Lean on me! Duke finds solace after Tiggy split
ONCE known as ‘Hardcore Harbord’ due to her party-loving lifestyle, Prince Harry’s old chum Davina Harbord has finally settled down.
She married Old Harrovian Freddie Streeter, right, last weekend at Clissold House, a Grade II listed, 18th Century mansion in Stoke Newington, NorthEast London, in front of guests who included Made In Chelsea star Ollie Proudlock.
Pilates instructor Davina, 35, whose elder sister Astrid grew close to Harry after his split from Chelsy Davy, was known for her partying streak and pals were surprised when she unconventionally proposed to Freddie, 34, on the eve of Valentine’s Day this year.
FIRST there were X-rated snaps on adult website OnlyFans – now Lottie Moss has another money-making scheme. She is following in half-sister Kate’s footsteps with her own fragrance but the 23-year-old will need to flog a lot to get rich – bottles cost only £20.
Meanwhile, I can reveal that Kate, 47, whose own perfumes were discontinued in 2015, took a hit during Covid. Accounts filed for Kate Moss Ltd show shareholders’ funds fell by more than £3million to £8.8million and ‘cash at the bank’ dropped by just over £7million to £4.7million.
HE HAS endured a rather chequered love life since the end of his 28-year marriage. And now I am sorry to report that the Duke of Rutland is once more nursing a broken heart at his Belvoir Castle estate after splitting up with society photography agent Tiggy Maconochie.
But since the couple, both 62, suddenly called time on their year-long romance, the shooting-mad Duke – David Manners to his chums – has been ‘leaning on’ old friend Louise Pickering for support.
However, Louise, a popular fine art dealer whose late father was journalist Sir Edward Pickering, is keen to put a stop to rumours circulating at the Duke’s magnificent Leicestershire pile that the pair are romantically involved.
She tells me: ‘David did split from Tiggy and since then he likes to say he’s been leaning on me.
‘He’s been to stay with me a couple of times recently and I’ve been to stay with him a couple of times. I am due to go to his place for a shoot soon, and I stayed at the castle for his birthday [in May].
‘But I’ve known David since I was 21. He’s been a very good friend for 40 years and you stand by your friends in times like these.’
The Duke’s marriage to Emma,
Duchess of Rutland, broke down in 2012 after he embarked on an affair with a woman who lived on his land, Brazilian-born Andrea Webb. However, rather than go through the upheaval of a divorce, Emma contin
ued to live at the 200-year-old Belvoir Castle – albeit in a separate wing – and carried on in her role as chief executive of the 15,000acre estate. The 58-year-old also embarked on a romance of her own, with estate manager Phil Burtt, and earlier this year described him as her ‘partner’.
The Duke and Duchess have five children, including Violet, Alice and Eliza Manners, all stalwarts of the London social scene. Their raucous all-night parties as youngsters earned them the nickname of the Bad Manners Sisters.
Three years ago it was disclosed the Duke had split from Ms Webb. However, nine months earlier, police had been called to Belvoir Castle following a row that flared when estate staff told the Brazilian she was excluded from a shooting party. She had reportedly refused to leave the grounds unless the Duke himself told her to go. But she eventually relented and left, followed by the police officers.
When I contacted Tiggy – who was agent to Helmut Newton, the late fashion photographer known for his stark, often sado-masochistic portraits of nude women – she told me: ‘My private life is private. There is nothing sad about my relationship with David.’