Mervyn King

The Bank of England has to act to prevent higher inflation

issue 18 June 2022

To Windsor for Garter Day, the first since 2019. With a strong voice and smiles for us all, the Queen presided over the investiture of three new Knights – Tony Blair, Baroness Amos and, as a Royal Lady of the Order, the Duchess of Cornwall – in the small Throne Room. After luncheon with the royal family in the Waterloo Chamber, we processed to St George’s Chapel for a service during which the new Knights were formally installed. It is a splendid pageant appreciated by the large crowd of onlookers who look with amazement at our outfits. We wear morning dress, garter star, a dark-blue velvet mantle, a rather heavy gold collar and a black velvet hat with a plume of white ostrich feathers. The British do like dressing up.

Although rarely used, the governor’s eyebrows remain part of the Bank of England’s armoury. Since I left in 2013, mine have been resting.

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Written by
Mervyn King
Mervyn King was Governor of the Bank of England from 2003 to 2013. He is the author of The End of Alchemy (2016) and (with John Kay) Radical Uncertainty (2020).

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