But let’s not forget that the ENTIRE WORLD has weighed in on the typical British Woman as the “UGLIEST IN THE WORLD” as well as the most rude.
Mark Carney, the new Governor of the Bank of England, has a highly intelligent and opinionated wife, Diana, who is likely to face nearly as much scrutiny as him. Cathy Newman appraises the options for the first lady of Threadneedle Street.
Mark Carney doesn’t really need another thing to worry about, what with riding to the rescue of Britain’s moribund economy and all. But on his first day as the new Governor of the Bank of England, here’s something else he’s got to watch out for – his wife.
Diana Fox Carney is everything the pin-striped establishment in the Square Mile loves to hate. Where Mr Carney’s predecessor Mervyn King was married to a woman who was rarely seen, still less heard, Mrs Carney has already demonstrated she’s got views and isn’t afraid to air them.
An economist who’s spoken out against the greed of the “top 0.1 per cent”, she’s written in support of the Occupy movement and railed against Western “consumerist habits” wreaking devastation on “marginal communities”.
And this weekend she had the traditionalists in a lather with a blog about the environmental evils of teabags. “Yes, they can be pretty, and convenient, but do we really need an extra 40cm2 of bleached and printed paper with every cup of tea?” she fumed.
Presumably the stainless steel thermos of tea she reportedly carries with her at all times is concocted entirely of the loose leaf variety.
Then there’s her abhorrence of “the out-of-control use of bottled water”, and, in comments which might well prove embarrassing to her husband, she also urged people not to buy beauty products from China. Interesting given the importance of trade between the UK and China.
All of this has guaranteed that Mrs Carney’s every word is being extremely closely monitored. Or as closely monitored as is humanly possible – given that her tweets are now “protected” so only confirmed followers have access to her Twitter timeline. My request to follow the new first lady of Threadneedle Street is “pending” – I’ll see how that goes.
The lockdown on her Twitter account suggests she’s perhaps conscious of the potential she has to embarrass her husband. That’s a consciousness that has apparently eluded other wives of public figures.
It’s a long and eclectic roll call. Diana Princess of Wales blazed a trail. From her inability to act the devoted wife for the cameras at the Taj Mahal to her devastating admission that “there were three of us in this marriage”, Diana refused to stick to the script.
Diana pictured during the famous BBC interview, in which she admitted: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Cherie Blair seemed to perfect the art of how to be a thorn in your husband’s side. In her desperation to get on the property ladder, she bought flats with the help of a convicted fraudster. And then of course she appeared to do her best to torpedo Gordon Brown’s career ambitions with her “that’s a lie” aside overheard at Labour party conference.
Silvio Berlusconi with Tony and Cherie Blair after their arrival at Berlusconi’s luxury villa
But it’s – *innocent face* – Sally Bercow who really made the awkward-wife-squad role her own. What with libelling Lord McAlpine, and flogging antiques from her grace and favour home – not to mention posing in a sheet and appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, she’s made life as difficult as humanly possible for the Commons speaker.
Sally Bercow and Lord McAlpine
Judging by her track record to date, it seems Mrs Carney is rather more likely to follow in their outspoken footsteps – rather than zipping it like Kate Middleton, Sam Cameron, and Norma Major to name but a few.
It seems a shame really that high-profile spouses apparently have to choose between two such polarised positions – say nothing, show no personality, express no inner thoughts on the one hand, and on the other – let your opinions off the leash, and risk embarrassing your nearest and dearest every time you open your mouth.
Perhaps Mrs Carney will break new ground and manage to find a third way. If not, though, her Twitter feed – depending on whether my request is accepted – could prove very entertaining indeed.