His grandfather, Sir Winston Churchill, helped shape the nation’s destiny as few others have done, while, for his own part, Sir Nicholas (now Lord) Soames served as Minister of State for the Armed Forces.
But it seems unlikely that the Tory peer can be relishing the latest chapter in the history of the Ogilby Trust, a military charity of which he is a pre-eminent grandee.
Six months after I disclosed that the Trust was reeling from the disappearance of funds totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds, I can reveal that it is now the subject of a police investigation.
Soames, as vice patron, is one of the Ogilby Trust’s senior figures. He was appointed in difficult circumstances, following the departure of Prince Andrew, the Trust’s longstanding patron, who relinquished his position — along with similar roles he held at numerous other charities — in the wake of his ‘car-crash’ interview with Emily Maitlis.
Lord Nicholas Soames (pictured) following a memorial service for the former Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd
Lord Soames is the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill (pictured)
Soames, 76, who was awarded a peerage when he retired as an MP in 2019, does not respond to my telephone call, while Wiltshire Police, who have been entrusted with the inquiry into the missing funds, say that they cannot comment, explaining their investigation is ‘ongoing’.
The Trust’s new governance and communications officer, Rosie Harvey, who was appointed in December, echoes that sentiment, saying that the Trust cannot issue a statement until the investigation has been concluded.
However, I understand a member of staff has been interviewed ‘under caution’ by officers unravelling apparent discrepancies that suggest up to £400,000 of the charity’s money has gone Awol.
Prince Andrew (pictured) was a longstanding patron of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust
The logo of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust which is now the subject of a police investigation
The Charity Commission has been alerted to the unfolding crisis. ‘In line with our guidance, the trustees of Army Museums Ogilby Trust reported a serious incident to the Commission in relation to concerns about the charity’s financial management and potential misappropriation of funds,’ says the Commission’s Polly Kettenacker.
The Trust has also updated its website, which, as I previously noted, used to list Lord Richards, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, as one of its vice patrons — a claim now deleted.
Lord Soames will surely hope that the Trust, founded by Colonel Robert Ogilby, awarded the DSO for ‘fearlessness’, can soon concentrate once more on its objectives of ‘educating the public’ and ‘inspiring members of the Army’.
Now Nell promises tell-all movie memoir
Rebel Wilson’s recent revelation in her memoir that she was allegedly disrespected by Sacha Baron Cohen on the set of their 2016 film Grimsby appears to have inspired others to share their claims of mistreatment in the movie industry.
Victoria star Nell Hudson is penning Character and says the book will focus on ‘the good and the bad of acting’. She tells me at a London book launch: ‘I’ve worked with a couple of actors who I won’t name, but who were difficult to work with.
Victoria star Nell Hudson is penning Character and says the book will focus on ‘the good and the bad of acting’
‘And I left it a long time to say anything.’ Hudson, 33, whose novelist mother Cressida Connolly was the first wife of late writer A.A. Gill, played the Queen’s close friend, Nancy Skerrett in ITV’s Victoria.
Miss Moneypenny apologises to Tracy-Ann for post about Israel
As Miss Moneypenny in the 007 films Samantha Bond was included in covert discussions, however, in real-life she has been less discreet.
I hear Bond, 62, has been accused of antisemitism after she challenged Jewish actress Tracy-Ann Oberman over Israel’s killing of seven aid workers.
In a now-deleted reply to Oberman’s promotional tweet on X for her new West End show — Merchant Of Venice 1936 — Bond wrote: ‘What is your response to Israel’s actions? A mistake? Seven people dead! Trying to feed the starving?’
Samantha Bond (pictured), who played Miss Moneypenny in the 007 films, has apologised to Tracy-Ann Oberman over a post about Israel’s killing of seven aid workers
Tracy-Ann Oberman, whose production at London’s Criterion Theatre has ramped up security amid death threats against her, retorted: ‘I am not a spokesperson for the Israeli government’
Oberman, whose production at London’s Criterion Theatre has ramped up security amid death threats against her, retorted: ‘I am not a spokesperson for the Israeli government — why on earth would you send me this tweet? As a Jew do you hold me and my ‘kind’ collectively responsible?’
The EastEnders star, 57, has reported Bond’s tweet to the Campaign Against Antisemitism, who tell me: ‘It was a good first step to see Samantha Bond deleted her X post demanding that a British Jewish actress — advertising her role as Shylock in The Merchant Of Venice, no less — explain Israel’s actions.
‘Is Ms Bond aware that, according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel is a manifestation of antisemitism?’
Last night, Bond apologised to Oberman for her earlier message, saying: ‘My whole-hearted apology for any offence last night’s tweet caused.’
Prince lived ‘in a bubble’ says Newsnight’s Sam
Newsnight producer Sam McAlister, who orchestrated the notorious interview between Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace, has been recalling the immediate aftermath.
‘An equerry offered me a martini,’ says McAlister, whose account of the affair has inspired new Netflix drama Scoop. ‘I declined,’ she adds. McAlister asked the equerry how she felt it had gone. ‘Wonderful. Wasn’t he wonderful?’ came the reply.
Andrew obviously agreed. He looked ‘delighted — pleased as punch’, says McAlister, who concluded that he lived ‘in a bubble [with] no understanding what an absolute car crash that interview had been’.
Is Sam Taylor-Johnson’s much anticipated biopic Back To Black — based on tragic singer Amy Winehouse — going to leave audiences feeling emotional?
Sam Taylor-Johnson (pictured) on The Jonathan Ross Show on March 27, 2024
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in the new film: Back to Black (2024)
Indeed, she thinks so as she tells me at The Corinthia Hotel in London: ‘I recently watched it in a cast and crew screening, and I was moved to tears.’ She adds: ‘Amy wasn’t just a British icon, but an icon for women.’
Let’s see what the critics have to say.
Revealed: Billy Piper’s 25 year old music debt
Billie Piper found stardom when she released her debut single Because We Want To at the tender age of 15, yet over 25 years later she’s still paying the price for music fame.
Billie Piper (pictured) found stardom when she released her debut single Because We Want To at the tender age of 15
‘I’m still in debt to Virgin,’ reveals the Diary Of A Call Girl star, who signed with Innocent Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, in 1998. While Billie, 41, hasn’t revealed the amount she owes and is estimated to be worth £9 million, she remains reluctant to return to making music. ‘If I ever release an album, which I won’t, I’d probably have to pay off that debt. It’s like a university debt,’ she says.
The mother-of-two, pictured in New York this week wearing a black tuxedo suit, quit music in 2003, saying: ‘You do all these big promotional tours which I absolutely hated. I hated going off.’