Kates Exclusive Tennis Club Sparks Society Stir

With a gilded membership – garlanded with and Catherine, plus a billionaire or two, and even commoner – Queen’s Club, west London, is one of the most exclusive in the country.

But that, alas, has not insulated it from a storm of protest more dramatic than anything happening on its 28 outdoor tennis courts.

This follows what malcontents describe as ‘the dismissal’ of two of the club’s most revered coaches, Dr Floyd Williams – a qualifier in the 1980s – and Andrej Jankov, 57, who’s been at Queen’s since 2002. Sensing that neither man has been treated properly, members, who pay a joining fee of £15,000, followed by annual subscriptions of £2,000, are demanding answers from the club’s board.

‘Many of us have written individually and have received either no reply or a standard response asserting that the decision [to dispense with Williams and Jankov] followed “due care and consideration”,’ they say in a letter to the board.

‘The committee’s and the board’s own published minutes, which members have now read, record no discussion of these dismissals at any meeting, no recommendation to the committee, and no board approval, despite the club’s own minuted procedure of January 2024 requiring both,’ the letter adds. ‘The announcement to members of June 30 presented as a voluntary departure what was in fact a dismissal, on notice cut from eight weeks to four.’

After that volley of accusations, the letter slams down three demands, requiring the board to ‘suspend the July 21 termination date’, commission ‘an independent review of how this decision was taken’ and ‘give members an honest account of both’.

A spokesman for Queen’s, where Emma Raducanu lost to Croatia’s Donna Vekic in the championships women’s singles final last month, declines to comment.

However, I understand that the board insists ‘due process’ was followed – an attitude smashed by critics who warn that a failure to ‘respond positively’ to their demands by July 20 will force them to ‘call an EGM... so that our concerns and changes be considered by the membership directly’.

Secret behind Greek princess’s tattoo – of her cousin’s fiance!

Some women would be alarmed to see a tattoo of their fiance’s face on the arms of their beautiful cousin.

But the image on the body of Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece, a goddaughter of King Charles, amused her cousin Talita von Furstenberg.

That’s because Talita handed out the temporary tattoos herself at her hen do on a yacht off the coast of Sardinia. They featured the face of her husband-to-be, Rocco Brignone de Brabant, an Italian banking scion.

Talita, 27, is a granddaughter of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, credited with creating the wrap dress, and her ex-husband, German aristocrat Prince Egon von Furstenberg. ‘Last sail before the veil,’ says Olympia, 29, who posted this photograph online.

Her mother, Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece, who’s from Ealing west London, is the sister of Alexandra von Furstenberg, Talita’s mother.

Jack threw me under the bus, says comic’s mum  

Comedian Jack Whitehall’s mother Hilary doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with his new wife, Roxy Horner.

‘Mothers-in-law become somewhat problematic when we get into babies and childcare, because the parenting situation has changed so much,’ Hilary says.

Jack, 38, married model Roxy, 35, in April and they have a two-year-old daughter, Elsie.

Hilary explains: ‘At a comedy night, Jack threw me under the bus because apparently I criticise him for his parenting styles.

‘He accused me of saying, “You’re all so woke and so child-centred. It’s all rubbish. Back in the 80s, your father and I, if the baby didn’t sleep, nothing wrong with a little bit of alcohol, dip that dummy in the brandy and that’ll make it go to sleep.” ’

Indignantly, she says: ‘I don’t remember ever dipping a dummy in brandy.’

A Labour sparrow tells me the next government chief whip will be Sir Mark ‘Smarmy’ Tami, currently No 2 in the whips’ office.

Sir Mark, 63, would be a rum person to put in charge of party discipline. In 2006 he was one of the rebels who resigned from the government, forcing Tony Blair to quit in favour of Gordon Brown.

The smart set’s talking about... Lady Marina’s rosé outlook that doesn’t include Meghan 

Meghan Markle promotes her As Ever Napa Valley Rosé relentlessly but it’s another tipple that’s won over the smart set this summer.

