Buckingham Palace has asked pop star Britney Spears to "cool it" in her pursuit of Prince William,
according to newspaper reports.
The teen idol has apparently been bombarding the Prince with notes, autographed pictures and,
bizarrely, her CV, claims the Daily Record, www.record-mail.co.uk.
Officials fear her infatuation with Wills, 18, may have turned into an obsession and have been intercepting her little gifts and
messages - leaving the 18-year-old US chart-topper furious.
Palace officials, the Daily Record says, have made a "polite and civil" request' to Britney's entourage for the star to stop
pursuing Wills.
The pair were said to be due to meet last year - but Wills went fox hunting instead.
"The Palace wants to do everything in its power not to embarrass Britney," the paper quoted a source as saying. "However,
they aren't likely to tolerate this sort of thing much longer without taking more appropriate action."
An official Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "It is not for us to comment, we never comment about gossip."
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Queen launches £15m ferry(Electronic Telegraph)
THE Queen yesterday launched a £15.5 million ferry to serve remote
communities in the Western Isles. The vessel, the MV Hebrides, was built at
the Ferguson Yard in Port Glasgow. Arriving at the Clydeside yard the Queen
was greeted by hundreds of wellwishers and shipbuilders and their families.
After a blessing in both Gaelic and English, the Queen spoke of her delight at
being able to launch the ferry. She said: "It's good to know that she will sail to
and around the Western Isles, whose people and beauty have meant so much
to me for so long."
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Penguins coin it from Queen
Mother(UK Times)
BY ALAN HAMILTON AND OLIVER WRIGHT
ONE of the furthest-flung fragments of what remains of
the Empire is to mark the 100th birthday of Queen
Elizabeth the Queen Mother with the issue of 17,000
commemorative coins.
They are unlikely to be in heavy demand as local
currency. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
are populated mostly by penguins and reindeer, plus just
21 people.
Lying 1,400 miles beyond the tip of South America
between the Falklands and the Antarctic ice, the islands
are home to a marine officer, his wife, and two museum
curators who show off the longdisused whaling station to
cruise-ship passengers. South Georgia also has a garrison
of 17 British soldiers keeping a weather eye on
Argentinian intentions. The soldiers are due to leave this
year.
The coins, in gold, silver and cupro-nickel and valued
between £9.95 and £495, were commissioned from the
private Pobjoy Mint by the Falkland Island Government,
which administers the southern outposts on behalf of
Britain. The coins will be sold by mail order to collectors
around the world, and the proceeds used to boost the
islands' scientific infrastructure.
Russ Jarvis, the Assistant Commissioner for the islands, is
based in Port Stanley. He said: "It costs quite a lot to
maintain the islands in terms of environmental work and
protecting our fishing rights."
The islands are well-known to stamp collectors for their
frequent commemorative issues, an important source of
revenue.
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