EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Prince William’s pal Charlie Budgett’s gilded life is scarred by a conviction for carrying a knife in a club

He owns Kirtlington Park Polo Club, attended Harrow School, where the fees are £50,550 a year, and counted Prince William, Catherine, and Prince Harry among the guests at his wedding.

But Charlie Budgett’s gilded life was scarred by a criminal conviction yesterday — for knife crime.

The fall from grace was sealed in the bleak setting of Oxford Magistrates’ Court, which heard how Budgett, 41, had been enjoying himself in Plush, an Oxford nightclub in the city in May.

Budgett, who married Lucy Meade, daughter of equestrian Olympic gold medallist Richard Meade, in 2014, had been in a celebratory mood after learning he had secured a deal which would see modernist ‘glamping cabins’ on his Oxfordshire estate.

Perhaps too celebratory: in the early hours, he was detained by police for what was said to be an unrelated incident.

Charlie Budgett’s gilded life was scarred by a criminal conviction yesterday — for knife crime. The fall from grace was sealed in the bleak setting of Oxford Magistrates’ Court.

He owns Kirtlington Park Polo Club, attended Harrow School and counted Prince William, Catherine, and Prince Harry among the guests at his wedding

It was then that police found he was in possession of a folding knife.

The bloodstock agent, whose brother-in-law James Meade has been one of William’s closest friends since their days at Eton, told magistrates he routinely carried the knife for agricultural purposes, adding that he had hurried to Plush in his work clothes as he did not want to keep his guests waiting while he changed.

His barrister, Neil Corre, pointed out that Budgett was not ‘an urban dweller’ but ‘a countryman who uses a knife in the course of his trade and profession’. Corre added: ‘He does not think of it as a weapon. He would not use it as such.’

But the magistrates concluded that this was insufficient reason for the knife being in his possession.

Only the fact that Budgett, whose grandfather Arthur twice won the Derby with Blakeney and Morston, had no previous knife convictions persuaded them a custodial sentence could be avoided.

He was fined £576 and ordered to pay another £850 in costs.

Catherine’s putting on winter wollies… at 15C

Catherine Zeta-Jones grew up in South Wales, but has spent most of the past three decades living in the warmer climes of Hollywood and Bermuda.

So the Oscar winner was taking no chances when out on the golf course at St Andrews to practise her swing ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship — even though the temperature was a mild 59F (15c).

Catherine Zeta-Jones was taking no chances when out on the golf course at St Andrews to practise her swing ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship — even though the temperature was a mild 59F (15C)

The 54-year-old actress, who is married to Fatal Attraction star Michael Douglas, 79, wore a bobble hat and padded jacket over several layers

The 54-year-old actress, who is married to Fatal Attraction star Michael Douglas, 79, wore a bobble hat and padded jacket over several layers.

Zeta-Jones is one of many celebrities teaming up with golf professionals for the tournament in Scotland.

With his boyish looks and self-effacing charm, Rick Astley is one of pop music’s least threatening stars.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of all his fans, despite their advancing years.

‘I had to stop a fight,’ the singer revealed of an incident at, of all places, a church in one of London’s most genteel suburbs. He added: ‘These were middle-aged mums and dads in Richmond.’

Astley, 57, whose biggest hit was Never Gonna Give You Up in 1987, does not give more details.

Clearly, an alternative career as a nightclub bouncer beckons…

It’s not quite the Royal Yacht Britannia, but here’s a vessel that could be yours for £300,000.

The Judith Mary II, a canal barge on which Princess Diana enjoyed a poached salmon buffet in 1990, has been put on the market.

The 72ft narrowboat has been operating as a leisure cruise, restaurant and cream tea business on the Peak Forest Canal in Derbyshire since 1988.

‘It is a remarkable vessel with a rich history which awaits fresh ownership to steer it to even greater success,’ says estate agent Lorraine Batty.

EastEnders actress Michelle Collins didn’t mince her words about the Just Stop Oil protesters who disrupted a performance of Les Miserables in the West End of London.

Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted a performance of Les Miserables in the West End of London. The stunt forced the musical to end early

Activists from the eco group stormed the stage at the Sondheim Theatre during the show on Wednesday night

Activists from the eco group stormed the stage at the Sondheim Theatre during the show on Wednesday night. The stunt forced the musical to end early. ‘Why can’t somebody in power do something about these b*****ds?’ she pleaded.

Sounds like the eco zealots will get short shrift if they dare turn up at Albert Square, where 61-year-old Collins, who played villainous Cindy Beale, has made a surprise return.  

Dyson sucked into planning row at his £20million estate

Vacuum cleaner tycoon Sir James Dyson has been dragged into a row over a gardener’s nursery built without permission on his 300-acre Gloucestershire estate.

The billionaire could be carpeted by planners at his local council after putting up two greenhouses, poly tunnels, a machinery store and storage sheds without consent.

The 76-year-old has now applied for retrospective consent for the structures at his sumptuous stately Georgian home, Dodington Park estate, which he snapped up for £20 million in 2003.

Sir James claims aerial photos by conservationists Historic England, as well as Google Earth, show the buildings have been in place for more than ten years, making them immune from enforcement action ordering him to tear them down.

South Gloucestershire Council officials are expected to make a decision later this month.

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