She was lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother and remembered the late Queen Elizabeth as having been ‘extraordinarily kind’.
But Lady Angela Oswald cannot say the same for some employees of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
For I can reveal that the 87-year-old aristocrat and former courtier has been left distressed by ‘threatening’ HMRC letters wrongly accusing her of failing to pay £15,300 in stamp duty.
‘I was terrified to receive a demand for alleged non-payment of stamp duty – plus added interest for alleged non-payment in time,’ she tells me, adding: ‘Luckily my daughter provided proof of my innocence – that the stamp duty had indeed been paid, many months earlier and in good time.’
Conclusive proof Lady Angela, pictured, had paid her dues did not deter the taxman’s badgering. ‘I still received two further threatening demands, then silence and subsequently no apology for having had false allegations made against me,’ divulges the 6th Marquess of Exeter’s youngest daughter, who lives in King’s Lynn near King Charles‘s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Her husband of 63 years, Sir Michael Oswald, died five years ago aged 86.
Former courtier Lady Angela Oswald, 87, was badgered by HMRC over alleged unpaid taxes
Sir Michael was Queen Elizabeth’s horse racing adviser and manager of the Royal Stud for nearly 30 years and was often pictured watching the tracks from royal boxes. Their adult children are son William and daughter Katherine who, like her mother, graced the pages of Country Life magazine.
Relieved after her ordeal, Lady Angela confirms that HMRC finally ‘stopped sending anything’ but affirms that they ‘never acknowledged the error’.
‘If I hadn’t been lucky enough to have a son and daughter who can cope with these sorts of affairs – if I’d just been on my own, a vulnerable person – I might have been so frightened receiving that demand that I might have just paid,’ she says.
‘It’s been sorted out as far as I’m concerned, but I’m worried about how many other people have suffered from this.’
Roxy reveals big day secrets
Jack Whitehall and Roxy Horner, who received a bespoke treatment plan ahead of the wedding
Roxy Horner went the extra mile to get that special glow for her wedding to comic Jack Whitehall.
The model, 34, reveals that she underwent a cosmetic makeover worth £6,000 at Harley Street Injectables in London before saying ‘I do’ in Wiltshire last weekend.
‘Her bespoke treatment plan began 12 months ahead of the wedding,’ explains the clinic in a social media post shared by Roxy. ‘Treatments included a series of VBeam [laser] sessions to perfect any redness and rosacea, Moxi laser for overall skin rejuvenation, Profhilo for deep hydration and luminosity, and the HSI signature Filter Facials for that final, camera-ready glow.’
Judging by her smile on the big day, the tweakments were worth every penny.
Stunning new figure for expecting Vogue
Vogue Williams, who is expecting her fourth child, made a healthy profit of £600,000 last year
Buoyant at the news she is expecting her fourth child, Vogue Williams is proving productive in more ways than one.
I can reveal the 40-year-old, who is married to former Made In Chelsea lothario Spencer Matthews, 37, is also enjoying the fruits of a very busy career.
The Irish broadcaster, content creator and author made a staggering profit of £600,000 last year.
Newly filed accounts for her company, Howth Media Limited, for the year ending July 2025 show her net assets are now worth nearly £3.3million.
No wonder she’s not looking for any handouts from her Old Etonian husband.
‘I pay for half of everything,’ she declared recently.
Rocker Brian’s hair-raising tips
Sir Brian May believes the secret behind his great locks is all in his hot and cold shower antics
Queen guitarist Sir Brian May is as famous for his curly hairstyle as he is for his virtuosic playing.
Now at the grand old age of 78, the musician reveals how he maintains his healthy long locks after all this time.
‘It’s still here to some extent,’ he said at the launch of the remastered Queen II album in London. ‘It’s probably the cold showers, as I have got more hairy all over. I like the business of a hot shower and then a cold shower, like really cold.
‘It builds your immune system and makes your hair grow.’
As a stand-up comedian, Sir Lenny Henry should have nerves of steel, but the 67-year-old reveals his stage fright is no laughing matter and has turned to transcendental meditation to help him to cope.
‘I have a lesson, and she teaches me how to meditate, and it was mind blowing,’ Sir Lenny tells the audience at a live event in London. ‘I highly recommend, even if you don’t buy into the woo woo aspect of it.’ Om.
Actor James McAvoy has been widely praised for his role as Professor Charles in the X-men franchise.
But the 47-year-old reveals he was most affected by one cruel critic.
He said: ‘I’ve received incredible reviews and the only thing I can remember is that one bad review. Isn’t it nuts? It got to me because it was personal. It wasn’t even that bad a review of my performance, but it described me as the Chubby McAvoy. And that’s all I remember of any review for X-Men.’
