Yvonne-(Brazen Hussy)

SIR PATRICK STEWART (1940-2026) Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love. We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions. My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in 'Star Trek'. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk—getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”. Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did for not just his devoted Trekkies but film and theatre audiences, who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes ('X-Men' of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway. America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin. But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire. His farewell performance in 'Avengers: Doomsday' is yet to be seen. Ian McKellen 29 October 2026 Photo: University of Huddersfield

Unlike Piers Morgan and many others in this country, we should recognise a fundamental principle of fairness: Meghan should not be held responsible for the actions of her father, nor should she be subjected to public criticism over matters entirely beyond her control. Whether people like or dislike Harry and Meghan is a matter of personal opinion, and everyone is entitled to their own view. However, that does not justify dragging her name, her husband or, worse still, their children into controversies for which they bear absolutely no responsibility. Whatever her father may or may not have done is a matter for him alone. It is neither Meghan’s responsibility nor that of her family. Attempting to manufacture headlines by exploiting those family connections is deeply unfair, wholly unnecessary and, frankly, inexcusable. There comes a point when common decency must prevail over the pursuit of publicity. We should draw a line under this now. The actions of a parent are not the responsibility of their children, and no family should be made to suffer simply because their name generates headlines. Enough is enough. Leave Meghan and her children out of it.