Hurrah for Mrs M! But there ought to be a law against looking this good

Ah, yes. Just what you need to see when you’ve spent the past five days mainlining peppermint creams and brandy butter: Carole Middleton in a bikini on a sun-kissed beach in the Caribbean.

Let’s just take a moment to admire the full impact of this vision, shall we? Toned, tanned legs and arms, not a hint of orange peel or bingo wing in sight. Trim tummy. slim ankles and feet. Just the one chin. This woman is 64, ladies and gentleman. yes, 64. There ought to be a law against it. Of course, it’s no news that Mrs Middleton is a fine-looking woman. But just how fine has never been quite so in evidence. I mean, we know she is clearly blessed with top-notch genes, which have flowed seamlessly down to her daughters. But this is a whole new level of fabulous.

That said, it can’t be all down to Mother Nature, surely? even with her inherent advantages, that is not a body that comes naturally to a woman approaching pensionable age with three grown-up children.

I detect hours of yoga, Pilates and personal training — not to mention shameless amounts of healthy eating — in those coltish limbs. Which makes her all the more infuriating. And, let’s be honest, extremely impressive.

Because however bad I might feel about my own physical inadequacies when I look at those pictures, however much I might regret that extra mince pie or that skipped gym session, I cannot deny feeling a huge amount of admiration for Mrs M.

Naturally, there are those who will say that women like Carole who choose to defy their age with hard work and healthy living are setting an impossible bar for the rest of us. That they make us feel inadequate and undermine our self-esteem. Why can’t women just be allowed to get old and grey, they say? Why all this pressure to stay lithe and fit?

I get this, I really do. As a 52-yearold who has always struggled to be better than she ought to be, I know where you’re coming from.

But given the option between being a stooped, overweight 64-year-old and one like Mrs M, why wouldn’t you go for the latter?

Personally, I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as a choice. A choice that women these days have at their fingertips more than ever before.

It’s not just that there are so many more ways of staying fit and healthy longer; it’s that it’s more the norm.

Because while there’s no question that Mrs M looks incredible, she’s by no means an anomaly.

I know plenty of women her age — and older — who look similarly good, not least my own mother, who has always set an example for women half her age. WheN

I look at the quality of life she enjoys compared to many of her friends, I can really see a difference.

Looking good is a side- effect of looking after yourself, and Mrs M is a classic case. It’s not about vanity, or one-upwomanship. It’s about being healthy and happy and comfortable in your skin. Which, judging by the huge grin on her face, she clearly is.

After all, she’s not trying to be anything other than good for her age; she’s not pretending to be 40, even though she looks it.

And if her looking incredible in a pair of itsy bitsy bikini bottoms makes someone like me feel inadequate, that’s my problem, not hers.

so I hope she enjoys her time in the sun. she deserves every second of it.