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Winston Churchill is one of the greatest leaders in world history. He was Great Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II, and led the allies to victory; an impressive feat. What makes Churchill’s accomplishments even more impressive is the amount of food and alcohol that he would consume during his lifetime. Some historians estimate that Churchill smoked in excess of 200,000 cigars and drank around 42,000 bottles of champagne. Whether these were full size or the special one pint bottles created for him by Pol Roger, I could not tell you. That is a lot of bubbles. Churchill’s impressive presence was seen around many top London bars and restaurants, so we thought it would be fun to give you a few ideas of places in London where you could eat and drink like the former Prime Minister. The Caxton Bar, The St Ermin's Hotel The Caxton Bar is a bar filled with history. Winston Churchill is said to be a frequent customer of the bar. He occasionally stayed in the St. Ermin’s, the Special Operations Executive, also known as Churchill’s secret army, was devised and set up in this bar and the Secret Service Bureau took over an entire floor in the hotel and used it as its headquarters during the war. More importantly than that, it serves a delicious dirty martini - just as Churchill would have liked - sans vermouth. He allegedly said “Glance at the vermouth bottle briefly while pouring the juniper distillate freely.” https://www.sterminshotel.co.uk/eating-drinking/caxton-bar The Churchill Arms While the former Prime Minister has never been to this Kensington pub it is not far from his final home so we feel we can include it. This Churchill themed pub may be the most visually appealing of all London pubs. The exterior of the building is completely covered in flowers. Did you know, the Churchill Arms is one of the very few pubs to win at the Chelsea Flower Show? Inside the pub, the Churchill Arms differs from other pubs in that it offers a full Thai menu. I wonder what Churchill would have ordered? https://www.churchillarmskensington.co.uk/  Donovan Bar at Brown's Hotel The Donovan Bar was Winston Churchill’s favourite bar in London. He was a frequent guest here and would order a Plymouth gin martini while sitting by the roaring fire. It was perfectly placed between the House of Commons and his Bolton Street home but he still came back to visit after he moved. It was also a favourite with the Roosevelts, both uncle and nephew, who stayed here before winning their respective presidential elections and consider it a lucky place to stay. I agree with them. https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/brown-s-hotel/dining/donovan-bar/ The Savoy The Savoy was one of Churchill’s favourite restaurants; he would routinely bring his cabinet to the Savoy for lunch. The Savoy grill has a traditional English and French menu, and if you book, ask to be seated at table number four, also known as ‘Churchill’s table’. The Savoy was the hotel where Churchill and Lord Birkenhead founded The Other Club in 1911, a political dining society, which still meets in the Savoy to this day. https://www.thesavoylondon.com/restaurant/savoy-grill-restaurant/ Simpson’s in the Strand Simpson’s in the Strand is a restaurant owned by the Savoy, but operates separately. It was one of Churchill’s favourite London restaurants. Simpson’s at one time was the home of chess in London. It not only hosted matches between several different coffee houses in the 19th century but was famous for hosting the biggest names in chess right up until the start of the 20th century. If you get a chance to visit, I recommend the full Sunday roast. I can imagine Churchill thoroughly enjoying a few slices of roast beef with a glass or two of claret in between cigars. It is currently temporarily closed due to a restoration, and we are awaiting its imminent reopening. https://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk/ Peer’s Dining Room Did you know that you can eat lunch or dinner in the House of Lords? The Peer’s Dining Room at the House of Lords is located inside the Palace of Westminster, and is only open to the public when Parliament is in recess. So, if you fancy dining like a lord, look out for the next opening dates. If you are lucky, you can sometimes eat in the House of Commons dining room - Churchill would approve. He turned down a dukedom so that he could remain in the House of Commons. He was eventually knighted in 1953. https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/venue-hire/lords/venues/peers-dining-room-and-peers-guest-room-bar/ 
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The Food Lover’s Market tour ends at Maltby Street Market, however while you’re there, we highly suggest that you go check out Greenwich. Greenwich is a borough of London known for its role in both maritime history as well as astronomy. Getting from Maltby Street market to Greenwich is quite simple. First, make your way over to the Bermondsey underground station, here you will board the Jubilee line going eastbound, where you will get off at Canary Wharf. From there you get on the Heron Quays DLR station, and get on the train that is going southbound. Stay on this train until you arrive at the Cutty Sark station, and then you have arrived at Greenwich. At Greenwich there are many places where you can visit. The train will drop you off right next to the Cutty Sark, an nineteenth century British clipper ship. The Cutty Sark was the fastest ship in the world at the time, and represented new technological developments that have been going on. The Cutty Sark was used to bring Wool from Australia to England. Today, the Cutty Sark has been refurbished and turned into a museum. Guests can learn what life was like living on the sea. The Cutty Sark is super interactive, and a great place to go with children.  Another place you should check out in Greenwich is the Greenwich Markets. This eighteenth century market is a relic of a previous time in London’s past. We highly suggest that you check out the markets and browse through all the vendors selling everything from jewelry, clothes, second-hand furniture, and even some delicious food. In Greenwich, there are plenty of different museums, however you have to pay to enter most of them, the National Maritime Museum however, is completely free to enter. This museum will walk you through the history of the Royal Navy, the largest navy the world has ever seen. Next to the National Maritime Museum is the Queen’s House, another completely free museum. This massive house was the residence of the Queen following its opening from 1635. The Queen’s House is home to a very large art collection that you should check out. The Royal Observatory is a must see if you are in the Greenwich area. The Royal Observatory is the home of time itself, the Prime Meridian is located here. The Royal Observatory walks visitors through the history of timekeeping, including its ancient techniques to more modern timekeeping methods.  Being a spy in London is a lot of work, sometimes even the best spies find themselves letting their guard down at a bar after a long day of saving the world. Spy bars are a great place for you to put yourself in the shoes of an MI6 agent, and pretend to be a spy. So today we are going to talk to you about three of our favorite spy bars in all of London. Morpeth Arms The Morpeth Arms is a central London pub with a view of the iconic MI6 building across the River Thames. The pub was originally built in the nineteenth century in order to serve prison wardens working at the nearby Millbank Penitentiary. The Morpeth Arms contains an upstairs spy-themed bar where you can look out into the MI6 building. https://www.morpetharms.com/
The Caxton Bar at the St. Ermin’s Hotel
The Caxton Bar is a bar filled with history. Winston Churchill is said to be a frequent customer of the bar, as he stayed in the St. Ermin’s Hotel during World War II. Special Operations Executive, also known as Churchill’s secret army, took over an entire floor in the hotel and used it as its headquarters during the war. Double agent Guy Burgess is also said to have met his Russian counterpart at the bar, and they would exchange files together there. https://www.sterminshotel.co.uk/eating-drinking/caxton-bar Dukes Bar The Dukes Bar is home to the world’s best martini. James Bond’s author Ian Fleming, in fact created the vesper martini at the Dukes Bar. In fact guests have a limit of only two vesper martinis per visit since they are that strong. The bar itself is hidden away and hard to find, so you have to use your spy skills in order to find out where it is. https://www.dukeshotel.com/dukes-bar/ London is allegedly the most haunted city in the world and there is a whole host of ghostly tales that take place in the capital. Hallowe’en, along with the Winter solstice is when the barrier between the spirit world and ours is permeable and ghosts return en masse. Not scary at all! I have devised a list of interesting ghost nuggets for you: 1. The most haunted tourist attraction It is completely understandable and logical that the Tower of London is considered the most haunted building in London if not the world. - It is old. - It has had lots of nasty goings on there. - It looks like it should be haunted. This former palace is more like a medieval village with walkways and alleyways, turrets and towers and it has enough ghosts to fill most towns. There are ghosts we would expect at the Tower, including Ann Boleyn (with and without her head) who has been seen in different parts of the tower and wandering mournfully around her execution site. Thomas A Beckett was the very first ghost to be seen here; apparently, he objected to some alterations that were taking place – a latter day Prince Charles! There have also been sightings of two small boys playing by the White Tower. No doubt, these relate to the princes in the tower whose bones were found during the 17 th century. My favourite ghost is a bear – yep, one unlucky guard who spied a great grey bear and was so shocked that he thrust his bayonet into the apparition with so much force that it took two soldiers to release it from the wooden door in which it was embedded. He died two days later from shock and no doubt haunts the tower and so it goes on! 2. The most haunted pub I don’t know why so many people seem to see ghosts after they have been drinking but there are almost as many ghosts in pubs as there are pubs! There are poltergeists that move beer and hide keys (I think we all have one of those in our homes), men in period clothing and plenty of shady ladies. The Ten Bells in London’s Spitalfields has many of these. One such lady is wearing green and walks in the basement near the lavatories. She is allegedly the final victim of Jack the Ripper, Mary Kelly, who was murdered in nearby Whites Row. She was drinking in the pub before she was brutally murdered on 9 th November 1888. The green dress denotes her Irish heritage and the fact that she haunts the lavatories makes me think that this is the real reason why women go to the loo in pairs.
