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Barbara Walters Vs. JFK Alleged Mistress On 'The View'

2012-02-10T23:51:45Z

Mimi Alford, the former White House intern who claims she had an 18-month affair with President John F. Kennedy, sat down for an interview with "The View" (weekdays on ABC) Friday that turned surprisingly combative. Barbara Walters grilled Alford about her motivations for writing about the relationship and criticized her for hurting the Kennedy family.

Walters, who admitted to having an affair with then-married Senator Edward Brooke in early '70s, began the interview by detailing the sexual exploits Alford wrote about in her book "Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath." "The View" co-host pointed to a passage where Alford describes giving oral sex to JFK's friends and younger brother on a dare. Alford pushed back on the notion that she was coerced, but expressed some regret about it. "What mortifies me today is that I accepted the dare," she reflected.

When Alford explained that she didn't intend to hurt anyone by writing the book, Walters interrupted: "I know, but you know it must hurt that family." Alford pushed back against the criticism, explaining that the book was her way of telling her story, and that she needed to write and talk about the experience after keeping it a secret for so many years.

Earlier in the week, Walters' colleague Whoopi Goldberg expressed skepticism about the timing of the book's release and threatened to not show up for the interview. But the present Goldberg took the opportunity to ask Alford, "Why now?" Alford explained that after she was named in a 2003 JFK biography, she felt the desire to tell her own her own story, rather than leave it in someone else's hands.

At that point, Walters interrupted again, making the point that the affair was only mentioned in one paragraph of that biography. "Nobody even remembers it. You could have let it go," Walters suggested. But Alford once again defended taking ownership of her story, and simply said, "That secret affected my whole adult life."

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Former Wall Street Journal Columnist, Best-Selling Author Dies

2012-02-10T22:39:07Z

Former Wall Street Journal columnist and best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow died on Friday. He was 53 years old.

Zaslow was driving his car on snowy roads in Northern Michigan. He reportedly lost control of the car shortly after 9:00 a.m. Friday morning and was hit by a semi-truck.

Zaslow is the author of the best-selling novel, "The Last Lecture," which he wrote with Carnegie-Mellon computer science professor Randy Pausch. "The Last Lecture" was translated into 48 languages and remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than 112 weeks.

Zaslow also collaborated with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly on their memoir, "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope."

In late January, Zaslow blogged for The Huffington Post's Weddings section. In the blog, Zaslow discusses his most recent book, "The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters." The book was released in December.

The Detroit Free Press called Zaslow, who had a long-running column in the Journal, "supremely outgoing and equally self-deprecating," and said that he "had a knack for ferreting out details that riveted a reader."

Zaslow is survived by his wife, Sherry Margolis, a local Fox anchor in Detroit, Michigan, and three daughters.

'Castle' Scoop: Jennifer Beals On Playing Castle's Former Muse

2012-02-10T20:06:58Z

Jennifer Beals is returning to TV for a two-episode arc on "Castle," and her CIA agent character Sophia Turner will be stirring up emotions between Castle and Beckett. Could her history with Castle finally inspire Beckett to share her true feelings for him once and for all and maybe return those three little words?

In the upcoming episode, "Pandora" (Mon., Feb. 13, 10 p.m. EST on ABC), and its follow-up on Feb. 20, "Linchpin," the stakes have never been higher for Castle and Beckett as they work with Sophia and the CIA to solve an international conspiracy that could have a massive effect on the U.S.

I caught up with Beals, who was cagey about whether or not her past with Castle was romantic at all, but she did reveal that he shadowed Sophia years ago and modeled his character Clara Strike after her ... meaning Beckett isn't his first muse. She also talked about Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic's onscreen chemistry (calling it "magical"), whether or not this could spark a "Castle" spinoff for her character and, knowing that we begged for it, what it'll take to get her back on TV full-time.

