Ephraim Hardcastle
WITH his disgraced father in exile, Spain’s King Felipe VI might be tempted to distract attention from the family scandal and restore a semblance of national popularity by rattling the sabre over his country’s claim to Gibraltar. He supports Spain’s sovereignty over the disputed British territory, upsetting Gibraltarians three years ago when, in an address to the British parliament during a state visit, he insisted that Madrid wanted a say on future governance. But his shamed father may have already closed off this strategy. In a leaked 1983 letter, Juan Carlos told the British ambassador that because of complications with Morocco he ‘did not really want’ Gibraltar back.
MEANWHILE the Queen, having honoured Juan Carlos with the rare Royal Victorian Chain (he is one of just ten living recipients) and the ultimate accolade of the Order of the Garter, will be hoping the scandal doesn’t deepen. Should he fulfil his aspiration to return from exile within a month and possibly face arrest, she could be obliged to rescind the honours.
EX-BBC directorgeneral John Birt suffers a verbal slap from Angela Rippon, pictured, over his diktat forcing her to quit her news-casting role aged 50. ‘What he said was, “Angela, you’ve had your day and you have to make room for the other young women queuing up behind you”,’ she recalls. ‘I don’t know what John Birt is doing now but I’m working full pelt and into next year too if not beyond. I’m well into my 70s and I’m still doing a full-time job in television and broadcasting, so I suppose that’s my revenge for having to listen to that kind of patronising twaddle!’
NEIL Young should tread carefully suing Donald Trump over use of his songs Rockin’ In The Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk. When the singer previously complained about using the music at rallies, Donald produced photographic evidence of Young meeting him to discuss an ‘audio deal’, tweeting: ‘For the nonbeliever, here is a photo of Neil Young in my office and his $$ request – total hypocrite.’
PETER Capaldi, lauding the NHS, recalls being hospitalised wearing rouge, lipstick, a beauty spot and a powdered bouffant after Brian Blessed punched him senseless while filming an 18thcentury costume drama for the BBC. ‘No one showed up at the hospital,’ he recalls. ‘Except for the slight and nervous figure of my dresser asking: “Could the BBC have the very expensive costume back?” ’
WHAT’s the Queen’s view on the proposed Mahatma Gandhi coin? She has one abiding memory of the Indian leader. Among her wedding presents in 1947 was a lace tray cover, woven by Gandhi on his spinning wheel. Queen Mary, who had never quite recovered from the nearly naked Indian’s visit to take tea with her and George V at Buck House, thought it was Gandhi’s dhoti, describing it as ‘frightfully inappropriate’.