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Prince Harry was in top form at a party at an art gallery in New York last week to celebrate the launch of a fundraising exhibition for his African children’s charity Sentebale.
Behind the scenes, I hear, there have been major changes in the organization he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006.
This week, Richard Miller resigned as CEO of Sentabale after five years in the role.
Her departure follows that of Baroness Chalker, Minister for Overseas Development, who resigned as director last month.
It was the latest blow for the Duke of Sussex’s organisation, which lost advertising king Johnny Hornby last year. He resigned after 11 years as administrator, five of which were spent as president.
Last month, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew Tucker, who Harry affectionately calls ‘Tucks’, had left his senior role at Sentebale after almost a decade.
In another sign that Harry and his wife, Meghan, are cutting ties with Britain, Miller will be the latest London-based chief executive of Sentebale, which means “forget me not” in Sesotho.
The charity says Miller, 62, will be replaced by an interim chief executive, Carmel Gaillard. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, he has been asked to carry out a “strategic transformation” of the charity.
Nacho Figueras, Dr Sophie Chandauka, President of Sentebale, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Richard Miller, CEO of Sentebale, attend the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Washington
Richard Miller resigned as CEO of Sentabale this week after five years in the role.
It has evolved from supporting children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana to addressing broader issues of “youth health, wealth inequality and climate resilience”.
“This change reflects our continued commitment to be guided by the voices of the region we serve,” Princes Harry and Seeiso said in a joint statement. “We sincerely thank Richard for his instrumental role in leading our organization toward this important evolution.”
Miller says: ‘It is the next logical step for Sentebale and the time is right for this shift towards local leadership. Carmel is an incredible asset to further position Sentebale as a leader in the region.”
The secret behind Strictly Nadiya’s bright smile
Her dances earn perfect scores, but Nadiya Bychkova’s crooked teeth left her so insecure that she sought straightening treatment.
Called Invisalign, it is an alternative to metal braces. “I wore them for 18 weeks,” the Strictly Come Dancing star tells me at shoe designer Aruna Seth’s Christmas party at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel in Knightsbridge.
Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova at Aruna Seth’s Christmas party at the Jumeirah Carlton Town Hotel in London
“At first I was worried about having it because if you do something to move your teeth, it can change your face.” Nadiya, 35, who recently had her braces removed, says the treatment had some benefits: “I actually loved wearing them because I couldn’t eat snacks and I could only drink water because otherwise you’d have to take everything off.”
The Ukrainian, whose dance partner, swimmer Tom Dean, was the first celebrity eliminated from this series, adds: “It’s now a ritual where I have to sleep in a brace every night. “I’m quite disciplined about it.
Wintour blesses the devil
It shocked fashion circles when UK Vogue gave a glowing review of the new West End musical, The Devil Wears Prada. The show is inspired by Lauren Weisberger’s novel that was made into a blockbuster movie starring Meryl Streep as monstrous editor Miranda Priestly.
Weisberger reportedly based the character on his former boss Anna Wintour, who attended the show’s opening night last week.
The review written by one of Wintour’s longtime lieutenants, Hamish Bowles, global editor of Vogue, tellingly notes: “Working at Vogue, I was kissed with absolute magic.
Anna Wintour attends the world premiere of ‘The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical’ at the Dominion Theater on December 1
“But it turns out that it was very far from the world of Runway (the fictional magazine from The Devil Wears Prada).”
However, Vogue’s stilettos tread carefully in the review: Weisberger and the film’s stars Streep and Anne Hathaway are not mentioned.
Notting Hill Set fights the battle of the sweets
Wealthy residents of west London boroughs including Kensington and Notting Hill are locked in an “arms race” to have the most lavish Christmas decorations. That’s the opinion of real estate agent Charles Erwin.
“Neighborhoods and streets are completely transformed,” he says on Winkworth’s Property Exchange podcast.
‘It’s a competition between each house and the next. And you can actually tell where they have hired people at professional companies to do the decorations for them.
And every year it gets bigger and bigger. There are wreaths, lots of greenery, flowers decorating the columns, toy soldiers and moving lights.’
Paloma’s faith in love recovered
Pop star Paloma Faith’s split from French artist Leyman Lahcine was the inspiration for her album The Glorification Of Sadness, released this year.
However, she may soon have more edifying material as I can reveal that she is dating a mystery man. “I think I’m ready to find love again,” she tells me at a fashion event in London. ‘I’ve met someone. He’s really nice and I’m hoping it can work.’
The singer, 43, previously said their split was due to the pressure of raising her two daughters. “Our relationship ended because we have those children,” she said. “And I think it was worth it.”
Faith paid for a roadside sign in Lahcine to be plastered with his image, explaining: “So I hope he looked at me every day and said, ‘shit’.”
Paloma Faith arrives at Westminster Abbey The Royal Foundation Carol Service: Together at Christmas on December 6
Star Stacey steals the show
Let’s hope the BBC’s Gavin and Stacey Christmas special is really, as advertised, the end. Actress Joanna Page says she cleaned the set when the cameras stopped rolling.
‘I have all of Stacey’s costumes from the final episode, all her shoes and her jewelry. Additionally, I took a framed painting from Stacey and Gwen’s house, and I also took this glass ornamental duck, which is a decoration on Stacey’s sideboard in the living room.
Talk about taking your work home.
Joanna Page and Mathew Horne in Gavin and Stacey: The Finale
Andi Oliver: Don’t be too ‘melodramatic’ about the Wallace scandal
Andi Oliver, tipped to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef, believes the controversy surrounding his behavior has been blown out of proportion. “The thing to do is not to be too melodramatic,” he tells me.
‘Gregg Wallace is not the only person who has been given license to behave inappropriately.
Gregg Wallace’s potential MasterChef replacement has said viewers should not be “too melodramatic” about the controversy surrounding his behaviour.
“And for everyone to pretend that he’s some kind of lone wolf is disingenuous and a little ridiculous, actually.”
Oliver, 61, adds: “Instead of talking about it, we should make sure environments are good, productive and safe spaces for people to work.”