2 AUGUST 2008, Page 55

Q. I have been inundated with applications for a personal

assistant. On the principle of speed dating, I will be pretty certain which candidates can be eliminated within the first three minutes of talking to them. How can I move things along quickly?

A.A., London W11 A. Take a tip from the King of Spain and interview people standing up.

If you have a problem write to Dear Mary, c/o The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP.