NONE of us will ever forget that heartbreaking image of the Queen sitting on her own during the funeral of Prince Philip.

She set an example to us all as she adhered to Covid-19 regulations.

This pandemic has been devastating and we have all had to make sacrifices. Some big, some small. But for each individual, they have been tough.

For me, the toughest was last Christmas. It was a day I’d secretly wanted for years, long before my son was even born because I knew seeing my dad lovingly watching his youngest grandchild ripping through shiny pieces of Christmas paper for the first time would be magical.

It would create memories to treasure for ever. Instead, we did the sensible thing. My dad stayed at his house, I stayed at mine with The Geordie and my one-year-old.

I fought back tears as Alex giggled in the fresh snow on Christmas morning and put on a fake smile as we ate dinner with my “virtual” dad joining us via a propped-up iPad at the head of the table.

Afterwards we all returned to our own Christmas Day. My widowed dad’s involved sitting on his own hundreds of miles away. People around Britain adhered to the rules because we knew they’d save lives of loved ones, friends and strangers.

As a country, we looked out for each other. And we foolishly thought Boris Johnson and his army of rule creators were doing the same. But this week we discovered the truth — that as I was preparing for my dreaded mini-Christmas, the cleaners in Downing Street were hoovering up after that “cheese and wine” party.

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Our Prime Minister has made some dreadful mistakes during his time at the top but this Boris blunder is very, very different. This is unforgivable. Because this affects us all. It is personal.

No cheery chat from Boris will cut it this time because this makes a mockery of all the sacrifices made by millions across the country, not least our Queen. While we mourned lives lost, the rule makers in power were laughing at each and every one of us.

The press office’s “secret Santa” gathering on December 18 — attended by the PM’s director of communications — had reportedly been planned for three weeks with invitations sent out via WhatsApp.

Boris claims he didn’t know what was going on down the corridor before a leaked video of former press secretary Allegra Stratton and colleagues giggling about it emerged.

It was nothing more than disgusting.

She is the only one to resign, so far. At Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday, Boris said he was “sickened and furious” when he saw the video, adding “all the guidelines were observed”.

As damning as it gets

He had the audacity to tell MPs: “I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party.”

Now there are suggestions that there were actually up to SEVEN rule-breaking bashes in November and December, including government staff leaving functions, and alleged parties at the Prime Minister’s flat, the Cabinet Office and the Department for Education.
Since he took over in July 2019, we have got used to Boris’s mistakes and forgiven him. But the Cummings fiasco, Wallpapergate and the bungled backing for Marcus Rashford’s free meals campaign don’t come close to this.

Partygate is different. Because this mockery hurts. Because Covid rules affected every person in Britain — from the Queen down. For a politician who is a populist, this is as damning as it gets, because the man of the people has offended the people who once respected him.

• RESEARCHERS revealed this week that jogging is good for the brain. But not if you do it in a polluted area. I live in a city. Perfect, another excuse not to bother.

Adele and her show of strength on unjabbed audiences

ADELE has banned unvaccinated fans from her upcoming gigs.

She’s made no secret of her views, saying: “I don’t want anybody scared.”

Good on her.

If more celebrities made a stand like this, more people may get their jabs.

CAN WE RETURN TO OZ?

INSTEAD of going Down Under, I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here! has simply gone downhill this year.

Ant and Dec keep it going, but Wales isn’t a patch on Australia.

Arlene Phillips summed up how tough it was for them, when she admitted that their quarantine during Storm Arwen involved watching Netflix and dying her hair with (nice plug, Arlene) “Josh Wood” colouring.

Then we discovered Gwrych Castle is secretly being kept at a balmy 18C and now they may get out of doing the famous cyclone task over fears it will freeze over.

The show should be renamed “I’m A Celebrity  . . . Please Keep Me In Here – and thanks for the fat pay cheque just before Christmas”.

TAKEN FOR A RIDE

RICHARD E GRANT has given his Twitter followers regular updates about his quarantine hotel, where he’s had to stay since visiting his mum in South Africa.

He has rightly moaned about paying £228 a day to receive three poor-standard meals at a hotel, saying: “I’m a trained actor and reduced to the status of a bum.”

Richard may now regret being so vocal as villains who realised he couldn’t possibly be at home nicked his car and ram-raided a branch of Tesco.

Clearly they’re eating better food than he is right now.

Christmas Commoners

IT’S official – all those celebrities who started parading their trees and Christmas decorations on Instagram have no class.

Etiquette expert William Hanson said this week: “If you put it up on Christmas Eve, you are top tier. If you’ve got it up now, I’m sorry to say you are common.”

Brilliant. And I thought I was just unorganised.

COSTLY CARE SAGA

SO Saga, the travel and insurance company for the over-fifties, is to give employees a week of paid leave to celebrate the birth of a grandchild.

And it is to recognise that grandparents now play an increasingly essential role in childcare. The number of people who take care of their grandchildren has been increasing steadily over the past 20 years.

Around nine million spend an average of more than eight hours a week as child carers.

That saves UK parents £16billion a year in costs, because we have the third most expensive childcare system in the world. A full-time place here now costs on average £12,376 a year.

For many parents, there is very little left over from their salaries after coughing up for childcare, so the services of grandparents are invaluable.

And I am sure many of them want to help their children and love to change nappies, wipe snotty noses and deal with tantrums. But what about those who don’t? Saga is setting a terrible precedent.

If other companies follow suit, it will mean the ridiculous cost of childcare in this country may never get resolved because the Government knows that grandparents are sorting the problem for them.

And the longer it continues more grannies will feel the pressure to become nannies – whether they like it or not.

The man about town

FORMER Premier League defender Micah Richards admitted this week he once blew £115,000 on a night out after his earnings jumped from £5,000 to £50,000 a week at the age 19.

Micah said: “You want to be the man, the man about town.”

A prime example of how footballers are totally overpaid.

A NOBLE NIBBLE

I WAS so chuffed to read that vol-au-vents are back in fashion. If you are under 30, you’ve probably got no idea what I’m on about.

But let me tell you, they are amazing. Nibbles at their best.

Flaky pastry on the outside, with a hole in the middle that you stuff with whatever you fancy.

My favourite was chunky chicken . . . out of a tin. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

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