‘Prince Andrew’s official trade missions were like rugby club tours’

In the third exclusive extract of his secret political diaries, Chris Mullin reveals all about being stared at by a grumpy late Queen, a faux pas with Judy Murray... and his fears for Prince Harry’s future

‘Lunch with the Queen. Well, a slight exaggeration ... She was at the next table’ (Getty/PA)

A Labour MP for 23 years and minister under Tony Blair, Chris Mullin became a cherished political diarist thanks to his blend of candour and lack of interest in the pomp of high office.

In the Commons, he was a self-effacing junior minister best known for eschewing official chauffeur-driven cars and for representing Sunderland South, the solid Labour inner-city constituency whose result is almost always first to be declared on election night.

His first three diaries won praise from critics for being “wickedly indiscreet”, “a treat to be savoured” and being “the sharpest and most revealing political diaries since Alan Clark’s”. This fourth volume, serialised exclusively here, details life after retirement from Westminster in 2010.