The holiday season will never be the same.
I can tell you that Jeffrey Archer and his wife Mary will be hosting their very last “Champagne and Shepherd’s Pie” next month.
The festive parties in the best-selling author’s penthouse overlooking the Thames became legendary, with Tory prime ministers and most of their cabinets also attending.
“I’m 83,” Lord Archer tells me. “Mary and I felt that now, after 40 years, was the right time to hold the final event.”
Among the guests at the couple’s first party in 1983 was John Profumo, the defense secretary whose affair with nightclub dancer and model Christine Keeler led to the scandal that rocked Harold Macmillan’s government.
I can reveal that Jeffrey Archer and his wife Mary will be hosting their final ever “Champagne and Shepherd’s Pie” next month
The festive parties with the presence of politicians and stars have become legends. Dame Shirley Bassey, pictured here with them, is a friend of Jeffrey and Mary Archer
Jeffrey and Mary Archer leaving Joan Collins’ 88th birthday party
“Jack Profumo came to our first party,” Archer says. “Who will come to our last?” Margaret Thatcher never missed one. “We have had five prime ministers and several members of the royal family here over the years.”
When Archer was asked for directions to the restrooms of his lavish apartment decorated with expensive paintings, he advised his guests to “go right past the Picasso and turn left at the Matisse.”
While some people shy away from throwing parties, the author will miss the planning involved. “I like to give parties,” he says. “I enjoy the organization.”
Archer says they “had a smoking ban long before it was fashionable”, but Baroness Thatcher’s husband ignored it: “Denis Thatcher paid no attention at all.” “I had someone chase him with an ashtray.”
In 2001, Archer was found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice in a 1987 libel trial. He was released in 2003 after serving half of his sentence. As he and Lady Archer continued their celebratory parties, the house was full. He said at the time: “The Evening Standard ran a cartoon in which one guest said to another: ‘But I read you weren’t coming…’
Archer switched from Krug Champagne to Pol Roger about 20 years ago, but doesn’t touch the stuff himself. “I don’t like champagne,” he tells me. “Although I’m told it’s very popular.”
Red-faced Sophie shows her softer side
Pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor appears keen to show her more generous side after having to apologize in the past for unkind comments about Robbie Williams in a clip that resurfaced in his Netflix documentary.
Pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor appears keen to show her more generous side after having to apologize for unkind comments about Robbie Williams in the past
Ellis-Bextor sang at the Michael Josephson MBE Charity Ball in Manchester, which became the first charity gala in the north of England to break fundraising records and raise more than £1 million. “I’ve been following Michael’s philanthropic work for several years and it was great to finally perform and experience this incredible event,” she tells me.
“The atmosphere in the room was electric and the amount raised was absolutely incredible.”
One of the most anticipated highlights of the evening was the grand auction, showcasing lots that embodied style, luxury and experiences that money cannot buy.
Bidders jumped at the chance to enjoy afternoon tea at The Ritz with Dame Joanna Lumley. The ticket, donated by Dame Joanna, raised an incredible £40,000.
Michael Josephson MBE expressed his gratitude and said: “Dame Joanna Lumley kindly gave me the opportunity to enjoy afternoon tea with her at The Ritz, which caused quite a stir at the Grand Auction that evening.” I commend Dame Joanna “We couldn’t thank her enough for helping us raise these funds that evening.”
Prince’s sports club is facing a revolt
The time of “peace on earth and goodwill to all men” is upon us – unless you are a member of Hurlingham, the £1,200-a-year London “country club” on the banks of the Thames, which the Princess of Wales takes Prince George with me for tennis lessons.
Its chairman, Simon Duffy, is preparing for battle with a hard core who sense it is time to stage an ambush.
Undeterred by plans to renovate the east wing of their magnificent clubhouse, I can reveal they have forced the club committee to put the matter to a vote at a special general meeting. It is the latest clash in years of discontent between Hurlingham’s opposing factions. A previous proposal for a £22m redevelopment of the east wing was abandoned – but only after the club was presented with a bill for £2.55m in professional fees.
Lady Violent is still on the anti-wake mission
When she announced she was standing for election to the National Trust’s council in September, Lady Violet Manners said she wanted to rid the charity of its “woke” agenda.
However, the Duke of Rutland’s daughter, supported by the Restore Trust, a group of members outraged at the Trust’s virtuousness, was forced to admit defeat. Still, she managed to secure an impressive 47,326 votes from the 156,000 members who took part and she “remains enthusiastic” about the future of British heritage. It will “make further announcements in due course”.
Watch this space…
Poignant visit from Diana’s childhood friend
Irish TV chef Clodagh McKenna was among the guests at Althorp this weekend, where she was entertained by Countess Spencer.
Clodagh, 48, lived with her husband Harry Herbert, 64, brother of the Earl of Carnarvon, at Earl Spencer’s ancestral home in Northamptonshire.
Countess Spencer, pictured, received Irish TV chef Clodagh McKenna and her Harry Herbert, brother of the Earl of Carnarvon
Irish TV chef Clodagh McKenna, pictured, was among the guests at Althorp this weekend where she was entertained by Countess Spencer
He paid a poignant visit to the grave of Princess Diana, who grew up in Althorp with her brother Earl Spencer. Herbert had known Diana since she was a teenager and remained close friends until her death in 1997.
“It was obviously very emotional to see Diana’s resting place and to be back in this beautiful house,” says Herbert, who married Clodagh in 2021.
At his first wedding to Chica Bevan in 1992, Diana and Queen Elizabeth were among the guests.
Clodagh, who wore a vintage sky blue dress, added: “It was an unforgettable dinner, beautifully prepared with produce from their organic estate, including the most delicious venison.”
After playing Princess Margaret in The Crown, Lesley Manville now has a bank balance to match royalty. The 67-year-old’s stint in season five earned her almost £700,000. The accounts of Pudding Ltd, through which it processes its profits for the 12 months to the end of April this year, show it was left with £1.6 million after tax – a jump from just over £1 million last year.
He was a Labor MP for seven years until 2017, but Simon Danczuk is not impressed with Sir Keir. “If Starmer wants the black vote, he takes the knee; if he wants the Jewish vote, he defends Israel; “If he wants the Muslim vote he will take off his poppy to make his Islamophobia video,” he said at a Conservative Association dinner hosted by West Yorkshire MP Philip Davies. “As they say in Rochdale, Keir Starmer has more dials than the old town clock.”
Labor MP for seven years until 2017, but Simon Danczuk is not impressed with Sir Keir Starmer
Her Oscar-winning creations for films such as Shakespeare in Love made Sandy Powell Britain’s first costume lady. But now the designer is taking a journey into the past because the dress that launched her film career has disappeared.
Ms Powell, 63, designed a tiered-sleeve dress that Tilda Swinton wore in the 1986 film Caravaggio, but which has since disappeared. Now Ms Powell has posted an appeal on social media, pleading: “Has anyone seen this?” “I’m trying to get as many of my costumes together for a special project later this year.”