3. The most haunted building
50 Berkeley Square is not a place to be taken lightly. It is a miracle that it hasn’t been pulled down out of sheer terror. The ‘beast of Berkeley Square’ has been seen and heard at this address for many years. There were rumours abound from the 1840’s so armed with this information, you would imagine people would give this place a wide berth! Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Ghost hunters and those who love a wager have all met the same horrific end. One such brave speculator was Sir Robert Warboys who had learned of a room within this house where hideous and nasty things happened. So he took on a bet and asked the landlord if he could stay within the room. The landlord tried to convince him not to but in the end agreed that if anything happened, Sir Robert would pull a string that was attached to a bell in the landlord’s room below. Yes, you guessed it, shortly after midnight, the bell in the landlord’s room was rung violently and so the landlord ran up the stairs armed with staff and weapons and through open the door to the room. There he was, the hideous form of Sir Robert, mouth and eyes opened in wide terror as if what he saw was so hideous, he was literally scared to death. This was not the last time that such a death occurred there but hopefully, over the years, progress in entertainment, casinos and betting shops, has meant that people can get their kicks elsewhere. 4. The weirdest ghost Take your pick – the chicken ghost of Highgate? The possessed arm of the City of London? Or maybe Ladbroke Grove’s own haunted bus? My vote is for the chicken ghost! Many of us have heard of Sir Francis Bacon’s experiment with freezing food, in particular his forays into freezing a chicken. On a particularly cold April day, 1626, he buried a chicken in snow and came back to discover that when it defrosted a few days later, it was still edible. Now comes the sad part. Sir Francis caught a chill whilst out and about which turned into pneumonia and he died soon after. However, this is the strange bit: it is not Sir Francis who haunts Highgate but the chicken. Reports of sightings of a badly plucked chicken came soon after Sir Francis’s death and have been going ever since. The chicken seems to run around Highgate Pond like the proverbial headless fowl or sits spookily up a tree. If anyone goes near, it vanishes. WWII air raid wardens, a local vicar and others have experienced this chilling apparition, probably before heading off to the closest KFC. 5. The busiest ghost Ann Boleyn has an agent; well, I think if she hasn’t, she is a very driven self- publicist. Her ghost is seen in nearly every quarter of England. She haunts her family home, Blickling castle in Norfolk, Rochford Hall, where Henry VIII first laid eyes on his new queen-to-be, Hever castle, Hampton Court, Windsor castle and she has just announced a residency in Las Vegas (to be verified). In London, she haunts her former residence in London, York Place, which is found near the Thames close to the Embankment, however, her favourite place to haunt is the Tower of London which she does in many ways. One night in London’s most haunted castle, a Captain of the guard saw a flickering light coming from the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula. Knowing that this building was locked at night, he decided to look into this. He grabbed a ladder and leant it up against the window. It took him a few moments to understand what he was seeing. He had disturbed a night-time procession of knights and ladies who were following a lady dressed in elegant garb and clearly recognisable as Ann Boleyn. She has also been observed hurrying along the path between the chapel and the Queen’s House, where she stayed the night before her execution. The execution site itself has also had reports of sightings of Henry VIII’s second wife but at this location, she is headless. This is probably the most terrifying of her manifestations and a bit of a show- stopper. She can be seen Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Tower of London! Enjoy at your peril! London is a city that is rich in history. If it were a cake, London would be the equivalent of a chocolate triple fudge gateau with extra cream; yes, I mean very rich! The story of London starts properly in 47 CE when the Romans created the original settlement where the City of London is currently located. The City of Westminster came along in the 11th century and slowly the land and space that lay between it was populated and built on over the years so that you can no longer see where one city starts and the other ends. This amalgamation of the two cities and swallowed up villages is called London. London has been a spectator to many events in its nearly two thousand year history - the rise and decline of the British Empire, two world wars, The Great Fire of London and other conflagrations, a civil war, destruction of religious houses and monasteries, pestilence and plague and a couple of uprisings. It is a lot to take in, so we thought that it might be fun to test out all the museums that can help fill in some of these gaps. We also have a lot of tours that can help - if you haven’t already, take a peek at our list of public and private tours. Museums to Visit The British Museum The British Museum is one of the most famous history museums in the world. What started out as a collection of books from Sir Hans Sloane’s private library, has expanded into the most impressive collection of artefacts from all around the world. In a nutshell, the museum is filled with souvenirs that early explorers brought back from international travel. Hand luggage in the 18th century was clearly not as restricted as it is today. Some of the more notable artefacts housed here include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles, and the Benin Bronzes. You can learn all about the controversies surrounding helping yourself to other country’s artefacts. There are mummies galore and a room of curiosities. If you can, take the private tour before the museum opens. It not only gives you a great preview of the museum without the crowds but you are already in the museum when the doors open so it gives you a head start on the others. https://www.britishmuseum.org/ The Museum of London The only thing I do not like about this museum is that it is ugly and difficult to find the correct entrance. Once inside, the Museum of London tells the story of London from its times as a Roman settlement, to where it is now as one of the most important cities in the world. The museum has great exhibits on Mediaeval London, the Great Fire of 1666, as well as being home to some ruins of the Roman wall. Should you judge a museum by its gift shop? Yes, you should - this is quite good for all ages and it has some decent books. There is good news - they are creating a new Museum of London in West Smithfield in the old meat market. You can see it slowly transforming if you find yourself near Farringdon. It should be open by 2026. https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london Imperial War Museum The IWM sits in beautiful grounds and the building is pretty imposing. It is hard to imagine that this building was once home to Bedlam, the asylum and psychiatric institution. The Imperial War Museum is home to some of the best galleries on both of the World Wars as well as the Holocaust. If you love military history, you can be lost in here for hours. If you don’t, then I would recommend the V&A. https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london Victoria and Albert Museum The V&A is the world’s largest museum dedicated to design, decorative and applied arts. It hosts a whopping 2.27 million artefacts for those who like stats. It is also old; it opened in 1857 and was probably one of the first museums to be open in the evening as it had gas lighting. The V&A and nearby museums were really down to Prince Albert and this enclave was originally called ‘Albertopolis’ in his honour. Sadly, this name has been replaced by the prosaic ‘South Kensington.’ For those aforementioned lovers of statistics and numbers, the museum covers 12.5 acres and its art spans 5,000 years. It is easy to spend several days browsing through this massive museum although they do insist you cannot sleep there. This museum is a must-visit for any design, fashion and art history lover who visits London. They also have amazing courses, lectures and temporary exhibitions. If you wish to attend one of the popular exhibitions and they are booked up, get an annual membership. It is a bit of an investment but firstly you are donating to a great museum, you can pop in and out of the exhibition as many times as you like and you can use the member’s lounge. https://www.vam.ac.uk/ Sir John Soane’s Museum The John Soane’s Museum is a bit like the British Museum but everything here was owned by one man - yep, John. He was such a collector that he had to buy the two houses adjacent to his property to have enough room to show everything. Soane was the son of a bricklayer who rose to become an important architect in London designing such buildings as the Bank of England, Dulwich Picture Gallery and my local church, St John on Bethnal Green. On his death in 1837, he decided to leave his house and the contents to be enjoyed by the people instead of leaving it to his last surviving son. It is a Neo-Classical dream and a must-see on any visit to London but do check the opening times as it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you like art, wait to be taken on a tour of its tiny art gallery and be amazed at the collection of Hogarth and Canalettos as