Hardcastle Ephraim
AS the Duchess of Cambridge made her debut on the outer courts of Wimbledon, a stubborn mystery persists. Where is the portrait of Queen Mary which, for decades, adorned the sitting room of the Royal Box? And why is the Queen’s grandmother banished? Royal sources whisper that it is more than a little aggravating to HM. So much so that it may lead to a discreet demand for its location from her grandson Prince William when he attends the Wimbledon final. DOES Kate Middleton’s solo appearance at Wimbledon underline the ongoing schism between the Cambridge and Sussex households? Last year she and Meghan enjoyed a girly day out and whispers that Megs is on maternity leave are contradicted by her attendance, with Harry, at the weekend baseball. And last year’s cosy à deux coincided with Kate’s maternity leave after having Louis. TOO frail to rule or not, Jeremy Corbyn, 70, has a well-feathered nest should he hang up his bicycle clips. While relinquishing his total £137,000 salary as MP and Leader of the Opposition, he will benefit from a £1.7million retirement pension plus an annual £8,000 as an OAP. Not to mention all the free carrots he can eat from his allotment. NEWLY-PROMOTED Bishop of Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin, right, almost didn’t make her inaugural address, as the Queen’s honorary chaplain, at St James Palace’s Chapel Royal in 2007. She couldn’t find a parking spot. Arriving late and breathless, she began her sermon: ‘I promise that I am not keeping Caribbean time.’ BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones rashly attacks Piers Morgan over his criticism of salaries, tweeting: ‘So what does Ofcom have to say about a presenter on a rival station trying to destroy the BBC?’ Morgan fires back: ‘They probably share my view that the BBC is currently destroying itself quite happily without any help from me. Now stop whining about me and stand up for the pensioners YOUR bosses are fleecing.’ TORY MP Ben Howlett’s less-than-gushing tweet on Boris Johnson reads: ‘Last time I spoke to Boris in a Commons lift he asked me who I worked for. I replied I worked on two of his campaigns and had just become an MP. Two weeks later he asked me the same question. Sorry. It has to be Hunt.’ FORMER Top of the Pops presenter David ‘Diddy’ Hamilton casts an envious glance at modern BBC salaries, recalling that in the 70s he was paid less than £100 a stint, adding: ‘After recording the show I got four times as much for playing records in a pub in the Old Kent Road.’ CHANNEL 4’S Head of News, Dorothy Byrne, exasperated with Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to answer a straight question, says: ‘If you ever go on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and get to phone a friend, don’t phone Jeremy Corbyn. You could lose a lot of money.’