Lorenzo Montesini spent his early childhood in Alexandria, and was educated at schools in Paris, the United Kingdom and Melbourne. He spent two years in the Australian army, and was twelve months on active service in Vietnam as an interpreter.
Montesini caused a social scandal when, the night before his intended marriage to Primrose Dunlop in April 1990 in Venice's Basilica di San Pietro, he fled with the best man, his long-time friend, Robert Straub. With them went John Lane, who was to have given the bride away, as her father had boycotted the wedding.
An ex-steward with Qantas, Montesini maintains strong ties with Egypt. He chairs the Australian Friends of the Alexandria Library, a foundation dedicated to restoring the famous Egyptian library to its former glory.
He holds the courtesy titles Prince Giustiniani, Count of the Phanaar, Knight of Saint Sophia and Baron Alexandroff.
