4th Earl of Iveagh puts family's coronation robes up for sale

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Ned Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh puts his family’s coronation robes up for sale barely four months after King Charles was crowned

Barely four months since King Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey —with scarcely a duke, marquess or earl in sight — Ned Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh, is putting his family’s coronation robes up for sale.

‘They’re symbolic of a bygone era,’ Iveagh, 54, tells me, adding that they were last used, at Elizabeth II’s coronation, by his great-grandparents. They were the original owners of most of 461 lots going under the hammer tomorrow at The Guinness Sale at Elveden Hall, his ancestral seat in Suffolk. 

Auctioneers Sworders have slapped a £3,000 to £5,000 estimate on the robes, which, says Iveagh, have ‘sat in storage for the last 20-plus years’.

The sale, he adds, allows ‘Elveden to be more freed up. The dining room is gorgeous. It can be used again rather than [being] a storage area’.

And Iveagh has not dispensed with all ancestral trimmings. ‘I used to be a member of the House of Lords. I’ve still got [those] robes. They’re wonderful.’

Iveagh, 54, tells me that the robes were last used, at Elizabeth II’s coronation, by his great-grandparents (File Photo)

As the hit National Theatre play about England manager Gareth Southgate and his efforts to boost the team’s fortunes prepares for its big West End transfer, there’s been a major new signing. 

Ballykissangel star Dervla Kirwan is to join Joseph Fiennes, who plays Southgate, in Dear England when it moves to the Prince Edward Theatre in October, I’m told. She takes over from Gina McKee as the psychologist who helped change the players’ mentality.

‘I’m thrilled to be taking on the role,’ Kirwan tells me. ‘Rehearsals are just beginning but the company already feels like a winning team.’

Ballykissangel star Dervla Kirwan is to join Joseph Fiennes , who plays Gareth Southgate, in Dear England when it moves to the Prince Edward Theatre in October

Amanda Holden says presenting ribald new Sky History series Sex: A Bonkers History alongside medievalist Dan Jones, was a learning experience.

‘It had to be informative and educational, and I really think it is. I’ve also made sure I’ve kept my hands clean.

‘For anything that was a bit too risque, I’ve said, ‘Dan can do that’.

‘Like working with pig semen, no thanks.’

And she says of working with Dan, 42,: ‘It’s almost like having a lesson from your favourite history teacher.

‘This is the teacher that you would actually sit up in class for and listen to and have fun with.’

Steady on, Amanda!

Alexa has an answer to autumn 

As the weather turns, choosing what to wear can be awfully tricky.

So that must be why Alexa Chung opted for a long black ‘corset waist coat’ by Stella McCartney that costs £1,790 — and not much else yesterday.

The TV presenter and model, 39, was helping to promote a Vogue kiosk at Selfridges where copies of the magazine and branded products are sold.

In June, she sparked rumours that she had got engaged to her boyfriend, the actor Tom Sturridge, when she was spotted wearing a gold ring on her engagement finger.

As the weather turns, choosing what to wear can be awfully tricky. So that must be why Alexa Chung opted for a long black ‘corset waist coat’ by Stella McCartney that costs £1,790 — and not much else yesterday (File Photo)

Viewers might think star Amanda Abbington will have an advantage as she competes on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, which starts this weekend, because she studied dance for many years.

However, the actress, 51, insists that she wasn’t very good at it.

She says: ‘I did ballet from the age of four to 17, then I got a really bad injury and the drama teacher said to me, ‘You’re not a dancer, try acting’.

‘And so that was that.

‘I haven’t danced since then. Every teacher was like, ‘Yeah, not for you, try acting’. So I haven’t really done it since, except for weddings.’

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