It was, in so many respects, a fairytale upbringing, spent in the splendour of Goodwood, in West Sussex, with its two libraries, ballroom and music room – not to mention 24 bedrooms, ten bathrooms and a surrounding estate of 12,000 acres.
But actress Nimmy March, who's appeared in everything from Coronation Street to Midsomer Murders, and, most recently, ITV's Vera, yearns for a one-off role on a very different sort of show – BBC1's Who Do You Think You Are?
'I want to do it,' she tells me at a party at the Groucho club in Soho, London.
Nimmy's need to piece together her family jigsaw is acute. She was just six months old when she became the second mixed-race baby to be adopted by the then Earl and Countess of March, later the 10th Duke and duch*ess of Richmond.
The aristocratic couple, who already had two children of their own, and who would later have one more, were vilified for 'sullying the aristocracy', as Nimmy once put it. But their bond with their adopted daughters proved exceptionally strong, so much so that Nimmy, 62, admits that she is 'still reeling' nearly a year after the duch*ess's death.
Actress Nimmy March, seen here with her aristocratic adoptive parents, says that she is yearning to appear on the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?'
She says that the grief of losing her adoptive mother has been compounded by the subsequent death of her birth father, a South African musician from Lesotho
Nimmy March has appeared in everything from Coronation Street to Midsomer Murders
'To me, she is Mum. I'm wearing her jacket,' she says, adding that her grief has recently been compounded by the loss of her birth father, David Serame, 'just 16 weeks ago'.
Nimmy, who's divorced with three children, had the consolation that she made contact with David, a South African musician from Lesotho, back in 1999 and had seen him welcomed into the family fold by the Duke and duch*ess.
The only communication from her Anglo-Irish birth mother, who was 17 and unmarried when she had Nimmy, has been a curt letter, sent to Nimmy's adoption counsellor. 'I put this child up for adoption as soon as I possibly could,' it read. 'As far as I am concerned, she is not my daughter.'
Nimmy tells me: 'I am not announcing her real name.' It would, of course, have to emerge on Who Do You Think You Are – 'a great programme', she adds.
Work high for Prue's husband
Dame Prue Leith is known for her statement necklaces, but The Great British Bake Off judge's husband, John Playfair, is the real fashionista.
Retired designer Playfair, 77, once created uniforms for BA flight crews after a member of the airline's staff attended his catwalk show.
Dame Prue Leith is known for her statement necklaces, but The Great British Bake Off judge's husband, John Playfair, is the real fashionista
An aide told him a guest wanted one of the jackets in the show and Dame Prue explains: 'John said, 'Oh, for goodness sake, just give her one.' The aide said: 'Well, she wants 30,000 of them.'
Ri's hair is work, work, work
Pop superstar Rihanna showed off a dramatic new hair-do at a party in the East End of London.
However, the singer from Barbados, famous for hits such as Work, already appeared to be harbouring regrets about her lightened locks. Asked whether the old adage about blondes having more fun was accurate, she replies: 'No, they don't have more fun. Blondes just spend a lot more money on hair treatments and products.'
Pop superstar Rihanna showed off a dramatic new blonde hair-do at a party in the East End of London. She seems to be regretting it after responding brusquely to a question
Rihanna replied that Blondes don't have more fun, but 'spend a lot more more on hair treatments and products'
Speaking at the launch of her FENTY x PUMA Creeper Phatty Earth Tone trainers at Tobacco Dock, Rihanna, 36, adds that being able to wear fashionable clothes in public again after having two children has led to a personal 'rediscovery'.
She explains that dressing up 'does something for you as a woman'.
'Forbidden Fruit' heats up royal jam war
The royal 'jam wars' appear to be simmering nicely.
This week the duch*ess of Sussex launched the first product under her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle label, a jar of strawberry jam, which she sent to 50 friends and 'influencers'.
Now, a local is keen to make the point that Meghan's fruit is home-grown, while that used in King Charles's Highgrove Organic Strawberry Preserve is bought in from elsewhere.
The duch*ess of Sussex launched the first product under her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle label, which she has dispatched to a set of exclusive friends and influencers
All the fruit that goes into the product was homegrown in Meghan and Harry's garden in Montecito, California
'All the fruit came from Harry and Meghan's home garden in Montecito,' the California-based source informs me.
Who would think such a sweet product could leave such a bitter taste in the mouth?
Fuchsia's bright for Letizia
On a state visit, it's never a wise move to outshine your hosts, but Queen Letizia of Spain couldn't resist making a bold fashion statement when meeting Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
The former TV newsreader, 51, wore a Carolina Herrera fuchsia coat draped over her shoulders. Underneath was a slim-fit cherry red dress.
Queen Letizia of Spain couldn't resist making a bold fashion statement when meeting Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
Queen Letizia had had to greet guests while seated because of an undisclosed ailment at a banquet organised for her and King Felipe the previous night
Letizia was accompanied by husband, King Felipe, 56, as they visited a mental health centre for young people in Amsterdam yesterday.
Queen Maxima, 52, who was with them, stuck to pastel colours.
At a banquet the previous night, Letizia had to greet guests while seated because of an undisclosed ailment.
Kylie Minogue is now a bona fide fashion icon, as her recent appearances at the Oscars and the Brit Awards reinforced.
But stylist David Thomas, who collaborated with the pop star in the 1990s, has revealed she was given the cold shoulder by Vogue early on in her career.
Kylie Minogue's stylist David Thomas has revealed that she was given the cold-shoulder by Vogue early on in her career
Recalling his time accompanying Kylie to French fashion shows on the A Journey Through SAW [hitmakers Stock Aitken Waterman] podcast, Thomas recalls: 'When we went to Jean Paul Gaultier, he put Kylie and I in a box.The fashion show was in Cirque d'Hiver [in Paris], which is this old circus building, and in the box next to us was British Vogue. I can remember at the time the editor of Vogue turning and saying: 'Who is that ghastly girl?' Ouch.