First off, I miss "Chicago Code." Gone too soon ...
I miss it, too. I love that character. She was such a badass. And I loved working with the CPD, and we had a great cast. I was just excited about it.

For this two-parter on "Castle," you're playing CIA Agent Sophia Turner, who at least feels a bit like "Chicago Code's" Teresa Colvin. Are there any similarities?
Teresa is much more practical, and I think, tougher. On the outside, Teresa's much tougher. Sofia, on the inside, is steel. She has an intellectual capacity that's pretty intense at times. You know, Teresa's like Chicago ... what would be the word for it? Not muscular in the sense of the body, but muscular in the sense that like Carl Sandburg would've used the word. She's much more ready to get in and get things done herself if she needs to. But it's funny, I hadn't thought about that!

How did this part come about?
First, I wasn't sure if I would do it. I wasn't very familiar with the show. I have friends who love the show, and who were really excited about the possibility. I went in and met with Andrew [Marlowe] and David [Amann] and they were really lovely and had interesting ideas, but I didn't have a script. So I just had to go on good faith and instinct, and I'm really glad I did.

Not to make more out of it before these two episodes have even aired, but knowing that it's a two-parter and that she has such history with Castle, this seems primed to be a spinoff.
Well, um ... yeah, I mean ... I don't know that that's really possible. But, yes, I think it's a deeper relationship because he partially based his Clara Strike character on her. So the audience gets that little tidbit.

Yes, and with Beckett inspiring Nikki Heat, I'd imagine she's not too thrilled to meet one of Castle's former muses. Your character ruffles some feathers, doesn't she?
Whose? Whose feathers would she be ruffling? [Laughs.] Beckett would have to speak to that herself, but I think it certainly complicates things a bit, because it's another person that she didn't know about. And I think it's probably a more important person because there was enough about this person that was interesting that he decided to put it into a character. So that might be problematic in some ways.

Was it a romantic relationship?
You'll get to find out.

Did you have fun shooting these episodes? I love that set.
I had so much fun working with those guys. I had fun playing her, but I really had fun on the set. It's like the hardest working crew I think I've ever seen. The longest hours ... and still so professional and lovely. Nathan is really fun to hang out with, and he just made me laugh all the time. And he's very Mr. Techno Guy. I am not involved with any social media whatsoever, and I'm just really proud that I have a phone with which I can text. [Laughs.] I have an iPad! I feel pretty red hot that I have an iPad, not that I really know how to work it to its fullest capacity. [Laughs.] So he introduced me to some different apps that were really fun. And Stana was really lovely, and they were both very welcoming. They're just so great together, onscreen. It's very, very interesting, because they're very different people, and then when they're onscreen together, it's just magical.

So Nathan hasn't convinced you to get on Twitter? He's kind of the gateway drug to Twitter.
Well, you know, he is the king of Twitter. He got a prize for twittering. I didn't even know that there was a prize for twittering! If I twittered, I don't know what the hell I would say. He comes up with very funny, interesting things ... I don't have those kind of synapses happening.

It's serendipitous that we're talking today because I actually just included you in our list of 13 stars we want to see back on TV.
Oh, that's so sweet! Thank you. I appreciate that.

Would you consider doing a show again so soon?
Yes, I would consider doing a show again so soon, but it would have to be really, really good. I've been so spoiled. I was so spoiled with "The L Word," I was so spoiled with "Chicago Code." I just said to my agents and manager yesterday, "It has to be really special." We're in the renaissance of television right now -- I don't want to go and do something that doesn't have any meaning to me. It's either got to be really fun or it's got to be meaningful to me, and hopefully it's both.

What do you watch on TV?
You know what I do love? I love "Enlightened." My god, Laura Dern is a genius -- just a stinking genius! I laugh really hard, and then in the middle of laughing, I'm crying. I love her character, I love the way she plays the character and I love the show.

"Castle" airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.

