The coming upheaval in the countryside has already landed Mr Johnson in hot water: he has been accused of delaying his resignation so he could marry at Cheques, his official country retreat, forcing him to change venues. The invitations to the party went out more than five months ago, I understand – meaning the last-minute scramble to find a new venue forced the Johnsons to tear up their carefully laid plans and start again almost from scratch. This time, the couple is taking no chances. Guests at the wedding are understood to be under strict instructions not to discuss details ahead of the event, to avoid an embarrassing leak that would risk putting the wedding back in the tabloid headlines. “We are sworn to secrecy,” said one guest. Even the details of a theme, number of guests and entertainment were kept under wraps. However, the only detail that has been leaked is the venue: to replace Chequers, Mr and Mrs Johnson have been offered the use of Daylesford House in Gloucestershire – ironically, in the same part of the Cotswolds as Prime Minister David Cameron’s old stomping ground His “set” based in the nearby town of Chipping Norton. The Grade I listed Georgian mansion has a checkered history: it was famously bought by Warren Hastings, India’s infamous 18th-century Governor-General, as an act of revenge after his dodgy grandfather had been forced to sell it to pay the family’s bills. Since 1986 it has been owned by Lord Bamford, chairman of the JCB empire and a major donor to the Tories – he gave Johnson’s party £4m at the last election and let him do a photo shoot at his factory in Staffordshire, where the Prime Minister drove a digger through a styrofoam wall. Daylesford has become a household name – in Mr and Mrs Johnson’s circles at least – thanks to Lady Bamford, who opened a chain of organic food shops and cafes that were originally based on the estate and are now spreading across London. as well as having its own Daylesford Organics range in supermarkets. As well as hosting, the Bamfords are said to be helping foot part of the bill for the wedding. Number 10 flatly refused to comment, saying only that no taxpayers’ cash would be spent. but if the Prime Minister draws on the generosity of wealthier friends, he will be in full character. He funded the renovation of his Downing Street flat through a donation from Lord Brownlow (later repaid) and had a holiday in Mustique, paid for by the founder of Carphone Warehouse. The guest list for the party is likely to include several members of Johnson’s extended family, including his father Stanley and his sister Rachel. It is unclear if his grown children with ex-wife Marina Wheeler will attend. friends say their relationship with their father remains strained after a bitter divorce. But given Boris and Carrie’s love of putting their young children Wilfred and Romy center stage at big events, guests can certainly expect the youngsters to play a part in the ceremony. Mrs Johnson’s close friends include political aides Henry Newman and Josh Grimstone, while a handful of journalists who knew her when she was Tory leader are also due to attend. Johnson has a smaller circle of friends, but the ministers who have remained most loyal to him – such as Nadine Dorries, Nigel Adams and Jacob Rees-Mogg – are likely to be in attendance. The Prime Minister’s closest childhood friend is believed to be Hugo Dixon, who attended Eton with him and also dabbled in journalism, but ironically spent several years as a vocal anti-Brexit campaigner, running a website that censored Mr. Johnson and his. Colleagues. Once the couple seal their marriage with a grand party, their thoughts will turn to life after Downing Street. When Mr Johnson left the family home and moved in with Carrie, they lived in a flat in Camberwell, south-east London, which he owns – but since their neighbors leaked a rowdy row to the press, the couple had one. night of 2019, not likely to want to return. There are rumors that the Johnsons are already house hunting. Residents of Herne Hill, an increasingly trendy neighborhood east of Brixton, say the couple have been seen house-hunting on a street where the average property costs £2 million. Given Mr. Johnson’s repeated (private) complaints about money problems, he may need to increase his book writing and lucrative speaking engagements as soon as possible after leaving office.