well as how it is all displayed. There is a sarcophagus, real and replicated antiquities and sculptures, as well as nooks and crannies galore. His design of the space and use of natural light within the interiors of the house is remarkable. You may even go home with ideas on how to redecorate your downstairs lavatory! https://www.soane.org  Historical Sites Tower of London Simply put, the Tower of London is an 11th century castle located on the north bank of the River Thames but the tower is not simple. It was first built as a fortress to impress local Londoners and to try and control them in the wake of the Battle of Hastings of 1066.The extra fortification was added over the next couple of hundred years making it more and more secure and practically turned it into a small village. It was a very secure palace and then they worked out that if you can keep people out, you can also keep people in, so it was then used as a prison. Famous prisoners include Sir Walter Raleigh, Anne Boleyn, Rudolph Hess, Ronnie Kray, Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell. One of the main reasons to visit the palace is to see the Crown Jewels. This is a collection of royal bling from gold salt cellars, solid gold punch bowls as well as the array of crowns and jewels that are worn on state occasions. If I could choose just one thing I would have the coronation sword and scabbard - breathtaking. https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/#gs.83wwc0 Churchill War Rooms Put yourself in the shoes of the Prime Minister of London during World War II, as you explore the secret underground bunker from which Winston Churchill would operate during the war. More importantly, put yourself in the shoes of all those who worked in the dark, claustrophobic, smokey conditions and who couldn’t tell a soul and who would have mostly needed to leave when it was dark so that they would not be seen appearing from this most secret of bunkers. I think that this museum is a must-see for all the family. Wandering the corridors and looking into the map room and Churchill’s bedroom etc. is one thing but the museum is incredible. It is interactive and engaging and helps highlight just what happened in this undercover bunker and its impact on the outcome of WWII. https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Visit the theatre that was practically home to one of the greatest playwrights ever. Even though the original Globe Theatre was burned down in the 17th century, the Globe has been rebuilt on the banks of the river Thames. This rebuilding was all down to a film director, Sam Wannamaker, who had to leave the US during the McCarthy years. He couldn’t understand why everything to do with Shakespeare was based in Stratford upon Avon when Shakespeare lived and worked for much of his life in London writing mostly for Londoners. He made it his life’s work to see that the Globe was rebuilt and that Shakespeare was remembered in London and in particular, in Southwark. Take a tour or see a play - just remember that it is outdoors and if you are standing you will be rained on if the heavens open. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/ Houses of Parliament A tour of the Houses of Parliament is a great way to learn about how the modern British Government works. Your tour of Parliament would take you to the two chambers of the Houses of Parliament - the House of Commons and House of Lords. You can also apply to visit parliament whilst they are in session. Watch democracy in action or marvel at the number of members who seem to be nodding off. https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/  Markets have always been an important part of London. Dating back to the days when London was under Roman control, markets have been central to daily life in London. People come to these markets to do all their shopping, whether it be clothing, art, antiques, or food. In London there are countless options of markets to spend your day at, and it may be overwhelming at times, that's why below we will break down some of London’s best and most memorable markets. Borough Market Right next to London Bridge you will find one of the largest food markets in the whole city. Borough Market is the oldest market in all of London, and has over 100 vendors selling all kinds of food. At Borough Market you are all but guaranteed to find some great food that you would love. Covent Garden Market Inside the famous Main Piazza of Covent Garden you can find the Covent Garden Market. Covent Garden is the center for all shopping in London, so having a large market there makes all the sense. What makes Covent Garden Market unique is all of the street performers that you will be able to see while shopping at the market. Maltby Street Market Under the London Bridge, every weekend, you will find a vast array of cuisine from all around the world. This market has more than 30 vendors at a time, so you will be sure to find something you like. Columbia Road Flower Market If you are ever in London and want to see some beautiful flowers, plants, or shrubs, Columbia Road Flower Market should be your go to place. Here you can pick up all the gardening equipment that you could possibly ever need, along with your fresh batch of flowers. Pro tip: arrive early for the best selection of flowers.
Brick Lane Market
If you love all things vintage, including thrifting and reselling old clothes, Brick Lane Market is the place for you. There's over 200 stalls selling everything from second hand furniture, vintage clothes, shoes, and many more. Spitalfields Market If you are in the East End of London, Spitalfields is a great place to visit. Here vendors sell everything from clothes and art to spices and food. This market got its name from the fields surrounding the local hospital (or spital for short). Brixton Village and Market Row Brixton is one of the most diverse areas in all of London. The Brixton Village and Market Row does a great job of showing off the African and Caribbean culture that is rooted in the history of this neighborhood. Greenwich Market This eighteenth century market is a relic of a previous time in London’s past. If you are ever visiting Greenwich, you should check out the markets and browse through all the vendors selling everything from jewelry, clothes, second-hand furniture, and even some delicious food. A few of our favourite pubs in London… On The History of London in Four Drinks tour we visit one of the City of London’s most beautiful pubs and we walk past a few others but we know that people often want to know good pubs in London, especially if they fancy carrying on and move on to maybe the fourth and fifth drink! It seems like everywhere you walk in London, you walk past several pubs. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all your options when it comes to different pubs to visit. It is hard to simply crown the best pub in all of London, since all of them have their unique quirks, however we will highlight some of the more notable or interesting pubs in the whole city. Pubs to visit after the end of the 4 Drinks tour: The Old Bank of England This pub was in fact at one point an operational branch of the Bank of England, which was active until 1975. They certainly knew how to make a grand banking hall in Victorian times and this element of grandeur is a welcome surprise as you walk for a simple pint. Look out for their beer garden complete with Routemaster double decker pub and if you fancy a bit of history, ask if you can see the bank vaults and just imagine all that money that used to be stored here. https://www.oldbankofengland.com/ Ye Olde Mitre If you are looking for one of London’s oldest and most historic pubs, Ye Olde Mitre is your spot. This pub is hidden in an alley, but it is a must visit for pub lovers in London. This Holborn pub had guests including William Shakespeare as well as Queen Elizabeth I. This hidden pub is well worth a visit as it is one of the most iconic London pubs. https://www.yeoldemitreholborn.co.uk/ The Olde Cheshire Cheese If you enjoy literature, then the Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in the City of London is a must visit for you. Literary figures such as Oliver Goldsmith, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson, and even Charles Dickens were all said to be frequent visitors at this historic pub. https://www.cheshirecheese.pub/ Lamb and Flag This Covent Garden pub was originally established in 1772. This is another one of London’s most historic pubs. The pub’s upstairs area used to be home to illegal bare knuckle fights. One of the Lamb and Flag most notable guests was Charles Dickens, who was a frequent visitor of this Covent Garden pub. https://www.lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk/
Other pubs in London:
