Ephraim Hardcastle
The house of Windsor is celebrating (very quietly) its centenary. The Royal Family’s name – in 1917 it was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha – has always been a touchy subject. Prince Philip famously complained: ‘I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.’ The Queen altered the rules slightly in 1960 so that male-line descendants of her and Philip without an hRh title should be surnamed Mountbatten-Windsor. This is now adopted by hRhs. William and Kate used it on recent court documents in France.
RE names, courtiers wonder if in future Charles might, as King, formalise a change to House of Mountbatten-Windsor to reflect the long, largely unsung role that his 95-year-old father has played – and to assert himself as monarch. Mountbatten is the anglicisation of Battenberg, created supposedly to make the German royals in the new House of Windsor more acceptable. The original suggestion was Battenhill.
RADIO 4’s chief Today interrogator John humphrys, 73, highlighting (justifiably) his 30th anniversary presenting the show, treated listeners to an on-air career retrospective, including parts of his interviews with Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Copresenter Mishal husain, 43, pictured, commented loyally: ‘Thirty years and counting, I should say.’ Sounded like a hopeful successor!
FORMER EastEnders tough guy Ross Kemp, 52, says he’s long been ill-treated by ‘snobby shop assistants’ in posh stores. Now he’s chosen them as one of his pet hates on BBC1’s Room 101 show on January 27, complaining: ‘As soon as I could afford to go into certain shops I was either too ugly or they thought I was going to rob them!’
SIR Roger Moore, 89, who is calling for a ban on animal circuses, is accused of cruelty to animals when playing James Bond. A know-all on social media points out: ‘Bond stabbed a python in the neck in [Moore’s 1979 film] Moonraker, though.’ Sir Roger responds: ‘Yes, the biggest rubber python you’ve ever seen.’
TAKING Donald Trump to task for allegedly imitating a disabled reporter, Meryl Streep is applauded by supporters of his defeated presidential rival, Hillary Clinton. But not perhaps by fans of the late Baroness Thatcher, who were hurt by Ms Streep’s portrayal of her in the 2011 film The Iron Lady as a dementia sufferer. ‘Disrespect invites disrespect,’ Ms Streep said of Trump. Indeed.
ANNOUNCING (tongue in cheek I suspect) her attendance at a live nude show being staged at the current Sydney Festival – where the audience also is naked – saucy authoress Kathy Lette, 58, reports: ‘Thought I had perfect outfit for sensational Nude Live show, but when I looked in the mirror it clearly needed ironing!’