Madame Tussauds entity ceased to exist. On 17 July 2007, as part of the financing for the Tussauds deal, Merlin sold the freehold of Madame Tussauds to private investor Nick Leslau and his investment firm Prestbury under a sale and leaseback agreement. Although the attraction sites are owned by Prestbury, they are operated by Merlin based on a renewable 35-year lease. Madame Tussaud's wax museum became a major tourist attraction in London, incorporating (until 2010) the London Planetarium in its west wing and a large animated dark ride, "The Spirit of London", opened in 1993. Today's wax figures at Tussauds include historical
St Marylebone School support the development of other schools in London, including the expansion of St Mary and St John's Primary School in Hendon into a through-school from nursery through to sixth form. The former headteacher Elizabeth Phillips advised on the bid to establish a new free secondary school for boys in Marylebone, the Marylebone Boys' School, which opened in 2014. The new school will receive support and guidance from St Marylebone through the Teaching School Alliance. From 1993 to 2013, the headteacher of St Marylebone School was Elizabeth Phillips, OBE, one of the most influential and successful headteachers in recent secondary education.