The Anchor Bankside What better way to start off a guide to London’s pubs than by starting off talking about the oldest pub in the city. This Southwark pub was first established in 1616, making it over 400 years old. While the pub has been open since the early 17th century, the building has been redone several times, the first was after the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the most recent was in the 19th century. https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/anchor-bankside/ The Churchill Arms This Kensington pub may be the most visually appealing pub out of all the London pubs. The exterior of the building is completely covered in flowers. The Churchill Arms is one of the very few pubs to win at the Chelsea Flower Show. Inside the pub, the Churchill Arms differs from others in its menu. Their menu is fully Thai inspired, and in fact it is the only London pub to have a fully Thai menu. https://www.churchillarmskensington.co.uk/ The Dickens Inn In the eighteenth century the Dickens Inn was a tea factory by Tower Bridge, since then the building has been repurposed as a three story pub. The fact that the building is so large means that there is always something going on at the Dickens Inn. A visit to the Dickens Inn makes you feel like you are in a different part of London’s history. https://www.dickensinn.co.uk/ The Dublin Castle London has always been the starting grounds for plenty of massive musical acts over the years, many of them performing at pubs all over the city in order to gain popularity. The Dublin Castle in Camden is one of the most important pubs in the London music scene, acts such as Blur, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, and Amy Winehouse all performed at this pub before their fame. To this day, there are still plenty of up and coming artists performing here most nights. https://thedublincastle.com/ The Seven Stars The Seven Stars is one of the oldest pubs in all of London. This Holborn establishment has been open since 1602, even predating the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Seven Stars even survived the Great Fire of 1666. If you want a glimpse of what life in London was like centuries ago, a visit to the Seven Stars would be well worth your time. https://www.thesevenstars1602.co.uk/ The Platinum Jubilee: Elizabeth the Great. Calling Queen Elizabeth II a GOAT may just go down as badly as a popped balloon. GOAT is the latest flavour saying of celebrities, calling each other GOATS - which stands for ‘Greatest of All Time.’ Justly I would say, if the acronym should be attributed to one individual, there is none other than our gracious Queen Elizabeth II. For seventy years, the Queen has held the reign, held the stage. Served and comforted her people - been the figurehead of our nation and survived fourteen Prime Ministers, two World Wars, countless scandals and a ruly mop of relatives, remaining supremely serene after decades of being in the public eye. Seventy years of service produces several thousand books, films and television series. Volumes of her life. Few Britons have known a year of their lives when the Queen was not in it. Past months have been the planning of the Platinum Jubilee and collective worry at signs of frailty in her appearances at court. Our Queen is 95, and we marvel at pictures of her behind the wheel at Balmoral, and especially when riding a horse. With her we mourned her beloved Prince Philip who died earlier this year. The image of our Queen, sitting alone in a pew in Westminster Cathedral at his funeral, will forever stay with us forever.  Image courtesy of The Metro Leading up to The Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II is currently the longest reigning monarch on the British Throne, joining an elite club which includes King Louis XIV of France (1643 - 1715), Johan II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1858 - 1929) and Bhumibol, King of Thailand (1927 - 2016). The Queen has five homes; Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Sandringham, Windsor Castle and Holyrood Palace. Holyrood Palace is her Scottish base when she travels there. Much speculation is made about which is her favourite, and we secretly think Balmoral it may be.  Image courtesy British Heritage. No. 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. The birthplace of Queen Elizabeth II on the 21st April 1926, at 2.40 am. The home belonged to her maternal grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was the first child of King George VI (then still the Duke of York) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Her sister, Princess Margaret Rose followed four years later. The house no longer stands, having been demolished for redevelopment. How did these two young girls spend their childhood? The Queen’s father was never expected to ascend the throne. His eldest brother, Edward became King Edward VIII - and then fell madly in love with a divorced American, Wallis Simpson. The relationship was vetoed by everyone, including the British Parliament and all attempts to marry were rejected which convinced the king that he should rather abdicate than spend his life without his true love. Elizabeth’s father was crowned King which meant that the young first born princess would follow him as Queen. The two young girls were raised by a governess, Marion Crawford or ‘Crawfie’ (later sacked for writing a book about her time in their house) and spent most of their time just being with each other. The little family were devoted to each other and seldom sought outside company. The children did not attend a proper school. ‘Lilibet is my pride. Margaret is my joy.’ King George VI If the Queen was the silent, reserved personality type, Princess Margaret was the complete opposite, and they remained close throughout their lives. The Queen had a direct line to her sister. It is said they telephoned each other every day. It must have been incredibly difficult for the Queen when she had to veto the relationship between Margaret and Group Captain Peter Townsend because he was a married man. Margaret, then just twenty two years and devoted to the older Townsend, was devastated. Her life was to be one of little occupation, always second to the Queen - her marriage ended in divorce and she spent most of her time destined to be a socialite, flitting from party to party.  Image courtesy of The Washington Post. The young Princess Elizabeth joined her parents in the war effort, enrolling in the The Auxiliary Territorial Service, learning to service and repair trucks. Her sister was too young and continued her education, and despite calls for the princesses to take refuge in Canada, the Queen Mother said, ‘‘The children won’t go without me. I won’t leave without the King. And the King will never leave.’ When the war ended, the two sisters left Buckingham Palace to celebrate with the crowds without anyone being any the wiser.
Images courtesy of the Alamy Prince Phillip. They met as children at a relative’s wedding, but the real spark moment came in 1939 when he gave the sisters a tour of The Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. Was it love at first sight? They would write to each other throughout the war and in 1943 he accepted her invitation to spend Christmas at Windsor Castle. Three years later, Prince Phillip asked for her hand in marriage - he asked her first, which was not strictly the correct protocol, before asking her father. Prince Philip was of Greek and Danish origin and relinquished his titles prior to his marriage and was given the title of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. It is also believed he smoked his last cigarette the night before his wedding, much to the Queen’s delight. They were married at 10.30 am on the 23rd April 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Flanked by eight bridesmaids, she arrived in the Irish State Coach with her father, King George VI. Two thousand guests were invited to the ceremony, including many members of foreign royal families and heads of State. It was a grand affair, her dress designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, who based his design on the famous painting, Primavera by Botticelli, as inspiration for the gown. He also designed her going away outfit. The dress itself was detailed and lavish, something achieved by the Queen using some of her ration stamps to help pay for it - it was soon after the end of the war. Two pearl necklaces and a tiara loaned by her mother, now Queen Mother, completed the outfit while her bouquet consisted of lilies and a single sprig of myrtle, a tradition started by Queen Victoria.
 Image courtesy of The Times. The carefree couple spent their honeymoon at Broadlands. Imagine if you will, young and blissfully married to the man of your dreams, a trip to Kenya en route to Australia and New Zealand, and you hear of your father’s unexpected death. Tragic in any circumstances, but for Princess Elizabeth, the loss of her father was more than just that of a daughter losing her dad. His moment of death signified her moment of becoming Queen Elizabeth II. It was the 6th February 1952. Her official title is Queen Elizabeth II, by Grace of God, of the United Kingdom and Ireland and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Head of the Church of England. Quite a list of titles to bear upon slim shoulders! Her Coronation took place on June 2nd 1953 at Westminster where a mere six years prior she had walked down the aisle to be married. Rather than a wedding dress, now wrapped in robes, furs and finery befitting the new monarch. The Queen has survived 14 Prime Ministers and two World Wars. Of these, Winston Churchill was a favourite. She wrote of his importance and that no Prime Minister would ‘ever for me be able to hold the place of my first Prime Minister, to whom both my husband and I owe so much and for whose wise guidance during the early years of my reign I shall always be grateful.’ When Churchill died, the Queen broke royal protocol by arriving at the funeral before his own family. Not only did he carry Britain through the war, but mentored a young queen through her first years on the throne. Last year was not a happy one for her. The Covid Pandemic, Mexit and the loss of her beloved husband, her rock and confidant.  