John Banville: The year in London that changed my life
After more desultory talk and a few more generous splashes of gin, we took ourselves off to lunch at Au Jardin des Gourmets in Greek Street. First off we had a Pimm's, for refreshment, and David related more of his adventures in and out of the publishing trade. He was cheerfully non-intellectual, but he had a sharp eye for a winner — he liked a flutter on the horses, too — and at the time he was betting on a novel due out in October, The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury, a writer I had never heard of. When we were done and the bill arrived I managed to get a look at it, bleared though I was from the gin, the Pimm's and the subsequent bottle of Château Margaux; the total made my eyes water. 'David,' I slurred, 'next time could I just have the money?' He twinkled at me. 'Ah but then, dear boy, I wouldn't get my lunch, would I?'
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Evening Standard
2 days ago
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John Banville: The year in London that changed my life
After more desultory talk and a few more generous splashes of gin, we took ourselves off to lunch at Au Jardin des Gourmets in Greek Street. First off we had a Pimm's, for refreshment, and David related more of his adventures in and out of the publishing trade. He was cheerfully non-intellectual, but he had a sharp eye for a winner — he liked a flutter on the horses, too — and at the time he was betting on a novel due out in October, The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury, a writer I had never heard of. When we were done and the bill arrived I managed to get a look at it, bleared though I was from the gin, the Pimm's and the subsequent bottle of Château Margaux; the total made my eyes water. 'David,' I slurred, 'next time could I just have the money?' He twinkled at me. 'Ah but then, dear boy, I wouldn't get my lunch, would I?'
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What REALLY happened at Brooklyn Beckham's wedding to Nicola after explosive claim Posh stole 1st dance & made bride cry
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ACCORDING to tradition, a bride's wedding day is all about the bride. Not so for Nicola Peltz, who believes she was upstaged by another woman — Victoria Beckham, the mother of her husband. 7 Brooklyn Beckham with wife Nicola Peltz Credit: Getty 7 Victoria enters the reception with David after the wedding Credit: Mega 7 Brooklyn and Nicola celebrate their first anniversary in 2023 with David and Victoria 7 Nicola and Brooklyn at their wedding Credit: German Larkin / Vogue In yet another astonishing new twist to the ongoing family saga, friends of the American actress claim she burst into tears on her wedding day after being made to play second fiddle to the Spice Girl. The latest chapter in the story centres on US singer Marc Anthony, who is reported to have sung to Victoria at the reception, rather than the bride, and added insult to injury by calling Posh 'the most beautiful woman in the room'. Friends of the Beckham clan furiously deny the accusations — which come three years after the Vogue-covered event — accusing Nicola of being 'spoiled' and 'having a tantrum'. Only one thing is for certain, then: the divide between the two families has never been wider. Last night a source who has worked with both Brooklyn and the Beckhams said: 'This whole situation is quite unprecedented, and no-one could have foretold things would get this bad, or this toxic — for toxic is what it is. 'While Nicola and Brooklyn's pals claim one thing, David and Victoria's say quite another — so somewhere along the line, someone is obfuscating. 'Or perhaps another more palatable explanation is, as David's hero the late Queen might say, recollections may vary. 'Unquestionably that wedding day — and the six-month build-up — was the tipping point for all that has followed. Mean Girls vibes 'So from Nicola's perspective, it's no wonder she keeps bringing it up — what was meant to be the most special day of her life has been overtaken by events beyond her control. 'Her friends won't let that go and get very defensive of her. Beckhams fear there's no way back with Brooklyn after his latest move in bitter feud 'drove dagger through their hearts' 'For her part, Victoria, as a woman's woman, insists she would never deliberately derail her son's big day. 'It is all very sad, and right now I cannot see things ever being the way they were between Brooklyn and his parents.' The second — and perhaps irreversible — tipping point came earlier this month, in what was a week of celebrations for David's 50th birthday. His eldest son attended none of them. Nor, obviously, did his 30-year-old wife, who the Beckham camp blame for tearing apart their family. Puzzlingly, the two families' versions of events differ wildly. Brooklyn has told pals he texted his dad to meet him for a quiet coffee behind closed doors, but was rebuffed. While Nicola and Brooklyn's pals claim one thing, David and Victoria's say quite another – so somewhere along the line, someone is obfuscating And while he claims the row started over brother Romeo's girlfriend of six months — who previously dated Brooklyn — the Beckhams claim Nicola is the true catalyst. She has been said to give off 'Mean Girls' vibes — a reference to the cult 2004 film — with the implication that she is 'spoilt' and 'entitled', and has dragged Brooklyn away from his family. Nicola, for her part, says she is simply supporting her husband, but is being portrayed 'cruelly'. 