Instagram Helena Bonham Carter and Rye Dag Holmboe
Helena Bonham Carter, who’s stepping into the role of Princess Margaret in Season 3 of Netflix’s hit series, The Crown, has found love with boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe. The two started dating last year after meeting at a wedding of a mutual friend last year, and despite their 21 year age difference, the couple has been going strong ever since.
It’s a relationship that just so happens to mirror Princess Margaret’s real life, for after Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister’s marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones fell apart, she became romantically involved with Roddy Llewellyn, who’s played by actor Harry Treadaway in the Netflix series, a man who was 17 years her junior.
“It’s strange, though,” Carter said, in an interview with The Times U.K, discussing the irony of it all. “It was odd timing that I seem to have a similar age gap as her, but I think it would have happened whether I was playing her or not.”
“Everybody ages at a different rate,” she continued. “My boyfriend is unbelievably mature. He’s an old soul in a young body, what more could I want? People are slightly frightened of older women, but he isn’t. Women can be very powerful when they’re older. Why can’t we be sexually and romantically attractive just when our eggs are expired? Actually it’s much more fun because we’re so freed of the terror, there is no consequence, it’s all just for fun.”
Carter, who graces the December cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK, dubbed one of the magazine’s “Women of the Year,” opened up about her relationship with the 32-year-old Norwegian writer and professor. She said of Holmboe, “I’m very happy… It’s been a bit of unexpected magic in my life.”
Carter Said Calling Holmboe A ‘Toy Boy’ Is Ridiculous – He’s An Accomplished Academic Writer and PhD Candidate
Holmboe, who’s earning a PhD in the History of Art at University College, London, co-authored the book, JocJonJosch: Hand in Foot, in 2013, which was published by Le Musée d’art du Valais, Switzerland. His writing has also been seen publications such as The White Review, Art Licks, Apollo (online), and numerous academic reviews.
Carter told The Times, “Toy boy is really a sexist remark. It implies he’s got nothing to offer other than his body.” And although the actress describer’s her boyfriend’s body as “fantastic,” she added that “he’s got a great mind and a great humor.”
The Harry Potter film series star, who lives in London, also revealed to Bazaar the she and Holmboe got a “fur baby,” together, a Tibetan terrier named Pablo, and that “mother and dog are doing very well.”
Throughout her entire career, Carter has never been outspoken when it comes to her private life, but she’s found a new confidence in herself as she’s gotten older. “When I turned 50, I worried it was downhill all the way,” she said. “But it’s quite the opposite. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier or more fulfilled. This huge blooming of television means character-driven stories, so there’s a lot of choice and a lot of work. When I was young, you were considered ‘older’ over 30.”
Carter, 53, was previously with director Tim Burton for 13 years, with whom she shares a son, Billy, 16, and a daughter, Nell, 11. Hollywood’s eccentric “it” couple, who worked on nine films together throughout their union, separated in 2014.
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