A blue-blooded broadside

SHE may be a terribly grand 92-year-old Viscountess, but that didn’t stop Lady Monckton swearing like a sailor when bailiffs turned up at her home in Kent last week.

Her outburst delighted daughter Rosa – wife of Dominic Lawson – who said her mother has been wrongly accused of owing £1,500 to a water firm. The Viscountess explained: ‘A van and a car came down my driveway. I went up and asked who they were and the man said he was here to collect money that Viscountess Monckton owes. At this point I blew and used my father’s best naval language. I won’t repeat what I said...’

Suffice to say the burly bailiffs fled empty-handed!