Originally Posted by schofs
Yep - tried that one - I got a frown

^
How about suggesting to mother in law that 1A/K is where VIPs sit, and she has been offered 1A as a special favour.
If you really want to sit close to the MIL, 4EF aren't great as they are pretty isolated from either side because of the stagger and angles. IFIC 5Eand F are comparatively less isolated from 5AK.