EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Peacemaker Duke of Marlborough tries to unite Elon Musk and Nigel Farage by inviting billionaire Tesla tycoon to Blenheim Palace

As Elon Musk has turned on former ally Nigel Farage and urged Reform UK to oust him as leader, one of our most prominent aristocrats has stepped in to act as peacemaker.

The Duke of Marlborough, who hosted a banquet in honor of Donald Trump in 2018, has invited Musk to Blenheim Palace to resolve his differences with Farage.

Over the weekend, before the world’s richest man turned on Farage, the Duke, Jamie Spencer-Churchill, told Musk online: ‘Allow me to host a dinner for you and friends at Blenheim Palace as we welcomed Donald Trump. Helping Nigel Farage and reform Britain is invaluable to Britain.”

Despite Musk’s subsequent turn against Farage, the Duke still wants to invite the Tesla tycoon to his ancestral home in Oxfordshire, where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

“I stand by my offer,” says the 69-year-old duke. “Of course I would love to entertain Musk in Blenheim.”

The duke, who supported the reforms in last year’s general election, wants the party to remain close to the incoming US president and his efficiency czar Musk. “It’s important to stay hand in hand with Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” he says.

Musk’s comment that reform “needs a new leader” appears to have been prompted by Farage’s rejection of his proposal to join forces with jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The Duke says he agrees with Farage that Robinson and other ex-members of the British National Party should not join the reform.

He added: ‘Do you want a load of shaven-headed ‘Peaky Blinders’ roaming the country with knives and pitchforks?’

When he threw his support behind Farage’s party last June, he said: ‘I’m voting Reform UK because I won’t vote for Keir Starmer for obvious reasons, and there’s no point in voting for the Tories because they don’t vote. to be back in ten or fifteen years, if that ever happens.”

Leftie Pilger left £3.4 million

He was a hard-left journalist with highly critical views on the influence of America and Britain on the world – but it turns out that John Pilger made a fortune that many capitalists would envy.

Probate documents now reveal that Pilger, who died a year ago aged 84, left more than £3.4million.

Pilger, who grew up in modest circumstances in Australia, left his Tuscan farm – where he reportedly displayed photos of himself with freedom fighters and left-wing despots – to girlfriend Jane Hill.

The proceeds from the sale of his London home would be divided between Hill and his children, Sam and Zoe, and the remainder of his estate between Sam and Hill.

How Richard brightened up his girl’s big day

Richard E Grant, best known as the flamboyant alcoholic who wore a long tweed coat in the film Withnail And I, dug out one of his lesser-known costumes for his daughter Olivia’s 36th birthday.

The actor, 67, wore the purple suit he wore as fictional Spice Girls manager Clifford in the 1997 film Spice World.

Olivia wore a black dress and a ‘Prom Queen’ sash. “Olivia insisted I wear my purple suit,” Grant says of the outfit, which has “been zipped up in the attic for 28 years.”

He adds: ‘I was offered the role when she was eight, and her excitement about meeting the Spice Girls is something I will never forget.’

A manicure marathon? It worked!

Preparing hair and makeup for a red carpet event can take forever – and that’s just for men!

But for Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, it was her extraordinary nails that required an entire afternoon of preparation before the Golden Globe awards.

“This took five hours,” says the 37-year-old actress from south London. “My amazing manicure did it.”

They featured faux diamonds and metallic accents, with each nail sporting a different color with a quartz marble design.

Erivo, who played Elphaba the wicked witch, is known for her nails.

Pop star Lily Allen said: ‘I sat next to Cynthia on a plane and she had the nails. If you’re on business or traveling first class, they bring warm nuts. I watched as Cynthia incredibly unsuccessfully worked her way through this bowl of nuts. I definitely would have fed her the nuts.”

Miranda’s mother is different from the character on her show

Reflecting on the success of her eponymous TV comedy, Miranda Hart insists that her real-life mother, Diana, daughter of the late diplomat Sir William Luce, bears no resemblance to the fictional overbearing version Patricia Hodge plays on the show.

“My poor mother,” she tells Radio 3’s Private Passions. “When the first series came out, she had a bit of a problem with people thinking it was her. But no, my mother doesn’t look down on me or belittle me in that way.”

Hart’s father is Captain David Hart Dyke, a former aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth.

Radcliffe wins £100 million

Daniel Radcliffe may have disowned JK Rowling for her trans views, but the Harry Potter author helped him amass a £100million fortune.

Latest accounts from Gilmore Jacobs, the company to which the 35-year-old actor paid his earnings from starring in the Hogwarts films, show it has accrued £100.4 million before bills.

It reported £64.2m in investments, £4.2m in investment properties, £21.3m in accounts receivable and £10.7m in cash as of March last year.

Schama seemed lost for words with Cliff Richard

Television historian Sir Simon Schama isn’t often lost, but he seemed overwhelmed when interviewing Sir Cliff Richard for his new BBC Two programme, The Story Of Us.

In the opening episode, which airs tomorrow, Schama, 79, tells the pop star, 84: “You were a teen idol of mine. I wanted to be you. Big chance!’

To which Sir Cliff chuckles diplomatically: ‘Ha, ha! Thank God you didn’t make it.’ After Sir Cliff recalls his first hit single, 1958’s Move It – Britain’s first homegrown rock ‘n’ roll success – Schama declares: ‘It was important for kids like me that this could happen in Britain. It was incredibly exciting for us.”