EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: King Charles is saved some awkwardness thanks to a low key memorial service for the late Queen’s private secretary Robert Fellowes

The subdued memorial service for Robert Fellowes, the late Queen’s private secretary, spared the King some embarrassment.

Fellowes was Princess Diana’s brother-in-law and guided the Queen through her death and its aftermath. He drew the ire of the King when he led the opposition to Camilla emerging from the shadows and being accepted as the King’s lady-in-waiting.

If his funeral and memorial service had been public, the king and queen – who were absent and unrepresented – would have had to send an envoy to formally represent them, according to event protocol.

And the arrival of Prince Harry also thwarted Lord Fellowes’ plan to make the farewell as peaceful as possible.

The service, in a church in Norfolk, near Sandringham, would likely have gone unnoticed if cousin Harry had not flown in to say goodbye.

Fellowes was Princess Diana’s brother-in-law and guided the Queen through her death and its aftermath (St Mary’s Church in Snettisham, Norfolk)

Harry stayed at Anmer Hall during Meghan’s first Sandringham Christmas

After the memorial, Harry was clearly not invited to stay overnight at Brother William’s Anmer Hall, less than 10 miles from the church.

Instead, he opted to make the 90-mile journey to stay with his uncle Charles at Althorp – a far cry from Meghan’s first Sandringham Christmas in 2017.

As we exclusively revealed at the time, H&M moved to Anmer Hall instead of Sandringham so that Meghan wouldn’t be overwhelmed by formalities.

It seems like an eternity ago.

Prince Harry (pictured at the Invictus Games Foundation 10th anniversary service) chose to stay 90 miles from the church after the ceremony with his uncle Charles at Althorp

Oldman confirms regular Slow Horses set to be cancelled

Gary Oldman (pictured) confirms that one of Slow Horses’ regular actors will be leaving the new series. He tells the Radio Times that when he joined the cast of Harry Potter, there were rumours that JK Rowling was going to kill off a major character.

‘I thought, “Well, they’re not going to kill Harry Potter’s godfather. It’s going to be Hagrid or someone else.” But then it was me!’

Gary Goldman (pictured at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards), famous for his role as Harry Potter’s godfather – Sirius Black – has confirmed that a regular actor in Slow Horses is being dropped from the new series

Queen Elizabeth II took no chances

After French President Giscard d’Estaing warned the late Queen that Romanian President Ceausescu and his wife had stolen “lamps, vases, ashtrays and bathroom accessories” from their suite in Paris, Her Majesty took no chances when they stayed in the Belgian Suite at Buckingham Palace in 1978.

“She told the staff to remove all valuable loose items,” writes Craig Brown in A Voyage Around The Queen.

‘They were advised to remove the silver brushes from the dressing table, otherwise the Romanians would steal them all.’

When the French president told the late queen (pictured during an official tour of Germany in 1978) that Romanian president Ceausescu and his wife had stolen from their Paris suite, she took no chances when they came to visit Buckingham Palace

Sci-fi makeup kept Sue Johnston from using phone

Sue Johnston of the Royle family was left unable to use her mobile phone to contact family and friends after spending hours a day in the make-up chair for the apocalyptic Channel 4 Zombie series Generation Z.

Co-star Robert Lindsay explains: ‘Beautiful Sue had facial recognition on her phone, so she couldn’t call every morning.’

Tom Jones once bought a carpet for Humperdinck

According to Record Collector, the octogenarian singers Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck weren’t always talking when Tom broke through with Green Green Grass Of Home. He bought a carpet for Humpy and his wife Patricia for their apartment.

A pile of rolling tobacco?