EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: End of an era as sonless Sir Benjamin Slade turns his mansion over to hotel group
But I can disclose that, aged 79, Sir Benjamin Slade has accepted that he will never sire a lad to inherit his baronetcy, created for his great-great-great grandfather in 1831, and Maunsel House, the family seat in Somerset, and its 1,300-acre estate.
Accordingly, he's now thrashing out a deal which will see Maunsel leased for the next 40 years.
The incomer won't be a private individual but a corporate entity. 'I've got a deal with a hotel group. They're very upmarket,' Sir Benjy assures me, adding that he's intent on securing a final agreement which allows him to use Maunsel 'three or four times a year', even though he'll be paying for the privilege whenever he does so.
He refrains from naming the hotel group, though it's probably a British one, given that he's previously summarised Russians as 'dishonest', Chinese as 'impossible' and Arabs 'a bloody nightmare', as well as making it clear that he won't do business 'with any country which has green in [its] flag'.
That does, of course, leave open the possibility of a newcomer from the USA, a country with which Sir Benjy, who lives in a farmhouse on the estate, has numerous connections. These emerged in 2005 when he embarked on a proposed reality TV show which would have seen the remains of his 12th century ancestor William Atte Slade exhumed and compared with DNA from thousands of would-be Slade heirs from around the world.
By then, Sir Benjy's 14-year childless marriage to Pauline Myburgh was long over. So, too, was a six-year romance with Fiona Aitken – now Countess of Carnarvon.
Sir Ben's most recent love affair was with an American, Sahara Sunday Spain. In 2020, she bore him a child – who, alas for her prospects as Sir Benjamin's heir, was a girl, Violet.
Perhaps one day she'll check into the hotel alongside him?
Soprano's secret romance
Danielle De Niese's life has been almost as dramatic as some of the operas she stars in, ever since she won a talent contest aged nine in Melbourne, Australia, before moving to Los Angeles, where she won an Emmy award while still only 19.
The soprano, 46, has, though, revealed that she didn't want to tempt fate after falling in love with Gus Christie, 61, executive chairman of Glyndebourne opera house in East Sussex.
They followed in the footsteps of Gus's grandfather John Christie, the founder of Glyndebourne, who had married the soprano Audrey Mildmay 70 years earlier.
'We became a couple, and we were very quiet about it because there's a very storied, fabled origin story about Glyndebourne about John marrying this soprano,' the singer says.
'So when Gus and I were in our early courtship days, we didn't tell anybody because I didn't want to get over-excited.'
Cinderella star's slippery moment
A glass slipper is pivotal to the fairy tale Cinderella, yet it proved more of a sore point for Lily James, who played the leading role in Disney's 2015 film version.
The Downton Abbey and Mamma Mia 2 star, 36, reveals that she tried to make the wishes of a friend's niece come true by video-calling her while wearing a Cinderella costume and the Jimmy Choo diamond-encrusted stilettos made specifically for the film.
'This little girl lit up,' Lily recalls. 'Then I said, 'Look, I'm going to put it on'.'
To her horror, the Surrey-born star found it a tight squeeze. She reveals: 'I'd been dancing all night at [London club] Koko, and my feet were swollen. I couldn't get the shoe on...'
Forget sun tans - Lila chills in an electric face mask
Spare a thought for the model Lila Moss, who feels the need to use cumbersome beauty treatments even while on holiday.
The 22-year-old daughter of Kate Moss and magazine editor Jefferson Hack used a black LED face mask while reading on Formentera, the Spanish island.
The anti-ageing light therapy device is said to help improve skin tone. Lila is on a break with her friend Lady Lola Bute, 26, daughter of the late 7th Marquess of Bute, aka racing driver Johnny Dumfries.
Lila, who is a type 1 diabetic, could also be seen wearing a glucose monitor in the snap. Earlier this year, she fronted the campaign for Mattel's first diabetic Barbie.
Things are looking up for Victoria Cipriani. Amid her acrimonious divorce from former England rugby star Danny Cipriani, she has announced she's now a certified neuroscience practitioner.
'I didn't get here through manifesting,' declares Victoria, 43. 'I got here through pain, practice, and a relentless need to understand myself.'
Veteran actress Anne Reid, who recently played Queen Elizabeth in the play By Royal Appointment, recalls the disastrous time she performed in front of the late monarch and forgot her lines.
The 90-year-old says: 'On one occasion at Buckingham Palace, I was performing a scene from Romeo and Juliet. I was playing the nurse and was terrified and 'dried' in the middle of my speech, so I ended up waffling and making rather a lot up.
