Prince Harry’s days of nipping around London in his modest Audi must feel like ancient history now he’s making full use of the flashy opportunities up for grabs in California.
I gather Harry has gone full LA-lifestyle by making use of an ultra-exclusive and lavish private airport service called The Private Suite.
It sent a luxury gas-guzzling Chevrolet SUV to whisk him away when he landed at LAX from London earlier this month.
The PS service, which has been described as ‘the most VIP way through the airport’, is one step up from first class and one step down from using a private jet.
Prince Harry’s days of nipping around London in his modest Audi must feel like ancient history now he’s making full use of the flashy opportunities up for grabs in California
Members, who sign up for $4,500 (£3,250) a year and then pay another $3,450 per trip, are invited to exit the plane on their own private stairs before any other passenger, then are loaded into the back of their own SUV and driven to a private terminal where they get to collect their luggage and go through passport control in splendid isolation.
The PS website describes itself as ‘a private airport experience’ and says: ‘PS reimagines the airport experience for the seasoned and discerning traveller.’
It is run by Gavin de Becker, who has been widely reported as running Harry and Meghan’s security at their home in Montecito.
He is known as the ‘bodyguard to the stars’ and his discreet company is known to hire former staff from the Israeli secret service Mossad.
I gather Harry has gone full LA-lifestyle by making use of an ultra-exclusive and lavish private airport service called The Private Suite
Perhaps Harry is learning that life without plodding Met Police protection officers is much more flashy – after all, PS guards have black wraparound glasses and conspicuous earpieces.
But then Harry is in a whole new world now. One of my LA sources describes him as a ‘baller’ – slang for those with great wealth who don’t mind spending it.
She says he runs with a non-famous crowd of tech billionaires. ‘He’s not in with the showbiz lot as people would expect.
‘Rather than spending time with Adele or James Corden, Harry and Meghan are hanging with the LA rich set: owners of big companies, jet-set types with private planes.
‘He spends time in Malibu, Montecito and Beverly Hills.
‘Harry seems really relaxed being the star in the room. He’s usually the only famous person at the parties he goes to, and it seems to suit him that he’s the one everyone flocks to.’
PS: As IF to prove that money can’t buy taste, when Harry arrived in Kensington for the unveiling of the Diana statue, he broke the cardinal sartorial rule: never wear brown in town.
Thanks to his appalling choice of suede brogues – in a colour that should be worn ONLY when in the country – gentlemen across the land are still recoiling in horror at the memory of his flying visit.
The amiable Duke of Beaufort is known for his Bertie Wooster-esque way with words, but perhaps he should take extra care when discussing an issue as sensitive as Sarah Everard’s murder on Twitter.
Last week the Duke, known as ‘Bunter’ Worcester, said: ‘Wayne Couzens [Sarah’s killer] will surely get a life sentence, but just because of the profile of the case and the fact he was a policeman should not mean that this becomes a whole life tariff.’
It’s hard to tell what Bunter’s intervention was trying to say: perhaps it was an ultra-liberal commentary on the justice system?
He wouldn’t elaborate when I asked, but one thing I do know is it was a highly risky statement!
Alexa paints the town red
I’ve never been entirely sure about what it is Alexa Chung does, or how successful she is at it.
But whatever she’s up to, it hasn’t reflected well in her company accounts, which are £9 million in the red.
I’m amazed that for a fashionista who designs bits and bobs here and there, Alexa got so deep in debt with her eponymous fashion brand – the deficit was just £75,000 five years ago.
Her investor Peter Dubens, co-founder of Oakley Capital Private Equity, must give her a long leash.
Alexa, said to be living in ‘fashionista fantasy land’ three years ago when she was £3 million in the red, was out, right, on Friday night with her boyfriend Orson Fry. As a descendant of the Fry’s chocolate dynasty, maybe Orson can help sweeten the deal?
I’ve never been entirely sure about what it is Alexa Chung does, or how successful she is at it. But whatever she’s up to, it hasn’t reflected well in her company accounts, which are £9 million in the red