RICHARD KAY: Eric Clapton's next gig: as a grandfather

By Richard Kay

Published: 03:27 BST, 16 May 2013 | Updated: 14:07 BST, 19 May 2013

Eric Clapton celebrates 50 years of 成し遂げるing this year and is about to 乗る，着手する on a world 小旅行する

Best remembered for his hell-raising and womanising ways as a guitar ‘god’, former first-分割 wild man of 激しく揺する Eric Clapton is about to 達成する a rather more sedate sobriquet: grandad.

He will don the mantle of ultimate respectability when his eldest child, Ruth Clapton, is 安全に 配達するd of her first baby, and her father’s first grandchild, later this month.

Says a family friend: ‘The baby? is 予定 any day and Eric is ecstatic.’

At the age of 68 and happily married to his second wife, Melia McEnery ― she and Eric have three young daughters ― the man they call Slowhand has given a 会社／堅い thumbs up to his new 役割.

Ruth, 28, is the 製品 of Eric’s? tempestuous 連絡事務 with Yve Kelly, with whom he enjoyed an adulterous 事件／事情／状勢 in Montserrat while still married to model Pattie Boyd 支援する in the Eighties.

Eric had stolen Pattie from his chum George Harrison but, remarkably, stayed friends with the former Beatle.

にもかかわらず once referring to her? ‘dysfunctional’ family circumstances, Ruth has always featured 堅固に in Eric’s life before and after his stoic rehabilitation.

Two years ago, he not only? gave Ruth away but 成し遂げるd at her party when she married architect Dean Bartlett. The happy event was held at Eric’s Surrey mansion. He also 貸付金d them his ヨット for their honeymoon.

Ruth trained with Vidal Sassoon as a hairdresser. She also 相続するd her father’s talent for singing and has dueted with him.

一方／合間, Eric hasn’t given up his status as a 激しく揺する god.

He celebrates 50 years of 成し遂げるing this year and is about to 乗る，着手する on a world 小旅行する.

He kicks off with five dates at the end of the month at the 王室の Albert Hall ― a 発生地 he has played almost 200 times since his first 外見 with The Yardbirds and which he has 述べるd as like ‘playing in my 前線 room’.

That’s one way of getting out of? babysitting 義務s...

Donna and James step out

James Middleton was relegated to a '加える one' with his new girlfriend Donna 空気／公表する

He may be the younger brother of the 未来 Queen of England, but that 削減（する） little ice at a blue 半導体素子 City dinner at the Guildhall on Tuesday night when James Middleton was relegated to a ‘加える one’ with his new girlfriend Donna 空気／公表する.

The Duchess of Cambridge’s cake-making brother was Donna’s arm candy at 私的な 銀行業者s Arbuthnot Latham’ s 180th 周年記念日 bash …に出席するd by 閣僚 大臣s and peers of the realm.

It was 26-year-old James’s first 設立 dinner with the 33-year-old Geordie-born television presenter.

The 招待 was principally to Donna ― who has a nine-year-old daughter, Freya,? by her ex-partner Damian Aspinall ― with dapper James 追加するd as her 護衛する.

The no expense-spared evening 含むd a シャンペン酒 歓迎会 followed by a four-course meal where guests dined on duck in filo pastry followed by chocolate mousse or bread and butter pudding.?

Entertainment was laid on by the オペラ singer Katherine Jenkins, who was …を伴ってd by a symphony orchestra.

の中で the 400 VIPs were 保守的な Party treasurer Lord 密告者, Home 長官 Theresa May, former 国務長官 for Scotland Lord Forsyth and former 外交官／大使 to the U.S. Sir Christopher Meyer.

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先頭 Gogh was supposed to have 削減（する） his ear off after having a swig of mind-bending absinthe ― but? that did not stop multi-millionaire Marlon Abela introducing the tipple to pals at a spring party at Mortons, his Berkeley Square oasis.

