The strange world of Evgeny Lebedev

Evgeny Lebedev’s famous friends are eager to tell you what a darling he is. Piers Morgan says that he is ‘one of the most charming, well-connected, exotically attired and fascinating figures in English society right now’. Stephen Fry says that ‘for a man of his power, status and wealth, he is endlessly teaseable and humorous’. Boris Johnson says that he is ‘a major force for good’ and ‘a very generous soul’. And Boris’s sister Rachel calls him ‘a wise old beard (or two) on young shoulders. He’s much smarter and funnier than people think.’

You get the picture. Evgeny likes to be ribbed, especially if the person doing the ribbing is a celebrity. He doesn’t seem to mind that people think he is gay when he says he isn’t. He laughs at that ‘two beards’ nickname, Private Eye’s allusion to his alleged closeted homosexuality — though one of his former employees suggests that he might not understand exactly what the name means.