Londoner's Diary: Hopes dashed as Harry misses charity concert

Prince Harry was a no-show at his charity Sentebale’s Christmas concert at St Mary Abbots church in Kensington last night. Churchgoers paid £35 for the tickets which featured Harry prominently in the publicity material.

Sentebale, founded by Harry in 2006, cares for children in Lesotho and Botswana affected by HIV. This year the throng at the fundraising carol concert hoped he would come with his plus one, Meghan Markle, but it wasn’t to be.

Eventually St Mary Abbots’ Reverend Gillean Craig said the show must go on. “He was supposed to be here,” he told one of the congregation. “Go on Twitter and ask ‘Where are you?’”

The church had put a special prayer for the happy couple in the parish newsletter but their prayers weren’t answered. Even Harry’s friend, Adam Bidwell, who read a poem at the event was overheard telling a ticket holder, “I don’t know why he’s not here.”

But it was the children from the school choir who were the most disappointed. Young Scarlett, who sang the solo, told The Londoner: “We thought he was coming — teacher said.”

This corner of Kensington is now Meghan’s stomping ground since moving into Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace. She has been buying posies at Flower Corner outside St Mary Abbots — Kensington Palace has given the flower stall strict instructions not to disclose Meghan and Harry’s visits there.

Kensington Palace insisted this morning “he was never scheduled to attend” and it hadn’t sent out an operational note on it.

***This article originally said the service was stalled until 7pm. This has now been corrected, we apologise for the error ***

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Horny chaps can soon buy Viagra over the counter but has there always been a more convenient version? In today’s Times, Julian Dussek from Plaxtol, Kent, notes that the humble potato was considered an aphrodisiac when it arrived on these shores. Quoting William Salmon from 1695: “Eaten with good butter, salt, the juice of oranges and double refined sugar they provoke lust, causing fruitfulness in both sexes.” It goes well with turkey, we hear.

Emin packs a punch on Donald Trump

TRACEY Emin will have friends over for Christmas Day, but she tells Vanity Fair that she will fly to the South of France on Boxing Day. The artist says she needs a break after a tough year.

“I’ve felt bombarded [by] Hurricane Harvey,” she says while in Miami. “I’m worried that we’re distracted from what’s happening in Washington. We shouldn’t stop looking at Trump. Everything that’s bad about this country has been magnified by him.”

She feels used to it. “It’s not a new language for me,” she says. “Some guy a couple of years ago grabbed my buttocks quite aggressively, and I just smashed him round the face.” You go, girl.

Quote of the day

"A former prime minister once famously said "hug a hoodie". Today I'm asking you to embrace an android." Tom Watson, launching his Future of Work commission report today

Let your dancing shoes do all the talking

A waltz down to the May Fair Hotel last night, which hosted a screening of new film Finding Your Feet, starring Imelda Staunton as a divorcee who finds a new lease of life at a community dance class. TV presenter Charlie Webster, actress Lucy Tregubenko and radio DJ Lucy Horobin were among the guests who put on their festive garb for the event. Staunton couldn’t make it — she is currently starring as a retired showgirl in Follies at the National Theatre. Dancing on the brain, that one.

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Mariah Carey’s Christmas spectacular proved a joyously camp caper last night, for all except Coral DeVille. The London drag queen had tickets but was turned away by ticket inspectors who took issue with the discrepancy between the fabulous visage before them and the legal ID. “Yes, entirely my fault for turning up as the ‘other’ me.” DeVille tweeted. “Still, I’m upset and embarrassed. It’s with the police and (genuinely) I’m seeking legal advice.” What a drag.

Heat from an Irish kitchen

WITH EU negotiations giving the Irish border problem a good Gaelic kick into the long grass, what do the capital’s Irish diaspora think of it all? The Londoner was at Corrigan’s of Mayfair last night for Michelin-starred mulled wine and mince pies and got chatting with owner Richard Corrigan, pictured, on the topic.

As one would expect from an Irish head chef, he had some forthright views about the whole situation: “The Brits have got to be off their rocker to pick a fight with the Irish,” the Dublin-born chef intoned. “Right now they are in a hole and they are just keeping on digging.” So no worries about perfidious Albion pulling a fast one? “David Davis is up against some of the cleverest people in Ireland. He just turns up to negotiations having rolled out of bed and smoked a fag — these guys have been to some of the best schools in Ireland.”

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Bugbear of the day: the British Medical Journal says Dr Brown Bear — a diligent and compassionate cartoon GP in Peppa Pig — gives children unrealistic expectations of the medical profession.

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