After Dinner Speakers: Victoria Hervey, Charlie Sheen, Frederick Forsyth

In the half-decade or so that she has been semi-famous, the six-foot blonde has certainly used her birthright to her advantage. Now one of the most photographed faces on the London social scene, this scion of the notorious Hervey family is England's current "It" girl. Lady V, as she is now known, was born in October 1976, the daughter of Victor, the 6th Marquess of Bristol – the first member of his family to go to prison, for theft – and his third wife Yvonne – who had previously been his secretary. The first two years of her life were spent at Ickworth, the family seat in Sussex, before her parents went into tax exile in Monaco. She dabbled in modelling for a few years and appeared on Paris catwalks, ultimately hoping she would land a TV presenting job. Her statuesque frame kept her in the fashion world, however, and she teamed up with good friend Jane Blight to open up a fashion boutique, Akademi, in April 2000. Then a risqué photo of Victoria was published in a tabloid newspaper, and her profile rocketed. London had been lacking an It Girl ever since Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was admitted to rehab for her cocaine and alcohol addiction, and Lady V was the perfect candidate. The invitations rained in for parties virtually every night of the week, she became a popular cover girl for men's magazines, and the Sunday Times hired her to write its "Party Animal" column. Currently single, Lady V has had well-documented relationships with Danish restaurateur Mogens Tholstrup, 15 years her senior, who she used to call "Grandpa", and internet impresario Seb Bishop. She is also rumoured to have had flings with F1 driver David Coulthard and former Boyzone member Shane Lynch.