It’s been half a century since one of the most extraordinary royal moments of modern times took place: a terrifying episode in which a demented gunman tried to kidnap Princess Anne.

Twenty-three-year-old Anne and her new husband, Captain Mark Phillips, were being driven through The Mall to Buckingham Palace when, on the evening of March 20, 1974, would-be kidnapper Ian Ball used his Ford Escort car to force the limousine to a halt. .

Using a pistol, he fires volleys of shots through Austin’s limousine windows, prompting Captain Phillips to protect his wife before attempting to get her to safety on the other side of the car.

Anne’s police bodyguard, Detective Jim Beaton, tried to intervene, but his gun, a Walther PP, jammed and he was shot three times in the chest and arms.

While trying to stop Ball, three more people were shot, including Anne’s driver and another police officer.

Ball told Anne he was going to kidnap her and ordered her out of the car, allegedly saying, “Please come out… You have to come.”

The no-nonsense royal is said to have replied: ‘Not very likely’ – part of a conversation she later described as ‘very annoying’.

As the princess later recalled, she “eventually lost her rag” when her dress tore during the unrest.

The ball was eventually stopped when he was bundled to the ground by officer Peter Edmonds, having first been hit in the head by passing former boxer Ronnie Russell.

Russell had gotten Anne to safety by then.

Anne and Mark Phillips were on their way back to Buckingham Palace after attending a charity film screening when the attacker struck at around 8.30pm.

Driver Alex Callender was at the wheel. Anne’s lady-in-waiting, Rowena Brassey, was also in the car.

Ball had followed Anne’s limousine down The Mall and overtook him opposite Clarence House before slamming on the brakes, forcing the limousine to stop.

Ball then got out and started shooting as he tried to get into the car.

A witness called Miss Sammy Scott told the Daily Mail at the time: ‘I saw Princess Anne and Mark huddled in the back of the car.

“They were on the other side of the shooter. Suddenly I saw a man fall in front of me. He had been shot. He was covered in blood. He was lying on the sidewalk.

“Another man, a detective, I think, came running. I said to him, ‘This man has been shot, why doesn’t he go to the hospital?’

‘The detective looked at me for a moment and then said: ‘I have that too.’ He opened his jacket and I saw blood pouring from his shoulder. Then he collapsed too.’

DI Beaton, who is now in his 70s, was shot immediately when he tried to intervene, meaning he missed when he fired his first and only bullet before his gun jammed. He was shot two more times as he tried to use his body to protect Anne and her husband.

Brian McConnell, a journalist who had been following the couple, tried to stop Ball and was shot in the chest.

Driver Mr Callender was also hit.

Passing former boxer Russell, who won the George Medal for his bravery, guided the princess to safety before punching the gunman twice in the head.

When PC Michael Hills encountered the situation he was also shot after calling for backup.

Support eventually arrived in the form of Detective Peter Edmonds and Ball was arrested.

Although DI Beaton, PC Hills, Mr Callender and Mr McConnell were hospitalized, they all recovered and were able to continue their careers.

In addition to Mr Russell’s award, DI Beaton received the Queen’s George Cross, while PC Hills also received the George Medal.

Speaking about the ordeal with chat show host Michael Parkinson in 1984, Anne said she had been “scrupulously polite” to her attacker because it would have been “foolish to be too rude at that moment”, but said that she lost her patience when it tore. her dress.

Ball pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping and remains jailed at Broadmoor Hospital under the Mental Health Act.

The apology Ball made during his police questioning was revealed after the Mail on Sunday won a seven-month freedom of information battle. They wouldn’t be released until 2048.

The would-be kidnapper told police he thought Anne would be an easy target. He said he learned of her movements by calling the Buckingham Palace press office.

He said: ‘I had thought about it for years… She would have been the easiest. I saw her driving with her husband.’

The records also showed that Ball showed no remorse for shooting three men.

He said: ‘They were in my way so I had to shoot them. Well, the police, that’s their job. They expect to be shot. I took the chance to get shot, so why wouldn’t they?’

Ball planned to take the princess to a central London property he had rented under an alias, and demand a ransom of £3 million – the equivalent of £26 million today.

In 2014, it emerged that Ball claimed in police interviews that ‘one good thing’ about his ‘bold’ crime was that officials ‘needed to improve’ Anne’s protection.