Artwork Honors Vaclav Havel

2012-02-10T17:14:58Z

PRAGUE -- Two artists have used wax from the thousands of candles that Czechs lit to mourn the death of President Vaclav Havel to create a large heart honoring him.

Lukas Gavlovsky – whose 7-foot-tall (2 meter), multicolored art work went on display in Prague on Friday, says it is meant "to celebrate (Havel's) ideas, his greatness."

Gavlovsky created the heart with his colleague, Roman Svejda, and dozens of volunteers.

Havel, a dissident who helped his nation shed Communism, was long associated with hearts. He ended his signature with one, and when he left office in 2003 a neon sign of a heart shone from Prague Castle.

The new art work, placed in front of the National Theater, will remain there until April 10.

Havel died on Dec. 18 at age 75.

Studio Re-Commissions Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rebecca'

2012-02-10T16:43:03Z

At least it isn't ~~"Psycho"~~ "Rear Window." According to Variety, DreamWorks has begun plans to remake the Alfred Hitchcock classic "Rebecca" with "History of Violence" screenwriter Steven Knight.

Knight -- Oscar nominated for writing "Dirty Pretty Things" in 2002, and also responsible for the David Cronenberg film "Eastern Promises" -- will apparently go back to the Daphne DuMaurier source novel for his adaptation, and not work directly off Hitchcock's moody thriller.

The original 1940 film followed Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine), a "naive young woman" who marries a rich widower (Laurence Olivier) and moves into his mansion -- which just so happens to be haunted by his previous wife, Rebecca.

"Rebecca" was named Best Picture at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1941, and earned nine other nominations, including Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director. Of course, Hitchcock famously never won the award for Best Director, instead earning an honorary Oscar from the Academy in 1968. "Rebecca" was his first nomination in the category.

Hitchcock was a long-time fan of DuMaurier's work, having adapted "Jamaica Inn" for the screen in 1939; he also based "The Birds" on one of her short stories.

[via Variety]

Author Scandal Bears Striking Resemblance To James Frey Scandal

2012-02-10T15:27:17Z

HELENA, Mont. — Attorneys who accuse Greg Mortenson of defrauding readers in his best-selling "Three Cups of Tea" say his case is no different from that of James Frey, who admitted on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" that he lied in his memoir "A Million Little Pieces."

That lawsuit ended in a settlement that offered refunds to buyers of the book.

Mortenson has asked a judge to throw out the civil lawsuit that says he fabricated portions of his book, saying that if it is allowed to proceed, other authors could be subjected to similar claims and the result would be a stifling of the free exchange of ideas.

"Plaintiffs should not be allowed to create a world where authors are exposed to the debilitating expense of class action litigation just because someone believes a book contains inaccuracies," attorney John Kauffman wrote in the filing late last month.

But the plaintiffs' attorneys argue in court documents filed Tuesday the lawsuit should go forward because of the precedent set by class-action lawsuit against Frey. The two cases are "nearly identical," they said.

"The facts in the (Frey) case are stunningly close to the facts in this case, but not nearly as compelling," wrote attorney Alexander Blewett.

The lawsuit claims Mortenson lied about how he began building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and fabricated other events in the books "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones Into Schools." The attorney who led the Frey lawsuit, Larry Drury, is also a plaintiffs' attorney in the nine-month-old case against Mortenson.

Winfrey chose "A Million Little Pieces," for her book club in September 2005, boosting its sales, which eventually topped 3.5 million. But then Frey acknowledged on Winfrey's show in January 2006 that he had lied in the memoir of addiction and recovery.

A judge in 2007 certified a class-action lawsuit by disgruntled readers against Frey, and the resulting settlement offered a refund to anybody who bought the book before the falsehoods were acknowledged.

Only 1,729 people asked to be reimbursed, costing Random House $27,348. The attorneys in the case were paid $783,000 in fees.

Haddon has not yet scheduled a hearing on whether to dismiss the claim against Mortenson.

