Column: What's in a name? Lots when you're celeb!

The book, it is said, will “offer a glimpse into Matilda’s life, both in and out of the kitchen, and will contain 60 of her favourite recipes”. Due to publish this spring, it looks set to rival her dad in the successful cookbook stakes. Interestingly, it’ll be released by the same company that publishes her own father’s cook books. Of course it will!

While I have no doubt Matilda, or Tilly as she prefers to be called, possesses the same culinary skills as her dear father, part of me wonders whether she would have been given this remarkable opportunity if she was just an ordinary (but talented) teen living on a council estate?

This brings me neatly to the subject of celebrity children. Not only are they born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they are generally afforded a fast-track to career opportunities that our children would have to work years to achieve. Romeo Beckham is a leading model in his own field and the main child clotheshorse for designer brand Burberry.

Still only 14, he’s built his own ‘brand’ as a model and Instagram sensation, racking up more than 200,000 followers. I’m sure he’s a very sweet boy, but do you think folk would be as interested in him if he didn’t have a famous mum and dad? The same goes for Johnny Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose. A beautiful girl, granted. She’s the spitting image of her mother but with her father’s smouldering eyes. Lily, 17, is gorgeous, but is she so stunning to jump the queue in front of countless other beauties to not only head up a beauty campaign for Chanel, but also land plum roles as an film actress?

Ewan McGregor is proud dad to four beautiful girls but 20 year-old Clara, is making her stunning looks pay by becoming a model. Now signed with the world’s largest agency, she launched her career with her first cover shoot in bed with supermodel Helena Christensen. Unlike Christensen, I’m sure the McGregor family name helped open up a career path. While I don’t doubt Clara’s obvious beauty, it seems to me having a famous mum or dad (or both) opens countless doors for you. In my book, it is nepotism at its very worst. But don’t be fooled, these brands understand that by association a celebrity offspring will not only make them look popular, but help flog their product while gaining valuable column inches and exposure on social media. In other words, the famous family name almost becomes a brand in its own right.