Images courtesy of ABC. She has shaken a million hands, hosted dozens of State Banquets and planted close to 1500 trees. The Queen cannot vote, but shares a keen interest in the lives and politics of those she rules over. In 2012 she celebrated her diamond Jubilee and her Platinum Jubilee is close. The country waits with bated breath, partly excited at the expectation of celebrations, royal pageants and parades. Of bunting and picnics and souvenirs - partly sad at the fact that it may be the last one for the Queen. But we shall not think about that. Let us celebrate instead, the more personable aspects of this remarkable woman, this illustrious Queen Elizabeth. Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen in London. The Royal Standard is flown when the Queen is in residence. Lately it was announced the Queen has chosen to quit Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle and only return for official duties. Penny Juror, in her book ‘The Firm’ writes about how the Queen elected to reside at Clarence house after the death of her father, but Winston Churchill would have none of it and pressed the young Queen to take up residence at Buckingham Palace. Perhaps there are too many bittersweet memories there? The Queen standing at the gates as the coffin of Princess Diana passed by, is but one of them. The night Michael Fagan broke into the Palace and entered her bedroom? The many wedding parties on the balcony and how few have lasted? No-one really knows, for there have been happy times too. Perhaps it is just too large and formal for her now? I suspect she enjoys the less formal lifestyle at Sandringham and Balmoral, where she can enjoy the countryside and drive freely across the highlands. Did you know that the Queen does not have a passport? All those stately trips and no need to stand at customs like the rest of us. If the Queen were to do her own shopping and a few of the things she loves. Let’s begin with Jermyn Street in the heart of London. Notice the Royal Warrants along the many shops around the area. This means that the Royal family have ‘given their seal of approval’ to the establishment.  Image courtesy of Alamy Fortnum and Mason, Paxton and Whitfield, the specialist Cheese supplier and Floris are just a few shops on Jermyn and Piccadilly Streets with the Royal seal of approval. Floris has carried the Royal Warrant for over 50 years - her favourite perfume from them is ‘White Roses.’ Bond Street, New Bond Street and other shops in Mayfair are also favourites of the Queen and the Royal household. The House of Fraser, Burberry, Purdey’s - it’s fun going around looking for the warrants on shop frontages and wondering what the Queen would like best from these stores. Does she shop for birthday presents and such and arrive after hours for a private shopping experience, or send her trusted aides with a shopping list? What about online shopping? Is the Queen a closet Amazon junkie? Somehow doubt that.  Image courtesy Town and Country. There are secret codes the Queen uses with her handbags. According to a Royal Historian Hugo Vickers, the Queen will change her handbag from one side to the other if she wishes to end a conversation with someone at a formal function. If the bag is placed on the table, then it is time to leave, and who would want to keep the Queen waiting, so a beady eye is needed to read the signals and one could say, it’s in the bag. The Queen favours Fulton Birdcage umbrellas. They are bespoke to her, clear domed plastic for better viewing and handmade to match the colour of her outfit on special occasions. All the Queen’s clothing she no longer needs goes to her dressers. Angela Kelly is her chief dresser and has designed many outfits for the Queen, particularly during the Diamond Jubilee. She says: ‘ We are two typical women. We discuss clothes, make-up, jewellery. We say, ‘Would this piece of jewellery look nice with that outfit?’ Like regular friends, but of course all remain respectful of Her Majesty. Then comes the favourite chocolates …  Image courtesy of Charbonnel et Walker
Darryn MacGrady, former chef to the Queen said ‘She loves chocolates. That was her favourite and has to be dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate the better.’ Then who better to visit than Charbonnel et Walker, the famous chocolate shop that carries the Royal Warrant, first established in Bond Street in 1875. Though the main chocolatier, Adam Lee did not divulge the Queen’s personal tastes, he did mention that she loved floral chocolates and we are guessing these just have to be the Rose and Violet creams, perfect for a Queen. Bellamy’s. The Queen’s favourite restaurant - the only restaurant the Queen dined at in London until a private function at The Ivy in 2017. Her 60th Birthday included a dinner at Claridges Hotel, but Bellamy’s holds the honour of having had the Queen pop in for dinner with Princess Anne and Princess Alexandra. It is common knowledge, and a little bit of ‘show and tell’ from previous chefs or staff working at the palace, that the Queen prefers a simple way of eating. Her meals are small and nutritious, but like everyone else, enjoys a Sunday roast, which may include venison if she is in the Scottish highlands. As we approach this very special milestone in the life of our Queen Elizabeth II, we feel as if we are honouring a family friend. Always in the public eye, the Queen has never been anything but gracious, accommodating and calm. We have glanced into the corners of her private life and had much to say on the scandals and woes which would befall the best of us. We however, do not appear on the front page of every newspaper in the world. We cheer with her when she supports her Arsenal team, love the idea of a glass of champagne before bed, her beloved corgis and that she lives, at times, just behind the wall we often walk along. The Queen is an icon of Britishness. She is our tea and crumpets,our country walks. Fabric of our lives, her face on mugs and every pound note we use. We know her shoe size, her children’s love affairs and how much tax she pays. We expect her to greet people she hardly knows, be the ultimate diplomat and seldom pass a personal opinion that may rock the establishment. We have criticised her mothering skills, her reactions to certain situations and then we find her simply wonderful. We all have an opinion of her and how she carries out her duties, yet seldom acknowledge that she is human too. She is an enigma, the legacy of British history, the central character. She is the GOAT - the Greatest of All Time - to Queen Elizabeth, our gracious queen, long live the Queen. 1963: A Year of Secrets and Scandals In today’s world, the idea of our politicians having extra marital affairs is everyday and humdrum and at best ignored. However, there were times when the dangerous cocktail of sex and politics was exciting and heady. There was intrigue, exhilaration and sometimes a sense of sadness as those who literally loved and lost. History, and the streets of London are littered with tattered careers, torn relationships and shame. Today we visit the lives, and disgrace of three very public British figures. A Duchess diminished, a politician disgraced and a member of the British Embassy, turned spy in a lurid tale of sex and espionage. THE DUCHESS OF ARGYLL The recent television series, ‘ A Great British Scandal’, tells the story of The Duchess of Argyll and her very public humiliation. Born on the 1st December 1912, to a wealthy businessman, Margaret Whigham enjoyed a life of idle luxury and glamour. Schooled in the US, she returned to the UK, and was declared a sought-after debutant with many dashing hopefuls asking for her hand in marriage. Her engagement to Charles Greville, the 7th Earl of Warwick was short lived when her affections were turned by a wealthy American, Charles Sweeney.  Image courtesy of the Daily Mail The great society wedding was witnessed by scores of enthusiasts lining the streets to the Brompton Oratory in 1933, hoping to glimpse the ethereal bride in her Norman Hartnell dress. The fairly tale marriage, it seemed, produced three children, yet ended in divorce in 1947. Margaret became engaged to banker Joseph Thomas soon after, though never married him. In 1951 Margaret married her second husband, Ian Douglas Campell, 11th Duke of Argyll. The union would give her a title and for the Duke, a source of income to maintain his country seat in Scotland, Inveraray Castle. It was his third marriage and it wouldn’t be his last. Later in her life she wrote: ‘I had wealth, I had good looks. As a young woman I had been constantly photographed, written about, flattered, admired, included in the Ten Best-Dressed Women in the World list, and mentioned by Cole Porter in the words of his hit song "You're the Top". The top was what I was supposed to be. I had become a duchess and mistress of a historic castle. My daughter had married a duke. Life was apparently roses all the way.’ The reality came crashing in soon after. The Duke was a difficult man, prone to aggression, addicted to pills and alcohol. His time spent as a prisoner of war in a German camp had inflicted deep psychological wounds. Prone to emotional and physical cruelty, the marriage soon crumbled into loathing each other. Whilst on a trip to New York, the Duke, who suspected his wife of having many affairs, hired a locksmith to break into her home in Mayfair. In her private drawers, he discovered compromising Polaroid photographs of her with two naked men, and the Duchess engaging in a sexual act, only her customary triple sting of pearls, draped around her neck. Even by today’s standards this was shocking. The court case, in 1963, had the Duke sue his wife for divorce. It became a national drama, lining the papers, holding the nation captive with intimate accusations and scandalous details. The Duchess had tried to convince the Duke that his legitimate children were not his own and he in turn, accused her of having up to 88 lovers, producing a list that included cabinet ministers and members of the Royal Household. Most damning of all, were the photographs of the Duchess, fellating a ‘headless man’. The public cry demanding the identity of this man hit fever pitch, though the Duchess never revealed his name. Things would be very different today, but back in the sixties, women were still considered the property of their husbands, and adultery, cause for divorce. Margaret was vilified by the public, the press and the judge presiding over the case. The Duchess, he said: ‘was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. Her attitude to the sanctity of marriage was what moderns would call ‘enlightened’ but which in plain sight was wholly ‘immoral.’ Her husband’s character was untouched, though the writer Norman Mailer called him ‘one of the coldest, nastiest men I’ve ever known.’ The Duchess of Argyll never recovered her reputation in London society. She tried her hand at writing a book which was ill received and resorted to opening her house in Grosvenor Square to the public for funds. Eventually forced to leave her home, she took a suite at the Grosvenor House Hotel, though unpaid bills saw her evicted and she moved into an apartment, supported financially by her family, friends and first husband. The Duke married again and died of a stroke at the age of sixty-nine. The Duchess died penniless in a nursing home in Pimlico in 1993. About that ‘headless man’. The one subtle hint the Duchess did drop concerned the Polaroid camera. She claimed the only Polaroid camera in the country at the time, was loaned to the Ministry of Defence. Oh the intrigue! Ordered to investigate another scandal, the Profumo affair, Lord Denning was also instructed to look into the issue of ‘the headless man.’ His findings revealed Cabinet Minister, and son-in-law of Winston Churchill, Duncan Sandys, who worked in the Ministry of Defence. The other man proved to be Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. Sandys confessed to ‘perhaps’ being the ‘headless man’ and offered to resign but was persuaded to remain - guess the outfall of the Profumo scandal was enough to deal with in the same year. One resignation would be quite enough, thank you! THE PROFUMO AFFAIR  A Cabinet Minister, a Russian and a showgirl - this is how the Profumo Affair will go down in history. Sex, politics and double agents, how delicious. The year was 1963, and there were two very distinct themes running through Post War Britain. On the one hand, the Cold War was of serious concern to the government. The Russians were recruiting British spies, such as the ‘Cambridge Five’, and two of them had already defected to Moscow. The British were trying to do the same. On the other hand, there was ‘The Swinging Sixties.’ A time of possibilities, of living it up, challenging convention and having fun. Mary Quant, Cliff Richard and other young artists making it in the world. Young people moving to the hub that is London, filled with dreams and career opportunities. Sexual liberation. Onto the stage stepped four main characters; the scene set in 17 Wimpole Mews in Marylebone. The main protagonist was Stephen Ward, successful osteopath, artist and close friend to many successful and influential individuals, including John Profumo, Lord Astor and Yevgeny Ivanov. MI5 and MI6 kept close to him, aware of his influence on persons of interest and tried to get Ward to recruit Yevgeny as a double agent. He loved the attention, loved the grandeur of it all and loved nothing more than to ‘fix’ people together, hence his nickname ‘The Fixer.’ Introducing men of importance to young, good-time girls was his affinity, the thrill of being part of a world of his own making. John Profumo was The Secretary of War in the British Cabinet and a close personal friend of Ward’s. Through Ward, he was introduced to Christine Keeler at the Astor home of Cliveden. The man was besotted with 17 year old Keeler and began an affair with her, though it was short lived and he ended it. Thought nothing more of it, hoped it was the last of it, but months later the affair would come to haunt him. Christine Keeler came from ‘the wrong side of the tracks’, literally growing up in a railway carriage and longed to flee to London to become an actress. She found work as a dancer at Murray's Cabaret Club in Soho. This was where she met Stephen Ward and became his protege. He in turn introduced her to Profumo and the Russian attache, Yvegeny Ivanov. Swept up in the glamour and thrill of it all, she was ill equipped to realise the danger of her relationship with both men. Other characters in the tragedy about to happen are Lord Astor, who was having an affair with Mandy Rice-Davies (which he will deny), also a client and good friend of Stephen Ward. Mandy was another protege of Ward and Christine’s friend. Both will at some point live with Ward, giving him money for rent, which they earned from their relationships with the men they slept with. Then there was Ivanov, and the two men Christine was also involved with - Aloysuis ‘Lucky’ Gordon and Johnny Edgecombe. Rumours of pillow talk between a senior Cabinet Minister and a club dancer began to circulate on Fleet Street, but journalists were reluctant to publish without proof and out of respect for the stature of the man involved. It took an unrelated incident to throw the spotlight on the affair. Though not in any way linked to the affair, Ward or any of the activities going on in Wimpole mews, the actions of Edgecombe and Gorden drew attention to the situation. The two men fought and Edgecombe slashed Gorden with a knife. Afraid of revenge, he sought help from Christine to obtain legal counsel. Jealous of his new lover, she refused and threatened to testify against him in court. On the 14th December 1962, a desperate Edgecombe arrived at the mews where Keeler had taken refuge. She was with Mandy Rice-Davies. When she refused him entry, he fired a volley of shots at the door and was arrested. The incident offered the press a juicy lead to investigate the real events happening behind closed doors and began digging deeper into the relationship between Keeler, Profumo and Ivanov. The rumours reached Parliament - Labour MP George Whigg, confronted Profumo with the allegations of his affair and her relationship with Ivanov. Admitting to having met Christine, he denied there was any ‘impropriety’ in their friendship. Sparks ignited, the press were determined to unearth more evidence of their affair, paying individuals to share their knowledge and what they know about the relationship between the three principle players in the story - gladly supplied by Rice-Davies who claimed that Christine has in fact, slept with both Profumo and Ivanov. Rather than deny the obvious, Christine admitted to the truth and a scandal of epic proportions found itself in the homes and headlines of sixties Britain. The masses were braying for more. Cold war concerns met the swinging sixties. In June 1963, John Profumo, fully disgraced, resigned from Parliament. He spent the rest of his life working for charity. Committing perjury in court during a case against Lucky Gordon, Christine Keeler was sentenced for lying under oath. She served four months and went on to marry twice and divorce twice. With the funds for her story to the now defunct ‘News of the World’ newspaper, she bought a house in Marylebone and died at the age of 75 in 2017. Yvegeny Ivanov was recalled to Moscow before the affair became public. Mandy Rice-Davies went on to marry three times, and appeared in a number of films and television shows. When Lord Astor denied his sexual relations with her, she was famously quipped as saying; ‘Well, he would, wouldn’t he?’ She died at the age of 70 in 2014. Johnny Edgecome died in 2020 and Gordon in 1985. Lord Astor died in 1966. And Stephen Ward. What happened to the catalyst, the protagonist in this play? Many believed him to be deviant, manipulative and a pimp. Of using his status and contacts to further his own ambitions. Was he that evil, or simply a mixed up individual? Stephen Ward supported Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies when they had nowhere to live, introducing them to powerful men. He felt like Peter Pan in Neverland. He was a sexual voyeur and ambitious social climber but never a pimp and when he was brought to the Old Bailey two days after Profumo’s resignation, he hoped his close friends and associates would testify on his behalf. All deserted him. The charges of procuring women and living off their earnings was laid against him. His own lawyer was out of his depth and the prosecution too strong, leading both Keeler and Rice-Davies to give damning evidence against him. Ward spent his last night at a friend’s flat, writing letters and taking sleeping pills. He was discovered in a coma but died in hospital before being sentenced. Kenneth Tynan, critic and writer, wrote ‘To Stephen Ward, Victim of Hypocrisy.’ His drawing of Christine Keeler was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery. One of the biggest political sex scandals in British History is still remembered throughout the years. Innocent individuals who just wanted to have fun, unprepared for the consequences of timing and fate. JOHN VASSAL  The Macmillan Government was a time of spies, spies and more spies. Spies and sex scandals. The early sixties revealed the Profumo affair, The Cambridge spies, The Duchess of Argyll affairs … and John Vassal, British government employee and Russian spy, who happened to be gay.
