He was fluent in French and German by the time he was 15, mastered Spanish and rudimentary Russian soon thereafter, and flew a jet fighter when still only 18, before becoming Reuters correspondent in Paris and, later, in Berlin.
He also fitted in occasional missions for ‘The Firm’ – the British Secret Service – and plotted a ground-breaking blockbuster, after undertaking rigorous research.
But, in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s miraculous escape from death, The Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth, tells me that he despairs of security agencies the world over – in particular, their failure to learn, or remember, a fundamental truth.
‘The sniper is still a formidable enemy,’ he points out. ‘I’ve lost count of murdered politicians since I tapped ‘the day of the Jackal was over’ onto the last page.
‘What Trump’s escape shows is the uselessness of close-body protectors against the rifle, when you’ve failed to secure the area,’ adds Forsyth, 85, who is, understandably, struck by an extraordinary similarity in Trump’s survival and that of the French president in his novel from 54 years ago – a very slight movement of the head.
‘The sniper is still a formidable enemy’, The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth points out
The Day Of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth (pictured in 2017)
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Forsyth argues that the US’s Secret Service has been undermined by prizing quotas above ability. ‘They’ve become civil servants. They’d actually seen the guy lining up his shot and just waited, apparently thinking, ‘How interesting’.’
The sole criterion for selection should be ability, adds Forsyth, who has contributed a chapter to Vampire Boys, Charlotte Bailey’s book about the RAF jet which Forsyth flew. It lacked an ejector seat. ‘You fly in it…or you die in it,’ he and his contemporaries were told.
‘Eighty per cent failed the medical. Those who got through went through tests on aptitude, dexterity, hand-to-eye co-ordination.’ Psychological assessment by interview followed. ‘A further 19 per cent failed.’
But Forsyth wonders whether performance will prevail over political correctness and inertia. He assumed that the primitive passport fraud he outlined in The Day of the Jackal would be followed by its speedy elimination. Not a bit of it.
‘The KGB used it, the Mafia used it, the IRA probably used it,’ he reflects. ‘Nothing was done for 30 years. Bureaucratic idiocy.’
The naked truth about Edo ex’s steamy secret
Dara Huang, the mother of Princess Beatrice’s stepson Wolfie, has a confession: she’s a voyeur.
The U.S.-born architect designs many penthouses, even though she’s afraid of heights.
‘Why do I always get the penthouse?’ muses the former fiancee of Bea’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
‘It’s because [developers] want the wow effect, the money shot.’ She adds: ‘I like the aspiration of the penthouse. The view is unbeatable and the sense of privacy up here when you have a really busy street.
‘I’m into this idea of empowerment. What’s really a priceless way to live is to walk around naked in your own space — I’m a bit voyeuristic.
‘I often do bathtubs in front of huge glass windows, and I don’t put a curtain there.’
Cripes!
Dara Huang (pictured in July), the mother of Princess Beatrice’s stepson Wolfie, has a confession: she’s a voyeur
Dara Huang, 41, who was in a relationship with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi between 2015 and 2018, shares eight-year-old Wolfie with her ex, who is now married to Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice’s stepson Wolfie looked adorable as he made his first appearance at a royal engagement at the Princess of Wales’ Westminister Abbey carol concert in December 2023
The smart set’s talking about… the Royal Family’s latest brainbox
Prince William met his wife at St Andrews in Scotland, but Eloise Taylor is flying the flag for another university.
Eloise, 21, is the first member of the Royal Family to graduate from Manchester University.
Her brother, Cassius, 27, a DJ, shared this photo taken after her graduation ceremony last week.
Eloise is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin the Duke of Kent and a daughter of Lady Helen Taylor and art dealer Timothy Taylor.
Mamma Mia! Drag act is icing on the cake for Jeremy and bride
War Horse star Jeremy Irvine has revealed that he secretly married Jodie Spencer, a midwife, in May.
‘As soon as we got married, I had to return to Scotland,’ says the Mamma Mia 2 actor, 34, who has been filming the Outlander prequel, Blood Of My Blood, north of the border.
Speaking at the Pangaia store opening in Carnaby Street, he tells me: ‘I only just got back to London, so I’m back to be her husband.’
Of their big day, he says: ‘We had a lovely small, intimate wedding with our friends and family in Somerset.’
Jodie says: ‘We added a bit of theatrics with a drag queen.’
The couple have yet to go on a honeymoon, but Irvine hopes to mix business with pleasure: ‘My next job is in Italy, so it could be worse.’
War Horse star Jeremy Irvine has revealed that he secretly married Jodie Spencer, a midwife, in May
Happy couple: Jeremy and Jodie cut their cake and (above) their wedding surprise
Jeremy Irvine and Jodie Spencer attend the Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo on June 12, 2022
Never let it be said that the King can’t enjoy a laugh at his own expense.
A Channel Five documentary, Highgrove House: A Royal Residence, featured footage of several busts of His Majesty at different stages of his life which are in the gardens of his Gloucestershire home.
Former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe told the programme: ‘I remember Charles saying, ‘What do you think of the busts?’
‘Well, I’m no art critic, so I couldn’t really say anything, but I said, ‘What’s interesting sir is the sculptors always see you differently. I mean, not one sculpture is the same.’
‘And he said, ‘I know, but you know what the common denominator is? They always get my bloody ears right’.’
Some cheering news at last for hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey, who took a £37 million hit after the firm he founded was wound down following sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies, against him.
I hear that his son, Felix Odey, 30, has got engaged to an NHS doctor, Ana Clayton-Smith.
Felix followed his father into finance and is a fund manager at Schroders.
Why Wallis means business
Hollywood’s MeToo movement has helped bring in measures including intimacy coordinators to make actresses feel safe on set. Yet British model and actress Wallis Day has her own measures to ensure she avoids unwanted attention.
‘I’m there for the work — not for the drama,’ she tells me at a London party. ‘I do my work and go home to bed when I finish. I don’t linger on set.’
Wallis, 29, is due to star in the forthcoming remake of Red Sonja, the 1985 swords-and-sorcery film starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
British model and actress Wallis Day at Fashion Week, Paris, on June 25
Marquess and seats of power…
When the Marquess of Cholmondeley was replaced as Lord Great Chamberlain after Queen Elizabeth’s death, it looked like he was losing his intimate connection with the monarchy.
He and his wife, Rose, could not, however, remain closer to the seat of power. For the couple, who are friends and Norfolk neighbours of the Prince and Princess of Wales, continue to provide the Chair of State and the Consort Throne on which King Charles and Queen Camilla were seated at the State Opening of Parliament this week.
‘Although Lord Carrington is the new Lord Great Chamberlain, the chairs belong to David,’ a friend tells me. The furniture has now been returned to David and Rose’s stately home, Houghton Hall.
(Very) modern manners
Once upon a time, couples announced they were engaged and a wedding date soon followed. Now, pop star Annie Lennox’s daughter Lola is celebrating the anniversary of their engagement.
This week, Lola, 33, a singer who is due to marry Canadian model Braeden Wright, 36, has been marking her ‘engagement-iversary’. ‘Why not celebrate a year of being engaged?’ asks Lola.