Ephraim Hardcastle
THE Queen is urged to make public the Royal Archives at Windsor so that historians can read the secret post-Second World War reports compiled by Anthony Blunt. He had been sent to Germany by George VI, to weed out, it is claimed, evidence of royal contact with Nazi-leaning cousins. Now espionage writer Ben Macintyre complains that the depository of national history is off limits to the general public saying: ‘If, as apologists maintain, the Royal Family have nothing to fear from history, then they have no excuse for continuing to hide it.’ He adds: ‘The Royal Archives are not theirs, but ours, and these records should now be transferred to the National Archives, lock, stock and smoking gun.’
PRINCE Charles has spent £6million refurbishing Clarence House, firmly squashing speculation that he would reign in a flat above the shop at Buck House. Courtiers insist he will remain at his London home when he eventually succeeds, having spent £4.5million of taxpayer funding followed by £1.65million of his own dosh. Moving out isn’t an option.
PRINCE Philip’s departure has not prompted the grieving Queen to follow her mother’s curious example of holding a séance. After the death of her husband George VI, the Queen Mother commissioned spiritualist Lilian Bailey to contact him with the Queen, Philip, and Princess Alexandra in attendance. Bailey’s claims to be a spiritualist to the rich and famous were subsequently discredited. No Ouija boards for HM.
FEVERISHLY promoting her debut thriller Payday Celia Walden, pictured, exacts sweet revenge for all the pre-dawn awakenings inflicted by husband Piers Morgan during his ITV breakfast TV stint. ‘He would make a comical amount of noise while getting from the bed to the front door, clumping around and dropping various heavy objects before slamming the door on his way out,’ she says. ‘It has been fun doing a few bits of morning telly for Payday. I’ve made sure to make the maximum amount of noise.’
DON’T mention the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow to David Gandy. The male mannequin explains: ‘When I hear the music to Antiques Roadshow on a Sunday night I still have anxiety that I have not done my homework and that I have to go to school the next day.’ Calm down David. Have a consoling Farley’s rusk.
MELVYN Bragg confirms he has abandoned his regular booze regime. ‘I used to eschew alcohol for the first ten days of every month then gradually increase my drinking,’ he explains. ‘By the last week of the month my consumption was heroic’. Now? ‘Just the occasional glass of white wine.’
ONE of the funniest episodes of Fawlty Towers involving feckless Irish builder O’Reilly failed to raise a laugh when recorded in front of a live audience. John Cleese reveals: ‘The audience laughter was absolutely terrible. I found out afterwards that the BBC ticket unit had given 60 tickets to a visiting delegation from Iceland.’ The Icelandic sense of humour is clearly no laughing matter.