Born 20th September 1924 to a clergyman and a nurse, John left school at 16 to begin work in a bank. His dream was to join the RAF but his rejected application led him to volunteer in the RAF Reserve, where he trained as a photographer, specialising in developing and processing techniques. These skills proved to be vital in the work he would carry out for the KGB in the future. Post war, he returned to London and joined the civil service. He wrote: ‘I was, however, keen to travel, and a senior official in the Admiralty, whom I used to see occasionally, suggested that I might like to apply for one of the posts abroad which comes up from time to time.’ With travel in mind, he applied for a post, still as a clerical clerk, to the office of the Naval Attache in the British Embassy in Moscow. His arrival in Moscow in 1954 was both exciting and lonely. Feeling isolated, Vassal spent most of his time alone and it did not help that he was homosexual in a very conservative environment, proving more difficult to make friends. Over time however, he came into contact with a fellow staffer, a Polish man named Mikhailsky. They both shared a love of theatre, opera and ballet, and Miklhailsy was able to secure tickets for him. Little did Vassal know that his new friend was in fact a member of the Russian Secret Service, ordered to befriend the Englishman and set him up as an agent for Russia. Vassal was oblivious. In April 1955, Mikhailsky invited Vassal to dine with him at a restaurant frequented by young men. Delighted, he remarked on one in particular and on introduction was told his name was simply ‘The Skier.’ Vassal was hugely attracted to the beautiful skier and continued to call him by this name. Soon he was being invited to parties, hosted by the Skier - his social circle was increasing and without reserve he happily engaged, attending on a regular basis. The Skier introduced him to a friend, a ‘fur clad, mystery man’. This stranger then invited him to dinner with friends at the posh Hotel Berlin. A private room had been prepared for drinks and dining, filled with young men. Feeling rather in the mood for a party, John had no idea that his drink may have been spiked, or that he had been drugged, but the ‘honeytrap’ was about to play out with dire consequences. He remembered only being led to a bed, undressing and lying down with others joining him and a photographer taking pictures. ‘Not until 1963, nine years later, was it suggested to me that the wine I have been given must have been drugged.’ Faint memories of being a little out of control and staggering, as well as being helped to dress and his hosts ordering a taxi to return him home, was all he could recall, but more embarrassed than frightened as what had happened, he hoped it would be forgotten and resumed his daily life. The Skier then introduced him to a military officer who lured him to a flat in Moscow where they ended up in bed together. A sudden knock on the door produced four figures, dressed in dark coats, ordering him to the next room. The Secret Service had business to attend to. The other man disappeared in a hurry. Shown the photographs from the fateful night at The Berlin Hotel, Vassal could not believe his eyes. Compromising photographs, his life and career were compromised. He was told that he had committed a crime, was guilty of a criminal offence and would be tried, jailed and never see his country again. Part of the ‘honeytrap’ is to frighten, then counsel and befriend, and mentor one’s victim to the point that they feel their captors are their only friends, or those who can help. This happened with Vassal. He would be allowed to return to his flat, on condition he would meet with a member of Russian intelligence the following day. Then again on a regular basis, or he would be exposed to the Ambassador and be responsible for an international scandal. Vassal did as he was told. At first they demanded little from him, and his life seemed normal, attending functions and going to work, but soon they began to press him for more vital, military intel. When his term at the embassy came to an end, he believed his nightmare to be over, but he belonged to the Russians. He had to meet a KGB agent, named Gregory, in London, and this was a regular occurrence - meeting, swapping information, receiving money in return. After a year with Naval Intelligence, Vassal began to work for the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, Thomas Galbraith, as his assistant personal secretary. His ‘James Bond’ life was firmly entrenched and he continued to spy for the Russians until 1962, when on a September evening, he was accosted by two men as he left work. The defection of a senior KGB officer, Anatoli Golitsyn seemed to trigger their investigation of Vassal as a spy. Vassal confessed to everything and was charged and sentenced to eighteen years in prison. He served ten. Thomas Galbraith was forced to resign, another politician caught in a scandal. His autobiography, entitled ‘Vassal: the autobiography of a spy.’ was published in 1975. On his release he changed his name to Phillips, moved to St. John’s Wood and continued his working life in the British Records Association and a firm of solicitors in Grays Inn. He died of a heart attack on a bus in November 1996. Pawn or pariah? These are but three of the many British scandals involving people in power and their crazy, messed up sex lives. It is a messy world indeed, some just falling into more swamps than others, trapped by lust, greed, insecurities and wanting to be different, or special, or just loved? What do you think? Where would any self-respecting, country ruling Royal family be without a scandal or two, in or out of the closet? What were they thinking, one could ask? Love them or hate them, we are intrigued, more so when a delicious scandal sheds light on their human, fallible and vulnerable lives. Able to choose from a plethora of British Royal Scandals, we have chosen three of the most talked about in British history for this blog, but of course, even the current Royal Family have contributed a multitude of scandalous chapters to fill the history books. Presenting a vignette into the lives of two British Kings and a Lord, and how their actions played a part on the public stage , resulting in scandal, public outcry and abdication. King Edward VII ‘We are here for a good time, not a long time.’ King Edward VII Beloved Bertie, or Dirty Bertie? The eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had to wait a long time to become King in 1901 - until his 59th birthday. A weak boy and poor student, Bertie may have been a victim of ADHD, but who knew back in those days? Nothing seemed to fit, constantly distracted, his mother and father despaired for their eldest’s inability to conform to their strict ideals of education and values.  Image courtesy of the Alamy The lost boy grew up to be a lost young man, with no purpose, no job and no real routine. Wafting about in the royal corridors. Albert Edward (known as Bertie) was born on the 9th November 1841 and died on the 6th May 1910. His reputation as a playboy, gambler and heavy drinker made him interesting, likeable and the focus of London society - and party to a number of scandals which shook the nation, and the palace. At the tender age of nineteen, the Prince Regent, whilst on tour with the Grenadier Guards at Currugh, near Dublin, was ‘presented’, a gift from the lads, with Nellie Clifden, an Irish actress hired to introduce the young prince to the ways of the world. He lost his virginity, his heart and gained the wrath of his parents. Little did they know it was simply the beginning of his adventurous journey with wine, women and song - and loads of food. The Prince Regent would develop gargantuan tastes in almost everything he indulged in, from hunting to sex. So upset by his indiscretions with Nellie, his father insisted on having a serious talk with his son. He travelled to Cambridge where Bertie was a student. Prince Albert, already ill at the time, died two weeks later. An inconsolable Queen Victoria blamed her son for his passing, saying: ‘I never can, or shall, look at him without a shudder.’ The strained relationship between mother and son would continue for most of their lives, reconciling shortly before her death. The Prince fell into the lifestyle of the leisure elite, his mother and queen refusing him access to government papers, or participation in running of state and country. The Queen simply did not trust him. Frustrated by her indifference and lack of faith in him, Bertie soaked up the social life, visiting brothels in Paris (with champagne filled baths and beauties), and engaging in a number of high profile affairs which included Lillie Langtry, Lady Randolf Churchill. Daisy Greville, the Countess of Warwick, Tempest Schneider, Alice Keyser and Alice Keppel. At 21 his mother thought it was time to find him a wife. The man must settle down, she surmised. Bertie married Princess Alexandra of Denmark on the 10th March 1863, which resulted in happy years and a proper family, but providing little in terms of Bertie’s lusty ambitions. His affairs continued. Their parties continued, now at their London residence, Marlborough House. Simply everyone wanted an invitation to Marlborough House to party with the prince. A few years on, the Prince Regent was summoned to court, accused of improper behaviour with Lady Harriet Mordaunt. Literally caught in a compromising position by her husband when he returned early from a trip to their country estate. Bertie denied it, his doctor declared her Ladyship insane and she ended her life in an asylum - not very nice. Quelle horreur! Nor is there any acknowledgment of illegitimate children on his part. The scandal did little to damage the Prince’s reputation but it did little to appease his mother, knowing her son was being called ‘Edward the Caresser’ in public. What the Prince did love was pomp and ceremony. He was a natural at it. Loved to dress well and appear in public, opening this and celebrating that, oh the adulation. His mother, since the death of her beloved Albert, withdrew from society, Black clothes, black mood, just about everything black and was rarely seen, though Bertie thrived on the attention. For a while life seemed relatively scandal free, until an infamous game of Baccarat in 1891, which was illegal, and the accusations of cheating by his friend, William Gordon Cumming. Cumming eventually took the matter to court and for the second time in nearly 400 years, a member of the Royal Family, Bertie, was called to the stand. The result was social death for Cummings and yet more embarrassment for the Prince. Queen Victoria died in January 1901. Finally Albert Edward was King Edward VII. His popularity and public engagements brought about a modern monarchy and the Edwardian Age. His last mistress, Alice Keppel, was allowed at court.  