Things you never knew or proof that the Princess Royal is down to earth: I doubt if there was any D notice in place but, certainly, the UK press entirely missed this one. My source is a functionary in Brussels.
However, on 20th July a ceremony was held in Srebrenica on the twentieth anniversary of the wanton slaughter of hundreds of Bosnian Muslims by the Serbs. It was attended by a few grandees including Bill Clinton and the Princess Royal. As the Serbian prime minister, one Vucic, approached the memorial stone he declined to place the flower in his hand but, instead, threw it at the stone. This did not go down well with the attendant Muslims of whom several hundred elected to throw bottles and then bricks, one of which clonked Vucic. But the hail of missiles turned to the nobs. Although Clinton was whisked off, the security man for Princess Anne had to fling her to the ground. Very dignified, I would say. And also unreported. This strikes me as curious.
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The chairman put me in touch with Natixis, a firm of currency brokers. Early days but they strike me as pretty hot. My latest foray into a world of which I know practically nothing is a short of GBP/JPY. So far so good.
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Ever the earnest citizen I this morning wrote to Lord (Michael) Grade warning him not to let Johnny Hon of Gate Ventures plc get anywhere near him. I’m sure Grade well knows how to look after himself without any assistance from me. But Hon’s conduct reminds me of Peter Levin at Display-IT getting on for twenty years ago. He associated himself with Ross Perot, the former US presidential candidate. I only mention this since Perot’s office faxed me back at around midnight London time with the advice that “whereas Mr Perot is often associated with fraudulent ventures this is the largest yet.”
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Finally, calling all estate agents: A relation seeks to sell an Oxfordshire rural property for circa £750,000. Should more than one agent be instructed? There is a very mild planning permission to be developed. If so what rate of commission should be offered. Correspondingly, what should be the rate for sole agency and for how long? Further, who should pay for the portfolio of pics that illustrate the gaff? Answers to: cawkwell@btinternet.com.