He’s ceased using his peerages and accepted the removal of his banner from St George’s Chapel, Windsor, thereby acknowledging that his membership of the Order of the Garter is irrevocably at an end.
But whereas others in the same excruciating position would scuttle away, desperate to do almost anything which would put them out of public sight, that’s not Prince Andrew’s style.
Indeed, I’m told that the more his status shrivels, the more intently he’s determined to cling on at Royal Lodge – his home since 2004.
‘His only identity comes from his status,’ a highly informed source tells me, before adding that what remains of that status is conferred – in Andrew’s eyes, at least – by his retention of the Grade II-listed house, the most splendid of whose 30 rooms is its immense 48 ft by 30 ft gothic saloon.
There are, adds my informant, only two ways to persuade Andrew that his time at the lodge is over: the stick or the carrot.
Andrew’s desire to ensure his daughters don’t become royal outcasts like himself may prove decisive in whether he gives up Royal Lodge. Pictured: Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice
The latter may, on the face of it, seem the one that Andrew would gobble up. ‘Money,’ muses the royal insider, who stresses that Andrew’s ‘iron clad’ lease means that he cannot be dislodged with a click of his older brother’s monarchical fingers.
‘You’ll need to pay him to go away… and pay him not to talk.’
The alternative – the stick – must, if necessary, be used ruthlessly.
‘Pressure on his children. He’s always been transparent about his ambitions for his daughters,’ reflects the insider, adding that it must be made plain that Beatrice and Eugenie’s fate lies in Andrew’s hands.
In words that might not seem out of place in The Godfather, the insider suggests the following formula: ‘If you want to make sure your daughters are OK and are invited to Sandringham, and that they remain princesses, then you’d better [go] quietly.’
The insider adds: ‘Clearly, it’s upsetting, the stuff that has been coming out about their father.’
Time for Andrew to decide that enough is enough – for their sake, if not his?
You’d think Steve Coogan would’ve learnt his lesson by now.
The actor and two production companies agreed this week to pay ‘substantial damages’ to university academic Richard Taylor for portraying him as ‘smug, unduly dismissive and patronising’ in their film The Lost King.
‘A bit of friendly advice – perhaps he should stop putting “King” in the titles of his films,’ reflects Howard Raymond who, in 2012, secured his own High Court victory over Coogan, pictured below, after he made a film about his father Paul, founder of London’s first strip club.
Steve Coogan as Paul Raymond, the so-called King of Soho, in the 2013 film The Look of Love
‘At the last minute, they switched [its title] to The King Of Soho,’ recalls Howard, who’d registered that title for his own biopic.
‘I went down to Cannes on the Monday, got a date for the High Court Friday. They had to pay huge costs.’
A king’s ransom, in fact.
Oasis fans may have forked out a small fortune to see the Gallagher brothers reunite on tour over the summer – but I hear one diehard superfan has gone even further.
An anonymous buyer has paid a staggering £75,600 for Noel Gallagher’s complete set of handwritten lyrics from every Oasis album.
The haul went under the hammer at London’s Propstore Music Memorabilia Auction. Now, that’s one expensive Wonderwall.
300 years on, Wren is back at St Paul’s – thanks to Frances!
Royal sculptor Frances Segelman bringing Sir Christopher Wren back to life at St Paul’s Cathedral
In a scene worthy of the Halloween season, Sir Christopher Wren was, in a sense, brought back to life beneath the magnificent dome of his greatest architectural triumph – St Paul’s Cathedral.
Royal sculptor Frances Segelman undertook the eerie yet fascinating task of sculpting a clay bust of Wren using his death mask, which dates back to 1723, as her reference. Lady Petchey, 76, widow of philanthropist Sir Jack Petchey, tells me: ‘It’s very strange having to imagine his living face from a death mask.’
During what she described as a hauntingly atmospheric evening, Lady Petchey says she even tried to communicate with the late architect in order to capture his spirit and personality in the sculpture.
After recovering from leukaemia, Harry Potter star Timothy Spall decided to mark the moment with a splash of luxury – an electric blue Rolls-Royce, the kind of model that can fetch up to half a million pounds.
But the 68-year-old now laughs at the purchase, admitting the car drew the wrong kind of attention. ‘I looked like some terrible, poncy drug dealer,’ he says. The Rolls didn’t stay long, as he reveals: ‘That one’s gone – I got it out of my system. Then I bought another one… and got that out of my system too.’
Heartache for Kate as beloved brand closing
Kate wearing a red and white gingham skirt suit worth £1,200 designed by Eponine London in 2016
It’s the fashion label that the Princess of Wales helped catapult to fame in 2016 when she stepped out in a striking red and white gingham skirt suit worth £1,200.
But that royal endorsement hasn’t been enough to save Eponine London, which has gone bust after 15 years in business.
I can disclose the bespoke label, loved for its bold colours and vintage-inspired silhouettes, is shutting up shop for good. Founder Jet Shenkman, who once said she would be ‘forever grateful’ to the Princess, 43, for shining a spotlight on her work, says: ‘It has been the most wonderful journey, full of highs that I could never have dreamed of, but the time has come for us to close our doors in pursuit of pastures new.’
She adds: ‘We will close the studio doors for the last time at the end of the year.’
