Whatever happened to the great british bachelor?

The posthumous allegations surrounding Ted Heath have again raised the eyebrows of suspicion at older men who have chosen not to marry. This is all very different from the way they were once regarded. Bachelors were viewed as more masculine than married men, not less so. Bachelors had rooms, landladies and lives filled with glamour and adventure. Fleming’s Bond was the perfect example, unfettered in his masculinity and steadfast in his refusal to allow marriage to impinge upon his buccaneering style. When Heath was Prime Minister in the 1970s, no one cared that he was an unmarried sailor, fond of orchids and conducting symphony orchestras. In the same era, no one cared that Cliff Richard, who could have had practically any woman he wanted, was seemingly untempted by any of them. Were we right or wrong not to care? Time will no doubt tell.