Once again Mary has invited some of her favourite achievers to submit personal queries for her attention.
From Lord Marland
Q. There are two restaurants in London which I go to very regularly. I have known the staff in both of these for a long time and they always greet me by name. ‘Yes, Mr Marland. No, Mr Marland. Three bags full, Mr Marland.’ They haven’t cottoned on to the fact that I am no longer Mister. I am not seeking to be snooty or to appear to be correcting them but how can I gracefully convey — purely for the purposes of accuracy and to put a stop to the quips from friends who are dining with me — that I am no longer Mister Marland?
A. There is nothing for it but to treat your elder son to some dinners with his friends. In this way your secretary can make convoluted calls to the restaurants in question booking two Marland tables for the same time on the same evening, repeating ad nauseam, ‘That’s one table for Lord Marland and one for his son, Mr Marland.’
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