Detectives initially feared Ball was part of the IRA, but he told officers: ‘I have no friends. I’m a loner. I’ve thought and worked on it a lot.

“I can’t expect people like you to understand or accept that I did and planned it alone. Do you think I’m part of the IRA or something?

“If anyone else had been there, they would have helped me on the spot.”

Speaking on ITV’s Anne: The Princess Royal at the age of 70, she recalled: ‘What’s interesting is what you remember and how you remember it, because although I thought I remembered everything that happened, I never would have I could swear I could remember it in the future. correct sequence.

‘Because they were like photographs, individual snapshots. Very clear.’

Anne admitted that she had previously thought about how she would react if someone tried to kidnap her.

She said: ‘One thing about horses and sport is that you have to prepare for the unexpected and think about the problems that are likely to arise.’

‘A possible tour’ of King Charles to Australia later this year hardly seems like news to prompt us to string up the streamers or pop the streamers.

At any other time, such an unclear announcement from the Australian prime minister’s office might indicate that the king has only dampened interest in a foray into the colonies.

And only if His Royal Highness does not receive a better offer.

The past two weeks of royal woe have changed all that. At this point, the idea that Charles might – just might – make his first visit Down Under since becoming king is a bright light in an ocean of gloom.

Not only does it provide the first sign that the 75-year-old king’s cancer treatment could ultimately be successful, it also underlines how important the relationship between the two nations remains – for both sides.

The king will miss next Monday’s Commonwealth Day service as he continues to receive treatment, but he takes his role as head of the 56 member states very seriously.

He has even recorded a special message that will be broadcast around the world to mark the event.

In fact, his decision to go ahead with the planned trip to Australia speaks volumes of his desire to protect and maintain a shared relationship that, frankly, is vital to both parties – no matter how much bickering may have occurred along the way .

In the years leading up to Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022, the conversation in Australia tended to assume that while we respected Her Majesty, the same affection would not be extended to her son.

Expectations grew that the country would break ties with the monarchy and be ruled by its own head of state.

Not that anyone knew what this might look like – which is partly why the referendum on a republic failed when it was voted on in 1999.

A quarter of a century later, the push for independence has never looked so weak.

Strangely enough, the crown-and-castle caper that we apparently wanted to throw overboard has been replaced by something that is somewhere between curiosity and respect.

Here, where the royal family is neither an institutional anchor nor a backdrop to everyday life, the pranks of recent years have largely served as entertainment.

As Megxit unfolded, we watched from a distance as if we were watching the Kardashians, only with crowns.

Yet Sussex’s defection did little to advance the republican cause.

Instead – and rather oddly – ​​it seemed to anchor our allegiance to this trouble-ridden family with the aging matriarch, a gradually rehabilitated heir, his two motherless sons and their glamorous wives.

Duty, service and fortitude: those qualities we so admired in the woman who ruled for seventy years were suddenly thrown into stark relief by the antics of Harry and Meghan.

Here in the country where anyone with tickets for themselves is quickly targeted, the new king, his good-natured wife and the beautiful Welsh family seemed the epitome of dignity and tireless hard work.

Here where there is little respect for moaning or posturing, Harry’s hypocrisy of constantly bashing his family while still immersing himself in the titles and trappings it brings has not won him any fans.

Our loyalty to Britain is based on characteristics that are as traditional as they are modern: shared values, togetherness, democracy, loyalty, good-natured rivalry and – in these unsettling global times – a deep commitment to peace.

When the palace announced the king had cancer, even the Australian Republican Movement sent well wishes.

Announcing the “possible” royal visit yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pointed out that King “has shown compassion for Australians affected by recent natural disasters, just as Australians have shown compassion and support for the King following his cancer diagnosis.”

“The King, Queen and members of the Royal Family are always welcome in Australia,” he said.

Post-cancer, Australia will be a soft landing place for the monarch who has admired the continent since he lived here as a schoolboy. He considers his time at Geelong Grammar to be one of the happiest times of his life and certainly the highlight of his education.

“Honestly, this was by far the best part,” he said in a speech years later. ‘I had knocked off the Pommy pieces. Like chips off an old block.’

Is it premature to announce a visit so soon after a cancer diagnosis?

Maybe there was no choice. Planning a tour can take many months, involving multiple state and territory groups.

It could even tie in with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in October.

