According to Charles Moore writing in The Spectator, the Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell is intending to hang a portrait of his missus in the reception hall of his offices.
Moore wrote: “Mitchell ordered the flag be flown for Prince Philip’s 90th birthday and that a full-length portrait of his wife be hung.”
This seemed rather odd, until I realised suddenly that Moore’s reference was not to Mrs Mitchell but to Her Majesty The Queen.
‘His wife’ — is this really a proper way to speak of our monarch? I think not.
While The Queen herself famously uses the phrase “my husband and I”, I hardly imagine the Duke of Edinburgh would speak (in public at least) of “my wife”, still less of “’er indoors” or “the ball and chain”.
Maintaining a proper degree of respect when referring to royalty can quite often be a tricky business.
The late Princess Margaret, for instance, could be decidedly frosty with those who dared to “Margaret” her before she considered they had a right to. “Your Royal Highness to you,” she would snap.
It is also said that she began seriously to doubt whether Group Captain Peter Townsend would ‘do’ as a husband after he committed the faux pas of referring to King George VI as “your father”.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here