THE Queen's televised address to the nation after the death
of Diana, Princess of Wales was written by Alastair
Campbell, the prime minister's press secretary, it is claimed
in a forthcoming television documentary.
The allegation is certain to raise questions over the links
between No 10 and Buckingham Palace, including the
position of Campbell, an unelected political appointee.
Campbell can expect few favours from the television
programme, which is the brainchild of Charlie Whelan, who
also intends to present it. Whelan left his job as press
secretary to Gordon Brown, the chancellor, in 1999 after
repeated spats with Campbell.
His programme is intended as an antidote to an "approved"
documentary about Campbell being made by Michael
Cockerell for the BBC, to be broadcast this summer.
Channel 4 is likely to screen Whelan's programme at about
the same time.
One of the central stories is exactly what happened in the
days after the death of Diana in the summer of 1997.
Campbell and the palace have long been vague about the
extent to which Downing Street seized control of the royal
family's public relations amid criticism of the royals for being
too aloof.
The Queen has prided herself on keeping out of party
politics. The claim that she allowed Campbell, a political
appointee of Tony Blair's, to write her script following the
death of the princess is potentially explosive - especially as
the Tory leadership came under fire in 1997 for complaining
about the way in which the government exploited the
aftermath of Diana's death.
The Queen made the broadcast on Friday September 5, six
days after Diana's fatal car accident, after tabloid newspaper
headlines berated her for remaining at Balmoral instead of
returning to the capital to be with the mourners gathered
outside the royal palaces.
At one of the most sensitive moments of her reign she paid
tribute to Diana, saying: "I admired and respected her - for
her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her
devotion to her two boys."
The documentary is likely to point out the stark contrast
between those words and Campbell's anti-royal
pronouncements during his days as a newspaper journalist.
Campbell once described Diana as "vacuous, shallow, silly
and egomaniacal". He dubbed her the "Princess of Aerobia"
- "reasonably pretty, not very bright, very manipulative".
Other contrasts abound. In her address, the Queen
described Diana as "an exceptional and gifted human being".
In May 1993, Campbell wrote: "There are many reasons for
the decline in royal esteem. One is that royals are thick."
Apparently ignorant of Campbell's true sentiments, members
of the royal household told Peter Oborne, who published a
book on Campbell last year, that the palace was grateful for
the "high calibre" advice he gave after Diana's death.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace last night denied
Campbell's involvement in preparing the text. "The text of the
Queen's broadcast was drafted and prepared at Buckingham
Palace and not by Downing Street," he said. A senior royal
source, however, disclosed that the text was faxed to No 10
and amended there.
~*~
Duke of Windsor 'tried to
pass military secrets to
Hitler' (UK Times)
Christopher Morgan
THE Duke of Windsor is today accused of treason by the
author of a new book who claims to be in possession of an
incriminating handwritten letter from the former king to Adolf
Hitler.
Experts who have studied the letter are divided over its
authenticity, however. One handwriting examiner is certain it
is genuine. Two others and a paper analyst say they have
found evidence that suggests forgery.
If the letter could be proved to be genuine, it would show
that the Queen's uncle helped the Germans to conquer
France and defeat the British Army in the early stages of the
second world war.
Martin Allen, the author, argues that the monarchy and its
establishment supporters have covered up the evidence of
the duke's treason.
The letter is written in German, which the duke spoke
fluently, and is dated November 4, 1939, two months after
the start of the war. It begins "Dear Mr Hitler" and is signed
"EP", for Edward Prince, an abbreviation the duke
occasionally used.
It makes veiled references to a tour of the French frontline
that the duke had just made on behalf of the British military
high command. The duke asks Hitler to pay close attention
to information that the man bringing the letter to Berlin has
memorised.
This courier was Charles Bedaux, a pro-German spy who
had befriended the duke, according to the author.
Allen believes that, through Bedaux, the duke gave Hitler top
secret strategic information that enabled the Germans to
attack France through the weakest point in its defences.
France fell in six weeks and the British forces fighting
alongside the French were routed.
The letter appears to suggest that the duke is willing to
resume the throne once Britain has been bullied into a peace
settlement.
Philippa Lavell, a handwriting analyst and document
examiner commissioned by the author, said after comparing
the letter with authenticated examples of the duke's
handwriting that she had "no reason whatsoever" to doubt it
was genuine.
Robert Radley and Leslie Dicks, both chemists and forensic
document examiners, carried out analyses for The Sunday
Times. Radley found "many discrepancies" that made him
"highly suspicious". Dicks concluded that the letter was "most
probably a forgery".
A paper analyst, Leslie Bower, also commissioned by The
Sunday Times, found evidence that the letter had not been
written on notepaper but on a blank page cut out of an old
book - a forger's trick. This and other evidence, said Bower,
"all combine to suggest that this letter is a forgery and
probably done relatively recently".
Allen last week rejected the suspicions about the letter. He
said its original source was Albert Speer, Hitler's former
munitions minister.
~*~
Queen Mother to mark
centenary with return to
historic balcony (UK Times)
Christopher Morgan and Joe Perry
THE Queen Mother is to appear on the balcony of
Buckingham Palace on her 100th birthday on August 4. The
event, which is expected to be televised, will follow a
carriage procession from Clarence House, her London
home, along The Mall to the palace. Thousands are
expected to line the route.
The event will be the culmination of events in June and July
marking her centenary. On June 21, during Ascot week, the
Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will host a reception and
a dance at Windsor Castle for the birthdays of the Queen
Mother, Princess Margaret, who will be 70 in August, the
Princess Royal, 50 the same month, and the Duke of York,
who was 40 in February.
Although the day happens to be the 18th birthday of Prince
William, he is to have a separate birthday party later as the
event falls in the middle of his A-level exams.