Whatever the case, it was probably only a matter of time before news of a visit leaked out.

No doubt the King is also keen to send out positive news, while strengthening the relationship with a nation that has stood side by side with Britain through wars, disasters and hotly contested sporting competitions.

Charles might even want to match his mother’s tally of 16 tours Down Under. So far he has visited fifteen times.

In terms of his itinerary, Victoria – the state where he enjoyed his time in Geelong – will likely feature, not only because he hasn’t been there since 2012, but also because illness, especially in later life, tends to think about voting.

Tasmania can also beckon with its beautiful scenery, sustainability projects and food culture. The cooler temperatures there would likely suit the queen, who struggled in the 40-degree heat during the couple’s 2018 visit to Queensland and the Northern Territory.

As for how they will be greeted, interest in the royal family remains high.

The Australian Women’s Weekly continues to publish detailed articles on the royal family and Sky News, which usually focuses on news and commentary, added a new weekly show, The Royal Report, early last year.

In the newsroom, the ranking of top-rated stories usually includes royal news in the top five.

Boisterous Australia has long offered what the royals crave: freedom from conformity, an easy-going outdoor lifestyle, egalitarian social networks and wide open spaces to exhale and reevaluate.

It is the place where Lady Diana Spencer secretly hid in 1981 when she was considering Prince Charles’ marriage proposal.

It’s where Prince Harry spent time as a jackaroo at the age of 19.

As he said in Spare, he enjoyed collecting cows. They were creatures that needed their space, he noted. Just like him.

It is also a special place for the Tindalls.

Princess Anne’s daughter Zara met rugby-playing husband Mike at the Manly Wharf Bar in 2003 when he was drowning his sorrows after being dropped from the England squad before the World Cup semi-final.

The Tindalls have become regular – and welcome – visitors. When it comes to rugby, it seems daughter Mia is supporting the Wallabies and not England

This is a big moment for the British monarchy, but also for the British nation – and Australia. After all, family counts for something.

MC HAMMER’s crazy oversized suit is back with a bang.

The American rapper showed off his outfit – with big shoulders and a narrow waist – in the 1980s, and forty years later the baggy look has returned to the catwalks and the A-list.

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But with today’s celebrities pushing the envelope, big doesn’t necessarily mean better.

Stella McCartney trotted down the catwalk at her own fashion show in Paris this week in an oversized jacket, and pop star Liam Payne was also seen in the French capital in an enormous jacket and trousers.

And while we’re all for a power suit, this latest style seems more suited to a comedy skit.

In MC Hammer’s day, loud suits were fitted to his body at least in a sense.

Abby McHale looks at the latest stars to step out in shapeless styles and gives them a Hammer Horror rating out of five.

DUA LIPA

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LADY GAGA

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ELSA HOSK

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JOAN KLEIN

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AUSTIN BUTLER

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BELLA HADID

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NICOLA COUGHLAN

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CAREY MULLIGAN

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COLE SPROUS

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Stella McCartney

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A heartbroken fiancé has paid tribute to his ‘beautiful and brave’ partner after she announced her own death from cancer in a moving LinkedIn post. 

Daniella Thackray, 25, a HR professional from Leeds, had pre-written her thought-provoking final words for her family to post on her behalf after her death from a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma.

The post has since racked up nearly 40,000 likes as people were left moved by Daniella’s positive outlook despite her tragic circumstances – as she told people to ‘enjoy the little things’ in life and ‘cherish every moment’. 

Her fiancé Tom Calvert has now written his own message to his beloved partner on the professional networking platform, saying she ‘inspired me each day to keep going’. 

Tom and Daniella had celebrated their engagement with a party just last month, posting a joyful photo together alongside balloons. 

Taking to LinkedIn himself, Tom wrote: ‘My beautiful brave fiancée, you continue to inspire so many others like you inspired me each day to keep going. Your courage, determination and kindness was infectious and you deserved the world. 

‘Unfortunately the world let you down, and your future was taken away from you in such a cruel manner. But you lived such an incredible life and you were so so loved.’ 

Tom, who is head of player care and psychology at Bradford City AFC, continued: ‘I’m glad that Daniella’s words resonate with so many others, if she could see the traction her message is getting she would be so proud. 

‘She was the most ambitious, intelligent and professional person I have ever met and was so passionate about her job. 

