WE know how much Prince Harry misses his mum. He told us so this week at the Diana Awards, set up in her honour, on what would have been her 58th birthday. Diana was the empty chair at Harry’s wedding, and would have been the first one at Meghan’s bedside to smother her fourth grandchild […]
WE know how much Prince Harry misses his mum.
He told us so this week at the Diana Awards, set up in her honour, on what would have been her 58th birthday.
Diana was the empty chair at Harry’s wedding, and would have been the first one at Meghan’s bedside to smother her fourth grandchild in kisses and cuddles.
She would have been so excited today, getting ready for Archie’s christening and, I believe, would have had a quiet but firm word with Harry and Meghan in the run-up to this special day.
I totally understand that they want the actual ceremony to be a private affair and to have those precious moments with their little baby boy and close friends only.
But they are also members of the Royal Family and everybody wants to see TV footage and photos of the occasion.
They have spent an absolute fortune on doing up Frogmore Cottage and will continue to lavish public money on their home to make it perfect and secure.
I reckon they were both taken by surprise by the backlash about the refurbishment. Perhaps they feel aggrieved by the bad publicity and have decided to pull up the drawbridge to keep us all out today.
It doesn’t work like that.
Diana, who knew all about public perception and how to deal with the media, would have advised them to counteract the criticism by making sure that Archie’s christening was an event the whole country could enjoy.
There would have been no question of the names of godparents being kept secret, or photos of such a big occasion only being released on Harry and Meghan’s carefully controlled Instagram account.
Diana would have known that images of a cute baby and his doting parents, with guests all done up to the nines, would take the heat off the negative stories surrounding the Frogmore building work.
I’m sure Meghan has been bruised by some of the, frankly, racist and utterly vile comments on social media, as well as the upsetting and ongoing feud with her family — apart from her mum, Doria.
Not even Diana would have been able to silence those hideous trolls, but her wise counsel would have stopped the Markle clan from being a thorn in Meghan’s side.
Even before the engagement announcement, Diana would have flown over to the USA and entranced Thomas Markle.
I have no doubt Diana would have given him a masterclass in dealing with the media.
There would have been no clumsy staged paparazzi shots and Thomas Markle would have proudly walked his daughter down the aisle.
Diana, would have been on hand with advice about the announcement of baby Archie’s arrival, which was all a bit messy.
She would have been a staunch ally to Meghan and helped her navigate the choppy waters of royal protocol, and been a terrific sounding board for any worries the new mum might encounter.
Diana would have been a cheerleader for Harry and Meghan’s plans to make a difference both here and in Africa and supported their plans to spend half the year in Botswana with baby Archie, albeit with assurances that “Granny Di” could pop over for regular visits.
I understand Harry and Meghan want to protect their little boy and allow him to grow up leading as “normal” a life as possible, but they really can’t have it both ways.
Either they are private citizens and pay for their own loft extension, or they are royals and have to share the big events in their lives with the rest of the world. Diana would have helped them achieve that balance.
It’s a crying shame she isn’t here, but I truly hope Harry and Meghan have a joyful time today and maybe even change their minds and give us all a peek at the celebrations.
FIFTY years ago, Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon and the world was in awe.
As a ten-year-old watching this “giant leap for mankind” I genuinely believed that we had taken the first small step into the unknown and were boldly going “where no one had gone before”.
I did a primary school project on the first manned voyage to Mars, which we reckoned would take place in 1984 – nothing seemed impossible.
In the years before the Moon landing, we watched Star Trek and thought we’d be living that TV series for real.
There was to have been a lunar base, and from there we would explore the solar system and eventually the rest of the universe.
Of course none of this came to pass, except in our imaginations and sci-fi films.
Scientists had the curiosity and the imagination but, sadly, the general public lost interest.
After the space shuttle disasters in 1986 and 2003 that killed 14 crew members, politicians got cold feet and the manned missions were shelved.
This loss of life was tragic but, ever since we started exploring space, astronauts have always paid the ultimate price.
Even the Apollo 11 Moon landing came close to disaster.
This week sees the release of Armstrong, an astonishing documentary about the first man on the Moon.
Watching the footage, you will gain a new-found respect for this rare breed of human beings.
Hopefully it will ignite a new passion among this current generation to once again travel into space.
If we don’t seek out “new life and new civilisations”, then what are we actually here for?
THE biggest kid of all in the life of Coleen Rooney would appear to be her husband.
She’s returned home with her four boys and left Wayne in the US with a list of strict instructions most mums would leave for their stroppy teenage sons.
Wayne has been warned that there is to be no boozing, no wild parties and he has to phone Coleen every day to check in with her so she can be reassured he really is behaving himself.
No wonder the poor lass has to have so many holidays.
Looking after FIVE boisterous boys must be utterly exhausting.
I AM more than a little bit in love with Suranne Jones as “Gentleman Jack”.
This cracking drama based on the real-life 19th century lesbian Anne Lister is witty, wicked and, at times, impossibly sad.
Anne was a bold pioneer trying to find her place in life.
At a time when women were kept firmly in their place and either treated like imbeciles or fragile pieces of bone china, she was a sharp businesswoman who owned her own land and took no s**t.
When it came to matters of the heart, however, Anne was achingly vulnerable and badly let down by the women she loved.
It’s the last episode tomorrow but, if you have missed out, you can catch up on BBC iPlayer and a second series has already been commissioned.
CAROL Vorderman has the sort of figure that would make Jessica Rabbit turn pea green with envy – proper gorgeous, voluptuous curves.
She told me it’s all down to doing thousands of squats, walking for miles in the countryside and the side-effects of the menopause.
Under that regime, most of us would end up with rock-hard flat buttocks, sore feet and horrific night sweats.
GAIL Porter famously once had her derrière beamed on to the Houses of Parliament.
It actually made a refreshing change to see a backside on the outside of the building, instead of the usual arses who inhabit the interior.
Back then, Gail was at the height of her fame as a TV presenter and lads’ mag favourite.
It looked as though she was living the dream, but the poor girl was suffering horribly inside.
She’s had well documented mental health issues including being diagnosed as bipolar, and suffering with anorexia and anxiety.
At one point, in deep despair, she even tried to take her own life.
Possibly due to all the stress, Gail’s hair fell out and never grew back.
It’s not been an easy road, but I am delighted this irrepressible and beautiful woman has bounced back.
She’s now in a good place and keen to help others who have been through similar experiences.
Gail has teamed up with The Samaritans, an organisation that has helped her in the past, to ask us all to take part in a marathon.
The good news is you can take the whole of July to reach 26 miles.
That’s under a mile a day and you can run, jog or walk.
Build up your miles in your nearest park, going to work on foot or just out for a stroll.
For more information on the Samarathon, see Samaritans.org.