The lawsuit accuses the Montana resident of being involved in a racketeering scheme to turn him into a false hero, defraud millions of people out of the price of the books and raise millions in donations to the charity. The other defendants allegedly in on the scheme are co-author David Relin, publisher Penguin Group and Mortenson's Bozeman-based charity, Central Asia Institute.

Mortenson's accusers seek reimbursement of all the money that was made from his books. The lawsuit has been amended four times, with a changing cast of plaintiffs who now number four.

The lawsuit was filed a few weeks after author Jon Krakauer and "60 Minutes" revealed in April 2011 discrepancies in "Three Cups of Tea" and questioned whether Mortenson was benefiting from his charity.

Meanwhile, Montana prosecutors are moving ahead with their own investigation into Mortenson's charity, saying they plan to update the public about the investigation in the next few weeks.

The Montana attorney general's office is investigating whether the Central Asia Institute broke any laws that govern non-profits in Montana.

Assistant Attorney General Jim Molloy said investigators have reviewed thousands of pages of documents and interviewed Mortenson and others connected to the charity.

He declined to say what the investigation has revealed but said his office would be updating the public within a month.

The state's probe does not involve the merits of the accounts contained in Mortenson's books, he said.

Mortenson has denied wrongdoing and has kept out of the public eye since having heart surgery last year. In December, the Central Asia Institute said in its year-end letter that Mortenson would no longer be involved in the charity's day-to-day management and that it was looking at expanding its three-person board of directors.

9 Books That Cause Irrational Phobias

2012-02-10T15:06:53Z

By Gabe Habash for PWxyz:

One of the many benefits of books is that they provide catharsis. They have the rare power of purging stress and bad emotions through the experiences we find in them. But some books can have the exact opposite effect, producing the howling fantods in a reader. For those phobic victims, we’ll wait for your screaming to die down and nod in appreciation of the power of these nine books.

What Is The Vampire Novel Of The Century?

2012-02-10T14:59:48Z

In these post-Twilight days, vampires are so ubiquitous that it's hard to believe they were once confined to a dark corner of the horror genre. But this mainstream acceptance – all sparkly rock star vampires and comedy bloodsuckers – has leeched away the terror of the shadow rising at the foot of the bed. Vampires just aren't scary any more. It's like Dracula never happened.

7 Books NOT To Give Your Valentine

2012-02-10T12:50:31Z

From Flavorwire:

With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, the more bookish among you may be thinking about getting literary gifts for your loved ones. A swell idea, as far as we’re concerned, but be warned — when given as gifts, books can take on special, often unintended meanings, so choose with care. For instance, as much as we love "American Psycho," we’d never gift it to someone we were interested in dating. It just kind of sends the wrong message (like, “I’m imagining your death right now”). So, to save you from any possible missteps, we’ve created a guide to what books not to give to your Valentine, whether you’ve been together for three weeks or three years, and offered our suggestions as to what you might slide across the candlelit table instead. Click through to see what we chose, and good luck.

Read more at Flavorwire.com

Harry Potter And Voldemort Play Plead The Fifth On 'Watch What Happens Live'

2012-02-10T09:29:58Z

Voldemort asked and Harry Potter answered on "Watch What Happens Live" (Weeknights, 11 p.m. EST on Bravo). And it was just as weird as when Voldemort donned fluffy slippers to read erotic fan fiction on the show.

Before playing "Plead The Fifth" with his onscreen nemesis, Daniel Radcliffe told Andy Cohen about the sinister side of being famous: attracting stalkers. One particularly obsessed fan used to draw arrows pointing to Radcliffe's crotch on photos of the actor and then mail them to him.

However, Radcliffe may not be above a bit of stalking himself given the right circumstances. When Cohen asked which celebrity he'd stalk, Radcliffe picked the newly single Katy Perry. "Not even in a 'I'm a really big fan,' way, but in an overtly sexual context."