‘Her employer at 26 supported Daniella in such an incredible way, she felt so valued and was able to spend her precious remaining time making beautiful memories with the people she loved. I miss you Daniella and I’m so incredibly proud of you now and forever ’

Daniella left people in tears with her original post as she told Tom to ‘go and enjoy the life he deserves’, adding ‘I love you and always will’. 

Tom had supported Daniella during a hospital visit seven months ago, as she revealed she’d had liver resection and gall bladder surgery. 

The happy couple had taken a picture together with Daniella giving a thumbs-up as they bravely smiled through the difficult visit.  

Tom, who studied sport at Loughborough University, told everyone who had sent well well wishes that it ‘means the world’ and said Daniella ‘would be so proud if she knew how many people her message touched’. 

In her now-viral post, Daniella, who worked as a people administrator at digital marketing agency 26, paid tribute to her family, fiancé Tom, and dog Leo.  

She wrote: ‘If you’re reading this then it means I have died from my battle with cancer and my family are posting my final message on my behalf. 

‘Firstly, I just want to say that not all cancers are caused by lifestyle choices, in some cases it’s genetics or unfortunately it just happens. 

‘In my case, despite me being very healthy and active, a cancer started in my bile ducts which was not caused by anything in my control and my life was never the same again. 

‘Cholangiocarinoma is a rare aggressive cancer with often no obvious causes and no cure. I really really do hope that in the years to come more research is done about this horrid cruel disease so that more lives can be saved.’

Accompanying her post, Daniella chose a black and white photograph of her walking her dog along the beach.  

The emotional message continued: ‘So with that being said, although we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we react. I chose not to mourn the life I was losing despite being so devastated, but to instead enjoy every moment I had left.

‘As I have always said and believed, you should enjoy the little things in life and cherish every moment! Romanticise your life! Do whatever makes you happy and don’t let anyone take the joy of life away from you. 

‘I LOVED my life. Everything I had achieved was what I wanted. I loved my job, my fiancé, my family, my friends and my dog, and the house we were going to buy and the future we were making for ourselves. 

‘Leo my fur baby was definitely brought into my life to help brighten my darkest days.

‘And lastly to my dear, beautiful Tom, I love you and always will. Thank you for supporting me and bringing so much love and happiness into my life. Go enjoy your life now, you deserve it.’

Daniella had worked in HR at 26 since July 2022 and previously studied at Newcastle University. 

One of Daniella’s colleagues also left a thoughtful tribute to her on LinkedIn, writing: ‘Daniella was not only amazing at her job, with organisational skills like I’ve never known before, but she was a ray of sunshine and positivity that lit up any room she walked in. 

‘She connected with people so well. The dream colleague and friend. I knew from the first time I spoke to her after spotting her on LinkedIn how remarkable she was. A view that everyone at 26 shares.

‘My heart hurts so much after what’s happened to two amazing people in my life. It also hurts for Daniella’s family, friends and finance as I know first hand how painful it is.’

In a post on her employer’s Instagram, Daniella had described her role as onboarding new starters and supporting employees. 

The music lover said her dream dinner party guests would be Adele and Dave Grohl and described how she loved football, eating out and spending time with loved ones.

She added that her three-year-old English setter Leo needed lots of walks and attention. 

Seven months ago, Daniella posted an update in her cancer battle, revealing she’d had a liver resection and gall bladder surgery.

Daniella posted pictures of herself in the hospital ward, saying she was taking time to ‘rest, recover and learn how to walk again’, while asking for TV and film recommendations.

Daniella’s message has left the internet heartbroken, and many rushed to express their condolences and well wishes for her family. 

One said: ‘I’m literally in tears. Having been diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer in August, then surgery (lumpectomy) followed by radiation, this message from her hits home.’

Another said: ‘Wow. Such courageous words from someone that I’ve never met, but taught me a lot.’

A third commented: ‘You are an amazing lady, what a wonderful message to leave us with, may you rest in paradise.’ 

Daniella spent her last days at St. Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds. Her colleagues at 26 Agency have set up a fundraiser for the hospice in her memory, which you can visit here.  

Looking for a new coat that not only flatters you and your outfit, but also looks a lot more expensive than it actually is? Like we’ve said a million times, you need to go to Walmart. There have been so many amazing discoveries lately that it will make your head spin.

