The Steeple Times

Tag: helicopter

  • A Cut Cost Château

    A Cut Cost Château

    Vast “fairytale” château in France’s Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £28 million in spite of having had £80 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Madame de Pompadour

    In 2017, a Lebanese-born, Monaco-based property developer named Edmond Baysari placed what selling agents Sotheby’s International Realty describes as the “most beautiful and majestic castle in [the] Loire Valley” on the market. It’s so big and so costly to maintain that it remains for sale still today.

     

    Harvard educated Mr Baysari purchased the 102,257 square foot château for about £4.3 million in 1983 from the Parisian glassmakers Saint-Gorbain. It had been used as their company retreat from 1939 and had earlier belonged to Jeanne Antoinette Poisson – the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to 1751 and a woman better known as ‘Madame de Pompadour’ – in the years prior to her premature death from tuberculosis in 1764 aged just 42.

     

    Providing “regally appointed” accommodation so vast that it is not even described in detail that includes around 50 bedrooms and a wine cellar capable of housing 30,000 bottles amongst other things, Château de Menars – or the ‘Palace Pompadour’ as some have nicknamed it – costs around £800,000 per year to run. In total, some £80 million has been spent renovating it “using the same methods” that the king’s mistress originally employed.

     

    Of why he is selling, the heirless businessman’s lawyer, Jack Anderson, told Reuters in 2017: “[Mr Baysari] realises destiny is going to take him… His goal is to know that it’s in the hands of someone who’s going to continue the beauty of the chateau and maintain it.”

     

    The 104 acres of grounds that surround the château includes vineyards yielding pinot noir grapes, “elegant” geometric grassed lawns and more than a mile of frontage to the River Loire. Classical sculptures and gazebos abound and there is, according to Reuters, “a cobbled courtyard large enough to land a helicopter” also.

     

    During Baysari’s ownership guests at Château de Menars have supposedly numbered Prince Charles, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mick Jagger and President Ronald Reagan. Now, Sotheby’s International Realty point out: “We think this could be perfect for the creation of a luxury hotel complex… Or for the acquisition of an extraordinary and very large private property.”

     

    His “English spoken” [sic] agent, Jean-Pierre Piganiol, seeks £27.6 million and according to Forbes, “several nine-figure offers from Russian and Middle Eastern billionaires looking for a trophy home” have already been turned down.

     

    The Names & Numbers – Château de Menars, Loire Valley, Blois, 41000, France

     

    2015 to date – For sale through Sotheby’s International Realty for sale for £27.6 million ($34.5 million, €31.5 million or درهم126.6 million).

     

    2000 – Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

     

    1983 to 2017 – The sum said to have been spent on restoration of the Château de Menars is said to have been £80.1 million ($100 million, €91.4 million or درهم367.3 million). Annual upkeep costs are said to be £801,000 million ($1 million, €914,000 million or درهم3.7 million).

     

    1983 – Sold to Edmond Baysari for 5 million francs or the equivalent of £4.3 million ($5.4 million, €4.9 million or درهم19.7 million).

     

    1949 – Declared an Historic Monument of France.

     

    1939 – Sold after his death by Mr Allard’s daughters, Blanche Lasserre, Yvonne Arnodin and Jeanne Goirand, to Saint-Gobain, the Parisian glassmakers, for use as their company retreat.

     

    April 1912 – Acquired for 700,050 francs (about £27,400 at that time) by Félix Allard, a “contractor for public works.” He modernised the château and added mains water, hot air heating, gas lighting and electricity and features including a large gallery area.

     

    1760 – Purchased by Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764) for 1 million livres (about £75,000 at that time). She “sold some pearl bracelets to meet the first payment” and commissioned the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel to build two new wings on either side of the two existing pavilions on the property. Sadly for her, she never saw it completed as she died from tuberculosis in 1764.

     

    1728 to 1732 – Stanislas Leszcynski (1677 – 1766), the King of Poland, stayed at Château de Menars whilst in exile as a guest of the Charon family.

     

    1669 – Jean-Jacques Charon (1643 – 1718), son of Jacques Charon, “added two unequal wings to the chateau and considerably enlarged the estate.”

     

    1646 – Commencement of the construction of a castle on the site by one Jacques Charon. It “composed of a main building and two symmetrical pavilions.”

     

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    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
    A Cut Cost Château – £27.6m for Château de Menars, 15 Le Château, Loire Valley, Blois, 4100 Menars, France through Sotheby’s International Realty – Vast French château in the Loire Valley for sale for ‘just’ £27.6 million in spite of having had £80.1 million spent already on its renovation; it was most famously owned by Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour (1721 – 1764).
  • An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras

    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras

    “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with gadgets galore amongst them a two-seat amphibious flying boat

    Stanford educated private equity investor Richard Kayne manages over £25.3 billion ($31 billion, €28.7 billion or درهم113.8 billion) through his firm Kayne Anderson Capital Advisers. He also “doesn’t like to sit still,” has over 300 employees and is not only pretty “alternative” in the way he invests; he’s also pretty unusual in the style of yacht he favours.

