AT SOME point in her 11-year rule, Margaret Thatcher adopted the royal prerogative of referring to herself in the plural — as when she announced the birth of a child to her son Mark in 1989.

FRENCH luxury store Hermés has apologised to American television celebrity Oprah Winfrey for turning her away from one of its Paris boutiques last week, saying the store was closed for a public relations event when she came knocking.