Case in point: A lightweight, great-looking jacket that can help you bridge the gap between cold winter temperatures and warmer spring weather is now just a few clicks away at Walmart. The Free Utility Jacket Installation is making waves because it looks like you spent a few hundred dollars on it, but you’d be shocked if you knew the real price: only $34! Looking at this well-constructed piece, it is certainly not what we expected.

Grab the Free Utility Jacket Installation for only $34 at Walmart!

This jacket is made from 100% cotton and has oversized pockets and a cropped look that will look great with anything you pair it with. It is available in three colors: Cypress, Navy Blazer and Tan, so you can match it with your favorite pieces, such as a beautiful dress or just a T-shirt and leggings. However, it looks like you just walked into a fashion magazine, impeccably styled and wearing the most beautiful brand.

Grab the Free Utility Jacket Installation for only $34 at Walmart!

If you’re looking for a great, comfortable solution that will take you from the end of winter to the sweltering start of summer without forcing you to take out a second mortgage, all the cool girls already know that Walmart is the place to be . Choose your favorite color, throw on this jacket and go out into the world, looking polished and put together for under $50. But whatever you do, don’t miss this luxurious jacket.

Grab the Free Utility Jacket Installation for only $34 at Walmart!

Warmer weather hasn't arrived for everyone across the country yet, but it's coming. For now, we'll still have to deal with all the cold weather, including ice and snow, as it moves through the area and dumps all that winter precipitation everywhere. That means if you're looking for an excuse to buy a new pair of boots, you've got it.

If you're buying too many new boots that don't handle winter weather well, you might want to give this pair a try. They'll get you through even the heaviest snow days, and you'll have a nice time instead of worrying about ruined shoes you spent a pretty penny on.

The Sorel Caribou X Boot Chelsea Cozy may remind you of Ugg boots, but they are much more capable of handling rough terrain. They are made of leather with a leather lining and a removable leather insole. They can be put on with an elastic panel closure and an ankle pull tab.

Grab the Sorel Caribou X Boot Chelsea Cozy for only $176 at Zappos!

They're also super cute in the aesthetic department. Just look at the wool-lined front of the boot. It's nice and cozy, and the kind of fabric you want to curl up with at home when it's time to snuggle up under your favorite blanket. It's just in shoe form here.

Grab the Sorel Caribou X Boot Chelsea Cozy for only $176 at Zappos!

If you want to buy a new pair of shoes that both function well and fit your feet well, you should definitely grab a pair of these boots – they work hard and look great, so there's no real reason to skip them. Especially because if you walk through snow and ice without good shoes, you can break a leg. Or single.

Grab the Sorel Caribou X Boot Chelsea Cozy for only $176 at Zappos!

How often do you have sex? Twice a week? A month? Or even a year? Glamorous comedian Katherine Ryan has admitted she has sex ‘exactly twice a month’ with her partner Bobby Kootstra.

The 40-year-old also revealed the couple diarise their bi-monthly love-making to ensure it happens. Whether you react to that with envy or pity will no doubt tell you much about your own sex life.

Humans, it seems, have an innate interest in what other people get up to in bed. None of us wants to think we’re an outlier, and yet research shows we all over-estimate — often wildly — how much sex everyone else is getting.

In the interests of scientific inquiry, and potentially to make us all feel better, we asked some brave leading writers to reveal their numbers…

I’m semi-retired from sex — it’s liberating

Marion McGilvary, 66

Personally, I have as much interest in sex as I do in a two-week holiday to North Korea.

Fractionally less, if I’m honest. For most of my life Mr Libido has ruled supreme, but with the combination of the menopause (the gift that keeps on giving) and long-relationship fatigue, I’ve finally broken free of its grip.

The urge that wreaked havoc, leading me into so much trouble and the beds of many highly disreputable and truly regrettable men, has finally packed his suitcase and left.

I feel liberated. Luckily my current partner is happily engaged in a loving relationship with football, country walks and his shed, so we are as one on this subject and united by very infrequent, possibly biannual, forays into conjugal bliss.

Turns out neither of us can be bothered. Yes, perhaps if Idris Elba abseiled in with a box of Milk Tray, I might be persuaded… or then again perhaps not.

Who has the energy for a lover, let alone the maintenance required to support one? Not to mention the emotional entanglements that creep in, uninvited, which lead to feelings.

Without them, sex is mechanical. With them, it’s troublesome.

