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With three out of four robberies going unsolved in England and Wales last year, this could be described as something of a Christmas miracle.
I can reveal that four precious bronze sculptures, which were stolen from Jeffrey Archer’s historic home in Cambridgeshire, have been recovered.
“It’s a huge relief,” the best-selling author’s wife, Dame Mary Archer, 80, tells me. “We are delighted.”
Last week I revealed that the works of art, worth tens of thousands of pounds, had been stolen from the back garden of The Old Vicarage in Grantchester at night, while Lord and Lady Archer were sleeping.
They are believed to have been found at a traveler site in neighboring Bedfordshire during a police search.
“We are very grateful for the diligent work of the police,” says Dame Mary. “They’ve done it brilliantly.”
Mary and Jeffrey Archer photographed in London in September 2015. The couple are “delighted” that four bronze sculptures stolen from their home have been recovered.
The artworks, valued at tens of thousands of pounds, were taken from the back garden of The Old Vicarage in Grantchester at night while the couple slept.
The couple’s 17th-century house, which they have owned since 1979, was inhabited by poet Rupert Brooke, who was inspired to compose his ode The Old Vicarage, Grantchester in tribute to its “peace and holy tranquility”.
Lord Archer, whose novels include Honor Among Thieves, did not expect to see his prized sculptures again. “The saddest thing is that, according to the police, the thieves will almost certainly melt down the sculptures and the bronze will be worth only a few hundred pounds,” he told me last week.
However, the works appear to be largely intact. One of them is Oceanides, by Maurice Lambert, which Lord Archer had left in his will to the Tate gallery. “We’re thinking about talking to the Tate to see if they’d like it now,” he tells me. ‘I’m 84, so why wait until after I die?’
The former vicarage was visited by Lord Archer’s late friend Margaret Thatcher every summer for 11 years after she left 10 Downing Street.
In 2006, the Archers commissioned a sculpture of Brooke from Paul Day, which was unveiled by Baroness Thatcher. It is located in front of the old vicarage.
The smart ones are talking about… the daring photos of aristocrat Clemmie’s belly
Clemmie Dugdale shocked her wedding guests this summer when she stripped down to her lingerie at the reception and crushed the cake with her bare hands.
Now, the actress has delighted her friends with a more conventional surprise. She is expecting her first child with her husband Orson Oblowitz, an American filmmaker.
Clemmie, the daughter of Sir William Dugdale, 3rd Baronet, has been showing off her baby bump in photos too racy for a family newspaper. The snaps are believed to have been taken at the family seat, Merevale Hall in Warwickshire.
The actress, 33, who starred in her husband’s film Showdown At The Grand, is the granddaughter of Sir William Dugdale, 2nd Baronet. The late jockey and racing driver, whose nephew was David Cameron, won the Military Cross during the Second World War for bravery under fire.
Clemmie Dugdale stripped down to her lingerie at her wedding reception. Now she is expecting her first child.
Danielle Shares Boy Band Secret
She’s an opera star and the chatelaine of Glyndebourne, but Danielle de Niese could have been a member of Justin Timberlake’s pop group.
The soprano, 45, who appeared in The Merry Widow on BBC Four on Christmas Day, reveals: ‘I turned down the offer to join NSYNC. They wanted a girl in the band. Who knows what it could have been?
The group, made up of men including Timberlake, 43, was formed in 1995. It went on to sell more than 70 million records.
De Niese, who just celebrated the 15th anniversary of her wedding to Gus Christie, chief executive of Glyndebourne Opera in East Sussex, moved to Los Angeles from Australia in 1990.
“I met the producers of a band when I was 14 and they said, ‘We’re forming this band and it’s going to be called NSYNC,'” he tells me. Pop’s loss is opera’s gain.
Danielle de Niese in a Vivienne Westwood dress and Van Cleef jewelry at the opening of ‘Aspects of Love’
Could Kate’s jeweler twin be the new British royal?
Sandringham’s much talked about Christmas guest appears to be taking a cue from the Princess of Wales’ style book.
Yesterday I reported that Eleanor Ekserdjian was allowed to join her boyfriend, Samuel Chatto, 28, at the Royal Family’s festive gathering in Norfolk, sparking rumors that an engagement announcement could be imminent.
