Rothschild friendly with Gaddafi’s son

Nat Rothschild, the hot-shot hedge fund manager and scion of the famous banking dynasty, certainly has an eclectic group of friends and associates. Not content with being in business with the Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska (who is not allowed to enter the US for unspecified reasons), he is now getting close to another colourful figure, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi (pictured), the son of the Libyan leader, who he recently invited to a party at his town house in Greenwich Village, New York.

Rothschild has wisely kept out of the headlines following his well publicised spat with George Osborne - in a letter to the Times in October, he condemned the Tory shadow chancellor for leaking stories about private conversations he had had with Lord (Peter) Mandelson while staying at the Rothschild's villa in Corfu in the summer.

While it is not known what Rothschild and Gaddafi junior discussed at the soiree, it is undoubtedly smart of him to get to know Seif al-Islam as he is widely tipped to succeed his father when he finally relinquishes control of the Arab state.

Meanwhile, Taki Theodoracopulos, the Spectator columnist who was also at the party, better watch out he doesn't suffer the same fate as Osborne He told the Daily Telegraph: "I found him [Gadaffi's son] even less interesting than reading Leo Tolstoy, which is to say he was not at all interesting."