The Real Housewives of London show even the super-rich aren’t immune to all consequences of the housing crisis, writes Anna Moloney in today’s Notebook

The Real Housing Crisis of London

“Back to Paddington! Back to Paddington! Back to Paddington!” – this is the battle cry of Real Housewife of London Amanda Cronin, rumoured to be the show’s second richest cast member, as she denounces pauperess of the series (estimated net worth circa £5m) Juliet Angus. “No cost of living crisis here,” Cronin cackles in another episode.

But that isn’t quite true. If The Real Housewives of London has shown anything compared to the show’s glitzier US editions, it’s that wealth does not go nearly as far this side of the pond. Sweeping camera shots of the housewives’ various property portfolios can only do so much as the producers try to ham up the magnificence of a London mews, while a squabble over whether one housewife can still use another’s ‘friends and family discount’ (dispute over the ‘friend’ condition) for their caviar dealer shows there’s been some belt-tightening in Chelsea too. It’s interesting too that it took so long to get a London series (there have been 31 other versions), with the producers reportedly struggling to find enough wealthy and willing participants.

Perhaps most telling though, is episode three, in which former investment-banker-turned-royal-cakemaker Nessie invites the girls for a country getaway to her Cotswolds property –........

© City A.M.