Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York attends The Lady Garden Gala 2022 at Claridge's Hotel on December 06, 2022 in London, England.
(Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images)SARAH FERGUSON, the Duchess of York, is hoping to take the unpredictable digital art world by storm. Fergie is creating a virtual gallery to display her range of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), a type of digital artwork.
The Duchess Gallery launches on December 22, with an exhibition titled Gateway to the Self. It will feature work by the Duchess and other artists, though details are vague. Ferguson, who is also a writer, says she hopes “to expand my passion for storytelling through art,” and adds: “Traditional aesthetics can find a new life in this contemporary viral world”.
The entrepreneurial Duchess is the first royal to work with NFTs. She is working with NFT purveyor Nifty Gateway, whose founder calls her involvement an “incredible validation for the medium”. Trading of NFTs is down 97 per cent since January, mirroring a global fall in the value of crypto-currencies, which NFTs are linked to.
Welby stands by his fellow peers
The ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury, Justin Welby, defended the House of Lords against Labour’s plans to abolish it as he picked up the prize for best peer at the New Statesman’s first Positive Impact awards last night. In a speech read out by Andrew Marr, Welby said the Lords “plays a vital role” helping those “on the margins who might not get a hearing”. Twenty-six bishops are among the 800-odd Lords, but other religions are not represented.
Wagatha play set for long West End run
THE WAGATHA Christie story shows no signs of going away — a play based on the trial is now getting an extended West End run. The show, based on the libel case Rebekah Vardy lost after fellow footballer’s wife Coleen Rooney accused her of leaking stories to the press, is getting a long run at the Ambassadors Theatre in the spring. A TV drama is due out soon.
Nadhim toasts a busy year
TORY chairman Nadhim Zahawi looked back on a wild year in politics at the Adam Smith Institute Christmas party last night. Zahawi recalled that he was education secretary at last year’s bash, and has since done “most positions” in the Cabinet “other than Prime Minister”. He had hoped to be PM in July but will now lead Rishi Sunak’s election bid. “The phones are ringing,” he told us, optimistically.
Stars align for the new Avatar
The AVATAR sequel took the capital by storm last night. First, stars including Zoe Saldana went to the Leicester Square premiere, before a lavish after-party at the Natural History Museum. There, director James Cameron smiled with actress Sigourney Weaver while fans John Boyega and Will.i.am showed support. Earlier, Ronan Keating posed with wife Storm at The Lady Garden Gala at Claridge’s, and Jennifer Saunders brought her granddaughter to the opening of the Christmas light trail at Kenwood House.