     

    Father of three Kayne took up sailing in order to “get [his] daughters involved in a family experience” around 2002 and then commissioned a 164-foot yacht named JeMaSa – a merger of the names of Jenni, Maggie and Saree, his aforementioned children. His love of “toys” – such as Eurocopter helicopters, sea planes, submarines, tenders, flyboards, jet-skis and inflatable water slides – subsequently resulted in a further purchase, a 170-foot steel hulled crab fishing boat that he intended simply to use as a “supply boat” to house his ever-growing collection of “kit.”

     

    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    Richard Kayne and his wife Suzanne.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    Prior to becoming ‘SuRi,’ the yacht was a crab fishing vessel named ‘Fierce Contender.’
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    Nowadays, the boat is more likely to be found taking wealthy individuals to off-the-beaten track locations.

    Previously known as Fierce Contender (built in Lockport, Louisiana in 1978) and used in the Discovery Channel television series Deadliest Catch, the boat was converted into a “shadow yacht” in Seattle over the winter of 2007. Of the work, in November 2019, Kayne told Boat International:

     

    “Designing the garage was a challenge. In addition to the helicopter we had a hovercraft, one of the world’s noisiest boats, a hand-built mahogany speedboat, a work boat, WaveRunners, Sea-Doos, sailboats, ski and wakesurfing boats and, eventually, an amphibious airplane.”

     

    Renamed SuRi – a combination of his name and that of his wife, Suzanne – the Kayne family then took their fleet to Denarau, Fiji and though together the financier termed them his “hundred-metre articulated yacht,” he later came to realise that “neither yacht was adequate for all the people and all the toys.”

     

    His response came in 2011 and of it, he announced: “I did another silly thing – I decided to sell JeMeSa and jumbo-size SuRi.” The boat was taken to Alameda, California, cut in half and expanded to provide further accommodation and “what is arguably the largest toy garage-cum-aircraft hangar afloat outside the US Navy.” The resulting “amenity-rich explorer yacht” is now 208-foot long and can accommodate 18 guests in 7 cabins with 19 crew.

     

    Capable of a range of 7,400 nautical miles at a maximum speed of 13 knots, SuRi became what its owner termed “the ultimate fun factory” where: “Whatever it is that you want to do – put jet boots on your feet and go flying up in the air, go kitesurfing, take a cruise in a Riva type of boat, or go wakeboarding, wake surfing, waterskiing, fishing or diving, you just go and do it.”

     

    Now, however, Kayne’s enthusiasm has moved on to developing an “American-style golf club” on New Zealand’s North Island. He first put SuRi – which astonishingly has over 3,300 followers on its Instagram account – up for charter through firms such as Cookson Adventures and then tried to sell the yacht for £35.8 million ($43.9 million, €40.7 million or درهم161.2 million) in 2017. That price plainly was not achievable and now, Burgess Yachts are offering the craft for the much-reduced sum of £18.8 million ($23 million, €21.7 million or درهم84.5 million).

     

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    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
    An Ugly Duckling With All The Extras – Richard Kayne’s yacht SuRi – “Ugly duckling” ex-crab boat converted into “ultimate fun factory” by billionaire equity investor Richard Kayne of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors L.P. for sale for 47% less than in 2017; it comes with a two-seat amphibious flying boat – SuRi for sale for £18.8 million, down from £35.8 million through Burgess Yachts.
  • Cliff The Airhead

    Cliff The Airhead

    Crackpot Christian crooner Cliff Richard’s lawyers allude to him owning air

     

    The libel case brought by Sir Cliff Richard – a self-declared “genuine international celebrity” with an ego the size of China – against the BBC took an unexpected turn yesterday, according to a report on the corporation’s very own website.

     

    In an article published Tuesday, ‘Auntie’ remarked:

     

    “Sir Cliff’s barrister, Justin Rushbrooke QC, asked [Jonathan] Munro [the BBC’s head of newsgathering] if he thought it had been acceptable to fly a helicopter over a private estate to ‘spy’ on the singer’s home.”

     

    “Mr Munro said he would not use the word ‘spy’ and added he thought it was acceptable to film police searching the home of someone under investigation.”

     

    “Mr Rushbrooke said: ‘If that is your genuine belief I suggest to you that you are unfit for your job.’”

     

    Clearly, aside from being supposedly cheated out of winning Eurovision by General Franco, ‘Cliffy’ now plainly is of the belief he was robbed of the airspace above the apartment complex he used to live in. No congratulations required; the man’s an airhead.

     

    Follow The Steeple Times on Twitter at @SteepleTimes.

