EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Ellen DeGeneres's cold Cotswolds welcome from heiress over planning clash when building extension to her farmhouse
Back in California she had surf, sunshine and wineries – not to mention Harry and Meghan as neighbours – only to sell her home for £25.6million and start a new life in the UK after Donald Trump's election victory last year.
But might Ellen DeGeneres now regret her decision? I can disclose that, just a couple of weeks after she made a trip back to Montecito, the retired chat show host is in peril of getting on the wrong side of heiress Rosie Pearson, the youngest of the late Viscount Cowdray's six offspring.
It transpires that Ellen, 67, committed a 'technical breach' when building a single-storey extension to the Cotswolds farmhouse she and her wife, Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi, who yesterday celebrated her 52nd birthday, now call home.
Ellen snapped up the property in June for £15million – some £2.5million over the asking price.
The proposed work might sound unexceptional. But three parish councillors – including Rosie, 65 – feared that it could disturb Roman remains, which prompted them to contact local planning enforcement officers.
'The onus is on the owner to report any historic remains uncovered,' records a note from the parish council minutes.
It adds: 'Concern was expressed by residents that the hedge and wire fence could increase flood risk in the village' if rubbish was swept down and 'caught on the fence', thereby 'limiting flow across the field'.
Ellen, who retired last year after a challenging period in which she was accused of creating a 'toxic' on-set atmosphere, might have hoped for a gentler embrace in the Cotswolds, where residents include Kate Moss, Jeremy Clarkson and, from time to time, the Beckhams.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2020
Ellen DeGeneres walks onstage during the Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry Tour at Warner Theatre on November 15, 2022
The comedienne, who reportedly sold another of her many properties in California for a staggering £77million, should be consoled by the verdict of the district council, whose spokesman tells me the Roman remains are, in fact, more than 200 yards from their property, and that Ellen's work was 'completed to a high standard'.
Perhaps, in time, she and Portia will bond with Rosie, who has her own experiences of trying to create a new life far from home.
She moved to Jamaica, marrying Palma Taylor, a Rastafarian known as Dr Dread, in 1988.
The couple had two daughters before parting – after which Rosie fell in love again, this time with the Cotswolds.
Will Pippa's nursery be fit for royalty?
The royals are often in a conundrum of where to send their children to school, and I hear the Princess of Wales's sister Pippa Middleton, 41, and her husband James Matthews are planning a way to get such tots off to a flying start.
The couple have opened discussions with locals in Berkshire about creating a childcare centre on their 77-acre farm, which hedgefund boss Matthews, 49, bought for £1.5million in 2020.
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews attend The Miles Frost Fund party at Bunga Bunga Covent Garden on June 27, 2017 in London
'Bucklebury Farm is considering opening a nursery for children aged nine months to five years,' they wrote online, adding: 'We'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions – let us know what you think.'
Any takers?
The smart set's talking about... Thatchers at war as Mark sells Maggie mementoes
These days Sir Mark Thatcher leads a discreet life, far from the attention that accompanied his every move during the eleven years his mother was prime minister.
But next Thursday he'll edge back towards the spotlight when some of his parents' most cherished possessions go under the hammer.
The glare of publicity may, though, be the least of his worries – judging by the yelp of horror from his twin sister, the redoubtable Carol. 'This is the first I have heard of this auction,' she assures me. 'May I say emphatically that it is absolutely nothing to do with me.'
Dan Hunt, of Sloane Street Auctions, declines to comment, beyond saying that the 29 lots include a 'very beautiful opal brooch', bearing an estimate of between £5,000 and £8,000, and a portrait of the Iron Lady – which graced the sitting room in Chester Square when she and Sir Denis retired to Belgravia – is expected to go for £15,000.
Perhaps Carol, who munched kangaroo testicles on her way to I'm A Celebrity victory in 2005, will bid for another lot – a cartoon by my esteemed Mail On Sunday colleague Mac. It was inspired by the dramatic time in early 1982 when Mark competed in the Paris-Dakar rally and went missing for six days – not quite long enough, Carol might playfully reflect...
Paint it brown! Georgia May Jagger reveals her special seaweed facial
Rolling Stones fans can't get any satisfaction now the band have reportedly scrapped their 2025 European tour, but the show goes on for Sir Mick Jagger's enterprising daughter Georgia May.
The Burberry model, who welcomed her first child Dean Jagger Sedlick in September, hosted a celebration of her skincare line May Botanicals' collaboration with Treehouse Hotel London at the Madera restaurant in Fitzrovia this week.
