With its immense 'Double Cube' room filled with priceless Van Dycks and opulent State Rooms dotted with Rembrandts, it is no wonder that Wilton House, the ancestral seat of the Earl of Pembroke in Wiltshire, has featured in film and television productions from the Madness Of King George. to De Kroon.
But the next appearance could take place in a completely different and grim genre: that of true crime.
This surprising possibility is the result of a decapitation way back in 2007, in a garden about 1,200 miles from Wilton – in Rome, to be precise.
The head in question came from a mercilessly lifeless body: that of a beautiful marble statue of Bonus Eventus, the Roman god of fortune.
Before the beheading it was 6 feet tall. And until it was sold by the 15th Earl of Pembroke in 1961, it had stood in Wilton for over 200 years, following its acquisition by the 8th Earl in the 18th century.
Before the beheading it was 6 feet tall. And until it was sold by the 15th Earl of Pembroke in 1961, it had stood in Wilton for over 200 years, following its acquisition by the 8th Earl in the 18th century.
The discovery was made even more remarkable by the fact that the catalog in question came from 'The Sculpture Collection of Wilton House'. Somehow the head of Bonus Eventus had 'gone home' (photo Wilton House)
The distraught owners alerted the police in Rome. But whoever cut off the head was never caught; nor did its owners – the same family that bought it from Wilton – have any idea where the head was located. Until now.
Italian dealers, who later bought the mutilated statue, recently put it up for sale for £850,000. Before doing so, they researched its history – and came across a photo of the head in a catalog published in 2020. The author of the catalogue, Professor Peter Stewart, of the University of Oxford, is not authorized to comment. “I'm afraid I'll just have to refer you to Wilton House,” he tells me.
But the Estate Office tells me that they too are 'not allowed to comment'.
However, I understand that the head was reacquired by Wilton in 2011 after it surfaced at auction in Cologne and was listed as coming from a 'French private collection'.
I look forward to the head hackers being exposed soon.
Oppenheimer's standout stars have been reunited
They play love rivals in the blockbuster Oppenheimer, but Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh are best friends off-screen.
Pugh, 27, seemed excited to attend a screening of Christopher Nolan's film at the Princess Anne Theater in London with Blunt, 40.
Pugh, 27, seemed excited to join Blunt, 40, at a screening of Christopher Nolan's film at London's Princess Anne Theater
It was the first event since the end of the Hollywood strikes. In July, the film's stars were forced to leave their London premiere early to avoid breaking strike rules.
“Unfortunately, they're going to write their picket signs,” director Nolan told appalled guests.
Star Trek captain Sir Patrick Stewart's wife, Sunny Ozell, may be 39 years younger than him, but the American singer is gaining more and more inches on him.
The Shakespearean actor, 83, admits he is heading boldly downhill and losing two inches in height.
“I don't know how on earth it got to this point,” laments the Yorkshireman. “My wife, who is considerably younger than me, has said, 'Well, you're getting older, you're shrinking.' I'm shrinking? When will it stop?'
Alison's steamy kiss with sex bomb Tom
It's not unusual for Sir Tom Jones to get a little excited while filming a love scene…
The It's Not Unusual singer stars alongside Alison Steadman and Brenda Blethyn in the film King Of The Teds
“We did a TV game together and played husband and wife,” says Alison Steadman of their 2012 Sky Arts comedy King Of The Teds. “We did this kiss and I thought, 'Oh, my God, I have to kiss Tom Jones .' We did it again, and Tom got out of bed and said, “Well, I don't know about you, Alison, but I'm feeling a little horny.”
Speaking about her career at cabaret bar The Crazy Coqs in London, the Gavin & Stacey star, 77, adds to the singer, 83, whose wife of 59 years, Linda, died in 2016: 'Please don't think for a second that he's everything did what was wrong. He was the nicest man and was kind. But we did have a long, long kiss.”
Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood's ex-wife Jo found herself in hot water when officials from her council made a site visit to look at the converted barn and found an unauthorized pond and pontoon.
The former model, 68, caused a row with a neighbor who accused her of using them as a swimming pool and diving board. And the furious resident claimed it had caused a stink to another neighbor after an excavator excavating the pond smashed through a sewer pipe.
Jo used excavated soil from the pond to build an unauthorized 8-foot earth 'bund' to block the view of adjacent farm buildings. Conservationists at the council said the unauthorized development is 'encroaching' on the rural setting of her Grade II listed farm in Northamptonshire. West Northamptonshire Council officials granted retrospective permission for the pond, but ordered Jo to demolish the embankment within six months.
Surrey is a bit wild for a lovely couple
Chris Robshaw recently left South London with his wife, classical singer Camilla Kerslake, but the former England rugby captain appears to be finding it difficult to cope with life in rural Surrey.
Chris Robshaw recently left South London with his wife, classical singer Camilla Kerslake, but the former England rugby captain appears to be finding life in rural Surrey difficult.
'In London things are constantly open, [but] When we went to grab a late bite around 3 p.m., there was no food anywhere,” he tells me about their new home. 'I could not believe it.' Camilla, 35, who sang at A Captain's Christmas carol concert in aid of their Kerslake Robshaw Foundation, trills: 'I can't get good Uber Eats or deliveries.'
However, 37-year-old Robshaw has no regrets about leaving the capital: 'We are happy that we have moved. In Wandsworth our garden was the size of a car park.'
All-American girl Dolly Parton has emerged as an Anglophile and royalist, recalling the first time she ever went abroad was to London for a country music festival.
The 77-year-old singer even visited Buckingham Palace and toured stately homes.
She remembers: 'I loved England. I couldn't believe such a world existed. Imagine if we read about the kings and queens in books. I loved all that royal stuff. I was always impressed by the robes and jewelry; the stories were like fairy tales to me.' Time for a private concert for King Charles?
(Very) modern manners
Never your stereotypical historian, the heavily tattooed Dan Jones considered having his face inked.
The Cambridge-educated television presenter, 42, was ultimately dissuaded by Dr Matt Lodder, an expert on the history of tattoos.
'And my old friend and mentor, Dr David Starkey, wasn't impressed either, he tells me at Hatchards Christmas Customer Evening in London.
'I was serious about my face, but I changed my mind.'
Napoleon was angered by the expenses of Josephine, who threw lavish parties at the Tuileries Palace and bought exotic animals such as kangaroos and ostriches for their Malmaison home.
Now Vanessa Kirby, who plays the French Empress in Sir Ridley Scott's big-screen epic, is building a war chest of her own. The actress has reported a profit of £1 million from Aluna Vision, through which she channels her income.
The latest profit is reported for the year to February and has taken the company's total profits to £1.5m.