Ephraim Hardcastle
WHO chose unpopular Metropolitan police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, 58? Theresa May, 59, it seems. In 2011, the Home Secretary overruled an appointments panel and selected Sir Bernard instead of their preferred candidate, independent-minded former Northern Ireland chief, Sir Hugh Orde, 57. Now, after his force’s disastrous VIP child sex ring inquiry, Sir Bernard seeks her backing to get a three-year contract extension. My source says: ‘The smart money is on horse-loving Sir Bernard being told to get on his nag sooner than he had hoped.’ KING Felipe of Spain’s decision to cancel his state visit here next month puts royal noses out of joint. It was to have been a central part of the Queen’s 90th birthday year and now HM is left with no major public event in her diary until late May. Felipe used political difficulties at home as an excuse but might Gibraltar be a simmering issue, too? Locals have been told they’ll be looked after when current MoD civilian contracts end next year. WELSH-born star Catherine Zeta-Jones, 46, pictured, says she enjoyed working with her Dad’s Army co-stars, including Sir Michael Gambon and Bill Nighy, in the new film version. ‘All these fabulous old boys flirting with me in the make-up room at 6am – it made my day,’ she confides. She still has her own old boy: husband of 16 years, Michael Douglas, 71. DAVID Cameron, in Hamburg on Friday to speak at a black-tie, St Matthew’s Day banquet, might have to make preliminary remarks in German before reverting to his native tongue. Our PM speaking German as we debate the EU, which is controlled by their fuhrer, Angela Merkel, might rattle the china in some quarters. WITH nominations for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize now closed it appears the Queen has failed again. With her 90th birthday imminent, there were hopes she might finally be noticed for her keeping-the-peace work with the Commonwealth. My source says: ‘The £650,000 prize money if Her Majesty had won would have come in handy to repair Buckingham Palace.’ TORY MP Jacob Rees- Mogg’s acid description to his constituents of the Prime Minister’s EU negotiations – ‘he asked for nothing and has received nothing’ – wounds fellow Old Etonian David Cameron. OEs tend not to be rude about each other publicly. Police seeking information on the missing Earl of Lucan after his family nanny was murdered in 1974 felt his OE chums were ‘unhelpful.’ AS a soccer pundit on Sky, former Manchester United star Gary Neville, 40, was considered so knowledgeable he was talked up as a successor to England manager Roy Hodgson. But as coach of Valencia he has failed to win a single league game. Last week, Barcelona thrashed them 7–0. On Sunday, Valencia were beaten 1–0 by Seville-based Real Betis, which last season lost 25 of their 38 matches. Gary’s reign in Spain has mainly become a pain. Ole!