On Sunday morning this room was full, but clearly Clare and I were the only people who felt like extending their stay at the Arundel Park hotel into Monday morning. What the hell, it’s been an excellent weekend.
Arundel Castle in Sussex dates from the 12th century, and is a great study in just how much power and privilege remains on this smallish island off the coast of Europe. The castle walls are monstrously immense. This place is like Gormenghast, a vast fortress rising above a small town above, but otherwise relatively isolated, ruling over a huge swathe of countryside. Most countries got rid of their aristocracies a hundred or so years ago, of course, but we in England haven’t got round to it yet, so this place is still lived in — the home of the 18th Duke of Norfolk.
Being 42 