On 31 July 2004, Davina married Gary Christie Lewis (born 1970), a New Zealander. Lewis is a carpenter who runs a property renovation business[6] and is a surfing enthusiast. The couple had known each other for four years, having met on holiday in Bali, but they kept their relationship secret for several years.[7] Lewis is the son of Larry Lewis, a Māori builder[6] who was runner-up in the Golden Shears sheep-shearing competition in 1982.[8][9] His uncle is the prominent Māori author Witi Ihimaera who wrote The Whale Rider which became a film of the same name.[6]
Lewis is also the first person of known Māori descent to marry a member of the royal family, or to marry the daughter of a British prince.[10] As she is a legitimate descendant in the male line of George V and in line to the British throne, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 required that Royal Assent to the wedding be obtained in advance for the marriage to be legal and the descendants thereof to inherit rights of succession to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms, including that of New Zealand. On 20 July 2004, the Queen-in-Council formally declared her consent to the marriage.[11] The wedding took place at the private chapel of Kensington Palace, Lady Davina's childhood home.[12] Apart from the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the bride's siblings, no other members of the royal family were present at the wedding; only close friends and family were involved.[13] The couple divorced in 2018.[14]
Davina and her former husband have a daughter, Senna Kowhai, who was born on 22 June 2010[15] and a son, Tane Mahuta, who was born 25 May 2012. Her son was named after the Tāne Mahuta, a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua ForestofNorthland Region, New Zealand.[16] Lady Davina was also stepmother to Lewis's son from a previous relationship, Ari (born 1992).[17]
Until 26 March 2015, Tane was ahead of Senna in the line of succession to the British throne since sons had priority over daughters based on tradition and common law. When the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 took effect in all Commonwealth realms in 2015, Senna became the nearest relative of the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, to be affected by the change in law,[18][19][20] which advanced her proximity to the Crown by reversing her place in the order of succession with that of her younger brother. Senna and Tane became 28th and 29th in line respectively.[21]
Lady Davina does not carry out official functions but does attend family events including royal weddings.[22] Lady Davina and Gary Lewis were invited to attend the Queen's reception for members of the New Zealand All BlacksatBuckingham Palace in 2005.[23] She and her then husband also attended Prince William's wedding in 2011.[24]
^Thomson, Ainsley (6 April 2004). "Gazza unfazed by new royal in-laws". National News. APN Holdings NZ – New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
^Males born after 28 October 2011 no longer precede their elder sisters in the line of succession.
^"Succession to the Crown Act", Acts of the United Kingdom Parliament, vol. 2013, no. 20, Section 1, 2013, retrieved 7 April 2014, In determining the succession to the Crown, the gender of a person born after 28 October 2011 does not give that person, or that person's descendants, precedence over any other person (whenever born).
