He’s been married three times, imprisoned in both the U.S. and Australia, deported from Canada and exposed as a bigamist in the High Court in London.
But none of that has diminished the confidence of Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester, who, at the age of 57, has declared his desire to start breeding again.
‘It is such a blessing that I’m honoured with this title,’ reflects the Duke, who lives in the U.S., in a post on social media. Adding that he feels fortunate to be an aristocrat — or, as he puts it, ‘a Nobleman for the British Royal Family’ — the Duke, who has an adult son and daughter by his second marriage, continues: ‘Hopefully I will find somebody to help me have more members for my title.’
None of that has diminished the confidence of Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester, who, at the age of 57, has declared his desire to start breeding again
Kimbolton Castle, the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950
As if to emphasise his credentials, the Duke, has updated his Facebook profile picture. Out goes a photograph taken of him in his debonair youth, and in comes a magnificent colour image of his ducal coat of arms, complete with the Montagu family motto: Disponendo me, non mutando me, which translates as ‘by disposing of me, not by changing me’. But the prospect of the Duke becoming a father again is too much for the first of his three wives, Marion Stoner, who married him in Australia in 1984.
‘If he was standing in front of me now, he wouldn’t have to worry about re-breeding, because I’d bloody shoot him,’ Marion assures me from her home in Melbourne. ‘I wouldn’t miss.’
Alexander Montagu pictured in court. He served his most recent custodial sentence — for attempted burglary — in Nevada three years ago
Their short, troubled marriage ended when the then young nobleman fired a spear-gun at her from just 12ft — but, mercifully, failed to impale her. He bigamously married Wendy Buford, who was unaware of his first marriage, in California in 1993. They divorced in 2007 — the same year that the Duke married another American, Laura Smith.
But by 2016 the Duke announced he was seeking a divorce from her, too.
He served his most recent custodial sentence — for attempted burglary — in Nevada three years ago.
Fashion guru Susannah Constantine hasn’t washed her hair in a fortnight and won’t touch shampoo for six weeks in a bid to let her locks rejuvenate.’We are on Day 14 of lockdown and my hair is on Day 14 of not being washed,’ she explains. ‘I’m going to not wash it for six weeks because that’s how long it takes. Apparently around weeks 3 and 4 it gets really bad and you want to wash your hair but if you get through that barrier, your hair starts to clean itself and it’s so good for it.’ Talk about a locks-down.
Frankie looking so glam — even in slippers
She made her catwalk debut by walking in front of the Queen at the Richard Quinn fashion show in 2018. Now Frankie Herbert, whose uncle, the Earl of Carnarvon, is Her Majesty’s godson, is having to model in her back garden due to lockdown.
The 24-year-old is staying with her mother, society caterer Chica.
Describing it as ‘working from home’, Frankie, who last month became the first ever fashion ambassador for Cheltenham Festival, showed off her eclectic style — jacket, leather skirt, crop top, sunglasses, socks and slippers. Her sister Chloe, 30, asked: ‘How are you not getting fat like the rest of us?’
She made her catwalk debut by walking in front of the Queen at the Richard Quinn fashion show in 2018. Now Frankie Herbert, whose uncle, the Earl of Carnarvon, is Her Majesty’s godson, is having to model in her back garden due to lockdown
She made her catwalk debut by walking in front of the Queen at the Richard Quinn fashion show in 2018. Now Frankie Herbert, whose uncle, the Earl of Carnarvon, is Her Majesty’s godson, is having to model in her back garden due to lockdown.
The 24-year-old is staying with her mother, society caterer Chica, who split from her father, racing manager Harry Herbert, three years ago.
Describing it as ‘working from home,’ Frankie, who last month became the first ever fashion ambassador for Cheltenham Festival, showed off her eclectic style comprising a black leather skirt, crop top, sunglasses, socks and slippers.
Her lean figure prompted her artist sister Chloe, 30, to demand: ‘How are you not getting fat like the rest of us?’
It’s Cleopatra the musical! Historian Tom Holland chronicled her life story in his best-selling tome Rubicon. When concert halls re-open, he is hoping to stage an opera about the notorious Queen of the Nile. ‘With a couple of friends who are musical, we’re doing a Mamma Mia-type opera where we tell the story of Cleopatra through world famous arias, says Holland, adding he’s able to do it on the cheap. ‘They’re all out of copyright so you don’t have to pay money for anything apart from the libretto for the words for [Puccini’s] Nessun Dorma . . . so that’s the only one we can’t use.’
Hurlingham ‘no’ to refund of subs
Members of the Hurlingham Club, who include the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa, have just received bad news from the club’s new chairman, Luke Nunneley. ‘For the time being, there will be no refund of 2020 subscriptions or suspension of quarterly and biannual subscriptions,’ Nunneley alerts them by email.
Acknowledging the closure of most of the Club’s facilities due to the pandemic, Nunneley does at least dangle the possibility that some compensation may yet be made to members who pay around £1,200 a year.
‘The Committee will revisit this decision at the latest before the AGM in October 2020.’ It’s probably a shrewd move. His predecessor, Julian Holloway, resigned after it emerged the Club had blown £2.55million on professional fees for a redevelopment scheme which may never happen.
Jodie’s wine o’clock news
Model turned landlady Jodie Kidd, who was devastated when she had to shut down her East Sussex pub, The Half Moon, due to coronavirus, is keeping her spirits up at home.
Model turned landlady Jodie Kidd, who was devastated when she had to shut down her East Sussex pub, The Half Moon, due to coronavirus, is keeping her spirits up at home
The 41-year-old shared a picture of herself and boyfriend, former Royal Marine Joseph Bates, enjoying what she called ‘wine o’clock’ as they prepare to quaff a glass of white and red respectively. ‘Only thing keeping us going,’ she says.
Jodie is self-isolating with Joseph, 34, her eight-year-old son Indio — whose father is Argentinian polo player Andrea Vianini — and her nanny Rachel Carpenter, 89.