Sir David is roasted over fire pit on his eco island bird sanctuary

He once wore a sarong, a bun on his head, and sat majestically on one of two golden thrones during their legendary wedding celebration, with his bride Victoria on the other throne.

But these days, Sir David Beckham, 51, has settled into a happier lifestyle, whether enjoying a day of partridge hunting with pal Guy Ritchie, ‘guest editing’ Country Life magazine or tending to the broad beans and carrots he grows on 26 acres of land at his Oxfordshire retreat.

But Sir David, who spent his infancy in Leytonstone, East London, and his adolescence in Chingford, on the north-eastern outskirts of the capital, now finds his rustic identity coming into question. As if that wasn’t annoying enough, I can tell you that the person making the accusations against him is an ecologist of 24 years.

Melanie Dodd, who has been asked by the local council to consider developments on the island Becks has placed in a man-made lake at her home in the Cotswolds, says the aim of the island when it was first proposed was to increase the lake’s ‘value for wildlife’.

However, he thinks this ‘increased value’ is currently difficult to detect, partly because of ‘limited cover for nesting birds’ and partly because it is ‘illuminated from above’ by an oak tree, but above all because the island is ‘used as a fire pit with a bridge for access’.

‘Islands are often provided within ponds or lakes to provide nesting birds and other wildlife with a location away from predators,’ says Melanie, who was operations manager at consultancy NatureSpace from 2022 to 2024, overseeing a team of 14 ‘newt officers’ to support local authorities with the great crested newt zone licensing scheme.

He adds: ‘I therefore recommend the removal of the following features: oak tree top lighting – to protect foraging/commuting bats – [and the] fire pit – at least to reduce disturbance during bird nesting season.’

Sir David’s representatives are not responding to my questions. I hope they break the news to Becks very kindly. Intensifying his love of rural life, Lock credits Stock manager Ritchie. ‘The man is the kind of man who lives outside,’ Sir David thought last October. ‘He’s a modern caveman who made me fall even more deeply in love with the countryside… Sometimes we’ll sit around a fire for hours, just the two of us, and talk late into the night.’

The island’s salamanders will have to make do without them…

How does Emma’s wild nights keep her up?

The Marchioness of Bath is dealing with a different kind of night sickness

Having trouble sleeping during a heatwave? Consider the Marchioness of Bath, who has to deal with mating calls and not her husband Ceawlin, 52.

The couple live at Longleat in Wiltshire, the Marquess’s ancestral residence, which is home to a safari park with 120 different species of wild animals.

‘We’ve got a new giraffe called Stanley,’ former Strictly contestant Emma, ​​40, told me at the Serpentine Gallery summer party in London.

‘You can hear the sounds of animals at night, especially when there is a storm. Sea lions bark all night long; This almost sounds like a mating call. And wolves howl and lions roar.’

Tragic Pop Idol star Darius’ scholarship legacy

Pop Idol star Darius died of a heart attack at the age of 41 after visiting his friend Hollywood star Gerard Butler in the USA in 2022.

Now the Scottish singer’s parents are honoring his memory by donating an undisclosed amount of money to the Royal Academy of Music in London to provide a scholarship for an aspiring musician.

Annual fees at RAM for the Bachelor of Music (Hons) are £9,700 for UK students.

‘This is a wonderful gift on behalf of Darius for one of our talented young students here,’ a spokesman said.

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate survived Tuesday’s tough game against Ghana, which started at 9pm, because he was already curled up in bed. Sir Gareth, who lives in Yorkshire, was asked if he was happy with the tournament co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. Ree Williams, who met him at the Moortown post office in Leeds, says: ‘I said to him, ‘Oh, so you must be watching the football?’ I asked. And he said, ‘Oh, no, it’s too late for me.’

Melinda Gates in private chat with the Princess of Wales

Melinda French Gates was invited to Windsor Castle on Tuesday for private talks with the Princess of Wales

Bill Gates was once a regular at royal events, but the Microsoft founder’s friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has made him almost as toxic as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Bill’s ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, who divorced her unfaithful husband after his continued affair with Epstein, is nevertheless welcome at the palace.

To prove it, the Princess of Wales invited him to Windsor Castle for private talks on Tuesday. It is not known what she spoke to Royal Foundation boss Catherine, 44, but Melinda, 61, met her in her role as founder of Pivotal, a charitable organization that supports women’s empowerment.

Gates told the US Capitol Oversight Committee this week that he had affairs with two Russian women, one a bridge player and one a nuclear physicist. The 70-year-old also admitted to having a third relationship with a medical entrepreneur.

I spent the morning handing out gongs to 72 different people. In a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday morning, King Charles received an ‘honor’ of his own from his brother-in-law in the afternoon.

Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, bestowed King’s brotherhood Science Museum.

Sir Tim is chairman of the trustees of the London museum.

The King, who is currently being treated for cancer, has an impressive work ethic: he also met former US president Bill Clinton and outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on the same day, before attending a reception at the Royal Drawing School.