Being in the shadow of a remarkable and charming father can be quite intimidating for any son, especially if the father takes pleasure in amassing wealth, much like the late Ian ‘Goldfinger’ Posgate, a figure both esteemed and disputed.
After the passing of his father seven years ago, Richard Posgate has emerged as a prominent figure, drawing attention and admiration, particularly in Notting Hill, the affluent neighborhood in west London where he and his wife Rebecca, 64, have resided for over two decades.
Their £12 million residence is a testament to Posgate’s own accomplishments in the gritty world of insurance, which also allowed him to purchase what his friends amusingly refer to as ‘a castle’ in Co Cork, Republic of Ireland, the birthplace of his mother.
But his commercial triumphs aren’t the cause of current excitement – and howls of female outrage.
These are, instead, inspired by an abrupt reconfiguration of his domestic circumstances.
Educated at £52,164-a-year Catholic public school Downside, Posgate, 65, who’s a grandfather, has left the marital home to start life afresh with a new love, albeit one he has, I’m told, been friends with for many years.
Richard’s father, Ian ‘Goldfinger’ Posgate (pictured), was the star underwriter of Lloyd’s insurance market for more than 30 years
‘He’s with a Korean girl. She’s about 20 years younger than him,’ a Notting Hill local tells me, adding that the newly entwined couple haven’t headed to Ireland or continental Europe.
It seems, instead, that it’s a case of Australia’s Gold Coast for Goldfinger’s boy. ‘He’s gone off to live in Brisbane. All the women round here – especially those of a certain age – are appalled.’
Posgate declines to comment, as does his now estranged wife.
‘It’s obviously very, very sad,’ observes another local, while others murmur about ‘the Osborne Effect’.
It’s a back-handed reference to former Chancellor George Osborne who ditched his first wife, Frances, moving in with his lover, Thea Rogers… whom he married the following year and now lives a stone’s throw from Posgate’s house.
Sophie’s new magic trick
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is in demand on New Year’s Eve.
The Murder On The Dancefloor singer presents her two-hour Kitchen Disco Ultimate Party Hits For New Year’s! show at midday on Radio 2.
At midnight, she will ‘boogie into the New Year’ on BBC One. But her night is not over – for Ellis-Bextor, 45, pictured, will also sing in 2025 live from New York on an ABC special presented by Ryan Seacrest.
Has the star reinvented Concorde? A friend says: ‘The BBC One show will feel like a live New Year’s Eve party but it’s actually being recorded in Hammersmith this week.’
The magic of TV!
Sophie Ellis-Bextor performing at the Fabuloso LBGTQ festival in Preston Park, Brighton
Will Jagger’s pool plans be felled again?
Sir Mick Jagger will be swapping his microphone for an axe as he plans to cut back magnolia trees at his historic £10million west London home.
The Rolling Stones singer, 81, wanted to chop them down completely to make way for a subterranean pool at his Grade I-listed, 17th-century property.
But he was forced to move the 28×12 ft pool when neighbours objected to the felling.
Now he wants to lop them back by 3 ft and has applied to Kensington and Chelsea Council for permission.
Jagger needs consent to carry out the works as the greenery lies in a designated conservation area but is not protected by a Tree Preservation Order. A decision is expected in the New Year.
The Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger
Logan’s determination to present Match Of The Day
She’s one of three presenters expected to replace Match Of The Day stalwart Gary Lineker.
And Gabby Logan is keen to prove her determination to carry out the role, judging by this family anecdote.
‘My Dad was quite a polemic[ist],’ says the daughter of former football player and manager Terry Yorath. ‘We had an argument in a restaurant in Spain about me wanting a pair of shoes. He said, “I’ll buy you these shoes if you eat all the mustard in that jar on the table.”
‘I decanted it, started eating it and my Mum said, “Nope”, because I was obviously going green.’
Logan adds: ‘My brother and sister looked on horrified that I was prepared to do this for these shoes.’
Gabby Logan presenting at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth ahead of a Premier League fixture
Christie’s record disappointment
Christie’s thought it had broken a record – for the most expensive 18th-century work of art ever sold in France – when Jean Simeon Chardin’s 1760 painting Cut Melon went under the hammer for more than £20million in June.
There is, however, a hitch: the buyer, Nanni Bassani Antivari, 39, son of luxury yacht mogul Luca, has failed to pay up. Now, the British-owned auction house is suing him in France, where the sale took place.
The agreed price was more than double the painting’s almost £10million estimate. Chardin’s painting, showing a melon placed above other fruits on a table, had belonged to the Rothschild family collection since 1876.
Chardin’s 1760 painting ‘Le melon entame’ (The cut melon) nearly sold at Christie’s for over £20million – until the buyer pulled out
