The Hero
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- Jun 29, 2008
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Godfather Tony, Murdoch's top crony: Blair attended Rupert's daughter's baptism on banks of the River Jordan
Godfather Tony, Murdoch's top crony: Blair attended Rupert's daughter's baptism on banks of the River Jordan
The dress code was all-white and celebrity godparents Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman figured prominently in a gushing Hello! report covering the baptism of Rupert Murdochs two youngest children.
Curiously, there was no mention or photograph in the magazines 19-page picture spread of another famous godparent present at the star-studded ceremony on the banks of the River Jordan.
For it emerged after that Tony Blair is godfather to the media tycoons nine-year-old daughter, Grace, raising fresh questions about links between the former prime minister and the News International boss.
Glitzy: The Issue of Hello! magazine that reported the baptism in April 2010
The secret bond between Mr Blair and the Murdoch family was disclosed in a rare interview with the billionaires third wife, Wendi, in which the former Labour leader is described as one of Mrs Murdochs closest friends.
Mr Blairs office refused to comment on the interview, which appears in the October issue of Vogue, but sources have confirmed that the magazine account is accurate.
Mr Blairs close ties to the Murdochs might now explain his reluctance to criticise News International over the phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed the media empire and forced the closure of the News of the World.
Firm friends: Former PM Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch at a Washington gala in 2008. Murdoch's News International has been embroiled in the recent phone hacking scandal
Earlier this summer it was reported that Mr Blair had urged Gordon Brown to put pressure on Labour MP Tom Watson, who led the campaign to expose the scandal, to back off although the former prime ministers spokesman denied this.
On becoming Labour leader in 1994, Mr Blair flew to a conference hosted by Mr Murdoch to end the partys feud with him.
The unlikely alliance continued throughout Mr Blairs ten years in office as Mr Murdochs newspapers The Times, The Sun and the News of the World supported him.
But news that he played such a significant role in the Murdoch childrens baptism hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan reveals a far closer personal relationship between Mr Blair and the media mogul.
Close friends: Tony Blair and the wife of Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Deng (right)
The April 5, 2010, issue of Hello! reported that Mr Murdochs daughters Grace and Chloe, eight, were baptised at the site where Jesus is said to have been immersed in the Jordan by John the Baptist.
Guests included Hollywood stars Kidman and Jackman, as well as property tycoon Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka and Google co-founder Larry Page.
Pictures of Mr Murdoch and his high-profile guests fill page after glossy page of Hello!, but there is neither sight nor mention of Mr Blair, now a Middle East envoy.
It was left to the Vogue interview with Mrs Murdoch, 42, to reveal his intimate role in the proceedings.
She did not comment directly on Mr Blair, but the article said he was one of her closest friends.
It reported that he attended the baptism garbed in white and was Graces godfather. Mr Murdochs eldest son, Lachlan, is her other godfather.
Godfather Tony, Murdoch's top crony: Blair attended Rupert's daughter's baptism on banks of the River Jordan
The dress code was all-white and celebrity godparents Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman figured prominently in a gushing Hello! report covering the baptism of Rupert Murdochs two youngest children.
Curiously, there was no mention or photograph in the magazines 19-page picture spread of another famous godparent present at the star-studded ceremony on the banks of the River Jordan.
For it emerged after that Tony Blair is godfather to the media tycoons nine-year-old daughter, Grace, raising fresh questions about links between the former prime minister and the News International boss.
Glitzy: The Issue of Hello! magazine that reported the baptism in April 2010
The secret bond between Mr Blair and the Murdoch family was disclosed in a rare interview with the billionaires third wife, Wendi, in which the former Labour leader is described as one of Mrs Murdochs closest friends.
Mr Blairs office refused to comment on the interview, which appears in the October issue of Vogue, but sources have confirmed that the magazine account is accurate.
Mr Blairs close ties to the Murdochs might now explain his reluctance to criticise News International over the phone-hacking scandal that has engulfed the media empire and forced the closure of the News of the World.
Firm friends: Former PM Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch at a Washington gala in 2008. Murdoch's News International has been embroiled in the recent phone hacking scandal
Earlier this summer it was reported that Mr Blair had urged Gordon Brown to put pressure on Labour MP Tom Watson, who led the campaign to expose the scandal, to back off although the former prime ministers spokesman denied this.
On becoming Labour leader in 1994, Mr Blair flew to a conference hosted by Mr Murdoch to end the partys feud with him.
The unlikely alliance continued throughout Mr Blairs ten years in office as Mr Murdochs newspapers The Times, The Sun and the News of the World supported him.
But news that he played such a significant role in the Murdoch childrens baptism hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan reveals a far closer personal relationship between Mr Blair and the media mogul.
Close friends: Tony Blair and the wife of Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Deng (right)
The April 5, 2010, issue of Hello! reported that Mr Murdochs daughters Grace and Chloe, eight, were baptised at the site where Jesus is said to have been immersed in the Jordan by John the Baptist.
Guests included Hollywood stars Kidman and Jackman, as well as property tycoon Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka and Google co-founder Larry Page.
Pictures of Mr Murdoch and his high-profile guests fill page after glossy page of Hello!, but there is neither sight nor mention of Mr Blair, now a Middle East envoy.
It was left to the Vogue interview with Mrs Murdoch, 42, to reveal his intimate role in the proceedings.
She did not comment directly on Mr Blair, but the article said he was one of her closest friends.
It reported that he attended the baptism garbed in white and was Graces godfather. Mr Murdochs eldest son, Lachlan, is her other godfather.
- News International is to sell its Wapping site and relocate its stable of titles to its neighbouring Thomas More Square base in East London.
- The company transferred to the 15-acre Wapping site in 1986, a move that broke the dominance of the print unions and began the mass exodus from Fleet Street.