When Emma Watson wore a vintage-style diamond ring on her wedding finger at Paris Fashion Week it prompted global speculation that she is about to announce an engagement – and curiosity about her fiancé.
Now we can reveal that Kieran Brown, the man she has been dating for a year, is a South African who was awarded the prestigious Rhodes scholar status at Oxford previously held by the likes of Bill Clinton, Theodore Roosevelt and Dr Martin Luther King.
Dr Brown, as he is now formally known after being awarded his PHD, grew up in Cape Town and moved to Oxford to further his academic career – and is now a qualified lecturer.
And it was to a bohemian district of Cape Town, where he grew up and his family still lives, that Brown took the Harry Potter actress for the prolonged holiday during which they are understood to have become serious.
A source in South Africa said: ‘Emma rented a house in a secure compound in Noordhoek for several weeks.
‘It’s a seaside suburb of Cape Town with a chilled out hippie vibe and that clearly suited her taking an extended break to recharge.
‘She was just doing yoga classes and the like – and presumably bonding with Kieran behind closed doors.
‘Noordhoek is only a short distance from Claremont where Kieran was at school and he will know the area well – and probably recommended it.’
The Harry Potter star, 35, was first linked to Brown last October when they were spotted kissing during a date in Oxford.
The pair were photographed together a second time in July this year, again in Oxford, this time at a bakery in the university town.
Their extended break in South Africa is understood to have happened between those two dates at which they inadvertently broke cover.
Kieran is understood to be of Jewish heritage while his celebrity girlfriend has been publicly accused of antisemitism by Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations after she posted a message of support for the Palestinian cause.
She has also been engulfed in a ongoing public spat with her Harry Potter mentor JK Rowling over their very different views on trans and women’s rights.
The Cape Town source added: ‘Emma has been involved in some bruising public rows so she seemed to enjoy being out of the spotlight doing calming things like yoga.
‘They have been very careful to keep their relationship under the radar – their whole stay in South Africa went unreported.
‘But that low profile has led to Kieran being repeatedly described as ‘fellow student’ – but he is rather more than that: he’s a very accomplished and highly regarded academic.’
Having been awarded his PHD, Kieran is now a lecturer and researcher in literature and economics at Oxford’s Somerville College.
Watson is studying for a DPhil – equivalent to a PhD – in creative writing at Oxford’s New College whose 14th century buildings, ironically, once served as a film location for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
It remains unclear where or how they met as Watson is very guarded about her private life and Brown is not a social media poster.
In his spare time, Dr Brown consults on ‘economic development, green energy and industrialisation’.
He received his PHD in English from Hertford College, Oxford, in November last year, having completed his Masters degree in English – distinction – from the University of Oxford in 2020.
He previously scored another distinction in his Bachelors Degree in Economics while attending the University of Cape Town, the city where he grew up.
He won his place at Oxford after being selected as part of the prestigious Rhodes Trust Scholarship, a fully-funded postgraduate award for talented young people from around the world to study at the university.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron and singer and actor Kris Kristofferson are other previous recipients of the award.
While Kieran resides in the UK dating one of the world’s most famous actresses, his family – including his brother Jaimen and sister Kayla – continue to live in South Africa in Western Cape.
His father Andrew works as a reservist sergeant for the South African Police authorities where he volunteers his services without commanding a salary.
Like his son, he’s a talented writer, having penned five novels, including one about the Rwandan genocide, as well as a biography of his time working for the police titled Good Cop Bad Cop.
In 2006, Andrew won the 2006 Sunday Times Fiction Prize for his novel, Coldsleep Lullaby.
Kieran’s mother Patti is a project manager for the Schools Improvement Initiative at the University of Cape Town where she’s been working since 2012.
Like her son, she was also a student at the university, studying Philosophy.
When The Daily Mail contacted Patti to congratulate her on her son’s apparent engagement she politely declined to comment.
Kieran’s brother Jaimen is an emergency care practitioner at Metro Emergency Medical Services.
He studied at Cape Peninsula University of technology and is a keen skateboarder.
His sister Kayla is a singer songwriter known by her stage name Kayla The Crow, who specialises in pop and psychedelic rock.
She regularly plays at festivals in Cape Town as well as gigs across South Africa.
Kayla’s tracks are available to listen to on Spotify, her most popular song being Sunrise on the River, which has been streamed over 33,000 times.
One music reviewer described Kayla’s music as ‘a landscape of emotion, from broody, haunting vocals to guitar riffs that cut through like sunlight through the fog.’
They added: ‘She’s an artist who feels every note, every word, and makes you feel it too. Watching her perform is like witnessing a storm and a whisper at the same time.’
Kieran’s grandmother Marlene was the founding education director at the South African Holocaust Foundation.
She retired in 2010 after holding the position for three years.
In 1999 she was appointed the first Education Director at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.
At her farewell event, it was announced an award ‘The Marlene Silbert Prize for Holocaust and Human Rights Education’ would be set up in her honour in recognition of her pioneering work in this field in South Africa.
Watson previously visited South Africa in 2017 when she reunited with Harry Potter co-star and former ‘crush’ Tom Felton.
The pair, who played Hermione Granger and villain Draco Malfoy the boy wizard franchise, featured in snap enjoying an impromptu guitar lesson, which Tom posted on Instagram.
The actress’s affinity with the country is also visible on her Instagram page, which has 78.2million followers, where she paid tribute to South African bishop Desmond Tutu following his death on Boxing Day 2021.
She wrote: ‘we say goodbye to yet another legend in 2021. Desmond Tutu, your voice for justice will always be ringing through the skies.’
Emma started dating Kieran following her split from previous boyfriend Brandon Green, son of controversial business tycoon Sir Philip last year.
