EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Sarah Ferguson is back in the royal fold with an invite to stay at Balmoral… and she’ll be there with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew
Can there be any more dramatic case of royal redemption than that of Sarah, Duchess of York?
Exiled after her divorce from Prince Andrew, Fergie has been welcomed back into the fold to such an extent that she has been invited to stay at the Queen’s Scottish retreat this summer, I can disclose.
And, unlike previous visits, when she had to make a quick getaway before Prince Philip arrived, the Duchess can stay at Balmoral for as long as her ex-husband.
‘Sarah Ferguson is coming,’ confirms my man in the kilt. ‘She will be here with Andrew.’
Exiled after her divorce from Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson (pictured) has been welcomed back into the fold and she has been invited to stay at the Queen’s Scottish retreat
The Duchess, 61, has been invited to the Deeside castle in previous years, but has stayed for just a few days until the Duke of Edinburgh joined the Queen.
Until his death in April, Philip had studiously avoided Fergie since a tabloid newspaper disclosed details of her affair with American ‘financial adviser’ John Bryan in 1992.
She was staying at Balmoral on the day that paparazzi photos were published of Bryan ‘sucking’ a topless Sarah Ferguson’s toes (while she was still married to, but separated from, Andrew).
However, the Queen is said to appreciate the loyalty that Sarah has demonstrated to the Royal Family since her divorce in 1996 and has been impressed by the close relationship she has maintained with Andrew, 61.
The pair even share a home, Royal Lodge in Windsor.
It’s not clear whether Fergie and Andrew will be joined by their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
And, unlike previous visits, when she had to make a quick getaway before Prince Philip arrived, the Duchess can stay at Balmoral (pictured) for as long as her ex-husband
The Duchess, 61, has been invited to the Deeside castle in previous years, but has stayed for just a few days until the Duke of Edinburgh joined the Queen
Bea, 32, is expecting her first child later this year with her property developer husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 37.
Eugenie has a six-month-old son, August, with her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
Earlier this week, photographs were published of Brooksbank aboard a yacht with topless models on the Mediterranean island of Capri.
Fergie loyally insisted that her ‘superhero’ son-in-law was simply ‘doing his job’ as a brand ambassador for a tequila company.
A spokesman for the Duchess of York declines to comment.
TWO MEN AND A LITTLE LADY
Having joined the exclusive — and bohemian — circle of those who have been married to both women and men, super-rich hedge fund boss Pierre Lagrange has now joined the even more exclusive group of those who have had children with both.
I can disclose that the tycoon, who owns celebrated Savile Row tailor Huntsman, has welcomed a baby with his husband, former White House official Ebs Burnough.
The daughter was born during lockdown and is already following Lagrange’s sense of style. ‘She has had her first Huntsman, but just a bespoke teddy bear,’ he tells me.
Lagrange has three children with his wife of 20 years, Catherine Anspach, whom he divorced with a record-breaking £160 million settlement in 2010.
He married Burnough during what was described as a ‘wild weekend’ on the Spanish party island of Ibiza in 2019.
Wearing a Huntsman blazer, he walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with his brother, Bernard.
THE SMART SET’S TALKING ABOUT… TV ROYALTY’S NIGHTMARES
Boris Johnson’s ever-changing travel rules are ruining holiday plans — and even Game of Thrones stars are left defenceless.
I hear that Nathalie Emmanuel, who has a key role in the sex-and-dragons drama, missed her friend’s wedding ceremony in Mexico, which has just been designated a ‘red-list’ country.
British Airways cancelled her flight to Cancun the day before the wedding, due to Covid travel restrictions.
The airline advised her to go to Gatwick to catch a flight via Dallas but when she arrived, she was told she couldn’t board due to insufficient documentation.
Nathalie Emmanuel (pictured), who has a key role in Game of Thrones, missed her friend’s wedding ceremony in Mexico, which has just been designated a ‘red-list’ country
British Airways cancelled her flight to Cancun the day before the wedding, due to Covid travel restrictions. Pictured: Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel in Game of Thrones
‘I know this is ‘champagne problems’ but after this year and a half of missing our loved ones’ special moments, I [was] absolutely devastated,’ says the 32-year-old Londoner.
She finally arrived at the end of the reception. ‘I was so happy I made it, even if it was only for the last hour,’ she says. ‘I got off the plane, went to the hotel, got ready in 30 minutes and joined in the festivities.’
KATE’S BROTHER MOVES INTO HIS OWN PLACE!
The Duchess of Cambridge’s brother, James Middleton, now has his own palace.
The 34-year-old entrepreneur has moved into a £1.45million home with his French fiancee, Alizee Thevenet, 30, and their cocker spaniel, Ella.
James Middleton, 34, has moved into a £1.45million home with his French fiancee, Alizee Thevenet, 30, and their cocker spaniel, Ella (all pictured)
The four-bedroom, Grade II listed farmhouse is in a neighbouring village to the home of his parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Middleton couldn’t be ‘happier’, but says the move was one of the ‘most stressful experiences’ of his life.
