A FORMER fashion model and poet who mixed with the stars in the swinging 60s and has a link to a famous Rolling Stones song is living in a Wye Valley care home.

Bill Chenail even gets a namecheck in Keith Richards’ autobiography Life for stealing away girlfriend Linda Keith, which the star said was the inspiration for Ruby Tuesday.

Brought up in Kent, Bill ran away from school aged 16 and found himself rubbing shoulders with models, before getting signed up by top agency English Boys and working with fashion guru Ossie Clark, opening doors into the world of rock music and swanky parties.

Moving to Brecon later in life, and now living at Monmouth’s Gibraltar Nursing Home, he shared flats with Mick Jagger's brother Chris in the 60s and was known as ‘The Prince of the King’s Road.’

At a Rolling Stones party, he met Linda Keith, then girlfriend of Keith Richards.

And their brief relationship would later be referenced in Richards’ autobiography, with the star writing: "I found out that Linda had taken up with some poet, which I went bananas about… I even remember his name, Bill Chenail…"

Richards, who stayed with his bandmates in Monmouth at the then Beaufort Arms in 1964, shared the catharsis he found in writing about the heartbreak and explained: ”Basically, Linda is Ruby Tuesday’.”

Bill and Linda went their separate ways after a short time, and Linda ended up going on to start a relationship with Jimi Hendrix, who Bill also met.

Born in Casablanca in 1948 to a Scottish mother and French father, Bill lived a life shaped by creativity, independence and unexpected turns.

After his modelling days, Bill opened a rug shop in Chelsea, sourcing pieces through auctions and antique shops. He loved hunting for hidden gems.

One of his proudest finds was a rare rug that he purchased for £100 and sold for £8,000, later learning that it went on to sell for £100,000!

The life of Bill, described by his family as “a master of Scrabble”, was always full of surprising moments – including jumping into a lake to save the son of ‘Lady Jane’, with whom he was friends.

The father-of-four also sadly experienced significant and unexpected losses in his life.

His partner passed away when he was in his 30s, and their son Liam died tragically at the age of ten.

Son Bonner, who is a brother to Debby and Shaun, said: “He used to take such good care of me. In recent years, I’ve done my best to take care of him, even though living in France made it difficult at times.

“After two years of part-time care at home, my siblings and I became increasingly worried about him. After visiting many places, I felt Gibraltar was the best option, and he moved there in 2024.

”I believe he’s very happy there, and I’m very happy too. He has a lovely garden just outside his window, and the staff have been amazing.”

The story of Bill’s life, including reflections from his family and one of his own poems, can be read here: gibraltarnursinghome.com/bill-chenail-a-life-of-extraordinary-chapters-monmouth-nursing-home/