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letsdothis1 ago

Fergie, ex-wife of Prince Andrew and Bell Pottinger

The socialite who fell to earth: Stupendously rich after divorcing a billionaire, Heather Kerzner led a gilded life... then Fergie introduced her to the now shamed PR firm Bell Pottinger and it all started going wrong

The duchess had added two of her friends to the guest list that night: PR company boss James Henderson and Heather Kerzner, vivacious ex-wife of pint-sized South African hotels and casino magnate Sol Kerzner.

Ever since 2010, when her royal life reached its lowest ebb after a newspaper ‘sting’ in which she offered to sell access to Prince Andrew, her ex-husband, in return for £500,000, the Duchess had relied on Henderson, chief executive of world-famous PR firm Bell Pottinger, to rebuild her reputation.

nd that kindness has been repaid. Henderson’s son Felix spent a winter season working as an assistant at the Swiss ski lodge she jointly owns with Andrew.

Not long afterwards, 48-year-old Heather was making a significant gesture of commitment to their relationship, investing several millions of her personal fortune buying a 15 per cent stake in Henderson’s PR firm.

But amid allegations it tried to stoke up racial hatred in South Africa while working for a lucrative client, the company — set up by Maragret Thatcher’s favourite ad-man Lord (Tim) Bell — has spectacularly collapsed.

Settling in London soon after their wedding, Heather began rubbing shoulders with an international crowd, ex U.S. president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela and Hollywood stars like Robert De Niro.

The following year, her 41st birthday celebration at Annabel’s nightclub, was notorious for the fracas between actor Hugh Grant and PR man Matthew Freud.

Meanwhile, Heather was soon becoming a familiar figure at Bell Pottinger events. At its summer party in June at Lancaster House, next door to St James’s Palace, Heather glided easily among the guests, including politicians such as David Davies, Nigel Farage and Viscount Astor (Samantha Cameron’s stepfather), media figures like ITV’s Robert Peston and, of course, the Duchess of York.