Wie, Bitte? 

Prince Harry has shown his expertise speaking German when he was asked to give a speech at the nation’s first ever Veterans Day.

The Riven Rock resident was asked by the country’s defense minister to speak at the inaugural event. He began and ended his speech in German.

Two years ago Harry, when he was visiting Dusseldorf to the Invictus Games, also tried his linguistic skills.

Of course, his distant relative Queen Victoria, who was married to German Prince Albert, used to speak the language most of the time rather
than English.

And Here I Thought It Was a Cotton Allergy

Montecito’s Rob Lowe has revealed why he likes taking shirtless photos at 61.

As he puts it, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”

“Use it or lose it,” he tells People magazine.

His surfing and beach runs obviously work.

Remembering Joanne Holderman

On a personal note, I mark the passing of Joanne Holderman at the age of 89.

Born in Chicago, she moved to our Eden by the Beach in 1965 becoming chairman of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission in 1977 and founded the Arts Fund Gallery which
thrives today.

She was also vice president of the Community Arts and Music Association, president of the Junior League of Santa Barbara, and on the board of directors of the Music Academy of the West.

A charming and gracious lady.

I also note the move to more heavenly pastures of art lover and philanthropist Leonard Lauder, who died at his Manhattan home age 92. 

He was the son of cosmetic empress Estee Lauder, who I used to see at Royal Ascot, the five-day horse race meeting attended by the Royal Family, which concluded last weekend.

I also met his father Joe, whose initials adorned a men’s cologne JHL, launched with great ceremony at Saks Fifth Avenue when I was an editor at New York Magazine.

Leonard’s first wife Evelyn, who I would see frequently at Christie’s events when the international auction house was located on Park Avenue, died of breast cancer in 2011.

He donated 80 paintings, including Picasso and Braque, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then made another major donation worth around $1 billion of more Cubist works.

Leonard also gave $131 million and art to the Whitney Museum, including 50 works by Jasper Johns.

An extraordinarily kind and self-deprecating individual.

Sightings

Cameron Diaz noshing at RH… Singer-dancer Paula Abdul at Olio Pizzeria… Actress Jane Lynch at the Montecito Coffee Shop.