Chapter 401 Crown
Howard's wife, Sandra Howard, is a former Vogue model and is regarded as the "most charming star" within the Conservative Party.
She was one of the major fashion models of the 1960s, appearing on the cover of American Vogue for two consecutive months.
At the same time, she was also a dazzling pearl in the hands of the big-name jewelry and high-end brands at that time. She was one of the first beautiful girls to shine in fashion magazines.
It can be said that Joe Harriman’s family has a very close relationship with the Howard family. When Joe’s grandmother was also a model, she was as close to Sandra as a sister. After he later died of illness, Joe Harriman’s father was almost half He was raised by the Howards at that time and could be regarded as their adopted son.
Sandra Howard also loved Joe Sandra very much. When she entered Oxford University to study, in addition to her own talent and intelligence, the Howard family also played an important role.
Barron knew that after losing to Blair in the general election and failing to become prime minister, Howard would soon resign as leader of the Conservative Party...
As for the candidate to take over this position, the one who can get the support of Howard will definitely have a great winning rate. It is no wonder that Cameron would make such a request to Barron for the first time...
…
"Happy birthday, baby."
After picking up Bonnie and the two of them going home, a romantic candlelight dinner was prepared.
When the maid brought the birthday cake and Bonnie made her wish and blew out the candles, Barron gave him the birthday gift he had prepared for his girlfriend.
"Sapphire and diamond crown? This..."
Opening the simple and elegant box, Bonnie couldn't help but exclaimed after seeing the bright and dreamy crown inside.
Then she wiped her hands, carefully picked up the crown studded with gems, observed it carefully, and couldn't help but ask:
"Is this the one that belonged to Queen Victoria? But didn't that tiara disappear?"
"Yes, that's it, I found it and now, it's yours, baby."
The crown they were talking about, and the crown in Bonnie's hands at this time, was one of Queen Victoria's favorite crowns - the sapphire and diamond tiara.
Compared with other exquisite and luxurious crowns, this crown looks simple, but it is a testimony of the love between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Many people have heard of the love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, so I won’t go into details.
In 1836, 17-year-old Victoria met Prince Albert for the first time.
Due to being severely disciplined for a long time, Victoria, who only yearned for freedom, was not interested in this kind of arranged marriage at all, and neither of them wanted to see the other.
But when the two met again in 1837, for some reason, Queen Victoria fell in love with this tall, handsome, and polite man at first sight.
And Prince Albert was also very fond of this outstanding-looking, clever little girl.
After the two were together, they were inseparable all day long, and their good relationship was enviable to others. Prince Albert also personally designed and customized a series of jewelry for Queen Victoria to express his love.
The special thing about this sapphire and diamond tiara is that it was a wedding gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria, which is of great significance.
This crown made of diamonds and sapphires was designed by Prince Albert and commissioned by jeweler Joseph Kitching to make it.
The crown is inspired by Prince Albert's coat of arms of the Principality of Saxony. The leaf shape of the "Rautenkranz" totem can be clearly seen on the top of the crown.
A total of 12 cushion-shaped and kite-cut sapphires are set in the middle of the crown, and are embellished with diamonds.
Most of the gems on this tiara were gifts from Victoria's uncle William IV and Queen Adelaide.
In the portrait of Queen Victoria painted by court painter Franz It is used as a headdress and worn on the bun.
The sapphire crown and the sapphire brooch on the chest complement each other, making Victoria look noble and charming.
For this reason, its popularity in England is still very high.
In 1861, Prince Albert died at the age of 42, and Queen Victoria fell into darkness for the rest of her life.
She put on mourning clothes, stopped attending state meetings, and asked the nation to wear only mourning jewelry.
This crown was naturally treasured.
It was not until 1870 that Queen Victoria gradually came out of her grief and became active again in the public eye. She wore this sapphire and diamond tiara many times in public to mourn her late husband, Prince Albert.
After the death of Queen Victoria, this commemorative sapphire and diamond tiara was inherited by Edward VII and George V.
In 1922, King George V gave the tiara to his daughter, Princess Mary, as a dowry.
Princess Mary loved the tiara very much, and later passed it on to her daughter-in-law.
But somehow, from word to word, the whereabouts of this crown are unknown.
Barron also accidentally learned of the tiara from a nobleman, and then bought it for 2.25 million pounds as a birthday gift to his girlfriend.
Obviously, Bonnie liked this gift very much and couldn't put it down.
"I hope you can put it on me yourself one day, dear."
Bonnie said to Barron with affection in her eyes.
"Now you can……"
Seeing Barron getting up to do this, Bonnie shook her head and said softly but firmly:
"Although I also want to wear it now, I still have to save it now and save that opportunity for a more important moment..."
Barron understood the meaning of her words. After all, in England, these women's crowns were often prepared for the marriage of the female members of the family.
"Baby, when the time comes, you will have a unique crown that belongs only to you."
Hearing Barron's words, Bonnie had a sweet and happy smile on her face.
…
By the end of May, Barron received the final plan for Alibaba’s Series E financing from Rich23 Capital’s Vice President Liu Xiping.
Yahoo will invest US$255 million in Alibaba, plus all the assets of Yahoo China, and receive 50 million additional shares issued by Alibaba. Among them, all the assets of Yahoo China are valued at US$70 million.
Rich23 Capital will sell its 50% stake in Taobao to Alibaba for US$360 million and receive an additional 55.4 million shares.
In this way, Alibaba Company owns 100% of Taobao's shares and turns it into a wholly-owned subsidiary.
After this financing, Yahoo will hold 50 million shares of Alibaba, accounting for 9.9%; Boss Ma’s team will hold 31.66% of the shares; SoftBank will hold 18.99% of the shares.
DS Holdings and Rich23 Capital under Barron's name hold 12.66% and 26.79% of the shares respectively, and the total shareholding is 39.45%, which is just below the 40% ratio.
On the surface, it seems that Boss Ma’s team is still the largest shareholder of Alibaba. After all, DS Holdings and Rich Capital are not related in name...
In fact, Boss Ma can still firmly control Alibaba Company, because he can continue to increase his stake in Alibaba Company, provided that Barron and Boss Ma have reached an additional agreement. The total share held by DS Holdings and Rich23 Capital is 39.45 % of the shares, half of the voting rights will always be authorized to Boss Ma.
In this case, the voting rights controlled by Boss Ma's team will exceed 51%, and they will firmly control Alibaba.