'Afterwards, the Queen said to me, 'You had a lot to say, didn't you?' I replied, 'Yes, too much'.
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The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘I am tough' – Emma Raducanu on legacy of her US Open win, stalking ordeal and why therapy won't help her
For four arduous years, so much of Emma Raducanu's life has played out in public. Every decision relating to her career has been dissected and debated. The most banal details surrounding her personal life have been transfigured into headline news. In order to find herself on and off the tennis court, Raducanu has had to learn how to tune out the noise, which at times can be deafening. Only one month ago at Wimbledon, the discourse surrounding the 22-year-old reached diabolical lows. Even though her on-court performances were strong, it was impossible to escape the speculation surrounding her personal life. In the bowels of center court at the Cincinnati Open, I offer my own blunt perspective: I have never cringed as much as I did while watching people trying to pry into her romantic relationships at the All England Club. 'Yeah, and Cam's questions, too,' Raducanu responds, laughing. 'That was terrible. Terrible.' Raducanu was referring to her compatriot Cameron Norrie's post-match press conference, when a reporter asked him whether he was dating Raducanu. Norrie, who was being supported in his player box that day by his long-term partner, was as baffled as he was bemused. For Raducanu, though, such brazen intrusiveness from strangers has simply become part of her everyday life. 'I know, I know,' she says, smiling. 'I guess I'm like, it comes with the territory, people being so curious. I think they're more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news. But I just keep myself to myself, my private life to one side. It's always funny when people try to find something out, but I try not to read into it so much.' That curiosity is not isolated to the internet and tabloids. When Raducanu is out in London, paparazzi photographers will find her, even when she is doing nothing more than stepping on to a 345 bus somewhere in Wandsworth. 'It's really freaky, because you don't know that they're there. And then you'll see a photo of yourself the next day, and you'll be like: 'There's no way they were there,'' she says. Considering her well-documented encounters with stalkers – one was arrested and handed a five-year restraining order after stealing items from her front door in 2021 and another fixated person followed her across four different countries earlier this year – Raducanu has genuine concerns regarding her safety: 'I think after the Dubai incident, that was probably the worst [public attention] I've had,' she says. 'I remember straight afterwards, I found it very difficult going out. I definitely had a bit of a leftover lag effect. But I've been a lot more astute, a lot more, I'd say, safe and have someone with me. I don't really go out on my own as much. No solo walks. Just always having someone watching my back.' Everything leads back to those three fateful weeks at the US Open in the summer of 2021, where Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a grand slam title. The spoils of victory were significant but Raducanu's rapid success yielded considerable challenges. Along with the difficult results and constant criticism, her body constantly betrayed her. In 2023, after struggling physically for a long time, she underwent surgeries on both wrists and her left ankle. While she tried to prove herself on the court, Raducanu says, people within her team would tell her she wasn't tough: 'I was obviously like: 'Oh, no, I am tough enough.'' says Raducanu. 'And it wasn't good to hear, because I always prided myself on being a hard worker and being tough. And I believe I am. I actually think it was more the people around me that were maybe incorrect, and I think it led me down to having three surgeries and double wrist surgery, because I was overtraining and just covering it up, not saying anything, and not saying I was in pain, even when I was. So it was really tough to hear. But I think as I've grown with experience, I kind of realised my body a bit more and trusted myself a bit more.' Mentally, things were even more challenging. As she failed to follow up her breakthrough victory with similar results, there were times when her mind twisted her US Open triumph into a negative memory, the source of her struggles. It was not until this year that she understood how to focus on her improvement and daily work, however gradual, rather than comparing every result to the 2021 US Open. Still, it remains a work in progress. 'It's [comparisons to the US Open] something that never fully leaves you,' Raducanu says. 'I think it's been four years now, I don't think it's fully gone away. Maybe in a few years, maybe when I'm older, more mature, but it's hard to put that aside completely. It's always in the back of your mind, but it's more just being aware of those thoughts and then not letting it crash your day or ruin the work that you're doing, and bringing it back to what I'm doing now, and the process.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Considering her many difficulties, an obvious question is whether sports psychology or therapy have been a part of her life over the past few years: 'I've tried. I've tried,' she says. 