Inside Bazaar’s evening with Dame Stella Rimington
For the second gathering of Bazaar’s new membership club, Privé, we hosted an intimate evening of cocktails and conversation in the wood-panelled opulence of the Old War Office’s Churchill Suite, now part of Raffles London Hotel. It was within this historic building that Sir Ian Fleming first nursed the idea for James Bond, making this an apt setting for a night with Dame Stella Rimington, MI5’s first ever female director.
The woman of the hour arrived fresh from a tour of the former Ministry of Defence outpost, which she pronounced “a great deal nicer” than she remembered from days spent conducting clandestine Cold War interviews in the shadowy bowels of what is now a luxury hotel. Guests arrived soon afterwards, greeted by impeccably dressed waiters carrying trays of vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred, naturally) alongside delectable canapés including lobster arancini and mini truffle doughnuts.
The Royal Ballet principal dancer Yasmine Naghdi came straight from rehearsals and eagerly snapped up a copy of Rimington’s 2002 memoir Open Secret, while the designer Clare Waight Keller settled down on one of the velvet sofas to get a good view of a figure she described as inspirational.
In conversation with Bazaar’s editor-in-chief Lydia Slater, Rimington kept the audience rapt with her stories of recruiting KGB defectors, overseeing double agents and the extraordinary journey that led her to become Britain’s most senior spy. Her verdict on a career that saw her break numerous barriers for women was charmingly simple: “I thought I made something of it.”
The night came to a close with a signing of Rimington’s latest spy thriller The Hidden Hand, before some guests headed for a final tipple in the venue’s Spy Bar. Where else?
Find out how to apply for membership of Bazaar Privé and register your interest here.
The Churchill Suite at The Old War Office
Vodka martinis, shaken not stirred
Dame Stella Rimington
Clare Waight Keller
Trays of delicious canapés were served
Smruti Sriram
Royal Ballet principal dancer Yasmine Naghdi
Bazaar's editor-in-chief Lydia Slater in conversation with Dame Stella Rimington
The audience were kept rapt by Rimington's tales of spycraft and The Cold War
Bazaar's deputy editor Frances Hedges
Lydia Slater and Dame Stella Rimington
Copies of Rimington's latest spy thriller were available for purchase
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