Latest news with #DukeEllington
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Iris Mountbatten broke all the rules and called herself 'the black sheep of the royal family' writes CHRISTOPHER WILSON
Once 13th in line to the throne, Iris Mountbatten broke all the rules. She called herself 'the black sheep of the Royal Family ' – and no wonder. She married a Catholic and was booted out of the line of succession. She quit Britain for a new life in America, but got deported for bouncing a cheque. She wheedled her way back into the States but high society turned its back and she married a jazz musician. She became close to all the great jazz artists of the day, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Count Basie - so close, in fact, that people claimed she preferred black men in her bed. And so, despite being born the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and growing up in Kensington Palace, Iris Mountbatten ended up scraping a living in New York and California as a film publicist, sales girl, dancer, model, and briefly TV host. She had the looks, the personality – but she couldn't stick at anything. 'A problem child,' was how one family friend described Iris. But then Iris barely ever saw her parents – she was ushered in by her nanny at teatime to be inspected, then taken away again. So by the time she was a teenager, she'd 'gone to the dogs and [was] completely hopeless', according to the friend. 'She wanted to be royal, but at the same time mix with ordinary folk,' explained another friend. Nobody within the tight-knit royal circle could understand that. Iris's father, known as Prince Alexander of Battenberg until the First World War forced him to ditch his German title and call himself the Marquess of Carisbrooke, was an 'irritating, nervous' man who preferred the company of men and was besotted with a promiscuous man called Simon Fleet. Her mother, the former Irene Denison, daughter of the Earl of Londesborough, was no better – she ignored Iris, despite the girl being her only child. However, Iris initially remained part of the tight royal circle, and at the age of 14 she was bridesmaid to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark at her wedding to Prince George, the Duke of Kent. Three years later, at the 1937 Coronation, she was one of six train-bearers to Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI. She went on to be a famous and much-photographed debutante – and hoped to find in marriage the family life she'd so sadly lacked at home. In 1941, at the age of 21, she married Hamilton Keyes O'Malley, an Irish Guards officer. It was a disastrous mistake. First, O'Malley was a Roman Catholic – which meant that, though Iris had been in line to the throne, she was removed from the order of succession under the terms of the 1772 Royal Marriages Act. Later, she stated she did not mind this loss of prestige, adding: 'A plague would have had to hit the f***ing Palace before I'd become Queen!' But early on in her marriage, she discovered her husband was a bully and a wife-beater. 'It was a total disaster, a nightmare,' she recalled later. 'I could never tell a divorce court all the horrible, ugly things that happened – things I still refuse to tell.' And so, instead of Iris bringing a court action to end the marriage, her husband divorced her. It was a scandalous thing to happen to such a high-born woman, since the custom of the day in their elevated circle was that the husband would always take the blame. That scandal – and the huge fuss created when Iris renounced her right to the throne – made her a marked woman, no longer acceptable in high society. Because of her divorce, she was banned from attending her grandmother Princess Beatrice's funeral. She fled to the United States. Newly arrived and not understanding how US banks worked, she wrote a cheque which bounced – and was arrested. She was then ignominiously ordered to leave the country – and her title of 'royal black sheep' was born. With no place to call home in Britain – her parents had washed their hands of her – Iris managed to get herself back into the US as a tourist. Tossing aside her privileged background she went to work, doing anything to earn a dollar. She became an actress and model, appeared as a hostess for a live TV children's programme Versatile Varieties: Junior Edition, and also featured in TV ads endorsing Pond's Creams and Warren's Mint Cocktail Gum. For a time it looked as though she'd made a success of her escape from the royal circle. She married a jazz guitarist, Mike Bryan, who'd played with Benny Goodman's band - but the marriage lasted just months. Drawn into this world, she came to know many of the jazz greats of the 1940s and 1950s – Duke Ellington, in his last concert appearance, dedicated one of his songs to 'Iris Mountbatten, that satin doll'. But the quirky good looks and cheeky glamour for which she was so famed as a debutante started to fade early on, and Iris took to the bottle. 'Sex with jazz players? These are my buddies, buddies, BUDDIES,' she blurted out to one journalist. 'There are always these insinuations that I keep hopping in and out of bed with them. Why do people think, because I love them, it has to mean sex?' 'Not quite like the home life of our own dear Queen,' commented the columnist sourly. She moved to Toronto, and started a new life with actor and announcer William Kemp – but, again, it didn't last. As a thrice-divorced royal, she waited in vain for an invitation to Charles and Diana's 1981 wedding. And when the Queen Mother paid a visit to Canada, her suggestion that they should meet was cold-shouldered by courtiers. The black sheep had become an outcast. Low on cash and happier in the company of those who drank a great deal, Iris Mountbatten died a sad death at the age of 62 from a brain tumour. Her ashes were brought home to the Isle of Wight for interment in the Battenberg Chapel, in St Mildred's Church at Whippingham. The Royal Family sent no representative to visit her resting place.
