EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Princess Eugenie’s husband Jack spotted on a boat with bikini-clad models

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When Princess Eugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank was spotted on a boat with bikini-clad models in Capri last month — while she looked after their baby at home — her mother, the Duchess of York, leapt to his defence to insist he was ‘just doing his job’.

While that was true — Jack is a brand ambassador for Casamigos tequila, which was sponsoring a charity bash on the Mediterranean island — he is now preparing to take on a more serious role.

I hear the 35-year-old son of top chartered accountant George Brooksbank is to become a director of his father’s business, Pangaea Land And Property Limited.

George, 72, who was gravely ill with Covid last year, quietly stepped down in June. The firm is co-run by William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth, whose grandmother was the romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland.

‘Now that his father has retired, it’s time for Jack to take over and to take on a more serious role to support his family,’ says my insider.

The couple and six-month-old son August live at Prince Harry and Meghan’s former home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, and have always enjoyed a busy social life with friends including singer Ellie Goulding and Hollywood star Demi Moore.

But many were surprised to see Jack cavorting with a bevy of glamorous women this summer — one of whom, at one point, was topless.

‘Jack is a man of such integrity,’ Fergie said after the pictures emerged. ‘I call him James Bond, actually. He’s a great father, a fabulous husband and he’s never at front of house; he always likes to be at the back.’

Eugenie described him recently as the ‘ultimate father to our boy’.

The smart set’s talking about… billionaire Reuben’s first grandchild

Property  heir David Reuben Jr, who is due to inherit a chunk of his father’s fortune (estimated at £21 billion jointly with his business partner brother), once declared that ‘material possessions are of zero importance’.

So his next role will, no doubt, be his most rewarding yet, as I can reveal the 41-year-old — formerly one of Britain’s most eligible bachelors — is to become a father. His wife, Colombian actress Carolina Guerra Reuben, 34, is due to give birth later this year.

‘I guess the cat’s out of the bag!’ says David. ‘Carolina and I are so excited to be having a child. She is doing amazingly, and we feel very fortunate to be surrounded by so much love during this time.’

He and Carolina, who starred in the TV series Da Vinci’s Demons, married three years ago at Burning Man Festival — a hippyish art jamboree in Nevada for which she wore a barely-there metallic dress. 

The well-connected couple, who count financier Nat Rothschild and pop star Justin Bieber among pals, live in Los Angeles, where David is a music executive.

The news also means his father, David Snr — whose property empire with brother Simon includes Mayfair’s Burlington Arcade and Westminster’s Millbank Tower — will become a first-time grandfather.

A perfect match for Thandiwe

Stylish Hollywood star Thandiwe Newton is taking fashion coordination to a whole new level.

While upgrading furniture with a friend at her North London home, the 48-year-old was suddenly struck with sartorial inspiration.

‘My wingwoman and I got very excited when there was leftover fabric from my reupholstered chaise lounge,’ explains Thandiwe (who has reverted to the original Zimbabwean spelling of her first name). ‘So we made bikinis, teamed with Wolverine-style kitchen utensils.’ 

The mum-of-three delighted fans by sharing her creation online — but seven-year-old son, Booker, was harder to impress. ‘Oh my God, Mummy, what’s wrong with you?’ he asked.

He dabbled in cocaine and heroin in his youth, but these days punk icon Johnny Rotten is addicted to Kim Kardashian’s favourite moisturising cream, which costs up to £1,700.

‘I buy Creme de La Mer. It’s the best face cream in the world,’ says the Sex Pistols star.

‘I squeeze a tonne of it onto my face. It really does work. It costs an arm and a leg, but if you want your arm and your leg to look good, do it.’

The picky 65-year-old, whose real name is John Lydon, adds: ‘I’ve tried that Boots E45, but I find it to be like rubbing chalk on, it’s so dense.

‘Oil of Olay has been around for ever but it doesn’t seem to do anything; it just sits there until it evaporates.’

Kate happy to let (mini) Moss grow under her feet

She’s one of the most successful models in the world, but Kate Moss does not want to outshine her rising star of a daughter.

The 47-year-old, who has appeared on more than 40 British Vogue covers, appears to be scaling back her own modelling as Lila, 18, takes the fashion industry by storm.

‘Kate will always model, but her main focus now is her talent agency,’ says a friend, referring to Moss’s eponymous firm, set up in 2016.

‘She’s delighted that Lila is doing so well.’ Lila, whose father is magazine editor Jefferson Hack, is signed to her mum’s agency and has starred in campaigns for Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs Beauty.