Next up was Voldemort (sans pyjamas), who kept up the creepiness by asking, "If you could cast a spell to be invisible, what actress' bedroom would you want to sneak into?"

"Scarlett Johansson. 'Cause I reckon that's the only way I'm getting there," joked Radcliffe.

Catch all the latest celebrity scoop on "Watch What Happens Live," Weeknights at 11 p.m. EST on Bravo.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

JFK's Other Women: 7 Alleged Mistresses

2012-02-10T00:10:28Z

Mimi Alford, the former White House intern who recently wrote a book claiming she had an affair with President John F. Kennedy, detailed the 18-month affair in an interview with Meredith Vierra on "Rock Center" Wednesday.

Alford, 69, told Vierra that she "didn't feel guilty" about having sex with a married man, and that opening up about the affair decades later has been a relief.

"When you keep a secret, and when you keep silent about something, you do it because you think it's keeping you safe, but in fact, it's deadly," she said.

Alford is hardly the first woman who claimed or was rumored to have had an affair with the former president. Click through the slideshow below to read about some of JFK's most famous alleged mistresses.

'Game Of Thrones' Season 2 First Look

2012-02-09T21:46:41Z

The second season of "Game of Thrones" is still a few months away, but the first bits of footage recently came out and now, new images have emerged!

In the new individual cast photos below, take a peek at Daenerys, the Starks and all your favorite "GOT" characters in action during Season 2, which will be 10 episodes.

"Game Of Thrones" Season 2 kicks off on Sun., April 1 at 9 p.m. EST.

No 'Trainspotting' Sequel, Says Ewan McGregor

2012-02-09T16:27:46Z

As amazing as it would be to see Begbie, Renton and Sick Boy continue their drug-induced "Trainspotting" adventures, Scottish leading man Ewan McGregor has unofficially nixed it -- he's never even seen a script for the hypothetical movie.

While doing press for the upcoming "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, McGregor addressed the possibility of starring in a sequel to the movie -- which was based on the novel by Irvine Welsh.

"I was always a bit loathe to do it, because 'Trainspotting' is so important for me," said McGregor. "And it was such an amazing film that still stands up today. I think making a sequel to it is almost a dangerous thing to do. You don't want to damage the reputation of the original film if you make a lesser version."

Upon reflection, McGregor briefly considered the semantics of creating the film now, over a decade after its original release in 1996.

"That said, it could be interesting because it's been so long, and the book is set 10 years later," he said, referring to Welsh's follow-up to "Trainspotting," titled "Porno."

As for his aging since the mid-'90s?

"I still look very, very young, and that would be a big problem," he joked, laughing.

Another novel by Welsh ("Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance") has been adapted into a Canadian film, "Irvine Welsh's Ecstacy," which just wrapped shooting and is slated for release this year. Welsh is currently writing a prequel to "Trainspotting," titled "Skagboys."

Check back in a few weeks for our full-length interview with Ewan McGregor.

10 Tips For Nailing Spring Trends

2012-02-09T14:00:00Z

Have you ever looked into your over-stuffed closet and cried, "I have nothing to wear!" Haven't we all. Marie Claire contributing editor Joyce Corrigan has you covered. Whether you are struggling to choose an office-appropriate outfit or trying to make a specific trend fit your style, Corrigan touches on the style issue in "Marie Claire Outfit 911."

In her introduction, the magazine's editor-in-chief Joanna Coles writes, "My fashion default is the sheath dress. It's my go-to and it never fails." She continues, "You may not yet have your uniform, but no matter where you're going, whatever you're doing, we have you covered. So, go ahead, browse away. And find the uniform that works for you."

Nina Garcia, Marie Claire's fashion director addresses the dilemma of one's special occasion wardrobe, "a fashion emergency drives us to be impulsive. Our better judgment gets clouded and we begin grabbing at whatever is new and now -- even if it's not quite right."

