JCB scion Mark Bamford is working to try to save his favorite restaurant, which has been a London landmark since the Swinging Sixties.
The Polynesian-themed Trader Vic’s, at the Hilton on Park Lane, Mayfair, has been attracting the rich and famous, including the Beatles, since 1963, but the American hotel chain is vacating it at the end of this month.
Rhett Rosen, CEO of Trader Vic’s Worldwide, says Hilton has “decided to renew,” adding, “I wanted to say from the bottom of my heart how much we appreciate and love you.”
Mark, whose billionaire brother Lord (Anthony) Bamford runs the JCB excavator company, tells me: ‘I’ve been a guest at the restaurant since 1965, when I was first taken there with my late parents. Now they make me believe that I am their oldest guest.
Trader Vic’s South Pacific theme bar, Park Lane Hilton, 22 Park Lane, London W1
JCB scion Mark Bamford is working to try to save his favorite restaurant, which has been a London landmark since the 1960s.
‘I, and many others, see this decision as totally rude. It is certainly an institution and part of the establishment.’ Bamford, 71, adds: “Trader Vic’s has amazing decor and I’ve already told the manager that if they sell, I’d like to buy it.” But I really hope it doesn’t come to that. It wouldn’t make any sense for it to close. This decision seems so shortsighted.
Racing driver Sir Stirling Moss was a regular, along with James Bond stars Sir Roger Moore and Sir Sean Connery. 007 producers Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had an office nearby.
More than 6,000 people have already signed a petition asking the hotel to reverse its decision.
A Hilton spokesman declined to comment.
Sienna’s older sister is getting married for the second time
Wedding dress designer Savannah Miller has to wear a wedding dress for the second time.
The sister of Hollywood star Sienna Miller exchanged vows over the weekend at St Peter’s Church in Petersham, southwest London.
Her boyfriend was James Whewell, the 41-year-old heir to the 800-acre Wyresdale Park Estate in Lancashire.
“The most magical day,” says Amelia Warner, wife of Fifty Shades of Gray star Jamie Dornan, who was among the guests. The reception was held at Petersham Nurseries, the celebrated restaurant nearby.
Savannah, 43, who wore one of her own creations, has three children with ex-husband Nick Skinner, a Devon bushcraft teacher.
Savannah Miller on her wedding day this weekend
Savannah Miller and Sienna Miller The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit Celebrating the Opening of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, Arrivals, New York, USA – May 07, 2018
Savannah Miller’s wedding in this social media post
A little hero for a real friend
Princess Charlotte’s godfather, Thomas van Straubenzee, is too busy to watch the new Prince Harry and Meghan Netflix series.
I can reveal that your wife, Lucy, has just given birth to their first child.
“He’s a healthy boy and he weighed 9 lb 8 oz,” one of his friends tells me. They have named him Albert, with his middle name Fenwick, after Thomas’s great-uncle, Major Ian Fenwick, who was an SAS hero in World War II.
Lucy is a teacher at Thomas’s, the London schools Princess Charlotte and her older brother Prince George attended before the family moved to Berkshire in September. Knight Frank real estate agent Thomas also has a two-year-old daughter, Mary, with Lucy.
Em’s humor dress ticks all the boxes.
Everyone is up for talking about their emotions these days, but Oscar winner Emerald Fennell has them emblazoned on her dress.
The Call The Midwife star, 37, turned up to a party at the Chelsea studio of her jeweler father, Theo Fennell, wearing a vintage Moschino dress with the message “How are you feeling?” written on it.
Next was a list of options including ‘scared’, ‘in love’ and ‘old fashioned’.
Novelist Kathy Lette, pictured on the right with Emerald’s sister Coco, 34, on the far right, quips: “If diving headfirst into mulled wine leaves us too drunk to speak, we can point out our feelings about Em’s magical mood dress.”
MY MOM! has grossed more than £3 billion in stage productions around the world, but Monty Python star John Cleese turned down the chance to write his own ABBA musical.
Benny Andersson from the Swedish group recalls: ‘We met John Cleese in Barbados. We said, ‘We’re thinking of writing a musical about New Year’s Eve. Would you be interested in writing the book for that?’ He said no!’ We got no further with that idea.
Justin Hawkins from The Darkness performing on stage during the Thundergong! Benefit concert at the Uptown Theater on November 12, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri
The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins says he insisted that the lyrics sung by a children’s choir in his holiday hit, Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End), were non-negotiable.
‘What was important to me was ‘end of bells’ and ‘ring in peace’. Ok, they’re almost rude. A win for the childish humor surely appreciated by the Hatcham College Aske Choir of the Haberdashers.
NEVER make the mistake of thinking that the world of entertainment is friendly. “The thing people like to tell each other about show business is that we all get along, we’re all friends, it’s all one big house of fun,” says comedian Al Murray. And obviously it is not.
The Pub Landlord star adds: “One of my daughters is in drama school and there’s a part of me that thinks, ‘Maybe I’ll reconsider and become an accountant.'”
SUE BARKER has been besieged with offers to appear on reality shows.
“I’ve said no to every one of them: strictly and I’m a celebrity,” says the 66-year-old. ‘I’m terrified of making a complete idiot of myself.’ She adds, “I don’t know how to dance and I don’t like spiders.”