Boris Johnson is not the only one at 10 Downing Street who’s left his wife and courted a vivacious younger woman.
I hear that one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted aides, Andrew Parsons, has divorced his wife and is enjoying a romance with Sky’s royal correspondent, Rhiannon Mills.
Indeed, so enraptured is the PM’s chief photographer Parsons, 47, that he’s posted a snap on social media, showing a beaming Mills sitting on his lap, and captioning it: ‘Great night of celebration at the Platinum Jubilee’.
Lest there is any misunderstanding about his marital status, he stresses that his marriage to writer Karen Attwood, 48, with whom he exchanged vows in 2007, is over. ‘I am divorced,’ he assures me.
The PM’s chief photographer Parsons, 47, posted a snap on social media, showing a beaming Mills sitting on his lap, and captioning it: ‘Great night of celebration at the Platinum Jubilee’
Matters are slightly less clear-cut for Mills, 42, to whom Prince Harry memorably opened his heart while on a tour to New Zealand in 2015, telling her that he would ‘of course’ love to ‘have kids right now’ and marry someone to ‘share the pressure with’.
She acknowledges that she is still married to Dan Jordan, though she emphasises that the marriage has run its course. ‘I have been separated from my husband for some time,’ she tells me.
The new couple are assured of Boris’s blessing, not least because of the affection in which he holds Parsons, who enjoys the status — and salary — of a special adviser.
One friend tells me he ‘is practically part of the Johnson family — he drives Carrie around the country in his Range Rover’.
I hear that one of the Prime Minister’s most trusted aides, Andrew Parsons, has divorced his wife and is enjoying a romance with Sky’s royal correspondent, Rhiannon Mills
He is also entrusted with taking photographs at Johnson family events, and has remarked that he ‘gets on’ with the PM, ‘more so than [other politicians]’.
Neither Parsons nor Mills discuss whether they envisage marrying or if they hope to have children — Parsons is already a father — or where their paths crossed.
But that might well have been on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 2019 tour of South Africa, which both covered.
On that tour, Mills asked Harry what he hoped to achieve, only for the Prince to respond angrily.
Later, Mills ruefully reflected: ‘I had basically kicked the wasps’ nest.’
Lilibet’s cake is fit for a queen
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s spin doctors announced that they had invited close friends and family to an ‘intimate backyard picnic’ to celebrate their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday at Frogmore Cottage, Windsor, last Saturday.
However, Prince Harry and Meghan made sure that the toddler was presented with a birthday cake grand enough for a wedding.
Last night, the baker Claire Ptak, who runs London-based Violet Cakes, shared this photograph of her creation.
‘It was an absolute pleasure to make this special cake for Lilibet’s birthday,’ she says. ‘Wishing her a very happy year ahead.’
Last night, the baker Claire Ptak, who runs London-based Violet Cakes, shared this photograph of her creation
Rocker Roger Daltrey, who once sang about hoping to die before he got old, now wants to raise a glass to his golden years.
I hear the 78-year-old hopes to open a cider mill on his 580-acre East Sussex estate, which lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
He’s applied to Rother District Council for permission for a 30m x 18m six-bay steel-framed building to house the brewery, including an area for deliveries and collections.
Rocker Roger Daltrey, who once sang about hoping to die before he got old, now wants to raise a glass to his golden years
Tennis star: My book’s rubbish!
Tennis ace turned commentator John Lloyd says he bitterly regrets agreeing to a joint autobiography, Lloyd On Lloyd, with his then wife, Chris Evert. Their co-author was Margaret Thatcher’s daughter, Carol.
‘I was in a bad place in my marriage, my tennis and my life in general at the time and got suckered into taking part in this frankly terrible idea,’ he says in his new book, Dear John.
‘I went with the flow, when it was actually such a stupid thing to do. My ranking had slumped, I was half-retired, thinking I should support Chrissie’s career and loathing myself for letting my career go when in my prime years.’
