Although he no longer has enough hair left to dye, Rupert Murdoch – a bachelor once again after his divorce from Jerry Hall – has long been self-conscious about his age.
Now spending a lot of his time at his £30m Cotswolds estate – possibly to ensure he’s once again first in line for his free NHS Covid booster jab this autumn – the 91-year-old newspaper tycoon is acquiring a reputation among local residents for wearing colourful summer polo shirts, shorts and trainers that would normally be the preserve of men a fraction of his age.
“The last time I saw him out and about he was with a female flunky who made the mistake of asking him if he wanted to use the ‘facilities’ at
a local hotel before starting the journey home and he exploded,”
one local tells me. “‘Do I look like a man who can’t hold his water?’ he shouted at her.”
Meanwhile in Murdoch’s newspapers, toadying executives are being especially careful to steer clear of ever using the word “elderly” lest it infuriate the boss.
