Ephraim Hardcastle
HOW goes Prince William’s campaign to rid the Royal Family of its ivory hoard ? Surely he has noticed that Westminster Abbey – scene of his mother’s state funeral, repeated on TV at the weekend – is still adorned with the 7ft high Ivory Cross, carved from a tusk presented to the church in 1924 by Ethiopia’s then emperor, Haile Selassie. William wants the Royal Collection to dispose of antique ivory pieces in its vaults. These range from a set of ivory dining chairs to large caskets and miniature carvings. But come his coronation, will Kate be presented with the Ivory Sceptre, used by every Queen Consort since Mary of Modena in 1685? Once on the throne William will be in charge of the Abbey, and the Royal Collection. Time for officials to hide their ivory treasures?
SIX-times Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close, 70, pictured, who has just received the Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award, says she was inspired to take up acting after seeing an interview with the latter while still at college. Presumably she hadn’t read Dorothy Parker’s review of a Hepburn theatrical performance in which the famous critic said Miss Hepburn ‘runs the gamut of emotions from A to B’.
WHILE William and Kate rocked up to Radio 1 in April to exchange some ‘bantz’ – youthspeak for banter – Charles and Camilla essay a little broadcasting next week in the hope of improving their public approval ratings. The prince is renting out Dumfries House, where the Chippendale furniture is worth more than the property, to Classic FM to celebrate its 25th birthday. Bought with a £20million loan from Charles’s charitable foundation, the 18th century Ayrshire estate is run by the prince’s indispensable fixer, Michael Fawcett. Any bantz will be of the polite variety when Charles and Camilla attend a la-di-da, black-tie recital hosted by baritone Aled Jones, 46.
FRANCE’S first lady, Brigitte Macron, 64, seeking ‘chic and modern’ china for the Elysee Palace, has consulted experts at renowned French porcelain maker Sevres. ‘Let’s hope Brigitte remains enchanted with Emmanuel and doesn’t feel the need to hurl the new china at his head, as Hillary Clinton did to husband Bill,’ comments a source.
EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker, 62, who claims our government’s Brexit papers are unsatisfactory, is annoyed by allusions to his drinking habits, including the unkind nickname ‘Jean- Claude Druncker’. He complained recently: ‘I have a balance problem with my left leg that requires me to grab the rail when on a staircase… After a lunch I grabbed a Dutch minister by the arm and he said that I was drunk.’ He does enjoy Glenfarclas single malts, but only in moderation I am assured.
MARGARET Thatcher’s ex-press secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham, 85, comments on the current, nervy political scene: ‘As one who had to cope with continuous internal carping criticism of Margaret Thatcher, patrician wets, Michael Heseltine’s downright disloyalty and the warped ambitions of Sir Geoffrey Howe and Nigel Lawson, I do not envy Mrs May.’