Ephraim Hardcastle

WHILE Meghan Markle entered St George’s Chapel last month a Ms, leaving it a princess, duchess, countess and baroness, commoner Jack Brooksbank will arrive and leave as Mr after marrying Princess Eugenie in October. With the younger royals keen to proclaim their support for equality, is this fair? Perhaps tidying up titles is a campaign for the new Duchess of Sussex, who can’t be happy that all her own monikers can only be inherited by sons. APROPOS titles, Princess Eugenie could minimise Brooksbank’s embarrassment by reducing her own rank. Almost a century ago, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Patricia of Connaught disowned her royal titles and became simply Lady Patricia Ramsay. Becoming Lady Eugenie Brooksbank would be seen, however, as a rebuke to her mother, who clung to her title after the wreckage of her marriage to the Duke of York. THE BBC’s Test Match Special signed-up Ebony Rainford-Brent, 34, pictured, to cover the Headingley test at the weekend – then seemed to forget she was there. A member of the England teams that won the women’s world cup, the world T20 championship and retained the Ashes, she ticked all boxes for the BBC. But it was Geoffrey Boycott, 77, who played his last test 36 years ago and Vic Marks, 62, who played just six tests, whose voices were heard. Ebony wasn’t handed a microphone until 6pm when the match was scheduled to end. Clearly the memo on inclusivity hasn’t got through to Test Match Special. WILL Donald Trump pick up an honorary knighthood when he pops in to see the Queen next month? The prospect has been discussed but swiftly shelved, says my source. Both Ronald Reagan and George W Bush got the Order of the Bath. Might Trump honour the Queen? She has gongs from over 60 foreign countries but nothing from the US, which gave Tony Blair a Congressional Medal of Honour and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. RE Trump, Prince Andrew might be his golf partner during the presidential visit. In 1999 Andrew headed over to Martha’s Vineyard, off the New England coast, to play golf with President Bill Clinton. ‘You know what the bet is, don’t you?’ Clinton joked to reporters. ‘If he beats me we have to give him back the island.’ THE cover of Jeremy Thorpe’s 1999 memoir, In My Own Time, had ex-colleague Sir Clement Freud calling it ‘an arresting story’ while Sir Cyril Smith declared: ‘There is no one you’d rather have around a dinner table than Jeremy Thorpe.’ Given their subsequent notoriety, the book’s now a collectors’ item, surely. FORMER Ukip leader Nigel Farage expresses his admiration for a Cornishbrewed ale, tweeting approvingly: ‘That’s my kind of beer.’ It prompts Remain supporting Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames to respond: ‘Absolute t**t. No one’s interested. Go away.’ Isn’t he a charmer? No wonder the royals adore him.