Charles and William in nightclub row
Christopher Morgan and Michael Prescott
Prince William and his father have had a stand-up row over celebrations for
the teenager's forthcoming 18th birthday .
During the stand-up confrontation, which took place shortly after the new
year at Highgrove, the Prince of Wales's Gloucestershire home, Charles
insisted that his son have a more conventional celebration in the newly
refurbished Orchard Room in the house.
Last night it emerged that the Queen may broker a deal by offering to hold
the party at Windsor. Senior members of the royal family could attend before
a disco is held for William's friends.
Charles has become increasingly concerned by William's circle of friends,
some of whom have publicly admitted taking illegal drugs. William, still a
pupil at Eton, spends most of his weekends in London with these socialites,
who are mostly in their early twenties.
"William is at a vulnerable age and Charles does not want him spending too
much time in the kind of places where drugs may be available," said a royal
insider. "He thinks it's more fitting to have the party in the countryside
where elder members of the family will also feel welcome."
Charles was warned nearly three years ago by a family friend about regular
drug use among some of William's companions. He was sceptical about the
warning but is now alarmed after a series of high-profile drug abuse cases
involving confidants of the royal family.
Last May, Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla's 25-year-old son, admitted to taking
cocaine after a report in The Sunday Times. Parker Bowles, a film public
relations executive, is one of William's most trusted friends. After the
reports, Parker Bowles assured Charles, his godfather, that he would never
take drugs again.
Last September another of Charles's godsons, Lord Frederick Windsor, was
seen taking cocaine at a London party. When confronted with the allegations
Windsor, who is the great-grandson of George V, said: "I admit it is true.
It is very difficult to avoid getting into this sort of thing when you move
in these circles."
Five weeks ago Nicholas Knatchbull, 18, William's cousin, was stopped when
driving a car in which some of the passengers were suspected of carrying
drugs. Knatchbull, the great-grandson of Earl Mountbatten, was not involved
in any alleged drug offence, but three of his passengers were arrested on
suspicion of possessing drugs, believed to be cannabis.
Charles trusts William to be strong-willed enough to resist any drugs
offered to him, but he is anxious that his son should publicly distance
himself from the fashionable urban set often associated with cocaine. He
believes a birthday celebration at Highgrove would be a signal that William
was more interested in countryside pursuits rather than a nocturnal urban
lifestyle. It would also mean other members of the royal family would be
happy to attend.
Charles believes the party could be held in the Orchard Room, a 7,000 sq ft
banqueting suite. "It's causing some friction because both of them think
they know what is right," said one source.
"William is very independent and in control of his own social life, which is
causing a number of problems."
Last week William was seen in Crazy Larry's nightclub in the King's Road,
Chelsea, and has also been spotted by club-goers at several other nightspots
in London. He has taken to spending most weekends at nightclubs, coming up
from Eton to stay in a flat in St James's Palace.
In deference to his father he has, however, been careful to avoid events
with his London set of young friends which are likely to attract the
paparazzi.
Charles has now approved Edward van Cutsem, who is nine years older than
William, to keep a watchful eye on the prince in London. Van Cutsem attended
the Cartier polo lunch with William at Windsor Great Park last summer and
also recently accompanied him to an Aston Villa football match.
~*~
WILLS HAS A RACY TIME WITH TV JOKER JOHN
PRINCE William has been given a lesson in horse-racing...by TV pundit John
McCririck.
The flamboyant Channel 4 presenter even taught Wills, 17, the bookies'
secret sign language, tic-tac, during a 90-minute talk at Eton.
And he had Wills and 200 other boys rocking with laughter with a string of
jokes - which included raunchy tales about the sex lives of jockeys.
A school source said: "William and the other boys had a splendid time.
"It was a really boisterous occasion with lots of jokes and near-the-knuckle
stories.
"It started off as a fairly tame question and answer session and then Mr
McCririck was asked about jockeys and their sex lives - and there were quite
a few jokes.
"He then had everyone in the audience waving their arms about as he taught
them tic-tac and explained racing odds."
McCririck, who earns thousands of pounds a year as an after-dinner speaker,
was invited to the pounds 14,000-a-year school last week by its Rous Society
- a club devoted to horses.
Previous speakers have included champion jockey Frankie Dettori, and trainer
Henry Cecil.
McCririck said last night: "It was a rumbustious evening and a jolly good
time was had by all.
"We talked about all aspects of the sport from prize money to jockeys' sex
lives - and then I gave them lessons in tic-tac and they were all waving
their arms about.
"I didn't give them any tips though - I only have bad ones."
William is following in the Queen Mother's footsteps by taking an interest
in racing - she owns 10 race horses and has had more than 400 winners since
1949.
