EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Minor Royals who were ‘banned’ from appearing on the Trooping of the Colour Balcony by King Charles have a party night elsewhere in London

Because King Charles these days bans access to the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour, the minor royals paraded elsewhere in London this week.

They went en masse to the summer festival at the Victoria and Albert Museum, named after their ancestors.

Lady Amelia Windsor, 28, the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, wore a pink flirty dress while carrying a new handbag.

Lord Frederick Windsor, 45, son of Prince Michael of Kent, was accompanied by his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman, 43.

Among the other royals were James Ogilvy, 60, son of Princess Alexandra, his wife Julia, 59, and their daughter, Flora Vesterberg, 29.

James Ogilvy, 60, son of Princess Alexandra, his wife Julia, 59, (left) and their daughter, Flora Vesterberg, 29, (right) at the V&A Summer Party 2024

Lord Frederick Windsor, 45, son of Prince Michael of Kent, was accompanied by his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman, 43

Lord Frederick Windsor, 45, son of Prince Michael of Kent, was accompanied by his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman, 43

Lady Amelia Windsor, 28, the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, wore a pink flirty dress while carrying a new handbag

Lady Amelia Windsor, 28, the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, wore a pink flirty dress while carrying a new handbag

I went a step further, Macca admits

He may be our greatest living pop star and songwriter, but Sir Paul McCartney still has doubts about whether he was or is any good.

The Beatles star, who turned 82 on Tuesday, admits: ‘I actually have a lot of reasons to believe I’m good, but I’m not. I don’t think I’m bad, but I still think what I make can be better.’

As Wings’ 1974 live album, One Hand Clapping, is released, Macca says: ‘I didn’t know we were that good at the time. I think people all have this in common: we’re never too sure of ourselves, and in retrospect, I really should have been sure of myself.”

However, he admits, “I’ve proven to myself that I can write songs, and I’ve proven to myself that I can write songs that people remember.”

He may be our greatest living pop star and songwriter, but Sir Paul McCartney (pictured performing at Glastonbury 2022) is still unsure whether he was or is any good.

He may be our greatest living pop star and songwriter, but Sir Paul McCartney (pictured performing at Glastonbury 2022) is still unsure whether he was or is any good.

Despite being blinded in one eye and losing the strength in one hand in a brutal attack in New York in 2022, Sir Salman Rushdie is still keen to make more comedy cameos, such as those he performed in Bridget Jones’s Diary and BBC comedy W1A .

“I don’t see why I shouldn’t do more,” says the 77-year-old novelist.

“I’m a frustrated actor, I think this is what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Sir Salman Rushdie (pictured at the 2023 South Bank Sky Arts Awards) still wants to make more comedy cameos, like the ones he played in Bridget Jones's Diary and BBC comedy W1A

Sir Salman Rushdie (pictured at the 2023 South Bank Sky Arts Awards) still wants to make more comedy cameos, like the ones he played in Bridget Jones’s Diary and BBC comedy W1A

In more news from battle-torn Winchester Cathedral, former BBC chief executive Mark Byford has left his position as a lay canon.

The cathedral’s dean, Catherine Ogle, is under pressure following the early departure of respected head of music Andrew Lumsden.

Has Byford, who led the BBC during the Jimmy Savile crisis, been victimized? Ogle recently filmed a public service announcement that was so cheesy that it only added to the drama.

Rumor has it that Byford was involved in that PR disaster. Things have become so charged that the bishop must now conduct an investigation.

Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who fought hard to retain his seat in Chingford and Woodford Green at the general election, has moved on.

IDS, which has a majority of just 1,262, has adapted William Hughes Mearns’ classic poem Antigonish to read: ‘On the stairs the other day/ I met Sir Keir who was not there/ he was no more today/ yet at once took my savings. Oh, how I wish he would go away.’