'Naturally it's always the woman who gets the blame,' laments one friend Stateside. How deeply unseemly this he-said/she-said battle must be for David, who recently graced the cover of Time magazine for his charitable endeavours. Certainly it is not on brand for the Beckhams, a couple who have steadfastly cemented themselves — the royals notwithstanding — as Britain's most famous family. 7 Singer Marc Anthony and wife Nadia Ferreira at the wedding in April 2022, where he is said to have sung to Victoria instead of the bride Credit: Eroteme 7 A source claimed a room full of guests saw Nicola run off in tears after seeing Victoria awkwardly dancing with Brooklyn Credit: German Larkin / Vogue In fact that is something they have done so well — thanks to endless endorsement deals, Becks's Inter Miami franchise, his 'n' hers Netflix documentary deals and Victoria's beauty business (which is now turning over a healthy profit) — that they are in the latest Sunday Times Rich List with a combined fortune of £500million. And I wouldn't bet against them being billionaires by the time the former England midfielder is 55. (Although it might pain them to note, this is still less than half of Nicola's tycoon dad Nelson's estimated personal fortune). 'Brand', though, is a negative term for Nicola and Brooklyn. Her camp has briefed US periodicals suggesting that Posh 'n' Becks are more concerned with keeping up appearances — and maintaining the family brand — than making things up with their boy. They have labelled the Beckhams' attempts to reach out to Brooklyn — posting Instagram stories tagging him — as 'performative'. Showbiz website TMZ quoted 'sources familiar with the situation' as saying the young couple 'have made themselves available for months and months to discuss all of the ongoing drama', but that David and Victoria refuse to talk with Nicola around 'because she always talks back to them and stands up for Brooklyn'. The Transformers actress believes she has always supported the Beckhams by attending Victoria's fashion shows and promoting her products on social media — but doesn't get the same treatment in return. 7 Brooklyn and Nicola, seen in silhouette having their first kiss as a married couple Credit: Mega For instance, the website claims, Nicola asked Victoria to promote her dog rescue centre, Yogi's House, during the LA wildfires in January, but Victoria apparently blamed her social media co-ordinator, saying: 'She's not posting content right now.' Yet pals of the Beckhams would likely argue that only last February Victoria flew to LA to support Nicola on the red carpet of her movie, Lola — even dressing her in a bespoke VB outfit. Of course, that £1,190 co-ord outfit came back to haunt Nicola last month when Victoria appeared to goad her daughter-in-law, wearing the exact same thing — sparking a 'who wore it better' debate on social media. So what is the truth? Well, performative or not, all four protagonists still follow one another on Instagram. But hey, that's showbiz! And now the wedding has been wheeled out again, with those reports alleging Nicola cried on her wedding day. The source told People magazine: 'Marc Anthony, who is a friend of the Beckhams, offered to perform as a gift at the wedding. 'Before the song began, Marc asked Brooklyn to come to the stage, and then announced, 'The most beautiful woman in the room tonight, come on up . . . Victoria Beckham!'' It was such a jaw-dropping moment that it left the whole room in absolute shock. You could hear a pin drop Source A second source said the entire room went silent after Victoria's name was called instead of the bride's, and added: 'It was such a jaw-dropping moment that it left the whole room in absolute shock. You could hear a pin drop.' After seeing Victoria awkwardly dancing with his mother, Nicola is said to have burst into tears. Nonsense, sigh Victoria's pals. They claim the couple danced to Elvis after marrying — long before Victoria danced with Brooklyn. One says: 'At the reception there were the traditional speeches, then the happy couple had their first dance. In fact they had two dances. 'After this, Nicola had a dance with her father Nelson, again entirely traditional for the bride to dance with Dad, and at this point normally the groom would dance with his mum. "For whatever reason, that didn't happen. Much later, as a gift to the couple, Marc Anthony performed a few songs. 'Everyone got up to dance and as part of this he pulled his best friends David and Victoria up on stage, and then grabbed Brooklyn to dance with his mum, and Harper danced with David. 'Cruz also got up with Eva Longoria — it was a fun family moment and one dance. No-one realised in the moment that Nicola was upset.' Whatever the truth — and tellingly the Beckhams didn't wish Nicola and Brooklyn a happy anniversary last month, either privately or publicly — the quartet won't be playing happy families any time soon.
