I do adore Lady Colin Campbell's regular chat shows from her drawing room at Goring Castle. In her latest video, now hosted by son Misha after Croatian aristocrat Prince Leo unaccountably took off, she talks about the time back in the Noughties when she successfully sued Boris Johnson.
He was then editor of The Spectator magazine and had characteristically failed to stop his columnist Taki writing something defamatory of Lady C. You can listen to her story below. But two things are striking about her recollections. The first is that after she sent Boris "an excoriating three-page letter" which touched upon one of Boris' then ongoing extra-marital affairs - he was married to Marina - a spy at the magazine told her that he reacted to her insults in a most amazing way: instead of denouncing her he said to colleagues that the magazine should hire her as a columnist because she was such a good writer. Lady C recounts that this impressed her and suggested that he was a man who despite many personal flaws could "think outside the box". Consequently, she thought he'd be suitable for Number 10 when years later he fought to become PM.
Fast forward to an intriguing moment after Lady C won substantial damages and costs against The Spec: she was at the grand French Brasserie Zedel in London with a party that included her two sons Misha and Dima. Boris was also there with Marina and at some point he got up and with no hint of rancour introduced himself to Lady C and her sons. Charm itself. This also impressed her. A mark of "character" and "gumption" she observes.
Given this level of gumption, I fear Boris will be PM for longer than anyone can imagine.
1 comment:
I like them both only the better for that story. People with a breadth about them and humour and generosity of spirit.
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