Boston Globe
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Today in History: May 24, the Uvalde school shooting
Advertisement In 1883, New York's Brooklyn Bridge, at the time the world's longest suspension bridge, opened to traffic. In 1935, the first Major League Baseball game to be played at night took place at Cincinnati's Crosley Field, as the Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1. In 1937, in a pair of rulings, the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Social Security Act of 1935. In 1941, during World War II, the German battleship Bismarck sank the British battle cruiser HMS Hood in the North Atlantic, killing all but three of the 1,418 men on board. (The Bismarck would be sunk by British battleships three days later.) In 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth, as he flew aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft. Advertisement In 1974, American jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington, 75, died in New York. In 1994, four Islamic extremists convicted of bombing New York's World Trade Center in 1993 were each sentenced to 240 years in prison. In 2022, an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers. The gunman, Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, was also killed. It was the deadliest shooting at a US elementary school since the 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The oldest theme park in New Hampshire is over 100 years old. Here's where it is
As the weather gets warmer, it's almost time to return outdoors to some of your favorite summer attractions, including beaches, festivals and theme parks. Luckily, New Hampshire has plenty of longstanding theme parks perfect for a fun-filled summer day wrapped in New England tradition. In fact, the oldest theme park in New Hampshire opened over 100 years ago, and you've probably been to it without even knowing. Located in Salem, Canobie Lake Park first opened in 1902. Here's the story of how the park came to be, as well as how to visit this summer. According to the park's website, Canobie Lake dates back to 1902, when trolley line company The Hudson, Pelham & Salem (HP&S) Railways opened the park as a resort for trolley cars. Original attractions included picnics, canoeing, sporting events and a penny arcade. However, with the rise of the automobile in the 1920s, HP&S Railways started to face trouble, and in 1929, Canobie Lake Park went out of business. The park reopened in 1932 thanks to a purchase from a private citizen. In 1936, Canobie Lake constructed its first rollercoaster, The Greyhound, today known as the Yankee Cannonball. Despite its coaster, Canobie was mainly known as an entertainment destination, hosting names like Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra in its Dancehall Theater. In 1958, Canobie Lake Park was purchased by new owners, who are credited with adding rides, games and concessions that made Canobie into a true theme park. Today, Canobie Lake Park stands as one of New England's most popular theme parks, complete with over 85 attractions and an additional 180 water attractions at Castaway Island, Canobie's waterpark. NH theme parks: Story Land among group of New Hampshire attractions sold to new owner. What to know Canobie Lake Park is currently open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Castaway Island opening on May 24 and daily park operations returning June 4. A full calendar with hours can be found online. Tickets range from $34-59 depending on the day, with discounted tickets available for those over age 60 or under 48" tall. Special nighttime tickets and season passes are also available. All tickets must be purchased online. The park is located at 85 N. Policy St. in Salem. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Canobie Lake Park is the oldest theme park in NH. Here's its history
Newsweek
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Lincoln Center Pays Tribute to Jazz Great Duke Ellington and His Legacy
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Duke Ellington's enduring legacy as a musical pioneer was celebrated at a gala and concert with the soul of America as its undercurrent. Sopranos star Michael Imperioli and producer wife Victoria, 30 Rock actor Alec Baldwin and yoga instructor wife Hilaria, and TV host and author Joy Reid were among guests who watched comedian Dave Chappelle host a night in honor of what would have marked the legendary jazz composer and bandleader's 126th year. Duke Ellington performing on July 20, 1973 in New York, New York. Duke Ellington performing on July 20, 1973 in New York, New York. Santi Visalli/Getty The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis took the audience through a musical tour that included familiar greats like "Mood Indigo" and star turns by guests. Marsalis, the organization's managing and artistic director, told Newsweek: "His music contains American essences that we need to remember about who we are—800 records, 2,000 songs, 50 years on the road. He left a lot for us to contemplate. Wynton Marsalis, Nathaniel Williford and Xavier Anderson attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York City. Wynton Marsalis, Nathaniel Williford and Xavier Anderson attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York Jazz At Lincoln Center Hilaria Baldwin and Alec Baldwin attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York City. Hilaria Baldwin and Alec Baldwin attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York Jazz At Lincoln Center "It's much better [now] than when he was in America. Think about it, he was born in 1899. He would be much happier now than he was in the time he was in." Chappelle got a laugh with a joke about Donald Trump trying to Make Jazz Great Again but, much like Ellington's music, politics was left to sit mainly below the surface. Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York City. Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York Jazz At Lincoln Center Victoria Imperioli and Michael Imperioli attend the Jazz At Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York City. Victoria Imperioli and Michael Imperioli attend the Jazz At Lincoln Center Gala on April 30, 2025 in New York Jazz At Lincoln Center Mercedes Ellington, Duke Ellington's granddaughter, told Newsweek: "We need some music now. He had a lot of music, so it's good that we go through his entire catalogue, as long as it takes for us all as a country to get better."