"Marie Claire Outfit 911," which Garcia says will help you not only assess the occasion, but take you step-by-step through building a wardrobe with long-term staying power," is currently for sale from Amazon.com for $16. Take a peek in our gallery below for Corrigan's top ten tips for looking stylish this spring:

FASHION RELATED LINKS YOU MAY LOVE:
How To Rock A Pencil Skirt Out Of The Office - Refinery29

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Could Stuart Weitzman Be the Next Manolo Blahnik? Lucky

See Really Old Polaroids of Candice Swanepoel, Miranda Kerr & More - The Cut

The Sofia Coppola Marni For H&M Video - Racked

Is The Queen A Feminist, And Other Musings From Biography Author Sally Bedell Smith

2012-02-09T13:16:46Z

The Diamond Jubilee year of 2012 marks 60 years since Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne -- and it's bringing out the biographers in hordes. Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch was written by Sally Bedell Smith, whose previous works include biographies on the Kennedy's White House and Princess Diana, sat down with the Huffington Post Canada to talk about what she observed during her three years writing the book,

HPC: How did you go about getting sources, given that the Queen won't give interviews?

SBS: There were quite a few people who helped me with the Diana book, so I went back to my key sources and they agreed to help me again. Initially Buckingham Palace, when I sent a letter to them, basically said, 'well, that's very nice, but you're on your own,' but eventually, several people who worked for the Queen and others who knew her very well vouched for me. After about six months they agreed to give me their cooperation. They gave the green light to people to talk to me, and they enabled me to travel with the Queen and to see her and Philip in many different settings. Just to see how she was received and how she interacted with people and how the two of them worked together was very helpful.

HPC: And how is the Queen received when she travels? Obviously, there is some tension about her role in places.

SBS: Enthusiastically, everywhere. Just everywhere. I went up with her to Hull, which was fascinating, particularly since Hull is a Republican-oriented area, it's not known to be as Monarchist as places in the south. But she's so popular now -- she's come back so much from those dark days after Diana's death, and people appreciate her now, much more than they ever did. I think that turning point really came 10 years ago with her Golden Jubilee and it's even more intense now.

HPC: Did you ever hear any inklings about the future of the monarchy? For example, those murmurings about William taking the throne instead of Charles ...

SBS: It won't [go to William] - it's really not in the order of things for that to happen, and the royals very much believers in the way things are supposed to happen. I think public opinion polls have expressed that desire [for William to be king], because they are, as David Cameron said, the team of the future. Charles has waited longer than any Prince of Wales ever to succeed his mother, and the way it works is the Queen dies, and the next in line takes over. And the only way in which William could succeed to the throne would be if Charles were to abdicate. Which is doable, and maybe if in 10 years time, when the Queen is 95 years old and she dies and Charles becomes king in his mid-70s, I suppose it's possible. But it requires legislation ... and abdication since 1936 has had a bad name in the royal family.

SEE: The Queen at her Diamond Jubilee celebrations:

HPC: Other than those traditions, do you think the Queen has relaxed at all in terms of royal etiquette? That incident with Michelle Obama, for example, put the world on edge.

SBS: She was raised from childhood to expect deference, but in the case of Americans, it's far more relaxed. You can shake her hand, you don't have to bow or curtsey. I had one funny incident ... when I was in Bermuda with them and we were going from one place to another on a ferry boat. I asked if I could sit by the door and watch her do her walkaround. So I sat in a little corner on a banquette, and when she came in, instead of walking the other way, she walked right toward me.
I was in this terrible quandary, because I know when the Queen approaches, you're supposed to stand up. I thought, okay, if I stand up, I'll be standing right in front of her and it'll be incredible awkward. And so I just sort of sat there, and she walked by and she sort of looked at me, and Prince Philip walked by and he sort of looked at me, and David Miliband, who is the foreign secretary, just sort of waved at me. I told her press secretary afterward and she said, 'oh, she probably laughed.' So the Queen expects to be deferred to, to a large extent, but something like that, she wouldn't take exception to.

