I am in uncharted territory, writing my first novel. The story, or rather it’s setting, has been in my head since April 2010, when the eruption of an Icelandic volcano grounded all air traffic for several days. This meant that the family and I were stuck in in the beautiful resort of Taba on the Red Sea, and the children… Read more

On 16 July this year, Antony and I were made Doctors of the University of York – a very happy day, and a very proud one too. In my speech to the congregation, I took the opportunity to pay tribute to my Oxford tutor Ann Wordsworth, who died two years ago. ‘This is such an honour. I would like to thank… Read more

  Chalke Valley History Festival,  Thursday 26 June, 6.30pm Cairo in the War, 1939-1945   East Neuk Literary Festival, Saturday 28 June, 12 noon The Broken Road    The Annual Niarchos History Lecture, Yale University Patrick Leigh Fermor