He has been teetotal since he was a teenager so I’m not quite sure what Prince Andrew would have made of one friend’s gift to help his 60th birthday celebrations go with a swing – a four-gallon bottle of wine.
As the menu for his recent bash reveals, Andrew was given caviar and a melchior – the equivalent of 24 bottles of wine, or four gallons.
The donation was made by Soheil Dadfar, an Iranian-born friend of Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, an autocratic regime accused by Amnesty International of human rights violations.
The allegations include the arrest and torture of gay and lesbian people, and banning free speech.
Prince Andrew, who has been teetotal since he was a teenager, was given a four-gallon bottle of wine as a present for his 60th birthday last month
As the menu for his recent bash reveals, Andrew was given caviar and a melchior – the equivalent of 24 bottles of wine, or four gallons
So unusual was Soheil’s contribution that he even received a message of thanks on the bottom of the menu.
Although Andrew has been keeping a low profile since his ‘car-crash’ Newsnight interview over his links with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, the menu shows that he is still determined to live like a king.
In addition to the melchior, guests at the party, held at Royal Lodge, the Duke’s home within the grounds of Windsor Great Park, were served a selection of fine French vintages to accompany each course.
The donation was made by Soheil Dadfar, an Iranian-born friend of Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, an autocratic regime accused by Amnesty International of human rights violations. Soheil is pictured with his wife, Aida Mahmudova, 38, an artist and the niece of Mehriban Aliyeva, the First Lady of Azerbaijan
The President of Azerbaijan is pictured speaking at a business forum in Rome on February 21. The allegations made by Amnesty International against his regime include the arrest and torture of gay and lesbian people, and banning free speech
They were treated to a starter of twice-baked cheese souffle with a £28.50 Pouilly-Fuisse; fish pie and tenderstem broccoli washed down with a 2016 Nuits-St-Georges priced at £55 for the main course; and a selection of desserts including sticky toffee pudding and treacle tart, served with a £28 Chateau Villefranche sauternes.
The 50 or so guests at the party last month included Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, racing heir Guy Sangster and Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to Britain.
Soheil is married to Aida Mahmudova, 38, an artist and the niece of Mehriban Aliyeva, the First Lady of Azerbaijan. The couple live in London.
Car fanatics looking to break into TV will be pleased to hear that The Grand Tour is looking for a new series producer – but the lucky applicant will have to possess some remarkable skills.
The advert says the Amazon Prime show, starring Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, needs someone with ‘experience of handling the logistics for big and complex foreign road-trip-style shoots, must be persuasive with grumpy officials at three in the morning, and must be authoritative and charming enough to lead a team that already knows what it’s doing.’
Not to mention risking being thumped by Clarkson if there isn’t steak and chips for tea…
Lady Amelia Windsor – dubbed ‘the most beautiful Royal’ by society bible Tatler – is single once more after ending her secret romance with university pal Fred Galletly.
Amelia and Fred – who works as a ‘manny’, a male nanny – were spotted together at Wimbledon last year, but otherwise have managed to keep their relationship private.
Now a chum of Amelia reports: ‘The romance has fizzled out. Amelia was travelling the world on modelling assignments and Fred was stuck in Blighty working as a manny.’
Form an orderly queue, chaps…
Lady Amelia Windsor – dubbed ‘the most beautiful Royal’ by society bible Tatler – is single once more after ending her secret romance with university pal Fred Galletly