Princes put on a show for father's 50th
THE Prince of Wales's 50th birthday celebrations started early last night with an evening of comedy at Highgrove. Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson were among those recruited by Prince William and Prince Harry to help write and perform a one-hour revue in front of around 100 of the Prince's friends.
The Queen on a visit to a 'drive-thru' McDonalds in Cheshire, yesterday The play was to have been a surprise for the Prince, but the secret was disclosed two weeks ago by a Sunday newspaper. In the best theatrical traditions, however, the show went on regardless, followed by an informal dinner.
The Princes were keen that their father should not end up footing the bill for his party. Guests, who included the Prince's close friend, Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duke of York and Prince Edward, were each asked to contribute £25.
The Queen and Prince Philip, who will give a party for Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on November 13, were visiting Cheshire, where the Queen met staff at a McDonald's "drive-thru" restaurant.
The Princes, aided by their father's assistants, Tiggy Legge Bourke and Michael Fawcett, had planned last night's event for months. They recruited a large cast ranging from teenage friends to the Oscar-winning Miss Thompson. They also included Miss Parker Bowles's two children, Tom and Laura, in the proceedings.
Although the Prince's birthday is not until November 14, his sons decided to stage their own tribute now in order to avoid any clashes between school term times, royal travel plans, official engagements and the cast's diaries. The Prince will have been delighted to see his sons sharing his own enthusiasm for amateur theatricals.
He was regarded as a good actor at Gordonstoun and once played Macbeth in the school play. At Cambridge, he was an active member of the Dryden Society, Trinity College's drama group. He took part in several revues, including a send-up of Going for a Song, in which he played "an expert on Bong Dynasty Chinese bidets called Louis Quatorze Bloggs".
The Prince and his sons leave Britain for a Mediterranean cruise next week. They will spend the rest of the summer holidays together at Balmoral.
Robert Hardman
kittywinky@yahoo.com
