Ephraim Hardcastle
WITH the reintroduction post-pandemic of the Ruritanian formality of the Queen’s annual diplomatic reception, Prince William is apparently keen to persuade hM to allow himself, his father and other male royals to dress down. traditionally at the reception – to be held at Windsor next month – the royal men on parade wear knee breeches, tights, court shoes and (those eligible) sport the garter just below the knee. All very Gilbert & Sullivan. William would like them to wear trousers instead. Further evidence that the next king but one is flexing his royal muscle?
PRINCESS Margaret secretly comforted dying Aids patients before Princess Diana championed them, claims her lady-inwaiting Lady Glenconner, who lost her son Henry to the disease in 1990. Marking the 20th anniversary of Margaret’s death, Glenconner recalls the princess always hugging the stricken Henry while most family friends shunned him, adding: ‘And then she went to London Lighthouse, a centre for young men dying of Aids, before the Princess of Wales went accompanied by a group of photographers. She wasn’t touchy-feely like Diana, but she made the patients laugh.’ Impressive considering that Mags’ sense of humour was apparently no laughing matter.
TODAY dennis ‘the Beast of Bolsover’ Skinner is 90 – and it’s the 53rd birthday of the more fragrant Jennifer Aniston, pictured. their Aquarian astrology chart describes them as ‘unique people who understand the powerful forces that can be commanded with discipline and training. they have a single-mindedness that allows them to sacrifice to bring a goal to fruition. despite their seriousness, they have a sunny side. they’re able to balance all the elements in their lives without losing focus or emotional centeredness.’ Further proof that horoscopes are hogwash?
IS COMMONS Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle turning into his predecessor? Hailed as a breath of mountain air when he took over in 2019 Hoyle now repeatedly chastises Tory MPs at PMQs and angered Boris supporters by taking Keir Starmer’s side in the Jimmy Savile row. Hoyle also keeps awarding parliamentary ‘urgent questions’ on matters of decidedly niche interest. MPs used to wear ‘bollocked by Bercow’ badges. Will they be replaced by badges saying ‘hectored by Hoyle’?
EX-EDITOR of the anti-Brexit Financial times Lionel Barber, approached by a headhunter urging him to apply for the chairmanship of ofcom, asks: ‘on a scale of one to ten, what are my chances?’ adding: ‘Mindful of my past role as editor of “the daily Remoaner” i remembered that Boris Johnson would have the final say.’ he tells the New Statesman that after ‘much waffling’ from the headhunter he switched to a scale of ‘very likely’ to very unlikely’. ‘the answer was brief and to the point,’ he concludes. ‘Very unlikely.’ FORMER BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt mischievously tweets: ‘With Prince Charles isolating and Prince William abroad, is Prince Andrew limbering up in case he needs to be a Counsellor of State – or can Prince Harry do it, virtually?’