As speculation continues to rage about where Prince George will be educated, news reaches me of another royal parent scouting elite private schools. Sources tell me Princess Beatrice was seen at Eton College earlier this month, eyeing a potential school for her stepson Wolfie, now ten.
It raises the possibility of him being at the all-boys school at the same time as his second cousin George, who is being tipped to go there in his father's footsteps. That possibility seems closer after rumours an Eton boarding house has been redecorated to accommodate George's security staff spread on parents' WhatsApp groups.
Eton will be handy for Bea, 37, as it is just over an hour from the £3.5 million Cotswolds mansion she shares with her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, who is Wolfie's father, and their daughters Sienna, four, and Athena, one. Wolfie, who Bea calls her 'bonus son', is already at school in the UK after his mother, Florida-born architect Dara Huang, feared for his safety in the US amid a spate of school shootings.
Earlier this month, the Prince of Wales was spotted at £60,000-a-year Oundle school, Northamptonshire, prompting rumours George, 12, may be heading there when he leaves Lambrook prep school in Berkshire in the summer. But some now say the visit was actually about his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, 11, who is also at Lambrook with George and Prince Louis, eight. Other possibilities for George are his mother's alma mater, Marlborough College, or London's Highgate or University College schools.
Trinny's in Bloom as She Scoops Gold
Congratulations to Trinny Woodall who won gold at Chelsea In Bloom, the free flower festival which runs alongside Chelsea Flower Show and sees 145 local businesses transform their shopfronts with floral displays. The founder of Trinny London, 62, decorated her King's Road store with a giant sun and tarot cards made from dried flowers. 'There's nothing I enjoy more than going down the King's Road during Chelsea In Bloom, especially when we won gold and the store is so bright,' she fizzed. 'The concept behind Trinny London's tarot card display was to invite people to find their strength and celebrate their inner light, and I have felt that energy from every member of our community I have met this week.'
Shaken, Not Stirred
Does Ralph Fiennes want to be the next Bond? He certainly shares some similar traits with Ian Fleming's 007 – one of which is droning on about how he likes his martini. 'I like Tanqueray gin, kept in the freezer, and the glass should be rinsed with vermouth,' he says. Just like Bond, Fiennes, 63, is fixed in his beliefs and is utterly horrified by singer Jessie Ware's martini recipe which includes a blue cheese olive. 'That is blasphemy. Heresy. Cheese in a martini? Gross.'
Rivals Aim to Romp to No 1
Move over Slade – the Rivals cast are targeting the Christmas No 1 spot. Details of the ballad are under wraps but I imagine there will be mention of horses and debauchery – essential features in the Disney+ bonkbuster. Meanwhile Alex Hassell, pictured with co-star Bella Maclean, revealed he nearly wasn't cast as Rupert Campbell-Black because he's not blond like the character in the book.
Ab Fab in the Garden
Dame Joanna Lumley has taken a sly punt at the TikTok generation for suddenly finding health benefits in gardening. 'It's become very vogue-ish to say gardening is good for your mental health,' sniffed the Ab Fab star, right, at Chelsea Flower Show. 'But it's been that way for years. For centuries, since time began. Don't spend time inside looking at screens and wondering why you're unhappy. Get gardening.'
A Piece of Cake for Baker Claire
As Harry and Meghan toasted their anniversary last week by recreating their wedding cake, the baker behind the lemon and elderflower masterpiece says it took a small army to assemble. 'It took six of us five days,' says Claire Ptak, left, of Violet Cupcakes. 'It was placed next to Elton John's piano and was lanced with Harry's sword.'
Foot Fault!
I know the members of Princess Diana's former tennis club, The Harbour Club in Chelsea, are well-heeled – but that doesn't mean you're allowed to wear stilettos on the court. One woman has been posting videos of herself hitting a ball from the base line in high heels that have wreaked havoc with the all-weather court. 'It's outrageous,' one member of the £3,900 a year club tells me. 'She is bringing down the reputation of the club.'
