Karim Aga Khan IV, the spiritual chief of the Islam,
and his wife the Begum Inaara (former Gabrielle
Thyssen), who married in 1998, will get a baby in
March 2000. He has one married daughter and two
sons from a previous marriage. She has a
seven-year-old daughter with Prince Karl-Emich zu
Leiningen, whom she divorced in 1998.
Paris Match and Bunte gave more information on the
christening of the little Princess Alexandra von
Hannover, which took place on September 19th. She has
been baptized as a protestant with the names
Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia. Her
godmothers were Alexandra Princess zu Leiningen née
Princess von Hannover (sister of Ernst August, former
sister-in-law of the Begum Inaara
mentioned above), her halfsister Charlotte Casiraghi,
Ulrike Umschneider, Maryam Sachs (a Moslem woman) and
Virginia Gallico. Godfathers were George Condo and
Eric Maier.
~*~
Royal Girl Tiggy To Wed Her 'magical' Boyfriend
ROYAL nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke last night spoke of the
"magical" man in her life as she revealed she is
getting married.
Princes William and Harry and Prince Charles have been
invited to her wedding later this month.
Tiggy, 34, was brimming with happiness as she admitted
she was secretly engaged to divorced dad-of-two
Charles Pettifer.
She said: "I'm thrilled to pieces. I'm a seriously
happy person.
"Charlie is magic - I've known him all my life. I'm a
very lucky person."
The couple, former childhood sweethearts, had been
anxious to keep their wedding a low-key affair and
deliberately did not send out invitations or make a
formal announcement.
Yesterday, even Prince Charles's closest aides were
surprised by the news.
The Prince was said to be "thrilled". The pounds
28,000-a-year royal assistant played a key part in
William and Harry's upbringing and after Princess
Diana's death, was immediately brought in to help them
cope with the tragedy.
Elizabeth Pettifer, Charles Pettifer's mother, said
yesterday: "It is all perfectly lovely. She is a very,
very, very special lady. I am very lucky to soon have
her as a daughter-in-law."
She added: "I am a very pleased mother. She will make
my Charlie a very happy man."
The couple are expected to marry close to Tiggy's
family home in Crickhowell, Powys.
Her mother Shan and aunt Victoria are both
ladies-in-waiting to Princess Anne and their family
service to royalty goes back to Victorian times.
Tiggy and the ex-Coldstream Guards officer dated in
their teens.
The son of a London antiques dealer, he went on to
marry florist Camilla, the daughter of racehorse
breeder Michael Wyatt.
They have two sons, five year old Edward and Harry -
who was four last month.
Tiggy is godmother to the couple's eldest son and
despite the divorce between Charles Pettifer and his
wife, the three still remain on very friendly terms.
----------------
October 2nd
Yesterday Princess Cristina of Spain left the hospital
with her new baby Juan, named after both grandfathers
and Cristina's grandfather.
~*~
UK police probe alleged theft at Buckingham Palace
LONDON, Oct 2 - British police said on Saturday they
were investigating an alleged theft of royal treasures
from Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth's London
residence.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman gave no details of the
investigations, but played down a report in the News
of the World that "fabulous jewels and heirlooms" had
been
looted, including a necklace belonging to Princess
Anne.
"It's not an accurate story," the spokeswoman said,
adding that the items which were allegedly stolen were
"items of intrinsic value, but not highly valuable".
The newspaper said the haul included an ornament given
to Queen Elizabeth during a state visit, fine wines,
silver cutlery and clothes created by top
international
designers.
"Private apartments have been systematically
ransacked," it said, adding that the value of goods
looted stood at tens of thousands of pounds (dollars).
The Sunday Times said stolen goods included an Olympic
tie-pin given to Princess Anne when she competed in
the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
Five years ago thieves broke into heir-to-the-throne
Prince Charles's apartments at St James Palace, making
away with several sets of cufflinks, pens, tie-pins,
watches and brooches of historic and
sentimental value.
In the same year a former Buckingham Palace porter
pleaded guilty to stealing a 350,000 pound ($580,000)
17th century painting from the royal collection.
----------------
October 3rd
Police are investigating an alleged theft at
Buckingham Palace, Scotland Yard has said. The News of
the World told "fabulous jewels and heirlooms" were
looted, including a necklace belonging to the
Princess Royal. A police spokeswoman said: "It is not
an accurate story. The items which are stolen are
items of intrinsic value, but not highly valuable."
