News about Noel Coward

The heroic founder of the Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, Dinah Johnson, fears that the Royal Mail 's proposal to reduce delivery days to two or three a week will spell the end of the letter. 'This is how you get to the death of letter-writing. I didn't think when I set up the society that there would be a scenario where the service is threatened, but it is.' So just how well do you know your letters? Take the test and find out...

In a variety of electric, mild hybrid, and petrol models, the Italian automaker will debut the first production city car version on July 11th this year to mark its landmark 125th anniversary - as well as a new 'fun and functional' variant that follows every year. Fiat said that its new Panda, which was first introduced in 1980 and now in its third generation, was inspired by Turin's legendary Lingotto building with its popular oval rooftop test track - once Fiat's headquarters, starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward in the classic 1969 The Italian Job film, starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward.

Your Majesty, never mistress; it will only end in tears. Every British monarch over the past 400 years should have received this single piece of advice, but no one of them would have listened. These kings and princes were the rock stars of their day - women flocked and bowed before them, and they could choose whoever they liked. And as many as they wanted. Admittedly murder, blackmail, grand larceny, and kidnapping were all part of bedding these royal mistresses, but their Majesties never shrank above it.

Here are 100 films that I believe every person should see at least once in their lifetime, and all of them should make you laugh, cry, gasp, or think. In some instances, perhaps all four are present. I hope my list would bring you some good cinematic treats, or better still, introduce you to them. Happy viewing!

Since making a name for himself on a long-running soap, he's one of Britain's most recognisable actors. He began acting from childhood, and on Monday he posted a throwback snap from 1981 in a production of Oliver at the then Albery (now Noel Coward) Theatre, where pop star Helen Shapiro appeared as Nancy. Despite the fact that he began his life on the West End, many will remember him for his work in the East End after he transitioned to become a character on the small screen.

Any time a gleaming new cruise ship comes into port, it is always something to celebrate. And there will be no shortage of them in 2024, including the world's largest. With more than 31.5 million passengers, it's been a record-breaking year for cruising, with more than 31.5 million passengers on board, and 2024 reservations are expected to top that record. Here's a look at a preview of the most exciting new ships to buy right now.

This year's literary quiz is just the challenge you're looking for with seven rounds testing your memoirs, anniversaries, books, and TV series. Good luck!

The BBC has been heavily chastised for describing playwright Noel Coward as 'queer,' despite complaints that the word, which some in the gay community have reclaimed, is still offensive to some. In a'very straight world,' a BBC Arts account social media post promoting the BBC2 Boxing Day documentary about the actor, singer, and composer's life referred to him as being "queer" in a "very straight world." On the BBC's iPlayer, the same wording is used on the show's description. Critics accused Coward of using "homophobic slurs" to describe him, implying that the word "queer" was a 'insult for both gay men and women.'

Daniel Cowling, a historian at the National Army Museum, delving into Foreign Office papers, private diaries, newspaper reports, and interviews.

They make a riotous comedy team. And Nigel Havers, 71, and Patricia Hodge, 76, are back together, reprising their roles from Noel Coward's classic comedy play Private Lives. After touring around the United Kingdom last year, the pair have decided to bring the show to the Ambassadors Theatre for a limited 12 weeks.

ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: People who are either visitors or hosts are divided in life. Guests love someone else arranging everything and then participating in activities planned for them, while others are dissatisfied with being on someone else's timetable or in their space. I am, by nature, a visitor. I love going to other people's parties and not knowing who will be there. Or staying in their homes and having their schedule managed by them. Despite being the best of them in several regions, I am relieved to leave the catering to someone else.

CRAIG BROWN: Today is my birthday. It only seems that I opened a birthday card with the word '6' attached a day or two ago. If I get a badge today, it will say '66'. I have overnight, and as a result of less tactful times, an old pensioner. I have always been a natural convert to bad news, so I have found it difficult to ignore the years' oldness.

HARDCASTLE is an acronym that stands for "Hardism" in its 14 remaining overseas territories. King Charles has lunched with the Governor Generals and Prime Ministers of his 14 remaining overseas territories. Half of the people at the Royal Trough want to dethrone him. There are reviews of Jamaica, Antigua, St Vincent, and Belize, which are all under construction to replace him. Australia's prime minister Chris Hipkins and St Kitts' Prime Minister Terrance Drew remain outspoken about their republican views. The late queen was a natural entertainer who enticed those who wanted to depose her. Has her son inherited that talent?