Now, the taste for jewelry that Eleanor shares with Catherine has led to more conversations. The London-based artist, 28, was spotted wearing diamond drop earrings that were strikingly similar to ones previously worn by our future queen.
While Catherine’s earrings belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth, it is unclear whether Eleanor’s were a gift from Sam, Princess Margaret’s grandson.
Eleanor’s invitation to Sandringham was due to a rule change introduced by the late queen for Meghan Markle. Meghan was the first person allowed to spend Christmas at Sandringham before marrying into the Royal Family.
Eleanor Ekserdjian was allowed to join her boyfriend Samuel Chatto, 28, at the Royal Family’s Christmas gathering in Norfolk. Pictured: The couple at the National Gallery summer party in June 2022.
While Catherine’s earrings (pictured) belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth, it’s unclear if Eleanor’s were a gift from Sam.
Elton is a Potter fan, runner-up
Daniel Radcliffe has amassed a fortune of almost £100 million and it sometimes seems that he is now defined by having ridiculed JK Rowling for her insistence on conventionally identifying the sexes.
But the man he chose to play Harry Potter has quite different priorities.
Jonny Taylor, who came in second out of 17,000 applicants to become the boy wizard, appears as a guest vocalist on Easy City, “a song of hope for Ukraine” by an artist identified only as Footprint.
“All proceeds will go to the Ukrainian Red Cross,” says Taylor, 38, who lives in a one-bedroom flat in east London.
When he was 20 years old, a motorcycle accident left him unable to walk for 18 months. But during lockdown, one of his songs was acclaimed by none other than Sir Elton John, and last year he played to 3,300 people at London’s Roundhouse, not a single Muggle among them.
Sir Elton John at the 2024 A Year in TIME dinner in New York. The singer is a fan of Jonny Taylor, who came in second place to Daniel Radcliffe to play Harry Potter.
(Very) modern manners
Shoppers who call the London number of royal grocer Fortnum & Mason are surprised to always be greeted by someone with a South African accent.
It turns out that her calls are diverted 8,000 miles from the London store where Queen Camilla was seen doing her Christmas shopping.
A spokesperson says: “We have had teams in the UK and South Africa for years as we aim to provide a brilliant service to our customers.”
I guess they at least keep it in the Commonwealth.
Fortnum and Mason photographed in the run up to Christmas. Shoppers’ calls are being diverted 8,000 miles away to South Africa, the store confirmed.
The National Theater’s Christmas hit is ballet slippers. Among the audience this week was Timothy Combe, 88, director of the BBC’s Bafta-winning 1975 dramatization of Noel Streatfeild’s children’s novel.
He revealed that he was ready to cast 60-year-old Bonnie Langford in the starring role, but decided against it because of her mother, Babette, who is now 94 years old. “Bonnie had immense talent, but her mother was too pushy and not good to have her around.” on set (during) rehearsals,” Combe says.
‘In the end, I chose (Sarah Prince). He’s not that bright of a dancer, but we could work with that.
“Good evening everyone, enjoy these two hours,” Sir Rod Stewart told his fans at the start of a Christmas greatest hits show in Galicia, Spain.
The show actually lasted an hour and 45 minutes, and local critics complained that the star left the stage on several occasions.
Perhaps Sir Rod, who turns 80 next month, simply couldn’t wait to get back to his world-class model railway?
Pat Cash, who was the first Wimbledon champion to celebrate victory by climbing the stands of the All England Club, still knows how to surprise the public.
I heard that Cash, 59, played guitar with two bands, the Rolling Stoics and Chocolate Charlie, at the Putney Lawn Tennis Club Christmas party in London. “He’s a very accomplished musician,” one guest tells me.
Prince Andrew with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York at Royal Ascot in June 2019
Prince Andrew is so embarrassing that he was encouraged not to spend Christmas at Sandringham. But could his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, have found a way to win back the public’s affection?
I heard you might compete on Strictly. “I spoke to her about six weeks ago and (the royal family) sees it,” says former contestant and news presenter Dan Walker.
“It’s probably Fergie (who would do it), or maybe one of her daughters, but it takes a lot of time.”