Uncivil servant: Builders working on Dame Antonia Romeo’s £8.5m home ‘aimed salty language at her neighbours upset about the work’

It’s been a strange few weeks for millionaire west London neighbors living near Dame Antonia Romeo’s £8.5million mansion.

Just two weeks ago they might not have even been aware of who he was; but they are now almost certain to have done so in a burst of publicity following the announcement of Dame Antonia as the first woman to be appointed head of the UK Civil Service.

Then a week later, on their doorstep, there was a row that gave our new Cabinet Secretary a very different perspective: ‘Go fuck yourself! Mind your own damn business!’ It was reported that ringing was heard in the exclusive neighborhood.

The alleged source of the vociferous language was a builder employed by the Whitehall mandarin’s private equity chief husband as part of a major £2m upgrade.

Dame Antonia, who is said to receive a salary of £200,000 in her new role, bought the house in West London’s Chichi district with her extremely wealthy husband John Romeo in 2023.

The couple, who have three children, are currently extensively renovating the 3,750 square meter property and also plan to install a single-storey room in the garden of the house.

But now there are suggestions that the builders they employ to carry out the work are causing them trouble, culminating in this week’s public rant.

One disgruntled neighbor told the Daily Mail: ‘Major construction happens regularly around here and we’re all used to it, most projects are careful to stick to the rules.

A job change for her American husband, John Romeo, led to the whole family, including their daughter Izzie and sons Zac and Rocco, moving there in 2016.

‘But the owners of this house were a little more chivalrous; On more than one occasion they did not provide a parking suspension which you should do if you are lowering the car onto a parking space for example.

‘Instead of following the correct procedure, they blocked the parking lot with cones or construction material sacks so that residents with parking permits could not park there.

‘My partner, who has cancer, has been driving around looking for parking this week. And when the builders were asked to unblock the site they were very unpleasantly told to ‘go fuck yourself, mind your own business’.’

He continued: ‘The next day the parking lots were closed again and this time I confronted the builders.

‘This time they were much more accommodating and before I knew it someone left a bunch of flowers to apologize.’​

The house, which has six bedrooms, four bathrooms and also three ‘large’ reception rooms, is located in one of the wealthiest and most exclusive areas of London.

The classic townhouse in central London is located on a wide road just off one of the capital’s best-known shopping streets, with a large garden to the rear and two balconies.

The head of the civil service has had a long and varied career to date. This includes serving as a diplomat in New York, as well as becoming permanent secretary for International Trade, the Department of Justice and, most recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2025.

Dame Antonia, whom critics have dubbed the ‘queen of revivals’, has found herself under scrutiny before.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss (left) worked with Romeo during his time as trade minister from 2019 to 2021

Former prime minister Theresa May (left) with then-British Consul General Romeo at the UN General Assembly in September 2016

She faced several allegations of bullying in 2017, while she was a senior diplomat in New York; however, this claim was later dismissed after it was determined that “there was no case to answer”.

​The Oxford graduate was also embroiled in an expenses row over her children’s private school fees, as well as requests for last-minute flights from the United States to London so she could attend the BAFTAs.

Other colleagues also accused the diplomat, who frequently attends parties with A-list celebrities such as Rupert Murdoch, Anna Wintour and Harvey Weinstein, of putting his personal profile ahead of his work.

She was also accused of allowing her husband, global head of private equity for management consultancy Oliver Wyman, to conduct business activities at his US taxpayer-funded property.

These allegations were also rejected by the president of the public servants’ union, Dave Penman, as ‘misogyny’ and added that she was targeted with allegations because she was a ‘high-profile female candidate’ and had an ‘extrovert and dynamic’ personality.

And the Cabinet Office later concluded: ‘These allegations were made some time ago, investigated thoroughly and dismissed as not having a case to answer.’

Dame Antonia, 51, was born and raised in London and attended the prestigious Westminster School.

He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University before working as a business consultant for three years.

Known for her sense of style and mingling with celebrities, Dame Antonia is pictured here with Joanna Lumley

She worked for Oliver Wyman, the company where her Cambridge-educated husband was now very senior.

After leaving the company, he earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

Always known for being ‘super ambitious’, he later joined the civil service in his late 20s and remains there for the rest of his career until today.

He worked first in the Chancellor’s Office and then in the Office of Constitutional Affairs.

Dame Antonia later moved to the United States with her husband and children, where she served as Britain’s first female Consul General in New York.

It was her American husband’s job change that prompted the entire family, including daughter Izzie and sons Zac and Rocco, to move there in 2016.

Speaking to the Times about the move in 2017, he said: ‘It was an exciting opportunity and I was very lucky that everything went well.

‘Having my father-in-law live in New York made our move really easy.

‘Also, if you grew up in London, which I did, then you understand New York.’

While there, she gained a reputation as a party girl known for attending celebrity-filled parties.

He hosted events with the likes of Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, and attended the Democratic and Republican conventions every year.

Dame Antonia was appointed by the Prime Minister earlier this month after her predecessor, Sir Chris Wormald, was sacked amid controversy over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were presented with the official record of their coronation by Romeo at Buckingham Palace on May 1, 2024. He was then Clerk of the Crown at the Chancery.

Following the appointment, Dame Antonia, the first female Cabinet Officer in the post’s 110-year history, added: ‘The Civil Service is a great and extraordinary institution that I love.

​’We must be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the government’s agenda and meet the challenges facing the country.

​’I look forward to working with all my colleagues across the Civil Service to deliver this, with the support of the Prime Minister and the Government.’