Without seeking to spoil their treat, I have a word of warning for America’s second family: Beware the maze.
The US vice-president J D Vance, his wife and children, are staying this week at Chevening, arguably one of the most stately of stately homes in Britain. But sad to relate, I once witnessed the spectacle of a senior diplomat being humiliated within the high and unforgiving hedges of its famous maze. Try as he might, he just couldn’t escape its clutches.
Is it being too far-fetched to suggest that trans-Atlantic relations may well turn out for the worse if the same fortune befalls the Veep? Or will his Secret Service detachment have found a way through the greenery?
More likely is that the job will fall to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is hosting the Vances at his “grace and favour” country house in Kent. I can’t see him lasting the distance if anything untoward upsets Mr Vance.
Chevening’s very presence creates a special kind of affection among politicians anxious to get between its portals. None more so than Sir Geoffrey Howe, who was furious when Margaret Thatcher demoted him from the position of foreign secretary and instead appointed him leader of the House of Commons, thus depriving him of his right to be the tenant of Chevening.
Many observers, including this one, reckon that losing Chevening was much the more bitter blow for Howe than was his reshuffle, and caused him to openly turn against Mrs Thatcher, leading ultimately to her downfall.
In his time as foreign secretary, Howe did at times revel in his acquired role as a landed “country gent” with weekends at Chevening. And why wouldn’t he? With its lavish furnishings, more rooms than you can shake a stick at, servicemen and women to wait at tables and so much history that you can’t possibly take it all in, it was simply too grand for words.
Howe often hosted tête-à-têtes and meetings which mixed business with pleasure in the grand mansion or around its sprawling 3,000 acres.
And in those sprawling acres lies the Chevening maze – well known in the neighbourhood, though it isn’t the biggest or oldest such garden feature in Britain: those at Longleat and Hampton Court take those awards.
But it was a feature that guests were encouraged to enjoy after lunch.
When I was there we were ushered into the maze and left to work out how to escape while our host watched, with a grin on his face, all the wrong turnings we were taking.
The maze had been bashed about quite a bit in what became known as the Great Storm of 1987, which made escaping all the easier for me because, being over 6ft tall, I could cheat by looking over the tops.
Not so lucky was His Excellency the Italian ambassador. He wasn’t very tall and had ventured into the maze wearing an exquisite dark blue suit and Gucci loafers.
Well over an hour later he was still blundering about and tearing his nice clothes, while also provoking wicked smirks from the other guests. I am sure that images of that maze continued to dominate his nightmares for many years thereafter.
But it is to be hoped that with an eminent American politician as guest and Mr Lammy as host, a degree of decorum will prevail – and the maze avoided.
Without seeking to spoil their treat, I have a word of warning for America’s second family: Beware the maze.
The US vice-president J D Vance, his wife and children, are staying this week at Chevening, arguably one of the most stately of stately homes in Britain. But sad to relate, I once witnessed the spectacle of a senior diplomat being humiliated within the high and unforgiving hedges of its famous maze. Try as he might, he just couldn’t escape its clutches.
Is it being too far-fetched to suggest that trans-Atlantic relations may well turn out for the worse if the same fortune befalls the Veep? Or will his Secret Service detachment have found a way through the greenery?
More likely is that the job will fall to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is hosting the Vances at his “grace and favour” country house in Kent. I can’t see him lasting the distance if anything untoward upsets Mr Vance.
Chevening’s very presence creates a special kind of affection among politicians anxious to get between its portals. None more so than Sir Geoffrey Howe, who was furious when Margaret Thatcher demoted him from the position of foreign secretary and instead appointed him leader of the House of Commons, thus depriving him of his right to be the tenant of Chevening.
Many observers, including this one, reckon that losing Chevening was much the more bitter blow for Howe than was his reshuffle, and caused him to openly turn against Mrs Thatcher, leading ultimately to her downfall.
In his time as foreign secretary, Howe did at times revel in his acquired role as a landed “country gent” with weekends at Chevening. And why wouldn’t he? With its lavish furnishings, more rooms than you can shake a stick at, servicemen and women to wait at tables and so much history that you can’t possibly take it all in, it was simply too grand for words.
Howe often hosted tête-à-têtes and meetings which mixed business with pleasure in the grand mansion or around its sprawling 3,000 acres.
And in those sprawling acres lies the Chevening maze – well known in the neighbourhood, though it isn’t the biggest or oldest such garden feature in Britain: those at Longleat and Hampton Court take those awards.
But it was a feature that guests were encouraged to enjoy after lunch.
When I was there we were ushered into the maze and left to work out how to escape while our host watched, with a grin on his face, all the wrong turnings we were taking.
The maze had been bashed about quite a bit in what became known as the Great Storm of 1987, which made escaping all the easier for me because, being over 6ft tall, I could cheat by looking over the tops.
Not so lucky was His Excellency the Italian ambassador. He wasn’t very tall and had ventured into the maze wearing an exquisite dark blue suit and Gucci loafers.
Well over an hour later he was still blundering about and tearing his nice clothes, while also provoking wicked smirks from the other guests. I am sure that images of that maze continued to dominate his nightmares for many years thereafter.
But it is to be hoped that with an eminent American politician as guest and Mr Lammy as host, a degree of decorum will prevail – and the maze avoided.