Some people are born to trains, and some have trains thrust upon them. Fortunately, I can be included in this latter category. Michael Portillo More Quotes by Michael Portillo More Quotes From Michael Portillo King Edward VIII was forced to abdicate because he was determined to marry a divorced woman. As a result of that decision, the Queen's father, George VI, was obliged to lead the country through a war that threatened its survival, with all the personal pain portrayed in 'The King's Speech.' Michael Portillo king woman war father In any family, the joy of a wedding must be tinged with a little anxiety. So many marriages fail. Luckily, people often get over such traumas. But for the Royal Family, marriages carry the gravest dangers. Michael Portillo wedding family joy people Ask anyone where they were when they heard of Diana's death, and they won't hesitate, because nobody can forget. Along with 9/11, it remains the most poleaxeing public event, news so shocking it made me shake, and drove everything else from my mind for days. Michael Portillo nobody me mind death My own father was a refugee from the Spanish civil war in the 1930s, later going on to become a BBC radio producer after World War II. Michael Portillo my-own war father world Like so many other grammar schools that flourished in Britain before they were abolished through a mix of ideology and political folly, Harrow County was a fiercely competitive institution, where all boys were taught to strive for excellence. It was precisely because of this demanding regime that results were so good. Michael Portillo good like political excellence One enjoyable consequence of being in the Scouts was that, at the start of each new school year, we had to camp out in tents on the school playing fields. Michael Portillo new year start school Pablo Picasso first entered my consciousness when I was a boy of about eight years old. Michael Portillo boy old consciousness years My eyes are at different levels, and my right ear's a bit bigger than my left - which showed up particularly in school photographs - so my mother used to call me her 'little Picasso.' Michael Portillo eyes me mother school
