‘Daily Star’ hilariously mocks the Duchess of Sussex and in doing so turns her into ‘Mystery Meg’
Yesterday, the Daily Mail’sRichard Eden tweeted to share the best of the coverage of the former Meghan Markle’s High Court victory over the very publication he works for.
Featuring an image of a “woman” with her eyes blacked out, the accompanying text from the Daily Star read:
“A publicity-shy woman has won her privacy claim against a newspaper over the publication of a letter to her estranged father.”
“The 39-year-old – married to a ginger bloke formerly of this land – sued a Brit publisher over a series of articles which reproduced parts of the letter sent to her 76-year-old dad in August 2018.”
“She is seeking damages for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act.”
Mystery Meg – Richard Eden’s missive proved popular and was retweeted 115 times and liked 684 times by 11.30am on Saturday. One response to it read: “It’s brilliant & I propose more of the MSM, especially all those banned from speaking to the dastardly duo, do the same or even better, refuse to report on anything they do.”
As San Francisco socialite and clothes horse Joy Venturini Bianchi is highlighted to be an American version of her fellow former ‘charitycat’ Lady Meyer, it’s time that charities worldwide were better regulated
In Britain, in 2011, the “Chanel-clad” wife of the former British ambassador to Washington, Lady Meyer, faced criticism after The Telegraph revealed the majority of the income of the charity she was then running was spent on her very own pay. She subsequently ceased to be involved in that organisation in 2016 but now, in San Francisco, a similar scandal has come to light in the form of Helpers Community Inc. (formerly rather crudely known as ‘Helpers of the Mentally Retarded’) and its executive director, a wannabe lookalike of Iris Apfel named Joy Venturini Bianchi.
The so-called charity that “natty” Ms. Venturini Bianchi, a self-proclaimed “divorced philanthropist” runs, it was reported last Friday, must “repay the public tens of thousands of dollars after misleading city officials” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The same paper had previously highlighted that Helpers had paid 78-year old Venturini Bianchi a base salary of £159,149 ($193,828), roughly £82,109 ($100,000) more annually than directors of similarly sized San Francisco non-profits and that supporters had been “disgusted with the way they were using this cause to raise money”.
Ms. Venturini Bianchi stands accused of raising “millions of dollars but failed to adequately distribute [them]” and that she is also attacked for not doing “much to fulfill [her non-profit’s] promise to donors” is, if correct, truly shocking. Just as with Meyer in England, the board of Helpers was composed from “longtime friends” and as state senator Mark Leno pointed out: “It would appear that the board is in need of a serious governance makeover”.
It is time the era of the ‘charitycat’ came to its natural conclusion. In Britain, America and elsewhere, for far too long, wealthy and connected individuals with little-to-no experience have been able to benefit from tax breaks, benefits, salaries and bonuses naïvely given by the public simply by taking over “a cause”. These amateurs should now be banished and running charities should instead become the domain of professionals.
Sir Christopher and Lady Meyer put their Chelsea townhouse up for sale for £2.3 million more than was asked when they bought it in 2013 – The catch? It’s next door to a kebab shop(more…)
Lady Meyer takes a pay cheque from the City Bridge Trust
Featured in The Telegraph in 2011 due to the curious way it allocated its income, the charity founded by the “Chanel-clad” wife of the former British ambassador to Washington, Lady Meyer, is back in the news after receiving a grant of £60,000 from the City Bridge Trust. Naturally, she, herself, is set to receive 10% of this personally. (more…)
The Telegraph’s‘Mandrake’ columnist is a man not afraid to take on the establishment. Together with his now former colleague Richard Eden, Walker’s diary extensively featured stories about the charitable activities of Lady Meyer in 2011 and made a fool of the PR for Mastercard after they told him what he was to tweet in exchange for tickets to the Brit awards in February 2014. Walker also finds time to write theatre critiques and occasionally makes it onto the stage himself also. In Spamalot, this talented journalist played God and of Gillian Duffy, he once tweeted: “What I loved about Gillian Duffy – & this country – is that an OAP on her way to get a loaf of bread can bring down a PM”. Here is a remarkable man whose column is on our list of “must reads”.
Hugh Bonneville can celebrate after Gothic wins at Leicester
This morning, The Telegraph’s‘Mandrake’ reported on the latest success of the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Petrushka Syndicate and one of its investors, Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, at Leicester. (more…)
Contents of The Hempel Hotel to be sold at auction
The contents of Bayswater’s iconic The Hempel Hotel, originally designed by Anouska Hempel, are to be sold following the building’s sale to British Land for £33 million in March. (more…)
The wife of the former ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer, once described as “Chanel-clad” by The Telegraph, has applied to The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea to build a number of closets at a property she recently purchased just off the Kings Road.
