She is the fine-arts lecturer who casually uttered the phrase ‘the dreaded Meghan’ just before delivering a talk, via Zoom, entitled ‘Scandinavian Design 1880-1960’, to the Truro branch of the Arts Society – only to be accused, subsequently, of using ‘racist language’.
It was the beginning of a protracted nightmare for Dr Anne Anderson, who, until that spring evening in 2021, had given numerous Arts Society lectures every year for more than a quarter of a century.
In the aftermath of the allegation – made by a woman whose identity she was not allowed to know – Anderson was speedily cleared of making ‘racist comments’ only to lose three-quarters of her income and be left unable to sleep after she was, in her words, ‘kicked out’ before she could attend a ‘diversity training course’.
But I can disclose that she is once again giving Arts Society lectures.
‘I did one for the Salisbury group a month ago,’ Anderson, 68, tells me, adding that she received the invitation even though her status as an ‘accredited’ lecturer has never been restored.
Her return comes in the aftermath of dramatic changes in the Arts Society hierarchy which saw its chief executive, Florian Schweizer, and almost all its trustees resign.
Dr Anne Anderson was accused of ‘racist language’ after she uttered the phrase ‘the dreaded Meghan’ just before delivering a talk entitled ‘Scandinavian Design 1880-1960’ to the Truro branch of the Arts Society
Pictured: Meghan Markle onstage during the TIME100 summit in New York City in April
They had proposed a new system of governance which would have restricted the Society’s 60,000 membership to electing only a minority of trustees, rather than all of them, and would also have ended the voting rights of the 360 local societies in Britain and abroad.
The proposals were overwhelmingly rejected, with 70 per cent of members voting against them at an extraordinary general meeting, prompting Schweizer’s resignation, followed by that of almost all the trustees.
Dr Anderson says she received support in her darkest hour from the Arts Society’s sister organisation in Australia.
‘They were mortified by what had happened to me – they’re terrific royalists in the society Down Under,’ she tells me. ‘They invited me to do a month lecture tour in 2023 and again last year.’
Annie Lennox’s girl finds new love after kayaking tragedy
Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox’s daughter Tali has a new man in her life – and he’s something of a rock star in the art world.
I hear that Tali, 32, a model and painter, who has walked for Burberry and Prada, is going out with rising British artist George Rouy.
The pair were recently seen kissing at a party in New York, with the intimate moment posted by a mutual friend online.
Their romance comes almost a decade after the tragic death of Tali’s boyfriend, the American model and musician Ian Jones, who drowned in a kayaking accident on the Hudson River.
I hear that Tali (left) 32, a model and painter, who has walked for Burberry and Prada, is going out with rising British artist George Rouy (right)
Pictured: Tali Lennox (left) and singer Annie Lennox (right) attend Tali Lennox Exhibition Opening Reception at Catherine Ahnell Gallery
‘Tali and George are kindred spirits,’ says a friend of the couple. ‘There’s a deep creative connection – and they make each other very happy.’
George, 31, grew up in Kent and has become one of the most talked-about names in contemporary art. His expressive figurative works have drawn comparisons to Francis Bacon, and his recent solo show in Los Angeles was a sell-out.
‘He’s one of the most in-demand artists of his generation,’ says W Magazine editor-in-chief Sara Moonves.
Hope it’s warm for bride-to-be Daisy’s big day
Daisy Lowe, who has posed in lingerie and suspenders in a racy new photoshoot for lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, wants to move to the country after her forthcoming wedding to property developer Jordan Saul.
Her mother, the rock star turned interior designer Pearl Lowe, recently put her Grade II-listed Georgian pile in Frome, Somerset, on the market for £3.5 million.
But Daisy, 36, and her husband-to-be, who have a two-year-old daughter, Ivy, are keen to move to the West Country.
Daisy Lowe, who has posed in a racy new photoshoot for lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, wants to move to the country after her forthcoming wedding to property developer Jordan Saul
‘We’ve got our place in London that we bought before Ivy was born, a little basement flat that took forever to do up,’ the model says.
‘We always planned a bolthole for when we have to work. Now, the plan is to rent a little eco-home in Somerset while we start looking for somewhere to build our own eco-home.’