I have all the feelings I need at this point in my life and have no desire to embark on a relationship which will eventually lead me to the same place I am now — watching the telly with a man who wears slippers.

A young friend told me I had given her the best advice ever, which was to make sure she had sex at least weekly and not get out of the habit.

She claims it saved her marriage. It didn’t save mine, but perhaps that’s because he was having it and I wasn’t. But now it’s all moot. I’m semi-retired. Lest you think this is a select club with only a few members, think again. Ask around. Sex is like caffeine. Many of us have given it up.

My lovely whippet is getting in the way

Hannah Betts, 52

The actress Mrs Patrick Campbell described marriage as the ‘deep, deep peace of the double bed after the hurly-burly of the chaise longue’.

After nine years together, the profundity of our peace is indeed pure bliss. Nothing makes me happier than hitting the sack with Terence, 49. However, rather more hurly-burly would be welcome.

The lack of it is not for reasons of boredom or complacency. Far from it. Instead, a blight descended upon our erotic existence when we began living together five years ago — a blight that is beautiful, neurotic and hotly adored. In short, we’d be at it a lot more were it not for Pimlico, our whippet, who is the ultimate barrier-method contraception.

Pim body-blocks anything remotely resembling sexual contact, from catching each other’s eye upwards.

At night, she sleeps between us, or between our legs, guarding against any possible action. As a dog therapist we consulted explained, ours is a polyamorous throuple in which the focus is very much on her.

The irony is not lost on me that I type this after a weekend in which we set Pim up on a romantic mini-break to see whether she would like to get to know a dashing whippet bachelor. Alas, they appeared content to remain in the friend zone.

But we were Pim-less and able to enter the erotic one. It was wonderful; middle-age brings with it a fabulously improved skillset. It made us realise how ridiculous we are being.

We’re lucky enough not to have children to get in the way and still find each other attractive. Time to resolve this ‘high days and holidays’ lunacy.

We shower together after the school run

Kate Wills, 39

When I tell other women in long-term relationships that my partner Guy and I have sex four to five times a week, they look shocked.

Most of my social circle only manage it a couple of times a month. A few of them haven’t had sex in more than a year. That seems like a real shame to me.

When Guy and I first got together in 2019 we would have sex every day, sometimes several times a day.

Of course, now we’re older and have a three-year-old daughter, our magic number has gone down a bit. But we always try to make time to have sex regularly, even if that means scheduling it in.

I love feeling desired and sexy; it is one of the few times in the day when I can turn my to-do-list-whirring-brain off.

A big mistake I think a lot of couples make is waiting until the very end of the day to even think about initiating sex.

That’s when you’re at your most tired and/or too full because you had a curry for dinner.

Guy and I will sometimes set an alarm half an hour before our daughter wakes up so we can have morning sex, or we’ll shower together after we’ve dropped her at school. There’s no rule that sex has to be in the bedroom with the lights out.

I think it helps that we both work from home, so we can sneak in a quick cuddle in the middle of the day. Yes, we do triple check that our Zoom cameras are turned off!

At 63 my sex life is better than ever

Sudi Pigott, 63

Being in love again just post 60 is exhilarating, sometimes tempestuous, and my sex life is better than ever.

Yes, in the heady early days of meeting Stephen, we’d almost always go to bed as soon as he arrived in London from his Suffolk cottage, or as soon as I got to his place.

Even as a committed foodie writing on restaurants and all things culinary for a living, dinner had to wait and take second place.

More than two years on, our appetite has settled a little and we rarely wake up in the middle of the night for a spot of fun as we did.

Yet, we remain joyously hungry for each other.

We met through a dating website after I’d had a long period of short-term, intermittent relationships with only occasional really good sex and more inconsiderate or simply poor or incapable performers.

What perhaps helps to keep the passion so ignited is that we don’t live together. Stephen still lives in Suffolk three nights a week, so it always feels exciting when we see each other again.

Yes, the realities of life and work have intervened, yet we still average sex twice a weekend, unless we’re on holiday and have all the time in the world.

Our most regular time for sex is Sunday mornings. Stephen flexes his barista skills to bring up coffee in bed.

Then we have plenty of time for unhurried, considerate sex before listening, rather appropriately, to Michael Berkeley on BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions.

I live on a boat and it’s too cold for intimacy!

