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PERSONALITIES

Martha Stewart

This “High Priestess of Homemaking” was brought up in ordinary surroundings in Jersey City, New Jersey but became a self-made business magnate, author, magazine publisher and television personality. A divorced mother of one, Stewart...

Charlie Richardson (1934 – 2012)

This father of six and his gang were amongst the most notorious and sadistic criminals in South London in the 1960s. Using scrap metal and slot machine businesses as fronts, they ran fraud, protection...

Peter Burrell

A businessman with a passion for racing. Burrell has worked with Frankie Dettori since the latter was 15 and was also the agent for Vinnie Jones. He drives a Toyota IQ, has climbed the Matterhorn...

Alexandra Abrahams

Her knowledge of gin and the London bar scene is beyond impressive. She’s sociable and she possesses an enthusiasm that knows no bounds. She travels with a suitcase full of gin and for this...

Nell Diamond

This American makes Nell Gwynn seem positively tame. The daughter of the ex-chief of Barclay’s bank, Bob, doesn’t like being confused with the singer Neil Diamond but does enjoy discussing sex on Twitter. When...

Count Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees (1925 – 2012)

He is said to have come up with the Bond family motto: “The World is Not Enough” and in real life was laird of the Hebridean island of Great Bernera. Mirrlees collaborated with Ian...

Sophie Michell

This blonde bombshell first appeared on the BBC aged 12 and since has presented shows including Channel 4’s Cook Yourself Thin. She’s also faced Anne Robinson on the Celebrity Weakest Link and written a...

Edward Putman

This convicted rapist and burglar from St Albans won a £4.5 million National Lottery jackpot in 2009.  He carried on claiming benefits until he was caught but now claims he’ll pay back what he...

Christian Gerhartsreiter (main alias Clark Rockefeller)

A German who used many aliases but whose biggest pretence was to give the impression he was a member of the Rockefeller family. The Man in the Rockefeller Suit gives the best account of...

Sara Murray OBE

This Lancashire born entrepreneur founded the price comparison site Confused.com and is now a member of the government’s Technology Strategy Board. Murray has deservedly won countless accolades for her achievements and is also known...

John B. Goodman

John B. Goodman sold his family business, Goodman Manufacturing, for $1.43 billion in 2004 and founded the International Polo Club Palm Beach. This socialite and protégé of the $7 billion Ponzi-schemer Sir Allan Stanford, claimed:...

The Rt. Hon. Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia LVO (Fiona Shackleton)

The “Steel Magnolia” is described as having “charm and resoluteness.” The cousin of Nigella Lawson and George Monbiot is one of the country’s finest solicitors but also trained as a cordon bleu chef. Heather...

Jo Malone MBE

This dynamo opened her first store at 154 Walton Street in Chelsea in 1994 and admits she had no money and made every error in the book whilst starting out. It all paid off...

Holly Candy (born Holly Rachel Vukadinović)

Best known for her role as Flick Scully on the soap Neighbours, this Australian born actress, singer and model struck gold when she married the British property tycoon Nick Candy. Her foray into music...

Sir Peter O'Sullevan CBE (1918 – 2015)

“The Voice of Racing” was undoubtedly the most charming gent in England and was the first sports broadcaster to have been knighted. Sir Peter O'Sullevan possessed a pair of commentary binoculars from a German...

Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah

The nephew of Kuwait’s Amir first introduced his Villa Moda “luxury bazaar” concept in 1992 in a $20 million glass box on the outskirts of Kuwait City. This “Sheikh of Chic” has subsequently revolutionised...

Euan Rellie

Educated at Eton and Cambridge, this British born investment banker exploited the “special relationship” between America and Britain when he founded his Atlanticist dining society. With his stunning wife, the designer Lucy Sykes, he’s...

Oliver Estreich

This New Yorker founded theNativeSociety private social networking website that cleverly brings together the most exceptional individuals under the age of 40. Oliver Estreich is also involved in the hospitality division of his father’s...

Iris Bond

A personal secretary to Mohamed Al Fayed whose evidence was key in the 1999 Neil Hamilton "cash for questions" libel case. This Chelsea resident brings grace and style to any gathering she attends and...

Alexandra Naylor

Sociable and serious, Naylor is a hostess par excellence. She worked as an oil analyst for Sheikh Yamani at the Saudi Arabian Oil Ministry and is now involved in Latin American politics in the...

Erik Wachtmeister

He founded ASmallWorld.net, “The Facebook for the Few,” in 2004 and has now created his second social network, the Best of All Worlds. This son of a Swedish diplomat and ambassador began his career...

Natalie Massenet

She met her financier husband at the Notting Hill Carnival in 1997 and founded Net-a-Porter a year later. She sold her share in the company for some £350 million in 2010 to Richemont but...

Su-Lin Ong

A food and drinks marketing guru who: “Travels to all ends of the earth for the sake of more than just nourishment.” An award winning connector and PR pro, here is a lady with...

Benjamin Boateng

A club promoter who thought he was above the law. Found guilty in October 2011 of a pre-planned sexual assault, this former actor was previously accused of a similar crime in South Africa whilst...

Nicky Haslam (Nicholas Haslam)

“Britain’s ultimate interior designer” is a man of many talents and guises. Haslam flits from party to party by night, but by day writes, edits and designs. He’s performed cabaret at The Savoy and...

Céline Dion CC OQ

Dion met her husband and manager, René Angélil, when she was 12. Her rise has been meteoric and she’s now one of the richest women in showbiz. Whether she’s “Falling into You” or “Taking...

Rex Leyland

Once described by the Evening Standard as “an excitable bearded man,” Leyland lives on a houseboat near Kew Bridge and was one of the duo behind the immensely successful Foxtrot Oscar. Here is a...

Hugh Warrender

This Old Etonian describes himself on Twitter as an optimist, libertarian and cyclist. Warrender co-founded the Knightsbridge School and has been involved in wealth management and investment banking for several decades. He claims the...

“Tulisa” Contostavlos (also known as Tula Paulinea Contostavlos)

This British pop singer started out with her equally bizarrely named cousin, Dappy, in a hip hop group named N-Dubz. They’ve since fallen out very publicly on Twitter and now she sings lines such...

Nancy Wake AC GM (1912 – 2011)

Churchill’s most highly decorated special agent. A resistance heroine who lived at The Stafford Hotel from 2001 to 2003 and regaled visitors with tales of her time as the legendary “White Mouse.” Her tipple...

Claire Rubinstein

A Bentley driving graduate of the London School of Economics. This mother of three cruises the Kings Road with her poodle, Bubble, and is the hostess with the mostess when it comes to barbecuing.