HPC: Do you think that's thanks to a relaxed approach to rules, or a recognition of society's changes?

SBS: I think it's probably both -- it's the way that she has moved along as things have changed. She's still a great believer in traditions, but I think she recognizes that society is less formal. If you look at the way William and Harry interact with people, it's much more informal. People don't even call them sir at this stage. They're the first generation to really be brought up to blend in with everybody else, as opposed as feeling different from everybody else. Whereas Charles, from the time he became Prince of Wales as a young boy, was treated almost like a miniature adult. Everybody had to defer to him and call him sir.

HPC: In the Vanity Fair excerpt of your book, it focuses on Elizabeth deciding to keep her and her children's last name as Windsor, and Philip's displeasure with this? Do you think the Queen has any feminist leanings?

SBS: [Keeping her last name] was more out of loyalty to her father and her grandfather. I wouldn't consider her a feminist, but ... contrast her with Margaret Thatcher, who was and is very much a feminist. The Queen still adheres to certain traditions, like after a formal dinner at one of her palaces or castles, the men routinely stay at the table and the women withdraw. It's a very old custom. Margaret Thatcher would have none of that. She wanted to stay at the table with the men. So whenever the Thatchers came to Balmoral for their obligatory weekend to visit in the autumn, the Queen always finessed that situation by not having any kind of a formal dinner at the castle, but rather taking them out on a picnic, because that was less formal and that tradition wasn't observed. So it wasn't that the Queen was going to bend to what Margaret Thatcher wanted.

HPC: She would just find ways around it.

SBS: Exactly. But the mere fact that she's been ... I think she believes in women's rights, and the speech that she gave at the Commonwealth conference in Australia last autumn, was the same moment that David Cameron introduced to the other Commonwealth realms, of which Canada is one, the proposed legislation to change the rules of primogeniture, so that William and Katherine's firstborn child, whether a girl or a boy, would be the next in line. And the Queen has not said anything specifically about that, but in her address to all 54 nations -- she's always very subtle about these things -- she spoke of the need to advance women.
And don't forget, she became Queen at age 25, when she was the mother of a three year old and an 18-month-old baby. None of them in that class of women, all the aristocrats she knew, none of them was a professional woman,. And she was thrown into a world of men immediately, and she had to prove her worth. And they found her to be a highly professional woman. So from that standpoint, she has been a feminist without identifying herself as such.

HPC: That's funny -- you don't usually think of the role of Queen as a profession.

SBS: It's true, but she is so far beyond a figurehead. She has a very regimented day and she has a pretty impressive range of duties. She's kept every single intelligence secret that they've ever had in Britain. She reads minutes of Cabinet meetings, she has to assent to laws passed in Parliament, she meets with diplomats and judges and senior military officers. She has all these private confidential audiences with them. So she applies all that she's learned to these meetings, and they really rely on her for wise counsel. Her role is not to give advice, necessarily, it's to be consulted, to encourage and to warn.

HPC: There's a lot of discussion here in Canada about the royals' continued relevance. During your time with the Queen, did you find that it still had a place?

SBS: Honestly, I found them to be far more relevant than I thought I would. I think there's a really good argument you can make for having a head of state who is above the political fray, who is neutral, who can perform this essential service as a sounding board, who by virtue of that neutrality and being beyond politics can help to unify a country. Obviously this presupposes that a monarch lives a life as she has, but to have somebody who not only embodies all the best values we can think of, but who actually lives them and serves as an example ...
As I was going around the US talking about this book, there's almost a wistfulness, people thinking 'American life is so partisan now, everybody's at each other's throats. Maybe we should have somebody like this to bring us all together, because the President can't do it.'
So I think Canadians are actually lucky -- I know it's an odd concept to have a head of state who resides over there, but she does love this country.