Iam due to meet Dame Vivien Duffield in her surprisingly modest office in central London in mid-morning and, although there is a difference of about eight zeros between the value of my personal assets and those of the characters she normally hangs out with, I am leaving my chequebook at home. Just in case.

Dame Vivien can be dangerous company. The woman’s reputation for parting people from their money, as the country’s most effective fundraiser, is formidable. On the morning of our meeting, it is announced that the £111m campaign to refurbish the Royal Festival Hall and its surroundings – widely thought to be one of the most challenging philanthropic tasks of recent years – has been successfully completed, and on time to boot.