EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Will Bristol University slave trade row engulf Weston family heiress?

She was born into the Weston family, whose plethora of business interests – ranging from Fortnum & Mason to Primark – have propelled them to a fortune of £14.5 billion.

But Kate Hobhouse was able to discover that neither enormous wealth nor financial gestures can prevent even the most benevolent philanthropist from being swept up in the current culture wars.

I can reveal that a £1 million gift to Bristol University from the Garfield Weston Foundation, of which she is a trustee, could drag her into a slave trade feud raging on campus.

The university, of which Kate is an alumna, is engaged in what critics say is a bogus “consultation” on former benefactors’ slavery relations.

It may result in the names of the Fry (chocolate) and Wills (tobacco) families — who did not trade slaves but “benefited from slavery” — being dropped from the university.

Still, Bristol gives the 2023 Alumni Award for ‘Transformative Philanthropy’ to Kate – despite the Hobhouses’ slavery ties.

Kate’s husband, businessman Will Hobhouse, is a scion of the family that has greatly enriched itself through the slave trade – the fortune was established by Isaac Hobhouse and his brother Henry, from whom Will is directly descended.

Their wealth enabled the family to acquire Hadspen House in Somerset, which was sold just a decade ago to South African billionaire Jacobus ‘Koos’ Bekker.

And the award also pays tribute to the Garfield Weston Foundation – despite concerns, the family could be ‘cancelled’ in the future due to Primark ownership.

Ten years ago, a factory belonging to one of the retailer’s suppliers in Bangladesh collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

Kate, 60, declined to comment on whether the University of Bristol will one day ‘cancel’ her.

But her Bristol contemporary James Jackson, co-host of the Bloody Violent History podcast, says: “The university is a slave to madness and hypocrisy. So why not cancel her and her family one day?’

Bristol University says no decisions have yet been made on the ‘consultations on names’ and expresses its gratitude to the Garfield Weston Foundation.

It may seem hard to believe, but Prince William has been president of the Football Association for 17 years. However, the Prince of Wales does not limit himself to just spectating.

Recently, a team of dads had just completed an evening game in one of London’s municipal – but by no means royal – parks when one of the newer players was stunned to see a familiar figure jogging on the Astroturf.

“Wills passed me by,” says one of the fathers. ‘I could not believe it. But according to the rest of the boys, he’s been playing there for a few years.’

The Astroturf presumably resounds in cries of, “On your head!”

Aspinall’s wife is taking a solo stay

While conservationist Damian Aspinall recently set out on a birthday trip to Morocco with ex-girlfriend Donna Air and their daughter Freya, his estranged wife Victoria has made her first solo public appearance since their alleged split.

The glamorous design guru, who married 63-year-old Damian in 2016, attended Veuve Clicquot’s Bold Women Award at the Solaire Culture exhibition at London’s Piccadilly Circus in 2023.

“It’s always a really fun evening, celebrating some really inspiring female founders and women who are creating impact in a wide variety of fields,” the 36-year-old tells me.

Victoria received more than £150,000 from Damian’s charity to design luxury lodges at their safari park in Kent.

Eyebrows went up when 79-year-old Robert De Niro’s 45-year-old girlfriend gave birth last month.

People were equally shocked to discover that Al Pacino’s 29-year-old partner was also pregnant.

De Niro notes of his 83-year-old Heat co-star, “He’s a few years older than me. God bless him.’

Something tells me neither will be changing many diapers…

Back in the spotlight, it’s Lady Amelia

Channeling her inner Bet Lynch of Coronation Street, Lady Amelia Spencer stole the show in a leopard print jumpsuit and matching coat at Selfridges in London.

Princess Diana’s 30-year-old cousin showed her wild side when she attended the launch of designer Robert Cavalli’s summer collection ‘Wild Leda’.

The recently married Lady Amelia, who shows that a leopard does not change their spot, was not far from her twin sister, Lady Eliza, who joined her for the event.

One Spencer not in tow was their father, Earl Spencer, who also missed Amelia’s wedding to fitness coach Greg Mallett in March.

The Royal Family’s lawyer, Sir Matthew Farrer, died last month at the age of 93. Nicknamed the ‘Mr Fix-it’ of the firm, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Sir Leslie Farrer, a private lawyer to Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Matthew has served Her Majesty for 30 years and has handled several high-profile divorces, including the split between Charles and Diana.

It’s no secret that Susannah Constantine has little patience with shabbily dressed people. The former What Not To Wear co-host, 60, is targeting theatergoers who come to shows in their casual clothes.

“Everyone just looks so dirty. They’re wearing sneakers or they’re wearing jeans,” she says in her My Wardrobe Malfunction podcast.

“All the people who made that production worked so damn hard and then you show disrespect by showing up and looking like a piece of shit.”