Taylor’s simply fab

BILLY JOEL has drawn criticism for describing

Taylor Swift, 32, left, as ‘this generation’s Beatles’. If you ask me, he’s not far off the mark. She may seem like the epitome of a pop princess, but her uptempo beats and catchy choruses belie the deeper meaning of her lyrics. She’s my guilty secret.

THE parents of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes are facing a sentence review after their ‘unduly lenient’ punishments were referred to appeal judges. Certainly 21 and 29 years respectively doesn’t seem a lot for starving, beating and torturing a six-year-old to death. Especially when you think that Ghislaine Maxwell faces 60 years for being what essentially amounts to an upper-class madame. Don’t get me wrong, what she did is still disgusting. But she hasn’t killed anyone.

IKEA is putting up prices, by 50 per cent in some instances, citing ‘supply chain issues’. The Malm desk, a teenage bedroom staple, is increasing from £99 to £150. The Hemnes Daybed will now cost £279 instead of £215. Add to that the expense of driving to the store, splurging on meatballs and giant bags of Daim bars, plus the 792 items of tat that end up in your trolley (not to mention the cost of marriage therapy when one of you tightens a screw in the wrong place, leaving the whole thing in splinters) and you might as well just go to Harrods.

I MUST confess, my inner schoolboy always suppresses a giggle when people talk in solemn tones about the Order of the Garter. But now that the Duchess of Cornwall has been appointed to it, speculation returns to whether, when Charles becomes King, she will be styled Princess Consort – as per current arrangements – or Queen, as per tradition. Personally, I don’t think it matters. Her years of dedication to Prince Charles and the way she has conducted herself with grace and dignity while enduring innumerable slurs on her character speak for themselves. Even if she never gets the title, she’s already a queen in my book.

I DIDN’T do much on New Year’s Eve, just mooched around. But when I opened my back door to let the old year out and heard the whoops and cheers of neighbours ringing in the new, I did for once feel the air crackle with real excitement. It’s left me feeling tentatively optimistic for 2022. Happy New Year!