EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: King Charles has been invited to the recently renovated Villa Windsor in France, where his great-uncle Edward VIII lived after his abdication in 1936
The King has been invited to visit the recently renovated Villa Windsor in the Bois de Boulogne during his upcoming state visit to Paris.
The last time Charles set foot there was in 1972 when he accompanied his mother to see her uncle, weeks before he died.
The late Queen was presented with the desk on which Edward VIII signed the 1936 Act of Abdication, to which she coldly replied, “Why would I want an abdication desk?”
King Charles has been invited to visit the recently renovated Villa Windsor in the Bois de Boulogne during his upcoming state visit to Paris
Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson will not be pleased with LBC’s revelation that pilots are considering strike action, warning: “Political pressure could come on the airline soon as Captain Warren Braverman, brother-in-law of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, is on the run. Virgin Atlantic pilot roster – while James Mordaunt, brother of Leader of the House of Commons Penny, is a flight service manager.” Will Beardie settle before it’s too late?
Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson (pictured) won’t be happy with LBC’s revelation that pilots are considering strike action
When did the Duchess of Sussex first suffer a dip in her universal British popularity? More than two years before her and Harry’s departure from the royal family, according to biographer Tom Bower. At Christmas 2018, on her way to service in Sandringham, Meghan was photographed in a navy blue coat by Victoria Beckham. Victoria was “appalled” after this had no effect on sales, says Bower, who is writing a biography of the Beckhams. She tried again in March 2020 with a custom white coat and dress for Meghan, then pregnant, to wear for her final official appearance at Westminster Abbey. “By then,” Bower writes, “Meghan’s popularity was waning. Her endorsement of Victoria’s label has not improved sales.”
When did the Duchess of Sussex (pictured) first suffer a dip in her universal British popularity? More than two years before her and Harry’s departure from the royal family, according to biographer Tom Bower
Polymath Mark Lawson manages to elevate a diatribe about the cost of televised Premier League matches by quoting LS Lowry’s 1953 painting Going to the Match. “From the packed stands and the feeling of latecomers running to turnstiles, the scene can be reliably timed to around 2:55 p.m. on the first day of the weekend,” he calculates. “Now if an artist were to pay homage to Lowry, only a microscopic inspection of wristwatches could reveal the day or time.” What’s that about, Mark?
While defending co-star Amanda Abbington at a gallop after the Strictly-bound Sherlock actress was accused of “transphobia” in the past, firecracker Frances Barber announces, “I’ve seen some stupid nonsensical nonsense about the great Amanda Abbington doing Strictly.” She is an absolute diamond. And oh boy, look how she dances!’
Stephen Fry had a eureka moment after reading H. Montgomery Hyde’s The Trials of Oscar Wilde. “I started gasping and panting and feeling triumphant and terribly, terribly worried at the same time,” he tells Radio Times. “When I read that, I knew I was gay.” But the final confirmation came while watching the 1952 movie of The Importance of Being Earnest. “It was like a bomb went off in my head,” he gushes. “Whatever PG Wodehouse had done for me, this was the megaton version.” Were you too close to the screen during Oppenheimer, Stephen?