Ephraim Hardcastle

WITH six weeks to go before Princess Eugenie, 28, and Jack Brooksbank, 32, wed at Windsor it looks a racing certainty that the Queen will not raise former barman Jack to the nobility. A stickler for precedent, HM didn’t elevate Princess Anne’s second husband Tim Laurence or Zara Phillips’s spouse Mike Tindall. Eugenie could follow the example of Princess Patricia of Connaught who gave up all her titles when marrying a mere Honourable in 1919. Mum Fergie might veto this. A commoner before hooking Prince Andrew in 1986, she trilled: ‘I’m a complete aristocrat. I love it. It’s tremendously fabulous.’ FEARING that 1969’s documentary Royal Family shed too much light on the magic of monarchy, the Queen, who owns the copyright, stubbornly refuses to allow it to be shown again. Until now. Discussions for an edited version to be released next year are under way to mark the 50th anniversary of the investiture of the Prince of Wales. The fly-on-the-wall film made a TV star of 19-year-old Princess Anne and led to her taking part in 1971’s Blue Peter Royal Safari. COCKY young Sky News political correspondent and former Labour activist, Lewis Goodall, was put in his place when quizzing Theresa May on Brexit in Kenya yesterday after cheekily saying: ‘I know you’re going to say that you think there are opportunities; I know that you’re going to say you’re executing the will of the British people.’ May responded: ‘Lewis, I’m tempted to say, if you know the answer I’m going to give to your question, why are you asking the question?’ SKY TV Washington correspondent Mark Austin, 59, receives glowing reviews for his book And Thank You For Watching from Sir Trevor McDonald, Emily Maitlis, John Simpson and Jeremy Bowen. No endorsement from Tom Bradby, 51, whose appointment as sole News At Ten anchor in October 2015 prompted ousted presenter Mark to pack his powder puff and depart ITN. ASKED by Radio 4’s Mishal Husain why she has never accepted a damehood, laugh-aminute Leftie Vanessa Redgrave, 81, pictured, snaps: ‘No, I’m not going to talk about that.’ Really? Hours previously, receiving an award in Venice, she happily explained her decision to reject a gong in 1999: ‘I could not and would not accept any honour from Mr Blair.’ PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron’s popularity ratings have fallen, with accusations that he’s ‘acting like a French king.’ Which one? Surely Henry II (1519-1559), seduced by his mistress Diane de Poitiers, 35, when he was 16. Macron, 40, went one better when he caught the eye of his schoolteacher, now wife Brigitte, 65. He was 15. KEITH Moon’s reputation for hell-raising has been dented by comedian Barry Cryer, 83, who recalls drinking with the drummer of The Who in Highgate’s Angel Inn before his death in 1978. ‘He grabbed his pint of lager, shouted “Bleurgh!” – and threw his glass to the floor,’ recalls Barry. ‘When we left, he leaned over the bar and whispered, “How much do I owe you for the glass?” ’