EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Bond girl desperate for late lover ‘Loins of Longleat’s’ portrait of herself

He was fortunate to inherit the stately Longleat, his stately family seat in Wiltshire, and an extensive estate of over 9,000 acres, after his father died in 2020, aged 87.

But Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, would hardly be human if he did not, from time to time, wish that his late father, Alexander, had lived a little more orthodox.

As it is, almost four years after the late Marquis’ death, Ceawlin is still haunted by the inevitable fractures caused by the man who admitted that he had had 75 lovers (or wives, as he preferred to call them) after their marriage in 1969. with the actress of Hungarian origin Anna Gael, whom he never divorced.

Now, I can reveal that the Longleat balustrades are being rocked by former Bond Girl, Jamaican-born bombshell Sylvana Henriques, several decades after she enjoyed a date with Alexander.

The affair culminated when he painted her portrait and hung it on a staircase along with pictures of his other wives.

He tells me that his attempts to recover the portrait (No. 13 of the 75) have “been ignored”, even though his relationship with Alexander, known as “the Loins of Longleat”, softened into a lasting friendship. until his death. death.

“I’m disappointed,” says Sylvana, who was a top model in the 1960s before her appearance in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, starring George Lazenby as 007.

She adds that, along with her husband, businessman Robert Puddy, she had dinner with Alexander shortly before his last illness. “I was one of the only friends she could trust,” she says. ‘Ceawlin knows I was very close – I was there when he was born at St Mary’s (Hospital) in Paddington. I knew Alexander for 56 years.

His privileged position among the wives was such (a term Sylvana refuses to use) that he enjoyed the use of a cabin on the estate.

He still hopes that one day his portrait will hang in his Somerset bungalow. ‘Surely (Ceawlin) doesn’t need it? It’s probably locked away in a closet somewhere.

The eighth marquess, 49, who is married to former Strictly contestant Emma Thynn, 37, declines to comment.

After taking over the management of Longleat more than a decade ago, he inadvertently angered his father by temporarily removing his ‘Heaven and Hell’ graphic murals.

But Sylvana fears that the fate of her portrait is anything but temporary. “It could have been destroyed,” she says.

The smart team is talking about…

William and Kate check out Teddies in Oxford

While Oundle has been thrust into the spotlight thanks to suggestions that the Prince and Princess of Wales may favor it for Prince George, I can reveal there is another co-educational public school that has caught their attention.

They are £47,000-a-year ‘Teddies’, as St Edward’s School in Oxford is known. Its ‘Guardian’ (director) is the almost incredibly talented Alastair Chirnside. As an Oxford undergraduate, he received a congratulatory prize (awarded perhaps only once in a decade for his exceptional brilliance) in classics and French, and also won a Half-Blue for rowing in the Oxford lightweight team. .

After a spell in the City with blue-chip fund manager Schroders, he moved into teaching and reportedly caught the eye of William and Kate.

“They’ve come to have a look,” a Teddies big man tells me.

Among the school’s extraordinary alumni are Dambusters frontman Guy Gibson and RAF legend Douglas Bader, as well as actor Laurence Olivier and Oppenheimer star Florence Pugh.

Poppy keeps it in the family during dinner with her real ex’s brother

Poppy Delevingne appeared to have cooled her romance with her blue-blooded toyboy, Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark, 25, late last year.

However, it seems that she has remained close to her family. She can be seen sitting next to her brother, Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark, 23, during a group dinner with friends in New York this week. “The Family,” she captioned the image, which she shared online.

In addition to the 12-year age difference between model Poppy, 37, and the Prince, affectionately known as Tino, distance could have been a factor in their split. The Greek royal, godson of the Prince of Wales, moved to Los Angeles last year to attend film school.

Trinny’s girl banishes her anxiety problems

Trinny Woodall has spoken out about the crippling social anxiety her daughter Lyla, 20, suffered after Covid lockdowns.

The former What Not To Wear presenter, 60, says Lyla’s anxiety became evident when she visited Italy. She ‘she called me 30 times a day for three days; “She was chronically vomiting every ten minutes,” Trinny reveals.

His attempts to help Lyla, whose father, businessman Johnny Elichaoff, died in 2014 at age 55, “went from ‘Come on, honey’ to tough love,” he says.

Finally, Trinny traveled to Lyla’s university. “I brought him Post-it notes that said, ‘Get out of bed and move,’ ’99 percent of the things you worry about never happen,’ ‘Don’t pick your spots,'” she tells the Spinning Plates podcast. And she adds: ‘After a month, it was as if I had a different child. She told me that she would be gone until five in the morning. I felt very relieved.’

Could an online romance be on the cards for James Norton following his quiet split from fiancée Imogen Poots? I heard the news of the Happy Valley star, 38, breaking up with actress Poots, 34, late last year, didn’t come as a big surprise to users of the swanky dating app Raya.

“He’s been active there for some time,” a source tells me.

CHOICE OF THE PARTIES

THE OCCASION: The BAFTA Gala 2024 at The Peninsula London hotel

TOGETHER: It’s been almost five years since we last saw Poldark stars Eleanor Tomlinson, 31, and Aidan Turner, 40, playing husband and wife Ross and Demelza in the BBC TV drama.

The couple had a mini reunion at the gala, with Eleanor dressed in a sophisticated black dress, a far cry from her on-screen character.

ACCOMMODATES YOU: Leading the show was actress Celia Imrie, dressed in a white tie suit, which she wore with an elaborate Chanel necklace. The Calendar Girls star, 71, is yet to win a BAFTA, but she still aspires to bigger roles.

She tells me: ‘Most of my roles have been supporting roles and one day I want to dare to be even more.’

LEADING MAN: Rege-Jean Page, 35, who played the handsome Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton, is never short of female attention. He has been in a relationship with editor and part-time soccer player Emily Brown since 2019.

Sandi is a big fan of Toksvig’s masculinity

Sandi Toksvig founded the Women’s Equality Party in 2015, but it appears the QI presenter prefers a male-dominated workplace on her own turf. The Danish broadcaster, 65, and his wife, Debbie, have hired a group of local men to help them restore a 40-acre site of ancient woodland they own near Herne Bay in Kent.

“When we approached this forest, it seemed like too much,” Sandi says. ‘She gave a speech at the town hall and a group of locals gathered. Every Sunday we go out. We call it ”Toksvig masculinity”.

The last seven months have been difficult for Huw Edwards, who remains on leave from the BBC after learning the findings of an investigation into his conduct. He followed claims that he paid a young man for sexual images. But 2023 wasn’t all bad for the BBC’s highest-paid journalist, as the Corporation’s external events record reveals he earned at least £60,500 from hosting, moderating or interviewing at events. Despite being off the air since July, it was one of the BBC’s top earners at these events last year.

(Very) modern manners

Pop star Nicole Scherzinger is worth more than £11million – but she may not have to pay a cent for her wedding reception – if she accepts an offer from Montenegro’s Forte Rose Resort.

Scherzinger, 45, and her fiancé, former Scottish rugby star Thom Evans, 38, have been urged to hold their reception there for free, rather than footing the usual £50,000 bill. The singer said the ceremony will take place in her native Hawaii, while a reception will be held “somewhere in Europe.”