RICHARD EDEN: How another Tory jailbird was ex-whip's saving grace

Published: 01:00, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 01:12, 10 June 2026 As one of his recreations in Who’s Who, he listed ‘making Britain a richer, more exciting place to be’ – only to be convicted of sexual assault in 2020. It was a fall from grace which led to a two-year prison sentence, divorce and, most recently, bankruptcy. But one-time government whip Charlie Elphicke – who, his trial heard, groped one woman before pursuing her around his house while singing ‘I’m a naughty Tory’ – assures me things could have been so much worse. His saviour, he tells me, was former Cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken. The 83-year-old was once convicted of perjury and served seven months inside, before finding redemption as a prison chaplain. ‘He is truly one of the kindest and greatest people this country has,’ Elphicke, 55, says, explaining that he sought Aitken out before being sentenced. ‘I said, “Jonathan, I’m going to go in. What do I do?” ‘He was an immense support – invaluable. His advice made all the difference.’ Aitken’s prison wisdom was hard earned. At one point, three fellow inmates plotted to drug him with date-rape drug Rohypnol and photograph him with a nude male inmate. He distilled his experiences into a booklet, co-written with Oxford graduate Edward Smyth. Titled Doing Time, it offers ‘practical and spiritual wisdom on how to survive and even thrive in prison’. One-time government whip Charlie Elphicke – who, his trial heard, groped one woman before pursuing her around his house while singing ‘I’m a naughty Tory’ – assures me things could have been so much worse, writes Richard Eden Elphicke, who was released after a year, acknowledges he still found prison ‘very difficult’. But, guided by Aitken, he resisted self-pity by helping other inmates. ‘Writing letters to their lawyers, their judges, their probation officers,’ he tells me, speaking at the launch party for From Dependency to Freedom by former Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev – with a foreword by Aitken – held at the aptly named Reform club in St James’s, London. Despite his conviction, prisoners even asked him for help with letters to their girlfriends. ‘I often found I had the words they didn’t have,’ reflects Elphicke, who realised that he was ‘just happy to be there to help’. He currently has no literary ambitions in the outside world, confirming that he is, instead, making a living as a self-employed builder – and is, he assures me, ‘very good at damp-proofing’. Nicky Hilton was joined by her friend Princess Beatrice at an Alice + Olivia store event She is a member of one of America’s most prominent families. But Nicky Hilton’s four-year-old child, Chasen Rothschild, is speaking the King’s English nonetheless. ‘My son is developing an English accent,’ she tells me. Nicky, 42, whose ancestor Conrad founded the Hilton Hotels empire, is married to British financier James Rothschild, 41. They recently celebrated their wedding anniversary at Kensington Palace. ‘I’ve been based out of London for the past few months,’ Nicky says at the Alice + Olivia Mayfair store event, where she was joined by her friend Princess Beatrice. ‘I love London, but I will always be a New Yorker.’ Unfashionable, unshowy behaviour from King Charles. Political analyst Gawain Towler writes of going to Sunday matins at a country church recently. It was a traditional service from the Book of Common Prayer and there were just nine souls in the congregation.  One of them happened to be His Majesty. Two others were members of his security detail. No one (until now) wrote about it, nor will the King have expected publicity. Somehow, that makes it more impressive.  Not even surgery can get in the way of Lady Mary Charteris’s incredibly busy social calendar. The model and DJ, 39, recently went under the knife to remove a cyst from her right eyelid. But rather than nursing herself slowly back to health, the Earl of Wemyss’s daughter was – true to form – back on the dance floor within 48 hours, as she’d been hired to DJ at a party. The mother of one shared photos online of her covering the healing eye with pink sunglasses. The Earl of Wemyss's daughter was back on the dancefloor within 48 hours of her surgery, left. She shared photos online of her covering the healing eye with pink sunglasses Prince Harry was so enraged by losing his and Meghan’s right to taxpayer-funded security, he took legal action against the Home Office – and lost. His aunt Princess Anne makes less of a fuss.  Actor Tristan Gemmill, known for roles in Coronation Street and Casualty, recalls how she watched a West End version of The Bodyguard in which he was starring. She had no protection herself.  ‘Everyone thought that was quite cool,’ says Gemmill, 59, currently appearing in The Marquise, at the Theatre Royal Windsor.  Twelve years after Monty Python’s comeback at London’s O2, John Cleese announces surprise plans for another revival – barring estranged member Eric Idle. The 2014 shows, which included the late Terry Jones, were widely deemed to be the troupe’s last hurrah. But Cleese, 86, now announces: ‘Sir Mickey Palin, Terry Gilliam and I are discussing doing some entertainment towards the end of this year, if only to prove that we are all alive – if we still are.’ Idle isn’t on speaking terms with the others amid a bitter falling-out over the management of the group’s finances. Cleese spoke out against ‘bullying’ Eric, 83, last September, after the latter had publicly criticised Python’s manager Holly Gilliam, daughter of Terry. Cleese adds: ‘The excellent Holly Gilliam is exploring venues, and finding dates when Sir Mickey may be available. He’s much in demand, unlike the rest of us. ‘The event will be a wonderful opportunity to insult each other, and to discuss at length each other’s faults.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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