Ex-soldier Vaughan Smith, 59, who sheltered Julian Assange at Norfolk estate struggling with ‘divorce’

He is a former Guards officer who, as an award-winning freelance cameraman, filmed conflicts from Iraq to Afghanistan and was shot twice – saved on one occasion when his mobile phone and wad of cash stopped an incoming bullet.

Later he took a different risk – broadcasting Julian Assange takes refuge on his 600-acre Norfolk estate as the Wikileaks founder begins his fight against extradition for alleged sex offences.

But now Vaughan Smith, founder of London’s Frontline Club, which is very sympathetic to war reporters and foreign correspondents, is caught up in the battle at home. “He’s going through an acrimonious divorce,” I was told.

Smith, 59, confirms his separation from his second wife Pranvera, describing the split as “sensitive and painful for everyone, not least our children”.

Pranvera, 44, who met Vaughan when she was his interpreter during the war in her homeland of Kosovo in the late 1990s, will only say that it is “very complicated”.

I understand that there have already been two court hearings, and the third was supposed to be in February, but it was postponed. Pranvera remains in Norfolk with the couple’s children, while Vaughan, who has grown-up offspring from his first marriage to Sanela Djona, is in London, although he and Pranvera switch from time to time to allow him time with his younger brood.

Friends of the couple are doing their best to avoid taking sides – so much so, I’m told, that they’re wary of holding events at the Frontline club in Paddington, west London.

That’s where Assange stayed for several months before moving – at the invitation of Vaughan and Pranvera – to the Smith family’s ten-bedroom family home in Norfolk. Although he was required by court order to wear an electronic tag and obey a curfew, Assange did not lack female company. “Julian is chasing a certain type of woman — and chased is the right word,” recalled Smith, who said life in the house could be “absolute chaos.”

Neither he nor Pranvera expected Assange to be with them for more than a few weeks. “I wouldn’t say that having anyone stay in your house for almost a year is a recipe for family peace,” Smith mused after Assange’s departure, though he insisted that neither he nor Pranver regretted harboring him.

Will we hear more about this remarkable time? I ask because Pranvera, who founded On Front Line, where she hosts debates on world events, told me that she is writing a book…

The smart set is about Harry and Meghan’s landlord taking on the Swiss role

Not content with having once counted Prince Harry and Meghan among the tenants of his Oxfordshire estate, Old Etonian Nicholas Johnston ‘on a whim’ snapped up another estate, Bantham, in South Devon – for £11.5million, just to set locals at odds by unveiling stunning plans for its development.

I can now reveal that Johnston was taken by the chic Swiss alpine resort of Zermatt, famous for its iconic Matterhorn. There he founded a real estate company whose purpose is “consulting, marketing and development of real estate projects”.

But Johnston’s enthusiasm is about more than Zermatt’s commercial opportunities. He and his glamorous Roedean-educated wife Saskia, pictured after he left his first wife Linda six years ago, are now ensconced in one of the town’s newest cottages.

“It’s huge – five stories, lots of huge glass windows and balconies,” I was told. “It must have a spectacular view of the Matterhorn.”

Max Bond’s ex-girlfriend marries company jeweler Celia

Bond girl Olga Kurylenko reportedly left Max Benitz, the old Harrow father of her son, devastated when she dumped him for her Gun Shy co-star Ben Cure in 2018.

Fortunately, I heard that Benitz, a 38-year-old journalist, has found love again and quietly married society jeweler Celia Weinstock.

“We decided to have a small wedding and it was a beautiful day,” says Celia, 38, who was once considered a potential bride for Prince Harry. ‘We are very happy together.’

Celia, granddaughter of the late industrialist Lord Weinstock, exchanged vows with Benitz at the Savoy Royal Chapel in London.

Her sister Tish married stylist Tom Guinness, son of Lord Moyne, last October in a lavish Halloween-themed wedding held at Belvoir Castle, the Duke of Rutland’s home in Leicestershire.

“My mum is very happy that her daughters are now married,” says Celia, whose Lyme Fine Jewelery brand is named after her mother Laura’s ancestral home, Lyme Park in Cheshire.

Earl Spencer is mourning the loss of his cousin Bobby, who died last week in Florida at the age of 90. Educated at Eton, Bobby would have been sad to miss King Charles’s coronation, having been a companion to Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

He had fond memories of his cousin Princess Diana as a teenager.

He said: “She was very happy, full of fun, a pleasure to be with – a young girl who obviously needs to be kept in order from time to time, as young girls do, but only in the most pleasant way.”

The Corbyn boys have fun with Fast Eddie…

Jeremy Corbyn is barred from standing again for Labour, but his sons are far more interested in a different kind of party.

Here are Ben and Tommy Corbyn at a shindig hosted by the self-styled “Lord”, Edward Davenport, who has been jailed for fraud.

It took place at 32 Portland Place, the Marylebone mansion owned by ‘Fast Eddie’, where scenes from the Oscar-winning The King’s Speech were filmed. The house is known for its sex parties, but Davenport, 56, insists the party the Corbyns attended was far from debauched.

“It was a very civilized affair with lots of beautiful girls,” he tells me. “Ben is a good friend of mine and Jeremy is more than welcome. I have a big house so it would be a shame not to have people around.”

Fearne Cotton’s London neighbors shouldn’t be alarmed if they hear painful screams and grunts coming from next door: it’s just the sound of her exercising at home.

“I was making a lot of noises during practice,” admits the 41-year-old TV presenter, who has two children with husband Jesse Wood, son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie. ‘You release anger and trapped energy.’

She added: “Your neighbors might think you are under attack. Plus, it’s really good – you feel great afterwards.”

Radio 1 DJ Greg James, usually known for his easy-going charm, has hit out at BBC colleague Alan Sugar.

“Look at these people – these billionaires are miserable,” claims James. ‘Show me a happy billionaire and I’ll show you a liar. Everyone is angry. I don’t think they’re doing very well – they wear their wickedness on their faces – it shows.”

Of the novelist Bella Mackie, daughter of former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, James says: ‘My wife Bella said to me, ‘They have the face they deserve’. Alan Sugar has the face he deserves.”

He adds about the Apprentice star: ‘Maybe he has a nice happy life – I’m talking about his face in particular. He has an evil face – you can’t argue with that.’

(Very) modern manners

Who would have thought that a parking ticket would be a status symbol?

But that’s exactly what the coronation tickets have become, with lucky guests displaying round badges on their mantelpieces.

Those invited to the Coronation must have a chauffeur, as the passes allow one vehicle to enter Buckingham Palace to drop off guests, with a badge displayed on the dashboard. And it must be the same car that picks them up at the end of the celebration. Guests are not allowed to leave their cars in the palace. “Some people display their ID on the fireplace to show off to guests,” I was told. ‘Those who weren’t invited are green with envy.’