EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Princes' prep that was modelled on Harry and William's school
When it opened in New York, less than six years ago, Wetherby-Pembridge School dazzled some of the city’s rich with what one report called ‘its enviable royal pedigree’ as the off-shoot of Wetherby School in Notting Hill, ‘the alma mater of both William and Harry’.
But the spell has been irretrievably broken.
I can reveal that Wetherby-Pembridge, which, even at the outset, charged what was described as ‘a whopping $45,000 [£35,600]-a-year’, has closed and its website been suspended.
‘Nobody’s in the building as of now. I’m [with] a security company,’ explains the gentleman answering the telephone when I call.
It’s a dismal contrast with the detailed planning that preceded the moment when Wetherby-Pembridge welcomed its first pupils, who, to the delight of Manhattan parents, wore grey felt blazers — trimmed with red — almost identical to the ones which William and Harry sported when Princess Diana saw them off to Wetherby in the 1980s.
Princess Diana with Princes William and Harry at School Princess Diana taking Prince William and Henry Harry to Wetherby school, London, in 1989
‘We carried out a lot of research before we opened the school,’ explained headmistress Kate Bailey, who had previously been deputy head of Wetherby in West London.
There was no doubting the new school’s ambition.
Based in what was described as a ‘superb Beaux-Arts Mansion’ dating from 1913 which was treated to ‘a multi-million-dollar refurbishment’, it aimed to combine ‘the rigorous British National Curriculum’ with ‘New York’s progressive, student-centred teaching approach’.
Alpha Plus, the group of schools which included Wetherby-Pembridge, confirms: ‘We have had to make the difficult decision to close.’
A spokesman tells me: ‘We had made good progress, but the effects of the worldwide pandemic hampered those efforts.’
Poignantly, it coincides with the first expressions of American disillusionment with Prince Harry.
A senior executive at Spotify has described him and Meghan as ‘f***ing grifters’ and even asked of him: ‘What’s your talent? Why are we listening to you?’
Perhaps it’s time for Harry to head back to the classroom?
As England captain, David Beckham was known for his remarkable ability to curl the ball into the net at free kicks.
When it comes to winning planning permission, there is, however, no bending of the rules. So he and his wife, the fashion designer Victoria, have agreed to build bug hotels and bird nest-boxes at their Cotswolds mansion to secure permission to build a giant greenhouse and garden allotment.
Environmental consultants employed by the Beckhams told West Oxfordshire District Council: ‘Based upon the findings of the previous and most recent survey completed, there are no ecological constraints to the proposals, with the site assessed to be of overall low ecological value. The site could be further enhanced by providing roosting, nesting and sheltering opportunities for a range of species and the creation of new wildlife habitats.’
As England captain, David Beckham was known for his remarkable ability to curl the ball into the net at free kicks
Stanley celebrates a year of la vie en rose as a Frenchman
Stanley Johnson has celebrated a year of being a French national by sharing this photograph of him collecting his citizenship papers.
He’s pictured posing next to a portrait of president Emmanuel Macron at the country’s consulate in South Kensington, London.
‘The Consulate-General, Guillaume Bazard, was delighted that I knew the Marseillaise,’ Boris Johnson’s father tells me.
The former I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! contestant, 82, adds: ‘I remain tremendously pleased to have my French citizenship officially recognised by virtue of my French antecedents, not least my tennis-champion French grandmother and great-aunt.’
Stanley Johnson has celebrated a year of being a French national by sharing this photograph of him collecting his citizenship papers
Will Taylor play 60s pin-up Pattie?
When pop superstar Taylor Swift interviewed Pattie Boyd for a magazine, she drew a parallel between them, telling her: ‘We’re both women whose lives have been deeply influenced by songs and songwriting.’
Now, I hear that 1960s icon Boyd — who inspired hits including Something, by George Harrison, and Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton — wants the American singer, 33, to play her on screen.
‘I would love to have a film of my life,’ Boyd, 79, says.
‘That would be a really lovely thing to be a part of.’ Asked who should portray her, she doesn’t hesitate: ‘Taylor Swift — that should do it.’
Boyd was at the heart of the most talked-about love triangle in rock history. Clapton fell for her after becoming pals with Harrison.
When she initially rejected Clapton’s advances, he descended into heroin addiction for three years.
Once cured, he pursued her again, and she eventually agreed to leave the Beatles star.
When pop superstar Taylor Swift interviewed Pattie Boyd for a magazine, she drew a parallel between them, telling her: ‘We’re both women whose lives have been deeply influenced by songs and songwriting’
Now, I hear that 1960s icon Boyd (pictured) — who inspired hits including Something, by George Harrison, and Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton — wants the American singer, 33, to play her on screen
Comic Omid recalls late Queen’s love of fun
But, according to comedian Omid Djalili, it went much further than that –—‘The Queen loved the Commonwealth, and loved her African Prime Ministers,’ Djalili says, interviewed for a forthcoming series of Kate Garraway’s Life Stories on ITV
Such was Queen Elizabeth’s gift for mimicry that, when in private, she could deliver remarkably convincing impression of Tony Blair, Tony Benn and the late Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and also relished imitating the Liverpudlian accent of her dresser, Angela Kelly.
But, according to comedian Omid Djalili, it went much further than that –—‘The Queen loved the Commonwealth, and loved her African Prime Ministers,’ Djalili says, interviewed for a forthcoming series of Kate Garraway’s Life Stories on ITV.
‘She would do impressions of them. She’d go, “What I am talking about?” [he puts on strong African accent].
‘They’re not a politically correct family. Not because they’re racist, but because they’re raised with the Commonwealth and an appreciation for different cultures.’
Djalili, right, is a favourite of the royals. He hosted A Gallop Through History as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Windsor last year.
The smart set's talking about... Singer Rita Ora sharing actor pal’s new baby joy
Josephine de la Baume attends Christian Louboutin party at Flamenco de Leones on May 11
Now, her close pal, the chart-topping pop singer Rita Ora, has confirmed the baby’s arrival by sharing this photograph, above left, of her with mother and daughter. ‘I knew I would fit in with this family,’ Ora says
Super well-connected actress Josephine de La Baume announced her pregnancy by taking part in an edgy cover shoot for a French magazine with her boyfriend, Carlos O’Connell, a guitarist with rock band Fontaines DC.
Now, her close pal, the chart-topping pop singer Rita Ora, has confirmed the baby’s arrival by sharing this photograph, above left, of her with mother and daughter. ‘I knew I would fit in with this family,’ Ora says.
O’Connell adds: ‘I am truly in awe of the idea of a new life. This little one has become the reason why I do anything.’
De La Baume, 38, is not the only one celebrating a birth: her ex-husband, Mark Ronson, 47, has become a father with his second wife, Grace Gummer, 37, daughter of Oscar-winner Meryl Streep.
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