A man who once dated a member of Britain's royal family made headlines this week following media reports that he died of a drug overdose.  

According to the Daily Beast, 41-year-old Paolo Liuzzo was found dead at the Miami World Center hotel at 3:34 p.m. February 7.

Liuzzo began dating the princess in 2005 when he was 23 and she was 17

The Daily Beast cited police sources as saying this week that although an official cause of death has yet to be released, his passing is being "investigated as an overdose death."

The Sun recalled how Liuzzo became romantically involved with Princess Beatrice in 2005 when he was 23 and she was 17.

On tomorrow's front page: Princess Beatrice’s ex boyfriend Paolo Liuzzo dies of drug overdose in Miami hotel room leaving royal heartbrokenhttps://t.co/FKOI8qasO8 pic.twitter.com/tAkV2Swbwu

— The Sun (@TheSun) April 24, 2024

Their relationship was kept secret for a year and only became public knowledge when he accompanied the princess' family on a Swiss ski trip in 2006.

Liuzzo faced criminal charges after being involved in a fatal fist fight

The paper noted that Liuzzo had a troubled history, including a fatal fist fight which resulted in him to being charged with  assault and battery.

Despite this fact, Beatrice defended her daughter's relationship, saying: "We all have our own journeys and have to learn our way but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends including Paolo."

Liuzzo later defended his actions after the pair broke up, stating, "It was a stupid fist fight and if I had gone to trial, my lawyers were certain I'd have been found innocent."

"But if it came out that me and Bea were dating, it wouldn't be good for her image or Sarah's so everyone was trying to keep our relationship a secret," the Daily Mail quoted Liuzzo as saying.

Friend says Liuzzo struggled with drug use and gambling

Meanwhile, an unnamed friend of Liuzzo told the Sun that his life had taken a dark turn in recent years, lamenting, "Paolo was not doing great on a personal level."

"He loved to party and gamble. He began using a lot of pharmaceutical drugs but that later led to cocaine and harder drugs," the source continued.

"It was a very fast lifestyle and we all feared it would catch up with him eventually. He was always borrowing money to pay loans. It became a vicious cycle," the friend went on to add.