Image courtesy of Wikipedia Sadly, the years of excess had begun to take its toll on his health. Nine years as King, he died at the age of sixty-nine.  KING EDWARD VIII AND WALLIS SIMPSON ‘You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance.’ Wallis Simpson. Image courtesy of the Sun There have been plenty of scandals amongst the Royals, yet the abdication of a King to be with a twice divorced, American woman, ranks right up there as one of the greatest of them all. Did she really love him? Was she hoping to be Queen? Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in June 1896, Wallis Simpson had a difficult childhood and would be twice married before meeting the future king, Edward Albert Christian George, Prince of Wales. Still betrothed to her second husband, she was introduced to him by Lady Furness, his current mistress, at Burrough Court in January 1931. His reputation as a playboy and astring of affairs had already angered his parents, his recklessness and debauched behaviour of great concern to the present Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin. ‘After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.’ King George V The POW (Prince of Wales) was besotted with Wallis Simpson and it is believed they began their affair whilst Lady Furness was travelling. He strongly denied this to his father, indignantly protesting that this was not the case, whilst showering her with money and jewels. His parents met Ms. Simpson at Buckingham Palace in 1935 and refused to receive her in the future. The Prince began to neglect his duties, choosing instead to travel to Europe with Wallis, becoming slavishly dependent on her and weirdly seemingly to enjoy her abrupt and abrasive manners, her way of domineering him, indifferent to his position as heir apparent. Once quoted as saying she will soon be Queen of England, their relationship was of such deep concern that they were even followed by the Secret Metropolitan police - all convinced the divorcee had the Prince firmly under her thumb. He was unrelenting, aware that when he did become King, he would also be Supreme Governor of the Church of England, further exacerbating the situation. King George V died in January 1936. The newly crowned King approached Baldwin for a solution to marry Mrs. Simpson, offering to settle for a morganatic marriage where she would never be Queen Consort, taking a lesser title. All were appalled at the idea, her unpopularity and hold on the king. Baldwin, the Prime ministers of Australia, Canada and the Union of South Africa opposed any such union; the Government would be plunged into a Constitutional crisis and forced to resign. Wallis was forced to flee and hide in France from the paparazzi. The Instrument of Abdication was signed by King Edward VIII on the 10th December 1936 in the presence of his three brothers, the Duke of York, Gloucester and Kent. His statement the next day read: ‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King asI wish to, without the help and support of the woman I love.’ There have been plenty of scandals amongst the Royals, yet the abdication of a King to be with a twice divorced, American woman, ranks right up there as one of the greatest of them all. Did she really love him? Was she hoping to be Queen? Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in June 1896, Wallis Simpson had a difficult childhood and would be twice married before meeting the future king, Edward Albert Christian George, Prince of Wales. Still betrothed to her second husband, she was introduced to him by Lady Furness, his current mistress, at Burrough Court in January 1931. His reputation as a playboy and astring of affairs had already angered his parents, his recklessness and debauched behaviour of great concern to the present Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin. ‘After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.’ King George V The POW (Prince of Wales) was besotted with Wallis Simpson and it is believed they began their affair whilst Lady Furness was travelling. He strongly denied this to his father, indignantly protesting that this was not the case, whilst showering her with money and jewels. His parents met Ms. Simpson at Buckingham Palace in 1935 and refused to receive her in the future. The Prince began to neglect his duties, choosing instead to travel to Europe with Wallis, becoming slavishly dependent on her and weirdly seemingly to enjoy her abrupt and abrasive manners, her way of domineering him, indifferent to his position as heir apparent. Once quoted as saying she will soon be Queen of England, their relationship was of such deep concern that they were even followed by the Secret Metropolitan police - all convinced the divorcee had the Prince firmly under her thumb. He was unrelenting, aware that when he did become King, he would also be Supreme Governor of the Church of England, further exacerbating the situation.  Image courtesy of Fox News King George V died in January 1936. The newly crowned King approached Baldwin for a solution to marry Mrs. Simpson, offering to settle for a morganatic marriage where she would never be Queen Consort, taking a lesser title. All were appalled at the idea, her unpopularity and hold on the king. Baldwin, the Prime ministers of Australia, Canada and the Union of South Africa opposed any such union; the Government would be plunged into a Constitutional crisis and forced to resign. Wallis was forced to flee and hide in France from the paparazzi. The Instrument of Abdication was signed by King Edward VIII on the 10th December 1936 in the presence of his three brothers, the Duke of York, Gloucester and Kent. His statement the next day read: ‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King asI wish to, without the help and support of the woman I love.’ What followed the abdication and their marriage, was a lesser title for him, the Duke of Windsor and a stint in the Bahamas, finally settling in Paris in 1952. Social parties, dubious friends, vilified for their Nazi sympathising and careless visit to Germany, meeting Hilter. Churchill distrusted her motives, others commenting on her abusive behaviour towards her husband whom she regarded as weak and pathetic. There were visits to Britain and the US, but the couple spent most of the remainder of their time in Paris. The Duke died of throat cancer in 1972 and his body was returned to Britain where he lay in state at St. George’s Chapel in Great Windsor. Wallis, now the Duchess of Windsor, was allowed to attend the funeral. The Duchess became reclusive, frail and suffered from dementia until her death in 1986, to be laid to rest beside her husband. Lord and Lady Mountbatten ‘Edwina and I spent all our married lives getting into other people’s beds.’ Lord Mountbatten.
Images courtesy of the Alamy and the Times UK The wedding of Prince Louis Mountbatten and Edwina Ashley on the 18th July 1922 was attended by crowds of 8000 people at St. Margarets, Westminster. The darling of society and her dashing husband, a relative of the Royal family, were young and naive (and both rumoured to be virgins) about to embark on a rather scandalous marriage that would only last through the mutual affection and deep love they had for each other. Edwina was having numerous affairs within the first three years of her nuptials. Once voted the 6th most beautiful woman in the world, she waved goodbye to her naval husband and hello to a string of lovers. The housekeeper at their Mayfair home was quoted as saying: ‘Mr Gray is in the drawing room, Mr Sandford is in the library, Mr Phillips is in the boudoir, Senor Portago in the ante room … and I simply don’t know what to do with Mr. Molyneux!’ Her daughter Pamela Hicks, in her novel, ‘Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten”, writes, “she began to collect them in a way that raised many eyebrows.” Her life with her parents included many ‘uncles’ staying over, or simply passing through. When Louis learnt of his wife’s initial infidelities, he was devastated. Not wanting a divorce, he agreed to an open marriage, both embarking on extra-marital affairs. His longtime mistress was Yolo Letellier, a French woman said to have inspired Collette’s novella ‘Gigi’. Rumours of both being bi-sexual began to circulate and that Lord Mountbatten had a preference for young men. All scandalous indeed, highlighted in 1932 by the printing of a newspaper article suggesting that ‘a lady of high social standing’ was having an affair with a black man. The woman, they implied, was Edwina Mountbatten and her lover was Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, a jazz singer. Buckingham Palace ordered the couple home to sue the newspaper, who later retracted the allegations and issued a formal apology. The rumours continued.  Image courtesy of CNN
Leslie ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson Interestingly enough, when Hutchinson died penniless, Lord Mountbatten paid for his funeral and headstone when he was laid to rest in Highgate cemetery. Not long after, Edwina had an affair with Colonel Harold ‘Bunny’ Phillips of the Coldsteam Guards. In 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy of India. Edwina began a passionate relationship with the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, ten years her senior.. Whether the relationship was of a sexual nature is unclear but the pair were devoted to each other, visiting each other annually even after the Mountbattens returned to London. Edwina died in 1960 and was buried at sea. Nehru sent a Frigate from India to lay a wreath on his behalf. Lord Mountbatten, one of the most impressive men of his generation, a highly decorated leader, rising to the highest position in the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord, was murdered aboard his yacht at Sligo in Ireland by an IRA Bomb in 1979. It is cause to ponder upon these high profile Royalists all, as to what drove them to have affairs, and plenty of them, outside of their expected roles as public figures. The risks of exposure are greater than for mere mortals, the tabloids poised for scandalous gossip, salacious innuendo. Was it their position of power? The idea that normal morals are for common folk and they are at liberty to live according to their own rules, defiant in their scandalous behaviour. A King so obsessed with an American divorcee, he is willing to give up his duty; a couple living in an open marriage in full view of the world and a King, so frustrated at waiting for his moment on the throne, he plays entirely by his rules, social conscience be damned. They may be alternative, foolish even, but partly true to who they really were, needing to belong, to be loved. Right or wrong, these scandals have marked their place in history, and made history a little more enjoyable to reflect upon. What other great scandals lurk within the city of London? |
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