Who is Caspar Jopling? Ellie Goulding's husband has a surprising royal connection
Wedding bells rang out last summer for Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling, who tied the knot in York Minster in August.
The pair, who both counted down the days on Instagram, were married in a church ceremony at York Minster Cathedral and were believed to have partied at a reception venue on the stately grounds of Castle Howard nearby.
The singer later told Heart, “Being married is still just like being boyfriend and girlfriend with my husband, we're like good mates."
She added that she believed they would be in “the honeymoon period forever”, explaining that the pair could “have a laugh.”
Goulding also revealed to Fearne Cotton on the Happy Place podcast just how much her life had changed since meeting Jopling. The singer opened up about how she previously sought professional help to deal with her anger issues and how Jopling came into the picture.
She said, “I used to be much more irrational. I’ve had a lot of therapy and now I try to listen to people rather than talking all the time. I don’t come across as an angry person, but it’s definitely something I’ve had to work on for a long time.”
“When I met Caspar, this anger thing just went away. At first it didn’t,” she continued. “I did that thing when you first meet someone you really like and you don’t show any of your bad traits. ‘I’d sit with my legs crossed and be really tidy and not swear. Now I’ve got a ring on it, I do whatever I want! But because he’s such a calm person, he helped me see things in a different way.”
“With Caspar I instantly felt calmer,” she finished.
Although Jopling may not be as famous a face as Goulding, the former Sotheby’s art dealer has some pretty impressive ties of his own - including a long-standing friendship with Princess Eugenie, an aristocratic bloodline and a celebrity art dealer uncle, Jay Jopling.
From his artistic Instagram to his puzzling proposal, it’s clear there’s a lot more to Jopling than meets the eye. For more on the man who calls himself “a dork” and seems to be endlessly in love with Goulding, here’s everything to know about Jopling ahead of their wedding.
Who is Caspar Jopling?
Jopling is currently studying for his MBA at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.
Previously, he worked at Sotheby’s in New York in corporate development and strategy according to his LinkedIn profile. Born in Yorkshire, he was educated at Eton College before eventually attending Harvard University where he studied History of Art and Architecture as well as Film Studies.
While at Harvard, he joined the rowing team and competed internationally; once representing Team GB at the Youth Olympics in 2010. Goulding revealed on Instagram that Jopling had taken up rowing again at Oxford, revealing he “has been rowing pretty much every single day since September.”
Initial reports mistakenly identified him as a professional athlete, which delighted Goulding who said “People keep saying Caspar is a Team GB rower - it’s kind of got out of hand now but we find it really funny.”
Jopling clearly finds it hilarious, as his Twitter bio actually reads “not an athlete”.
Following his time at uni, he then went on to intern at auction house Christie’s and eventually settled at their rival Sotheby’s in New York for the long haul. He has occasionally penned an art review or two, with an author page listed on the Huffington Post.
He is a close friend of Princess Eugenie's, which may be because his uncle Jay Jopling invested in a company that she used to work for called Paddle8. Back in 2016, Jopling shared an image of Princess Eugenie (who also works in the art world) at Art Basel in Miami standing beside a picture which read "very sexy".
Who is Caspar Jopling’s family?
Jopling’s parents are Jayne Warde-Aldam and The Hon Nicholas Jopling and he has a stepfather called Charles Andrew Warde-Aldam. A Yorkshire man through and through, his parents actually have aristocratic ties as the family owns Frickley Hall - a Grade II listed building dating back to 1760 and the “Warde-Aldam family seat” according to Yorkshire Post. The Yorkshire Post also reported that his family is popular in equestrian circles and host a tournament called the Frickley Horse Trials.
Jopling’s father has impressive connections, as his grandfather Thomas Michael Jopling, Baron Jopling was a minister who served in office between 1983-1987 under Margaret Thatcher. His uncle is Jay Jopling, a celebrity in the art world and the founder of renowned gallery White Cube.
How long have Ellie Goulding and Caspar Jopling been together?
Jopling and Goulding are believed to have started dating in 2017. He refers to her as Elena on social media. Jopling first posted a photo of Goulding on his personal Instagram account on May 22, 2017, and it appears that the pair spent a romantic weekend together, as he wrote, “Weekend of art, Ricky gervais and stodgy mushroom pate”.
The pair have been inseparable ever since and he’s been Goulding’s plus one to numerous high profile events, including the 2017 amfAR gala, Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner’s Wyoming nuptials and Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding to Jack Brooksbank.
Given that Jopling’s work with Sotheby’s was based in New York, Goulding revealed that she moved to the American city for “love”. She did clarify that the pair were planning to move back to the UK and added that she thought New York was "insane" and "really not for the faint-hearted".
Jopling posted a photo earlier this April of their stunning New York flat which naturally featured a few art pieces, writing that it was their "last day" there.
When did Ellie Goulding get engaged?
Jopling announced that he and Goulding were engaged on August 7, 2018 when he shared an image of Goulding flashing a striking ring. He wrote, “I get to spend the rest of my life with this truly extraordinary and beautiful, beautiful person. No one has ever made me feel more full of life, knowledge, happiness, or love. Hope, passion, confidence, and more love.”
“There is no one I have ever been more complete with and there is no one I will ever feel more complete with. I look forward to a lifetime of exploring the world together, crying with laughter at stupid jokes, chatting into the early hours of the morning about art, music, the world, and the future. I love you Elena,” he continued.
Goulding delved into detail about the proposal, saying on The Jonathan Ross show that Jopling had “proposed a bit sooner than he thought he was going to”. She said, “I think he got a bit over excited and proposed the week before he was planning."
She explained that Jopling surprised her with a proposal halfway through a boozy puzzle session at home. Goulding said, “We were having maybe a couple of drinks and we were doing a Jigsaw puzzle. He likes them. I think it was quite an easy one. Probably 400 (pieces). Anyway I think he was getting bored of it and then he proposed. It was quite romantic for some reason.”
In Jopling’s photograph of the proposal, the “easy” puzzle can be seen on the table along with what appears to be a gin and tonic.
Their engagement was announced traditionally with a newspaper announcement in The Times, which read, “Mr C.W.F. Jopling and Miss E.J. Goulding. The engagement is announced between Caspar, son of The Hon Nicholas Jopling of Yorkshire and Mrs Jayne Warde-Aldam of Yorkshire, and Elena, daughter of Mr Arthur Goulding of Hertfordshire and Mrs Tracey Sumner of West Midlands.”
They were married in Yorkshire. Jopling posted a gallery of pictures from the wedding on Instagram, which included shots of Goulding in her bespoke Chloe wedding gown, and captioned it, "Thankful for everyone and everything, especially you."
He also shared an Instagram story of himself and Goulding holding hands with their rings on display, which he captioned, "Now we sleep."
How old is Caspar Jopling?
Jopling is 26 years old and was born on January 10, 1992.
Does Caspar Jopling have Instagram?
Yes, Jopling has a public Instagram account which mostly revolves art and formerly around his old day job at Sothebys. (It’s well worth a follow if you’re into the art world.) However, every now and again, his personal life will spill into the feed with loving photos of Goulding and pictures with their close friends, including a gallery full of images from Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner’s secret cowboy wedding.
He makes no secret of the fact that he appears to be besotted with Goulding, sharing images of their holidays together and wishing her happy birthday. He posted a wedding countdown picture in May, writing, “3 months to go. And I’m still a dork.”
