The Watcher

The number of honours according to Wiki that Princess Alexandra has been given by the Queen over the years is quite extraordinary. Surely this sort of personal privilege presentation (PPP?) will have to end but probably not until William is monarch?

Who was the lady who accompanied the Duke of Kent to the memorial service? Huw Edwards certainly ignored her presence as he didn't seem to know nor did he know the names of the two men at the end of the row in which Boris Johnson was at the other end next to Riki, Liz & Pritti.

This sounds as likely as Lord Lucan turning up & going paragliding at Beachy Head, J K Rowling having a cup of Earl Grey with Putin or the story earlier this year that an Indian couple aged 120 and 122 had celebrated their 100th wedding anniversary. This is called the 10K Diamond anniversary in one online list so obviously the names are beginning to run out after 80 (oak), 85 (wine) & 90 (granite) as no name is given for 95 which the Chands got close to a few years ago.

Helen Jackson who was the last known American Civil War widow and died in 2020 was a widow for almost 81 years.

Frank O'Farrell has died aged 94. He was the oldest (at the time of his death) former West Ham player. [Now succeeded probably by Ken Brown] O'Farrell was one of many managers who failed at Man Utd after Matt Busby retired. Now the same is happening with nobody able to succeed Alex Ferguson.

Many thought she was not happy with the scripts and she refused to be an older admirer for Granville so Stephanie Cole had that role.

Crazy about Warne when John Manners who played first class cricket before WW2 died in March 2020 (just before the pandemic) aged 105 and lived to double Warne's age. I predict sleezesheets will follow up Warne's lifestyle & why he was in Thailand.

Like Botham, he was a 'name' rather than a commentator. The best such as Mark Nicholas are often the ones who were not the best players although the really top notch ones were non-players such as Arlott and Johnson. Henry Blofeld was too fond of deviating away from the cricket.

She was a serial killer who among her victims killed her own 15 year old sister. Due to the plea bargainig system she served only a few years in jail for multi murders with an accomplice and later married the brother of her lawyer. I bet he does not drink the nighttime cocoa she doubtless makes him.

Also Wally Fawkes (Trog) who is now 97 & was a close friend of Humphrey Lyttleton & fellow musician as well as being a fellow cartoonist colleague of Bill Tidy - Trog drew the long running Flook cartoon in the Daily Mail & briefly in the Daily Mirror.

It does seem rather ghoulish the way that Gyles Brandreth, Stephen Fry & Piers Morgan seem to desperately want to be first to express their condolences over someone who is usually far better loved than them & often has far superior talent. They tend to dig up a photo that shows that they actually met the deceased celebrity and resort to Wiki if they cannot come up with any original anecdote. One of Barry Cryer's best jokes was about a rude parrot. It continued to embarrass its owner by shouting 'Knickers' whenever the Vicar or ladies came to tea. The owner was so exasperated with his/her pet that the parrot was told it would be put into the fridge for 5 minutes so it could cool off & reflect on its poor behaviour. When the parrot was released it was extremely contrite and said to its owner, "Blimey, what on earth did that chicken do wrong?"

Amazingly/unbelievably the world's first 100th wedding anniversary (no special name as aparently Oak for 80th is the highest official name)has been claimed in India ( I recall when Guinness World Records had their site in Piccadilly, near to where the Ripleys Amazing one was for a few years afterwards that a display board stated how much Indians loved world records - longest finger nails etc). There is a fairly convincing photo of Bhagwaan Singh (120) & Dhan Khan (122) on their 100th W/A on 6 March 2018 with many of their family. I cannot find any subsequent news so possibly an elaborate hoax?

The others weren't BP though according to his book so presumably no liaisons with Janet Ellis & Sarah Greene?

Only once apparently according to Val. Perhaps you know of others - lawyers may be watching.

Joan Copeland, actress & former sister-in-law of Marilyn Munroe has died aged 99.

Ralph Kohler (104) & his wife Dorothy (103) have been married 86 years 108 days & may beat all records (Wiki & Guinness World) in less than 4 years time. They probably have the 4th longest marriage of all time as records show only 3 definitely longer with 3 other marriages just quoted as "86 years" as there is no exact date known for the start of these 3 other marriages.

Or Phillippe de Gaulle

The oldest (at the time of his death) cricketer to have played in a one-day international & the last surviving panellist from the very first Question of Sport hosted by David Vine.

In the last 3 days both the Wurzels & the Yetties (Mat McCulloch - died 15 December 2021) have lost a band member.

Great call but information is exceptionally elusive! Cannot find any death details.

So passes the last cricketer to have overlapped with WG Grace (d 1915).

When the centenary of WW1 was 'celebrated' in 1914, it was stated that only 1 WW1 widow was still alive - presumably it was Dorothy Ellis who was born 4 years after WW1 ended. Unlike the American Civil War we do not appear to have WW1 veterans in their 80's marrying serving girls/housekeepers in their 20's to stop the neighbours talking!

The last WW1 widow died in 2018. She was Dorothy Ellis & aged 96. She was 23 years younger than her husband Wilfred who died in 1981 aged 82.

Presumably it was Viola Smith who died at the end of last year?