Another Enormous Royal Scandal. Norway, This Time.

Enigmatic aristocrat was ahead of his time, says It's a Sin star

 

Madfabulous is an upcoming British historical drama film about Henry, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, directed by Celyn Jones and starring Rupert Everett, Ruby Stokes and Callum Scott Howells.

Set in the late 19th century, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey is a flamboyant peer whose behaviour and extravagance has modern echoes.

 

Cast

Callum Scott Howells as Henry, 5th Marquess of Anglesey

Ruby Stokes as Lily

Rupert Everett

Paul Rhys

Louis Hynes

Louise Brealey

Tom Rhys Harries

Siobhán McSweeney

Guillaume Gallienne

Steve Speirs

Kevin Eldon

Ian Puleston-Davies

Roger Evans

Lisa Jên Brown

 

Production

The film is directed by Celyn Jones and produced by Mad as Birds. It is scripted by Lisa Baker in her feature film debut. Producers are Nadia Jaynes and Sean Marley while executive producer is Nicola Pearcey of Picnik Entertainment. Support comes from Ffilm Cymru Wales and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.

 

Callum Scott Howells joined the cast in May 2024 as Henry, 5th Marquess of Anglesey.[3] Ruby Stokes and Rupert Everett joined the cast in August 2024.

 

Principal photography got underway in Wales in August 2024 with filming locations including Anglesey, Caernarfon and Pwllheli.

Enigmatic aristocrat was ahead of his time, says It's a Sin star

1 hour ago

Oscar Edwards

BBC Wales

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj981k4ee7no

 

Callum Scott Howells stars as the "icon" Henry Paget in a film inspired by his life

It's a Sin actor Callum Scott Howells said it was a "genuine honour" to portray an eccentric 19th Century Welsh aristocrat who was "ahead of his time".

 

The life of Henry Paget will be the focus of the upcoming biopic Madfabulous which charts the extraordinary life of the fifth Marquess of Anglesey.

 

Dubbed the "dancing Marquess", Paget inherited Plas Newydd on Anglesey, his family's ancestral home, along with a vast fortune, when his father died in 1898.

 

He embarked on a life of excess and blew the equivalent of £60 million on extravagant ventures - including converting the chapel to a performance space to put on spectacular shows with elaborate costumes.

 

"He was a cross between David Bowie and Marc Bolan," Howells told The Big Issue.

 

"Gender fluid and, later, an inspiration to so many."

 

At the time, Paget's spending habits were considered foolish in a way that challenged Edwardian society.

 

But he has gone on to become "a bit of an icon" and is now seen as a wild expression of individualism.

 

Howells, from Pontypridd, said he fell in love with Paget, known as the "Dancing Marquess", after reading the script for the film.

 

There were many aspects of Paget's life that remained a mystery which made him an "enigma", said Howells, including no conclusive evidence about his sexuality.

 

"It was never confirmed he was gay, because his diaries were destroyed and, of course, homosexuality was illegal," he said.

 

"That's what made this role so thrilling for me and I didn't want to impose a sexuality on him."

 

The actor said he spent "hours and hours" researching Paget's life, but encouraged the audience to go and "discover the man for themselves" when the film is released later this year.

 

It was shot in just 31 days on Anglesey and in other north Wales locations, and the mansion at Glynllifon estate in Caernarfon doubled as Plas Newydd.

 

Paget would throw wild parties at the country house, which he renamed Anglesey Castle, as well as hosting lavish stage shows at the property's former church which was converted into a theatre.

 

Madfabulous director, the Bafta Cymru-winning Celyn Jones, said the entry point for the story was a black-and-white photograph of Paget dressed in one of his flamboyant costumes.

 

Paget spent millions on outfits for stage and entertaining

 

"Naturally, we had an exact replica made for Callum to wear in the same pose," said Jones.

 

"The costumes were absolutely key to the movie - we couldn't just hire them in, each one had to be handmade."

 

After living a short life of decadence, Paget was left penniless and fled his debtors by moving to Monaco where he died aged 29.

 

"It's sad that Henry died so young, but he packed his life with so many experiences," said Jones.

 

"This was a man with what seemed like endless reserves of money, who just did whatever he wanted."

 

Madfabulous also stars Rupert Everett, Ruby Stokes and Neath-born Paul Rhys who appeared in Saltburn.

The Hidden History of Henry Cyril Paget - The Dancing Marquess

‘The Bowie of his era’: new biopic charts wild life of cross-dressing Victorian peer

 

‘The Bowie of his era’: new biopic charts wild life of cross-dressing Victorian peer

This article is more than 1 year old

Madfabulous explores story of flamboyant 19th-century marquess of Anglesey, and offers an ‘overdue celebration’ of his life

 

Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent

Sun 24 Nov 2024 13.00 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/24/the-bowie-of-his-era-new-biopic-charts-wild-life-of-cross-dressing-victorian-peer

 

It’s the costume drama plot with the startlingly up-to-date twist: the fifth marquess of Anglesey, a scandalously extravagant, cross-dressing peer of the realm, who cavorted around north Wales in the late 19th century, now has his own biopic – and it is a tribute he surely would have relished. The makers of Madfabulous, which has just filmed on location in Anglesey (Ynys Môn), believe their starry version of his extraordinary story is an overdue celebration of the non-conforming aristocrat, born Henry Paget and nicknamed “Toppy”.

