Ephraim Hardcastle
POSING for Mario Testino’s photographs of her newest greatgrandchild Charlotte, the Queen may have cast her mind back to a less even-tempered encounter with US celebrity snapper Annie Leibovitz. It was at Buckingham Palace when she posed in full Garter robes and a tiara for a set of portraits to publicise her state visit to the US in 2007. Leibovitz made the mistake of asking the Queen to pose mounted, fully robed, on one of her favourite horses inside the White Drawing Room. Says a courtier: ‘Her Majesty is not given to uttering expletives but there was at least one uttered when that request was received – and promptly declined.’
DAVID Cameron may be Prime Minister but he still knows his place. Whenever in the ambit of terrifyingly nannyish former Education Secretary Lady Shephard, 75 , pictured, Cameron addresses her as ‘Auntie Gillian’. Shephard, who was in John Major’s Cabinet, has a no-nonsense manner. Her view of Speaker John Bercow, for instance? ‘If I were a social worker encountering that young man, I would have him Statemented.’
AFTER her sixth Wimbledon singles title at the weekend, fans note that Serena Williams has never been awarded the BBC’s prestigious Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award. Indeed, the last woman to win the prize was fellow tennis champion Martina Hingis in 1997. Time to rectify this oversight?
OMAR Sharif’s death reminds former BBC newscaster Jan Leeming that after she interviewed the heartthrob actor in the late Seventies, he asked if she was married ‘I wasn’t,’ recalls Jan. ‘As the interview was pre-recorded, the editor gave me the following day off and I went home. When I returned two days later, one of the researchers said, “Oh Jan, Omar Sharif phoned yesterday and asked to talk to you but you weren’t here”. I wonder what might have happened if I had been around – probably a broken heart on my part because he was a real ladies’ man and highly intelligent.’ Considering Jan, 73, ended up getting through five husbands, perhaps Omar had a Harry Houdini-like narrow escape!
FORMER Treasury Secretary Jonathan Aitken recalls with fondness Gillian, the late wife of Ken Clarke who behaved in a saintly manner when he and Ken, while Chancellor, sneaked off to a pub for three pints and a game of darts – leaving Gillian to entertain 20 guests to Sunday lunch at the Chancellor’s residence Dorneywood. Says Jonathan: ‘We were late back and Gillian was remarkably restrained and understanding.’
BUCKINGHAM Palace has never confirmed that the Queen has now ceased breeding corgis and that the surviving pets, Holly and Willow – 12 next month – will not be replaced. But HM admitted exactly that to US horse whisperer Monty Roberts in 2012 after he urged her to breed more pups. Monty, 80, who received an honorary MVO (Member of the Royal Victorian Order) from the Queen in 2011, tells Vanity Fair: ‘She didn’t want to leave any young dog behind. She wanted to put an end to it.’