LIVER BIRD, CAMILLA!

Smiling duchess becomes an honorary Scouser for a day

NOT so long ago it might have been the height of bad manners to liken a female member of the royals to a Liver Bird.

But the Duchess of Cornwall appeared happy to take on the role yesterday as she posed in front of a striking mural in Liverpool. The copper-green wings – an echo of the mythic symbols of the city – have become a tourist attraction since they were painted in 2017.

For millions of other visitors the mural also brings to mind another important slice of Liverpudlian culture – Carla Lane’s groundbreaking 1970s sitcom The Liver Birds, starring Polly James and Nerys Hughes as fancy-free ‘dolly birds’.

The duchess, 71, posed with mural artist Paul Curtis, who said: ‘For me it’s an honour to have someone like that notice the wings.’ The photo came on a visit with Prince Charles, during which the couple welcomed Irish president Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina, who are on a visit to the UK. Charles and Mr Higgins are co-patrons of Liverpool University’s Institute of Irish Studies.