Ephraim Hardcastle
THE Duchess of Cornwall’s 70th birthday next week is marked by a specially commissioned photograph of Camilla and Prince Charles. It’s by Peruvian photographer Mario Testino, 62, famous for helping already attractive Diana become seen as a ravishing, world-class beauty. He’s bound to do his best for Charles, 68, and septuagenarian Camilla but was he a tactful choice, given his closeness to the late princess, as the 20th anniversary of her death approaches? PUZZLING over the news from America, I often turn for enlightenment to feminist academic Professor Camille Paglia, 70, pictured, who explains President Trump’s appeal to voters: ‘These elite Democrats occupy an amorphous meta- realm of subjective emotion, theoretical abstractions, and refined language. But Trump is by trade a builder who deals in the tangible, obdurate, objective world of physical materials, geometry, and construction projects, where communication often reverts to the brusque, coarse, high-impact level of pre-modern working-class life.’ Took the words out of my mouth! TODAY presenter Nick Robinson mixes up northern Labour frontbenchers Rebecca Long-Bailey and Angela Rayner, bleating: ‘Apologies to both.’ Admitting he’s ‘a bit of a privileged Cheshire boy,’ he adds defiantly: ‘I am a bloody northerner!’ Perhaps he and his colleagues will just get on with the job we pay them to do, and refrain from puffing themselves up on social media. HOW will they honour Andy Murray if he wins another Wimbledon title this weekend? Having rushed through his knighthood for this year’s New Year’s list, what greater honour can he be awarded? A life peerage at 30 would be beyond absurd. However there’s a vacancy in the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s premier order of chivalry, which is in the gift of the Queen. Conferring it on the young Scot might seem premature but it would lend the Order a sprinkle of star dust. TODAY’S Spanish state visit was a headache for Theresa May. State visits always start on a Tuesday but a Wednesday start was the only slot that could be found in both royal diaries before the Queen heads off on her summer holidays in Balmoral. With King Felipe not due to arrive on Horse Guards until 11.40am, getting the PM over to Westminster for a midday PMQs was considered impractical. So First Secretary of State Damian Green will field questions. Incidentally, will Theresa wear her latest distinction at tonight’s state banquet? She was awarded the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud on a trip to Riyadh in April. This will be the first occasion to show it off. David Cameron was always too shy (if that’s the word) to wear his in public.