TALK OF THE TOWN: Baby delight for banking heiress Kate Rothschild and her partner Paul Forkan

Finally a glimmer of light for banking heir Kate Rothschild and her partner Paul Forkan – I am delighted to report that the couple are expecting.

Their first child together is due in June, Kate has confirmed to me – and it represents some much-needed good news for a family plagued with tragedy in recent years.

Kate’s eldest child, Iris, was killed at the age of just 15 when her off-road Polaris Mule buggy overturned at the Somerset farm owned by her father, financier Ben Goldsmith, in July 2019.

The family were left devastated by their sudden loss, and her mother has documented her grief on her Instagram page ever since.

Building a family: Banking heiress Kate Rothschild pictured above with her partner Paul Forkan

‘I miss you with all my heart Iris, my most precious, treasured angel girl,’ she wrote in one post.

Ben – her ex-husband and the son of late billionaire Sir James Goldsmith – also shared his feelings in a heart-breaking tweet.

‘Dear God, please can I have my beautiful, brilliant, kind little girl back, please God. And if not, please take extra special care of her,’ he wrote.

‘I love her so, so much and I’m so proud of her. It hurts me so much I can’t describe.’

Kate’s new partner Paul, 31, an entrepreneur, has had his own share of tragedy. When he was just 15, his parents were killed in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami while the family were on holiday in Sri Lanka.

He and brother Rob, aged 17 at the time, survived the disaster which killed more than 225,000 people. The brothers set up company Gandys – a ‘travel-inspired fashion brand dedicated to doing good, by building kids’ campuses [in Sri Lanka, Malawi, Brazil and Nepal] and giving back to other underprivileged children around the world’ – in their parents’ memory.

Ms Rothschild pictured attending 'A Night of Reggae' hosted by Helena Bonham Carter for Save The Children UK at The Roundhouse in March 2014 in London

Ms Rothschild pictured attending ‘A Night of Reggae’ hosted by Helena Bonham Carter for Save The Children UK at The Roundhouse in March 2014 in London

The expectant couple were also victims of a £500,000 break-in at their London home in 2018.

The news of 38-year-old Kate’s pregnancy comes nine months after ex-husband Ben, 40, welcomed a new daughter with his wife Jemima. The baby has been named Vita Iris in memory of her big sister.

‘We have been blessed with a little Easter miracle,’ Ben said in April.

‘We’ve decided to name her Vita, which means life, because she managed against the odds to cling on to hers after a very difficult start to life. And her middle name is Iris, after her guardian angel big sister.’

Ben also has four other children: Frank and Isaac with Kate, and Eliza and Arlo with Jemima.

Humble brag of the week 1

Spare a thought for poor Gary Barlow – his career as a pianist was ruined by fame and girls throwing themselves at him.

The Take That singer, who turns 50 this week, moans: ‘I was such a good keyboard player, really good. But when I joined the group, when I was 19, you get a record deal, you go off travelling around the world – my playing went away. I’ve never got it back. I spent too much time in nightclubs chasing girls – I just became more of a singer.’

My heart bleeds…

Take That singer Gary Barlow pictured during the filming for the Graham Norton Show at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre in November last year (file photo)

Take That singer Gary Barlow pictured during the filming for the Graham Norton Show at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre in November last year (file photo)

Humble brag of the week 2

Liam Gallagher did a genuinely good deed by donating the proceeds from his Christmas single, All You’re Dreaming Of, to worthy causes – and then managed to find his own special way to spoil it.

The Oasis singer, 48, revealing what motivated him to such generosity, said: ‘I looked at my gold Damien Hirst collection and my Andy Warhol collection, and thought… I’ve got enough.’

There’s only one thing he doesn’t have enough of – modesty!