But he will not be able to put his new-found knowledge to the test while at
Eton.
The school has strict rules to prevent pupils gambling.
JOHN'S TOP ROYAL TIPS
Prince Charles marrying Camilla within next year 6-4
Prince William riding the winning horse in the Grand National 1,000,000-1
Queen Mother's horse winning the Oaks 25-1
Prince Charles becoming King within the next five years 6-1
Andrew and Fergie tying the knot once again 4-5 odds on
~*~
WARRANTS FACE AXE - BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT
ROYAL warrants allowing products to be endorsed By Appointment To The Queen
or other members of the Royal Family have lost their selling power,
according to a new report.
The claim follows the Buckingham Palace decision to strip a Royal warrant
from top people's store Harrods.
Marketing specialist Michelle Lewin says: "With the toppling of many
traditional establishment icons, including the Royal Family, Royal warrants
have lost much of their value."
Her report in the magazine Marketing asks: "Do consumers really feel more
reassured because they shop where the Queen shops?"
It claims shoppers now regard TV chefs, sports stars, entertainers and other
celebrities as "the pillars of society and the commanders of respect".
Princess Diana had been the only British Royal whose image people really
connected with and whose endorsement was relevant to the modern model.
"How many consumers want to buy into the lifestyle and personality of Prince
Philip?"
Celebrity endorsements, such as that of golfing superstar Tiger Woods for
Nike products, now gave a real reason to believe in brands.
In the future, successful endorsement of brands would be about building
connections between real people and consumers' dreams and no longer about
"buying into the exclusivity of almost sacred individuals with their own
coat of arms."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Feb 7)
Planning row threatens Diana's former school
By David Sapsted
Protests over plans to build five £1 million homes on green belt land in the
grounds of West Heath school, near Sevenoaks, Kent, have forced the charity
for traumatised children, which now runs it, to suspend the scheme.
Yesterday, Stephen Hardwick described the house plan as the "only salvation"
for the school. If it did not go ahead, he warned, the charity would have no
option but to close the school and move.
Residents living near West Heath insist, however, that the development plans
are a blatant violation of the green belt and should not be allowed. West
Heath 2000, the charity running the school under the chairmanship of the
broadcaster Peter Sissons, faces strong opposition and a vote against
approving planning permission by the town council.
The charity told Sevenoaks district council on Friday that it wanted a
"pause" in its planning application. The school, now called the New School
at West Heath, says it needs the £2.4 million from the housing project to
fund restoration of the Grade 2 listed school and create new teaching and
boarding facilities.
Residents say that, while they support the charity's aims, raising funds by
building five executive homes on a wooded hillside is not the way to do it.
~*~
Queen Mother 'feeling better'
The Queen Mother is feeling "very much better" after being house-bound with
a cold, the Queen has told well wishers.
Concerns for her health were raised recently when she cancelled an
engagement after catching a cold. She had become ill while spending the
Christmas and New Year holiday at the Royal Sandringham estate near King's
Lynn in Norfolk.
The Queen Mother, who will be 100 in August, missed an annual visit to a
Women's Institute meeting and has not attended a church service since.
However, the Queen has told retired local government administrator Colin
Edwards, 59, that her mother's condition had improved greatly.
Best wishes
Mr Edwards, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, spoke to the Queen after she and
the Duke of Edinburgh attended church at West Newton, near Sandringham on
Sunday.
The Queen Mother paid a private visit to the exhibition at a library in
Dersingham, near Sandringham, on 25 January - the day before it was
announced she was ill.
To February News
"I asked the Queen how Her Majesty The Queen Mother was feeling and passed
on my best wishes, said Mr Edwards.
"The Queen said, 'She's very much better, thank you'."
Mr Edwards, an avid royal watcher, was one of the last members of the public
to meet the Queen Mother before she fell ill.
He staged an exhibition of 100 photographs he had taken of the Queen Mother
during royal visits over the past 15 years.
"She looked very well when I saw her," Mr Edwards said. "That is why I was
so shocked to hear that she had a cold the following day.
"She looked fine. Very happy. Her blue eyes were twinkling. Her complexion
was fine."
The Queen spent around 45 minutes at church on Sunday - the 48th anniversary
of her accession to the throne and of the death of her father, George VI.
Canon George Hall, who conducted the service, gave thanks for the reign of
the king during prayers.
The Queen, who was wearing the same pillbox style tangerine hat she wore
during the New Year's Eve celebrations at the Millennium Dome, presented
prizes to local school children before returning to Sandringham.
The Queen Mother returned to her home in London late last week.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are due to return to Buckingham Palace in
the next few days.
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