Ephraim Hardcastle
THE political turmoil threatening the Queen’s summer plans could be alleviated, says a courtier, by the use of her Counsellors of State, comprising her consort and the first four adults in the line of succession Charles, William, Harry and Andrew. Any two of them can discharge all of her functions when she is ‘temporarily unavailable’. With the Queen now aged 93 and into the 68th year of her reign, being at Ascot or Balmoral could be classed as being ‘temporarily unavailable’ without anyone getting upset. DONALD Trump’s absence from breakfast with the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace – he’s staying with the US ambassador – is a mixed blessing. When George W Bush stayed his dark-glassed security detail prompted Prince Philip to remark: ‘I hope we get the weather you’re expecting.’ And when an African president in his national dress appeared for the kedgeree, Philip observed: ‘Oh, you’ve come down in your pyjamas.’ WITH his book The Victorians variously described as trite, tedious and dreadful, Jacob Rees-Mogg – last night celebrating the Brexit victory of his sister Nancy, pictured, with a knees-up in Westminster – could be forgiven for pretending that he isn’t the author. A mischievous whisper circulates in Westminster that it was actually written by one of Moggy’s close colleagues in the European Research Group. Not true he says adding, typically: ‘It is charitable of you to think I could blame someone else. However, it is entirely my responsibility and I would not seek to pass the buck.’ Heroic! THERESA MAY, packing her Downing Street toothbrush, might wonder if the Queen will honour her with the Lady of the Garter. The Order of the Garter was once the automatic right of former prime ministers, but Alec Douglas-Home preferred the Scottish alternative, the Thistle. Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron weren’t offered it and Harold Macmillan said that, as a ‘humble’ publisher, it was too high an honour. APROPOS honours, who will Mrs May gong in her resignation honours list? Cameron made his mate George Osborne a Companion of Honour, Sam Cam’s stylist Isabel Spearman got an OBE, ditto Osborne’s image guru Thea Rogers. Surely departing Theresa will gong her bedroom wall hero Geoffrey Boycott? TORY leadership hopeful Jesse Norman tells Radio 4’s Justin Webb he is still ‘consulting’. ‘Who are you consulting?’ asks Webb. ‘Has anyone you consulted said, “Jesse don’t be daft, it’s a mad idea, don’t do it?”’ Crestfallen, Treasury minister Norman replies: ‘Quite a high proportion of people so far!’ JEMIMA Goldsmith backs boyish Tory leadership contender Rory Stewart gushing: ‘He is serious, principled, clever, diligent, thorough, thoughtful, with the vital diplomatic skills that Theresa May miserably lacked... and much tougher than he looks.’ Oooh Jemima, Rory’s taken.