He’s just been hauled over the coals by acclaimed royal biographer Tina Brown, who’s made some tart observations about his work ethic and his philanthropy – or, more specifically, what she suggests is its ‘underwhelming’ scale.
But as the Prince of Wales digests Brown’s criticisms – made by someone who can claim, without exaggeration, to have been a friend and confidante of his mother, Princess Diana – he may be tempted to draw her attention to the performance of the Earthshot Prize.
Established by William in 2020 ‘to find, support and celebrate those who turn bold ideas into real solutions to repair our planet’, the Earthshot has just notched up another record.
I can disclose that its income for the latest financial year – ending March 31, 2025 – hit £24 million, its highest to date, according to accounts just filed at Companies House.
No less than £23 million came in donations, including £5 million from The American Friends of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princes of Wales – William and Catherine’s other charitable organisation whose income rose to £12 million in the last financial year, as I revealed last month. The Earthshot was hived off from the Royal Foundation in 2022, since when it has pulled in a total of £66 million.
It’s an achievement which, William may well feel, validates his preference for concentrating on the calibre and potential of the causes he supports rather than trying to please too many people too much of the time.
Certainly, few can doubt the Earthshot’s global pulling power. A list of donors and supporters amounts to three densely packed pages.
Aside from the Earthshot Council, which understandably includes Sir David Attenborough but extends to Cate Blanchett and Stella McCartney, there is a galaxy of academic and commercial institutions including Microsoft, the Bezos Earth Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The Earthshot prize was set up by Prince William in 2020 to ‘celebrate those who turn bold ideas into real solutions to repair our planet’
Tearful Lilly Becker bids pricy London farewell
Boris Becker’s ex-wife, Lilly Becker, has revealed that she has moved to Germany with their 15-year-old son, Amadeus, after struggling with the financial pressures of living in Britain.
The Dutch model, 49, separated in 2018 from the former Wimbledon champion, 57, who was jailed in 2022 for hiding assets worth £2.5million to avoid paying debts.
Lilly, who recently posed topless for the German edition of Playboy, says she hit rock bottom when she was left with only five euros in her bank account last year.
‘I just can’t really afford to live in London by myself as a single mum,’ she says. ‘It’s extremely hard and I’ll still like to live on a level that I’m used to, and my son is used to. I want to keep that and, at the moment, the opportunities are in Germany.’
She adds on the Driven Women podcast: ‘It’s a new chapter for myself and my son and I’ve explained it to him in the best way possible and he’s excited. School education wise, it’ll also be something that is good for him as it’s opening his eyes.
‘He’s a teenager and just turned 15, so for him, when I broke the news he was, like, ‘No’. I had a little tear, and he was, like, ‘Mama, I don’t know anything better’. We visited the school and he was, like, ‘Okay’. I’m very nervous, but it’s a good, butterfly nervous.’
Meanwhile, Lilly, is grateful that her dire financial situation improved after she was crowned Queen of the Jungle in the German version of I’m a Celebrity earlier this year.
‘I was 48 and had five euros in my account, it was so embarrassing. I will never forget what it was like to be hungry and your kid is also hungry.’
Lilly Becker has revealed that she has moved to Germany with her 15-year-old son, Amadeus
Lilly says she hit rock bottom when she was left with only five euros in her bank account last year
Daphne’s son weds on family isle
As Netflix’s new drama House Of Guinness paints the super-rich dynasty as plagued by scandals and tragedies, real-life brewing heiress Daphne Guinness is raising a glass to happier family news.
I can disclose that her elder son, Nicolas Niarchos, 36, whose father is Greek shipping heir Spyros Niarchos, has married artist Malu Dalla Piccola, member of an aristocratic Italian family, left.
The couple’s wedding is said to have been held at the weekend on the private island of Spetsopoula, once owned by Nicolas’s billionaire grandfather, tycoon Stavros Niarchos.
Daphne, 57, pictured inset, reportedly received a £30 million divorce settlement when she and Spyros split in 1999.
Daphne Guinness attends the ‘House Of Guinness’ Premiere in London
Levi’s Punchy reply to Jamie detractors…
Jamie Oliver hired specialists to vet his cookbooks for ‘cultural appropriation’ after his ‘Punchy Jerk Rice’ product was widely criticised as an ‘inauthentic’ rendering of Caribbean cuisine.
But Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots, whose popular Reggae Reggae Sauce brand was launched via the BBC investment show, has no time for such timidity.
‘I don’t think it was right of him [Jamie, to hire cultural appropriation specialists],’ Roots tells me at the Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards at Outernet in London’s Soho. ‘He just had to be brave enough to do it, knowing he was going to get some flak.’
The Jamaica-born entrepreneur, 67, adds: ‘What Jamie did was brilliant for Caribbean cuisine.
‘I’m sure Jamie’s intentions were that he wanted people to experience Caribbean food who wouldn’t normally. Not everyone’s gonna like what you do, but it shouldn’t stop you from trying.’
Levi Roots pictured alongside Jamie Oliver for a television show in 2011
The late 8th Earl Bathurst once branded Prince William ‘some young yob in a beat-up car’ after he was overtaken on his Gloucestershire estate by the future king’s VW Golf. He’s not, however, the only figure from the past looming large at Cirencester Park.
His daughter-in-law Countess Bathurst says her home is full of ghosts. ‘Our family has occupied the park for more than three centuries, and some of its inhabitants seem reluctant to leave,’ she says. ‘I often sense company when I pass through the Long Room. Two ladies are regularly seen sitting sewing.’
Sara Bathurst adds: ‘The Oak Room has an ornate four-poster bed carved in 1631. A friend staying in this panelled bedroom woke suddenly when ‘someone’ tugged her foot. Half asleep, she assumed I was playing a prank – until she realised there was no one else in the room.’ Woo!
Touring with his All-Starr Band, Sir Ringo Starr, 85, admits he’s teased by family members whenever he claims to be retiring.
Married to former Bond girl Barbara Bach, father-of-three Ringo confesses: ‘I retire every year, my children are fed up with me. I’ll say, ‘I’ve had enough.’ They’ll say, ‘You said that last year, Dad.’
The drummer isn’t expected to opt for the pipe and slippers any time soon. ‘We’re in the middle of a tour and we’ll finish this one, at least,’ Ringo remarks, before laughing: ‘And I’ve already booked next year.’
Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr reunited on stage as The Beatles legends performed together in London last year
Make-up artist Bobbi Brown pioneered the ‘natural’ look popular today. But when she encountered Jerry Hall in the 1980s, the Texan was less than impressed with her ‘no make-up make-up’ aesthetic.
In her autobiography, Still Bobbi, out this week, she says: ‘After I finished doing her make-up, I handed her a mirror. She said, ‘Thanks, its lovely, do you mind if I touch it up?’ She proceeded to change most of what I’d done, she contoured every inch of her face.’
