SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Prince's fare-dodging old flame avoids court 

Rumoured former flame: When Prince William split from Kate Middleton in 2007, he was consoled by Rosie Ruck Keene, pictured here at her marriage to William van Cutsem, in May 2013

Rumoured former flame: When Prince William split from Kate Middleton in 2007, he was consoled by Rosie Ruck Keene, pictured here at her marriage to William van Cutsem, in May 2013

When Prince William split from Kate Middleton in 2007, he was consoled by rumoured former flame Rosie Ruck Keene.

Now the leggy society girl, whose 2013 wedding to the Prince’s friend, William van Cutsem, was attended by both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has managed to rescue herself from a potentially embarrassing situation after being caught at a London Underground station without a ticket.

Former headhunter Rosie, the daughter of an investment banker, was charged after she failed to hand over a ticket when stopped by a Transport for London inspector at King’s Cross station in April.

Van Cutsem, who gave as her address a home in West London, ‘failed to hand over your ticket for inspection and verification of validity when asked to do so by an authorised person’ on April 8, according to the summons.

Yesterday, however, she settled the matter out of court with a payment of an unknown amount.

The 32-year-old, who founded a social network for horse riders and now runs a clothing label with her sister, Lucia, was due to stand before magistrates on August 14, but the case was adjourned until yesterday, when the charge was formally withdrawn after she resolved the issue ‘administratively’.

The news will no doubt come as a relief to her husband, William, who is a godfather to Prince George.

His father, landowner and conservationist Hugh van Cutsem, was at one time a Sandringham neighbour of the Royal Family and a close friend to Prince Charles ever since the pair met at Cambridge University during the Sixties.

He left an estate worth £9.7 million to be shared among his family when he died aged 72 in 2013.

‘I simply left my wallet behind on that day,’ Rosie tells me. ‘No fine was issued. I just paid the fare at a later date.’

Such insouciance!

 

Joss good friends: Wills' date with singer 

The Duke of Cambridge looked delighted to be reunited with his favourite showgirl at a glamorous gala as his wife stayed at home.

While the Duchess of Cambridge rested after her first official engagement following the birth of Princess Charlotte, Prince William was pictured smiling gleefully with soul singer Joss Stone at a fundraiser for an African wildlife charity.

The pair chatted animatedly as they sat next to each other at the Tusk Trust dinner, before the singer — dressed in a figure-hugging, cream lace dress — performed for guests.

Back together: The Duke of Cambridge looked delighted to be reunited with his favourite showgirl Joss Stone (left) at a glamorous gala as his wife stayed at home

Back together: The Duke of Cambridge looked delighted to be reunited with his favourite showgirl Joss Stone (left) at a glamorous gala as his wife stayed at home

Dinner for two: The pair chatted animatedly as they sat next to each other at the Tusk Trust dinner, before the singer — dressed in a figure-hugging, cream lace dress — performed for guests

Dinner for two: The pair chatted animatedly as they sat next to each other at the Tusk Trust dinner, before the singer — dressed in a figure-hugging, cream lace dress — performed for guests

Stone first hit it off with William in 2007, when the Prince booked the star to sing at the Concert For Diana at Wembley.

The admiration was clearly mutual. Stone said of the single Prince at the time: ‘I think he’s gorgeous.’

And she needed little persuading to sing at a further charity event backed by William and Harry. She was even invited to the Royal Wedding.

These days, of course, married man William is just a good friend, as Stone, 28, is said to be in a ‘very passionate’ relationship with a mystery older man.

 

 Stolen secrets of Queen's Christmas under the hammer 

One can’t be too careful with the staff. The Royal Family will be aghast to learn that a former bodyguard in the royal household squirrelled away gift-tags from their Christmas presents, inscribed with personal greetings from The Queen, Prince Charles, the Queen Mother and close relations.

The security aide, who served in the 1960s and 1970s and is now dead, kept the mementos secret while alive, but his family have no such scruples.

They are cashing in on the royal connection by putting the 19 lots up for auction in South London later this month, seemingly without the knowledge of the Palace.

Can't trust the staff: The Royal Family will be aghast to learn that a former bodyguard in the royal household squirrelled away gift-tags from their Christmas presents, inscribed with personal greetings from The Queen, Prince Charles, the Queen Mother and close relations

Can't trust the staff: The Royal Family will be aghast to learn that a former bodyguard in the royal household squirrelled away gift-tags from their Christmas presents, inscribed with personal greetings from The Queen, Prince Charles, the Queen Mother and close relations

Auctioned off: The security aide, who served in the 1960s and 1970s and is now dead, kept the mementos secret while alive, but his family have no such scruples

Auctioned off: The security aide, who served in the 1960s and 1970s and is now dead, kept the mementos secret while alive, but his family have no such scruples

Buckingham Palace, perhaps mindful of the row when Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s disgraced ex-butler, was acquitted of stealing 342 items, is maintaining a dignified silence and declines to comment.