Guests, who 含むd Henry Beckwith and actor Edward Fox’s daughter Viscountess Gormanston, were 招待するd to go ‘負かす／撃墜する the rabbit 穴を開ける’ into a 特に created absinthe 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業 in the club’s 地階.

But one person who 辞退するd was Marlon’s beautiful ロシアの model wife, Nadya.? ‘I noticed a lot of guests behaving bizarrely for hours after trying it,’ she says. ‘I don’t mind wearing bunny ears, but that was bi t much!’

Millie art is a nice little earner

Artist Millie Brown makes a lucrative living emptying the contents of her stomach on to canvas

Modern art can, to some tastes, be a little stomach-turning ― an idea that pretty young painter Millie Brown seems to have taken to heart.?

For the 26-year-old makes a lucrative living emptying the contents of her stomach on to canvas which she then sells for £3,000. Fans 含む, perhaps 必然的に, Lady Gaga

Millie’s preferred medium is milk coloured with food dye, though, for pop 星／主役にする Gaga she created something more personal. ‘I ended up drinking a turquoise-coloured dye and throwing up all over a white dress Lady Gaga was wearing,’ says Mille, whose work has been に例えるd to Jackson Pollock.

Now Millie, who was born in Bath and grew up all over Europe with her bohemian parents ― sculptor father Adrian and illustrator mum Terri ― is debuting her work in the show Muted Chronology at the 立ち往生させる Gallery in the City.

‘Some people love it and some hate it, but I didn’t 始める，決める out to shock anyone,’ s he 追加するs. ‘I 手配中の，お尋ね者 to challenge people’s perceptions of beauty.’ 職業 done!

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Even in death, Lady Thatcher managed to 誘発する／引き起こす a poignant 行為／法令／行動する of generosity に向かって her beloved 王室の Hospital in Chelsea.

The hospital, where her ashes will be interred next to those of her husband Denis, has 利益d 大幅に from one of her last wishes.

For the former 総理大臣, who died last month 老年の 87, did not want a bouquet-laden send-off.

As a result, her children, Sir 示す and Carol, asked the public not to send flowers to her funeral, but instead give 寄付s to the 王室の Hospital. And with money still coming in, it has already raised £65,000.

A friend of Lady Thatcher says: ‘The Hospital was special to her and Denis. In her later years she enjoyed walks in the garden there and visiting Denis’s 墓／厳粛／彫る／重大な. She would be pleased with all the 寄付s.’

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Cannes 待ち伏せ／迎撃する 警報 for Kristin Scott Thomas and Julianne Moore. Watch out for a script-（権力などを）行使するing Charlotte Eagar on the Croisette as she 捜し出すs them out to 星／主役にする in the? film of her 最新の screenplay, written with her Scottish landowner husband Willy Stirling.

Former foreign 特派員 Charlotte has written a horror movie called Jane Abbatoir, with Julianne and Kristin on 最高の，を越す of her wish-名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）.

‘Either of them would be perfect for the 主要な／長／主犯 女性（の） 役割,’ says Charlotte. ‘It’s all 始める，決める in a Scot tish 城, but Lady Jane, our ヘロイン, ends up going mad and starts stalking all the guests staying there, 殺人，大当り them off one by one.’

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ps For Derby 勝利者 ツバメ Dwyer no hair-raising moment in the saddle matches his baptism by 解雇する／砲火／射撃 with Clare Balding’s dad, Ian. The Liverpool-born teen arrived at the stables of the Queen’s former trainer 20 years ago and was 手渡すd a foul-smelling 捕らえる、獲得する and told he was the quarry in a drag race.‘Off I? ran,’ he 解任するs. ‘Whenever I looked 支援する there were these dogs. It was terrifying so I climbed up a tree. 井戸／弁護士席, Ian gallops up and says: “What are you doing up there?” and I say: “Getting away from those dogs.” He says: “They’re not dogs, they’re effing hounds!” and I’m thinking: “井戸／弁護士席, they are dogs in Liverpool and up there they’d 引き裂く you to bits.”?’