A descendant of Oscar Wilde's lover will give a talk at a festival next month.

Lord Gawain Douglas is the great-nephew of Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas who had a doomed relationship with the celebrated writer.

Lord Douglas will speak at Deal Music and Arts on July 12.

Bosie was unjustly blamed for ruining Wilde but Lord Douglas will now tell his side of the story.

The talk, called Oscar Wilde and the Black Douglas, will discuss Bosie's little know talent for poetry and the extent of the couple's devotion to each other.

Wilde and Bosie had an affair at a time when homosexuality in Britain was both illegal and considered socially abhorrent.

It infuriated Bosie's father, the Marquis of Queensberry, who in 1895 publicly labelled Wilde as a homosexual.

Wilde sued for libel but his case collapsed and he went bankrupt by having to pay the Marquis' costs.

Wilde was afterwards convicted of criminal sodomy and gross indecency and jailed for two years.

The Deal Music and Arts festival is at various venues in the Deal and Sandwich area from July 1 to 17.

On July 4 archaeologists will discuss shipwrecks on the Goodwin Sands caused by the Great Storm of 1703.

The Royal Marines Band will play on July 10.

Here is a list of some of the festival's events.

Friday, July 1. 6pm. Formal festival launch with an exhibition of watercolours in honour of the Queen on her Platinum Jubilee year. Linden Hall Studio, St George's Road, Deal.

Saturday, July 2. Noon. Walmer Children's Festival, with music. Walmer Green. Attendance free. 7.30pm. Saxophonist Jesse Gillam with the London Mozart Players.,St George's Church, Deal. Tickets: £32 or half price for under-25s,

Sunday, July 3. 10am. Brush Up Your Shakespeare theatre workshop, Golf Road Centre, Deal.

7.30pm. Royal Fireworks and Water Music. Performance of Handel's two famous pieces. St Mary's Arts Centre, Strand Street, Sandwich.

Monday, July 4. 1pm. Local Young Artist Recital. Trumpet, piano and strings by Deal musicians Ellie Williams, Joe Young, Marshall Baxter and Alana Griffiths Ennew. St George's Church, Deal

3pm to 5pm. The Wrecks of the Great Storm. Wrecks on the Goodwin Sands from the 1703 storm. Talks by archaeologists. Astor Community Theatre, Deal.

Tuesday, July 5. 10.30am. Julius Caesar and the First Roman Invasion. Guided walk from Deal Pier entrance. 1pm. Music by accordianist Samuele Telari. St Clement's Church, Church Street, Sandwich.

3.30pm. Verdi's Otello, a film stemming from the Shakespeare play Othello. Astor Community Theatre, Deal. 7.30pm (gates open 6.30pm). Othello performed by the Changeling Theatre Company, Walmer Castle Gardens. Bring chairs and a picnic.

Wednesday. July 6. 10.30am. The Castles of Henry VIII. Guided walk starting at Deal Pier entrance.

7.30pm. Tom Carradine :A Celebration of Comedy Songs. Tunes from the Victorian era to Victoria Wood. Astor Community Theatre, Deal.

Thursday, July 7. 1pm. The Art of Guitar. Music by Giancomo Susani. St Clement's Church, Sandwich. 7.30pm. Great Britten. Performance of the music of Benjamin Britten by the the Echéa (string) Quartet with singer , Anna Cavaliero, and guitarist Giacomo Susani. St Mary’s Church, Walmer.

Friday. July 8. 1pm Meera Majaraj and Dominic Degavino. Music on flute and piano. Astor Community Theatre, Deal. 7.30pm. Trio HLK with Evelyn Glennie. Jazz music. St George’s Church, Deal.

Saturday, July 9. 10:30 am to 12.30pm. Community Stage. Music event. High Street in front of St George’s Church, Deal. 11am. Stories of Migration and Exploration. Songs about the social history of Deal covering subjects such as coal mining and smuggling. St Mary's Church, Walmer. 7pm Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra. St George's Church, Deal.

Sunday. July 10. 3pm. Royal Marines Concert, Walmer Green. 7pm Music by accordianist Samuele Telari. The Pines Calyx, Beach Road, St Margaret's Bay.

Monday, July 11. 5.45pm. The Royal Marines Heritage Trail. Film Showing. Linden Hall Studio, Deal. 7.30pm. Classical music by the Primavera Ensemble. St George's Church, Deal.

Tuesday, July 12. 3pm and 5pm. Lord Gawain Douglas. A talk by a descendant of Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, Oscar Wilde's lover. Linden Hall Studio, Deal. 7.30pm. Performance of the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde from The Changeling Theatre Company. Gardens behind St George's Church, Deal.

Wednesday., July 13. 10.30am. Sandwich Local History Society Walk. From The Guildhall.

Thursday. July 14. 7.45pm. In Search of Youkali. music and dance with the songs of Kurt Weill, early 20th century German composer. Astor Community Theatre, Deal.

Friday. 15 July. 5pm and 7pm(and 5pm July 16). Dastardly Deal. An outdoor performance on the theme of the town's smuggling history by Deal Festival Fringe. North side of the Royal Hotel, Beach Street.

Saturday, July 16.11am Child Migrant stories. Journalist Gavin Esler interviews experts such as Dr Razia Shariff, CEO of Kent Refugee Action. Astor Community Theatre, Deal.

For full details, including further events, ticket prices and booking arrangements visit the website dealmusicandarts.com/festival-2022