Still, the festive greetings being put up for sale by Brian Reeve Stamp Auctions provide an intimate glimpse of Christmas Day chez the Windsors.

The Queen signs gifts to nephew Viscount Linley with her nickname ‘Lilibet’, a sobriquet she acquired as a young girl because she couldn’t pronounce her own name. That particular tag is expected to fetch £500. Prince Philip wishes his sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward: ‘A bouncing Christmas from Papa.’

Stony silence: Buckingham Palace, perhaps mindful of the row when Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s disgraced ex-butler, was acquitted of stealing 342 items, is maintaining a dignified silence and declines to comment

Stony silence: Buckingham Palace, perhaps mindful of the row when Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s disgraced ex-butler, was acquitted of stealing 342 items, is maintaining a dignified silence and declines to comment

Peep hole: Still, the festive greetings being put up for sale by Brian Reeve Stamp Auctions provide an intimate glimpse of Christmas Day chez the Windsors

Peep hole: Still, the festive greetings being put up for sale by Brian Reeve Stamp Auctions provide an intimate glimpse of Christmas Day chez the Windsors

There is also one signed from a mystery P: ‘Darling One, I hope this will be a lucky gift for you! All my love P.’

Princess Anne by contrast appears to have been rather more perfunctory in her salutations to her younger brother Prince Edward. ‘Edward from Anne’ is how she curtly addresses him.

Prince Charles, meanwhile, appears to have given the Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra something appropriately strong to endure the family get-together.

He signs his present with the cheery message: ‘With all love for a very happy, inebriated Christmas from Charles’. That’s the Royal Christmas spirit.

 

Sir John Hurt says he won’t see Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet, because he can’t measure up to Richard Burton.

MENTIONING NO NAMES...

Which Oscar-winning actress, upset with her latest flop, is threatening to fire her long-standing agent, who helped her make her name?

‘I love Benedict,’ the actor tells me. ‘The thing is, I’ve seen a few Hamlets in my time. The first one I saw was when I was 14 and it was Richard Burton. And that’s still the one for me. But they always say that about the first Hamlet you see because it’s so impressive when you first see it, and nothing has remotely taken me as much as Burton did.’

The 75-year-old Elephant Man star, who was speaking at the David Morris/Ai Weiwei party at the Royal Academy, added: ‘I don’t think there’s any risk of it being overdone because you always have to have a Hamlet — you just don’t have to go and see it every time there’s a new one.’

 

 Praise be! Corbyn finds one admirer 

Jeremy Corbyn has struggled to win over Fleet Street, but at least one paper is wowed by him.

The Church Times enthuses about the loony-Left Labour leader’s ‘charm’ and even compares him with Mary, mother of Jesus. It hails him as an ‘obscure, hard-Left radical who has given birth to a new era in politics’, and then cites the Magnificat, the ancient song of Mary, which includes the lines: ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seats and hath exalted the humble and meek.’

Not a favourite with the press: Jeremy Corbyn has struggled to win over Fleet Street, but at least one paper is wowed by him

Not a favourite with the press: Jeremy Corbyn has struggled to win over Fleet Street, but at least one paper is wowed by him

The paper also reprints an interview in which Corbyn, an atheist, talks about the Lenin cap he wears.

The Church Times has not always been so daft about politics. A certain Edward Heath was once its news editor and went on to become Tory PM.

 

Mr Corbyn caused a ruckus after refusing to sing God Save The Queen during a Battle of Britain memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral on ‘principle’. Did no one tell the bearded Trot that his new spin doctor, Latin-speaking Oxford classicist Neale Coleman, is a Commander of the British Empire? He picked up the gong from HM two years ago for services to the London Olympics.

 

The Lady and the Vamp...  

One's a publicity-seeking arriviste, the other’s Emma McQuiston, Viscountess Weymouth. The wife of Longleat heir Ceawlin Thynn and star of the BBC1 documentary All Change At Longleat clearly can’t get enough of the cameras and posted this Instagram snap of herself embracing a tired-looking Kate Moss at the Hyde Park home of Hong Kong entrepreneur Sir David Tang.

Snapshot: The wife of Longleat heir Ceawlin Thynn and star of the BBC1 documentary All Change At Longleat clearly can’t get enough of the cameras and posted this Instagram snap of herself embracing a tired-looking Kate Moss at the Hyde Park home of Hong Kong entrepreneur Sir David Tang

Snapshot: The wife of Longleat heir Ceawlin Thynn and star of the BBC1 documentary All Change At Longleat clearly can’t get enough of the cameras and posted this Instagram snap of herself embracing a tired-looking Kate Moss at the Hyde Park home of Hong Kong entrepreneur Sir David Tang

‘Kate and I miss you Lady Tang,’ wrote McQuiston, with Lady Tang replying: ‘Thank you E, you are very sweet.’

If only McQuiston’s mother-in-law, the Marchioness of Bath, who absented herself from her son’s wedding after claiming the bride’s half-Nigerian descent ruined ‘400 years of bloodline’, was so gracious.

 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now