 

Revealing details of the opulent new film for the first time this weekend, the director Celyn Jones said the germ of the project was the moment when he came across a photograph of the flamboyant Paget dressed in one of his elaborate outfits – and then Jones noticed the date: “I looked at the photo again, checked Henry’s story and thought: hang on this is 1890 – and in Anglesey!”

 

Jones, who grew up on the island off the Caernarfonshire coast, was intrigued. “I realised this was like a David Bowie, or perhaps a Marc Bolan, but well before their time. Henry’s story really is of The Man who Fell to Earth, since there is no sense of where his ideas came from. He influenced so many people, with all the photographs he took of himself in outlandish costumes. He effectively distributed his own “selfies” before such a thing had ever been dreamed of. He remains an influencer now too.”

 

The style of the so-called “dancing marquess” has recently been cited as a major influence on Harris Reed, the British-American designer and head of the Nina Ricci fashion house. who is known for a “gender fluid” approach to contemporary clothing.

 

Jones’s new film, with a script written by another Anglesey local, Lisa Baker, is only loosely based on Paget’s life because the truth is hard to establish. Not only did Paget live well outside the established norms of the landed gentry, but his personal papers are believed to have been destroyed by his family after his death. What is clear is that he spent an inordinate amount of money very quickly – much more than his entire inheritance, which would be worth around £11m today.

 

“There is not much to go on, so we are approximating, because it is difficult to nail down anything about his life,” said Jones, who has cast the acclaimed It’s A Sin actor Callum Scott Howells as Paget, his first lead role in a feature film.

 

The film recreates the unorthodox festivities that Paget staged on his estate, Plas Newydd, which he renamed Anglesey Castle. He was well known for throwing lavish parties, known as butterfly balls, in which, clad in yards of pale silk, he would dance wildly for guests. The Eton-educated marquess also set up a “Gaiety Theatre” on the grounds and treated neighbouring islanders to spectacular performances.

 

“I hadn’t known about the butterfly balls, but reading about them I felt a spark of that something I look out for – a moment in history that stands out,” said Jones, who is also an actor and who has previously directed films including The Vanishing and The Almond and the Seahorse with his Mad As Birds film company.

 

“I think we have something extraordinary here in the performance of Callum,” he added.

 

The 25-year-old actor is also due to portray Holly Johnson in Relax, a film about Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In Madfabulous, Howells stars alongside Rupert Everett and Bridgerton’s Ruby Stokes, and he is supported by a cast including Paul Rhys, Kevin Eldon and Louise Brealey, the Sherlock actor who recently appeared on screen with Jones in the British musical Chuck Chuck Baby.

 

“Paul Rhys is a genius, as all actors know, and he is a wonderful villain. The cast, in fact, is almost like a classic Ealing comedy cast from the 1950s,” said Jones. The director believes that although Paget behaved irresponsibly, his openness to other people somehow combined with his apparent innocence to ensure he was largely forgiven by those around him. He routinely ignored class barriers as well as society’s prevalent dismissive attitude to women.

 

“He lived to the full. However, he eventually paid the price for it all,” said the director. “The one thing we do know is that Henry ended his life penniless in the south of France.” After being made a bankrupt, owing the equivalent of £70m, Paget died of tuberculosis at the age of 29.

 

“This film, I hope, is a kind of love story,” said Jones, “But it is more about love in its various guises, from passion, to lust, to platonic love and unrequited love. And it is about love’s casualties.”

 

This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media.

8 Times Ralph Lauren.

The Tragic Love Triangle Of Diana, Camilla & Charles | Love, Duty & Betrayal | Timeline

 

Princess Diana was born into the Spencer family, one of Britain's most prominent aristocratic, noble families with deep ties to the monarchy ...

Princess Diana was born into the Spencer family, one of Britain's most prominent aristocratic, noble families with deep ties to the monarchy, often described as having a longer, or at least equal, history to the royals. Raised at Park House on the Sandringham estate, she was the daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, and was Lady Diana Spencer before marrying Prince Charles in 1981.

 

Key details about Diana and the Spencer family:

Aristocratic Lineage: The Spencers trace their roots to the 16th century, building fortune through sheep farming before entering the nobility in 1603.

Royal Connections: The family has been connected with the Royal Family for centuries, with her grandmothers serving as ladies-in-waiting to the Queen Mother. Diana was an 11th cousin to Prince Charles.

Early Life & Family: Born on July 1, 1961, Diana was the fourth of five children. Her parents, John Spencer and Frances Roche, divorced after a contentious separation when she was six. She had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles Spencer.

Connection to Sandringham: The Spencer family had a home on the royal Sandringham estate, allowing for close interaction with the Royal Family during her childhood.

Notable Relatives: The family is related to Sir Winston Churchill.