Ephraim Hardcastle
ANXIOUS to make her daughter Princess eugenie’s wedding in october as splendid as that of Prince harry and Meghan, Sarah Ferguson is jokingly nicknamed hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) after the star of the TV comedy Keeping Up Appearances. So the Clooneys, who turned out for harry and Meghan, are expected, especially since eugenie’s groom, Jack Brooksbank, is a ‘brand ambassador’ for a tequila that George Clooney co-founded and sold for up to £790million. And the Beckhams owe the Yorks a favour. In July last year, Andrew and Sarah hosted a private ‘princess party’ at Buckingham Palace for harper Beckham’s sixth birthday. eugenie even posed for their photos. JEREMY Corbyn’s inability to remember whether he was involved in a wreath-laying ceremony here, or there – or, met this, or that, Arab terrorist – inspires a tweet from novelist David Llewellyn based on the Bob Marley song, viz: ‘I shot the Sheriff, but while I was present when the Deputy was also shot, I don’t think I actually took part in it.’ EMILY Mortimer, 46, pictured in character in the hit 1999 movie notting hill in which she appeared with star hugh Grant, 57, recalls in a US TV interview: ‘It was a nightmare. every time I got nervous – which you do when you’re acting – I got hives and my face became swollen.’ her interviewer says: ‘hugh Grant is the most charming person on the planet. So I’m sure he made you feel perfectly fine with your hives.’ Ms Mortimer: ‘no, everybody was really embarrassed…’ THE Way Ahead Group, created by the Queen in the 1990s, was charged with making the monarchy fit for the 21st century. Some say it saved the institution after the death of Princess Diana. But setting a new course is considered urgent because slip-ups keep taking place – Eugenie’s ostentatious wedding is considered one – and an opinion poll indicates that only 22 per cent want a Queen Camilla. My source says: ‘The Queen isn’t expected to attend. It’s time for the next generation to step up.’ Meaning the Prince of Wales. APROPOS the royals, their traditions are fading, as I’ve mentioned re the Court Circular and curtseys. now ladies-inwaiting. The Queen maintains a team of six who work on a voluntary (ie unpaid) basis. Their arrival on duty, for a fortnight at a time, is no longer recorded in the Court Circular. Private secretaries have taken their place in the courts of Kate and Camilla. not ‘voluntarily’ either. They have contracts and pension schemes. FORMER Radio 4 star Eddie Mair, 52, en route to rival LBC, announces: ‘Some people tell me they think it’s a London-only station. It started that way but now you can hear it around the UK…’ Who’ll he replace there? An LBC spokesman says: ‘I’ll give you a heads-up when we’re ready.’ It’s silken-voiced broadcaster Iain Dale, 56, a source insists. Surely not.