Sophie Turner has appeared to confirm rumours of her new romance with an aristocrat dubbed “Britain’s most eligible bachelor”, amid her and Joe Jonas’ divorce and custody battle.
The Game of Thrones star was seen stepping out with media empire heir Peregrine Pearson in west London last week, and spotted kissing passionately after having brunch.
Pearson – known as "Perry" to his friends – lives in in a £5 million pad in Chelsea, and is the heir of the 4th Viscount Cowdray with a family reportedly worth £224 million.
The 27-year-old Game of Thrones star also joined Pearson, 29 and his aristocratic pals for a shooting trip at the Duke of Marlborough's Blenheim Palace estate in Oxfordshire over the weekend. In Instagram pictures posted by fellow guest Jemima Herbet, the pair were seen smiling for the camera after a group hunting trip.
Rumours first swirled of their romance when the couple were papped locking lips in Paris back in October, as reported by the Sun, but the picture didn’t show their faces. However, eagle-eyed readers spotted that the bag Turner had over her shoulder — the Louis Vuitton x Jeff Koons Manet Keep bag – is relatively rare and known to be one of the actress’ favourites.
An eyewitness told the tabloid they saw the pair outside Gare du Nord station “chatting and laughing a lot”.
“They arrived together at the chauffeur pickup location outside of the station. It looked like they might have both come on the Eurostar from London,” the source alleged. “He then took his hat off and leaned in to give her a big kiss. After the kiss, they parted ways.”
The actress’ potential new romance made headlines nearly one month after she and Jonas reached a temporary custody agreement for daughters Willa and Delphine.
Neither Turner nor Jonas have publicly commented on the divorce outside of a shared statement posted to Instagram.
But it has been widely reported that the split has become messy, with Turner suing Jonas for the “wrongful retention” of their two children in New York, and claiming that she had learned that Jonas was filing for divorce only through the media, according to Today.
A £224 million aristocratic media empire
Pearson, whose official full name is Hon Peregrine John Dickinson Pearson, is the son of 4th Viscount Cowdray Michael Pearson and Marina Rose Cordle.
His father worked briefly in the film business, notably producing The Rolling Stones documentary Sympathy for the Devil and the cult classic Vanishing Point. After his stint in film, Michael then took over the running of the 16,500-acre Cowdray Estate in West Sussex in 1995, where he currently lives.
Cowdray House now operates as an exclusive 22-bedroom exclusive venue, hosting a range of activities such as polo, golf, holiday cottages, a farm shop and a therapy and retreat centre.
Pearson is also a descendant of Samuel Pearson, the founder of the publishing powerhouse Pearson plc, and the family still own large shares in the company.
His mother is the daughter of former Conservative MP John Cordle. A devotee of Silent Meditation and Qigong, artist and sculptress, Marina oversees a programme of events at Cowdray Hall that includes Presence in Stillness.
According to The Sun, Pearson's family is estimated to be worth about £224 million.
Pearson's parents separated in August 2023 after 36 years of marriage.
The couple have four other children – Eliza, a yoga teacher and regenerative farming enthusiast, Emily, a certified holistic health coach one of the founders of the much-loved Notting Hill vegan restaurant Farmacy, Catrina, a musician, and Montague, a helicopter pilot.
When Eliza, 35, married Ned Rocknroll in a full moon pagan ceremony led by a druid in 2009, Princess Beatrice was among the guests.
Ned, a nephew of Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson, changed his surname from Abel Smith by deed poll before the wedding took place at Cowdray Park. After he split up with Eliza, he went on to marry Oscar winner Kate Winslet.
Heir to a 16,500 West Sussex estate where the Royals play polo
Pearson is the heir to the Cowdray Estate in West Sussex – when he inherits the seat, he will be the 5th Viscount Cowdray.
Among other things, the estate plays host to the annual Gold Cup at his Cowdray Park Polo Club, where Princes William and Harry have played. The Gold Cup is polo's most prestigious European event.
“Cowdray is to polo what Goodwood is to racing and Glyndebourne to opera,” Pearson said in an interview with the Telegraph.
Perry himself isn’t a huge polo player, though.
“I’m getting lessons,” he told the Telegraph. “I grew up riding and over the next few years it’s something I can see myself doing a lot more.”
As the eldest son and heir, Pearson is involved with running the family estate.
In an interview with the Gentleman's Journal, Pearson discussed the complexities of managing such an operation. “We employ 200 people full time, with an extra 150 people in summer. We house 400 families. We employ another 1,000 people through the tenanted businesses on the estate. That all comes with a social responsibility.”
“But the dream is to pass it on to my son or daughter in better nick than it’s in now. That’s the mentality when it comes to estates. You’re so grateful that you’ve been given this opportunity, you want others to have the same opportunity that you had.”
Property development and luxury wellies
As well as doing his bit to help run the family estate, Pearson is also currently focusing on his role as a director of a property development company in London.
According to LinkedIn, he works as a director for Weetman Developments. His official bio reads: "Previously with the Cowdray Estate, with whom he retains a strong affiliation, his focus was on tenant and landlord matters as well as more strategic planning opportunities including the delivery of 60 new homes in the heart of the estate. He started his career working as an assistant site manager for Cordles, a London based contractor."
He is also a brand ambassador for Le Chemeau, a luxury wellington boot company.
A track record of dating royalty
Prior to his alleged Hollywood romance, Pearson dated King Charles III's goddaughter Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark, for three years.
The high-flying pair were first linked in 2020, but when Pearson didn’t make an appearance at her 27th birthday in July, it was rumored they split.
The Daily Mail reported that they had officially broken up and photos of Pearson disappeared from the princess's Instagram.
He is private on social media
Although Perry has an Instagram account with the username @peewee_p, his page is private, with around 1,000 followers.
However, Turner is one of his followers.
Perry’s profile photo is a baby picture looking over his shoulder as a small child with his underwear around his ankles.
