Alexander Larman is an author and the US books editor of The Spectator.
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In January 1559 an Italian envoy wrote of Elizabeth I’s coronation that ‘they are preparing for [the ceremony] and work both day and night’. More than four and a half centuries later much the same could be said of the imminent investiture of Charles III – an event overshadowed, at the time of writing, by
For the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Paris wasn’t the hardship it might have been
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In our risk-averse, deeply fearful age, the idea of one of the most popular shows on any streaming service being a black comedy about a serial killer who has an unfortunate penchant for murdering the women he falls in love with might be something of a tough sell. But the bloody exploits of Joe Goldberg,
It may be heresy to say, but he seems to be running out of ideas
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What are Prince Harry’s pronouns? The obvious ones, of course, are ‘he/him’, but the mischievous might suggest that ‘heir/spare’ are just as likely. In either case, the Duke of Sussex has struck most of the world as a man who is in touch – if perhaps not through his own volition – with contemporary gender
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On the podcast: The Spectator’s economics editor Kate Andrews looks back on a week of economic turbulence and asks whether we should be worried, for her cover piece in the magazine. She is joined by the economist – and former ‘Trussketeer’ – Julian Jessop, to discuss whether we are entering a new era of economic uncertainty
Despite Jimmy Kimmel’s and Hugh Grant’s best efforts, this wasn’t a memorable affair
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For all of Harry and Meghan’s near-constant talk about needing their privacy, it is an unfortunate running theme that their every single action seems designed to elicit both headline inches and discussion as to what they’re going to do next. It also appears, alas, that their entire family are fair game for this kind of
The Republican Governator of California no longer
These films might not reach the Academy Awards, but they have an adoring fan base
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Will they or won’t they? I’m talking, of course, about whether or not Harry and Meghan will attend the King’s coronation in May. A statement from the couple suggests that, despite reports to the contrary, the couple have been invited: ‘I can confirm the Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty’s office regarding
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In the eighteenth century, the well-to-do and prurient enjoyed visiting London’s most notorious hospital, Bedlam, to gaze at its patients. Today, we have replaced this unwholesome activity with a live-streamed therapy session between Prince Harry and the so-called ‘trauma expert’ Gabor Maté, the Canadian author of The Myth of Normal. Maté is both an acknowledged
Ian Fleming’s estate, though ultimately wrong, has tackled the issue with circumspection
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When Prince Harry appeared on the Stephen Colbert show earlier this week, he deviated from his usual pained ‘my family have wronged me’ routine and attempted to strike a lighter note. He told the no doubt surprised host that his favourite smell was Meghan Markle, expressed a penchant for cheese and ham toasties with Dijon
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With the coronation a mere two months away, the ‘will they, won’t they’ speculation about the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the ceremony has taken on a new twist. If they come to London, they will not have anywhere to stay: officially, at least. It has been revealed that Frogmore Cottage,
The popular film did not go over well in its home country
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In 1969, Henry Beard and Douglas Kenney, future founders of National Lampoon, published a satirical takedown of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, entitled Bored of the Rings. It holds up remarkably well today as a closely observed parody of Tolkien’s more windy stylistic tics. One critic, David Bratman, remarked: ‘Those parodists wrought better than they knew. I think it
His books and television adaptations keep coming, but we know little of J.R.R. Tolkien’s life
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Is it wise for King Charles to get dragged into the Brexit deal row? European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is in Windsor today to sign off on an agreement over post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland. Afterwards, von der Leyen will meet the King for tea at Windsor Castle. Such a meeting – at
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‘As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a TikTok sensation.’ This is not – blessedly – how Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis begins. But almost exactly a century after his death, the Bohemian writer would be astonished to find that not only had his friend and literary executor