Might Rachel Reeves, keen for cash to fill black holes, launch a grab for the King’s wallet?
Crown Estate profits surged by £638million to £1.1billion last year, mainly as a result of increased offshore wind farm income.
The Crown owns most of the seabed around the country. That income is expected to rise substantially as Ed Miliband’s Great British Energy pet project teams up with the Crown Estate to increase wind farm capacity further.
The King’s income from the Sovereign Grant is a percentage of Crown Estate profits – currently 12 per cent – so his income will rise from £86.3million this year to £132million next year and is set to keep rising.
The temptation for Reeves, Sir Keir Starmer‘s Dick Turpin, to plunder the King’s dividend, or break the link to the Crown Estate altogether, must be strong.
Might Rachel Reeves (pictured on Monday) launch a grab for the Crown Estate
The Crown owns most of the seabed around the country. That income is expected to rise substantial amounts of cash as Ed Miliband’s Great British Energy teams up with the Crown Estate to increase wind farm capacity further
Sir Gareth Southgate?
Prince William has emerged as an enthusiastic backer of a knighthood for Gareth Southgate. It is surely a coincidence that Southgate was an Aston Villa legend when William, now patron of the FA, started supporting the club as a schoolboy?
But there is a problem. There was no such lobbying for Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman to get a damehood after she led the team to Euro victory in 2022 and to the Women’s World Cup final last year.
Wiegman, a Dutch national, got an honorary CBE. The Honours Unit, which has to pay careful attention to gender equality these days, is aware of the problems of giving Southgate a K rather than a CBE.
Prince William has emerged as an enthusiastic backer of a knighthood for Gareth Southgate
Nigel Havers jokes about selling private letter from Princess Di
Old charmer Nigel Havers enthuses on ITV: ‘I do know the King and Queen… they’re very loyal about coming to the theatre to see plays I’m in. They’re very, very supportive.’
Yet Havers, who stars in The Bidding Room, also awkwardly admits to owning a ‘personal letter’ from his late friend and admirer Princess Diana – the contents of which he’s never made public.
While denying there was ever a romance between them, Havers has mischievously remarked of said letter: ‘That would be worth selling in The Bidding Room, wouldn’t it?’
Yet Havers, who stars in The Bidding Room, also awkwardly admits to owning a ‘personal letter’ from his late friend and admirer Princess Diana
Huw Edwards‘s downfall prompts him to resign his membership of the Garrick Club.
Couldn’t fellow members and former colleagues Clive Myrie, Jon Sopel and James Naughtie have arranged the ceremonial return of Huw’s salmon and cucumber tie?
Broadcaster Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 31, 2024 in London
When the late Robert Fellowes first met Queen Elizabeth II
The late Queen, remembering her first meeting with her principal courtier Lord Fellowes, who has died, recalled: ‘Robert is the only one of my private secretaries I have held in my arms.’
When he was born, at Sandringham in 1941, Princess Elizabeth was one of the first visitors to bambino Rob’s crib.
Robert Fellowes who died yesterday at the age of 82
The Country Girls rumours debunked
Edna O’Brien’s friend Mary Kenny debunks the received wisdom that The Country Girls author’s books were ever burnt in her native County Clare.
‘No evidence was ever produced, and no witness (even under cover of anonymity) ever came forward,’ says Mary, adding that when Edna was asked she replied: ‘Maybe it was just a very small fire.’
Irish writer Edna O’Brien poses after winning the Femina Foreign Literary Prize 2019 for her book ‘Girl’ in Paris