Читать книгу The Lost Diaries - Craig Brown, Craig Brown - Страница 16

1979 is not getting off to a good start. News of PM’s proposed state of emergency v. depressing. In the morning, I begin to prepare an advisory paper setting out a far-reaching plan for the future well-being of the UK but suddenly it’s midday and time for lunch, so I scribble ‘WHY NOT SELL OFF NORTH SEA OIL’ in big letters and hand it to the PM, making it to the Gay Hussar just in time for lovely chilled wild cherry soup followed by veal goulash with lovely Shirley Williams.

Shirley desperately concerned about child poverty up North. I say how desperately concerned I am about it as well, and tell her that I think Jim is probably desperately concerned too. Tell her the best way to tackle it is to redefine it, thus bringing 95 per cent of all people into category of ‘better off.’ It’s the least we can do to give them a leg-up. Pudding a lovely walnut cheese pancake with extra cream. Shirley suggests I might like to take over the Chairmanship of British Leyland. Back to No. 10 just in time to hear news of economic collapse, then off to Covent Garden for lovely Tosca.

BERNARD DONOUGHUE

Using my special friends-and-family key, I let myself into Buckingham Palace and put my head round the Queen’s sitting-room door.

Elizabeth tells me she’s been hurting dreadfully and has lost her sense of identity. ‘I’m, like, who am I?’ she says. She always turns to me for comfort. She finds me very down to earth. ‘You’re a very caring person, Heather,’ she says. ‘Probably too caring for your own good. When my time comes, I hope they’ll make you Queen. It’s what Diana would have wanted, and to replace me they’ll need someone well known throughout the world for her tireless charity work.’

I’m like, ‘I couldn’t be Queen, that’s not my style, I’m not up to it.’ But she gets me sat down and says, ‘You’ve spent your whole life caring for others, Heather. And it’s time you got them to care for you. You’d fit this throne real beautiful – and what’s more, for all the love you’ve got inside you, you deserve it, love.’

HEATHER MILLS McCARTNEY