SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Here's a job for one of Meghan's ex staff

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Could this be a job for one of Meghan’s ex staff?PA to William and Kate!

This could be one for Melissa Touabti, who shocked the Palace when she suddenly quit as the Duchess of Sussex’s personal assistant just six months after Meghan Markle married into the Royal Family.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are seeking their own new PA — and staff tend to last longer working for William and Kate.

Given the furore that Melissa’s departure caused, after it was disclosed by this newspaper’s Eden Confidential column in 2018, Prince William and Kate are emphasising the ‘exceptional’ qualities they require.

This could be one for Melissa Touabti, who shocked the Palace when she suddenly quit as the Duchess of Sussex’s personal assistant just six months after Meghan Markle married into the Royal Family

The advertisement on the royal website stresses that the ability to ‘maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion at all times is essential’.

It states: ‘We require an experienced PA to provide comprehensive administrative support to a busy team. 

The role will be responsible for managing diaries, arranging meetings, organising and assisting with visits, events and travel.

After Melissa (pictured) left her post working for Meghan, a Kensington Palace source paid tribute to her, saying: ‘Melissa is a hugely talented person.’

‘Duties will also include: handling telephone calls and regularly drafting letters and emails.’

Explaining that candidates must have ‘impeccable IT skills and a proactive approach’, the ad continues: ‘Excellent organisation and communication skills are essential, as is attention to detail and a willingness to undertake a wide variety of tasks.’ 

After Melissa left her post working for Meghan, a Kensington Palace source paid tribute to her, saying: ‘Melissa is a hugely talented person.

‘She played a pivotal role in the success of the Royal Wedding and will be missed by everyone in the Royal Household.’

She was not the first member of staff to leave the Sussexes’ employ.

Before her, there was another PA, a young woman already employed by the Palace. She did not stay long after Meghan arrived.

Both PAs signed non-disclosure agreements. There is no suggestion that Meghan tried to prevent them from speaking.

Lawyers for Harry and Meghan stated that she had no knowledge of the agreements and that they believed staff to be comfortable and happy.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are seeking their own new PA — and staff tend to last longer working for William and Kate

Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood’s ex-wife, Jo, is still sad that her son Tyrone’s romance with pop singer Rita Ora fizzled out. 

‘I loved Rita,’ former Strictly contestant Jo tells me. ‘We used to hang out, and she’d always be calling round to our house. I

‘’d have loved it to have happened between them, but that’s not the way things work, unfortunately. ‘

I guess you could say her busy career meant they couldn’t spend as much time together as they wanted.’

Daisy’s up for a gig and a kebab, too . . . 

Normal People actress Daisy Edgar-Jones is thrilled by the easing of the lockdown measures.

But Daisy, 22, will have to wait until May before she can watch a live music performance.

‘I want to go to a big, long festival and just listen to music with a crowd,’ she says at a Royal Television Society event online.

‘I’m really looking forward to the pre-drinks and the kebab on the way home.’

Normal People actress Daisy Edgar-Jones is thrilled by the easing of the lockdown measures but she will have to wait until May before she can watch a live music performance

Daisy, who played Marianne in the BBC’s hit coming-of- age drama, says she’s turned down similar roles to avoid being typecast.

‘I do get a lot of scripts that follow young love, so it’s only interesting when they have something different to say.’

Linda’s cook book to feed the soul . . .

More than 20 years after her death, Linda McCartney is bringing out a new cookery book from beyond the grave. 

Called Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen, it contains ‘over 90 plant-based recipes to save the planet and nourish the soul’.

With contributions from daughters Mary and Stella, and Sir Paul, the book recreates Linda’s favourite vegetarian recipes as vegan and dairy-free, complete with ‘personal stories and intimate family photos spanning three decades’.

Macca says: ‘Before anyone had woken up to the idea of environmental and health and animal welfare issues, Linda was blazing the trail with vegetarianism. 

At home, she would cook for the family and these recipes have now been brought up to date for a modern audience.’

Walliams’s former love ties knot with peer’s son

Weddings were banned for most couples until lockdown was eased yesterday, but Lib Dem grandee Lord Oakeshott’s son, Luke, cited exceptional circumstances so he could exchange vows with Norwegian model Sylvia Flote on Saturday.

He and Sylvia, the ex-girlfriend of comedian David Walliams, were married in a six-person ceremony at Mayfair Library in London so he could continue working as a researcher at the Dorotheum auction house in Austria.

Weddings were banned for most couples until lockdown was eased yesterday, but Lib Dem grandee Lord Oakeshott’s son, Luke, cited exceptional circumstances so he could exchange vows with Norwegian model Sylvia Flote on Saturday

Flote, 38, wore Norwegian national costume, while Oakeshott, 35, opted for traditional attire. ‘I think small weddings are going to become a trend,’ she adds.

He and Sylvia, the ex-girlfriend of comedian David Walliams (pictured), were married in a six-person ceremony at Mayfair Library in London

‘We did it for visa reasons, but it’s not a visa marriage — we have a 20-month-old toddler to show for our love,’ Sylvia tells me, referring to their son, Eilif.

‘We planned a bigger wedding but we had to hurry because of Brexit.’

Since January 1, Brits have needed a Schengen visa to visit and work in the European Economic Area.

Flote, 38, wore Norwegian national costume, while Oakeshott, 35, opted for traditional attire. ‘I think small weddings are going to become a trend,’ she adds.

‘It’s much less stressful.’

Ella does motherhood standing on her head

Most mothers are still feeling frazzled five months after having a baby, but food blogger ‘Deliciously Ella’ Mills is already back doing headstands. 

‘My body felt alien in many ways and it was so tempting to call it a day,’ says Ella, 29, who last October gave birth to her second daughter, May, with her husband, Matthew Mills, son of the late Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell. 

‘But I’ve been doing 20 to 30 minutes [of yoga] most days for the past four months and, little by little, the feeling of knowing my body and loving moving it has come back

 Most mothers are still feeling frazzled five months after having a baby, but food blogger ‘Deliciously Ella’ Mills is already back doing headstands

Fiery chef Marco Pierre White claims there are two types of men in life. 

‘There’s the hungry ones, and there’s the greedy ones,’ he says. ‘I mean hungry for life; and greedy for money.’ 

Speaking to Gentleman’s Journal, the Hell’s Kitchen star adds: ‘Everything I did in my life is by default. 

‘I made my name by what I put on the plate, not by doing TV. I only did TV after I won my three [Michelin] stars.’

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