It’s a family affair for Victoria star Hudson
Nell Hudson, who played the Queen’s dresser in ITV’s hit costume drama Victoria, is having an eventful time off screen.
The actress, 34, whose novelist mother Cressida Connolly was the first wife of late writer A.A. Gill, has got married to TV producer Maximillian King as she awaits the birth of their first child.
Worcestershire-born Nell, who stars in drama Outlander, describes the ceremony as ‘a very tiny family-only wedding before the baby comes’. Max proposed in Paris a year ago.
Nell told me last year she was writing a movie memoir in which she promises to expose ‘the good and the bad’ of the acting industry.
Nell Hudson (above) has married TV producer Maximillian King as she awaits the birth of their first child
- Simon Cowell, who shocked fans with his ‘unrecognisable looks’ in a Britain’s Got Talent video, has been defended by his pal Sinitta. ‘He looks amazing,’ she tells me at the gala night of Oscar at the Crown. ‘People need to realise that Simon is 65. Don’t be jealous.’ How about queasy?
- Has punk pioneer John Lydon never heard the proverb, ‘Don’t speak ill of the dead’? The former Sex Pistols singer, 69, known as Johnny Rotten, has scathing criticism of Dame Vivienne Westwood, the Queen of Punk, who died in 2022 aged 81. ‘I did not get on with her,’ Lydon offers. ‘She was a vicious, self-minded, officious, dictatorial b**** from hell. May God help her rest in peace. She would never stop being catty to everybody about everything.’ Talk about pot and kettle…
Beckham singing cheers brave Tony
Soon to be knighted, David Beckham has followed the Prince and Princess of Wales’s lead by showing his support for young hero Tony Hudgell – the double amputee who recently charmed the royal couple at a Buckingham Palace garden party.
I can reveal the former England captain has surprised ten-year-old Tony by sending him a signed Inter Miami shirt and handwritten note after seeing him on the news.
‘His face absolutely lit up,’ Tony’s adoptive mother, Paula, tells me.
‘He kept saying, ‘David Beckham? Wow!’
David Beckham has surprised Tony Hudgell (above) by sending him a signed Inter Miami shirt and handwritten note after seeing him on the news
David has been quietly following Tony’s story since the boy raised £1.8 million in 2020 by walking 10km on prosthetic legs after losing both limbs due to abuse as a baby.
Tony was speechless at the gift. ‘It completely lifted his spirits,’ Paula adds.
‘The shirt will be treasured for ever.’
Stella’s dream home drubbing
Stella McCartney’s latest critic of her dream of building an ‘unashamedly contemporary’ house in the Highlands is her most learned yet.
In a 300-word objection, Professor Calum Sutherland takes issue with ‘the size and design of the buildings… clearly visible from almost every direction across the bay’ and envisages an ‘escalation in noise and light pollution’, to the detriment of birdlife, seals, otters and porpoises.
Back to the drawing board for Stella and husband Alasdhair Willis?
At their £20 million Notting Hill townhouse, perhaps, or their Worcestershire Georgian farmhouse.
In a 300-word objection, Professor Calum Sutherland has taken issue with ‘the size and design of the buildings’ proposed by Stella McCartney in the Highlands
- George Clooney admits that age is finally catching up with him. ‘When you’re 64, dialogue is hard,’ he says. ‘For the first time, there’s moments where you go, ‘I’m not sure if I’m going to remember all my lines.’ Let’s hope the actor has perfect recall tonight when his Good Night, and Good Luck Broadway play is broadcast live on CNN in a TV first.
(Very) modern manners
Those who wonder how King Charles continues serenely undertaking official engagements while contending with cancer may find a clue at Highgrove next month.
The King’s Gloucestershire retreat is hosting a £180-a-head ‘Harmony in Nature’ wellness day retreat.
It includes ‘a watercolour wellbeing workshop’, which will explore ‘painting techniques and breathing meditations’, and a ‘nourishing, seasonal lunch’.
Perhaps most tellingly of all, there will be ‘a gentle flowing yoga practice’ – presumably of the kind with which the King and Queen started each day at the Soukya holistic health centre in India last year.