She played the bushy-haired swot in Harry Potter who wouldn’t dare skip an exam, but it seems that Emma Watson is rather unlike her fictional counterpart Hermione Granger.
I can reveal that Ms Watson, who rose to fame in the films of J.K. Rowling‘s novels, has failed to finish her creative writing master’s degree at Oxford.
Instead she has reportedly decided to embark on a DPhil course, Oxford’s version of a PhD, likely in English or Literature and Arts.
But if she has not completed her master’s degree, Ms Watson will fall short of the entry requirements to study most humanities subjects any further.
I wonder if Oxford has made an exception to keep the star within its hallowed halls?
Ms Watson, 34, enrolled in the creative writing course in 2023 and became a fellow of Lady Margaret Hall college.
Yet sources tell me she was ‘rather aloof’, spending a lot of her time at Oriel, another Oxford college, where her rumoured boyfriend studied.
I hear that she hasn’t been spotted in the Oriel common room for a while, perhaps because she has paused her studies and has no intention of returning to the course.
Emma Watson at The Soho House Awards held at Dumbo House on September 7, 2023
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grant on the set of the film, ‘Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire’
A general view of the Oxford University Examination School in Oxford (file photo)
Ms Watson has been in a long-running feud with J.K. Rowling over trans issues.
Last month, Ms Rowling said she was unlikely to forgive the actress and her co-star Daniel Radcliffe, claiming they were ‘celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding hard-won women’s rights’.
Omar Fayed would board the Heraclitus when he wanted a break from Harrods. Now the son of Mohamed Al Fayed is raising funds to restore the 1970s ecology research boat. I’m told a Netflix series about it, written by Tom Hardy’s father, is brewing.
She’s the niece of a bullfighter, so coxing the Cambridge crew next weekend holds no fear for Isabella Fiske-Harrison.
Isabella, 21, a third-year Classics student at Trinity College, whose uncle is adventurous author Alexander Fiske-Harrison, will be leading the lightweight eight against rivals Oxford on Saturday. Her prize if they win? A traditional dunking in the Thames.
Isabella, 21, a third-year Classics student at Trinity College, whose uncle is adventurous author Alexander Fiske-Harrison, will be leading the lightweight eight against rivals Oxford
Despite inviting star guests including actor Bill Murray, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and The Who’s Pete Townshend to celebrate his 80th, rock legend Eric Clapton kept schtum about his birthday party at low-key venue Battersea Arts Centre last weekend.
I hear the guests flew in to London from far and wide, and were only notified of the venue moments before the party kicked off. But the best surprise? The rocker was gifted a vihuela, an ancient type of lute that originated in the 15th Century.
SPOTTED
◆ Sacha Baron Cohen’s ex Isla Fisher batting her eyelashes at a young, dashing waiter at Canteen restaurant in Ladbroke Grove, West London.
Actress Isla Fisher is seen outside CBS Studios on January 28, 2025 in New York City
◆ Rapper Stormzy boldly asking for a waitress’s number at a swish member’s club in London.
◆ Sir Mick Jagger swanning into The Rex Rooms nightclub on the King’s Road, Chelsea, flanked by his girlfriend Melanie Hamrick and the Marchioness of Bath.
Has Florence Welch bought a haunted house? The bohemian singer of indie band Florence And The Machine, is trying to restore a listed building in a quiet Somerset village to its former glory.
Florence Welch attends an evening of music hosted by Spotify in 2023
But I fear her planned renovations could disturb a ‘frightening spectre’ that roams the grounds. Spooky…
Cool off, Jemima!
It seems Jemima Goldsmith can’t stand the London heat.
I hear the ex of Imran Khan has clashed with neighbours over plans to install air conditioning units at her £11million Kensington mansion. The neighbours were worried about noise and vibration. A fiery conundrum!
Jemima Khan attends the ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ UK Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square
Claudia comes back – for £350,000
As one of the original supermodels of the 90s, Claudia Schiffer’s career showed no signs of slowing down until she decided to step away from the catwalk in 2002, when she married British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn.
But I can reveal the German model, 54, who found fame alongside the likes of Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, has now signed up to be the face of Chloe for a generous £350,000 fee.
It comes a few months after Claudia, pictured returning to the catwalk at a Versace show in 2023, said she was going to work less to focus on her family. She has three children with Vaughn – Clementine, 20, Caspar, 22 and Cosima, 14.
I wonder how the French luxury fashion brand persuaded her to step back into the spotlight…
