Soon, perhaps shortly after Christmas, he will bid farewell to Royal Lodge, where he’s lived in rarefied seclusion for 20 years. But painful though it will be for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to leave the comfortable Windsor home, there is another aspect to his new life as a commoner which, I’m told, he may find even harder to bear.
Perhaps no member of the Royal Family more delighted in deference being paid to him than Andrew – even in the least probable of circumstances, as became apparent during his romance with Emma Gibbs.
Following his divorce from Sarah Ferguson in 1996, Andrew entertained several unattached women, and was willing to be entertained by them.
‘Gibbsy’ – a spirited, fun-loving, big-hearted Aussie, who is said to have been introduced to Andrew by Ghislaine Maxwell – was one of them.
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor pictured with former lover Emma Gibbs in 2004
At the time, she was living in a delightful four-bedroom house in a cul-de-sac in Chelsea, west London, a few doors down from the pub now owned by Household Cavalry officer turned super-crooner, James Blunt.
The normality of the setting, when compared with his own lodgings, might have seemed conducive to dispensing with protocol.
Not for Andrew.
Though lustily informal with ‘Gibbsy’, he was far-less flexible with the house’s other occupant, a glamorous continental woman.
To her astonishment, she was treated to royal instruction – even though she, rather than Gibbsy, owned the house.
‘She was very narked off about the fact that she was being told to curtsy in her own home,’ a pal tells me. ‘Gibbsy was her lodger. It was absolutely ludicrous, frankly. It really shows that he thought he was above the law.’
Let’s hope that Andrew has changed his ways. After all, Sandringham locals seem unlikely to genuflect at his approach.
Edward Fox doesn’t follow his children’s TV careers
His children Freddie and Emilia Fox may be successfully carrying on the family acting dynasty, but The Day of The Jackal star Edward Fox confesses that he can’t be bothered to watch either of them.
Despite appearing on screens for more than 60 years, Edward, 88, refuses to have a television in his Dorset home.
Asked about Freddie’s role in TV hit Slow Horses, Fox laughs: ‘No, I haven’t seen it, not one foot of it. I’m quite glad. I say, “What have you been doing?” He tells me and I fall asleep as I listen.’
DiCaprio’s ex tells of stalker trauma
Model Madalina Ghenea, whose former flames include Leonardo DiCaprio and tennis ace Grigor Dimitrov, once told me: ‘I’ve been making the wrong [dating] choices – I’ve been choosing kids instead of men, and I’m not talking about age.’
But at least one of her ex-boyfriends, Italian executive Leonardo Del Vecchio, appears to have stepped up in her hour of need.
Madalina Ghenea briefly dated Leonardo DiCaprio circa 2011. She has also dated actors Gerard Butler and Michael Fassbender
‘Today, my ex appeared in court as an important witness in the long stalking case I have been exposed to for so many years,’ reveals Madalina, 38, whose alleged stalker is currently on trial in Milan.
The 45-year-old woman is accused of harassment and making threatening online comments about Madalina.
The Romanian star and mother of one says of Del Vecchio: ‘He stood by my side in front of the judge, sharing everything we went through during those difficult years.
‘Although we are no longer together, we have remained friends and hold deep respect for each other.’
Lumley: Charles is best king we’ve had
Dame Joanna Lumley has seen enough of King Charles during his three years on the throne to judge him pre-eminent among the 13 British monarchs since the Act of Union.
‘He was the most extraordinary Prince of Wales, and has turned into one of the best kings we’ll ever have,’ gushes the Absolutely Fabulous star, who attended the Coronation. ‘I like him a great deal.’ The actress, 79, adds: ‘King Charles has always loved the fine arts and farming… He loves craftsmen, people who can carve things. He’s been ahead of the game for a long time. He is fascinating.’
Order of Merit next for Dame Joanna?
Tough-guy actor Mickey Rourke, 73, met his match when he grabbed Sir Anthony Hopkins’s throat while shooting the 1990 film Desperate Hours. ‘He belonged to that school where everything’s got to be real,’ remarks two-time Academy Award-winner Sir Anthony, 87.
‘I said, “You touch me again and I’ll lay you out”. And I meant it. There’s no need to hurt anyone.’
Why Keeley nearly kicked out husband
Keeley Hawes was not convinced by her husband Matthew Macfadyen’s fashion suggestion
When Succession star Matthew Macfadyen was filming episodes of the hit series in America’s Southwest, he hoped to immerse himself in the local culture.
But his wife, Line of Duty star Keeley Hawes, 49, had her reservations.
‘We went to Sante Fe [in New Mexico] to the high desert,’ Macfadyen, 51, tells the Travel Secrets podcast. ‘I remember ringing Keeley and saying, “Do you think I’d get away with buying cowboy boots?” She was like, “No, if you want to stay married”.’ He admits: ‘I would have looked dreadful.’
Inbetweeners actor hints at ‘woke’ reboot
The creators of The Inbetweeners confirmed last month that the comedy would be returning.
But Alex Macqueen, who played Kevin Sutherland, aka Neil’s Dad, in the hit Channel 4 coming-of-age show, warns that the outrageous humour may need to be toned down for our new ‘woke’ era.
‘Broadcasters would be much more cautious 1762309379,’ he tells me at Helen Lederer’s Comedy Women In Print Awards at the Groucho Club in London’s Soho.
‘It’s very popular, but it’s also very naughty. It’s 20 years old and times do change. It’s fair to say, at the time there was no alarm set off going, “Is this right or wrong?” It was just very successful.’
