King Charles sparked suggestions of ‘woke nonsense’ after it was reported that he had persuaded the Government to rename submarine HMS Agincourt last month because he feared offending the French.
But top chef Raymond Blanc believes the Monarch should not worry about the possibility of his fellow countrymen having their noses put out of joint.
‘I’m not offended at all,’ Blanc tells me. ‘As a bitter Frenchman, you learn how to laugh about yourself. There has to be a little bit of back and forth, a small tug of war which is not really nasty.’
Blanc, 75, who runs Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, is an ambassador for the King’s Foundation. He adds: ‘You have Waterloo station in London, in Paris we have Gare d’Austerlitz,’ named after Napolean’s earlier victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.
The chef, who is due to meet the King next week at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, does appreciate his consideration for the French. ‘It was kind of him, because [Agincourt] was one of our biggest defeats,’ he says at A Taste of Royal Ascot 2025, at The Maine restaurant in Mayfair.
Queen Elizabeth personally approved the name HMS Agincourt, after Henry V’s 1415 victory over France at the Battle of Agincourt, for the nuclear-powered, Astute-class, hunter-killer submarine.
However, according to multiple reports, the King stepped in last year and ‘made it clear the name had to be changed because he didn’t want to upset the French’. It was renamed HMS Achilles.
‘Renaming the HMS Agincourt is nothing short of sacrilege,’ said Tory former defence secretary Grant Shapps. ‘Woke nonsense is being put ahead of our Armed Forces’ proud heritage.’ His predecessor, Sir Ben Wallace, said the move showed ‘a very pathetic grasp of foreign policy and relationships’.
Top chef Raymond Blanc believes the Monarch should not worry about the possibility of his fellow countrymen having their noses put out of joint

Blanc, 75, who runs Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, is an ambassador for the King’s Foundation
Peter Mandelson’s meeting with the King
Summarised as an ‘absolute moron’ by Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Peter Mandelson nevertheless enjoyed a private meeting with King Charles on Monday at Buckingham Palace, where he was accompanied by his Brazilian husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
It was recorded as being ‘upon his appointment as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States of America’.
But a group of US Senators has handed the FBI a file about Lord Mandelson, igniting fresh speculation that President Trump may yet veto the appointment.

Lord Peter Mandelson leaving following the funeral service of Lord John Prescott at Hull Minster
Racing heiress’s royal wedding
Racehorse owner and pools heir Robert Sangster’s granddaughter Eliza has married her university sweetheart, with royalty among the guests.
Eliza, 32, daughter of former model Lucy Wigram and her husband Ben Sangster, exchanged vows with architect Johnnie Llewellyn, 32, at St George’s Preshute, in Wiltshire.
‘It was the most wonderful day,’ Lucy tells me. ‘Friends came from all over the world.’
In the congregation was Lady Marina Windsor, granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin.
Lady Marina, 32, was there with boyfriend Nico Macauley.
Eliza and Johnnie met while students at Oxford Brookes.

Eliza, 32, daughter of former model Lucy Wigram and her husband Ben Sangster, exchanged vows with architect Johnnie Llewellyn
David Cameron’s heartache
As David Cameron had lunch at Scott’s yesterday, fellow diners at the Mayfair restaurant were unaware he was nursing heartache.
The former prime minister’s mother, Mary, died on Sunday aged 90. Mary, who served as a magistrate for 30 years, was afflicted by Alzheimer’s.
The loss comes less than two years after the death of Lord Cameron’s elder brother, Alex.

Diners at the Mayfair restaurant were unaware David Cameron was nursing heartache
Spencer eyes therapy for new extreme challenge
Spencer Matthews set a Guinness world record when he ran 30 marathons in 30 days in the Jordanian desert last year.
But the Made In Chelsea star’s hunger to complete seven full Ironman triathlons in seven continents could prove deadly.
The daunting new challenge will see Spencer, 36, whose brother James is married to Pippa Middleton, complete a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and a full 42.2km marathon – with the most treacherous leg of them all being in Antarctica.

The Made In Chelsea star’s hunger to complete seven full Ironman triathlons in seven continents could prove deadly
‘I’m terrified of this Antarctic swim because it’s zero degrees water and will have lots of ice,’ Spencer tells me at the London Regenerative Institute Biohacking event at the Corinthia hotel.
‘It’s easily the most dangerous of the seven because of the leopard seals. They weigh 500kg and can get aggressive.’
To keep a cool head, Spencer, who has three children with wife Vogue Williams, pictured, is considering therapy: ‘I might chat to someone beforehand just for a bit of mental support.’
Peter Crouch’s skiing holiday
Peter Crouch and his wife, the model Abbey Clancy, have just returned from their first-ever holiday on the slopes, where the former England footballer was told by his instructor she’d never seen anyone ski the way he did.
‘He fell on top of the instructor about ten times,’ Abbey says of Crouch, who’s 6ft 7in.

Peter Crouch and his wife, the model Abbey Clancy, have just returned from their first-ever holiday on the slopes
‘Our instructor was tiny and she was skiing backwards. Pete basically spent the whole trip lying on top of her in the snow because she couldn’t hold his weight so he just fell over.
‘Then I was stranded because I was scared of heights.’
Will the Sex Pistols record any new material?

Steve Jones of Frank Carter and members of The Sex Pistols perform at Bush Hall
Preparing to play the Royal Albert Hall for the first time, for a Teenage Cancer Trust concert, Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, 69, is asked if the punk band might record any new material.
‘If you do anything new, and you’re playing it live, that’s when people go and get a drink,’ Jones says.
‘When was the last time you heard a good Rolling Stones song? You really have a window when you’re young, where you’re really creative and you’re on the ball. When you’re older, it runs out.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk