Howard's wife Sandra Howard was a model for Vogue magazine and was regarded as the "most attractive celebrity" in the Conservative Party.
She was one of the leading fashion models of the 1960s, appearing on the cover of American Vogue for two consecutive months.
At the same time, she was also the dazzling pearl in the palms of the big jewelry and high-end brands at that time, and one of the first beautiful girls to shine in fashion magazines.
It can be said that Joe Harriman's family has a very close relationship with the Howard family. When Joe's grandmother was also a model, she was as close to Sandra as a sister. After she passed away due to illness, Joe Harriman's father was raised by the Howards for almost half of his time, so he could be regarded as their adopted son.
Sandra Howard also doted on Joe Sandra. When she entered Oxford University, in addition to her own talent, the Howard family also played an important role.
Barron knew that after losing to Blair in this election and failing to become prime minister, Howard would soon resign as leader of the Conservative Party...
Among the candidates who can get Howard's support, the chances of winning are definitely very high. It is no wonder that Cameron made such a request to Barron for the first time...
…
"Happy birthday, darling."
After picking up Bonnie and returning home, a romantic candlelight dinner had already been prepared.
When the maid brought the birthday cake and Bonnie made a wish and blew out the candles, Barron presented the birthday gift he had prepared for his girlfriend.
"A sapphire and diamond crown? This..."
After opening the simple and elegant box, Bonnie couldn't help but exclaim when she saw the dazzling and dreamy crown inside.
Then she wiped her hands, carefully picked up the jewel-studded crown, looked at it carefully, and couldn't help asking:
"Is this the one that belonged to Queen Victoria? But didn't the tiara disappear?"
"Yes, that's the one. I found it and now, it's yours, baby."
The crown they are talking about, and the crown in Bonnie's hand at this time, is one of Queen Victoria's favorite crowns - the Sapphire and Diamond Crown.
Compared with other exquisite and luxurious crowns, this crown looks a bit simple, but it is a testimony to the love between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Many people have heard of the love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, so there is no need to elaborate on it.
In 1836, 17-year-old Victoria met Prince Albert for the first time.
Due to long-term strict discipline, Victoria, who only yearned for freedom, had no interest in this arranged marriage at all, and neither of them liked the other.
But when the two met again in 1837, for some reason, Queen Victoria fell in love with this tall, handsome and polite man at first sight.
Prince Albert was also very fond of this beautiful, clever and smart little girl.
After the two were together, they were inseparable and their relationship was the envy of others. Prince Albert even designed and customized a series of jewelry for Queen Victoria to express his love.
The special thing about this sapphire and diamond crown is that it is a wedding gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria, and it has extraordinary significance.
This crown inlaid with diamonds and sapphires was designed by Prince Albert and commissioned by jeweler Joseph Kitching to make it.
The crown is inspired by Prince Albert's coat of arms of the Duchy of Saxony, and the leaf shape of the "Rautenkranz" totem can be clearly seen at the top of the crown.
The center of the crown is inlaid with 12 cushion-shaped and kite-shaped sapphires, and is embellished with diamonds.
Most of the gems in the tiara were gifts from Victoria's uncle William IV and Queen Adelaide.
In 1842, court painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter painted a portrait of Queen Victoria. The queen was wearing a shoulder-baring dress and a simple necklace on her chest. The crown was not worn on her head as usual, but as a headdress, worn on her bun.
The sapphire crown and the sapphire brooch on her chest complement each other, making Victoria look noble and charming.
That is why it is still very well-known in the UK.
In 1861, Prince Albert died at the age of 42, and Queen Victoria's second half of her life fell into darkness.
She changed into mourning clothes, stopped attending state meetings, and required the entire nation to wear only mourning jewelry.
This crown was naturally also treasured.
It was not until 1870 that Queen Victoria gradually came out of her grief and became active in the public eye again. She wore this sapphire and diamond crown in public many times to mourn her late husband, Prince Albert.
After Queen Victoria's death, this commemorative sapphire and diamond crown was inherited by Edward VII and George V respectively.
In 1922, George V gave the tiara to his daughter, Princess Mary, as a dowry.
Princess Mary loved the crown so much that she later passed it on to her daughter-in-law.
But somehow, as the story spread, the whereabouts of the crown became unknown.
Barron also learned about the crown by chance from a nobleman, and then bought it for 2.25 million pounds as a birthday gift for his girlfriend.
It was obvious that Bonnie loved this gift and couldn't put it down.
"I hope you can put it on me yourself someday, dear."
Bonnie said to Barron with affection in her eyes.
"We can do it right now..."
Seeing Barron stand up to do this, Bonnie shook her head and said gently but firmly:
"Although I want to wear it now, I still want to keep it for a more important moment..."
Barron understood what she meant. After all, in England, these female crowns were often prepared for the weddings of female members of the family.
"Baby, by then you will have a unique crown that belongs only to you."
Hearing Barron's words, Bonnie showed a sweet and happy smile on her face.
…
By the end of May, Barron received the final plan for Alibaba's Series E financing from Liu Chiping, vice president of Rich23 Capital.
Yahoo will invest $255 million in Alibaba, plus all of their Yahoo China assets, and obtain 50 million additional shares issued by Alibaba - here, all of Yahoo China's assets are valued at $70 million.
Rich23 Capital sold its 50% stake in Taobao to Alibaba for US$360 million and received 55.4 million additional shares.
In this way, Alibaba owned 100% of Taobao's shares and turned it into a wholly-owned subsidiary.
After this round of financing, Yahoo will hold 50 million shares of Alibaba, accounting for 9.9%; Ma's team will hold 31.66%; and SoftBank will hold 18.99%.
DS Holdings and Rich23 Capital, owned by Barron, hold 12.66% and 26.79% of the shares respectively, with a combined total of 39.45%, just below 40%.
On the surface, Ma's team is still the largest shareholder of Alibaba. After all, in name, DS Holdings and Rich Capital have no connection...
In fact, Boss Ma can still firmly control Alibaba because he can continue to increase his holdings in Alibaba. The prerequisite is that Baron and Boss Ma have reached an additional agreement. Half of the voting rights of the 39.45% shares held by DS Holdings and Rich23 Capital will always be authorized to Boss Ma.
In this case, the voting rights controlled by Boss Ma's team will exceed 51%, and will firmly control Alibaba.