Posted on 06/08/2002 12:16:14 PM PDT by knighthawk
THE tawdry scene is depressingly familiar. A young woman reels across the dance floor, struggling to keep hold of a glass of vodka in one hand and an equally inebriated young man in the other. Her movements are overtly sexual, if clumsy, her speech slurred above the relentless throb of music.
A cluster of ogling men cheers noisily as her top slips momentarily. The girl merely laughs, seemingly insensible as she half-heartedly tries to cover herself. Her escort at last leads her to a dimly-lit corner where they indulge in a crass display of kissing. No one bats an eyelid. This is the favoured playground for students from one of Britain's most respected academic institutions: Oxford University.
The nightclub, where pampered twentysomethings buy bottles of Cristal champagne at $300 a pop with their wads of pocket money, caters for British society's young elite. And the woman, who has to be guided to the toilet to be repeatedly sick, is none other than Chelsea Clinton.
Chelsea, like her famous father, Bill, before her, is fast gaining somewhat of a reputation at Oxford. Her behaviour is no "one-off". The 22-year-old, ostensibly studying for a master's degree in international relations at University College, seems quickly to be tiring of academia.
Sources close to the former US president's daughter pin the blame for her descent on the man they once praised for bringing the erstwhile "ugly duckling" out of her reclusive shell – the mop-haired Ian Klaus, a fellow American and Rhodes scholar, who reads history at Jesus College.
The couple met through mutual friends during her first term at Oxford last year. Since then, they have become inseparable.
At Christmas, when they had been seeing each other for just six weeks, she introduced him to her parents who were visiting London for a charity ball. And in mid-February, Klaus took Chelsea to Galway, Ireland, to meet his mother and father, Patricia and Robin Klaus, who were on holiday there.
Chelsea has described him as "the first true love of my life". Next term, she plans to move in with him, having rented a $600-a-week flat in Oxford's upmarket Jericho. But as their relationship progresses, so her antics become steadily more embarrassing.
High jinks at university are nothing new, but friends say Chelsea may now have a drink problem. One female acquaintance, who knows them both, says her friend's behaviour appears to have spiralled out of control.
"When she arrived here, she was like a mouse," she says. "She didn't go anywhere, she didn't do anything. After she first met Klaus, we were all thrilled for her. She got a new hairdo, new clothes, lost some weight. She had this new-found confidence, let her hair down.
"I wouldn't say he's a gold-digger – his family are loaded – but he's a scalp-hunter all the same. It's a silly thing, but telling nonetheless, that when he kisses her he always keeps his eyes open. You can't trust a man who does that.
"And she's changed. Chelsea told me the other day she really loves slumming it. But when you're rich, famous and clever, you don't impress people by acting like some spoilt hooligan.
"She may think she's just fitting in, but how can you fit in, when your father used to live in the White House, you have your own bodyguards, and wouldn't dream of going out in anything less than a Valentino frock and Jimmy Choo heels? "
A fortnight ago, Chelsea Clinton was photographed in London's Embassy nightclub, in Mayfair, incapable of speech and unable to walk. Onlookers said she evidently had no idea where she was. The photographs made headlines in Britain.
Yet again she had to make "two or three" emergency dashes to the toilets before leaving at 3am, a coat draped theatrically over her head.
Unable to walk she was helped to her car by Klaus (he has insisted her bodyguards do not accompany her on their nights out together) where she promptly collapsed in his lap.
A mere 24 hours later, she was out again. Back at her favourite Oxford haunt, a notorious nightclub called Code Red at The Bridge, the very same club where she inadvertently flashed her breasts four months ago.
As usual, she ordered a vodka and Red Bull. Indeed she is such an habitu at the bar that the popular 3 cocktail has become known, simply, as a "Chelsea". A 20-year-old chemistry student, watched her as she downed glass after glass of the drink.
