In his army days he had bought a house in Oxfordshire, and preferred it to the edifices he eventually inherited in 1975 as duke of Norfolk, particularly Arundel Castle in Sussex, the ducal seat, nearly 1, 000 years old, brimming with history, but mostly comfortless.

ECONOMIST: Duke of Norfolk

If there's more rain, you might expect to see it in the lee of Green Mountain's central peak and there is indeed a rainier strip, the locals say, stretching across the island from Two Boats to Comfortless Cove, a frequent source of teatime drizzle in the rainier months.

ECONOMIST: Ascension Island