Just hours after George Osborne reiterated his refrain “we’re all in this together” to the Conservative conference while announcing further cuts in benefits, his wife, Frances, was at RA Now, an exhibition and auction to mark the opening of the Royal Academy’s new wing. Guests troughed their way through oysters, crab claws, roast beef and rack of lamb while waiters circulated with cones of foie gras topped with caramelised shallots.
The evening was curated by RA trustee and handbag designer Anya Hindmarch. Also there were Selfridges creative director Alannah Weston and her mother Hilary. Would the wife of the Chancellor describe this as a fin-de-siècle party? “I’m not going to do diary interviews,” said Frances when approached. “Sorry, my dear.”
