Many years ago I nearly collided with the Queen at Ascot when I wasn’t looking where I was going. In the intervening years my respect for how she has handled her role has grown exponentially. This week I winced when I thought what she must be thinking when Channel Four broadcast “The Prince and the Paedophile”, which examined the relationship between her favourite son, the Duke of York, and the notorious paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. Watching the programme it was hard not to come to the conclusion that at best the Duke of York was guilty of extraordinary and continual lapses of judgement. There is also no doubt in my mind that unless he engages with the American authorities, this story will continue to run on and on, and as a result will continue to inflict damage on the monarchy. For example, there are very justifiable reasons to ask why the British authorities have not moved to question the Duke ?
If that wasn’t bad enough, the behaviour of her grandson, the Duke of Sussex, must have added to her dismay. I have a certain affection for Prince Harry but I do wish he would somehow get over himself. I’m afraid a lot of the recent publicity exudes a sense of entitlement. I heard some years ago that Harry was “troubled” and all I can say in the kindest way is if he has stuff he can’t deal with, he should get therapy. As for Meghan, I can’t get it out of my mind that she’s an actress and her apparent ability to discard friends is unsettling. As for her relationship with her father, God knows, but as sure as hell he should have been at the wedding. If there is an example to follow, look no further than William and Kate. They are playing a blinder.
Well from Rexit to Brexit. Super Saturday was a bit of a shambles. I was flicking from rugby to the House of Commons. Both left me feeling pretty despondent. It now seems increasingly likely that the British are heading for a General Election. You can see the logic for the Tories going to the country to “get Brexit done”, and getting it over and done with before the Labour Party comes to its senses and gets rid of Jeremy Corbyn . If Keir Starmer replaced him, Boris would face a more formidable opponent. There is a fair prospect that the Tories with the wind in their sails could win an overall majority. That’s something for the DUP to ponder at their conference this weekend