Timmy Fisher

The Spectator Podcast: can the royal family survive its makeover?

A steady stream of royal scandals has put the monarchy firmly in the limelight this week. Prince Andrew’s suspicious friendship with the late Jeffery Epstein and the continued controversy over Meghan and Harry’s hypocritical bow to ‘woke’ causes have given the royal press office a lot to think about. But is this latest set of embarrassments indicative of a monarchy losing its grip? Why aren’t the younger royals toeing the line? And is there anything they could do that would risk compromising the Queen’s authority? In this week’s cover article, Jan Moir argues that the younger royals are undermining the gold standard that the Queen has spent 67 years upholding.

Banksy’s stunt wasn’t even original – and why we should support ads on Sydney Opera House

It was announced last week that the woman who bought Banksy’s 'Girl With Balloon' will be going through with the purchase. And who could blame her? The prospect of owning a piece of ‘art history’, as she called it, is an enticing one to any investor, regardless of its condition. The video documenting Banksy’s triumph has clocked over 12 million views since it was uploaded to his Instagram account, and one could certainly argue it highlights the disconnect between the intrinsic value of art and that ascribed to it by ever-changing tastes. But it would be wrong to give artistic credit for what is essentially a publicity stunt. Not least because it's so unoriginal. Does Banksy not know about Jean Tinguely’s 'Study for an End of the World, No.