Anger and dismay as Duke’s pub shuts out locals and staff

Let me tell you, this family has seen some serious challenges! They’ve overcome obstacles that would have completely derailed most of us. A particularly tough time was dealing with inheritance taxes – they actually had to pay over 75% of the value of their beautiful country estates just to cover those taxes. It was a huge hit, but they persevered.

Despite a significant setback in 1954, the Dukes of Somerset – the Seymour family – have quietly continued their lives, maintaining positive relationships with many tenants and people in the local community.

But is that happy state of affairs now at an end?

The Duke of Wiltshire unexpectedly closed The Bradley Hare pub just before Christmas, and it remains shut to this day. All three entrances are sealed with notices and tape, raising questions about its future on the Duke’s 3,400-acre estate.

After a stunning makeover by James Thurstan Waterworth, Soho House’s design director, and hospitality expert Andrew Kelly, the 12-bedroom building in Maiden Bradley reopened in 2021. It was previously known as The Somerset Arms, and the renovation transformed it into something truly special.

Recently crowned the best pub in Wiltshire at the National Pub & Bar Awards, this establishment quickly won over critics. One reviewer called it a charming weekend getaway, praising its neatly stacked firewood and thoughtfully arranged collection of African art.

Sebastian Lord Seymour, 43, now manages the family estate and lives at Bradley House. He took over from his father, John, the 73-year-old 19th Duke, who stepped down to allow him to lead.

When The Bradley Hare first opened, Sebastian explained they aimed for the cozy feel of a traditional country inn. He also mentioned that the pub’s color scheme – burnt yellow and red – was inspired by a dress worn by Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII.

None of that did staff any good before Christmas.

According to a local resident, the building was suddenly closed without any prior notice. Employees who were already there were asked to leave, and those scheduled to work couldn’t access the building.

Worse was to come. ‘It was before pay-day. None of them have been paid since then.’

People are talking and getting upset. According to one local, the issue stemmed from a dispute between Andrew Kelly, the business owner, and Lord Seymour, who owns the building.

‘The Duke gave his walled garden to the local community to set up a community allotment.

‘People feel differently about the person who now runs the estate.’

Neither Lord Seymour nor Mr Kelly responds to requests for comment.

Maybe Lord Ashworth is preoccupied. I heard his wife, Poppy, is pregnant with their first child.

£70m Trinny is sitting pretty

Trinny Woodall shared last year that she hadn’t yet bought a house after selling her previous one to start her beauty business. Now, at 61, the former ‘What Not To Wear’ host is likely able to afford property again, as her company, Trinny London, has had a very successful year.

The company earned £70 million in the year ending March 2025, averaging £191,000 in sales each day. This is the highest amount the cosmetics business – founded in 2017 – has ever reported.

Alice models the latex look for mums-to-be

Alice Dellal, a model and photographer known for being the face of Agent Provocateur lingerie (previously Kate Moss), has announced she’s expecting her second child in a striking way.

Unlike many pregnant women who prefer comfortable clothes, 38-year-old Alice confidently displayed her baby bump in a striking red latex minidress, accessorized with a black leather jacket, at a party in London.

Alice comes from a family with a strong sense of style – her sister is shoe designer Charlotte Olympia. Their grandfather, nicknamed ‘Black Jack’ Dellal, was known for his extravagant habits, once famously losing £1.7 million in a single night at a Monte Carlo casino back in 2006.

Alice is expecting her second child with her boyfriend, 27-year-old professional skateboarder Charlie Birch. The couple, currently enjoying a relaxing trip abroad to celebrate, are already parents to a one-year-old son named Buster.

Pansexual Frankie celebrates a year of love

Frankie Herbert, whose grandfather was the 7th Earl of Carnarvon and whose stepfather is the current Duke of Norfolk, has dated people like Eliot Sumner, one of Sting’s six children. However, she isn’t interested in settling down with just one person right now.

Frankie, age 30, reflects on 2025 as a year filled with love, and also a year where she openly shared her identity as queer and polyamorous.

Polyamory involves having romantic relationships with more than one person, and it’s built on the idea that everyone involved knows about and agrees to it.

For years, the 7th Marquess of Bath was the most publicly known aristocrat to embrace an open relationship lifestyle. However, despite having over 70 partners – earning him the nickname ‘The Loins of Longleat’ – Alexander Thynn always identified as heterosexual.

