Dianas Nieces Seek Free Cannes Festival Hairstyles

They are the aristocratic twin models whose striking looks and matching glamour have made them society and fashion-world fixtures.

But I hear ’s nieces, Amelia and Eliza Spencer, have ruffled feathers in Cannes after allegedly asking a top hairstylist to work for free.

The sought-after stylist, who asked not to be named, told me they were left ‘bewildered’ after being approached by representatives for ’s 33-year-old daughters, whose mother is the earl’s ex-wife Victoria Aitken, 61, about ‘a hair collab,’ which would involve styling the twins’ tresses gratis.

And, the hairstylist tells me: ‘For such a prestigious event as the , you would think that their team would allocate some budget to this and respect the services us hairstylists provide and the time we spend creating such red-carpet looks.’

They add: ‘I refused flat out because these are not women who don’t come from money, they’re from bloody aristocracy and are now well-known models.’

The request was allegedly made ahead of the twins’ appearance at the screening of queer drama Coward at last week’s Cannes Film Festival, where they wore matching slicked-back buns.

‘I have nicked named them the freebie twins,’ reveals the stylist, who chooses to remain anonymous. However, it appears the Spencer twins’ team ultimately did pay for their Cannes glam.

In a joint Instagram post from the festival, Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza credited celebrity hairstylist Abigail Constanza for their looks.

Asked whether the Spencer twins paid for their hairstyles, Abigail replied: ‘Yes, of course.’

This is not an isolated case in which creative service providers have lambasted and bristled at wealthy influencers seeking freebies. Last month luxury cake designer Reshmi Bennett publicly criticised Made In Chelsea star-turned-influencer Binky Felstead after her team allegedly requested a cake for her son’s third birthday in exchange for online promotion – a practice known in influencer circles as ‘gifting’.

The Spencer twins’ Storm Management did not respond to my repeated requests for comment.

Zara’s designer is racing ahead

Zara Tindall has often relied on Australian fashion designer Rebecca Vallance to elevate her race-day style and even once wore one of her outfits to a private birthday dinner for King Charles.

And now, I hear, her go-to label is set to provide her with more choice. Rebecca, whose clients include the Hilton sisters and Kelly Osbourne, tells me: ‘We’re continuing to evolve the ready-to-wear offering and expand further into lifestyle categories.’

Comedienne Ruby Wax doesn’t find the current state of comedy a laughing matter

Wax, 73, tells me at a red-carpet event in London: ‘Nobody wants to be daring, and nobody wants to be cancelled and they’re too scared.’ The former Absolutely Fabulous script editor believes the BBC sitcom couldn’t be made today. ‘You could never have Patsy [Stone] falling out of a car.’

She adds: ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with the world.’ Indeed.

Celebrities’ bodyguard Simon has shot at acting

He once stood between Michael Jackson and screaming crowds of fans, and later worked as personal security for Bella Hadid, but Simon Newton is now stepping out of the shadows and into the spotlight – as an actor.

Having faced insurgents in Iraq and fended off Somali pirates while working security on ships in the Indian Ocean, it’s easy to see why, at 47, he comes across like a real-life action hero in the making, a kind of next Jason Statham.

‘I wanted to be an actor, so I booked acting school and left the industry,’ he tells me during our sit-down chat. The former security boss’s new film Rise Of The Footsoldier: Retribution sees him playing a defecting Bosnian soldier involved in arms trading.

He admits his background gave him a head start: ‘I don’t have to overthink with the weapons handling and the other stuff, it allows me to concentrate on the acting better.’

He keeps close to his chest his moments with supermodel Bella, but he does divulge: ‘It was good fun.

‘Quite often we’d walk down a road, like with Bella, [it was] like we were just a couple of mates, and you wouldn’t even [really] know.’

Is Hollywood calling for Lady Victoria Hervey? She seems to think so, as she is set to make her acting debut in forthcoming film Secret Agent Manny, which is being made by Bobby Kennedy III, son of US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Victoria, 49, tells me from Washington, where she’s been filming this week: ‘It’s been a fun experience. I play a socialite spy who is trying to get information from a male nanny who works for an elite deep-state family.’

