Ephraim Hardcastle

THE Queen had two of her favourite men round for drinks – Mark Hudson, chairman of the Council of the Duchy of Lancaster, and its CEO, Nathan Thompson – prior to heading off on her Balmoral hols. The duchy produced a 7.7 per cent increase in revenue, netting HM £17.8m, in addition to the £42.8m she gets from the Government. My source says: ‘The Duchy worthies have reason to hope for a more lasting symbol of her appreciation. Hudson’s predecessor, Lord Shuttleworth, became a Knight of the Garter this year.’ RE the monarch’s income, the five-yearly review by the three Royal Trustees is due. With projections forecasting a continuing boom in the Queen’s income, the funding formula might be reconsidered. Theresa May and Philip Hammond, who replace as trustees David Cameron and George Osborne, will need to have their wits about them when sparring with the third trustee, Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse. He is determined to maintain the existing settlement. ‘If things get tricky, HM has been known to join the meetings unannounced,’ I am told. POIGNANTLY, Ringo Starr, 76, pictured, says of the other surviving Beatle: ‘I would tour with Paul McCartney tomorrow!’ He has said previously of Sir Paul, 74: ‘We’re the only two remaining Beatles, although he likes to think he’s the only one.’ MPs who investigated the collapse of BHS suggest its owner, ‘Sir’ Philip Green, is worse than the notorious Mirror boss, Robert Maxwell, who drowned in 1991. Though there is no suggestion the former BHS chief has broken the law, Green is certainly disliked more than Maxwell, who toppled off his yacht after his pension-robbing activities came to light. The nickname bestowed on him, Captain Bob, was rather fond, unlike Sir Shifty, the moniker coined for Green by the Mail and much copied by so-called rivals. SAM Allardyce’s appointment as England manager could be fun. During ‘bonding sessions’ with Bolton Wanderers players (1999-2007) he once agreed to a forfeit if they won by three goals or more. After they scored five against Leicester City, ‘Big Sam’, 61, tucked into a plate of sheep testicles. DAVID Cameron’s so-called director of communications, Craig Oliver, is cashing in on his five years at No 10 with a quickie book, Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story Of The EU Referendum. The publishers say it is based on ‘detailed notes which tell the story of every key moment from the decision to call a referendum, to the subsequent civil war in the Conservative Party and the aftermath of the shock result’. Oliver is said to be on Cameron’s list for an honour, as well as an enhanced payoff. Writing a book – no doubt for a handsome advance – is the icing on his cake, but is it seemly? Just as Cameron admired Tony Blair, Oliver seems to have copied the latter’s mouthpiece Alastair Campbell, who issued the first of his diaries shortly after Blair resigned as PM in 2007.