The writer William Dalrymple will spend his birthday with his family at Avebury. He is finishing his book Return of a King: Shah Shuja, the Great Game and the First Afghan War and curating his first exhibition of late Mughal art in New York which runs until May 6. RGT
Birthdays today
Baroness Ashton of Upholland, EU foreign affairs representative, 56; Sir William Asscher, physician, 81; Dr Wendy Baron, director, Government Art Collection, 1978-97, 75; Jeffery Boswall, wildlife film producer, 81; Sir Arnold Burgen, Master, Darwin College, Cambridge, 1982-89, 90; John Cameron, composer, 68; the Right Rev M. J. Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow, 78; Yvette Cooper, politician, 43; Judge Charles Elly, president, Law Society, 1988-89, 70; the Most Rev Alan Harper, Archbishop of Armagh, 68; Holly Hunter, actress, 54; William Hurt, actor, 62; Spike Lee, film director, 55; John Joubert, composer, 85; Dame Vera Lynn, singer, 95; David Malouf, writer, 78; Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, Director-General, Unesco, 1974-87, 91; Lord Saville of Newdigate, a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, 1997-2009, 76; Greg Searle, rower, 40; Tim Yeo, politician, 67.