Hilary Freeman, 52

These days, my partner Mickael and I talk about having sex far more than we actually do it.

The conversation, in bed, usually goes something like this. Me: ‘How long is it since we had sex?’

Him, mentally calculating: ‘I don’t know. It has been a while. After that party? We should probably do it.’ I reply: ‘Yes, and I’d like to, but I’m much too tired and you have to get up at five.’

‘OK.’ Looking hopeful, ‘Let’s do it tomorrow night?’

And when tomorrow night arrives: ‘I’m sorry but I can’t keep my eyes open. Let’s do it on Saturday.’

And so on. Put simply, while our minds are willing, our bodies are generally too knackered.

Mickael does shift work, often leaving in the early hours or returning after midnight.

Factor in that we have a curious eight-year-old child and that we live on a boat with thin, plywood walls, and sex goes out the porthole.

When we first got together, 14 years ago, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.

Our relationship was long-distance for three years, which helped to prolong that exciting, honeymoon phase.

Of course, we are older now and familiarity saps desire. But sex is still important to both of us. We always get on better when we’ve been recently intimate.

As an agony aunt who frequently gives sex advice, I’m aware that experts say you’re supposed to schedule love-making to end a dry spell.

But dishing out advice is easier than taking it. Diarising sex simply doesn’t work for us.

It makes it feel like just another chore — buy milk, do tax return, have intercourse — and we need the frisson of spontaneity.

That’s particularly hard to come by at this time of year, when the boat is so cold that we go to bed wearing deeply unsexy (and impractical to quickly remove) socks, thermals and leggings.

However, all is not lost. If you average it out, we still manage sex twice a month.

Friends discuss how to avoid having sex

Susannah Jowitt, 55

Evening sex doesn’t work once you get to the age of separate bedtimes. I want to enjoy a long hot soak in the bath, while hubby drops off after one page of his latest heavy biography.

Over the 25 years of our marriage, Sunday morning has become the only time we wake up together and know we’ve got nothing else pressing to do. Books are set aside. Phones are left on silent. Knees start to tremble.

Sadly, even this pedestrian routine is racy in comparison to many of our friends. They haven’t had sex for weeks, months, even years.

I know this from too many girls’ nights when talk turns to how to avoid having sex with your husband. One friend has cultivated a pre-bed beauty routine so heavily laced with unguents and serums that her husband would simply slide off her without gaining purchase, even if he could ignore the medicinal aromas and death-pallor of the creams.

The trouble is that women have often stopped fancying their husband, though they still love them. This is the trouble with everyone being on HRT: we feel young, sexed-up and vibrant once more — but our husbands are not on HRT and are often fat, bald and snore.

I do have two pairs of friends who still have sex every night. My husband and I talk about them in tones of awe. Every night! ‘It’s why I have no social life and never get to read the book-club book,’ one of them tells me.

‘Neither of us drink any more so it’s how we guarantee a good night’s sleep,’ says the other.

England defeated India by 28 runs in the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

New Delhi: The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team suffered a 28-run loss to Ben Stokes' England in the first Test of the five-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on January 28. The Indian skipper said they were not brave enough and that was the reason behind their loss despite leading by 190 runs in the first innings.

“It is difficult to determine where things went wrong. Since we had a lead of 190, we thought we were in full swing. Exceptional batting, one of the best I have seen in Indian conditions by a foreign batsman, Ollie Pope played a brilliant stroke. We bowled in the right places. The bowlers executed the plans very well, you have to tip your hat to Pope and say well played,” Rohit said at the post-match ceremony.

“Overall, we failed as a team. We didn't score well enough. I wanted them (Siraj and Bumrah) to take the match to the fifth day. The lower order fought very well there. You have to be brave enough, but I thought you weren't,” he added.

Debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley put aside a poor first-innings performance to post a sensational 7-62 as England recorded an unlikely and famous 28-run win over India in the Test Series opener.

Ollie Pope's magnificent 196 helped England, who had been 190 runs ahead, reach 420 runs in their second innings, setting India a target of 231. But Hartley had other plans, progressing through the Indian batting order to take his maiden seven-wicket haul in Test. cricket to bowl out the hosts for 202, hours after West Indian pacer Shamar Joseph took a seven-fer of his own to stop Australia from winning in Brisbane.