Anyone even a little famous is asked to write a memoir these days, but Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon admits publishers are being taken for a ride.
‘I wrote an autobiography,’ the comedian says of his 2011 title, Small Man In A Book. ‘It’s ludicrous, isn’t it, because everybody does it. Everybody at our level.
‘A publisher thinks they’re gonna make a lot of money — they never do. So you choose a non-refundable advance and off you go.’
SHANE’S PROUD OF HIS PEARLIES
Cricket lothario Shane Warne is determined to hit ageing for six.
‘I take pride in my appearance,’ declares the ex-fiance of Elizabeth Hurley, who once transformed the porky charmer with dodgy highlights into a highly buffed tailor’s dummy.
Shane Warne, who turns 52 next month, underwent a hair transplant some years ago and has his teeth whitened. He also admits to some ‘poor choices’ in his personal life
‘I always try to dress nicely. Yes, I go to the dentist regularly and get my teeth whitened. Yes, I didn’t like going bald. Some people don’t mind it.’
Warne, who turns 52 next month, underwent a hair transplant some years ago.
He also admits to some ‘poor choices’ in his personal life, but doesn’t rule out getting married for a second time.
He says: ‘If it happens it happens, but I’m not looking.’
WHITE’S GOES GREY
It’s the starchiest and grandest of St James’s gentlemen’s clubs, where Prince Charles held his stag night party and where photographs of the Queen are nonchalantly displayed in the loo. But now White’s is having a makeover.
I hear the 328-year-old establishment’s exterior is being painted grey. ‘We are trying new things,’ a porter explained to an alarmed member.
Perhaps the club should be renamed? But I’m not sure ‘Off-White’s’ or ‘Greys’ has the same ring to it.
IDRIS’S PARROT FALLS OFF PERCH
When Idris Elba invited fellow Hollywood stars including Benedict Cumberbatch and Matthew McConaughey to the launch party for his first cocktail bar, The Parrot, he told me it was the fulfilment of a ‘lifetime ambition’.
Sadly, the tropical-themed West End bar has failed to reopen its doors after lockdown and, I’m told, is now as dead as the bird in Monty Python’s famous parrot sketch.
‘This parrot will squawk no more,’ a source tells me.
When Idris Elba (pictured) invited fellow Hollywood stars to the launch party for his first cocktail bar, The Parrot, he told me it was the fulfilment of a ‘lifetime ambition’
At the bar’s glitzy opening bash in 2018, Luther star Elba (above) said: ‘I’ve been a bartender and I love bars.’
Tipped as a potential successor to Daniel Craig as 007, perhaps Elba could try his hand at a James Bond-themed bar instead?
PUPPY LOVE CALMS ANITA
Some famous names use yoga to start their day, but Countryfile presenter Anita Rani has a barking alternative.
‘I’ll get up straight away and make myself a cup of English breakfast tea — and then stare into my puppy’s eyes for five minutes,’ says the former Strictly star.
‘It’s a form of meditation for me, which is what I need so early in the morning.’
(VERY) MODERN MANNERS
Unimpressed with the clothes worn by fellow staycationers? Well, Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams claims we are a dishevelled nation.
‘I just wish people dressed up a bit more when you go out to restaurants and things like that,’ says the Little Britain star, who has made millions from his children’s books.
‘That’s why I like Italy, where people are very well-dressed. Harry’s Bar in Venice — that’s a very glamorous place.
‘And if you’re in Rome on a Sunday morning, you see families parading around, all dressed up really nicely — looking at other people dressed up nicely.’
Adds Walliams: ‘We don’t see much of that in England; we see football fans with flares stuck up their a****s quite a lot, but not people dressed up in the way we’d like.’
AND FINALLY, SOPHIE WEDS HER COUNT
After an agonising wait to marry the love of her life, Sophie Anderton has finally got her happy ending.
The 44-year-old model, who was the face of Gossard bras in the Nineties, has tied the knot with Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill, after postponing the wedding three times.
Model Sophie Anderton (pictured), 44, who was the face of Gossard bras in the Nineties, has tied the knot with Count Kaz Balinski-Jundzill, after postponing the wedding three times
The ceremony took place in Ireland — where Kaz, who works in the oil business, owns a 1,500-acre estate, Glendalough House, in County Wicklow
The ceremony took place in Ireland — where Kaz, who works in the oil business, owns a 1,500-acre estate, Glendalough House, in County Wicklow.
‘Yesterday, I married my best friend, soulmate and lifetime partner in crime,’ Sophie confirms.
‘I cannot believe after so many obstacles and date changes, I am officially Mrs Kaz Balinksi.’
Surely, that should be Countess Balinksi, Sophie?
She and Kaz, 52, who has a daughter with his TV chef ex-wife, Lorraine Pascale, had to postpone their nuptials twice last year due to Covid — and then again last week when one of Kaz’s four children fell ill.
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