Her mother Margaret, Duchess of Argyll was shunned by the aristocracy after details of her lurid divorce – the most sensational of the 1960s – became known to the public, who were both appalled and transfixed by every revelation.
By contrast, Frances, Duchess of Rutland, adhered unwaveringly to the aristocratic code, as is made radiantly apparent in her will, published nine months after her death aged 86.
Frances, as beautiful in her youth as her mother had been, was known as ‘Frosty’ and was often aloof from the family. When her husband, Charles, the 10th Duke, holidayed in Ibiza, ‘she never came,’ I’m told.
But far from disinheriting her family or succumbing to the fashion of dividing her £5.6million estate equally between her three offspring, the Duchess drew up a will that would not be out of place in the pages of Jane Austen.
According to probate documents, Frances made a specific bequest to her only daughter, Lady Theresa, known in her exuberant 20s as lead singer of The Business Connection.
Long since married and a mother of two, Theresa, 61, was left £5,000.
Duchess of Argyle and daughter Frances Sweeny, the Duchess of Rutland, 1955
David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland at his home, Belvoir Castle in Lincolnshire
Frances Sweeny, Duchess of Rutland with her son David manners, the Marquis of Granby
The same sum goes to a slew of Frances’s grandchildren, including socialite Lady Violet Manners and her sisters Lady Alice and Lady Eliza. They are the daughters of Frances’s elder son, David, 11th Duke of Rutland, who lives in one wing of the family seat, Belvoir Castle, while his wife Emma entertains her lover, Phil Burtt, the estate manager, in another.
There were other individual bequests: ‘To my Head Housemaid [Mrs Dorothy Plowright] the sum of £2,000,’ stipulated Frances. Another, of £1,000, was to Mrs Osborne, ‘the widow of my former chauffeur’, while £10,000 was allotted to a Stephen Mellor, ‘together with any dog I may own at the date of my death’.
But most of what remained was to be held in trust for her son David’s eldest son and heir, Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby, 25.
When I ask the Duke if he is surprised his mother did not share her vast estate with his sister and brother, he tells me: ‘Not at all.’
Mama Musk is a red-hot style icon
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk may not be considered part of the fashionable crowd, but his mother, Maye, is bang on trend.
The model and author, 76, made a red-hot appearance with pop superstar Rihanna during designer Moncler Genius’s dinner in China for Shanghai Fashion Week. They were joined by Rihanna’s boyfriend, the rapper ASAP Rocky.
‘The three of us were matchy matchy in red,’ Maye says.
Elon Musks’s mother, Maye, pictured with Rihanna in China for Shanghai Fashion Week
It’s Pointless calling me posh
Pointless presenter Alexander Armstrong is sick of being called ‘posh’.
The landowner’s son says: ‘It annoys me because it’s somebody basically writing a label on you. People make all kinds of assumptions about you.
Pointless host Alexander Armstrong said he’s fed up of people calling him ‘posh’
‘They think you are posh, therefore you are stuck-up, therefore you don’t have a sense of humour, therefore they’ve got to be very polite around you.’
Armstrong adds in Saga magazine: ‘It’s sort of reductive and annoying. There are some people who have never bothered to get to know me.’
The Princess of Hollywood
Having parted ways with the Duchess of Sussex, is Hollywood talent agency Sunshine Sachs looking for new royal ties?
I hear the US firm is to open a London office.
One of its first clients is said to be Wimbledon, of which the Princess of Wales is patron. I can’t see Catherine signing up with Sunshine Sachs in a hurry, though!
I can’t see the Princess of Wales (pictured) signing up with Sunshine Sachs in a hurry, though
Never meet your heroes
Comedian Paul Sinha would agree with the old adage about never meeting your heroes, after an encounter with Fawlty Towers star John Cleese.
‘It was the worst speech I’ve ever seen,’ The Chase star says of Cleese’s performance at an awards bash.
‘A catalogue of bitterness that nobody in the room could understand. There was increasing confusion in the room as to why anyone so objectively successful could possibly be so unhappy with his lot.’
Comedian Paul Sinha met his hero, John Cleese, but said his speech was ‘the worst’ he’s ever seen
Wedding bells for Olympic star
Georgia Bell was cheered on by fans including Sir Mick Jagger when she won a bronze medal in the 1,500m at the Paris Olympics after a five-year absence from the track.
When she got married at the weekend to George Hunter, a software engineer, in West Sussex, her father, Andy Bell, 5 News’s political editor, had a tear in his eye once more. ‘We had a fantastic day,’ he tells me.
‘George has been a vital part of Georgia’s success this year. They are a great team.’
Georgia Bell got married at the weekend to George Hunter, a software engineer, in West Sussex
Could Andrew fly back into the fold?
Out of work since he gave up royal duties five years ago, here’s the perfect way for Prince Andrew to return to The Firm: King Charles is seeking a helicopter pilot.
The successful candidate will be paid a ‘competitive’ salary to fly members of the Royal Family around the country.
Out of work since he gave up royal duties five years ago, here’s the perfect way for Prince Andrew to return to The Firm – King Charles is seeking a helicopter pilot
‘The King’s Helicopter Flight consists of a small team of pilots and ground support staff who provide an exceptional helicopter travel service to members of the Royal Family undertaking official engagements across the UK,’ explains the advert on the royal website.
The Duke of York served bravely as a helicopter pilot and instructor during the Falklands War.
There is, however, one requirement that could present a challenge for Andrew, whose royal role ended after his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis: the pilot must ‘bring excellent communication and interpersonal skills’.