The victory gives England a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. This win is a testament to the visitors' successful Bazball approach in Indian conditions. It is undeniably one of England's biggest Test wins in the overseas circuit.

Short scores: England 246 and 420 in 102.1 overs (Ollie Pope 196; Ben Duckett 47; Jasprit Bumrah 4-41, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-126) defeated India 436 and 202 in 69.2 overs (Rohit Sharma 39, KS Bharat 28; Tom Hartley 7-62) with 28 runs

Orthodox Christians across Europe stripped off in blistering cold temperatures to immerse themselves in freezing waters today in a traditional ceremony to mark the annual Epiphany celebrations.

Despite air temperatures plunging to as low as 41C in some areas of Russia and eastern Europe, hundreds of thousands plunged into holes in frozen lakes and rivers as part of the religious celebration.

Bikini-clad women and topless men dunked themselves in the icy water to celebrate the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany. In eastern Christianity, the feast of Epiphany commemorates the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. 

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the holiday according to the Julian calendar, and many took part in events in Russia, Kyrgystan, Belarus, Serbia, and Ukraine.

The brave men and women were seen slowly edging their way into the freezing water, their faces contorted with shock, before they plunged themselves underneath the surface. 

In some areas, authorities cut holds into ice that had covered lakes and rivers and constructed wooden steps to allow easy access into the freezing waters. But within hours of them constructing the steps, they quickly became covered with ice.

In Moscow, Orthodox Christians lined up to plunge into the icy water of the Khimki reservoir, in -6C temperatures as medical personnel watched on.

And in Kyrgyzstan, men, women and even young children threw themselves into the freezing waters as part of their Epiphany celebrations. 

In the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is under Russian control, men could be seen plunging into a freezing river as large shards of ice floated nearby. 

The tradition in recent years has been embraced by politicians and diplomats, with President Vladimir Putin known to have taken part in previous years.

This year, the Kremlin claimed that Putin, 71, immersed himself in sub zero waters to celebrate the Epiphany by clambering through a hole in the ice. But spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not specify where Putin had taken the dip nor did he publish any photos of the despot doing so. 

He has not shown himself at Epiphany since 2021. Some believe his absence from a public showing of the annual ritual is a sign of his waning health.

The Kremlin in the most recent years has insisted he takes the plunge but no new pictures have been issued of the ‘macho’ dictator who despite being an ardent communist in Soviet times is keen to burnish his Orthodox credentials.

The head of Russia’s largest and coldest region, Yakutia, close Putin-ally Aisen Nikolaev, 51, led the way plunging into an ice hold in an air temperature of -41C.

He was followed by kindergarten children in Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk who went from a warm sauna out into the -20C cold to tip buckets of cold water over themselves.

In Kemerovo region, there were 40 cold plunge pools with a night temperature of -25C. While in Novosibirsk, thousands had doused themselves in the purifying cold water despite a temperature of -25C.

In the region of Sverdlovsk, it was -15C and 90 pools were cut in the ice.

The local church told believers that it was not essential to dip for religious reasons, and it was more a folk custom which goes back to the tsarist era.

‘From a spiritual point of view, immersion in a font does not make people better or worse, or cleanse from sin,’ explained priest Daniil Ryabinin. 

‘A person is cleansed by a sincere desire to change, repent, return to God’s channel and do good deeds. This will change you.’

Ambulance crews are routinely on standby to aid those overcome by the extreme cold. Tents are often set up on the ice to warm those who take the plunge.

Meanwhile, the Russian city of Belgorod, also near the Ukrainian border, canceled its traditional Orthodox Epiphany festivities on Friday due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. 

It was the first time major public events were known to have been called off in Russia due to the drone threat. 

In Eastern Christianity, the feast of Epiphany commemorates the Baptism of Jesus. 

The religious holiday of Epiphany is also celebrated in some Western Christian churches as Three Kings Day, which marks the visit of the Magi, or three wise men, to the baby Jesus and closes out the Christmas season.

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the holiday according to the Julian calendar.

Although some countries celebrate Epiphany on January 6, in the tradition of the Orthodox Church it is marked each year on January 19 – the day that Jesus was said to have been baptised into the faith.

Orthodox Christians take dips in water outside to mark the occasion and celebrate the baptism.

By Zak Wheeler for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 5:37 PM EST, January 16, 2024 | Updated: 6:14 PM EST, January 16, 2024