Chelsea has lost one of its biggest characters — and wealthiest land owners.
Earl Cadogan — whose 93-acre family estate extends from Sloane Street in Knightsbridge to the King’s Road in Chelsea, West London — died ‘peacefully’ on Sunday aged 86.
Thrice-married Charles Cadogan was well known for his strong opinions that sometimes came at the expense of his tenants. In fact, his attitude helped forge an estimated £5.57 billion fortune.
In one notorious instance, the Old Etonian former merchant banker forced the closure of the Oriel restaurant, which had been a Sloane Square landmark for a quarter of a century.
He had been upset about the quality and price of the food it served and subsequently refused to extend its lease when the renewal came up.
Loved to shock: Earl Cadogan — whose 93-acre family estate extends from Sloane Street in Knightsbridge to the King’s Road in Chelsea, West London — died ‘peacefully’ on Sunday aged 86
‘Mischievous’ Chelsea billionaire: Earl Cadogan with his wife
Following his death, a spokesman for the family says: ‘Surprisingly perhaps, given his robust and forthright style, he sought to avoid confrontation — something he attributed to having been brought up amongst three sisters. He was loyal to a fault and was also a sentimental man. He would quietly shed a tear during moving events such as the party his team at the estate held for his retirement as chairman.’
His son, Ed, Viscount Chelsea, a former RAF officer, will become the 9th Earl.
Speaking about Charles, a former chairman of Chelsea Football Club, the family spokesman adds: ‘He was mischievous and loved to shock, with sparkling eyes and a chuckle at the reaction as he mercilessly teased. His considerable physical and charismatic presence meant that he would command a crowded room effortlessly and indeed often accidentally, and his speeches are as famous as they are unrepeatable.’
Cadogan’s estate was founded by Sir Hans Sloane, the antiquarian, physician and scientist whose collection founded the British Museum. Sloane’s daughter Elizabeth married the 2nd Baron of Cadogan in 1717, bringing it into the family’s possession.
Charles Cadogan married Dorothy Shipsey, his third wife and a former matron at the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers in London, in 1994.
He was first married to Lady Philippa Wallop, daughter of the late Earl of Portsmouth. His second wife was catering expert Jenny Rae, the stepdaughter of an electronics tycoon.
Hancock and Gina lap up the sun (and luxury)
Luxury: Matt Hancock and Gina Coladangelo lapping up the sun with chairman of the V&A Museum Nicholas Coleridge (left)
Having become an unlikely jungle heartthrob, I’m A Celebrity star Matt Hancock is mulling his next move.
And who better to advise him than well-connected Nicholas Coleridge, the former Conde Nast magazine supremo now chairman of the V&A Museum?
I hear that former health secretary Hancock, 44, and his girlfriend, Gina Coladangelo, 45, (above) spent the weekend at Coleridge’s country home in Worcestershire, which has its own folly.
‘I got to know Matt when he was an excellent culture secretary,’ Coleridge tells me.
Earlier this year, I disclosed that Coladangelo had sold her former marital home in London to chef Gordon Ramsay for £7.5 million.
Pop star Mick Hucknall was simply red-faced after he introduced his keyboard player by the wrong name at a concert.
‘I called him Gary Peacock, and he’s called Gary Sanctuary,’ the embarrassed Simply Red singer, 63, told the audience after his blunder at the 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in West London.
‘Where did that come from? What’s sanctuaries got to do with peacocks? What is wrong with me? So my sincere apologies, Gary. I know I’m bad with names but I think I’ve gone a bit far there.’
Embarrassed: Pop star Mick Hucknall was simply red-faced after he introduced his keyboard player by the wrong name at a concert
Royal pal Nina Clarkin — whose uncle, the late Lord Vestey, was Queen Elizabeth’s Master of the Horse — captained the England team at Chestertons Polo In The Park tournament in Fulham, South-West London, at the weekend.
Clarkin, 41, was the only woman on the pitch as her team beat Ireland 7-6.
‘My sport is one of the very few where we can compete in the same game as men,’ she tells me, adding: ‘I would like to see the royal husbands looking on while their wives play the game.’
