Ephraim Hardcastle
HARRY’S self-imposed exile and Andrew’s sacking loom large in planning the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with a shortage of working royals to represent HM across the Commonwealth. Contrast with her 2012 Diamond Jubilee, with Andrew in India and Harry visiting Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas. And who will take on the ‘Big Three’ of Canada, Australia and New Zealand? In Australia, the buoyant republican movement is hoping for Charles rather than Wills and Kate. The Cambridges’ 2014 visit is blamed for setting the republican cause back five years. On the other hand, antimonarchists believe Charles hastened the end of the empire by five years.
WHY did International Olympic Committee member Princess Anne opt out of travelling to China for the start of the Winter Games this weekend? While Buckingham Palace cite Covid travel curbs rather than the diplomatic boycott, Caledonian rugby fans think differently. As patron of the Scottish Rugby Union Anne will be ululating Scotland the Brave at Murrayfield when her team take on England this Saturday in the opening of the Six Nations.
PARLIAMENTARY tributes to Harriet Harman’s late husband Jack Dromey reveal details of a secret visit to St James’s club White’s, citadel of high Toryism, as guest of the Marquess of Salisbury. Vintage port was consumed. As he and Salisbury took leave of each other, Dromey said: ‘Don’t tell Harriet I was here!’
SHOULD Laura Kuenssberg, pictured, fetch up at BBC Scotland might she take up golf? She’d be welcome at Muirfield, where her grandfather – High Court judge Lord Robertson – was an enthusiastic player. But she mustn’t mention late broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy. His lordship had him blackballed from The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers for writing a negative story about the Scottish judiciary.
AS part of the BBC’s bid to be less London-centric, Radio 4’s Nick Robinson reported from Leeds yesterday, twice mispronouncing Welsh town Abertillery. Then levelling up minister Michael Gove mouthed a vacuous soundbite about his policy helping everyone ‘from Middlesbrough to Mansfield and from Wolverhampton to Walsall’. In fact, the latter two are only seven miles apart. Oh, the perils of our political elite trying to embrace the ‘levelling up’ agenda!
WHY did Andrew ‘Thrasher’ Mitchell turn on Boris? When embroiled in ‘Plebgate’ – accused of swearing at No 10 police officers – Boris as London mayor announced: ‘If I read the papers correctly there was a proposal to arrest Mr Mitchell for what he said. That seems to be wholly commonsensical... it shows the gravity of the offence.’ Revenge best served lukewarm?
DESERT Island Discs presenter Lauren Laverne enthuses about her new Sky show Big Design Challenge, where an exhibit from Queen’s Brian May sends her into a tailspin of delight. ‘It’s his lawnmower,’ she trills. ‘It’s a ride-on.’ Badger aficionado May donated his grass cutter to the British Lawnmower Museum. As Freddie Mercury didn’t sing: ‘I want to cut free.’