Times Online – The verdant olive groves of northeastern Corfu, which obscure the stuccoed villas and the view of yachts moored along the coast, are not a world used to celebrity attention. This is precisely why they are a regular haunt of the reclusive wealthy.
On the only road between Aghios Stefanos and Kerasia, is the villa of Jacob and Serena Rothschild, scions of the banking dynasty. The odd snippet of life beyond the walls has crept into the public domain – it boasts a marble enclosed pool, artificial waterfalls and, according to the owner, “one of the most spectacular marine views in the world”. But for a decade it has remained a secluded retreat for the Rothschilds, free from prying outside eyes.
The return of Lord Mandelson, the Rothschilds’ close friend, to government at the start of this month has, however, sparked an extraordinary firestorm that has put events on the island this summer at centre stage. These tit-for-tat allegations have devastating consequences for the reputations – and the friendships – of those involved.
