Mary Killen

Mary Killen writes The Spectator's Dear Mary column.

Dear Mary, what do you do when you can't read the replies to a wedding invitation?

23 May 2015 9:00 am

Q. How can I discipline inconsiderate people who do not reply properly to wedding invitations? I am being driven demented…

Your problems solved

21 May 2015 1:00 pm

Q. How can I discipline inconsiderate people who do not reply properly to wedding invitations? I am being driven demented…

Dear Mary: How can I make my shy friend’s generosity plain?

16 May 2015 9:00 am

Q. I have a friend who can be shy and inhibited. Recently, he was invited to stay on a Caribbean…

Your problems solved

14 May 2015 1:00 pm

Q. I have a friend who can be shy and inhibited. Recently, he was invited to stay on a Caribbean…

Dear Mary: How to cope with London Library overcrowding

9 May 2015 9:00 am

Q. As a writer I find working at home too distracting. I am a longstanding member of the London Library…

Your problems solved

7 May 2015 1:00 pm

Q. As a writer I find working at home too distracting. I am a longstanding member of the London Library…

Dear Mary: How to buy dinner for high net worth individuals

2 May 2015 9:00 am

Q. Six months ago I invited some old friends to be my guests at a reunion dinner. We all love…

Dear Mary

30 April 2015 1:00 pm

Q. Six months ago I invited some old friends to be my guests at a reunion dinner. We all love…

Dear Mary: How to give a dinner party and still get an early night

25 April 2015 9:00 am

Q. I socialise in Shropshire every weekend and regularly give dinners which end at 2 a.m., but it’s a different matter…

Your problems solved

23 April 2015 1:00 pm

Q. I socialise in Shropshire every weekend and regularly give dinners which end at 2 a.m., but it’s a different matter…

Dear Mary: How can I stop friends calling without warning?

18 April 2015 9:00 am

Q. I have moved from London to the centre of a historic market town, now becoming famous as a foodie…

Dear Mary

16 April 2015 1:00 pm

Q. I have moved from London to the centre of a historic market town, now becoming famous as a foodie…

Dear Mary: How can I keep my retiring husband out of the house?

11 April 2015 9:00 am

Q. For ten years, I have made a reasonable freelance income working from home. During this time my husband has…

Dear Mary

9 April 2015 1:00 pm

Q. For ten years, I have made a reasonable freelance income working from home. During this time my husband has…

Dear Mary: How I can I avoid being invited to any more country house weekends?

4 April 2015 9:00 am

Q. Someone I was at university with but hadn’t seen much of over the ten years since invited me to…

Your problems solved

2 April 2015 2:00 pm

Q. Someone I was at university with but hadn’t seen much of over the ten years since invited me to…

Dear Mary

28 March 2015 9:00 am

Q. When sending wedding invitations, does one put the full titles on the card, or can one just put, for…

Dear Mary

26 March 2015 3:00 pm

Q. When sending wedding invitations, does one put the full titles on the card, or can one just put, for…

Dear Mary: What can I do to make couples split the bill fairly?

21 March 2015 9:00 am

Q. I’m a single bloke now and for various reasons don’t foresee any change to that status. I have moved…

Your problems solved

19 March 2015 3:00 pm

Q. I’m a single bloke now and for various reasons don’t foresee any change to that status. I have moved…

Dear Mary: When is it all right not to bring something to a dinner party?

14 March 2015 9:00 am

Q. A wonderful and generous woman invites me, on a regular basis, to dinner parties at her house. What is…

Dear Mary: I know an interior designer socially, but is it acceptable to ask her advice?

7 March 2015 9:00 am

Q. A close friend is dating a renowned decorator. Meanwhile, on a limited budget, I am trying to smarten up…

Dear Mary: How can I lie about my age and still use my Senior Railcard?

28 February 2015 9:00 am

Q. I was not brought up in England and don’t appear in Who’s Who. This means that there is no…

Dear Mary: How can I stop my elderly host making the bed?

21 February 2015 9:00 am

Q. I have regularly stayed with a hospitable friend in London but now hesitate to invite myself. She is seventy-something…

What do you do about a friend who cannot make a request directly?

14 February 2015 9:00 am

Q. I have a friend with multiple sclerosis. She lives alone in the countryside. There is no bus service and,…