The Wonder That is Helen was photographed in red, one leg forward as if on a step, one hand shading her eyes, stomach taut, tidy and maybe even just a shade concave, thighs smooth and firm... see how the details are burned into my brain?

Adulation has engulfed The Wonder That Is like a wave since her glorious body was revealed as she chatted casually to her husband on the beach. And only the most mean-spirited person would note that stomachs rarely look so pulled-in during casual, unobserved chatting with one's husband.

But whether staged or not, The Wonder still has it, she's still flying the flag at an age when less exalted women are being described as "pensioner" which is surely one of the most derogatory phrases in existence.

But Helen's a woman who can turn in a cracking performance as the Queen one minute, all wellies, headscarf and solid midriff, and the next sizzle with natural-born sexiness. And all that at the age of 62.

I've got my theories as to how, one being that The Wonder has added 10 years to her real age so as to make her wondrousness more wonderful.

That's probably not true, but a personal trainer could have helped things along, plus a lifetime free from the grind of the office job, plus having a lot of money.

And then there's the childlessness. It's not a point often made, but it's a fact that women in their 60s who have previously shared their bodies with growing babies tend to have difficulty achieving that toned belly look. Plus, years of eating the leftovers of family cooking have taken their toll.

But The Wonder looks a picture – and a natural, unreconstructed one at that. There is nothing of the wind tunnel about her face – and mere mortal women don't know whether to cheer or weep.

It's fabulous that The Wonder That is Helen is out there proving that older women can still command admiration and respect, that they don't have to suffer Invisible Older Woman syndrome.

It's timely since we are all facing a longer working life that will see many more women battling with the world of work, and all the young people it contains, until well into their 60s and beyond.

But it's an awful pressure, isn't it? The bar is being raised ever higher. In glossy magazine world, 50 was declared the new 40 and now 60 is the new 50, so really it's the new 40... and on we go.

So having The Wonder That is Helen as a role model is marvellous – sort of – but it's also quite dispiriting for women who don't have her teenage skin tone and sexy allure to know that they are now likely to be judged on their looks all the way to the grave.



Batty ploy


THE new Batman film The Dark Knight, released this week, is expected to be the success of the summer, combining as it does that win-win scenario of a cartoon hero and a now-dead lead actor.

Films based on cartoon characters are now the way to go and very few have been left unfilmed – though I note The Four Marys, stars of Bunty for many years, have yet to make it to the cinema screen.

And dead actors are always pure gold for film companies, so already the late Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker, is being spoken of as the posthumous winner of an Oscar.

Maybe his performance deserves it, but somehow it seems more likely that cynical marketing is at work here, rather than admiration for the work of a man who cannot now benefit in any way from Oscar glory.


Right royal humbug


I'D admire Princess Anne's habit of wearing her posher outfits more than once, if it wasn't for the large dollop of holier-than-thou that comes with it.

The horsey royal seems to have a good system going: wear something once, put it to the back of the wardrobe for 20 years, then unapologetically wear it again, even down to the same accessories.

We all do something similar after all, though perhaps those of us with a little less chutzpah or a bit more imagination might try to change the look a little bit.

Princess Anne demonstrated both her practical side, and her total lack of tact, by wearing the same outfit she wore for her brother Charles's failed wedding to the late Princess Diana to another wedding at the weekend. Let's hope the new couple are not the sort who believe in omens.

The decision demonstrated that Anne can still fit perfectly into a size 10 wrap dress, but it also reminded us that she seems to believe her affluent life is due to her supposedly thrifty nature.

Asked about her recycling of clothes, Anne once replied: "The economy is bred into me. My parents believe that things are not to be wasted.

That lesson does last."

Ah, that explains Gatcombe Park then. Silly me for believing she was born to privilege.