TALK OF THE TOWN: Meghan picks Soho House designers for make over of her and Harry’s £6.3m Portuguese bolthole
This is a glitzy private members’ club that looks effortlessly casual, but actually boasts meticulously curated muted style.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that the Duchess of Sussex, who is equally meticulous when it comes to aesthetics, chose Soho House designers to recreate the on-trend vibe of their exclusive space at the secretive Portuguese hangout that she and Harry bought for £6.3 million in 2023.
The couple have a long association with the global club chain.
It was at Greek Street venue in central London where they went on their first blind date in 2016, and they often hung out at Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds, where luxury cabins cost up to £1,200 a night.
In 2019, the couple commissioned Soho House’s former design chief Vicky Charles to renovate Frogmore Cottage in the Kensington Palace grounds as part of a £2.4 million refurbishment.
The couple’s use of taxpayers’ money through the Sovereignty Grant sparked a backlash and led to the couple paying a full refund.
Charles’ company, which James Corden manages with his wife Julia, is said to be working on the Cotswolds house where the Sussexes live while work is being done on Frogmore.
The Beckhams and George Clooney are also loyal customers.
Soho House has long had its own interior design consultancy for members who want to recreate the club’s look in their own homes. And now it looks like there will be a bit of Soho on Portugal’s Atlantic coast.
The Duchess of Sussex chose Soho House designers to recreate the fashionable vibe of their exclusive space in the Portuguese retreat, which she and Harry bought for £6.3 million in 2023.
Tabitha finds a bad excuse
Former Made In Chelsea star Tabitha Willett is still at war with her former landlady Charlotte Hill.
After Willett left Hill’s Knightsbridge flat with ‘dog urine’ stains on the carpet, the court ordered him to pay £16,500 in 2024.
I hear second-time mother Tabitha claims she still owes £3,053 with her new husband, wealthy banking heir Harry Hoare, and that ‘the cost of living’ has delayed payments.
Former Made In Chelsea star Tabitha Willett is still at war with her former landlady after leaving her Knightsbridge flat with ‘dog urine’ stains on the carpet
Gen has a yen to be the next Bond girl
Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour has her sights set on becoming the next Bond girl and believes she has all the makings.
‘I’d love to do this and there’s military intelligence in my family,’ he tells me proudly.
But that’s not all that characterizes the 28-year-old actress, who plays socialite gossip Clara Livingston in the salacious period drama.
‘I’ve done a lot of stunt work. “I also have a sports background,” says Genevieve, referring to her time as an artistic swimmer with Team GB.
As for who he’d like to star opposite, Chenneour told me at the Alice+Olivia Mayfair store event hosted by Stacey Bendet and Nicky Hilton Rothschild: ‘Bond needs to be someone with a career, but I don’t think it has to be someone famous because it’s such a unique thing.’
Join the discussion
Should the royal family use luxury designers and spend millions on homes while ordinary people are struggling financially?
Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour has her sights set on becoming the next Bond girl
Cara de la whining
Supermodel Cara Delevingne has never been one to mince words and now she has revealed that she doesn’t like her family’s friends.
‘They can be quite rude and spoiled,’ he says of the high society circles in which the aristocratic Delevingnes exist.
‘It’s having a lot of money and not actually doing anything, feeling very entitled, having a lot and expecting a lot without actually doing anything.’
Stop sitting on the fence and tell us what you really think, Cara…
Supermodel Cara Delevingne reveals she doesn’t like her family’s friends
No notes…
It looks like Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine have mellowed out since reducing guests to quivering wrecks on their TV show. What Not to Wear?
The pair reunited at London music festival Mighty Hoopla last weekend, but before introducing headliners Scissor Sisters onto the stage, Trinny said: ‘We want to take a look at what the crowd is wearing first,’ before quickly adding: ‘You all look amazing. ‘There’s no such thing as what not to wear.’
Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine reunited at London music festival Mighty Hoopla last weekend
