Privacy

Years ago the absurd European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a sort of soup-kitchen for worthless infrastructure projects all over the continent, opened its doors in London. And very nice doors they were too. The head of this was a Frenchman called Jacques Attali, and when the British Press got on to the fact he had spent £750,000 on marble decoration and the rest of it wasn't..er..too tight a ship, he rushed into the Home Office and demanded that they stop publication of these articles. Attali was astounded when he heard that the British Government had no power to do so. The French, you see, have privacy laws, especially when it comes to the political class.

So it was a bit surprising to hear that a French magazine was going to publish pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing topless on a private holiday. She should have been a bank director.

There is going to be more of this, and I rather think the Duchess' topless sunbathing days, like Prince Harry's strip billiards days, should be declared over.