 He emigrated to escape from the British media, but after falling in love with Andalucía, Major James Hewitt is determined to put his all into his new venture, The Polo House Marbella
Major James Hewitt is everything that you might expect him to be. A remarkably charismatic, traditional English gentleman, he sips on a Bloody Mary while delighting us with tales from his time in the Armed Forces. “They were really good times, I loved it very much and met some great people. I am from a military background, and yes, I did The Changing Of The Guards,” he laughs. “The things we do for our Queen and country.”
Born in 1958, he grew up in Devon and joined the Brigade of Guards aged 20. The pinnacle of his career came during the first Gulf War, where he commanded 14 Challenger tanks as Operation Desert Storm liberated Kuwait. So why would someone who fought for his country choose to leave his Motherland?
“I had been toying with the idea for a while. I needed a break and to find somewhere a little more free. London is not the place we once knew and loved. I am not sniping at England from afar, it’s just we seem to have lost our values. Here in Spain the English seem to be more English and have retained their traditional values. Yet the coast is equally as cosmopolitan as London, although everyone here just gets on with it. I blame Blair for a lot of the problems.”
“I also relocated for personal reasons,” he continues, possibly thinking of the media spotlight that has followed him since he revealed he’d been the lover of Diana, Princess of Wales. “The British media are ghastly, horrid and hyper-critical. In fact I vowed never to speak to them again, but due to my new venture, The Polo House Marbella Restaurant & Club, well … business is business. It still annoys me when the press run down Marbella, calling it the Costa Del Crime. Look at all the stabbings in London or Manchester. I believe a lot of it is down to jealousy - maybe the journalists wish they were living here instead.”
Before he decided upon moving to Marbella two years ago, he had considered various options, even as far as the US. “As far as I am concerned, Marbella is still at the beginning and I hope to be here at the end. It has so much potential,” he says. “Andalucía is an incredible place, steeped in history and culture. You can see it in all the people’s faces. Everyone thinks that it’s all about this narrow strip of coastline, yet you only need to head ten minutes inland and it’s still such a wild place. I enjoy the Campo immensely, which is so green and fresh. We also have the mountains, good old Conch (La Concha), the Sierra Nevada is nearby for skiing and, of course, the Polo at Sotogrande. We really have it all.
Words: Nicola McGeorge Read the full article in our June 2009 issue. |
