Having effectively destroyed Andrew’s royal career with her infamous Panorama interview, Emily Maitlis now defends him over the Chinese spy furore.
‘I don’t understand why this is laid at the door of the prince with so much castigation and so much blame,’ she announces.
‘If he’s guilty of something, it’s definitely naivety. But when I read all this stuff that he’s not allowed to walk to church, he’s not allowed to be with the Royal Family… I don’t understand what the actual crime is here, frankly.’
Might home-alone Andy clutch a Royal Lodge Christmas cracker in the hope that newly supportive Emily passes by?
Britain’s Prince Andrew leaves Westminster Abbey following the coronation ceremony of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla, in London, Britain May 6, 2023
Emily Maitlis (pictured) infamously skewered Prince Andrew in a TV interview in 2019
The King’s pact with Andrew last year allowed the prince to do charitable work – if he could find an organisation willing to take him on.
Such patronage would have to be low key and receive the King’s blessing. Beatrice and Eugenie, ideal for charities looking for a second-tier royal for their letterhead, don’t need Charles’s permission.
Poignantly, in the absence of charities willing to have him, Andrew hasn’t had to bother asking for his brother’s imprimatur.
Standing-room only in the BBC Radio 4 Today studio for the farewell broadcast of Mishal Husain who is off to Bloomberg after 11 years of spouting at dawn.
Nick Robinson and Justin Webb were joined by John Humphrys and Sarah Montague. No sign of Emma Barnett.
Was she missed? Show insiders suggest refined Mishal hadn’t been ‘terribly happy’ with the recent direction of the show, not least the arrival of shameless show pony Emma!
With the departure of Justin Welby (pictured, right), Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (pictured, left) steps in as interim Primate
Stephen Cottrell faces calls to resign amid a major scandal in the Church of England
With the departure of Justin Welby, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell steps in as interim Primate.
But he too faces calls to resign.
Should he go, next in line is Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London.
She would effectively be acting Archbishop of Canterbury.
A long selection process is anticipated, which would allow Mullally time to establish herself as the obvious next CofE Primate. Are we about to see the first female ABC?
Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley, who led calls for Welby’s resignation, suffers as clerical ranks close against her.
She now avoids the Bishops’ Robing Room at the Lords. ‘You might say that is an overreaction, but I don’t feel confident enough to go into that room with colleagues. So I’ve asked for my robes to be moved,’ she says.
What would Trollope make of it?
‘King Charles may want to avoid taking Camilla (pictured) to an exhibition by the Royal Collection’, Hardcastle writes
Among Edward VII’s treasures displayed at an exhibition at the Royal Collection is a jewelled Faberge cigarette case (pictured)
King Charles may want to avoid taking Camilla to an exhibition by the Royal Collection.
Among Edward VII’s treasures is a jewelled Faberge cigarette case that she might want to lay claim to.
Edward gave it to his mistress Alice Keppel, Camilla’s great-grandmother.
How it ended up back in royal hands isn’t known, but even though Camilla is now a smoke-free zone, she might yearn for it as a Christmas present!
