Royal family
Portrait of the week
Home The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine began, rather slowly, to be given to some old people in hospital and health workers.…
The Spectator’s Notes
My inbox is crowded with messages from Old Etonians attacking Simon Henderson, the headmaster of Eton. They are furious that…
Marriage of inconvenience
‘We have to stop it now!’ says Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter), smoking another cigarette, obviously. She’s talking about the…
Royal Notebook
Not since the befuddled twilight of George III has a monarch been confined to Windsor Castle for such a duration.…
Case history
Boris’s new permanent secretary is a complicated choice for No. 10
Portrait of the Week
Home The number of people with the coronavirus disease Covid-19 who had died in hospitals by the beginning of the…
Portrait of the week
Home At the beginning of the week 319 people in the United Kingdom had been found to be suffering from…
Harry and Meghan’s farewell tour
Farewell tours tend to be the preserve of ageing rock stars. Royals, cut from the cloth of Elizabeth Windsor, are…
Portrait of the Week
Home The government told Britons returning from 11 quarantined towns in northern Italy to isolate themselves, for fear of spreading…
Barometer
What a hole The World Health Organisation added processed meats to its list of ‘known’ carcinogens. A few of the…
Portrait of the week
Home The Budget, still scheduled for 11 March, had to be rewritten after Rishi Sunak was made Chancellor of the…
Step back
At this time of year in Colorado the crime of puffing is widespread. It is so cold that in the…
Barometer
Parliamentary motions The government floated the idea of moving the House of Lords permanently to York. Until it was found…
Family matters
There are as many explanations for Harry and Meghan’s problems with the royal family as there are commentators. May as…
Letters
Royal travails Sir: The travails of the royal family outlined by Penny Junor (‘In check’, 18 January) may be public…
Portrait of the week: Harry and Meghan quit, America avoids war and the Labour leadership race begins
Home The Queen agreed to ‘a period of transition’ during which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would spend time…
How can Harry and Meghan cash in?
Royal flush The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have registered the trademark ‘Sussex Royal’ as part of their plan to…
Letters: I was once on Prince Harry’s side. Not any more
On child care Sir: Your recent editorial deplores, among other things, the cost of child care, to which you attribute…
We want one thing from our royals: patriotism
There is a fascinating social media group which I think we should all join. It is called ‘DeMOCKracy — 2019…
Is slimming down the monarchy the only way to save it?
The crisis that has engulfed the royal family, sparked by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell announcement that they…
Warring Windsors: the real royal conflict is between Charles and his sons
Three years ago, Sir Christopher Geidt departed as the Queen’s private secretary. For years, he had done much to hold…
Britain and the Royals must do more for Australians in their hour of need
In the Netflix series The Crown an entire episode is dedicated to the disaster at Aberfan. More than 100 people…
Anne Glenconner: My Christmas gift from Queen Mary
At the age of 87 I find myself not just a first-time author, but a bestseller. I’ve always told stories,…
Gay giraffes and dead in ditches: The Spectator 2019 quiz
They said it In 2019, who said: 1. ‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood.’ 2. ‘I didn’t sweat…
Koo d’etat
From 16 October 1982: Prince Andrew’s Caribbean holiday with Miss Koo Stark (following, perhaps prompted by, months of all-male company…
