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By the age of 15 he was fluent in French and German, and flew a fighter jet when he was just 18, before becoming a Reuters correspondent in Paris.
He also went on occasional missions for “The Firm” – the British Secret Service – and planned a blockbuster film after conducting rigorous research.
But after Donald Trump’s miraculous escape from death, The Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth tells me he despairs at security agencies around the world, particularly their failure to learn or remember a fundamental truth.
“The sniper remains a formidable enemy,” he notes. “I have lost count of the politicians killed since I wrote ‘the day of the Jackal was over’ on the last page.”
“What Trump’s escape demonstrates is the futility of closed-off body armor against the rifle when the area has not been secured,” adds Forsyth, 85, who is understandably struck by an extraordinary similarity between Trump’s survival and that of the French president in his novel 54 years ago: a very slight movement of the head.
“The sniper remains a formidable enemy,” notes Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal (pictured in 2017)
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Forsyth argues that the US Secret Service has been undermined by the primacy of quotas over capacity. “They have become civil servants. They had seen the guy who was setting up the shot and they just waited, apparently thinking, ‘How interesting.'”
The only selection criterion should be capability, adds Forsyth, who has contributed a chapter to Vampire Boys, Catherine Bailey’s book about the RAF plane Forsyth flew in. It lacked an ejection seat. “You fly in it… or you die in it,” he and his contemporaries were told.
“Eighty percent failed the medical exam. Those who did pass were given tests of aptitude, dexterity and hand-eye coordination.”
A psychological evaluation by interview was then conducted. “An additional 19 percent failed.”
The naked truth about the hot secret of Edo’s ex
Dara Huang, the mother of Princess Beatrice’s stepson Wolfie, has a confession: she’s a voyeur.
The American-born architect designs many penthouses, although she is afraid of heights.
“Why do I always end up with the attic?” muses the ex-fiancé of Bea’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
“It’s because (the developers) want the wow effect, the spectacular image,” he adds: “I like the aspiration of the penthouse. The view is unbeatable and the feeling of privacy that you have up here when there is a busy street.
“I like the idea of empowerment. A priceless way of life is walking around naked in your own space. I’m a bit of a voyeur.”
‘I often make bathtubs in front of huge glass windows and I don’t put any curtains there.’
Wow!
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’ Westminster Abbey Christmas Carol Concert in December 2023.
The smart ones talk about… the latest invention of the Royal Family
Prince William met his wife at St Andrews, Scotland, but Eloise Taylor flies the flag for another university.
Eloise, 21, is the first member of the Royal Family to graduate from the University of Manchester.
His brother, Cassius, 27, a DJ, shared this photo taken after his graduation ceremony last week.
Eloise is the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin, the Duke of Kent, and the daughter of Lady Helen Taylor and art dealer Timothy Taylor.
Mamma Mia! Drag show is the icing on the cake for Jeremy and his girlfriend
War Horse star Jeremy Irvine has revealed he secretly married Jodie Spencer, a midwife, in May.
“As soon as we got married, I had to go back to Scotland,” says the Mamma Mia 2 actor, 34, who has been filming Outlander prequel Blood Of My Blood north of the border.
Speaking at the opening of the Pangaia store on Carnaby Street, he tells me: “I’ve just returned to London, so I’ve come back to be her husband.”
Of their big day, she says: “We had a lovely, small, intimate wedding with our friends and family in Somerset.”
Jodie says: ‘We added a bit of theatricality with a drag queen.’
The couple have not yet gone on their honeymoon, but Irvine is looking forward to mixing business and pleasure: “My next job is in Italy, so it could be worse.”
War Horse star Jeremy Irvine has revealed 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
There is finally some good news for hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey, who took a £37m hit after the firm he founded was shut down following allegations of sexual misconduct against him (which he denies).
I have learned that his son, Felix Odey, 30, has become engaged to an NHS doctor, Ana Clayton-Smith.
Felix followed in his father’s footsteps into finance and is a fund manager at Schroders.
Let it never be said that the King does not know how to enjoy laughter at his own expense.
A Channel Five documentary, Highgrove House: A Royal Residence, featured images of several busts of Her Majesty at different stages of her life that stand in the gardens of her 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 not an art critic, so I can’t say anything, but I said, “The interesting thing, sir, is that sculptors always see you differently. I mean, no sculpture is the same as another.”
“And he said, ‘I know, but you know what the common denominator is? They always agree with me.'”
Why Wallis is serious
Hollywood’s MeToo movement has helped put in place measures, such as appointing privacy coordinators, to make actresses feel safe on set. However, British model and actress Wallis Day has her own measures in place to ensure she avoids unwanted attention.
“I’m there for the work, not the drama,” she tells me at a party in London. “I do my job and go home to sleep when I’m done. I don’t stay on set for long.”
Wallis, 29, will star in the upcoming remake of Red Sonja, the 1985 sword-and-sorcery film starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
British model and actress Wallis Day at Paris Fashion Week, June 25
Marquis and seats of power…
When the Marquess of Cholmondeley was replaced as Lord Great Chamberlain after the death of Queen Elizabeth, it seemed that he was losing his intimate connection with the monarchy.
However, he and his wife, Rose, could not stay any closer to the seat of power as the couple, who are friends and Norfolk neighbours of the Prince and Princess of Wales, continue to occupy the Chair of State and the Consort Throne on which King Charles and Queen Camilla sat 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 been returned to David and Rose’s stately home, Houghton Hall.
(Very) modern manners
There was a time when couples would announce their engagement and soon the wedding date would arrive. Now, pop star Annie Lennox’s daughter Lola is celebrating the anniversary of her engagement.
This week, Lola, a 33-year-old singer who is getting married to Canadian model Braeden Wright, 36, has been celebrating her “engagement anniversary.” “Why not celebrate a year of engagement?” Lola asks.
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