King of the jungle Leo goes on bus tour safari with Kate and Naomi
After Longleat hosts the showbiz wedding of the year... A-list guests are treated to a double-decker trip around the famous animal park
IT HAD all the trappings you would expect of the society event of the year – magnificent venue, A-list guests, celebrity DJ – and one you probably wouldn’t: a double-decker bus tour. Yet the galaxy of stars who attended the wedding of Vogue editor Edward Enninful at Longleat House last week followed the nuptials with a trip around the estate’s famous safari park, spotting lions and venturing in to the Monkey Drive-Thru.
Those enjoying the 90-minute trip in the zebra-striped bus included Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio, insulated from the wintry cold by a navy puffer jacket and baseball cap, and Orlando Bloom, in scruffy jogging pants, baggy jumper and beanie hat.
Other glitterati who gathered at the Wiltshire stately home included actor Idris Elba, pop queen Rihanna, fashion designer Victoria Beckham, supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, and Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton.
Mr Enninful’s boss, Dame Anna Wintour, the editorin-chief of Vogue, also attended – scotching rumours of a rift with her protege. Ghanaian-born Mr Enninful was made editor-in-chief of British Vogue in 2017, taking over from Alexandra Shulman.
The event was hosted by Mr Enninful’s close friend Emma Weymouth, the Marchioness of Bath, and her husband Ceawlin Thynn, the 8th Marquess who owns the 128-room Elizabethan pile
and 9,800-acre estate. The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that the Marchioness didn’t just supply the location as a wedding gift, she also conducted the marriage ceremony herself on Tuesday night.
News that the well-connected Mr Enninful was to marry Alec Maxwell, 41, his partner of 18 years, were revealed by this newspaper earlier this month along with details of the lavish celebrations.
The guests had been sent invitations to celebrate Mr Enninful’s 50th birthday, with the wedding initially due to be a surprise.
Indeed, some of those who arrived at Longleat’s Orangery shortly after 5pm on Tuesday – after the venue had closed its doors to the public – appeared to remain unaware of the nuptials.
Among them was Mrs Beckham who, just before she left her London home for Wiltshire, posted on Instagram that she was excited to be attending Mr Enninful’s ‘birthday ball’.
A source said: ‘Edward had been trying so hard to keep it a surprise, some believed him and were simply expecting a birthday party.’
The order of service, which featured a drawing of the couple’s Boston terrier Ru, stated that guests would be welcomed by the Marquess and Marchioness before American singer Alice Smith performed Endless Love, a cover of the Lionel Richie and Diana Ross duet, and her own hit, Fool For You. The Marchioness then officiated at the service where the grooms made their vows.
The exchange of rings was hosted by Lele Del Fabbro, a fashion executive and close friend of the couple.
It is understood that the reception party went on well into the early hours, with Mr Elba DJing for some of the night.
Only a select group of guests were given rooms to stay overnight at Longleat itself – others were ferried to nearby Babington
Marchioness conducted the ceremony herself
‘Edward had tried hard to keep it a surprise’
House, the private members’ club and hotel that has become a favoured haunt of celebrities and fashionistas.
At 11am the following morning, the celebrity charabanc got under way to tour the grounds. The Marchioness – the first black woman to hold that title in British history and a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019 – carried a tiger-patterned tote bag, and again acted as host.
After the trip, the stars were ushered to the Bath Arms pub on the estate for a spot of lunch.
Mr Enninful and film-maker Mr Maxwell were able to enjoy all the amenities of the venue – which was owned by Lord Bath until his death in 2020 – until 4pm, when the wedding guests finally headed home. But that was not the end of the partying, as the newlyweds flew to New York, where they again celebrated Mr Enninful’s 50th birthday with friends in a restaurant.