He told London's Daily Mail newspaper: "She came in just after 10pm. We'd all heard how drunk she was the night before, it's the talk of the university. She was knocking back vodka like there was no tomorrow. For once she wasn't with her boyfriend but with a about five girlfriends.
"She was holding court as usual and had obviously had a few drinks, trying to dance but a bit wobbly on her feet. She seems to revel in the attention these days."
Meeting Klaus is the key to Chelsea behaving in this manner. Today, he is seldom far from her side. One associate of hers, an academic from Oregon, says: "Yes, Klaus is influential. But one has to remember that she has led this cloistered life, despite being in the public eye.
"But, mark my words, they won't last the year, this is just a lovely affair for her. She's no fool."
Indeed not. While she lacks her father's easy charisma, she has her mother's hawkish intelligence and gutsiness.
The same student continues: "On one occasion a couple of months ago, she was just leaving University College by the porter's lodge. Two lads roared up on mountain bikes. They sounded very posh so they were almost certainly students.
"One yelled out: How's Monica?' It's always something puerile like that.
Chelsea just looked at them square on and said: "Tell me, what does your father do for a living?" before walking. She made them look very silly."
This incident was in Chelsea's early days at the university, a time when she did try desperately to fit in and remain low-key. Then a homesick Chelsea complained of being friendless, isolated by anti-American sentiment.
She spent her evenings alone. But by February, she was all but unrecognisable. Resplendent with a new haircut and newly-bought Agnes b leather jacket, she immersed herself almost overnight into the whirl of Oxford's fast set.
She became a regular at the city's trendy Quod bar, where she would order bottles of Bruno Paillard champagne. It was here, too, that she and Klaus went public.
A friend explains: "Chelsea realised she was a target here and that certain people will always misunderstand her. So she decided she would prefer to have fun and be criticised for being brash rather than hide away and be criticised for being dull."
Klaus, at least, is impressed. Indeed the 22-year-old son of a self-made Californian millionaire, who bears a startling resemblance to a young Bill Clinton, seems to revel in all the attention.
Says one: "She used to be a really shy girl with braces and curly hair, but within two days of meeting Klaus, she changed. Ian boosted her confidence. As a result she lost weight and suddenly wanted a new image."
Chelsea set about her physical transformation with characteristic single-mindedness. First stop was to get fit, paying $1000 to join the $5 million gymnasium at Magdalen College, just 200 metres from her own college.
Now she works out twice a week, spending half-an-hour on the treadmill and then a further 30 minutes on the rowing machine. Next, she applied herself to her hair, booking an appointment at Partners on the High Street which prides itself on delivering big, sexy hair. Then came the new wardrobe.
With her new look came new confidence to enjoy life. And what an A-list life it is – film premieres in London to sitting in the front row at the Versace show during Paris fashion week with Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna.
Hollywood columnist Ted Casablanca, who was there, gushed: "It's stunning to see this transformation, this woman who's been remade."
In October last year she came fifth in Tatler magazine's list of the most beautiful and eligible women. Magazine editor Geordie Greig, defending his choice, says: "It isn't just about beauty, it is about allure. If you took Chelsea home after a date, you would impress most people."
Bhwaaawaaaaahhaaaaa!!!
her top slips momentarily. The girl merely laughs
Like father, like daugther?
We'd never hear the end of it.
With Chelsea, it must be a lure-- pity the guy who swallows the faked bait.
Might be hard to deal with the truth when it slams you in the head at Oxford.
Alot more than your dad does.
Cheese!
blah blah ? not period. .
Stupid public school!
We already have (Jenna).
Chelsea just looked at them square on and said: "Tell me, what does your father do for a living?" before walking. She made them look very silly."
Truly a dazzling and brilliant display of that intellect and gutsiness inherited from her "mom."</sarcasm>
I pity this girl.
This is probably because Oxford isn't going to just throw her a degree like Stanford did when they gave her a degree in international relations for travelling the world and shopping with mommy.
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