EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Assuming US police would guard them in California, Harry and Meghan found, to their cost, that the American Security Services rarely indulge in frivolities
Assuming US police would guard them in California, Harry and Meghan found, to their cost, that the American Security Services rarely indulge in frivolities.
Yet William, who turned 41 on Wednesday, has received an unexpected birthday message from the US Diplomatic Security Service, the State Department’s men in black who protect visitors.
The service tweeted: ‘Happy birthday to the Prince of Wales!’ accompanied by a photo, taken in Boston last year, of a burly ‘operative’ with William and Kate.
Surely not an unsubtle dig at Harry and Meghan?
Has King Charles abolished the quaint tradition of Royal Ascot chauffeurs waving glove puppets as they follow the carriage procession from Windsor Castle?
Assuming US police would guard them in California, Harry and Meghan found, to their cost, that the American Security Services rarely indulge in frivolities
Royal chauffeurs in the empty limousines sported glove puppets including Sooty and Sweep puppets
In the last ten years of the late Queen’s attendance the drivers of the empty limousines sported glove puppets – Sooty and Sweep featured, waving at those lining the route before they parked up awaiting their Royal passengers for the return journey.
This week Sooty and chums were absent. Off their oats?
The King has continued his mother’s tradition of handing out Royal Victorian gongs to staff, with baubles this time for a gamekeeper, a carpenter, a tractor driver, a payroll officer, Princess Alexandra’s dresser and a receptionist.
There used to be an ulterior motive – a handy method of rewarding staff in lieu of a pay rise.
Knighthoods and peerages continue to reflect male supremacy, turning wives into ladies.
It doesn’t work the other way round. Sir Elton John’s husband David Furnish once bemoaned that he remained simply Mr, saying: ‘I haven’t thought about what would be an appropriate designation for the husband of a sir.’
The Honours Unit would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie.
Derek Jacobi, packing his toga to fly to Malta to film Gladiator 2 with Paul Mescal (pictured), may experience difficulty identifying his Irish co-star
Derek Jacobi, packing his toga to fly to Malta to film Gladiator 2 with Paul Mescal, may experience difficulty identifying his Irish co-star.
‘He is the hot new thing isn’t he?’ asks Derek, 84. ‘I don’t think I have seen him in anything. I have heard his name but I can’t put a face to him.’
Perhaps Paul, pictured, who plays the lead as Lucius, nephew of Roman Emperor Commodus, could help Derek by donning a nametag bearing the Latin inscription ‘normalis populis’, the title of his breakthrough BBC series.
Publicising his upcoming book Code of Conduct: Why We Need To Fix Parliament, Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant piously announces: ‘I care passionately about the state of Parliament.
It’s the only way we can change the country for the better. But public horror at our shenanigans undermines it.’
Is this the same Bryant who, during a clash with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle at PMQs in 2020, stood accused of telling the latter to ‘f*** off’?
Belgravia’s Cundy Street flats, where 51 years ago Charles and Camilla first shared a pillow, are no more.
Royal chum the Duke of Westminster has razed them to the ground and is putting up a shopping mall. Heritage plaque anyone?
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