Kate’s decision to step back is reflected in newly published accounts which reveal a significant downturn at her Skate LLP and Tilly Church firms.

Skate LLP shrunk to a zero net worth last year from just over £139,851 in 2019; while sister firm Tilly Church has gone from being £1.8 m in the black in 2019 to £329,711 in the red as of November 2020.

Former wild child India dreams of quiet nights in

Rebellious porn heiress India Rose James had a child with a rock star and at 21 was richer than the Queen, but insists she prefers the quiet life now.

‘I don’t like being out of lockdown,’ she tells me at the launch of BiBo restaurant at the Mondrian Shoreditch hotel, East London. ‘I’m juggling opening up the Soho Revue gallery, being a mother and now having to maintain a social life after having done nothing except sit in front of my laptop.’

The 29-year-old, who inherited a large portion of her porn publisher grandfather Paul Raymond’s £1 billion Soho Estates property empire, prefers being at home with her four-year-old daughter — whose father is The Kooks guitarist Hugh Harris — and her boyfriend, gallery owner Boe Distassi, 26.

Tired of waiting around for grandchildren, Eton-educated Roddy Campbell — father to top model Edie — has found another way to expand the family aged 61.

The entrepreneur’s 32-year-old wife, Elif Kutsal, gave birth to their second child this week, and Roddy jokes: ‘My children are slow, so I’m having my own grandchildren.’

He and business consultant Elif, whom he married in 2016, welcomed their first child two years ago.

As well as Edie, he also has two other children from his first marriage.

Dame Joan Bakewell hoped to have a pleasant evening at the Proms this week, but was infuriated when she had to pay £12.75 for a small glass of white wine at the bar. ‘It’s not what I am used to paying,’ the TV presenter, 88, tells me. ‘I think it’s to do with the Royal Albert Hall rather than the The Proms — it’s perhaps an extortionate venue. I am used to paying £6 to £8!’ 

Simples! Top chef’s easy nosh recipes 

Move over, Delia! There’s a new simple food cookbook queen in town.

Having fed the rich and famous for decades at her organic Kensington restaurant Clarke’s (a favourite of Harry and Meghan), Sally Clarke is now being hailed the new guru of easy home-cooking with the release of her ‘gentle guide’, First Put On Your Apron.

Featuring classics such as kedgeree and tuna sandwiches, the £30 book was inspired by her son, Samuel.

‘I started writing when he was about to move to uni,’ she tells me. ‘With two lockdowns, I slightly dragged my feet — he has now graduated –— but I’m hoping there will be other young people just leaving home, or older young people who have focused on their career rather than home.’

Sally hopes her book is ‘more light-hearted’ than Delia Smith’s culinary bibles.

Move over, Delia! There’s a new simple food cookbook queen in town.

Having fed the rich and famous for decades at her organic Kensington restaurant Clarke’s (a favourite of Harry and Meghan), Sally Clarke is now being hailed the new guru of easy home-cooking with the release of her ‘gentle guide’, First Put On Your Apron.

Featuring classics such as kedgeree and tuna sandwiches, the £30 book was inspired by her son, Samuel.

‘I started writing when he was about to move to uni,’ she tells me. ‘With two lockdowns, I slightly dragged my feet — he has now graduated –— but I’m hoping there will be other young people just leaving home, or older young people who have focused on their career rather than home.’

Sally hopes her book is ‘more light-hearted’ than Delia Smith’s culinary bibles.

Trot on at Princess Anne’s home estate

She was the first British royal to compete in the Olympics, and now Princess Anne is giving fellow horse-lovers a chance to trot in her footsteps.

The Queen’s daughter, who turns 71 tomorrow, has opened her glorious Gloucestershire estate to allow riders to practise in the grounds for £25 an hour.

‘By kind permission of HRH The Princess Royal and Gatcombe Park Estate, Gatcombe Park XC Hire offers a small selection of cross‑country fences available for schooling,’ confirms a spokesperson.

The Princess Royal competed in the 1976 Games, and her former husband, Mark Phillips, won Gold in Munich in 1972.

(Very) modern manners

We’re all fastidious hand-washers these days, but should we ditch the posh soap before guzzling champagne?

Double Michelin-starred chef James Knappett, a protege of Gordon Ramsay, reveals he won’t stock any high-end ones at his Fitzrovia restaurant, Kitchen Table, when it re-opens next month after a revamp.

‘One of my favourite soaps is incredible, but the scent lingers on the hand. Then, if you have a glass of wine, you end up smelling seagrass and fennel when you want to be smelling champagne,’ he declares.