An increasing number of people receive a birthday card from the monarch to celebrate reaching the age of 100, but not many can boast that they had it delivered personally by King Charles.
That is, however, what happened on Tuesday. I can disclose.
The King made a secret visit to a house in north London to present a card to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch.
She is a cellist whose life has been truly remarkable.
She is the last remaining survivor of the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz. At the age of 19, she was interviewed by the BBC on 15 April 1945, the day of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen death camp where she had been transferred six months earlier.
Interviewed in German, the language she grew up speaking, she said: ‘First, I would like to say a few words about Auschwitz. The few who have survived are afraid that the world will not believe what happened there.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declines to comment. However, a royal source tells me: ‘His Majesty made a private and personal meeting visit to Mrs Lasker-Wallfisch’s home to wish her a happy 100th birthday and deliver a centenarian card in person. He stayed for about half an hour.
‘Her story of suffering and survival is clearly one of the most haunting and inspiring of the Holocaust, and in this anniversary year of the liberation of the camps, His Majesty was keen to demonstrate his support and friendship.
Cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, who received an MBE in 2016, is the last surviving member of the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz
‘The King has known Anita for more than 50 years, not least through the English Chamber Orchestra [of which she was a co-founder]. Indeed, a portrait of her hangs in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace, which was commissioned by the King when he was Prince of Wales as part of his Seven Portraits: Surviving the Holocaust project.’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment.
Klass acts are honoured for charity work
Leona Lewis, left, and Myleene Klass in Windsor Castle after their investiture ceremony
They won over audiences while shooting to fame on talent contests, and now Myleene Klass and Leona Lewis have received a royal seal of approval.
The pair were honoured by the King at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Leona, 40, was given an OBE for services to music and charity. And Myleene, 47, an ambassador for pregnancy charity Tommy’s, got an MBE for raising awareness of women’s health and miscarriage, after losing four babies.
The former Hear’Say singer reveals: ‘The string quartet played a classical version of the Carpenters’ I’m On Top of the World as I walked up… and Charles pinned my medal on.’
Bad school run for Sir John Madejski
He’s nurtured innumerable enterprises, from a Galapagos Islands hotel to Reading Football Club – which he took to the Premier League.
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So Sir John Madejski could be forgiven for thinking the numbers don’t quite stack up in the ‘consultation’ threatening to erase his name from the Reading school to which he gave £3million in 2008.
Conducted by the Greenshaw Learning Trust, the process has caused dismay among Sir John’s friends, as I disclosed last month. And new figures show why.
Just 160 replied – 53 of whom wanted the name unchanged. The rest went to three other options, one being ‘Hartland High’ – the mooted new name. But the trust declines to comment on the overall £100,000 cost that, I’m told, the proposed name change will involve – or say how many votes ‘Hartland High’ received.
Sophie cooks a real kitchen nightmare
Sophie Turner at the opening of the St-Germain Terrace at Sea Containers London
It’s fortunate that Sophie Turner’s boyfriend Peregrine ‘Perry’ Pearson, Viscount Cowdray’s son and heir, can afford a chef.
For the Game of Thrones star admits cooking is not her forte.
‘I’m a cheap date,’ says the actress, 29. ‘I have the palate of a five-year-old. I’m not a very good cook.’ Asked what she would serve at a dinner party, she says: ‘I would do jacket potato with beans and cheese for my guests, but… I don’t invite them over – I go to theirs.’
Very wise when Perry’s family home is Cowdray Park, the 16,000-acre West Sussex estate.
Bob Geldof and Sir Brian May enjoyed an affectionate reunion at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre this weekend when attending Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical.
But the singer, 73, takes issue with suggestions Queen’s slot was the moment donations started flowing in 40 years ago. He says: ‘[David] Bowie brought the house down. That was the key moment.’
Asked if he’d like his martini shaken or stirred in his James Bond debut, Casino Royale, Daniel Craig snapped: ‘Do I look like I give a damn?’
Now the actor’s half-brother hopes for more positive responses from his customers.
Harry Craig, 34, has, I hear, set up a wine consultancy firm, Cork N Talk. ‘There’ll be private tastings where you book me,’ he tells me. ‘I come to your house, you and your friends, we decide on the theme… or I’ll have a public, ticketed event.’
Fleur sees Meghan as simply The Best
Former Strictly star Fleur East plays the lead role in Tina, a West End musical about Tina Turner
She has caused no end of issues for the Royal Family, but the Duchess of Sussex has seemingly helped the monarchy.
That’s the view of Strictly star Fleur East, who’s performing the lead role in Tina, the Tina Turner musical, in London’s West End.
‘When Meghan married Harry we all thought, ‘Wow, this is major’,’ she tells me. ‘I’ll never forget the ceremony and seeing the black priest in St George’s Chapel and the gospel choir.
‘For me, it was a huge moment for the Royal Family.’ Fleur, 37, who performed in this year’s VE Day celebrations, says: ‘It’s great that Meghan is there as a brown princess.’