Rupert Everett's conversation and prose is as seductive as his stage presence. And the show goes on, with a new book, film and role in Emily in Paris. Delilah Khomo catches up with the greatest wit of our time Oscar Wilde once wrote that ‘divorces are made in heaven’.
Did he have me – and my fellow social diarists – in mind? It’s easy to forget that marriage breakdowns used to carry such a social stigma that divorcees were banned from entering the Royal Enclosure at until 1955, lest the monarch be embarrassed by bumping into one. Now, both the King and Queen are divorcees themselves. And divorce has not only lost its disgrace; in some ways, it has added a certain appeal to society figures.
It’s not just that a huge settlement might attract suitors – divorce or estrangement can also enhance a singleton’s charms. Not only does it suggest someone who’s willing to admit they made a mistake, but it also shows that they’ve lived a bit. Perhaps even learnt something, too.
Take Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, once regarded as one of the dullest members of the Royal Family. His divorce from his Canadian-born ex-wife, Autumn, has arguably afforded him a raffish charm that’s helped attract a succession of beautiful women. Among the nobility, the Marquess of Northampton demonstrates that previous marital mishap is no deterrent to further adventure.
Nicknamed the Mystic Marquess – by elements of the press, that is – for his fascination with ancient lore and freemasonry, Spencer Compton, or ‘Spenny’ as he’s known to friends, is currently on wife No 6: Tracy, a blonde psychotherapist. Perhaps I should also mention that she teaches yoga and is 18 years his junior. Peregrine Pearson, son and heir of Viscount Cowdray, whose family has a reputed £400 million fortune, might once have been expected to marry the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl.
Instead, he’s wooed Sophie Turner, the star who’s going through a very – and acrimonious – divorce herself. That’s why the Hollywood actress is on our list – additional proof that ‘consciously uncoupling’ really can be alluring. Our trophy divorcee is Earl Spencer, 60, who announced to his staff in April that he and his third wife, Karen, had separated.
Charles is a catch: not only does the avid historian own one of England’s finest statelies, Althorp, the Northamptonshire estate where his sister Diana, Princess of Wales is buried, but he also enjoys friendly relations with royals such as his nephew Prince Harry. An interest in history is essential, but swot up quickly: Charles is said to have recently become close to archaeologist Dr Cat Jarman, who has been helping him excavate the grounds of Althorp. star Sophie Turner, 28, was the toast of Hollywood while married to American pop singer Joe Jonas.
Since Jonas filed for divorce last year, he has composed a song – ‘Work It Out’ – that the actress said online was ‘probably’ about her, and declared she was ‘not interested in listening’ to it. Instead, she was busy winning over friends of her new boyfriend, Perry Pearson, during a shooting weekend at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. It was a return to her roots – Turner did, of course, make her name in the sex-and-dragons TV drama as the noblewoman Sansa Stark.
Only animal lovers need apply to date Damian, 64, who split up with his second wife, former Burberry executive Victoria Fisher, in 2022. As a child, most of his friends were animals, because his father, John Aspinall, a former chum of the fugitive Lord Lucan, ran wildlife parks in Kent where young Damian could get up close and personal with dangerous creatures. Casino heir Damian, whose ex-girlfriends include models Naomi Campbell and Elle Macpherson, has two daughters with his first wife, Louise Sebag-Montefiore, as well as a daughter, Freya, with Donna Air.
Instead of idly waiting for his £3.5 billion inheritance, Peter Czernin made his name in film. A three-time Bafta-winning producer, he has also been nominated for two Oscars.
A bonus has been the chance to meet stars such as Alice Eve, with whom he enjoyed a romance after divorcing his wife, Lucinda, in 2021. Pete, 58, became Lord Howard de Walden in July, inheriting 95 acres of London, including Harley Street. Described as ‘the most eligible bachelor you’ve never heard of’, handsome Archie, 44, is a scion of the Jardine Matheson dynasty, which owns the luxury hotel group Mandarin Oriental, and his family fortune is reputed to exceed £6 billion.
After he and his wife, Alice Rugge-Price, split up in 2019, she went on to marry Aidan Crawley, a descendant of the last tsar of Russia. Eton-educated Archie has, meanwhile, courted Sienna Miller and, more recently, Poppy Delevingne. A friend says: ‘They’re surprising choices, given that he hates being photographed.
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