The Place for Royalty and The Right Sort of Young
December 12, 2014 10:29 AM   Subscribe

When Mark Birley died at the age of 77 he left behind a legacy of London nightclubs for the aristocratic set ...and a highly contested $200 million dollar estate with last second will changes, phony ex-girlfriends, and feuding children. Maureen Orth explores the family life of the nightlife king.
posted by The Whelk (10 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm impressed that the VF reporter ingratiated herself with the folks involved in this story. It can't be easy to earn the trust of reclusive upper-echelon wealthy folks.

I've seen writers do this before, and it's very very impressive.

It does feel voyeuristic to read such things though.
posted by el io at 11:06 AM on December 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


Speaking from personal experience, it's a thing VF writers do very well.
posted by effugas at 11:14 AM on December 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


I just want to know more about Lady Annabel's memoirs.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:52 AM on December 12, 2014


Also wtf is the deal with monied brits of a certain age and their fondness for Pinochet.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:53 AM on December 12, 2014


Also wtf is the deal with monied brits of a certain age and their fondness for Pinochet.

born too late to cheer for Hitler?
posted by ennui.bz at 12:15 PM on December 12, 2014 [12 favorites]


I am vaguely unsettled by how much I enjoy reading these sorts of articles.
posted by joelhunt at 12:30 PM on December 12, 2014 [3 favorites]


good lord. the weird part isn't how dysfunctional that family is, it's how seeming happy they were for so long.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 1:34 PM on December 12, 2014 [1 favorite]


effugas: yeah, I was referring to the same VF writer that you know when I said I've seen writers do this. :)
posted by el io at 8:25 PM on December 12, 2014


Damn it, Lady Annabel's memoir doesn't appear to be in print anymore in the US. Though the book about the dog that rode the bus is available on Kindle.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:18 AM on December 13, 2014


“He would make me these horrid bets, like walking around the square in my dressing gown,” Haslam recalls. “I got quite a lot of the way before I got caught.”

/shrieks "oh no!" in fake London accent
posted by oceanjesse at 11:25 AM on December 13, 2014


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