Royal family
The royals should embody virtue – not signal it
ONE should not be censorious if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex fly in private jets to their holidays, though…
By royal disappointment: Meghan and Harry’s behaviour is undermining the monarchy
August on Royal Deeside. Soft rain falls without cease on the Caledonian pine forests, it soaks into the ancient peatlands…
We need the monarchy more than ever
One part of our unwritten constitution has been functioning perfectly during the Brexit upheaval: the monarchy. Unhappy behaviour by some…
A hotel dressed like the Queen Mother: Siren at the Goring reviewed
The Goring is a tiny grand hotel near Victoria Station and the Queen’s garden wall. Victoria is not pleasant —…
Portrait of the week: Boris’s barney, a stink at Southern Water and a pricy royal renovation
Home A neighbour of Boris Johnson, 55 (a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative party and hence for the…
Will more babies be called Archie now the royals have chosen it?
Royal name games Will more children be called Archie following the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son?…
A royal baby reminds us why the monarchy matters
Strictly in terms of its implications for the succession, the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son this…
How the cult of victimhood took hold of the royal family
Over the centuries, the British royal family have been many things: conquerors, vanquishers, tyrants and buffoons. They have been denied…
Watch Paxo set a new PB for lip-curling: Paxman On The Queen’s Children reviewed
You might well expect a royal documentary on Channel 5 to be unashamedly gossipy. You might also expect it to…
Poking fun at the royals is good for the monarchy
Isn’t Meghan fabulous? Hasn’t she totally brought the monarchy into the 21st century? Doesn’t she make Kate look like such…
Harry, Meghan and the irresistible rise of the glamocracy
The world may be dazzled by Prince Harry marrying a divorced, mixed-race American TV star. But his grand friends and…
Meghan Markle ticks almost every modern box. Let’s not pretend she’s a tough sell
We are congratulating ourselves and the royal family on overcoming prejudice by welcoming Meghan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry. But…
Is a Princess Meghan really such good news?
‘The thing is,’ said my friend, after the broadcast of the engagement interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, ‘you…
Thanks to Diana, the royals are done for
We are approaching an important royal anniversary, which I trust will be marked with a display of the appropriate reverence…
Diana the diva
Twenty years in August since Diana died. The anniversary is sad for me on many levels — she was definitely…
The Spectator’s Notes
For some time now, banks have wielded hamfistedly the concept of the ‘politically exposed person’. They have withdrawn bank accounts…
Diary
The Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations start this week with the real thing and barely stop until her official birthday in…
How to save the monarchy
The Prince of Wales has become a threat to the institution he ought to uphold. He should renounce the throne in advance
Low life
Roy was a superb mechanic, a methodical master of his trade. For an hour I respectfully watched him work to…
The secret brilliance of Prince Philip’s ‘gaffes’
I’ve just been on the receiving end of a Prince Philip gaffe, of sorts, and I loved it. It was…
N.M. Gwynne’s diary: Old names worth dropping
As I get older (and my 74th birthday is now close), I get deeper and deeper into nostalgia. I do…
All those boardroom codes still can’t catch rogues and incompetents
Sir Adrian Cadbury, who has died aged 86, is remembered as the author in 1992 of a first stab at…
Long life
I wrote last week about a swarm of bees that had attached itself to a wall of my house, as…
Charlotte
It could have been much worse. Someone had pointed out that among the new baby’s ancestors was Queen Violant of…
Palace Notebook
The day of my investiture at Buckingham Palace dawned bringing freezing rain and fierce winds, which lashed at the windows…
