The press purred: Nearly 200 stories appeared in fashion magazines, newspapers and on TV.

FORBES: Mother of pearls

Visitors from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in town this month, purred at its progress.

ECONOMIST: London's Olympics

But that Sunday it started like a brand new vehicle, and purred as if ready to transport the Queen of England!

FORBES: A Rolls Royce Drove My Overnight Success

Henri Guaino, an adviser who dreamt up the idea but was demonised in Brussels and Berlin for inept salesmanship, purred quietly in the corner.

ECONOMIST: The Mediterranean Union

And his impersonation of a cat at the weekend - when he purred contentedly out of actress Rula Lenska's hands - was greeted with derision from his opponents.

BBC: Alam gained notoriety in the tabloid press during 2005

His other caveat was that if Scotland did leave the UK, then Lords reform could well be lost in the constitutional aftershocks - at which the committee almost purred at the prospect of many years of happy hair-splitting ahead.

BBC: An uncertain future for Mr Clegg's reforms