‘Catastrophe’ as salmon stocks dry up on King’s childhood fishing river

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Broadlands, a beautiful 4,500-acre estate in Hampshire, holds a special place in Royal Family history. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent their wedding night there in 1947, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana began their honeymoon there in 1981, enjoying the first three days of their married life at the estate.

One of the most beautiful parts of the estate – the two and three-quarter mile section of the River Test – is now at risk. Unless something is done quickly, scenes like the one pictured in the estate’s fishing hut may be lost forever.

The photo captures a young Prince Charles proudly displaying a salmon he caught while visiting the estate of his adored great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, during his childhood.

Broadlands, famous as the place where modern dry fly fishing began, is now managed by Countess Mountbatten. Before her husband, Norton, became the 3rd Earl, she was known as Penny Romsey and often competed in carriage-driving events alongside Prince Philip.

Penny, age 72, feels helpless as the River Test, once a beautiful chalk stream, is rapidly declining and may soon lose its salmon population entirely.

A fly fisherman told me that this is the first year on record that no salmon have been caught at Broadlands. He explained that the River Test is usually considered one of the best salmon rivers globally, with some sections costing up to £400 a day to fish. He believes the lack of salmon is due to the water company taking too much water from the river.

Simply put, too much water has been diverted from the Test River for people to use, leaving very little flow – and it’s been devastating for the salmon. My fishing friend is absolutely heartbroken; he says it’s wiped them out.

Broadlands is being upfront about the serious problems facing salmon populations. Estate manager Andrew Forrester explained they’ve stopped salmon fishing altogether, as wild salmon in chalk streams are now officially considered endangered by the Environment Agency.

A Southern Water representative emphasizes that decreasing Atlantic salmon populations are a worldwide problem. They state that the company is building the first new reservoir in England in three decades specifically to safeguard the river, and that significant further investments are aimed at addressing the various factors affecting the Test River.

 

Earl’s son to marry US heiress after split with Hollywood fiancée, 72

In 2020, when I reported that Garrett Moore, the son of the Earl of Drogheda, was engaged to actress Colleen Camp – who was older than his mother – Camp explained their connection was due to a shared sense of humour.

Colleen, now 72, is reportedly upset. She became popular with teenage boys in the 1980s after appearing in the hit movies Police Academy and Smokey and the Bandit.

Garrett, age 39, recently ended his engagement and is now engaged to Hope Chilton, a 25-year-old whose father, Richard Lockwood Chilton Jr., is a very wealthy investment CEO with a fortune of $1.3 billion.

Colleen shared that her ex-fiancé said he proposed because no one had ever made him laugh as much as she did. She also described her ex’s current relationship with an heiress as simply a business arrangement. Colleen is also known for her roles in ‘Die Hard With A Vengeance’ and the 1980s TV show ‘Dallas’.

She said she believes his family will be much happier with this solution than they would have been with a grandmother.

 

Anna is Fry’s Italian Delight 

Having split up with TV presenter Alexa Chung, 42, Orson Fry has struck up a sweet new romance.

Sources say that Patrick Fry, from the family who owns Fry’s chocolate, is dating 24-year-old Italian model Anna Castellini Baldissera. The 28-year-old musician, who lives in Notting Hill, has been seen with Anna at events in both London and New York recently. According to an insider, ‘They are officially dating, and everyone thinks they’re a perfect match.’

Anna, a model from Milan with a family of noble background, is accustomed to public attention. She was once married to Leonardo Del Vecchio, the 30-year-old heir to the Luxottica fortune, and they actually had two wedding ceremonies.

 

One Del of a pricy rickshaw ride

Known for playing the cunning Boycie in Only Fools and Horses, actor John Challis’s character was notorious for swindling both customers and his business partner, Del Boy.

John Challis, the actor known for the role, would likely have been shocked to learn that his widow, Carol, was charged a hefty £150 for a short rickshaw ride in London – less than half a mile long.

After a show at the Palladium, 77-year-old Carol found herself stranded when she couldn’t find a taxi to take her back to her hotel on Dean Street in Soho. Her brother eventually flagged down a rickshaw, and they sped down Regent Street while ‘Last Christmas’ played on the radio. They initially thought it was a fun way to travel, until they were quoted £150 for the ride. Carol was able to negotiate the price down to £100, but she believes there should be fixed fares and regulations for rickshaws.

