Two boys on screen could be seen leaving the grounds of a public school. One was small, blond and modest-looking. The much larger one seemed to be very much in charge, leading their conversation. This was confirmed by the narrator of the documentary when he announced:

‘Of these two boys filmed several years ago, at the time you would be just as surprised as the smaller one to learn that one day he would be monarch of the United Kingdom.’

He was alluding to my nephew PMF, who had recently ousted Prince William in the line of succession. After Prince Charles, PMF would be king!

This raised some sensitive issues, including how to deal with the ‘other side’ of our family and their non-aristocratic habits. Our very loud young cousin H was a particular concern. Similarly, I was at a loss over what to do about my long-dead paternal grandmother and an aunt, not least because the pair of them had recently taken up sleeping in my bed.