Each of the birthday royals has been asked to supply a guest
list of 125, and the Queen and the duke will have their own
small list of private invitations.
Although strictly black tie, the event will have similarities to a
"decades" celebration held in 1990 at Balmoral to mark the
three August birthdays of the Queen Mother, Margaret and
Anne, when several members of the royal family performed
comic sketches and musical routines. This summer's bash,
however, will be an even grander occasion.
The function will make use of the state apartments at the
castle and will also include the refurbished St George's Hall,
the State Dining Room and the Waterloo Chamber. All the
senior royals will already be in residence, ready for Ladies'
Day at Ascot, and the location near Eton means that William
will be able to attend - even if he does not stay all night.
One friend of the royal family said he was sure that "the
Queen Mother will lead the dancing".
As it is a private family occasion there will be no state guest
list and each of the birthday royals are likely to invite their
closest family and friends.
While there will be a smattering of European royalty, palace
insiders expect it to be a largely domestic gathering with a
few celebrity guests. The Queen Mother is expected to want
her racing friends to be present and she may also invite two
favourites, Lord Carrington, the former foreign secretary,
and Lord Runcie, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.
Anne will probably have Jackie Stewart, the racing driver,
on her list and the world of the arts will be well represented
on Margaret's list. Darcey Bussell, the Royal Ballet star, is
likely to be invited.
Camilla Parker Bowles, the close companion of the Prince of
Wales, is unlikely to attend the celebrations, as the Queen is
hosting the event and has shown no indication of softening
her opposition to her son's public liaison.
George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will preach at
a national service of thanksgiving for the centenary at St
Paul's cathedral on July 11. For all the glitz of the party,
however, it is the Queen Mother's balcony appearance, with
its nostalgic evocation of the nation at war, that is likely to
strike the most emotional chord with the public. In May
1945, the Queen Mother, who was then the Queen, was
accompanied by her daughters and her husband George VI,
as well as Winston Churchill, the wartime prime minister, to
celebrate victory over Hitler. In 1995 she relived her
wartime memories by emerging again on the balcony as part
of the 50th anniversary of VE Day celebrations.
Her balcony appearances have not always been greeted with
popular acclaim, however. In September 1938 Neville
Chamberlain and his wife joined George VI and the then
Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony to celebrate the
signing of the Munich agreement. Although the people below
cheered, the Labour party protested that the King had acted
politically by appearing to shower approval on the
Conservative prime minister.
In the end, the Munich agreement proved a failure and within
the year the country was at war.
~*~
Highland tweed mill
favoured by Charles calls in
receivers (UK Times)
Stephen McGinty
THE Highland textile mill Hunters of Brora, whose tweed
jackets are popular with the Prince of Wales, has gone into
receivership.
The clothing manufacturer, whose cashmere sweaters sell
around the world, has suffered from the strong pound and
rising production costs.
The company has struggled even though £7m of public
money was ploughed into a new mill and visitor centre. The
firm was last rescued from receivership 10 years ago by
financial help from Highland regional council.
In the past 12 months the company was helped by £750,000
from shareholders, but last week's appeal for further funds
proved unsuccessful. On Friday Robert Gibbons, chairman
of Hunters, resigned and the receivers were called in.
It is the latest in a long line of problems for the troubled mill.
In 1998 a new mill was built but lay empty until management
confessed it could not afford the necessary equipment to fill
it.
Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise then paid £1.5m for a
new production line. The opening of the plant in April last
year by Prince Charles was marred by news that the
workers were being put on a three-day week.
In February this year Gibbons warned the workforce that the
company was again in serious trouble.
The firm's wares have long been popular with Charles and
the country set. At the mill opening last year he was
presented with a fishing bag, salmon flies and two Brora
tweed shooting jackets for his sons William and Harry.
Despite the royal support and massive public investment,
Hunters has struggled to make a profit. Although sales have
risen by 200% in the past year, the company said they still
fell short of what was needed to survive.
The strong pound, rising production and transport costs, and
a lack of government support for the textile industry in Britain
were among the reasons given for the company's
predicament.
A company spokesman said: "The high sterling rate has had
a devastating effect. Some of our customers decided to
switch their ordering to the Far East and Asia without notice.
They were able to get yarn and fabrics at a fraction of the
cost that we can supply and still have them made to our
designs."
Highlands and Islands Enterprise is hoping that a buyer can
be found for the business, which employs 70 people.
Yesterday it was still not clear whether the company would
continue to trade under the management of the receivers.
This weekend politicians were unanimous in their concern for
east Sutherland, which now faces losing one of its biggest
employers. However, they stopped short of urging even
more financial support to keep the company alive.
Jamie Stone, the local MSP, said: "I am offering help to build
a rescue package or to identify a company or consortium
who may take it over."
~*~
Royal mix-up on Prince William stamp(Yahoo: Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - A stamp to commemorate Prince William's 18th birthday features the wrong
background after a designer confused his castles, the Mail on Sunday reported.
The stamp, one of four being issued by Jersey Post -- the Channel Island's equivalent to the Royal Mail
-- was meant to show William's face imposed over Caernarfon Castle in Wales. Instead, the 75- pence
stamp features William with the nearby Beaumaris Castle.
Caernarfon Castle, begun in 1283 as a military stronghold and royal palace, is where William's father,
Prince Charles, was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969.
"I have made the artist aware of the problem and he is extremely upset," Jersey Post spokesman Andree Valentine told the
Mail.
The other stamps in the series show a fireworks display and images of skiing and polo, William's favourite sports. They will be
issued on William's 18th birthday on June 21.
"It takes 18 months to produce these stamps so we are going ahead with our plans," Valentine said.