Nicole Kidman told to remove her yacht from Sydney marina

Nicole Kidman (pictured) may well be treated as royalty in her native Australia, but this appears to cut no ice in Sydney. Until a year ago, Kidman, 41, had owned a pad in one of the city's most prestigious harbourside apartment blocks, Walsh Bay. However, when she sold up, netting £2.1m for her home, she neglected to remove her yacht, Hokulani, from the adjacent marina, one of the privileges afforded to the residents of the building. This has not gone down well.

The committee that looks after the interests of the tenants of Walsh Bay, who include Cate Blanchett, have received letters from disgruntled residents asking why Kidman's boat is still there, suggesting that they are turning a blind eye because of her celebrity status. Fearing accusations of favouritism, a spokesman for Kidman told the Sydney Morning Herald that the actress was not "trying to take advantage of the situation", adding: "The [governing committee] would never do anything just because it's her."

The spokesman added that the boat had been left at the marina because she had contemplated buying another apartment in the same block, which did not happen, and that it would now be removed next week.

Kidman, 41, is unlikely to remove the yacht herself. Normally, she returns to her native Sydney for Christmas, but friends say she will give this a miss this year because she is so upset by the critical reaction to her latest film, Australia, directed by Baz Luhrmann. One friend was quoted in the Australian media as saying: "She's been so upset. It really has devastated her." And to compound matters, last week she found herself condemned by Aboriginal leaders for playing the didgeridoo – an instrument generally considered to be reserved for men – while promoting Australia on a German chat show.