John Julius Norwich

I'm now into the residential phase of my Ways With Words experience, a couple of days where I finish late and have an early start. Tomorrow I'll be chairing Christina Hardyment's talk on her book Dream Babies at 10am. Working it out wasn't difficult, need to arrive 9am, therefore need to leave home at 7.30am just to be sure. In that case better set alarm for 6am to be on the safe side.
Book a room and save the hassle and here's the view.
I'm tucked up in the eaves, overlooking the main courtyard, I have tea-making facilities, thoughtfully brought a packet of biscuits and the Earl Grey, so that's me sorted.
I arrived in the nick of time to hear John Julius Norwich speaking on his memoir Trying to Please published by Dovecote Press, this sounds like just the publisher for me to know and they kindly sent the book. I see they also publish Jack Hargreaves, remember Out of Town, I'm humming that theme tune already, wasn't it Max Bygraves?
I'd read a fair chunk of Trying to Please before the event but nothing can prepare you.
Only child of Diana and Duff Cooper, his mother a society beauty, (this was confirmed by a member of the audience who had met Diana, 'she was all woman and I see where you get your panache from' ) his father a cabinet minister and political ally of Winston Churchill, John Julius the baby whose nurse remarked as he screamed in his cot, 'poor old baby, he's only trying to please.'
I'm realising how lucky we are to have these people with the gift of raconteuration, possibly a non-existent word but one which fits the moment.This was all hilariously, uproariously funny and highly entertaining and we could all have listened for hours and hours, all day, far into the night and on into the weekend given the chance.Wonderfully chaired by Rachel Kiddy and as well as taking 'How To' notes before my event tomorrow I also remembered that Rachel would be chairing the Daphne event later, good, very good.
By his own admission John Julius has had a charmed and lucky life for which he is very grateful and I'm equally grateful that he's remembered so much of it. Things got off to a flying start with the news that his grandfather was a doctor and Court Physician specialising in venereal disease and piles, his grandmother was a nurse and between them they knew more about the private parts of the British aristocracy than anyone else in the country.
Could it get any funnier?
Well yes, much, and it did as John Julius guided us through his life and people he'd met with a wit that had us rolling in the aisles. He does a wickedly spot-on impression of Winston Churchill, probably perfected through many childhood meetings and along the way he told of encounters with Maurice Chevalier, Prince Yusopov (Rasputin's murderer) and the assertion that as a nation we owe Wallis Simpson a huge debt of gratitude.By whisking Edward VIII away from the throne in what was known euphemistically as The Crisis, Wallis really deserves a statue and why mess about? Give her that empty plinth in Trafalgar Square. John Julius was in no doubt that had Germany invaded Britain, as friends of Hitler, Edward (and doubtless Queen Wallis the First ) would have been back on the throne as Hitler's puppet.
As a teenager John Julius sat in on the Nuremberg trials, played the piano for Ernest Bevin, knew a great story about Winston Churchill playing football in the bath with a sponge and so much more that I was laughing too much to write down.
He left us with these wise words.
Always push the boat out.
When in doubt say yes.
You can have your cake and eat it.
and I for one am delighted to have seen the man behind the radio voice I know so well and will enjoy reading the rest of this memoir which I can only imagine is just as funny.
But now I must focus the mind, the Daphne event beckons and I must go and find Justine.