Vanessa Walker, Duchess of Valtoria
| Riley | |
|---|---|
| Duchess of Valtoria | |
| File:Lady Riley Lopes.png The Duchess of Valtoria in Q1 2021. | |
| Full name
Riley Mae[fn 1] | |
| Born | Miss Riley Mae Lopes 5 November 1993 The Bronx, Bronx County, New York, New York, United States |
| Family | Lopes (by birth) Beaumont (honorary) Ryan (upon marriage) |
| Fiancé | King Liam |
| Father | Immanuel Lopes |
| Mother | Joan Lopes |
| Religion | Judaism |
Her Royal Highness Riley, Duchess of Valtoria (Riley Mae;[fn 1] born 5 November 1993), is an American-born Skavandian socialite, former civil servant and former waitress. She is set to become a member of the Skavandian royal family upon her marriage to King Liam of Skavand, when at time she will become the queen consort.
Born in The Bronx, New York City, she attended The Bronx High School of Science and later studied at University of New York graduating with a bachelor in communications in 2016. While attending post-secondary education, Riley worked as a waitress at a local Bronx café from 2009–2018. She subsequently accepted a job in 2018 on the congressional campaign of U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and later in her congressional office in Parkchester, Queens. She later left that job a year later resumed her work as a waitress at Windows on the City, Lower Manhattan restaurant.
While waitressing in 2021, Riley met Lord Maxwell Beaumont, Drake Walker, and then Liam, the Prince of Skavand and heir apparent of the Skavandian throne, while they were visiting the city for the Prince’s bachelor party. She later became friends with the group. After spending time with the Prince, Lord Beaumont invited Riley to live in Skavand to join the 2021 social season, a series of events held from March–May to honor the royal family and nobility in the Commonwealth. Speculation was raised that she was invited to attend the social events as an opportunity to get to know the Prince and possibly court him; he recently turned 30 and had to be married by that age to assume the Skavandian throne in accordance with their constitution.
She became an honorary member of the House of Beaumont and was raised to the peerage as a condition to join the events. She became Her Grace The Lady Riley Lopes, Countess Beaumont, in March 2021 and moved to Cordonia, the capital of Skavand. During the social season, tabloids described Riley as "the Bronx princess" and gained praise for her humility and knowledge in international relations and has been compared to American-born British royal Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. After Liam inherited the throne and became the King, he proposed to Riley and the couple became engaged to marry in June 2021. The engagement came after a frameup against Riley by the media.
Early life and education
Riley was born Riley Mae Lopes on 5 November 1993 in The Bronx, Bronx County, New York, New York, United States, to Joan (née Kennedy), a former member of the the New York City Council from the 18th district; and Immanuel Lopes, a businessman. Riley identifies as mixed-race as her mother is white and her father is black. She is the half-niece of the late American rapper Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes through her father Immanuel. Her father is the younger half-brother of Lisa's father, Ronald Lopes. Asked about the connection in a Trend magazine interview, Riley mentioned her father was raised by his mother and was not close to the immediate family of the rapper. "I am a fan of TLC and their music, but regrettably never met my aunt Left Eye, T-Boz or Chili," Riley said. She is the only child. Riley's father was employed at Bank of America and worked at the World Trade Center but left a few years prior to the September 11 attacks.
Growing up in The Bronx, the Duchess attended New York City public schools. She attended Public School 106X Parkchester for elementary school and later attended The Bronx High School of Science to study physics, music theory, and U.S. government and politics. Riley was pursing an education for a potential career in politics or law like after her mother. She was raised in her mother's Jewish faith though her father was Protestant. While in high school, Riley started her job as a waitress at a local Bronx café. She graduated from high school in 2012 and was accepted at the University of New York, majoring in communications and international relations. She interned in the school's law department and frequently visited the United Nations headquarters for her studies. She graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in 2016.
Private career
After graduating from post-secondary education, the Duchess continued to work as a waitress until she accepted a job on a congressional campaign for activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in April 2018. She worked as a secretary for the campaign and organized events, would frequently be an advisor on local New York policy, and would occasionally run telephone banks to reach potential voters. She never publicly campaigned for Ocasio-Cortez as that was not her specialty. She never personally spoke to the now-Congresswoman but would speak to her when campaign officials needed input on policy. After Ocasio-Cortez became U.S. Representative-elect, Riley accepted a job in her congressional office at her Parkchester office. The Duchess managed communications between their office and offices in Washington, D.C.. Riley only traveled to D.C. once as part of official business.
After being dissatisfied with political life, Riley quit in May 2019 and found a job waitressing at Windows on the City, a five star restaurant located in One World Trade Center. She worked as a regular waitress and as a bartender. It is there she would met her future husband King Liam, then the Prince of Skavand, and Lord Maxwell Beaumont and Drake Walker.
Countess Beaumont
Lopes–Al Saadi scandal
Engagement to King Liam
Public image and character
Personal life
Riley has suffered from major depressive disorder.
Titles, styles, honors, and arms
Titles and styles
- 1993–2021: Miss Riley Mae Lopes
- March 2021–May 2021: Her Grace Lady Riley Mae Lopes, Countess Beaumont
- May 2021–present: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Valtoria
Notes, references and external links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Since Riley became the Duchess of Valtoria, she no longer needs to use a last name but may choose to do so. Since The Duchess is not yet a Skavandian citizen, she has not been issued a passport; she has an American passport which still uses her birth name of Riley Mae Lopes. This is due to American nationality law which does not recognize foreign titles. The press secretary said that once Riley marries King Liam, her American passport will read Riley Mae Ryan. Her Skavandian permanent residency card reads Her Royal Highness Riley Mae The Duchess of Valtoria, her legal name and title in Skavand.