SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: The passionate life of Claire Ward

Claire was the lover of Lord Lambton and lived with him for more than 30 years at Villa Cetinale, a sumptuous 17th-century pile on a hill above Siena, in Tuscany

She was a mesmerising beauty, the mother of two glamorous actresses and the mistress of one of Britain’s most controversial aristocrats.

But today, family and friends are in mourning for Claire Ward, who has died aged 83. 

Claire (right) was the lover of Lord Lambton and lived with him for more than 30 years at Villa Cetinale, a sumptuous 17th-century pile on a hill above Siena, in Tuscany, where they entertained everyone from the Prince of Wales to Mick Jagger.

Lambton was a defence minister under Edward Heath until 1973, when his penchant for call-girls was exposed by a Sunday newspaper; he was snapped in bed with two prostitutes thanks to a peephole in a bedroom mirror.

He resigned, but told interviewer Robin Day he ‘couldn’t think what all the fuss was about’, adding: ‘Surely all men visit whores?’

Claire seemed undeterred by Lambton’s proclivities and, divorcing Peter Ward — youngest son of the 3rd Earl of Dudley — in 1974, she decamped to Italy.

She had three children with Ward: actress-turned-environmental activist Tracy; Rachel, who found fame in The Thorn Birds mini-series; and a younger son, Al. 

Lambton (pictured above with Claire in 1984) was a defence minister under Edward Heath until 1973, when his penchant for call-girls was exposed by a Sunday newspaper; he was snapped in bed with two prostitutes thanks to a peephole in a bedroom mirror

Lambton (pictured above with Claire in 1984) was a defence minister under Edward Heath until 1973, when his penchant for call-girls was exposed by a Sunday newspaper; he was snapped in bed with two prostitutes thanks to a peephole in a bedroom mirror

The diarist James Lees-Milne was bewildered by Claire’s devotion to Lambton — who never divorced his wife, Bindy — and remarked that Claire was ‘as sweet as once her mother was’, while categorising the peer as ‘dark, balding, saturnine’.

But she remained loyal to Lambton until his death in 2006, when she returned to Britain.

She died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends.

Tracy, who divorced ‘Bunter’ Worcester, now the Duke of Beaufort, last year, attributes her own passion for ethical farming to her mother.

‘Mum’s love of beautiful landscapes, family farms and traditional rural cultures inspired my campaign to protect farmers and rural communities,’ she tells me, adding that her mother shared her abhorrence of the ‘ravages of factory farming’.

Cara and Poppy get into the swing of LA living

The Delevingne sisters are now taking on Hollywood.

Models Cara and Poppy, above, have splashed out £1.7 million on a ‘jungle-themed’ two-storey house in LA, which they have personally decked out.

Custom-made features include a bamboo bar and a nightclub with its very own dancing pole.

Models Cara and Poppy, above, have splashed out £1.7 million on a 'jungle-themed' two-storey house in LA, which they have personally decked out

Models Cara and Poppy, above, have splashed out £1.7 million on a ‘jungle-themed’ two-storey house in LA, which they have personally decked out

Custom-made features include a bamboo bar and a nightclub with its very own dancing pole. Cara attempts an aerial dance in a video posted online, above

Custom-made features include a bamboo bar and a nightclub with its very own dancing pole. Cara attempts an aerial dance in a video posted online, above

An enthusiastic Cara, 26, who reportedly wed U.S. actress Ashley Benson earlier this year, attempts an aerial dance in a video posted online (top).

‘This was the chance to build our dream sister house,’ says Poppy, 33, who is married to aviation boss James Cook. ‘Miraculously, we’re still talking.’

Cara, whose bedroom boasts an 11ft-wide bed set on a mirrored platform, adds: ‘It’s the Playboy Mansion with a touch of Art Deco and a David Hicks pattern thrown in for good measure. I wanted to reclaim the concept of the bachelor pad and make it my own.’

'This was the chance to build our dream sister house,' says Poppy, 33, who is married to aviation boss James Cook. 'Miraculously, we're still talking'. The property is pictured above

‘This was the chance to build our dream sister house,’ says Poppy, 33, who is married to aviation boss James Cook. ‘Miraculously, we’re still talking’. The property is pictured above

Jilted Bond girl bites back

What do you do when your husband runs off with a younger woman? You launch a career as a pop star and produce a video of yourself cavorting with male models.

Former Bond girl Sue Vanner, who romped with Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me, has teamed up with Grammy award-winning musician Kipper Eldridge — who has worked with Sting and Gary Numan — to produce her debut album. 

‘The sound I’ve gone for is sexy jazz,’ Sue, 68, purrs to me. ‘I feel like I’m having a second lease of life.’

Her property tycoon husband, Warren Todd, who is 16 years her junior, has found love with a blonde known as Anya, whom he met at the gym.

Former Bond girl Sue Vanner, who romped with Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me, has teamed up with Grammy award-winning musician Kipper Eldridge ¿ who has worked with Sting and Gary Numan ¿ to produce her debut album

Former Bond girl Sue Vanner, who romped with Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me, has teamed up with Grammy award-winning musician Kipper Eldridge — who has worked with Sting and Gary Numan — to produce her debut album

Lady Melissa’s mission: teach America how to cook a banger

The Duke of Northumberland's daughter, Lady Melissa Percy, who moved to the U.S. to live with her American financier boyfriend, Remy Trafelet, is on a mission to civilise America

The Duke of Northumberland’s daughter, Lady Melissa Percy, who moved to the U.S. to live with her American financier boyfriend, Remy Trafelet, is on a mission to civilise America

The Duke of Northumberland’s daughter, Lady Melissa Percy, who moved to the U.S. to live with her American financier boyfriend, Remy Trafelet, is on a mission to civilise America.

‘I went to cooking school for a year in London — Leiths School of Food and Wine — and I’ve been trying to learn the Southern staples,’ says Lady Melissa (right), who splits her time between New York and Georgia. 

‘Americans make incredible bacon, but they don’t know how to make sausages!’

Her crusade is not without danger, though. 

The 32-year-old ex-wife of Prince William’s pal, Thomas van Straubenzee, once set fire to her London flat with a deep-fat fryer.

However, her move fulfils a dream. ‘I remember saying to my dad: ‘Don’t expect me to marry an Englishman, and don’t ever expect me to live in England.’

‘I much prefer the American way of life,’ she adds.  

Beefy ex-England goalkeeper David Seaman admits he is a softie at heart and has a penchant for moggies. 

‘I even take two fishing they are such good company,’ he tells me at the Savoy Hotel.

‘My wife, Frankie, rescued and fostered ten of them. I even understand what they are saying, but I don’t talk cat language back because it would sound funny in a Yorkshire accent.’

The magic never wears off for Britain’s richest author, J. K. Rowling, who is worth £750 million. 

New accounts for her company, HP West End, which manages and produces the Tony Award-winning stage play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child in the Palace Theatre, report a £7 million increase in annual turnover to £32.5 million.

The production sold an impressive 484,000 tickets over the year, which is pretty wizard by anyone’s reckoning.

Has Michelle Dockery spoken out of school? 

The actress reveals that Downton Abbey’s beloved butler, Carson, played by Jim Carter, is lured from retirement by her alter ego, Lady Mary, in the forthcoming movie to prepare the estate for a lavish royal visit. 

‘Mary reaches out for her hero Carson to save the day,’ says Dockery, whose character is now mistress of the estate. 

‘I love that relationship between Mary and Carson — it’s one of the lovely moments of the film.’ 

The storyline was inspired by an actual royal visit made by King George V and Queen Mary to Wentworth Woodhouse, a country house in Yorkshire, in 1912. 

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