The Ladies of London: The New Reign cast’s visit to Longleat House included an explosive, fourth-wall-breaking cliffhanger, courtesy of Mark-Francis Vandelli.
Amid building tension between Mark-Francis and Margo Stilley (more on that below), several of the women attempted to intervene and facilitate a peacekeeping conversation between the two as they all enjoyed drinks in a garden on the grounds of Lady Emma Thynn’s historic estate in Episode 8. Though Margo said she would be “more than happy” to squash the drama, Mark dug in his heels and refused.
“Oh, I really don’t think it’s necessary,” he replied, after Martha Sitwell suggested that he and Margo have a one-on-one. “She’ll get over it, and if she doesn’t, I don’t care. Not my problem.”
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Margo, who was within earshot at the time, entered the chat and accused Mark of being “nasty” toward her. When she directly asked him to come sit and talk to her about it, he, once again, declined the request. “There’s no arguing at Longleat,” he declared. Still, Margo did not relent.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe this is happening,” Mark vented amid her persistence. “This is so vulgar. I might have to leave.”
Moments later, he did, indeed, take his leave, walking directly over to the stunned production crew. “Can someone de-mic me please?” he asked before departing back to his accommodations at Bath Arms Pub, two-and-a-half miles away from Longleat House.
Margo Stilley and Kimi Murdoch clash over Mark-Francis Vandelli’s abrupt walk-off
Immediately following Mark’s exit, Kimi Murdoch, who’s had her own issues with Margo, wasted no time in entering the fray.
“Margo, he did nothing wrong,” Kimi shouted. “I don’t think that’s fair that he has to leave. You’re screaming at him across a garden.”
Prior to responding to Kimi, Margo cracked a joke to Martha about how she would have tried to talk to Mark “a long time ago,” had she known that’s what “would make him leave.”
RELATED:Â Ladies of London’s Kimi Murdoch Issues Martha Sitwell a Warning About Margo Stilley
“Why doesn’t he want to come and sit with me?” Margo went on to ask Kimi. “I asked him to come talk to me, and he left. I wanted to give him the opportunity to come over here to talk. … He doesn’t want to talk.”
The two continued to go back and forth, and Kimi referred to Margo as a “cry-baby bitch” as she walked off in the same direction as Mark had, moments earlier. Her parting words? “F–k off, Margo.”
That’s when a “To Be Continued” graphic appeared on the screen.
Mark-Francis Vandelli and Margo Stilley’s drama on Ladies of London: The New Reign, explained
Heading into the Longleat visit, Mark-Francis and Margo were already at odds. For starters, Mark had informed Kimi about a mutual friend claiming to him that Margo had become “unrecognizable in terms of her manner and demeanor” at the start of the season. Otherwise, the conflict more or less stemmed from a personality clash, as the two had subsequently hurled superficial insults behind each other’s backs.
As Lottie Kane explained to Mark during the April 16 episode, Margo had particularly been “quite sensitive” about him “making comments about her outfits.” He responded, “Well, she should get over it or dress better, quite frankly.” Ultimately, the two agreed that there had been a “culture clash,” and Margo simply did not understand his British humor.
From Margo’s perspective, however, she claimed that Mark and his friends had “bullied” her and “put [her] in a corner.”
Later, Lottie and Missé Beqiri tried to explain to Mark at Longleat that Margo felt “attacked.” He replied, “I’m very sorry about that, but equally, I’m sorry about the VPL,” i.e. visible panty line. “There’s more underwear than dress,” he added. “I will never be close to someone who walks around in a transparent dress.”
Mark at least offered to “temper [his] craziness” with Margo, but got in one last fashion-related whack, adding, “If people are going to cry over their underwear, then they should wear different underwear.”
When Missé told Margo about Mark’s latest sartorial shade, minutes later, she fired back, “It’s Alaïa. He’s a very important designer, if you haven’t seen Clueless.” Either way, she agreed to bury the hatchet with him, though Mark was not interested in doing so, as previously mentioned.
“I think everybody just wants us to squash it,” Margo explained in a confessional. “I think, great, now everyone will see that I’m not the person not squashing it. I am up for the squash.”
As you await the episode’s continuation, take a sneak peek at more drama still ahead on Ladies of London: The New Reign.
