Roald Dahl’s grandson Ned marries Princess Raiyah of Jordan

They envisaged a wedding of splendour in Jordan this spring, with scores of friends in attendance, only to delay their nuptials until October as the pandemic played havoc with their plans.

But now, in a twist which could have been scripted by his grandfather — king of the unexpected, Roald Dahl — journalist Ned Donovan and his bride, Princess Raiyah of Jordan, youngest daughter of the late King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan, have instead married here in England with almost no one present.

The amiable Donovan, 26-year-old son of Tessa Dahl by her second marriage to gravel-voiced boulevardier Patrick Donovan, and half-brother of writer and model Sophie Dahl, has already assumed the poise of the royal consort.

‘Everything we’re releasing is in Raiyah’s tweets today,’ he assures me. Princess Raiyah, who was schooled at Atlantic College in Glamorgan before taking a degree in Japanese at Edinburgh University, sheds a little light on their decision.

‘While it was originally planned for April in Jordan, the pandemic derailed those plans and it was safer for my husband’s family to hold it in the UK,’ she says.

Just two photographs accompany her statement — one of them showing Ned, impeccably kitted out in morning coat and polished black Oxfords, signing the marriage certificate, while Princess Raiyah, who met Ned, eight years her junior, in India in 2018, is a picture of princessly poise in an exquisite, high-necked, long-sleeved gown with a floral lace overlay.

‘God willing, we look forward to celebrating in Jordan once the situation allows,’ adds Princess Raiyah, who thanks friends ‘for all your kind messages’.

One comes from spirited young clergyman and author Fergus Butler-Gallie whose love of wine stems from when he ‘pilfered’ an Australian pudding wine from his parents’ drinks cupboard.

Let’s hope he makes the cut for the party at the Royal Palace in Amman.

Harry’s pal Sarah Ann throws a corking party! 

Burberry model Sarah Ann Macklin, whom Prince Harry courted while he was trying to woo his future wife, took a leaf out of Meghan Markle’s book this week when she celebrated her 31st birthday.

The nutritionist hosted a small party in her garden in London and dazzled in a £557 maxi dress from the Duchess of Sussex’s favourite brand, J. Crew.

Single since splitting from Viscount Erleigh, heir to the Marquess of Reading, Sarah Ann was not short of love.

‘The appreciation of sitting around a dinner table with your nearest and dearest after not being able to for so long was the best birthday present I could ever have wished for,’ she says.

Countess’s family put on a brave face…

Heartbroken after losing the fight to keep her home, Countess Alexandra Tolstoy has shared the poignant moment she and her children stood outside it for the last time.

The 45-year-old socialite and scion of the author, Leo Tolstoy, has been evicted from the £9 million Chelsea house after her ex-partner, billionaire Sergei Pugachev, lost ownership in the Russian courts.

Posing with their children, Alexei, 11, Ivan, nine and Maria, eight, she writes: ‘Very far from smiling now. Each one of my children started their life in this house and as it’s not our choice to leave, it’s painful and oh so sad.’

Generous Sherlock solves puzzle of helping heroes 

Here’s a two-pipe problem: how can you help key workers struggling to find suitable protective equipment during the pandemic?

In the case of Dafydd Brown, a web application developer, you do so by turning a former pigsty on his family’s farm in Wales into a mini factory making coronavirus face shields, with the generous help of Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch.

After setting an initial goal of just £200 to cover costs, the appeal quickly surpassed £1,500 before suddenly leaping to more than £7,000. To Dafydd’s shock, he discovered a £5,000 donation had been made by Oscar-nominated film star Cumberbatch and wife, Sophie Hunter.

‘He’s a friend of a friend,’ explains Dafydd. ‘What I was doing came up in conversation with a friend of mine, who then mentioned it to Benedict, who has supported a few Covid-19 initiatives. It was all quite random, really.’

District nurses and care home staff have all benefited from Benedict’s largesse, as have firefighters and ambulance crews.

TV adventurer Ben Fogle is exploring new ways to top up his coffers, charging £41.50 for personalised greetings featuring a short video of himself. 

Inbetweeners star James Buckley is said to have earned £100,000 in three months on the celebrity app Cameo. 

Fogle charmingly bills himself as: ‘It’s me. The bloke off the telly who occasionally rows across oceans and climbs Mount Everest.’ 

Some mothers do ’ave ’em. Britpop star Jarvis Cocker’s mother Christine is a staunch Brexit-supporter who became a Tory councillor. 

‘I’ve accepted from an early age that I’m very different from my mother,’ muses Cocker. ‘Although I disagree with my mother, there was never really any animosity.

‘I still love her. She embarrasses me a lot, but I’m not going to ban her from talking to me.’ 

But which of the family members are speaking up for the Common People?

 I found Tom Impossible, says Thandie 

Thandie Newton appeared in Mission: Impossible 2 but don’t expect star Tom Cruise to invite her back in a hurry.

The Line Of Duty actress has portrayed the Hollywood superstar as a terrifying control freak.

Questioned as to why she didn’t appear in another sequel, Thandie says: ‘I was never asked. I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual.

‘He tries super-hard to be a nice person. But the pressure.

‘He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done.’