Felix Grovit was notoriously conscious of his health and personal hygiene. He never liked shaking hands or touching money, and, in the days before credit cards were ubiquitous, he would put on gloves before paying for anything. At restaurants, he routinely asked staff to hand over cash. Born in India but living in Britain since he was five, Grovit had a penchant for peach-coloured shirts, fine champagne (on the rare occasions when he drank) and business. He launched his first company, a property development venture, when he finished school, and its success led him to abandon plans of becoming a…

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