Ladies of London has premiered with an all-new cast but they are already down a socialite after the mother of Princess Beatrice's stepson dramatically quit the show.
Dara Huang, who shares eight-year-old Wolfie with Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, declared 'I'm not made for' reality TV within two episodes amid tensions with her castmates.
During her brief time on screen, Dara was confronted at a dinner party by antiques dealer Kimi Murdoch who told her: 'I heard a rumour you were a madam.'
She claimed she'd been told by designer Martha Sitwell and actress Margo Stilley.
Fellow castmate Myka Meier, 43, defended Dara against the 'horrible' accusation at a tea party, adding it 'couldn't be further' from the truth - but this did not win Dara's loyalty.
During episode two, model Missé Beqiri confronted Dara about branding Myka - an etiquette expert with close links to the royal family - 'cringe' and 'tacky' behind her back.
Dara denied making the remarks and said 'Myka’s my sister' - but a hot mic later caught her admitting 'I did say those things' before she told the group she wasn't cut out for reality TV.
In an interview with Decider, Myka said she and Dara 'no longer speak' and also suggested Princess Beatrice, 37, may not have been happy about her stint on the show.
Reflecting on Dara’s exit from the show, Myka - who runs New York-based Beaumont Etiquette - said: ‘I love [Beatrice], I’ve always loved her. But I think that, you know, I’m sure they had many conversations and [Dara] still chose to do what she did.
‘And I think now we see the result.’
Beatrice shares two children with her property developer husband Edo, and has previously described her nine-year-old stepson Christopher Woolf as her 'bonus' child.
The release of Ladies of London: New Reign comes during a difficult time for Beatrice and her younger sister Eugenie as the scandal surrounding their father's friendship with [child offender] Jeffrey Epstein intensifies.
Myka said Dara's decision to join the cast probably did not go down 'very well' with the royal family - especially after a shocking premiere.
At a tea party hosted by Mark-Francis Vandelli, it is baselessly claimed that Dara 'is a madam'.
The award-winning architect, who graduated from Harvard, was away at a wedding in Tuscany and couldn't defend herself.
Myka later told her friend what was said at the garden party, as Dara dismissed the gossip, saying: 'This is so beneath me, I don't care.'
Explosive Mayfair dinner exposes 24-year friendship rift
At the end of episode two, the cast came together for a dinner hosted by Dara at The Ivy Asia in Mayfair, as Myka said she felt 'nervous' for her because she was surrounded by 'all these people spreading rumours about her'.
Things quickly got out of hand when Missé confronted her about being 'two-faced' and badmouthing Myka at the sit-down dinner to celebrate the women 'who made something out of nothing'.
Her guests’ expressions betrayed their confusion as text on the screen revealed the cast members’ privileged backgrounds.
Things went from bad to worse when Missé decided to confront Dara about badmouthing Myka as she said: ‘I feel you’ve put me in a [bad] position because when I was talking about your friend, you were like, “Oh, she’s a bit cringe.”’
The etiquette coach was left visibly shaken when Dara refused to step away from the table to clear the air.
As photos of the pair were shown on the screen, Myka said: ‘I’m in disbelief of what is happening.
‘We have known each other for over 24 years.
‘I protected her, and this is what I get,’ Myka continued. ‘I just don’t recognise my best friend.’
Dara was later heard telling a producer: ‘I don’t think I’m made for this, babe. This is not me. Like, I love Myka, but she doesn’t have my experience of being thrown under a bus. I did say those things.’
When she returned to the table, she told her castmates: ‘I think I need to probably step out of, I think, being on this TV show. I’m really sorry to disappoint everybody, but I just - I don’t think this is for me, you know? This is not for me.’
The second episode ended with the announcement that ‘Dara decided to leave the friend group’.
This isn't Dara's first foray into reality TV.
The architect, who has worked for celebrities including Margot Robbie, was a head judge on Channel 4's 2023 show The Big Interiors Battle.
Alongside host AJ Odudu, she evaluated eight contestants competing for a mortgage-free apartment in a search for the next big interior designer.
She has previously expressed her appreciation for her co-parenting situation with Eodardo and Beatrice in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.
She told the magazine: 'Wolfie has had two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides, and I just think, "The more, the merrier."'
Edoardo's past relationship with Dara revealed
Before marrying Princess Beatrice, Edoardo was briefly engaged to Dara after the pair met in 2015. One year later, they had their son.
But their relationship was short-lived and they parted ways in 2018, just weeks before rumours broke out that Edoardo and Princess Beatrice were in a relationship.
When asked if it was love at first sight, she previously told Lifestyle Asia: 'He was the father of my child, and he left as quickly as he came, so I would say unfortunately it's not an instinct you can trust!'
However, Edoardo is said to enjoy an amicable relationship with Dara.
Dara's father emigrated from Taiwan to the US before he became a NASA rocket scientist.
She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida - where she grew up - and a masters in architecture from Harvard.