HOME WITH A HISTORY

Lord Montagu tells us the colourful story of his spectacular stately home, from celebrity party haunt to spy school

-  TRACY SCHAVERIEN

Among Lord Montagu’s memories of growing up at Palace House, his historic stately home in the New Forest, are its celebrity guests. “Mick Jagger came to stay once, and [racing drivers] Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss were regular visitors,” he recalls.

“Once, Liberace came and asked if he could bring his friend - a man called Michael Jackson. Liberace was at the piano and Michael hung around in the background, almost unnoticed. He was very shy and quiet.”

Ralph, the 4th Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, shares his extraordinary recollections as he and his wife, Ailsa, invite HELLO! into Palace House — once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey, which has been the family home since 1538—for this exclusive interview and photoshoot.

Today, Ralph is Lord of the manor after inheriting the estate — and his title — from his late father, Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, the 3rd Baron, ten years ago.

Just as the previous Lord Montagu transformed Beaulieu’s fortunes by opening his home to the public as a tourist attraction, so too is his heir leaving his mark, albeit in less flamboyant fashion.

PARTY CENTRAL

“My father was a great socialite and party animal,” says Ralph, 64, whose youthful recollections also involve a succession of royals coming to the estate. “There was nearly always something happening. If my father was away, things would be in quiet mode, but as soon as he was around, the place would become much more alive. He was a ball of energy, and you couldn't ignore that when he was there.”

Edward, who was married twice, hit the headlines in 1954 when he was jailed for a year for homosexuality, which was illegal at the time; it was a charge he always denied. But he bounced back and continued his mission to save Beaulieu from financial ruin as stately homes fought for survival in the economic downturn that followed the Second World War.