A special operations police officer allegedly linked
to Buckingham Palace has been arrested in connection
with bribery and conspiracy charges for one week. The
officer was arrested at Gatwick airport. The
Mail on Sunday claims the case relates to the selling
of security details about the Royal Family.
----------------
October 4th
Edward's Encounter With 'Chemical-Generation'
Royal film producer Edward Earl of Wessex has briefly
encountered the "chemical generation" and the world of
drug-fuelled raves.
Watched by his wife Sophie, who applauded as he walked
on stage, Edward presented a Golden Hitchcock movie
award to the makers of Human Traffic, directed by
Justin Kerrigan.
The occasion was the prize-giving ceremony at the 10th
British Film Festival in Dinard, northern France. A
panel of judges, headed by French film star Jane
Birkin and including Full
Monty star Mark Addy, selected Human Traffic as the
best movie of the festival.
~*~
Hewitt makes new claims over Diana
British Intelligence officers "arranged" a fatal
motorbike accident to get rid of one of Princess
Diana's lovers, James Hewitt claims in a new book.
One of "at least five major new revelations" he
reportedly makes in his book Love And War is: "The
death in a motorcycle accident of her ex-bodyguard and
lover, Barry Manakee,
had been planned by the British Intelligence service
to get him out of the way." Mr Manakee was one of six
other men Hewitt claims Diana had affairs with while
she was married to
Prince Charles. When her husband told her of his
death, the book claims, Charles refused to comfort
Diana as she broke down in tears.
According to New York-based Talk magazine:"Hewitt
alleges that Diana told him several members of the
Royal Family had had affairs with their bodyguards."
He also claims the Princess referred to Prince Philip
as "Number One Hate".
Hewitt's attempts to make £1.25 million from selling
intimate details of his five-year affair with the
Princess have moved to America, where he will be
interviewed by Barbara Walters on the 20/20 TV
programme. Despite the fact that Ms Walters was a
close friend of the Princess, a 20/20 spokesperson
confirmed to the New York Post that a correspondent
for the show is meeting Hewitt in
London.{2} It is understood that the 41-year-old
former cavalry officer, who had demanded £60,000 to
appear on American talk shows, will not be paid, but
any exposure will give his book a huge
sales boost. Love And War is based partly on the 64
love letters the Princess wrote to Hewitt while he was
serving in the Gulf War. He once reportedly assured
her: "I will never cash in on our
relationship."
Hewitt denies being the father of Prince Harry but
says both Diana's sons came to look on him as "a
father figure".
---------------
October 5th
According to the Sun Newspaper Prince William of Great
Britain has invited several male and female friends to
a Millennium Eve Party at Windsor Castle. It is said
he promised them a night they'd never
forget, with the possibility to "sleep" in the castle
that night.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Prince Henrik and Crown
Prince Frederik are at 3:00pm at the opening of a
gobelin-exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg in
Paris, France, on October 8th. The exhibition
shows the 17 gobelins made as 50th birthday present
for Queen Margrethe II. The gobelins, made between
1988 and 1999 deal with Denmarks history. The
exhibition will be in Paris until November 20th.
Between December 17th, 1999 and February 2000 they
will be shown in the Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany.
Around the Queen's 60th birthday (April 16th, 2000)
they are in the Riddersal of the
Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.
~*~
Prince William invites girls to millennium party
LONDON, Oct 5 - Several stunning girls are being
invited to a Millennium Eve party which Britain's
Prince William is throwing at Windsor Castle near
London, the
top-selling Sun tabloid reported on Tuesday.
The Sun said Queen Elizabeth had given her 17-year-old
grandson permission to hold the party at the historic
castle, which is near elite Eton College where he goes
to
school.
The Sun said William, eldest son of heir-to-the-throne
Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, had
promised his friends a night to remember.
"He is taking personal charge of all the arrangements
-- and has told told chums they can stay overnight in
castle rooms," said the tabloid.
It quoted the source as saying: "I doubt if there will
be much sleeping going on that night."
----------------
October 6th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain only finished 89th in a list of the 100 most influential British women, compiled by Good Housekeeping magazine, after a survey. The list is led by Elisabeth Murdoch, managing director of Sky Networks, and in second place Baroness Jay, the Labour Party's leader in the House of Lords.