The much-hyped entry of Kate Middleton's playboy uncle into the Celebrity Big Brother house is likely to be greeted with trepidation by the royal family's already overstretched PR team.
It's been a grueling 12 months for “The Firm,” with everything from major health shocks like King Charles' cancer diagnosis to the serious embarrassment caused by Prince Andrew's highly publicized friendship with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
So photographs of Gary Goldsmith, brother of Kate's mother Carole Middleton, choosing smart suits in Soho ahead of Monday night's launch of CBB on ITV will only send shivers down the spine of those at Buckingham Palace who fear generating more unwanted headlines.
Arguably the relaunched show's most controversial housemate, the 58-year-old is already under strict family orders, with his sister “reading the riot” acting out fears he will share secrets live on TV.
Millionaire Gary Goldsmith, who appeared at a Conservative party fundraiser in 2018, is expected to appear on Celebrity Big Brother.
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Meanwhile, the show's producers will no doubt be licking their lips. The four-times-married businessman is everything you want in a celebrity: He's got connections, controversy and a history of bad behavior.
However, some of his past has clearly crossed the line. Other shows have reportedly been postponed, including an audition for I'm a celebrity… Get me out of here!.
An infamous image of Mr. Goldsmith printed on the now defunct World News He was allegedly shown with cocaine and a credit card in Ibiza in 2009.
That same year, he attacked his fourth and current wife, Julie-Ann, during an argument outside their home after she accused him of using drugs.
He pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating and was fined £5,000 and given a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation sessions.
The Duchess of Cambridge's uncle Gary Goldsmith leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in 2017, where he was fined £5,000 and given a community order after admitting assaulting his wife in a drunken argument at the that she accused him of using drugs.
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Sentencing him, senior magistrate Emma Arbuthnot described him as a “disgusting drunk”.
Jane Humphryes QC, defending Goldsmith, said the incident had left him “deeply ashamed” and worried about the impact it would have on his family.
It has since resurfaced frequently in the press; never stopping to defend his family for alleged attacks, including against his and William's niece, in episodes of The crownmemories of prince harry Replacement and the book by biographer Omid Scobie game over.
Of Harry's book, which delves into the troubled relationship between the royal siblings, Goldsmith said: “I am particularly appalled by its vile concoction of half-truths and outright lies because Kate is my beloved niece.”
This points to a close relationship with his niece, Kate, who is still recovering from abdominal surgery and is expected to return to public service after Easter.
Despite his conviction and sensational stories linking him to drugs, Gary Goldsmith was invited to his niece Kate and William's wedding.
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Goldsmith was born into humble surroundings and raised in a council house in Hounslow, west London. His father was a painter and decorator and his grandfather was a miner from the northeast.
At the age of eight, her ties to the country's richest began when her sister met Michael Middleton after joining British Airways as a stewardess. They later married and Goldsmith acted as an usher at the ceremony.
Clearly ambitious, he left school to become an IT operator before joining IT recruitment company Computer Futures, where he soon became a director.
In 2005, he reportedly made £17 million when he sold his shares in the company and subsequent luxury purchases included a villa in Ibiza, sports cars and a yacht.
Inside the famous villa, known as “Maison de Bang Bang”, the initials GG were said to be emblazoned on the wall, along with a mural that read: “It's Gary's world, you just live in it.”
Despite the tabloid drugs exposé almost 15 years ago, Goldsmith was still invited to Kate's wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011, arriving in a blue Rolls-Royce.
The royal family will no doubt be hoping for a much quieter entry into the Celebrity Big Brother house, followed by an even quicker exit.
speaking to Sun In January, when rumors first emerged about Goldsmith appearing on CBB, Angela Levin, author and royal biographer, said: “I think it's embarrassing, very embarrassing, the problem is that he doesn't like Harry and Meghan at all. some All these comments will fall on Catherine and she has had a lot going against her, she is not feeling well.
“I think when you come out of an operation you are quite vulnerable and this could upset it enormously. Initially, people who don't like her could say that she encouraged him to do it, but she wouldn't have done anything of the sort. It is very shameful”.