     

  • Moron of the Moment – Emma Dent Coad

    Moron of the Moment – Emma Dent Coad

    Hectoring horror and Labour MP for Kensington Emma Dent Coad’s remarks about the royal family simply illustrate her ineptitude for high office

     

    Prior to the election, Emma Dent Coad was just a Kensington and Chelsea councillor, but, due to the ineptitude of Lady ‘Call me Victoria’ Borwick – a Tory with more interest in ivory than representing the 69% of her constituents that chose to vote ‘remain’ in the Brexit referendum – this equally awful red head unexpectedly also became Labour’s Member of Parliament for Kensington earlier this year.

     

    Now, aside from bizarrely being lauded by the truly ghastly hypocrite Diane Abbott at Labour’s party conference in Brighton, this firebrand Commie has gotten herself into a lot of bother with a series of pugnacious remarks about the royal family.

     

    Speaking at a fringe event, Dent Coad – whose Twitter handle contains numerous references to followers as “comrades” – told the assembled audience of anti-monarchists:

     

    “[Prince] Harry can’t actually fly a helicopter. He tried to pass the helicopter exam about four times and he couldn’t get through it at all so he always goes for the co-pilot. So he just sits there going ‘vroom ‘vroom.”

     

    “Harry and William are not very bright. Just let them drift away, be playboys or whatever… Their MP thinks the system is ridiculous. We should not be funding them.”

     

    Turning to the Duchess of Cambridge, she remarked:

     

    “It is disgusting [that she bought jumpers that cost £150 each]… That’s a food bill for a family of four. That’s absolutely outrageous.”

     

    Of the Duke of Edinburgh, Dent Coad went further:

     

    “The Queen might want to step back when her (cough, cough) soulmate is gone. He’s been mucking about and [been] quite unfaithful for quite a few years.”

     

    Of press coverage on the royals, this ranting Labour loudmouth suggested:

     

    “[The BBC produce] sickeningly gratuitous coverage of anything royal. [They are] very heavily directed by right-wing politics and the monarchy. It is a piece of the whole propaganda machine.”

     

    Though plainly Dent Coad thinks herself very funny, the nation did not and on Twitter, Rupert Myers, a political correspondent for GQ and The Telegraph, termed the remarks “absolutely vile stuff.” Another user, @Ferruzzicati, added: “My god you are one opportunistic, virtue signalling ingrate. A disgrace to your office. Resign woman” whilst Ned Donovan of the Daily Mail rightly concluded: “[You] are an incredibly unpleasant and spiteful person.”

     

    They are all right: Emma Dent Coad – a woman who previously sat on the TMO in charge of Grenfell Tower (and now wishes we’d all forget that) – should simply crawl back under the stone from whence she came. She is ridiculous, rude and would best rod off.

     

  • Hero of the Hour – Farhad Neda

    Hero of the Hour – Farhad Neda

    Farhad Neda rescued his disabled mother from the 23rd floor of the Grenfell Tower; they are the only survivors from the penultimate level of the building

     

    Whilst others headed upwards tragically wrongly thinking a helicopter would rescue them, 23rd floor resident of the Grenfell Tower 24-year old Farhad Neda realised the best course of action was to get his disabled mother out.

     

    Ignoring the advice of his neighbours, Neda – a mechanical engineering graduate and former hotel receptionist originally from Kabul, Afghanistan – hoisted his mother above his shoulders and completed a 240-foot descent to safety. He had to negotiate bodies in the stairwell and on reaching safety, both he and his mother lapsed into comas.

     

    Neda – whose father sadly died after jumping from the burning inferno – told Channel 4 News last night that it was a “miracle” that he and his mother were the only people to survive from the level of the 24-floor building where they lived. He is a genuine hero and should be saluted as such.

     

  • Trimming Trimdon

    Trimming Trimdon

    Tony Blair’s former home heads to auction for £35,000 less than he sold it for in 2010 (more…)

  • Topsy Taylor (born Lesley Taylor)

    Topsy Taylor (born Lesley Taylor)

    This big-haired New York and Newport based socialite and aviation enthusiast co-founded Helicopter Flight Services in 1985. (more…)

  • Ghislaine Maxwell

    Ghislaine Maxwell

    Ghislaine MaxwellThe favourite child of the crooked newspaper tycoon ‘Bouncing Bob’ Maxwell, New York based Ghislaine Maxwell has been described as “smart, funny, beaut[iful], kind and sarcastic” (more…)

  • A maze-like mansion: Villa Cielo de Bonaire

    A maze-like mansion: Villa Cielo de Bonaire

    Cielo de Bonaire: A vast £39 million villa that has failed to sell in three years that truly must have been built with a dictator or drug dealer in mind (more…)

  • Bedding down

    Bedding down

    Sarah Tucker recounts an interview with Sir David Frost

     

    I was once lucky enough to interview Sir David Frost. He was one of my interviewees for a show I devised for Sky called Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? Others in the series included Lord Menuhin and Anita Roddick. (more…)