'I've been obviously recommended a lot to do it with what I went through. It was something that not many people, well, actually no one has gone through, which is probably the reason that I did like two sessions and I stopped. I was like: 'Look, these guys, they don't relate.' And, to be honest, no other athlete has done what I've done, so I don't know why I'm taking advice from them. So I was like: 'OK, well, the only person who can help me is myself.'' For a long time the four defining cities of Raducanu's life were listed in her biographies across her social media platforms. Her parents, Ion and Renee, originally come from Bucharest, Romania, and Shenyang, China, respectively while she was born in Toronto, Canada, and grew up in London, England. Her mother's solo immigration from China to Canada has been an inspirational tale throughout her life. 'I would say it's funny when people ask where you're from,' she says. 'Obviously, I feel British. I've always grown up there, But there are certain things, the way I think, I don't think I am completely. So you have a little question about your identity. But I try not to read too much into it and try to just take the best from all the different worlds that I've been exposed to and grown up in.' Regardless of the subject at hand, Raducanu frequently notes the support and significance of her parents. She describes her upbringing as rigid and strict, but their tough love has made her the person she is today: 'I was always brought up with really high standards, high expectations of myself, not much sympathy,' says Raducanu. 'So when I was younger, that was tough, and even now. But I think it really shaped me to be the player I am, the person I am; pretty down to earth. They never got impressed by anything glitzy or high or anything.' Both Raducanu's parents worked in finance and they passed on their numerical, logical mindsets. Over the past few years, however, part of her evolution as an adult has been understanding herself as a person. Her injury layoff in 2023, which initially seemed like a catastrophe, turned out to be essential for her personal development. Raducanu spent her time away from tennis travelling, including a long trip to China, trying different hobbies and gradually learning more about herself. She learned that she is also creative, which has significantly influenced her playing style on the court. 'I kind of discovered the more artistic side – the piano, the painting, the reading, the philosophy, all of those things,' she says. 'And I really think it opened my eyes to another world. Now I'm kind of seeing how I can find an area where those two intersect, and have the creative side, but also have the quantitative side.' With age and experience, Raducanu also has a greater understanding of her preferences when making general decisions. While discussing her decision making, Raducanu's mind shifts to another source of criticism: her coaching history. 'I think I'm a lot more clear on what I do and don't like,' she says. 'I think the experiences that I've had with different coaches – people love to say I've had so many different coaches but, if I went into the details of a lot of them, people would not be kind of saying the same things. I just don't do that, because I don't want to 'out' these people. So keep it to myself.' Is it ever tempting? 'I would say, like, when you see things and you're like: 'Oh, Emma on her ninth coach' or something, I'm like: 'Guys, come on.' Certain ones don't count. If you've had a trial, you don't have to carry on after the trial. A few have been trials, a few have been other situations. And I just try and take the high road,' she says. Then she laughs. 'And try to do what the royal family would do.' After years of rolling with the punches and gradually coming to understand herself, Raducanu seems to finally be in a positive place again. She speaks effusively about the great enjoyment she has found in her consistent daily work and she has thrown herself into becoming the best player she can be each day. Raducanu's results are reflective of that shift and her ranking is clearly on the rise. Her time in Cincinnati, her first week with her new coach, Francisco Roig, ended with a colossal three-hour battle with Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, where she narrowly lost 7-6 in the final set. Over the next few days, she will return to New York for the US Open more self-assured than she has been since she won the title. Our second conversation ends with a final question on Raducanu's ambitions for the next few years beyond her results. After a beat, she shrugs. The hope, she says, is that the passion and joy she now feels each day about her daily work will endure. 'I want to continue for the next few years, to just keep enjoying because I would rather not do anything else or be anywhere else,' she says, shrugging. 'I see my friends, like, somewhere in the south of France, and they're chilling on a boat or whatever, and I'm just like: 'OK, well, it looks amazing,' but when I'm putting in double session practices with the people around laughing, that fills me up so much more. So I'm really happy to have gotten to this place and [I want] to just continue that.'