Frankie, known for walking the runway at a fashion show Queen Elizabeth II once attended, has openly identified as pansexual, meaning she’s attracted to people of all genders.

Bridgerton star Genevieve joins the Country Life set

Genevieve Chenneour, known for bravely confronting a phone thief in west London last year, has received a prestigious honor from the aristocracy.

The 28-year-old actress known for her role as Clara Livingston in the popular Netflix series Bridgerton has been chosen to be featured on the ‘girl in pearls’ page of Country Life magazine, a publication geared towards those interested in hunting, shooting, and fishing.

She told me she was thrilled to be asked. She believes women can be powerful, expressive, elegant, and still embrace their femininity – qualities that are often thought of as opposites, but actually complement each other perfectly. She hopes to inspire young women by showing them they don’t have to choose between these traits.

The actress was also attacked by a stranger in London last year minutes before an audition.

She explained that she was often targeted because of her looks. She felt people were drawn to her because they wanted something from her.

‘And if they can’t have you, they want to prove that they’ve got some power over you.’

After allegations of sexual harassment led HarperCollins to end its publishing relationship with David Walliams last month, fellow author and TV personality Richard Osman has not publicly offered him support.

Osman notes that the comedian is facing criticism without much public support, despite strongly denying the allegations. He observes that usually, people in similar situations have many who will stand up for them.

It’s common for people to slip up or make poor choices while filming, and usually the crew will help them out. However, if the team thinks someone deserves the consequences, they might not offer that support.

Last year, comedian Gina Yashere faced criticism after calling Charlie Kirk, a supporter of Donald Trump, prejudiced in multiple ways – specifically xenophobic, transphobic, homophobic, racist, misogynistic, and sexist. This happened shortly after an attempt on his life.

Jonathan Frakes, the 51-year-old Star Trek: Starfleet Academy actor living in the United States, has recently made strong criticisms of the country, describing it as a ‘fascist hellscape’.

Yashere shared her reaction online after the White House supported the agent who fatally shot a mother of three in Minneapolis earlier this week. She criticized the White House’s statements, calling them lies about what witnesses observed, and drew a comparison to how historical injustices were able to persist.

Royal chum Alice’s mid-air turbulence

She moves in impressive circles, counting Princess Beatrice and actress Reese Witherspoon among her friends. She’s become well-known for creating unique and decorative dining sets.

Alice Naylor-Leyland was likely very upset when another parent asked her to exit an airplane.

A 39-year-old socialite and businesswoman received criticism for how she handled her 20-month-old daughter, Margot, on a flight home from Miami with her family. She shares four children with Tom Naylor Leyland, who is set to inherit a £176 million fortune and the large Fitzwilliam Malton Estate in North Yorkshire.

Alice recalls her baby crying for about ten minutes during the flight. She was surprised when another mother became upset about the crying, and even asked her to remove the baby from the cabin, saying there was no reason for the tears. Alice found this very upsetting.

‘Babies can’t be robots and I feel mothers need to support each other… Sorry for the rant.’

The smart set’s talking about…Another ding dong at Christo girl’s wedding?

Get ready for a fun wedding! The Marquess of Headfort – known for playfully pushing his cousin, Lord Brocket, into a pool at Brocket’s wedding in France – is now celebrating his daughter’s engagement.

Lady Alexandra Taylour, 28 is to marry George Witherley, 31, her colleague at insurance firm Marsh.

The Marquess, Christo Headfort, says he’s very happy for the couple, and the wedding might take place in Ireland. His family’s historic home, Headfort House in County Meath, was sold there in 1981 for over £1 million. TV personality Jeremy Clarkson, a friend of Christo’s, could also be attending.

Jeremy Clarkson shared some positive news about Alexandra, describing her as a ‘lovely girl.’ He noted she used to attend Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

Dominic West chose Eton College for his sons, but is disappointed the school no longer practices ‘fagging’ – a traditional system where younger students assist older ones.

This involves younger students serving older students – a long-standing school tradition. Actor Joshua Jackson, who went to the boarding school in the 1980s, explains it was a good way for younger and older students to bond and get to know each other.

The work was simple – things like tidying rooms or making toast – and in return, you earned money and got to listen to music on their sound system.

2026-01-10 04:25