The Dynasty princess who vanished from Hollywood to take down a notorious cult and free her daughter

LEAVE A COMMENT She may be best known for her role as Amanda Carrington in eighties hit Dynasty, but Catherine Oxenberg's real life has featured drama worthy of a soap opera.

From her royal connections to rescuing her daughter from a notorious cult, the 65-year-old has certainly led a memorable life. Let's see what she's up to now after stepping back from Hollywood…

Catherine is the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and her first husband, Howard Oxenberg. And her royal connections don’t end there; she is a first cousin once removed of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent. 

Meanwhile, her extended family members include King Charles and Queen Sofia of Spain, who are both second cousins once removed. The actress has also portrayed royalty, having twice played the late Princess Diana in two television movies.

Catherine’s acting debut was a portrayal of Princess Diana in The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana in 1982, before moving on to Dynasty in 1984, at the height of its popularity.

She played Amanda Carrington for two years before leaving in 1986, when the role was recast. However, the situation behind her exit were not clear, with the actress insisting she chose to leave the soap opera while reports suggested she may have been fired.

Following her role on the soap opera, Catherine starred in the television film Roman Holiday, and also started in the series Apaculpo H.E.A.T. from 1993 to 1994.

In 2006, she reunited with her former Dynasty castmates to reflect on the series for Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar.

Catherine welcomed her daughter India Riven Oxenberg in June 1991, and her father was later revealed to be the convicted drug smuggler William Weitz Shaffer. She went on to marry producer Robert Evans in 1998, but the marriage was annulled nine days later.

One year later, Catherine met the actor Casper Van Dien during filming of 1999 TV movie The Collectors, and they married that same year. The couple welcomed two daughters together, and starred on their own 2005 reality series, I Married a Princess. They divorced in 2015.

In 2011, Catherine introduced her daughter to NXIVM, for what she thought would be a “self-help, business-oriented program.” However, it turned out to be a cult that India became heavily involved in, and for which she initially failed an intervention to remove her from.

India later left the cult in 2018, after its founder was arrested. Catherine shared her story in a memoir called Captive: A Mother’s Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult, and she also produced and narrated Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Daughter.

In another dramatic turn of events, Catherine lost her home in the 2018 California wildfires. But it led to happier times when businessman Ellis Jones offered her a place to stay, and they soon began dating. The couple married in October 2023.

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