‘Survivor’ Andie is a role model

Four Weddings And A Funeral star Andie MacDowell has never shied away from discussing her struggles with anxiety and PTSD due to her traumatic childhood with a schizophrenic mother.

Her vulnerability, I hear, made her an asset on the set of psychological thriller, Melpomene, a French drama which centres heavily on mental illness.

Charlotte Dauphin, MacDowell’s co-star and director of the thriller, tells me: ‘I think it made her even more inhabit the role in a way that is truly unique.’

Dauphin, adds of MacDowell, 68, who plays Lady Rain: ‘I really appreciated her openness and her generosity as an actor.

‘I think she empowered me somehow, she gave me confidence that I was on the right track.’

New Celebrity Traitors recruit Richard E. Grant may want to watch what he says in public about the show. The Withnail And I actor is one of the stars set to appear in the next series in the autumn. I spotted him in Kensington High Street yesterday, loudly talking about other contestants. Careful Richard, surely, you don’t want to give the game away...

Dr Ranj’s ex wife tells of pain over split

Dr Ranj Singh will certainly be feeling the backlash from public scrutiny today after his ex-wife yesterday opened up about the emotional toll their split had on her life.

The TV doctor, 46, came out as gay to former pharmacist turned mental health coach Sulvinder Samra in 2009. The couple divorced in 2011 following a seven-year marriage.

The former This Morning star, 46, who was born in Kent and raised in a traditional Sikh home, has talked about the hostility he received about his sexuality.

‘Most of the homophobic hate I get is from my community,’ he told me at an awards show in London.

‘The people that say the negative stuff, I have rationalised it by saying they just don’t understand, it’s usually out of ignorance.’

Meanwhile, on what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary, Sulvinder reflected on the breakdown of their marriage and the pain it caused her.

The couple previously lived together in their £500,000 flat in East Dulwich, south-east London, but Sulvinder has since moved back to Nottinghamshire.

‘I questioned everything. I felt extremely unattractive. I was ashamed,’ she wrote online. ‘On the outside, I was pretending. ‘I looked fine. But I felt dead inside.’

Queen Camilla’s niece Ayesha Shand surprised many last year when she left her role at art gallery Hauser & Wirth, where she had worked alongside Princess Eugenie for eight years, to join Trinny Woodall’s beauty brand Trinny London as US vice president of marketing.

But less than a year later, I hear Ayesha, 31, whose father was the Queen’s beloved late brother Mark Shand, has already quit the multi-million-pound company.

‘The role didn’t quite live up to her expectations,’ an insider tells me.

Ayesha previously admitted battling ‘imposter syndrome’ when she first got the gig.

Meal houswife of London! Juliet eats just once a day...

Glamorous Real Housewives of London star Juliet Mayhew has a disciplined approach to maintaining her svelte size 6 figure.

The Australian-born businesswoman, 48, has put herself on a strict health regimen and tells me: ‘When I’m in production, I’m very controlled.

‘I’m very conscious about what I eat. I’m a clean eater. I don’t really eat more than one big meal a day.’

Juliet, who has been showing off the results of a £28,000 facelift she underwent with renowned surgeon Tunc Tiryaki in Turkey, says: ‘It’s no secret I’ve had some tweakments.’

Tomb Raider star Sophie’s next mission: a big night on the town

Hollywood star Sophie Turner was embarrassingly caught clubbing last month after being signed off sick with a back injury from the £100million Amazon Prime production of Tomb Raider.

But that didn’t stop her from going out on the town this week as she partied at Mayfair hotspot Bacchanalia at her best friend Taura Lamb’s birthday bash, which was organised by Taura’s husband Jesse Burgess, an online TV presenter.

In a picture posted online, Game Of Thrones star Sophie, 30, was dressed in blue as she posed alongside musician Taura, who sported shades, and two other pals including marketing manager Tabby Doherty at Bacchanalia’s exclusive Apollo Muse Bar. ‘My man can throw a party,’ says Taura.

Sophie, who was married to Jonas Brother Joe for five years until they divorced in 2024, is playing Lara Croft in the Amazon Prime series.