Queen Tobi Phillips-Ogunwusi, one of the wives of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has become a striking example of a modern royal, who is skillfully balancing palace responsibilities, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, all while remaining rooted in tradition.
Over the years, Olori Tobi has embraced visibility, sharing glimpses of life as a wife, mother, and businesswoman. Through social media and public appearances, she showcases the joys and challenges of raising children within a royal household while attending to her duties as queen.
Beyond the palace walls, she has carved out a name for herself in fashion and lifestyle entrepreneurship. She is the founder of QTP Luxury Fashion, a brand that combines regal Yoruba textiles, elegant aso-oke, contemporary couture, and carefully styled headgear. Her signature use of beads as fabric accents and accessories reflects both cultural heritage and personal creativity. In addition, she runs hair and skincare lines, often demonstrating their use on her children in social media posts.
Olori Tobi’s path into business was deliberate and hard-earned. In a 2023 interview with Vanguard Newspaper, she reflected, “I worked for two years at the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service and realised I had so much more talent inside me to explore, so I decided to follow my passion. Venturing into business hasn’t been a smooth sail. Finding a balance between building a career and maintaining personal life is taxing, but the fulfilment comes from knowing I’ll reach my goals.”
Her royal role is grounded in cultural representation and support for the monarch. A former beauty queen, she won the World Miss University Africa title in 2012, boosting her international profile and demonstrating her poise and elegance. She married the Ooni in October 2022, and has spoken openly about their love story, which saw the couple separate and reunite before tying the knot. “Love was the most important factor in my decision to marry the monarch,” she said, noting her personal commitment to marry someone she truly loved.