There are some days in one's life that are magical and memorable forever. This was one of them. And flying halfway across the world to attend it was a great decision, in hindsight. Flying into London and then driving to Cambridge for Jeffrey and Dame Mary Archer’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary was one of them. Apart from the summer sun and flowers and country sights en route, it was Jeffrey’s hospitality, wit, warmth and sparkle that was unforgettable!
Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, Dame Norma Major, cricket legend Sir Ian Botham and Lady Kathryn Botham, Hollywood producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall of E.T. and The Bourne Identity fame with KRS Jamwal and Nisha JamVwal |
The celebrations were at their historic country estate , The Old Vicarage, an iconic 17th-century stone manor associated with the poet Rupert Brooke. I can almost imagine literary ghosts wandering through its tree lined gardens, although on this occasion they made way for politicians, sports stars, actors, novelists, film producers and a fair sprinkling of celebrities who have spent their lives making history.
Former cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch and now leader of Conservative Party with Nisha JamVwal |
Jeffrey seated me at former British Prime Minister Sir John Major’s table, which made for one of those lunches where every conversation effortlessly went from politics to books, cricket, cinema and literature. At my table were Sir John and Dame Norma Major, cricketing legend Sir Ian Botham and Lady Kathryn Botham, Hollywood power producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall—whose extraordinary body of work includes E.T. and The Bourne Identity—along with techie and start up angel invester KRS Jamwal.
It was one of those quintessentially English afternoons that only England seems to produce. Green lawns, profession of flowers in blue and white and mauve, a five-course luncheon with salmon, caviar, lobster, cold cuts, salads with exotic berries accompanied by pastel flower cocktails and Prosecco’s, a live band wafting through the gardens and guests wandering between tables as time slowed down for just this day.
The speeches were the highlight.
Sir John Major spoke with the grace, wit and thoughtful elegance one associates with an old-school statesman. It was a beautiful tribute and deservedly received a great ovation.
Jeffrey Archer, however, is Jeffrey Archer. Brilliant in his books but enigmatic in the flesh. Within moments he had everyone laughing with the wonderfully irreverent self deprecating humour and impeccable comic timing that have made him magnificently entertaining at brunch as he is on the printed page. Dame Mary Archer’s speech and song on the periodic table completed the trilogy beautifully—warm, affectionate, intelligent and gently funny. She is slim and lovely and hasn’t aged since the last sixteen years I’ve been meeting her!
The guest list could have filled a chapter of one of Jeffrey’s novels. Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch was magnetic, together with the delightful Joanna Lumley, whose wit is every bit as sparkling in person as one imagines. Singer Patti Boulaye added her own unmistakable warmth, while I particularly enjoyed chatting with Marion Charles Dickens, the great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. I’ve been an everlasting fan of Charles Dickens so this for me was the most magical introduction. Robin Butler, Michael Howard and Iain Duncan Smith were among some of the distinguished guests who made the afternoon feel less like a social gathering and more like a living page from contemporary British history. Actually the whole afternoon felt to me like I should memorise every vignette because I felt I was living a piece of history!
Jeffrey, never one to miss an opportunity for theatrical flair, also presented every guest with the opening chapter of his forthcoming novel Adam & Eve. There is something inimitable about receiving the first pages of a book before the rest of the world has the chance to read it.
For me, the afternoon carried an additional and very personal resonance. A few years ago Jeffrey wrote a brilliant story based on my own life called “Cast Off” in his bestselling collection And Thereby Hangs a Tale. He made the unusual decision to use my real name—Nisha JamVwal—rather than creating a fictional character. It remains one of the very rare occasions in his fiction where a protagonist appears under their real identity. Today, that story is in a special edition with illustrations by Paul Cox immortalising vignettes of my unusual life full of twists and turns and this story has taken on yet another life, with a feature film based on it currently in planning and development.
As I sat in the gardens of The Old Vicarage, listening to speeches, watching old friends greeting one another and celebrating sixty years of a remarkable marriage, I had the feeling of wanting time to stand still so I could hold onto these moments. A feeling I’ve rarely felt. One never quite knows which friendship, conversation or unexpected encounter will quietly become part of one’s own story.
The sun goes down at around 10 in the night here at Cambridge these days. So the most cherished part of the evening was sitting together with the family and closest friends for an intimate tea and coffee once all the guest had gone until nearly eight in the evening which felt like four or five in India!
Jeffrey Archer had celebrated a wedding anniversary not simply with flowers and champagne, but with literature, laughter, history and friendship all sharing the same garden. They don’t call him the most influential star best seller of our times for nothing!