There was, however. one consolation. ‘The only positive thing to come out of the whole sorry saga was that my mother and father were able to visit 10 Downing Street and meet Margaret Thatcher. For my dad especially, this was a dream come true.’
Hand-in-hand, Harry’s house hunt with lover
In his No 1 hit As It Was, he sings about being ‘no good alone’, and it seems that Harry Styles is making sure he has a love nest to share with his American girlfriend, the actress Olivia Wilde.
The former One Direction star, 28, was seen closely examining the details of homes for sale in the window of an estate agent’s in North London.
The couple were on a romantic stroll, hand-in-hand, in the evening, so couldn’t enter the shop to discuss any potential purchases.
Styles, who has had acting roles in films including Dunkirk, has an estimated fortune of £100 million.
He’s been going out with Wilde, 38, for more than a year after they met on the set of Don’t Worry Darling, a film she directed.
She has two young children with her former fiance, the Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis.
In his No 1 hit As It Was, he sings about being ‘no good alone’, and it seems that Harry Styles is making sure he has a love nest to share with his American girlfriend, the actress Olivia Wilde
The former One Direction star, 28, was seen closely examining the details of homes for sale in the window of an estate agent’s in North London
The couple were on a romantic stroll, hand-in-hand, in the evening, so couldn’t enter the shop to discuss any potential purchases
Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, was asked to fill in for her and review the Chelsea Pensioners at the Royal Hospital Founder’s Day parade on Thursday.
‘Asking me to stand in for my wife at an event like this is a bit like asking Mrs Harry Kane to lead the England football team out or possibly to take a penalty for England, as her husband did the night before last,’ he admitted to assembled guests.
‘I don’t know Mrs Kane. For all I know, she may well have a very strong right foot, but in any case, I’m sure she’d do her best, and so will I.’ Back of the net!
Kidd sisters race around the Med
Since make-up artist Jemma Kidd split up with her husband, the Marquess of Douro, in 2020, she’s been having a racy time, riding pillion on jet skis in the Caribbean with billionaire Arpad ‘Arki’ Busson, 59.
Now, Jemma, 47, is revving things up even further. She’s joined her sister, the model turned pub landlady Jodie Kidd, on a four-day charity car rally from Barcelona to Florence.
‘Can we just have an appreciation of how bloody spectacular this car is,’ gushes Jodie, 43. ‘It’s a 3-litre V6 hybrid from Ferrari and it goes from 0 to 60mph in 2.9 seconds. It’s blown my little socks off.’
Since make-up artist Jemma Kidd split up with her husband, the Marquess of Douro, in 2020, she’s been having a racy time, riding pillion on jet skis in the Caribbean with billionaire Arpad ‘Arki’ Busson, 59
Now, Jemma, 47, is revving things up even further. She’s joined her sister, the model turned pub landlady Jodie Kidd, on a four-day charity car rally from Barcelona to Florence
Royal children’s favourite designer quits High Street
Princess Charlotte established her credentials as the most precocious fashion icon in the land when she was photographed in a floral print dress designed by Rachel Riley last year.
She inspired such frenzied buying that it sold out in 12 hours, becoming the fastest-selling item in the brand’s 25-year history.
But that has not dissuaded Riley from closing her flagship store in London’s Marylebone. ‘We have decided to move online as a cost-saving measure,’ an insider tells me, acknowledging the aftershocks caused by lockdowns. ‘It just didn’t make economic sense to maintain the shop.’
A spokesman for Riley, who also designed the vivid red shorts worn by Prince George, explains buying online ‘and having everything delivered has been invaluable for busy parents’.
Princess Charlotte established her credentials as the most precocious fashion icon in the land when she was photographed in a floral print dress designed by Rachel Riley last year
A spokesman for Riley, who also designed the vivid red shorts worn by Prince George, explains buying online ‘and having everything delivered has been invaluable for busy parents’