I hear that the Duke of Kent’s granddaughter Lady Marina Windsor, 33, loves the Provence rosé Pink Diesel so much that she ordered 32 magnums and 64 bottles of it for her recent wedding to Nico Macauley, also 33.

The wine’s founder Amy Gatehouse, 33, who was one of Marina’s three maids of honour, has known the bride since their school days at St Mary’s Ascot.

She tells me: ‘Marina has always been a lover and supporter of Pink Diesel because it’s female-led and sustainably harvested.’ Marina, an events manager at the Blue Marine Foundation, helped inspire the brand’s green credentials. Amy adds: ‘I have her to thank for that – from all the years of sharing a dorm with her at school and her dividing our waste-paper basket into recycling.’

Masterchef judge Grace Dent doesn’t find that grief kills her appetite.

The food critic, 52, admits that she enjoys tucking in at a wake. ‘Look, I’m devastated you’re dead. But I love a funeral buffet. Mini sausage rolls, cheese and pineapple porcupines.’

She adds: ‘Grief moves in mysterious ways and I know you’re smiling down on me as I chuck back coronation chicken vol-au-vents in my pyjamas ‘cos I took Tupperware to your wake. Rest in peace, buddy. This fruitcake is delicious.’

Midlife Kerridge’s life in the fast lane 

Tom Kerridge is trying to steer around a mid-life crisis. ‘Hitting middle age, I decided I should take up some other hobby,’ says the TV chef, 52.

‘I thought I’d take up a little bit of motorsport,’ the Michelin-starred restaurateur tells me, adding: ‘Last year was my first proper season, I own a [Renault] Clio Cup car [for] racing.’ Other pastimes were not to Kerridge’s taste. ‘Padel wasn’t really my thing. As for cycling, I don’t look that good in Lycra.’

The Great British Menu star owns four pubs including the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, which is the only British boozer with two Michelin stars.

Brave Natalie plans Strictly comeback 

Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham was forced off air by a terrifying health scare last year.

The TV star, 48, who captivated Prince Harry in his carefree bachelor days, underwent an anterior discectomy – a delicate procedure performed through the front of the neck to relieve pressure on the spinal cord.

Now, she’s set her heart on dancing her way back to good health.

‘I would love to do Strictly,’ says Natalie, who competed on ITV’s Dancing On Ice in 2008. ‘I recently had neck surgery that I have been rehabbing from.

‘So that would be like the ultimate comeback to learn to dance after spine surgery.’ She adds: ‘I’m back and I’m stronger than ever, and more determined.’

How Alex melted Maria’s icy exterior

Maria Sharapova admits her relationship with Prince Harry’s pal Alex Gilkes didn’t get off to the smoothest start.

The former Wimbledon champion, 39, met the Old Etonian, 47, through mutual friends after the collapse of his marriage to Meghan Markle’s best friend, fashion designer Misha Nonoo, nine years ago.

‘The next morning, I had to fly for training in California, so my mind was already [elsewhere],’ Maria explains. ‘He was like, you were really cold.’

The tennis star, who got engaged to businessman Alex in 2020 and now has a four-year-old son, Theodore, with him, adds: ‘I don’t trust a lot of people. When you gain success from a young age, a lot of people want things from you.

‘When I meet people at first, it takes me a while to warm up to them. But I think that’s shifted over my life.

‘Something that I’ve learned from [Alex] is you don’t need to go into a room thinking that someone always wants something from you.’

(Very) modern manners

Anais Gallagher has an unusual ‘red flag’ when it comes to dating.

The daughter of Oasis star Noel and his ex-wife Meg Mathews is suspicious of men who don’t have close female friends.

Anais, 26, has been in a relationship with It’s A Sin star Callum Scott Howells, 27, for three years.

‘I met three incredible women through Callum,’ the model and photographer says. ‘They’ve been his best friends for the longest time.

‘A lot of people have a lot of negativity around men having women as their friends. If I started dating a guy and he didn’t have any female friends, I would find that a huge red flag because to me it would show that you don’t value women in any way other than as a romantic interest.’