THE Prince of Wales has appointed a press secretary to succeed Sandy
Henney, who resigned in June after criticism of her handling of the release of
Prince William's 18th birthday photographs.
Colleen Harris, 44, who has been the Prince's
deputy press secretary since April 1998, takes up
her post immediately and will assume responsibility
for media matters concerning Prince William and
Prince Harry.
The daughter of Guyanese parents, she is the first
black royal press secretary and the most senior
figure from an ethnic minority within the royal
household. She said: "It is a great privilege and I am
looking forward to getting on with the job."
Mrs Harris was seen as an obvious candidate, and
no other candidates were interviewed. She has a good working relationship
with Prince William and Prince Harry and is regarded as having an "unstuffy"
approach to the job. A royal source said yesterday: "She has a no-nonsense
approach. Many observers were struck by her informal attitude when dealing
with the Prince and his sons at a photocall in Klosters earlier this year."
Mrs Harris joined St James's Palace two years ago from the Department of
the Environment, Transport and the Regions, where she was head of media
planning. She was previously the first black press officer at Downing Street,
working for Margaret Thatcher.
The daughter of a pharmacist, Mrs Harris attended a grammar school in
Battersea, south London, and read English at Sussex University. She also
qualified as a primary school teacher. She met her husband, Wayne, during a
summer holiday job when she was 20. They have two sons, aged 11 and
nine.
When the Prince recruited Mrs Harris he was said to have been impressed by
her ability and personality. At that time she was the first black person to be
appointed to a senior position working for the royal family.
Two assistant press secretaries have also been appointed. Patrick Harrison,
who is assistant director in the press office at the DETR, will take up his post
next month. Kirsteen Clark, who is Private Secretary (Presentation) to
Scottish Secretary John Reid, will start work in October.
~*~
Earl condemns 'tacky' Diana video at
Edinburgh Fringe(electronic Telegraph)
By Hugh Davies, Entertainment Correspondent
A VIDEO depicting a lookalike of Diana, Princess of Wales slowly crossing
and uncrossing her legs in the manner of Sharon Stone in the film Basic
Instinct was condemned by Earl Spencer as "a tacky stunt" as the Edinburgh
Fringe began yesterday.
The film, by the artist Alison Jackson, has
upset the Princess's brother, who said it
was a cheap attempt to grab publicity. The
Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund is
also unhappy about the use of her image.
The film begins what has traditionally been
the anarchic eve of the city's official
international arts festival.
The Fringe has proceeded on the basis
that anything goes, with subversive and
sexually explicit material commonplace.
But critics have argued that the Fringe is losing its touch and becoming bland.
Perhaps with this in mind, care seems to have been taken to make the film's
premiere - at noon today in the Princes Street Gardens in the city centre -
something of a sensation.
The image of a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to the late Princess
will be projected on to 22ft screens as well as being broadcast on the internet.
Judith Quinn, a spokesman for the film's makers, said it was a valid comment
on "fantasies about icons" and the nature of modern celebrity. She said: "I
admired Diana, and I really don't see it as any insult to her memory."
The lookalike actress is also seen suggestively eating chocolate, in a scene
reminiscent of the meal sequence in the film Tom Jones, and making a rude
gesture with her hand. Alexander de Cadenet, the brother of the television
presenter Amanda de Cadenet, used the film as part of the Polstar Vodka
Arts Programme.
He acknowledged that it was intended to be provocative. He said: "Art today
is designed to get people to think about things and it is appropriate that the
artist is using the subject matter to get attention. Is there something in it that is
more than just being vulgar or tacky? The public will make a decision about
that."
Phil Attridge, the convenor of Edinburgh's regulatory committee on licensing,
which passed the film for screening, said: "We're talking about a video
artwork being put in the context of the world's most famous arts festival.
There's a difference between something being thought-provoking or
controversial, and something being genuinely offensive or illegal."
Reacting to plans to show the film outside a club in London's Leicester
Square - a scheme that was later abandoned - Ann Widdecombe, the
shadow home secretary, described it as a "further eradication of standards".
She said: "To use someone who is dead in this way is profoundly tasteless.
"There is an attitude that boundaries have to be pushed back further and
further in order to produce a new sensation. This kind of thing is simply
puerile." The film is one of 1,350 Fringe events. But Paul Gudgin, in overall
charge of the festival, said the cost of putting on so many events was
becoming prohibitive.
He said: "I'd say the Fringe is on a crest of a wave. It is at its peak, but I think
there are certain cracks that you can see appearing, and they are all due to
money." Promoters are now having to spend as much as £150,000 on a
production, and risk not breaking even. At the same time, Edinburgh council
is more than doubling the rent on at least one venue.
~*~
Queen opens her ballroom to the public(Electronic Telegraph)
HUNDREDS of visitors flocked to Buckingham Palace when the ballroom in
the state rooms was opened to the public for the first time yesterday. The
Palace Ballroom, which has been used for grand occasions since the reign of
Queen Victoria, is known to millions worldwide through television coverage
of state banquets and investitures.
The Prince of Wales held his 50th birthday celebrations in the ballroom in
1998 and 1,500 guests attend a diplomatic reception there each year. At
more than 123ft long and 59ft wide, it is the biggest room in the palace. Two
American tourists, Sharon Dye, 35, and Lyn O'Pray, 58, from Los Angeles,
said yesterday that their tour of the Palace and state rooms was the highlight
of their trip to London. Ms Dye said: "It was everything I was expecting and
more in terms of the art and the sculptures. You got a real sense of history
there."
The addition of the ballroom to the annual summer opening programme means
that visitors have access to all the Palace's 19 state rooms.