The Sun
7 minutes ago
- The Sun
Lewis Hamilton hints he is taking a break with cryptic two-word tweet after Ferrari star's F1 struggles
LEWIS HAMILTON has put fans on alert after making a curt and cryptic post to his social media accounts. The seven-time world champion hinted that he is taking a break from social media in a two-word post uploaded to his 8.6 million followers on X. 4 4 4 The F1 legend has had a tough run of things in recent weeks as he continues his struggle to find his feet with new team Ferrari this season. Hamilton's message to fans was simply "back soon," implying the British sporting icon is stepping away from social media for a spell. This ties in with his earlier posts from this afternoon, when he posted a scenic picture of him and his bulldog Roscoe with the caption "Outta office." He posted similar sentiments to his Instagram account, captioning the same images "DND" - Do Not Disturb. When one fan replied with "touching grass, literally" - a reference to a phrase meaning to get out of your house or place of work and go outside, he replied in agreement. "Exactly," the 40-year-old said, suggesting he is taking the time away from social media to reconnect with other areas of his life. It is no surprise that the racing champion is keen to get away from it all, considering the brutal few weeks he has been through recently on the track. Hamilton did not land with the splash he was hoping for since making the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season and has failed to make any real headway in the championship race. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS He is yet to register a podium finish this season, and sits 42 points behind teammate and five-time podium holder Charles Leclerc in the drivers' standings. But it was in the most recent races in Belgium and Hungary that things really escalated for the Stevenage native. Hamilton had a nightmare start to the Belgian Grand Prix weekend at Spa in late July, qualifying in 16th after a shocking knockout in Q1. But things went from bad to worse as he was slapped with a 60-place grid penalty and forced to start from 18th after taking on a new power unit. He was keen to right his wrongs at the Hungarian GP the following week, but things were only going to get more dire. Hamilton only managed to make it to Q2 at the Hungaroring, prompting an outburst in a post-qualifying interview in which he labelled himself "absolutely useless." "It's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless," he said following his 12th place qualifying finish. 4 "The team have no problem. You've seen the car's on pole so we probably need to change driver." Former team boss Toto Wolff came out in defence of Hamilton following his comments, and suggested that he could still come back and challenge at the very top of the sport. F1 icon Bernie Ecclestone was perhaps the Brit's harshest critic, suggesting Hamilton should retire before his legacy suffers at the hands of his declining performances. Whether it be his conduct on or off the track, or the comments of those around him in F1, it is becoming increasingly clear that the pressure is mounting on the shoulders of one of the best to ever do it. His next chance to turn things around will be at the Dutch GP at Zandvoort in two weeks.
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Princess Andre breaks her silence on her parents' bitter feud after Peter made bombshell claims about Katie Price's 'baseless lies'
Princess Andre has broken her silence on Peter and Katie Price's feud after her father shared a bombshell statement in which he accused Katie of peddling 'baseless lies' over the last 16 years. The 18-year-old influencer previously opened up about the impact of her parents' tumultuous divorce in her new ITV2 reality series The Princess Diaries, sharing she felt she couldn't 'go to her dad' after he split from Katie due to their dislike of one another. Now, with Peter issuing a blistering statement about his ex wife, Princess has insisted that their fallout 'doesn't affect' her. Taking to Snapchat on Friday, Princess took part in a fan Q&A where she was asked: 'Does it affect you even now when your mum and dad don't get on?' Princess responded: 'To be honest it doesn't affect me. At the end of the day, they broke up when I was two years old so I don't even have any memory of them being together' Over the top of the clip, Princess wrote: 'I love my mum and dad and that's all that matters.' On Thursday, Katie, 47, urged Peter to take part in peace talks - claiming Princess has been 'unfairly' dragged into their feud after there were rumours of a family rift because she didn't appear in Princess' show. Hours later, Peter shared his side of the story, explaining: 'For sixteen years, I have stayed silent in the face of repeated lies from my ex-wife and her family, out of respect for my children and loved ones, but staying silent has been incredibly frustrating. That ends today. 'The latest comments about my children's welfare and living arrangements compel me to se the record straight. For well-documented reasons, and for their safety, Junior and Princess came into my care in 2018 and remained with me until they reached adulthood. 'In 2019, the family courts issued a legally binding order to enforce this arrangement. I have never made this public before, out of respect for my children.' He continued: 'In 2011 and 2015, publicly documented court cases found my ex-wife had made false claims. She was ordered to pay substantial damages and legal costs, and to apologise to me and my management. The same falsehoods are being repeated today. 'Unfortunately, there are many more lies and baseless accusations I have yet to address. Those will now be dealt with in the coming months.' A spokesperson for Katie told Daily Mail: 'Kate is in a much better and clear headspace and is at peace with the situation. 