Social scientists have recently identified a distinctive type of modern male they call the Great Woman’s Partner or GWP, pronounced Gawp. Gawps are on the increase. Although they occurred in the past – Mark Antony, Abelard and Prince Albert spring to mind – their numbers are now multiplying fast as women become more prominent in public life. Perhaps surprisingly, given our reputation for chauvinism, Britain has produced more than its fair share of Gawps, the most celebrated twentieth-century examples being Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Denis Thatcher. Not far behind them in celebrity comes Leonard Woolf.

Subscribe or Sign In to read the full article