Noel Coward warned Mrs Worthington not to bring her daughter on the stage, and parents who read Alice Robb's book may be able to move their little darlings away from pink tutus and pointe shoes altogether. Classic ballet's riveting memoir-meets-critical appraisal examines classical ballet, revealing it to be less vocation, more cult, and more physically and physically demanding than it is breathtaking. Alice Robb, like thousands of young girls, aspired to be a ballerina. She almost made it, unlike the majority of them. At her third attempt, she gained admission to the School of American Ballet (feeder to the prestigious New York City Ballet). However, the dream devolved with puberty: Robb grew taller, her hips grew wider, and, at 12, she was summarily dismissed.

Noel Coward (pictured) may have been the twentieth century's finest dramatic animal, author of classic plays (Private Lives; Blithe Spirit), films (Brief Encounter; In Which We Serve) and songs (I'll See You Again; Mad Dogs And Englishmen) However, there is no doubt he was also the most accident prone. A horse bit his neck and a dog bit his leg,'scarring Noel for life.' He stood on a cracked bottle and cut an artery while paddling in the sea. He was knocked down by a cyclist and concussed. When his braces flew off, Coward managed to cut his cheek at a Coney Island funfair in New York City. He screamed for tomato soup. He set his hair on fire after smoking a pipe. It was a normal occurrence to slip in the shower and 'take a wedge out of his nose.'

CRAIG BROWN: Sir Noel Coward, the king of incredibly witty plays and songs, died this month. He was born in 1899, the same year as Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations' first appearance. He died on March 26, 1973, when Donny Osmond's The Twelfth Of Never was on the top charts, with Slade's Cum On Feeling The Noize at No. 2. Coward was the last of the old school and aware of it. He had begun to notice that his kind of witty, well-made drama, with characters largely from the upper classes, was being replaced by John Osborne and Harold Pinter's gruff and brooding working-class dramas by the 1950s.

The River Thames four-story house, which was once part of a row of buildings, had a run-down appearance but had an auction guide price of £1.5 million. The new owners have lived in the south east London home for 28 years, first occupying the entire building, now 1 Fulford Street, 41 Rotherhithe Street. The 2,131 sq ft property, which measures just over 11 feet (3.5 meters), has panoramic views of central London, Tower Bridge, and Canary Wharf. It has an unusual layout, with three kitchens, three reception rooms, two baths, one bedroom, and a spare room as well as two open plan living rooms.

History is playing out before our eyes, which is why this very recent book on Ukraine's struggle against Putin's Russia ranks at the top of my History list. It's also because the past, according to this personal account of one of Ukraine's top intellectuals, has a huge influence on what's going on today. This is a clash of cultures - individualism and independence versus meek conformity to whatever Kremlin dictates - that's been a long time in the making.

When first published in 1967, Tory MP Sir Henry 'Chips' Channon's salacious diaries caused a stir. Their largely indiscreet findings into the great and the well-being of English society between 1918 and 1957 caused them to be banned. Despite being married to Lady Honor Guinness, the American-born politician yearned after both men and women, sharing a bed with his MP brother-in-law Peter Coats (who was posted on post-duty in India) and playwright Terence Rattigan, for whom he pulled strings to get out of RAF service. The last volume of the diaries begins near the end of the Second World War.

A 500-year-old pub that was once home to playwright Noel Coward (top left, man on the right) and frequented by The Cathedral, which overlooks the St Mary the Virgin Church and has views across Romney Marsh, is composed of three floors and a manager's flat. The ground floor consists of the pub's main area, with a bar (bottom left), restaurant (bottom right), kitchen (bottom middle), prep room, cellar room, and both ladies and gents toilets. There are five bedrooms in total, three of which have an en-suite toilet and a separate bathroom. The property also includes a self-contained manager's apartment, along with its own living room, office, toilet, and bedroom. Although there are gardens along the front and back, a private garden to the rear, a parking lot, a freezer room, and an outside bar are among the building's exterior features.

Martha Sitwell, Royal Ascot's 'face,' says she has been stalked for the past few months by a physically fit man with a history of strangling women. According to baronet Sir George Sitwell's ex-wife, the man approached her on the street and tried to gain access to her house, leaving her so traumatized she has no choice but to move away. Since April, the 42-year-old said, he's been stalking and he's out on police bail.' Last weekend, he tried to break into my apartment, but the police did not know about it.' They didn't even come and do forensics. He is a physically fragile man who must be admitted to the hospital. I don't know him, but he came up to me on the street. It was scary, particularly because I've heard he has a history of strangling women.'

CRAIG BROWN: Only eight minutes of Noel Coward's Desert Island Discs have been recovered, but they are, in their way, very revealing. But was Coward really saying what he thought?Was he as keen on his younger rivals in private as he pretended to be in public?

Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen had died at the age of 96. After a period of ill health, the late monarch died at Balmoral, with extended royals by her side. She died in her Platinum Jubilee year, 50 years since it was announced that she would be Queen after her father King George VI's death in the early hours of February 6, 1952. FEMAIL takes a look at the events of a historic day in history here.