The dastadly Mr Deedes

■ For the first time in seven years, The Props awards, the annual property industry shindig held in May at the Hilton Park Lane, will not be attended by Miss World. A result of the recent Presidents Club hullaballoo? A spokesman insists not, saying the reigning beauty pageant winner, India’s Manushi Chhillar, 20, merely has a scheduling conflict. But some feel the event’s boisterous flavour is long due a rethink. A female guest at last year’s lunch witheringly describes it as ‘male, pale and stale’. Oof!

■ Strange the London Stock Exchange still haven’t appointed a chief executive nearly four months after Xavier Rolet abruptly exited. Blustering LSE chairman Donald Brydon, 72, is thought to be keen on another big fish from investment banking. The delay in making an appointment suggests slap-headed interim chief, David Warren, 62, is unlikely to get the job.

■ Elegant businessman Robin Birley, 60, owner of chichi private members’ club 5 Hertford Street, says his shirts are custommade by Parisian fashion house Lanvin. ‘They’re probably £300 or £400, maybe more. I’m too frightened to look at the bill.’ Robin’s late father, Annabel’s founder Mark Birley, was equally fastidious. He wore bespoke socks and purportedly once flew his valet to the south of France to polish his brogues.

■ Avuncular investor Warren Buffett has been unable to sell his sixbedroom beach house in California, which has been on the market for nearly a year for £8m. Perhaps he could attract interest by offering bidders free investment advice. Buffett, 87, once raised £200,000 for charity by auctioning his old wallet which contained a stock tip.

■ Ex-Deutsche Bank trader Guillaume Adolph, who’s been fined £150,000 by the Financial Conduct Authority for his role in the Libor scandal, was known to his peers as Gollum after the slimy creature from The Lord Of The Rings. The moniker was coined by jailed UBS trader Tom Hayes, 38, as he couldn’t pronounce his first name. Was Hayes squeamish about calling him Adolph?