Will the King invite his exiled former closest aide to his coronation? Michael Fawcett was once so close to his boss that he squeezed his toothpaste, and the King is reported to have once said: “I can manage without just about anyone, except for Michael.”
However, Fawcett left Charles’ staff months before he became King as allegations of charity donations for honours came to light. Saudi billionaire Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz was allegedly given an honorary CBE and a UK passport after handing £1.5 million to Charles’s charities: he denies any wrongdoing. A police investigation is ongoing.
The King is said to remain fond of Fawcett, but royal experts do not expect him to attend the ceremony. The Palace declined to comment.
Raab can still pack a punch
Dominic Raab didn’t like having to quit as deputy PM and Justice Secretary over bullying accusations last week, writing an angry resignation letter to the PM. He let out his frustrations with a tough session in the gym on Saturday — hours after he left office, he was seen at the famously hardcore Barry’s Bootcamp in Victoria. Raab likes a good workout: he got the nickname “Dumbbell Dom” for going to the gym in his ministry, and did boxing during his days at Oxford.
No late Greggs please, says Nickie
Tory MP Nickie Aiken says she’s against an all-night Greggs in her seat. The pastry giant is going to court to extend its Leicester Square shop’s licence, the same as a McDonald’s nearby. But the MP for Cities of London and Westminster says she wants to “protect people from becoming victims of crime, especially when they’ve had a good night out and may not be fully in control of their facilities.”
Norris: London should support theatre around UK
Much recent noise in the arts has been about how cuts are hurting London. But Rufus Norris, head of the National Theatre, tells us the capital needs to help the rest of the country post-Covid. “I think audiences are returning much more slowly outside of London,” he tells us. “It’s imperative that as many of the subsidised London theatres do what they can to look after the sector as a whole”.
Stars align at the NoMad
Model Leomie Anderson graced the stairs at a dinner for brands H&M x Mugler at the NoMad hotel last night. At Mayfair’s Sparrow Italia, musicians Nadine Shah and Anoushka Shankar were at a Choose Love charity event for a new short film by Hassan Akkad, a Syrian photographer and refugee. Actors Pearl Mackie, Adelle Leonce and Aiysha Hart went too. In Finchley, Boris Johnson did a Q&A with CNN’s Tania Bryer. She once said he’s “bright and erudite”. We were told no press.