Times
29-04-2025
- Times
The Orient Express brings glamour to the Italian countryside
In the Orient Express lounge at Ostiense station in Rome, my train leaves in an hour but the high living is already under way. There are glasses of iced Veuve Clicquot and Italian mid-morning snacks, alongside gorgeous marble bathrooms that invite one to linger over the artisan soaps, the soft towels, the fresh flowers. A trio of piano, saxophone and double bass serenades passengers with a medley of cool jazz standards, among which I recognise a Duke Ellington classic, Take the 'A' Train. What I'm about to take is an A train in another sense altogether. Unveiled with great ceremony, La Dolce Vita is a new iteration of the Orient Express marque, raising the bar for rail travel to heights rarely scaled even in the splendiferous 140-year history of the brand. In the humdrum surroundings of this suburban-line station, the newly refurbished carriages, gleaming in their smart blue-and-brown livery, give off alpha waves of sophistication. At 12.07pm precisely the train pulls out of Ostiense to embark on a 24-hour round-trip journey entitled Tastes of Tuscan Vineyards — one of eight La Dolce Vita routes (all within Italy) that will be available by the end of this year. We cross the Tiber, slinking through Trastevere station where a group of locals gawp open-mouthed as the train glides by. I settle into my suite, a substantial cabin incorporating a double bed with crisp cotton sheets, a small sofa, a lacquered table and leather-upholstered swivel chairs, a miniature bar and a bathroom with a power shower. The train's interior, designed by the Milan-based masters Dimorestudio, avoids the chintzy maximalism of the brand's fin-de-siècle origins in favour of a sleek, chic evocation of mid-20th-century Italian style, the curvy retro shapes and glossy surfaces channelling designers such as Gio Ponti and Gae Aulenti. The references are telling: in the low-lit corridor outside my cabin, black-and-white photographs by the society snapper Marcello Geppetti (the original paparazzo) reflect the gilded 1960s world of Federico Fellini and Marcello Mastroianni, of Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and Claudia Cardinale. Lunch, served in the all-white dining car, is a multicourse affair created by the chef Heinz Beck, whose restaurant, La Pergola, holds Rome's only trio of Michelin stars. Banish all thought of regular rail food: this is by some way the most lavish, but also the most delicious, collation I've eaten on board a train, nimbly served by uniformed waiters (no overspilling soup bowls here) and accompanied by fine Italian wines. Beyond the window, postwar housing blocks gradually give way to a landscape of open fields, stone farmhouses, vineyards and umbrella pines. The original Orient Express made its maiden voyage in 1883, linking European cities from Paris to Istanbul in a service that, especially after being immortalised as a crime scene by Agatha Christie, became a byword for glamour and intrigue. This route ran until 1977, then the service petered out in 2009, having become a series of shorter routes operated by Belmond under the name Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Somewhat confusingly, the French hotel giant Accor has reactivated the Orient Express brand per se, using it as an umbrella for high-end hospitality projects that include the Italy-based La Dolce Vita train and the historic La Minerva hotel in Rome, which has recently been given a stunning new lease of life. (Slated for later this year are a Venice hotel, the 15th-century Palazzo Dona Giovannelli, and a sailing yacht, the Corinthian, said to be the largest in the world.) • The makeover of the Orient Express and its glorious new suites Halfway through the afternoon we pull into a country station serving the hill town of Montalcino, where the programme features a visit to the aristocratic wine estate at Argiano. (La Dolce Vita journeys are the closest thing on land to a kind of hyper-exclusive cruise, with bespoke gastronomic and cultural visits instead of harbour stops.) The visit begins with a private tour of the Renaissance art collection amassed by Argiano's owner, the Brazilian magnate André Santos Esteves, followed by a tasting in the estate's 16th-century cellars and a magnificent dinner in the grand hall. Probably a higher degree of railway luxe exists somewhere in the world, but it's hard to imagine where or how. A detail that impresses me are La Dolce Vita's next-level guest amenities: the bathroom soap from heritage soap makers Eredi Zucca in Milan comes neatly wrapped in tissue paper and tucked inside a cobalt-blue box; a leatherbound notebook from the Florentine stationers Pineider is monogrammed in gold with my initials. A highlight of this Tuscan trip is returning from a night-time negroni in the bar to discover a pair of pointy-toed velvet Friulane slippers (made in Venice) waiting for me on the down-turned bed, along with a saffron-scented macaron, should I feel peckish before snuggling down into those cool cotton sheets. • Aboard the Royal Scotsman — Belmond's epicurean journey Life aboard the Orient Express is a heady experience of contemporary travel at a level of opulence that feels almost surreal. But for me the best thing about La Dolce Vita is the dolce far niente — the sweetness of doing nothing. Simply to lounge on the big white bed in a post-breakfast glow, idly watching the spring-green Tuscan countryside slide by, soothed by the motion of the train as it rolls back to Rome and reality, is genuinely as good as it gets. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue The two-day, one-night Tastes of Tuscan Vineyards journey by Orient Express costs €4,160pp,
