TALK OF THE TOWN: Bad sports! Newcomers upset old guard at the Princess of Wales’s tennis club

The boorish behavior at the Princess of Wales’s tennis club, which I revealed last week, has been blamed on a ‘clique’ of recent arrivals bypassing the Hurlingham’s notoriously demanding application process.

A disgruntled source tells me that a wave of ‘bullish’ upstarts is disrupting the old order at the club where Prince William and his children George and Charlotte also practice their serves.

With the waiting list closed in 2018, Hurlingham membership is now acquired almost exclusively by inheritance or birth from a current member.

But there is a loophole through which people can be invited to the tennis and cricket teams and become so-called ‘sports members’.

Disgruntled old moneymen blame some of these newcomers for the “slipping decorum” on the tennis courts, where some players unleash a volley of four-letter words, as I reported last week.

And there is wider unease about the ‘aggressive culture of nepotism’ – gaining access to sacred lands by knowing the right people.

Sources tell me that some existing gym members have used their influence to recruit friends.

And once people become sports members, they can enjoy the full offering of the 155-year-old club, including the croquet lawn, gym and swimming pools, along with the beautifully landscaped gardens and views over the Thames.

“Given the huge demand for membership and the fact that applications have closed, it is not surprising that something of a black market for membership has emerged,” one member said.

The Hurlingham, which started as a pigeon shooting club before becoming a general social club in the middle of the last century, was approached for comment but did not respond.

Penelope has no control over Cruz

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem may have been married for fourteen years, but that hasn’t suppressed their passion.

I’m told the Hollywood couple were ‘in love’ during a recent shoot when Penelope, right, photographed Bond villain Javier for Gentleman’s Journal at their Madrid home. I later hear that the couple “disappeared upstairs for an hour.”

They were probably discussing their Christmas plans…

That’s fun…fans pay to look at Tiger’s feet

The daughter of Queen drummer Roger Taylor was busy flogging her press-on nail kits last week.

But how much does Tigerlily Taylor make from her new side job: selling photos of her feet on the adult website OnlyFans?

Under the name ‘Tigertoes’, the 30-year-old offers access to posts titled ‘stockings and heels’ or ‘blue toes in brown mesh shoes’ for $10 (£8) a month.

Her move has provoked some backlash, as she notes: “Men are giving me their opinions on my life decisions… like I asked. They’re just feet! And it’s just an experiment: calm down children!’

A Porchie Pork

It was one of the most scandalous storylines in The Crown – the hint of a romance between the late Queen and her racing manager Lord Porchester, the 7th Earl of Carnavon.

Now Porchie’s son, the current Lord Carnavon, has dismissed claims of an affair for the first time. “That’s way off,” says the owner of Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey was filmed. Their friendship, he emphasizes, ‘was linked to a love of the countryside’.

He adds, “It’s like my great aunt was meant to be Howard Carter’s girlfriend [who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb] and that’s not true either.’

Anais is a loyal listener

You have to admire model Anais Gallagher’s loyalty – the artist she listened to the most on Spotify this year was… her dad Noel!

“Tell me something I fucking don’t know,” the 24-year-old joked about her Spotify Wrapped list – a roundup of subscribers’ favorite songs.

Maybe Anais is just getting reacquainted with the Oasis catalog before her father reunites with his brother Liam for a sold-out tour?

The king has expanded his art collection. Following a Royal Drawing School graduation show this month, a painting by young artist Clover Godsal will be added to the Royal Collection, purchased for at least £2,000.

But where do you hang it? The royals don’t want wall space, but I suggest hanging the post-industrial landscape in Highgrove, the eco-outpost of King’s Gloucestershire.

After a night out in London, rap titans Snoop Dogg and Eminem called into members club Kensington Roof Gardens and asked for a burger. Unfortunately, their A-list credentials got them nowhere as they were told the kitchen staff had gone home. Why didn’t JustEat ad star Snoop order delivery?

David Beckham is a neat freak at home, and his high standards extend to the workplace as well. I was told that the staff in his office are not allowed to use microwaves because he hates the smell of their food.

“Scented candles must be burning and the entire office must be spotless,” says an insider. ‘No coats are allowed on the backs of chairs.’