Alastair Campbell diaries: Secret war between Tony Blair and Prince Charles
In his new volume of diaries, Campbell reveals the tensions between the two over GM food, hunting and foot and mouth199931 May Prince Charles's office sent through the article he was doing for the Mail tomorrow on GM food, which would be a huge hit. He...
Thanks for coming to Ireland – but we still need a bailout | Colm Toibin
When Colm Toíbín was a boy, his father took him to see John F Kennedy during his visit to Ireland. This week, he met the Queen in Dublin, and next he will watch President Obama fly in. Visiting celebrities are great, but the Irish economy is still a ...
Andrew Morton publishes royal wedding book in record time
William and Kate title in shops within 72 hours of marriagePublisher Michael O'Mara is hoping to make it into the record books after hustling Diana biographer Andrew Morton's book on William and Kate into shops just 72 hours after the couple were marri...
Martin Amis bemoans England’s ‘moral decrepitude’
Novelist despairs of country with 'philistine' royal family where 'celebrity is the new religion' and 'all is rotten inside'Martin Amis has told a French magazine that he "would prefer not to be English", saying that his native country is in a conditio...
Adrian Mole’s royal wedding diary, by Sue Townsend
To mark the royal wedding, Sue Townsend has written an exclusive Adrian Mole story for the ObserverAfter nine volumes of diaries that have followed Adrian Mole through puberty, fatherhood, marriage (several times) and cancer, Sue Townsend's much-loved ...
Royal wedding: Tim Key’s commemorative poem
Comedian Tim Key composes a poem to mark the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince WilliamAsked to write a poem about the royal wedding, Tim Key - Britain's premier composer of awkward yet oddly amusing verse - imagined the rigorous vetting proces...
The cost of Kate Middleton’s confirmation | Alexander Chancellor
The belated ceremony proves that the Church of England welcomes all, even if the royal family does notI cannot help feeling that if Kate Middleton had been serious about her Christian faith, she would have been confirmed in the Church of England at a s...
So what are you doing on royal wedding day?
Five republicans tell us how they will mark 29 April. What are your plans?Will Self NovelistA friend of mine is holding a Fuck the Royal Wedding party, so I might mosey along to that. But my lack of interest in the public beanfest that is the royal we...
Prospect asks: do we want a monarchy? But its poll doesn’t
With the latest royal wedding on the way, Prospect magazine has chosen to ask Do we still want the monarchy?Simon Jenkins kicks off the debate with a predictable, if readable, "yes." Will Self, also as readable as ever, responds with a "no." And Vernon...
‘The royal wedding of the century’ – the novel
A romantic novel cashing in on Wills and Kate hysteria is the greatest piece of royal exploitation prose since The Celestial Voice of DianaRecently, I received an email from a PR agency, which I think you will enjoy reading in full:"Hi Sam, I hope you ...
The stalker who stole Queen Victoria’s underwear
Stalker known as the Boy Jones secretly explored Buckingham Palace three times before he was transported to AustraliaHe is reputed to have sat on Queen Victoria's throne, hidden under her sofa and even stolen her underwear during his secret exploration...
Let Kate Middleton be a princess for our times