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Bea Plus

by | 23rd, June 2004

‘HARROW probably has a name for the garb that its pupils put on when allowed out of their quotidian top hat and tails (or whatever it is they wear these days).

A credit to both their families

It’ll be called ‘mufti’ or ‘bumpty’ or something very Billy Bunterish – a word derived from the days when Harrovians ruled that part of the world that wasn’t under Etonian control.

But the rules for this non-uniform uniform are every bit as strict as the rules for the uniform uniform.

We quote: ‘When in bumpty, Harrovians must wear beige Chinos, a striped shirt (blue and white is recommended, but both pink and red are acceptable in extremis) with collar undone (two buttons) and black brogues.

‘Hair should be artfully unkempt, with a fringe that just falls into the student’s eyes. A pair of binoculars should be carried at all times.’

So it is that, when we see a picture of Princess Beatrice, all teeth, hair and Kabbalah bracelet, sitting next to a mystery man at the recent Stella Artois tennis tournament, we have no hesitation in identifying the young man as an Harrovian.

We are indebted to Hello! for the name of this gentleman – 17-year-old James Green.

But from the picture alone, we feel well able to vouch for young James’s suitability as an escort for the 15-year-old princess at, say, a hunt ball or a polo match.

He looks like he already knows the difference between an Haut-Medoc and a St Emillion; he’s clearly an excellent shot; and we’d be mighty surprised if he didn’t look pretty fetching in a pair of jodhpurs.

But that is not something that Prince Andrew or Sarah Ferguson have to concern themselves with at the moment because Hello! assures us that the pair are not romantically involved.

Indeed, it appears that Beatrice’s heart currently belongs to an Etonian friend of her cousins William and Harry.

Another fine, upstanding young man in a blue and white striped shirt we don’t doubt…’



Posted: 23rd, June 2004 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink