Page 5 | Royal reporters

CurlewKate · 2025-07-31T11:02:05+00:00

Just heard an interesting/depressing thing about the slimyness of old school royal reporting. Apparently, James Whittaker (well known to us older people) couldn’t get close access to Charles and Diana while they were on holiday so sat on a cliff watching them on a yacht through binoculars. After 8 hours without them exchanging a word, he drew the conclusion that their marriage was in trouble….and broke the story. Those were the days-they had to suffer for their stories!🤣

CoffeeCantata · 01/08/2025 22:10

Tezza1 · 01/08/2025 21:57

@CoffeeCantata Much as I absolutely love Kingsley Amis's writing, I have read a few books about him plus his memoirs and he sounds like he must have been incredibly charismatic for anyone to put up with him and his intolerable behaviour. His poor first wife. Still they made for amusing reading and his writings are still great.

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Yes - he must have been great company in many ways - but I think he saw it as a man’s world. Women were there to facilitate his wishes. He led his wives a merry dance but when the booze and fags caught up with him he had a sad and lonely old age. But his memoirs are hilarious!

The memoirs of badly-behaved people are always interested reading.

FightingFish · 01/08/2025 23:00

James Whittaker died in 2012, his journalism was just a reflection of the job at the time. Now celebrity/royal journalism seems to involve mainly scrolling through social media accounts and writing opinion pieces about the contents.

Diana was seen crying at a public events and her and Charlie often looked distant. It didn’t need Columbo (or James Whittaker) to work out that they weren’t happy as a pair.

Tezza1 · 02/08/2025 03:06

@CoffeeCantata I don't want to de-rail, but I love KA, and so seldom get chance to talk about him. I can't remember where I read it, but someone claimed he stayed living with Elizabeth Jane Howard even though by then he loathed her, simply because it was preferable to living alone. Didn't he ultimately move in with his first wife and her new husband in a boarder style situation because he didn't want to be by himself? "The Old Devils" really felt like it reflected (not the right word) him at that stage in his life.

Don't like Martin Amis at all.

And now, I'll slink off and leave you alone.

CoffeeCantata · 02/08/2025 07:22

Tezza1 · 02/08/2025 03:06

@CoffeeCantata I don't want to de-rail, but I love KA, and so seldom get chance to talk about him. I can't remember where I read it, but someone claimed he stayed living with Elizabeth Jane Howard even though by then he loathed her, simply because it was preferable to living alone. Didn't he ultimately move in with his first wife and her new husband in a boarder style situation because he didn't want to be by himself? "The Old Devils" really felt like it reflected (not the right word) him at that stage in his life.

Don't like Martin Amis at all.

And now, I'll slink off and leave you alone.

Digression warning! Sorry pps…

Ooh thank you! Yes, a fascinating character. I think his first wife, Hilary, who later married Lord Kilmarnock (an impoverished aristo - no castle, just a not very posh house in London) was the one he moved back in with. He had money in later life but was ill and lonely so the arrangement suited them all.

KA later regretted his first marriage breaking up and focused his dislike quite unfairly on poor Elizabeth Jane (she had a bad time with him but for different reasons than Hilary). Martin said that his father could not be alone in a house after dark and if his wife was away, Martin had to travel to stay the night with him. I think KA had had a spooky experience at one point which traumatised him - and he based The Green Man on this.

A fascinating and complex man. He was clearly very hedonistic in his early years but managed to write his novels and teach successfully at Swansea and Cambridge, so that can’t be the whole picture. His family life and children were neglected and particularly his daughter Sally, I think.

CoffeeCantata · 02/08/2025 07:32

FightingFish · 01/08/2025 23:00

James Whittaker died in 2012, his journalism was just a reflection of the job at the time. Now celebrity/royal journalism seems to involve mainly scrolling through social media accounts and writing opinion pieces about the contents.

Diana was seen crying at a public events and her and Charlie often looked distant. It didn’t need Columbo (or James Whittaker) to work out that they weren’t happy as a pair.

At least one of their tours was disastrous in terms of making their mutual dislike extremely obvious. It was excruciatingly embarrassing to observe and I think the Queen intervened at some point and suggested they come to a formal decision and announce a separation. If that’s wrong please correct me!

No-one needed binoculars.

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CurlewKate · 02/08/2025 08:18

Tezza1 · 02/08/2025 03:06

@CoffeeCantata I don't want to de-rail, but I love KA, and so seldom get chance to talk about him. I can't remember where I read it, but someone claimed he stayed living with Elizabeth Jane Howard even though by then he loathed her, simply because it was preferable to living alone. Didn't he ultimately move in with his first wife and her new husband in a boarder style situation because he didn't want to be by himself? "The Old Devils" really felt like it reflected (not the right word) him at that stage in his life.

Don't like Martin Amis at all.

And now, I'll slink off and leave you alone.

I didn’t know KA was married to EJH! The things you learn on Royal Family threads-I thought it was only the rules about coronets -which is, to be fair, equally fascinating….

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Buxusmortus · 02/08/2025 10:24

CurlewKate · 02/08/2025 08:18

I didn’t know KA was married to EJH! The things you learn on Royal Family threads-I thought it was only the rules about coronets -which is, to be fair, equally fascinating….

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Her autobiography is well worth reading. She was also married to Sir Peter Scott, son of the explorer Captain Scott, and had relationships and affairs with various other well-known men. Her description of her marriage to KA is eye-opening.

NewAgeNewMe · 02/08/2025 10:32

Everyday is a school day as they say. It’s sad about C&D but it was such a mismatch as I think they were both looking for something the other couldn’t give.

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CurlewKate · 02/08/2025 10:54

Buxusmortus · 02/08/2025 10:24

Her autobiography is well worth reading. She was also married to Sir Peter Scott, son of the explorer Captain Scott, and had relationships and affairs with various other well-known men. Her description of her marriage to KA is eye-opening.

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Just looked her up-it’s amazing she had time to write anything…..

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CoffeeCantata · 02/08/2025 13:25

CurlewKate · 02/08/2025 08:18

I didn’t know KA was married to EJH! The things you learn on Royal Family threads-I thought it was only the rules about coronets -which is, to be fair, equally fascinating….

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I recommend reading a biography, Curlew, because whatever you think about KA, his story is fascinating. He was very much the old-fashioned MCP and I wouldn’t have wanted to be married to him, but as with everyone, he’s complex and obviously a successful writer and academic.

Both his wives had a rough deal while the going was good for him but his lifestyle caught up with him eventually and his final years were rather sad.