Ephraim Hardcastle
ROYAL biographer Sally Bedell Smith’s claim that Meghan is as narcissistic as the Duchess of Windsor coincides with a new documentary about Wallis Simpson’s extravagance when the Duke was wartime governor of the Bahamas. In the Channel 5 film, author Dr Andrew Lownie reveals that Wallis had her hairdresser flown in from New York. ‘They had flowers flown in from Miami, they spent extravagantly on wines, which they were able to get tax-free,’ he said, adding that when the Duchess travelled to the US she brought 85 pieces of luggage. Meghan travels much lighter with Harry, no doubt, folded neatly in his crate engraved with ‘HRH’.
THE kerfuffle over Meghan’s new business recalls the King’s battle over his Duchy Originals brand of organic food grown on the Highgrove estate in 1990. The old guard at the palace urged him to cease and desist. Royals, they argued, shouldn’t turn themselves into tradesmen. He refused to listen, as his profits were to be diverted to charity. He gained his mother’s support and the royal tills have been jingle jangling with cash ever since.
SCREENWRITER Jemima Goldsmith, pictured, comes to the defence of William and Kate, saying the jokes about them online will seem ‘cruel and regrettable’ with hindsight: ‘It is too easy to forget, especially on Twitter, that these are real people.’ A close friend of Diana’s, the heiress’s past concerns for William’s feelings included demanding her then boyfriend, The Crown creator Peter Morgan, amend the script. ‘When I realised that particular [Diana] storyline would not necessarily be told as respectfully or compassionately as I had hoped, I requested that all my contributions be removed from the series and I declined a credit.’
RISHI’S ruling out a May election, making October probable, could cause a diplomatic headache with the PM scheduled to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting taking place nearly 10,000 miles away in Samoa. Attendance is considered nonnegotiable. Being out of the country in the run-up to polling day wouldn’t be wise, but if Sunak thinks he will lose he could time the poll so that Starmer and his foreign secretary would to be out of the country for the first few days of his premiership, rather than settling into Downing Street. A no-show would only play into the hands of many Commonwealth leaders who want to break historic links with the old country.
THE fortune Steve Harley, who has died aged 72, pocketed for his song ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)’ was enhanced when it was used for a Viagra TV commercial. ‘Yeah, I took the shilling for that,’ he told Classic Rock magazine. ‘I bought an Aston Martin. The ad was cheesy, but I liked it. It was perfect for their product.’ His earlier hit Mr Soft wouldn’t have been as apt!