EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Prince William surrounds himself with sycophants and needs Prince Harry to bring him down to earth, claims Princess Diana’s confidante Tina Brown

Prince William revealed his future plans for his role in the monarchy last week, saying he would carry out duties with ‘a smaller ‘r’ in the royal’.

But his comments, to reporters accompanying him on his trip to South Africa, have left royal biographer Tina Brown deeply unimpressed.

The former Vanity Fair editor, who had lunch with Princess Diana just weeks before her death, has accused the Prince of Wales of failing to show King Charles sufficient respect. And she claims William surrounds himself with sycophants.

Prince Harry, to whom he no longer speaks, was good at keeping his brother’s feet on the ground, Brown argues.

‘William did not help the mood by giving a swaggery interview at the end of his South Africa trip for the Earthshot Prize,’ Brown, 70, writes on her Substack blog, called Fresh Hell.

Prince William revealed his future plans for his role in the monarchy last week

His comments, to reporters accompanying him on his trip to South Africa, have left royal biographer Tina Brown deeply unimpressed

The former Vanity Fair editor has accused the Prince of Wales of failing to show King Charles sufficient respect

‘He told reporters about his plans to ‘do things differently’ and then listed ‘impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people’. In short, everything his father has been doing for the past 50 years…’

Offensively, she adds: ‘William’s comment that his plans for a caring, sharing monarchy also include ‘throwing some empathy in there’ made him sound like a performative pinhead. In happier years, it was the irreverent Harry (or Harold as William lugubriously used to call him) who could tease the Prince of Wales and take him down a peg.’

Brown, who is the widow of legendary newspaper editor Sir Harold Evans, is known for her controversial comments.

Last month, she called the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to quit royal duties in 2020 ‘a disaster’.

Brown added: ‘The trouble with Meghan is that she has the worst judgment of anyone in the entire world. She’s flawless about getting it all wrong.’

Prince Harry book sales 

The Duke of Sussex’s publisher, Penguin Random House, has cause to regret his decision, which I disclosed back in August, not to give any interviews to publicise the paperback edition of his tawdry memoirs, Spare.

For the cheaper edition of Harry’s book is languishing in 73rd place in the Official UK Top 50. 

The autobiography sold scarcely 3,000 copies in its second week of publication. 

That compares with the 12,000 copies sold of Richard Osman’s latest novel or almost 10,000 sold of Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat: Home To Roost.

The hardback edition of Spare broke records at bookshops and was Britain’s best-selling book last year, with more than 700,000 copies sold.

Bridgerton star’s racy Pirelli snap

Simone Ashley plays Kate, the demure wife of Viscount Bridgerton in the hit Netflix costume drama

The black-and-white snap leaves little to the imagination, with just a small piece of cloth wrapped around the 29-year-old’s lower body

Now this would certainly have Lady Whistledown’s quill flowing!

Simone Ashley, who plays Kate, the demure wife of Viscount Bridgerton in the hit Netflix costume drama, has stripped off for her racy new role as a 2025 Pirelli calendar girl.

The black-and-white snap leaves little to the imagination, with just a small piece of cloth wrapped around the 29-year-old’s lower body.

Simone, from Surrey, says she found it a ‘challenge’ to bring tyre manufacturer Pirelli’s theme of ‘refresh and reveal’ to the picture, which was shot by US photographer Ethan James Green.

‘I love that Ethan has that mantra of less is more and that there is beauty in subtle movements,’ she muses.

Elton John’s flamboyant gesture 

David Furnish and Elton John attend the “Elton John: Never Too Late” Headline Gala during the 68th BFI London Film Festival 

It was a typically flamboyant gesture from Elton John that wooed his future husband, David Furnish.

The filmmaker has revealed that when Sir Elton invited him round for a dinner date he ordered the entire menu from an expensive Chinese restaurant – as he didn’t know what Furnish liked.

‘I arrive at the house and there’s four giant cardboard boxes on the kitchen counter, and the table’s set for two, and I said, ‘Who else is coming? What’s all this food for?’

Furnish tells the Ruthie’s Table 4 podcast: ‘It was from Mr Chow’s [in Knightsbridge], and Elton didn’t know what I liked – so he ordered the entire menu. I’d never been to Mr Chow’s. I hadn’t had high-end Chinese food before. But it was a really delicious meal.’

Norway’s royal couple win guru award in LA 

Prince Harry and Meghan, who have collected a string of dubious prizes since moving to California, are not the only royals to receive awards.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband, Durek Verrett, were handed the Global Inclusivity Award by Gurus Magazine in Los Angeles. 

‘Being recognised for our dedication to our community of loving souls is a profound honour. I’m deeply grateful for this prestigious acknowledgement,’ says Durek, 49, a bisexual shaman known as Hollywood’s hottest guru.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband, Durek Verrett, were handed the Global Inclusivity Award by Gurus Magazine in Los Angeles

Bishop of Hereford’s New Zealand nightmare 

Nightmare for the Bishop of Hereford, Richard Jackson, who is Queen Camilla’s favourite clergyman and must be a possible successor to the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

As noted here recently, Jackson is off on a three-month sabbatical to New Zealand in January and may therefore be out of the country when a new archbishop is picked. Has he already bought his airline tickets? 

If so, can they be cancelled without it looking too obvious? Let us pray for the poor fellow.

Paul O’Grady’s liquidated firm 

Paul O’Grady’s private firm Buster Productions, which he used to channel his earnings, has been put into liquidation, with the presenter’s estate due to receive £8.5million from its closure. 

O’Grady, who died last year aged 67, left £15.5million in his will. The pot is expected to be divided between his widower Andre Portasio, daughter Sharon and sister Sheila.