'This was in the past and she doesn't feel the need to bring up tit for tat comments, but more importantly she's dealing with this the right way and it's now in her lawyers hands. 'Kate will no longer be gaslighted and bullied as she once was.' That same night, tensions escalated as Peter's manager shared an ominous post about feeling 'dangerously angry'. Claire Powell, the founder of The Can Group management agency, previously managed both Katie and Peter, arranging for the couple to make a big money reality show and helping to make them millions. When the couple split, Claire parted ways with Katie but continued to work alongside Peter - now also managing their children Princess and Junior as well as his new wife Emily. Three hours after Peter's bombshell statement was released, Claire took to Instagram to share a post of her own that read: 'The most dangerous anger comes from someone with a good heart. 'They hold it in, stay calm, and forgive, until one day, they can't anymore. Don't push a good person too far.' The Instagram post was accompanied by Ruelle's song Secrets and Lies. Claire and Katie have been locked in a feud for years - with Katie recently bringing it to light again when she claimed that Can management had banned her from appearing on Princess' new reality series. Katie previously filed legal documents against Peter, Claire and their former representatives. She claimed at the time they were responsible for a smear campaign against her. The glamour model also blamed Claire for the breakdown of her marriage in 2009, claiming Peter was 'married to two women' and had an affair with Claire during their relationship. She had to publicly apologise to both Peter and Claire after she was taken to court and lost the case. Earlier in the day, Katie called on Peter to sit down with her and 'squash their beef' for the sake of their family. Speaking on the latest on the latest episode of her Katie Price Show podcast, Katie - who is currently recovering from more facial surgery - shared: 'There's no reason why both parents just can't be there to support her.' She continued: 'Now this isn't about me. I have to clarify this. I don't care that I'm not in Princess's show. 'I don't need to raise my profile by being on Princess's show, I do enough stuff. 'All what I want to do, is just whatever my daughter does, and it's the same with Junior, I don't care if I'm in the background, but I want to watch her do her photo shoots, I wanna watch her do her signings, because that's what I did. 'And my mom and you and Nan used to come along and support, and I'm proud of her. And I just wanna be there with her because I now I feel that I've missed out on so much.' Katie went on: 'It's so not fair to bring Princess piggy in the middle. 'So I think it's about time all of us adults just sit down and talk about what their beef is with me and just get over it. 'Life would be more at peace because I don't have a problem. I just think life would be a better place. 'Well, I'm not saying we all have to be best buddies, best friends, but come on. For the sake of the children, there's room for everyone to support your kids. Do you know what I mean? 'I'm not saying I have to stand with them and play happy families.' Elsewhere in the chat, Katie's sister Sophie urged her niece to push for Katie's inclusion on the show. Sophie mused: 'Ultimately I do think it's down to Princess to put her foot down a bit'. But Katie shot back and said Princess will be 'scared' to speak up to her management about what she really wants. She said: 'But, she'll be scared Soph. What you got to remember is when I started my career, I didn't have people like the management and all that around me. I used to get the train, go on castings, I put the graft in.' For a time, Katie and Pete were the golden couple of reality TV, with a lavish wedding and a string of big-money deals making them one of the most talked-about pairs in Britain. But things turned sour between the pair when their marriage came to an end in 2009 after four years together, with Katie claiming it was Peter's decision to walk away from the relationship. Much of the nation has witnessed the fall-out of the end Katie and Peter's marriage, and the string of public swipes that have been thrown from both sides. Princess opened up about the impact of her parents' tumultuous divorce in her new ITV2 reality series The Princess Diaries, sharing she felt she couldn't 'go to her dad' after he split from Katie due to their dislike of one another. She revealed on the show how she has a counsellor and previously 'couldn't just go to my dad' due to her parents 'not liking each other'. In recent weeks, Katie had been speaking out after being banned from taking part in Princess' TV show, which is made by Can Associates, with the former glamour model making not-so-subtle digs. Katie blasted 'people who used to look after me', believed to be referring to Peter's management company, on a recent episode of her Katie Price Show podcast. She went on a rant about the awkward snub from Princess' 18th birthday party with her sister Sophie as she cryptically blamed 'certain people'. Katie said: 'Princess is now officially an adult so mummy and Princess can now go out together. If certain people would let her be seen with me.' Sophie said: 'I noticed in her 18th birthday pictures she was wearing the shoes you bought her for Christmas ,' with Katie replying: 'Oh did she? I love that.' Katie added: 'Everyone knows she's doing this documentary - and I'm not in it. Certain people don't think it's good for Princess to be seen with me. Certain people that used to look after me.' Her sister said: 'You aren't on brand Katie. You are too risky Katie that's why. While Katie added: 'It's pathetic. I'm her mother. It's so sad. When certain people who used to look after me are now looking after...' Her sister Sophie then urged Katie to 'save it for another day'.
