Ephraim Hardcastle
POET Laureate Carol Ann Duffy met the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday but there was no sign of a verse in her knapsack to mark tomorrow’s royal wedding. HM could hardly be surprised. Scots-born LGBT devotee Carol, 62, has studiously ignored – poetically – the births of William’s three children, the Queen’s 90th birthday, her landmark reign, Philip’s 90th, 95th and retirement, and Camilla’s 70th. But the muse descended for Carol’s ditties on the ‘bedroom tax’ and the demise of the gas meter. JEREMY Corbyn’s first meeting with Prince Charles on Wednesday underlined how much the Labour leader has in common with the heir to the throne. Both are keen on the environment, enjoyed privileged upbringings, have large egos they try to hide behind public shows of humility, don’t want to retire and enjoy gardening (although Jeremy’s allotment is smaller than Charles’s). In age they’re just six months apart (Corbyn reaches 69 next week), can be somewhat rebellious and are both being blocked from top jobs by women with no intention of resigning. HARRY and Meghan’s ‘bowl food’ wedding reception fails to elicit an opinion from Lady Elizabeth Anson, 76, the Queen’s party planner. But she does remember being in charge of the foreign-crowned heads at William and Kate’s 2011 nuptials, when they found the buffet to be sparse. One of the VIPs, she recalls, sneaked out to the nearest McDonald’s. CORRECTING an error in an Oldie interview about a row her parents Lord and Lady Longford had over redecorating their home, Lady Antonia Fraser, pictured, writes to the magazine: ‘My mother threw the visitors’ book at my father. Not the other way round – my father would never throw anything at a woman. PS - she missed.’ DIANA’S former butler Paul Burrell, 59, confides to ITV: ‘Nannies would always whisper in William’s ear, “You’d better sit up straight, you’d better behave, because you’re going to be King”. William said one day, “I don’t want to be King” and Harry piped up, “Well, I’ll do the job instead of you then”.’ Harry’s sixth-in-line to the throne now but will drop further when William’s children have offspring. WHEN Charles tied the knot with Diana in 1981 republican Lefties such as Harriet Harman and Peter Mandelson headed-off on a crossChannel booze cruise to avoid the fuss. As Harry leads Meghan to the altar republicans are eschewing such fripperies and getting together for a conference in London to moan about how dreadful the royals are and rant at the excessive coverage being given to the wedding. Labour’s Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad will be leading the booing. No one seems to find holding the event at the St Bride Foundation in Bride Street ironic. ASKED by the Hollywood Reporter if she was jealous of the vast lucre Dame Judi Dench has earned from the James Bond films Glenda Jackson, 82, replied: ‘No. I was offered M’. And why did she turn the role down? ‘Because it was boring.’ replied the endearing old trout.