EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Prince Harry’s Living Legends of Aviation award would have Prince Philip rotating in his grave
Harry’s Living Legends of Aviation awards on Friday would have his grandfather Philip spinning in his grave. He obtained his RAF wings in 1953, flew for 44 years and logged almost 6,000 hours in more than 60 aircraft types.
During a two-month tour of South Africa in 1962, he piloted many of the internal flights with First Officer Peter Middleton, Kate’s grandfather.
The Duke would surely enjoy a heavenly chuckle at Kensington councilor Emma Dent Coad’s comment: “Harry can’t really fly a helicopter – he just sits there saying, ‘Vroom vroom’.”
Has the team of working royals dwindled from 15 to 11, isn’t Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence a shoo-in for the inner circle?
Last year he accompanied or represented his wife 86 times, including visits to Gibraltar, Australia, New Zealand and Estonia. But is he ruining his chances by transporting her luggage in Sri Lanka? When Jimmy Carter was elected president of the US and carried his bags, Rolling Stone said, “If we wanted a bellhop for president, we would have chosen one.”
Harry’s Living Legends of Aviation awards on Friday would have his grandfather Philip spinning in his grave. He was awarded his RAF wings in 1953, flew for 44 years and logged almost 6,000 hours in more than 60 aircraft types
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, raises his hat in his role as Captain General of the Royal Marines
Reflecting on the King’s gift of mimicry, Gyles Brandreth told ITV’s This Morning that the late Queen also had a talent for voices, adding: ‘I recently heard that the Queen could play all the characters from Grange Hill! She once performed an entire ten-minute routine with all the characters.”
Did HM have a giraffe? More likely, Gyles!
Reflecting on the king’s gift for mimicry, Gyles Brandreth told ITV’s This Morning that the late queen also had a talent for voices
King Charles has a low opinion of the Royal Variety Performance audience, according to comedian Seann Walsh, who met him in a receiving line after a “terrible” stage routine. “I just completely died,” he remembers.
“And I’m thinking, ‘Oh God, Charles is going to say, ‘Good job,’ and I’m going to have to go, ‘Thank you.’ But what actually happened is he approached me, and he borrowed, and he said, ‘Don’t worry about that pile – a bunch of toffs.’
Memo to Karren Brady: Tickle the chin of colleague Alan Sugar, the grumpiest man on television. He needs cheering after the BBC postponed the return of The Apprentice from early January so The Traitors can air three nights a week.
The stubbly curmudgeon, who hopes to keep his show going for a twentieth series before calling it a day, certainly couldn’t bear a gnarled BBC finger being raised to declare: “You’re fired!”
Memo to Karren Brady: Tickle the chin of colleague Alan Sugar, the grumpiest man on television
Is former BBC North America editor Jon Sopel addicted to appearing in lightweight TV shows?
In 2009 he appeared in Ready, Steady, Cook. In 2012 he answered questions about Tony Blair on Celebrity Mastermind and in 2014 he joined Kelvin MacKenzie on Pointless. Ridiculous? No, he hasn’t done that yet.
Pint-sized Sandi Toksvig threatened to quit the BBC’s QI unless previous presenter Stephen Fry’s chair was replaced. “I was too small for it,” she told Radio Times. ‘I literally had to be lifted into it. After two years I said, ‘I’m not doing another year unless I get my own chair.'” All in all: three chairs for Sandi!