Georgia May (pictured) hosted a celebration of her skincare line May Botanicals' collaboration with Treehouse Hotel London at the Madera restaurant in Fitzrovia this week
During her stay at the hotel, Georgia, 33, had a moment of relaxation in a seaweed sheet from her range, which contains natural anti-inflammatory ingredients.
The fashion star set up May Botanicals after experiencing her own challenges with sensitive skin and eczema. 'I spent four years perfecting the range,' she has previously revealed. 'The ethos is to have something that looks glamorous but is made from very simple ingredients and it's made in England.'
Prince Harry has always credited his red hair to Princess Diana's side of the family.
But will the duke, 40, suffer the same fate as his uncle Earl Spencer in losing his signature look?
'My hair started to transition in about 2007 from red to what I like to call 'ash blond',' the earl, 60, reveals.
And the transition didn't go unnoticed. 'I was at a literary lunch and a gossip columnist said, 'He's so vain, he's dying his hair blond!' That was the first I knew it was changing colour.'
While the earl's redhead days are long behind him, he is currently enjoying a flush of youth from his archaeologist girlfriend and podcast co-star Dr Cat Jarman, 18 years his junior.
Veggie Anais and a party meat feast
Has Anais Gallagher had a change of heart when it comes to her vegetarianism?
The model daughter of Oasis star Noel Gallagher and his ex-wife Meg Matthews turned 25 this week, celebrating at Lemonia restaurant in Primrose Hill with friends and, of course, her boyfriend Callum Scott Howells.
But was her former love, Channel 5's A Taste Of The Country farmer and chef Julius Roberts, there in spirit? The menu offered chicken, calf's liver and lamb – unthinkable a few years ago when Anais was the face of Peta's 'meat-free revolution' campaign.
Anais Gallagher pictured at her 25th birthday party this week
The menu offered chicken, calf's liver and lamb – unthinkable a few years ago when Anais was the face of Peta's 'meat-free revolution' campaign
At the time she was photographed penning posters urging people to 'Go veg'. And she declared: 'My dog Ziggy is like my best friend. If you wouldn't eat your pets, why would you eat another animal?'.
But clearly Anais changes her tune on special occasions.
Duke's Goodwood mission for Tom
The Duke of Richmond hopes that the next time his pal Tom Cruise jets into his 12,000-acre estate in Chichester, West Sussex, it'll be longer than a flying visit.
The actor, 62, almost brought the last day of the duke's Goodwood Festival of Speed to a grinding halt as he was helicoptered on to the grounds before dashing off to watch the Wimbledon men's final in 2022.
Tom Cruise and Lord March attend Ladies Day of Glorious Goodwood at Goodwood Racecourse on July 31, 2014 in Chichester
'He's so super busy,' the duke tells me. 'It's 75 years of Formula One, so we're going to do a huge Festival of Speed this year.
'I would love for him [Cruise] to do some filming at Goodwood, but I don't think it's on his agenda.'
Hopefully, for the Duke, this won't remain a mission: impossible.
Her father was the late 2nd Baron Erskine of Rerrick, but chef Gizzi Erskine wants to keep a lid on her aristocratic roots. 'The more I learnt, the more I dissociated from my family background,' she says.
'I couldn't grasp the idea that some people were born into wealth and lived within a totally different system. But also 'high society' held no interest to me. I found it boring.'
Time to Let It Be with Yoko Ono?
The Beatles are up for two Grammys tomorrow for Now And Then, the ballad largely written by John Lennon but completed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
It's a bittersweet moment which prompts Lennon's youngest son Sean to reflect that his mother Yoko Ono, now 91, may finally be forgiven for allegedly causing the Fab Four's break up in 1970.
English band the Beatles with, from left to right, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison in 1964
'I do think that the world is reinvestigating her career for what it is, and she's getting a lot of the appreciation that should have happened a long time ago,' says Sean, mentioning that Yoko recently had an 'incredible show at Tate Modern'.
'I think her time has come, for sure.' Time, after 55 years, to say: Let It Be?
(Very) modern manners
As a man of faith, Boyzone's Shane Lynch does not fear those who take umbrage with his anti-LGBT views.
'There are a lot of cancellations coming for me as life spreads deeper into unbiblical territory,' he tells me.
The singer once shared an online post calling the pride flag an 'insult to God'.
He adds: 'I love my Lord Jesus. He won't cancel me.'
