keith Raniere became her most defining public role in the late 2010s.
This period of intense stress and public scrutiny likely reshaped her view on relationships and privacy. Her book, Captive, and the HBO docuseries The Vow brought her story to a global audience, establishing her as a figure of maternal strength and resilience.
Her divorce from Casper Van Dien in 2015 preceded the peak of the NXIVM crisis, and the subsequent years were dominated by the battle for India. Her marriage to Ellis Jones in late 2023 is seen by many as a well-deserved return to peace and personal happiness following a tumultuous and emotionally draining chapter.
The choice of a businessman over another Hollywood figure suggests a desire for a grounded, stable life away from the relentless media cycle. Ellis Jones represents a new, quieter foundation for the actress, who, despite her royal blood and Hollywood history, has proven that her greatest role is that of a devoted mother and a woman determined to find lasting contentment. The couple's beachside wedding symbolizes a calming, beautiful new beginning for the royal-turned-actress.
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