Prince Harry was in ebullient form at an art gallery party in New York last week to celebrate the launch of a fundraising exhibition for his African children’s charity Sentebale.
Behind the scenes, there have, I hear, been major changes going on at the organisation he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006.
This week, Richard Miller quit as chief executive of Sentabale after five years in the role.
His departure follows that of Baroness Chalker, the overseas development minister, who stepped down as a director last month.
It was the latest blow for the Duke of Sussex‘s organisation, which lost advertising king Johnny Hornby last year. He stood down after 11 years as a trustee, five of which he spent as chairman.
Last month, The Mail on Sunday disclosed that Andrew Tucker, whom Harry affectionately calls ‘Tucks’, had stepped down from his senior position at Sentebale after almost a decade.
In another sign of Harry and his wife, Meghan, cutting links with Britain, Miller will be the last London-based chief executive of Sentebale, which means ‘forget me not’ in Sesotho.
The charity says Miller, 62, will be replaced by an interim executive director, Carmel Gaillard. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, she has been asked to deliver a ‘strategic transformation’ of the charity.
Nacho Figueras, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, Chair of Sentebale, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Richard Miller, CEO, Sentebale attend the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Washington
Richard Miller quit as chief executive of Sentabale this week after five years in the role
It has evolved from supporting children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana to addressing broader issues of ‘youth health, wealth inequity and climate resilience’.
‘This shift reflects our continued commitment to being guided by voices from within the region we serve,’ say Princes Harry and Seeiso in a joint statement. ‘We sincerely thank Richard for his pivotal role in steering our organisation toward this important evolution.’
Miller says: ‘It is the logical next step for Sentebale, and the time is right for this shift to local leadership. Carmel is an incredible asset to position Sentebale further as a leader in the region.’
The secret behind Strictly Nadiya’s sparkling smile
Her dances win perfect tens, but Nadiya Bychkova’s crooked teeth left her so insecure that she sought a straightening treatment.
Called Invisalign, it’s an alternative to metal braces. ‘I wore them for 18 weeks,’ the Strictly Come Dancing star tells me at shoe designer Aruna Seth’s Christmas party at Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel in Knightsbridge.
Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova at Aruna Seth’s Christmas Party at the Jumeirah Carlton Town Hotel in London
‘Initially, I was worried about getting it because, if you do anything to move your teeth, it can change your face.’ Nadiya, 35, who has recently had the braces removed, says there were some benefits to the treatment: ‘I actually loved wearing them because I couldn’t snack and could only drink water because if not you would have to take everything off.’
The Ukrainian, whose dance partner, swimmer Tom Dean, was the first celebrity to be eliminated this series, adds: ‘Now it’s a ritual where I have to sleep with a brace every night. I’m quite disciplined about it.’
Wintour blesses Devil
Raised eyebrows in fashion circles as UK Vogue has glowingly reviewed new West End musical The Devil Wears Prada. The show is inspired by the novel by Lauren Weisberger that became a blockbuster film starring Meryl Streep as monstrous editor Miranda Priestly.
Weisberger supposedly based the character on her former boss Anna Wintour, who attended the show’s opening night last week.
The review written by one of Wintour’s veteran senior lieutenants, Hamish Bowles, Vogue global editor at large, tellingly notes, ‘Working at Vogue, I was kissed with absolute magic.
Anna Wintour attends ‘The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical’ World Premiere at the Dominion Theatre on December 1
‘But as it turns out, I was a very long way from the world of Runway [the fictional magazine in The Devil Wears Prada].’
Yet Vogue’s stilettos tread carefully in the review – Weisberger and the film’s stars Streep and Anne Hathaway go unmentioned.
Notting Hill Set wages battle of the baubles
Wealthy residents of west London districts including Kensington and Notting Hill are engaged in an ‘arms race’ to have the most lavish Christmas decorations. That’s the view of estate agent Charles Erwin.
‘Neighbourhoods and streets get completely transformed,’ he says on Winkworth’s Property Exchange podcast.
‘It’s a competition between each house and the next. And you can really tell where people have hired in professional companies to do their decorations for them.
‘And it’s getting bigger and bigger each year. There are wreaths, lots of greenery, flowers decorating the pillars, toy soldiers and moving lights.’
Paloma’s faith in love restored
Pop star Paloma Faith’s split from French artist Leyman Lahcine was the inspiration for her album The Glorification Of Sadness, released this year.
She may, however, soon have some more uplifting material, as I can disclose that she is going out with a mystery man. ‘I do think I’m ready to find love again,’ she tells me at a London fashion event. ‘I have met someone. He’s really nice, and I’m hopeful that it might work.’
The singer, 43, previously said her break-up was due to the pressure of raising their two daughters. ‘Our relationship ended because we have those children,’ she said. ‘And I think that was worth it.’
Faith paid for a billboard on Lahcine’s road to be plastered with her image, explaining: ‘So I hope that he looked at me every day and was, like, ‘s***.’
Paloma Faith arrives at Westminster Abbey The Royal Foundation Carol Service: Together at Christmas on December 6
Stacey star steals the show
Let’s hope that the BBC’s Gavin & Stacey Christmas special really is, as billed, the finale. Actress Joanna Page says she cleaned out the set when the cameras stopped rolling.
‘I have got all of Stacey’s costumes from the final episode, all of her shoes and her jewellery. Also, I’ve taken a framed painting home from Stacey and Gwen’s house, and I also took this glass ornamental duck, which is an ornament from Stacey’s sideboard in the living room.’
Talk about taking your work home with you.
Joanna Page and Mathew Horne in Gavin and Stacey: The Finale
Andi Oliver: Don’t be too ‘melodramatic’ about Wallace scandal
Tipped to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef, Andi Oliver believes the controversy surrounding his behaviour has been blown out of proportion. ‘The thing to do is not be too melodramatic about it,’ she tells me.
‘Gregg Wallace is not the only person who’s been given a licence to behave in ways that are inappropriate.
Gregg Wallace’s potential replacement on MasterChef has said viewers shouldn’t be ‘too melodramatic’ about the controversy surrounding his behaviour
‘And for everybody to pretend that he is a kind of lone wolf is disingenuous and a bit ridiculous, really.’
Oliver, 61 adds: ‘Instead of wanging on about him, we should be making sure that environments are good, productive, safe spaces for people to work in.’
