Lady Victoria:
Socialite and former squeeze of Prince Andrew, Lady Victoria Hervey gives Closer her view on the scandal-hit royal couple, and reveals how lockdown has put a stop to her pregnancy plans
“I don’t think Harry and Meghan will last – they moved too fast”
With an aristocratic family and links to the Royals after dating Prince Andrew in her 20s – as well as being a frequent partygoer at some of Prince Harry’s favourite London nightclubs – Lady Victoria Hervey has a unique insight into life in The Firm.
And as the royal scandal rumbles on, following the explosive claims made by Harry and Meghan after stepping down from palace life last year, Lady V tells Closer she fears that the Sussexes – who dated for just over two years before tying the knot in 2018 – will not weather the storm.
Lady V, a close pal of Prince Charles’ late god-daughter Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, says, “I think Harry and Meghan’s courtship was way too short. I just don’t see it lasting.
“I remember just before their wedding, I thought, ‘They’ll get married, have a few kids... And she will end up wanting to be in America.’”
TOO MUCH TOO SOON
And Lady V, who, like Harry and Meghan, lives in LA after fleeing there to escape the limelight back home, adds, “I don’t think they spent enough time together in England. They were always travelling somewhere. They moved too fast.
That’s why Kate Middleton and Prince William’s relationship is so successful – they were together for such a long time before getting married.”
On the controversial Oprah interview, where the couple alleged racism against the family as well as a lack of mental health support as Meghan struggled to adjust to royal life, Lady V adds, “I thought it was distasteful, the way it was done, with Prince Philip in the hospital, literally about to die. I thought it was pretty unreal.
“I’d give it maybe two years [before they split]. Harry has really become the black sheep now, but I think the Royals would welcome him back.”
Lady V – who is the daughter of the Marquess of Bristol – was a notorious
“It Girl” during the ’90s and partied with the likes of Lindsay Lohan as she lapped up her new life in America after moving there almost 20 years ago.
PARTY GIRL
And she admits that, despite modelling for the likes of Christian Dior, she “needs” to keep up her regular doses of Botox after
reaching the age of 44. She says, “It’s just normal here. They all get pumped up in
LA. I’m all for Botox – why not, right?
I’m just scared to do too much, and I think some people do go overboard. But at my age, we need to!”
Recalling her years on the party circuit, Lady V – who became an unlikely reality TV star after appearing on Love Island, The Farm and The Jump – adds, “It was the
‘It Girl’ generation – the ’90s were the best. I’m so happy I got to do all of that. It’s a different world now! But back in the day, we really partied hard.”
Her move Stateside saw her rub shoulders with a host of new celebrity pals, including actor Gerard Butler, who she’s been hanging out with during lockdown – and Lady V is only too happy to tell Closer what she thinks of all of the A-list men she’s met.
She says, “I wasn’t that impressed by Bradley Cooper. Nobody has surpassed
Brad Pitt for me – he’s gorgeous. Chris Hemsworth is up there, but he’s taken.
“Jamie Dornan, from Fifty Shades Of Grey, is too skinny in real life. And David Beckham is just ink now, after all his tattoos. It’s all about Brad Pitt for me!” she laughs.
Currently single, Lady V reveals she was involved with someone new during lockdown – but it proved “complicated” as the romance was long distance.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
She previously told Closer about her hopes of becoming a mum – saying she’d decided to freeze her eggs and try IVF, potentially using a “male friend’s sperm”, and felt the decision would “fill what has become rather a hole in my life”.
But the IVF journey was gruelling and in 2018 she admitted, “It was tough. I was emotional. I cried a lot. It’s tough on your body and emotions.”
Previously revealing she had chosen a friend who was happy to father her child and play a part in their life, in
March Lady V revealed she was ‘grateful’ that Covid restrictions had put a stop to her plans, as she’s now having second thoughts.
While she declined to go into detail about her baby plans, she admitted that the pandemic has made her want to return to the UK in the near future.
She adds, “It made me miss the UK and home. I thought, ‘If anything happens, I want to be there, with my family.’ I love LA – but there’s no place like home.”
By Lisa Blake
‘Jamie Dornan’s too skinny, Becks is just ink, it’s all about Brad Pitt!’