Ephraim Hardcastle
WITH Megxit far from resolved, Buckingham Palace might pick up a tip or two from Harry and Meghan’s website. The ‘Royal Family’ section of the official Palace website, royal.uk, gives Harry and Meghan’s home as ‘Kensington Palace’ (they vacated it for Frogmore Cottage last spring). Even more bizarre: no mention at all of baby Archie.
OPPOSED to Brexit celebration bell ringing, Bishop of Buckingham Alan Wilson says there is nothing he can do to prevent individual vicars from doing so, telling Radio 4: ‘Imagine the present problems in the Royal Family… if we rang them out for Meghan leaving the country, or something like that. It really wouldn’t be anything but divisive or silly. I did know a vicar years ago in Reading who rang out some bells for Mrs Thatcher resigning, but I don’t think it was a good idea.’
TATE Modern director Frances Morris has been pipped at the post by her National Gallery counterpart Gabriele Finaldi for Lucian Freud’s 100th birthday retrospective in 2022. He bagged the exhibition with Freud’s estate pointing out that the National was his favourite gallery, adding: ‘He was allowed to wander around on his own at night admiring the masterpieces.’
HEIRESS Jemima Goldsmith, pictured, highlights her troubled time as spouse of the then future Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, tweeting: ‘I don’t necessarily agree with the way Meghan and Harry have handled things. But I know what Princess Diana went through and what it’s like to marry a national hero from another country and be attacked… too Jewish, in my case.’
AS a struggling young writer, Booker finalist Lucy Ellmann received some curious advice from daft romantic novelist Barbara Cartland. ‘She told me men with amputated legs make the best lovers,’ recalls Lucy, daughter of Wilde biographer Richard. ‘I have not been able to verify.’
OPTING not to stand for the Labour leadership, Yvette Cooper recalls campaigning to replace Ed Miliband in 2015 and dispatching two female aides to buy her an overcoat. They returned with three identical smart ‘beige macs’, forcing Cooper to introduce a roster with only one mac in the room at any one time. ‘We looked like a girl band,’ she says.
THERE is precedent for Canada picking up Harry and Meghan’s security costs. Taxpayers paid for Prince Andrew’s protection in 1977 when he attended Ontario’s Lakefield College. He is still a patron. Would Canada fund Andrew these days?
BBC Today anchor Mishal Husain gets a fruity tweet from newscaster Simon McCoy when she shares some fan mail addressed to her with her name misspelt but with the title ‘Key News Personality’. McCoy jokes: ‘Hey – I spelt “key” right.’ Mishal replies: ‘And there was I thinking you hadn’t so much as texted – for years.’ McCoy retorts: ‘Oh, Michelle [sic].’ Is reading news bulletins that tedious? Email: john.mcentee@dailymail.co.uk