Princess Beatrice could be forgiven for feeling disappointed with her grandmother yesterday, after her father was dramatically cast out of the Royal Family.
The mother of Bea's stepson was, however, singing the praises of the Queen. Dara Huang, who was previously engaged to the Princess's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, posed proudly next to a portrait of the monarch after being granted British citizenship yesterday.
'I'm so proud to be British,' Dara enthuses. 'Thank you for taking me into your country.'
Dara Huang, who was previously engaged to the Princess's husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, posed proudly next to a portrait of the monarch after being granted British citizenship yesterday
The 39-year-old American-born architect clutched her certificate after the citizenship ceremony, which is thought to have been held at Kensington town hall in West London.
Dara hasn't just been welcomed into this country, but has been embraced by the Queen's granddaughter. Dara shares custody of her son, Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, with Bea's husband.
The Princess has become so close to Wolfie that she was recently seen wearing a necklace with his initial 'W'. And she let him act as best man at her wedding, even though he was only four years old at the time.
It made him the youngest person in history to have performed a role at a British royal wedding. The lockdown ceremony was held at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park in 2020, with the Queen and Prince Philip among the congregation.
'I'm so proud to be British,' Dara enthuses. 'Thank you for taking me into your country.'
Dara, who was recently featured in Channel 4's new property programme Britain's Most Expensive Houses, is so close to her former fiance, Edo, that she relocated her London office in 2020 from Clerkenwell to the same Kensington building where he bases his property development company.
Dara, whose maternal grandfather emigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan, says she's hugely grateful to Britain. 'It's further proof that dreams do come true,' she says. 'Thank you Britain and everything you stand for.'
Pippa and pals run away to the circus
THE OCCASION: The premiere of Cirque Du Soleil’s Luzia at the Royal Albert Hall.
PICKING UP NEW MOVES: Pippa Middleton seemed enchanted by the contemporary circus show. A fan of flexible yoga stretches and difficult balancing poses, could the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister be tempted to join the circus?
YOUNG AT HEART: Sir David Jason, 81, attended with his daughter, Sophie Mae, 20, who showed off her colourful hair. The Only Fools And Horses star previously said he isn’t ‘mentally’ in his 80s. ‘I’m still 35 and still have that attitude of mind, if you like.’
OVERHEATING: Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith’s husband, retired fashion designer John Playfair, 74, appears relieved their marriage has settled down. He tells me: ‘The first three months were very intense because we were sh***ing all the time.’
GIRLS NIGHT OUT: Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson was joined at the hip with a friend. Her boyfriend, rugby’s Will Owen, was nowhere to be seen. The couple haven’t been photographed together since last November and it appears Tomlinson, 29, has removed all photos of them from her Instagram page. Her spokesman insists they’re still together . . .
Colourful crowd: Sophie Mae and her dad Sir David.
Back in black: Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson and pal at the premiere
For a pop star trying to boost their property portfolio and their glowing image in the Press, buying large swathes of land to ‘rewild’ is a no-brainer. So it’s no wonder Ed Sheeran has vowed to buy up as much land as possible in order to ‘return it to nature’.
But I hear he has annoyed the landed gentry, who feel that townie Ed, who lives between Notting Hill and Suffolk, is meddling in matters he knows nothing about.
Jake Fiennes, who runs the Earl and Countess of Leicester’s estate in Norfolk, has gone public, slamming Sheeran as a ‘misguided influencer’ after the Shape Of You singer said he wanted to offset his carbon emissions by buying ‘as much land as possible’ and planting lots of trees.
Sheeran is ‘someone who sits out of those nature circles, isn’t involved in the conversation’ and needs expert advice before he starts rewilding swathes of England, Fiennes tells me.
‘It’s very fashionable. Those people who have sufficient funds and want to do the best thing — they need to take advice on how to do it properly rather than just jumping in.’
The Queen has been known to join the New Year’s Day shoot at the Holkham estate Fiennes manages.
He has offered his skills to Sheeran, saying: ‘I’d love to advise him.’
Toff backs cryptocurrency outfit mired in controversyWith her golden hair, beaming smile and chatty demeanour, Georgia Toffolo is the ideal