 

Footballer Peter Crouch once jokingly said he’d still be a virgin if he hadn’t pursued a career in sports. Comedian Jimmy Carr seems to have had a similar reason for choosing his profession. He told Gyles Brandreth on the Rosebud podcast that he realized he was quite dull when trying to meet girls with his friends. When asked if he became a comedian to improve his flirting skills, he readily agreed, saying that was precisely his motivation. Carr’s partner is TV executive Karoline Copping.

 

Rick Astley’s 1987 song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ became popular again about ten years ago thanks to an internet prank called ‘Rickrolling’.

Rick Astley is now concerned that the internet might be hurting new singers. He explains that while it’s great to create music at home and share it on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, aspiring artists eventually need to perform live. ‘You have to learn how to command a stage and just get up there and perform,’ says the 59-year-old singer, speaking before his performance at a carol concert for the Nordoff and Robbins charity in Chelsea, west London.

Baxter McRolston, a curate at St Luke’s, playfully shared from the pulpit that seeing Rick Astley perform live inspired him to become a priest, proving he hadn’t given up on live music.

 

West End stage show Harry Potter And The Cursed Child has proved unintentionally amusing at times.

Samuel Blenkin, who plays Scorpius Malfoy, recalls a magic trick that was supposed to make steam appear from his ears.

It ended up tucked inside my cloak, creating the hilarious illusion it was emerging from my rear end, and accompanied by a very loud squeak. The audience couldn’t stop laughing, and I was so overwhelmed I burst into tears right there on stage, even letting out a few accidental noises.

 

Jo’s festive treat: a crisp sandwich

Dame Joanna Lumley isn’t thinking about traditional festive foods like turkey or mince pies – she’s excited about a different culinary delight this holiday season.

The Absolutely Fabulous star confessed she’s never had one, but this Christmas she’s finally going to treat herself to a classic: a white bread sandwich filled with butter and crisps. She shared this exciting news with a whisper.

Former Bond girl Dame Joanna, 79, even has a plan for that much-maligned Yuletide staple.

Okay, so Jo just casually dropped that her favorite thing in the world is… raw Brussels sprouts?! I know, right? But listen to how she eats them! She chops them up with salad onions, and gets this – apple and sunflower seeds! Then she mixes it all with mayonnaise and a tiny bit of horseradish. She says it makes the most fabulous coleslaw. Honestly, if Jo says it’s fabulous, it probably is. I need to try this immediately.

 

Alan Sugar often trusts his gut feelings, and the candidates who win The Apprentice are turning out to be very profitable for him as a BBC presenter.

Recent financial reports for Amsvest Ltd, the company used for investments, show a profit of £28 million.

The business saw a £2.5 million profit increase between the previous year and June 2025. Lord Sugar invests between £100,000 and £500,000 in promising companies, and Dr. Leah’s company and Hyper Recruitment Solutions are examples of businesses he has supported.

Though profitable, the venture is a mere fraction of his £1.1billion property fortune.

 

Baby joy for controversial tycoon Moran 

Christopher Moran, a well-known and sometimes controversial businessman who donates to the Conservative Party, has 37-year-old twin sons, Jamie and Charles, with his ex-wife, Helen – a former beauty queen on Thames Television. He seems concerned about the falling birth rate in Britain and wants to do more to address it.

I can disclose that, at the age of 77, he’s celebrating the arrival of baby Esme.

Esme is the younger daughter of Moran and his wife, Emily Rae, who is many years his junior. She’s two years younger than her sister, Iva, whose birth was announced last summer. Esme’s arrival might signal a calmer chapter in Moran’s life, a welcome change from the problems he faced with one of his buildings, Chelsea Cloisters. This west London apartment complex had become notorious for prostitution and was once infamously known as ‘Ten Floors of Whores’.

Moran, facing penalties including expulsion from Lloyd’s insurance market, a censure from the Stock Exchange Council, and a $2 million fine from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, brought in Sir Hugh Orde, the former top police officer in Northern Ireland, to help manage the Cloisters and bring stability to the organization.

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2025-12-13 03:37