Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s return to aristocratic circles in Norfolk is taking place through his unusually close friendship with Aliba Bellingham. The 70-year-old socialite is spending more and more time at Marsh Farm, the five-bedroom house on the Sandringham estate where 66-year-old Andrew is trying to build a new life away from his former royal status.
The Daily Mail reports that Bellingham and Andrew have known each other since childhood. Despite rumours of a romantic relationship, people who know them both claim that their relationship is purely platonic. “There is no romantic relationship between them – it is simply a friendship,” an unnamed source quoted by the publication says.
Bellingham Takes Over Some of the Household Duties
According to the same source, the divorced mother of two has largely begun managing Andrew’s household and has encouraged him to be more active. “The long lie-ins and days spent lounging in front of the television are a thing of the past,” the source claims.
Bellingham is described as someone with deep connections in British high society, but also as a “true country woman” who lives modestly and gets around in a white Volkswagen. Her godmother was Frances Shand Kydd – Princess Diana’s mother. Her family has aristocratic roots, while her brother Henry Bellingham is a former lawyer and Conservative politician.
Is a Christmas Gathering Being Planned?
One of the ideas Bellingham is reportedly encouraging Andrew to pursue is organising a Christmas party for influential Norfolk families. The event would be presented as a gesture of thanks to the people who supported him after he lost his royal titles and withdrew from public life.
“Andrew would not have thought of this himself. Sarah Ferguson took care of all these things at Royal Lodge,” the source says. However, the party has not been officially confirmed.
Who Are the “Turnip Aristocrats”?
Among those who, according to the Daily Mail, have renewed contact with Andrew are the Earl and Countess of Leicester – Tom and Polly Coke. They invited him to an informal dinner at Holkham Hall, whose family estate covers 25,000 acres – the largest tract of land in Norfolk owned by a single family.
Possible guests at the future gathering could also include the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, the Earl and Countess of Romney, the Duckworth-Chad family, the van Cutsem family, and the Marquess and Marchioness Townshend. The Soames family, descendants of Winston Churchill, as well as Lady Jane Fellowes – Diana’s sister – could also be on the list.
This circle is informally known as the “turnip aristocrats” – landowners and titled families for whom Norfolk is a less ostentatious but more traditional centre of British social life. According to the report, these connections could give Andrew his first opportunity for a limited return to social circles following his withdrawal from royal life.
Sources: dailymail.com, the-independent.com, airmail.news