Adam Helliker
England
Writer and broadcaster; communications and media consultant
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Articles by Adam Helliker
Boris Johnson should 'cool it like 007' Stanley Johnson tells ADAM HELLIKER
Asked how Boris was handling the diplomatic crisis, Stanley said: “My advice is to cool it. Humour is the best way forward. I think a little 70s James Bond humour, like Roger Moore. We need to take this with a little bit of a light touch.” Yet it is that sort of lighthearted approach that Boris has often been previously accused of adopting, with his detractors portraying him as rather a bumbling figure somewhat short on gravitas but long on Wodehousian humour.
Personal attacks towards Esther McVey were softened by Phillip Davies says ADAM HELLIKER
Although she outwardly refused to be cowed, friends of the Work and Pensions Secretary have said she felt deeply hurt by such comments. Some have noted that it was worse for Merseysideborn Miss McVey as she had no marital partner to whom she could turn for support in the face of such antipathy. But that is about to change... Esther, 50, has been discussing marriage with Philip Davies, 46, the Tory MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire, with whom she has had an on-off relationship for five years.
Lady Colin Campbell hits out over clashing Princess Diana plays, says ADAM HELLIKER
This time their differences are over plays not books but the subject of contention is once again Diana. Lady Colin Campbell, whose book Diana In Private was based on secret conversations with the Princess, has written a play including some of what she says are “very sensitive matters” which were not included in her 1992 book.
The Queen's chief dresser Angela Kelly can sway the sovereign, says ADAM HELLIKER
If anyone can sway the sovereign it’s Angela, who has formed a bond with HM that goes well beyond advising – and designing – what she wears. Indeed Liverpudlian divorcée Angela, 65, is often referred to as the Queen’s gatekeeper.
Bafta awards 2018: Host Joanna Lumley to ditch political commentary
The Absolutely Fabulous star says she refuses to jump on the Hollywood bandwagon by wearing black, cracking jokes about President Trump or launching into a heated diatribe over the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal. Joanna, who turns 72 in May, says: “I’m not really going to do any heavy political commentary. For people who do come up and have something to say, it’s absolutely up to them. “It’s their night, not mine.
Royal wedding 2018: Meghan Markle gears to become UK citizen
Then, after the engagement came the next big challenge for the American actress: the process of becoming a British citizen. Now, with 98 days until the wedding in Windsor, I can disclose that Miss Markle has completed the first hurdle, passing the Life in the UK Test, having successfully answered a majority of 24 questions about British traditions, history and everyday life. The 45-minute test requires applicants to score a minimum of 75 per cent to pass.
Fame comes at a price for Jack Whitehall, says ADAM HELLIKER
His mother Hilary says she was unprepared for the effect that Jack becoming a celebrity would have on their family, even though his father Michael moved in showbusiness circles, having been an agent for stars such as Judi Dench and Colin Firth. Mrs Whitehall, herself a former thespian, tells me: “It is fine for the person who wants to be famous but there should be a handbook about the effects of fame on the rest of the children.
The model husband for a legal eagle, says ADAM HELLIKER
Since an on-off romance with singer Mollie King finally fizzled out two years ago, Gandy has been stepping out with lawyer Stephanie Mendoros, who has now moved her knick-knacks into his Fulham home, leading to chatter among the couple’s chums of impending matrimony.
Queen hopes for Zimbabwe to rejoin the Commonwealth
This group of former British colonies has long been an entity close to the monarch’s heart, and she was known to be upset when Zimbabwe was suspended from the organisation in 2003 after its leader, Robert Mugabe, had ignored repeated pleas over human rights abuse. Mugabe’s despotic reign saw the mineral-rich country spiral into chaos, with many of its people reduced to poverty.
Tycoon backs Princess Beatrice's matchmaker role, says ADAM HELLIKER
Bea, 29, has formed an alliance with Jimmy Wales, founder of the online reference site Wikipedia, who is keen to encourage the Princess in her new role as a “business matchmaker”, introducing fledgling companies to potential financial backers.
Meghan and Harry's wedding reception is becoming a complex issue says ADAM HELLIKER
But the couple have already had to give way over a major detail: where their reception is to be held following the service at St George’s Chapel. I understand that the pair had suggested to courtiers they would like the party to be at Frogmore House, which is tucked away in Windsor Home Park and was the setting they chose for their engagement photographs. The stately home, built in 1680, is set in 35 acres of beautiful gardens dotted with follies and a lake.
Windsor to get a makeover ahead of May's royal wedding
The whole town is getting a £2.6million makeover in time for the big day. Local councillors have sanctioned the acceleration of 17 already planned schemes to improve the appearance of Windsor in time for the wedding in St George’s Chapel. “The eyes of the world will be on the town and we want to make sure that Windsor looks like a beautiful place,” says council leader Simon Dudley. The improvements, to be carried out a year earlier than planned, include work on parks, footpaths and signs.
Andrew Morton's Meghan Markle plans could spark a biography 'deluge'
“She has star quality,” enthuses the Dewsbury-born former newspaper royal correspondent. “She’s confident and camera-ready, a dramatic contrast to the blushing, coy royal brides of recent history.” Happily there’s no chance of the slippery Morton getting as close to Meghan as he did with another of his celebrity subjects, Monica Lewinsky.
Prince Harry 's gives Meghan Markle ultimate wedding present
Not a piece of jewellery, a house in the Cotswolds, or the title of duchess – all of which will be hers anyway – but something cuddly and moist-nosed who can share their marital bed (don’t even think about Chelsy or Cressida). Harry wants to give Meghan a dog to make up for the loss of Bogart, a Labrador-shepherd cross who was her first pet, rescued from a shelter.
Will Harry get a garter for his wedding day? Asks ADAM HELLIKER
There is talk in royal circles that the Queen will invest her grandson as a Knight of the Garter, joining the nine other royals who are in the Order, in time for his wedding and for the annual Garter service in June, also held at St George’s Chapel. A while ago, the bracketing together of the terms “Harry” and “garter” would have induced a sinking feeling among royal staff but receiving the honour now would be a mark of his maturity and the beginning of his life as a married man.
A royal diary: The Queen confesses her secrets every night to A DIARY
Each night the sovereign makes time to write a diary in which she records where she has been, family news and her views on those she’s met. Wherever she may be, her staff are instructed not to disturb her as she writes. This insight into HM’s habits comes from globetrotting actor Michael Palin, 74, who heard it when he was invited for a night at Windsor Castle, and was chosen to sit next to the Queen at dinner.
David Cameron is still in no mood to forgive Michael Gove
The former PM is still in no mood to forgive what he sees as Gove’s treachery over not supporting his Remain campaign. The situation remains awkward between the two families, who had been good friends for years and holidayed together. Samantha Cameron has also rebuffed repeated conciliatory approaches from Gove’s wife, journalist Sarah Vine, who is godmother to the Camerons’ seven-year-old daughter Florence.
Loyal bishop defends Queen, says ADAM HELLIKER
Not so, thunders John Bickersteth, 96, the former Bishop of Bath and Wells, of whom HM became very fond when he was appointed to the rather arcane position as her Clerk of the Closet. He defends the monarch’s knowledge of the world as being “unsurpassed” because of the sheer extent of her travels and her access to people preeminent in their fields. “She has met so many millions of people and has known some of them really well,” he says.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could move in the Pride And Prejudice's manor
So it is fitting that Prince Harry, who has been house hunting in the Cotswolds, took Meghan Markle to see Luckington Court in Wiltshire, a manor that was used as Elizabeth Bennet’s family home in the BBC’s series of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. The Regency house, which is up for sale at £7.75million, even has a royal connection: the 156-acre estate was once owned by King Harold.
Sheridan SmithSheridan Smith's new beau Graham Nation has put a spring in her step says AD
“At home it’s just me and my three pugs,” she sighed. “Sometimes I’m scared I’m going to end up as a 70-year-old spinster with hundreds of dogs who lives on a hill and smells of wee.” But now the Lincolnshire-born actress, 36, has a spring in her step, thanks to the muscular attentions of a new beau, Graham Nation, an American hair stylist and sometime model. The pair have been sharing suppers at a vegan restaurant close to her home and have also spent a long weekend in Paris.
Lady C intimately examining the Queen's marriage, says ADAM HELLIKER
Lady C's last biography caused apoplexy among the Royal Family with its lurid revelations about the late Queen Mother. “I am writing a book about all aspects of Elizabeth’s time with Prince Philip,” Lady Campbell, known as Georgie, tells me.
My James was right all along on Europe, says ADAM HELLIKER
So how would the late tycoon feel about the protracted negotiations surrounding the UK’s exit from the EU? Lady Annabel Goldsmith is in no doubt about how frustrated her husband would be over the two-year transition period after Britain leaves in 2019. “Jimmy would have been maddened by how long it’s taking,” she tells me.
Doctor Foster’s Suranne Jones may meet the McCanns for new TV role
The Manchester-born actress is to star in a West End stage production of Frozen, a drama about a girl who goes missing as she’s on her way to visit her grandmother. The disappearance is seen through the eyes of three characters: the mother; a serial killer who admits to kidnapping the girl, and a psychiatrist who examines the crime.
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