Queen's Dress Branded Fock Horror
Nat's Fury at Oath to Queen
Harrods to lose royal warrants
Make Ecstasy A Soft Drug, Say Prince's Team
Prince William flirts with barmaid - paper
Photographer's Royal Warrant
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Queen's dress branded frock horror
The Queen has been branded a frock horror by an American dress designer in his
annual guide to the "dull, dowdy and devastatingly dreary".
She came in third on Mr Blackwell's 40th annual worst-dressed women list.
She was pipped at the post by the actress and singer Cher - famed for her
outrageous flesh-revealing outfits - and Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion.
Mr Blackwell, a former fashion designer known only by his surname, deemed the
Queen's choice of a harlequin-style dress at December's Royal Variety
Performance in Birmingham a disaster.
"Was she the palace Christmas tree or just a royal clown?" asked the Los
Angeles-based columnist.
Mr Blackwell, who writes for a US tabloid, was not the first to comment on the
Queen's vivid multi-coloured sequinned outfit.
Australian "housewife superstar" Dame Edna Everage - aka Barry Humphries -
declared herself delighted that Her Majesty was following her flamboyant fashion
sense.
Some commentators compared the outfit to that of a court jester, others that it
was simply "too loud".
But the rainbow dress was not enough to merit first place on the list. That
honour went to Cher, whose unique style was recently described as an inspiration
to drag queens everywhere by a UK entertainment magazine.
Mr Blackwell described her look as "a million beads and one overexposed
derriere".
Celine Dion - best known for her Titanic song My Heart Will Go On -came in
second place. While the multi-platinum singer has little trouble hitting the
high notes, her fashion sense was dubbed decidedly off-key.
"In her backward tuxedo there's no way of knowing whether Diva Dion is coming or
going - a profusion of confusion," declared Mr Blackwell.
Navel-flaunting teen sensation Britney Spears fared little better coming in at
number six:
"This belly-baring songbird is better heard than seen."
Actress and pin-up Cameron Diaz was also criticised for her "freaky" fashion
sense.
Mr Blackwell also branded Friend's star Jennifer Aniston a "fashion bore and a
snore" - although she has regularly topped the best-dressed lists in fashion
magazines worldwide.
But the columnist did find something complimentary to say - declaring that
Gwyneth Paltrow, Sophia Loren, Oprah Winfrey, Camryn Manhein, Barbra Streisand,
Halle Berry, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone and Princess Caroline of
Monaco were "fabulous fashion independents". (BBC News January 12)
~*~
Nat's Fury at Oath to Queen
ALL Members of the Scottish Parliament must swear allegiance to the Queen under
a new code of conduct drafted up yesterday.
It outraged MSPs who want the oath to the Crown scrapped.
The draft code states in part: "By virtue of the oath of allegiance taken or
affirmation made by all
members when they are elected to the Parliament, members have a duty to be
faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen, her heirs and
successors, according to law."
Nationalist MSP Adam Ingram said: "I don't see why this clause has to be a key
principle of the code of conduct and a part of an MSP's duty, unless it is
intended that we should all be avowed monarchists."
He cited the Northern Ireland Assembly where no such oath was required by Sinn
Fein members.
But Labour MSP Karen Gillon responded: "If at some stage in the future the
people of Scotland vote for a different constitutional settlement, changes will
need to be made.
Meanwhile, Westminster standards chief Lord Neill was yesterday accused of
letting Labour's spin doctors off the hook, amid allegations of lying, after
deciding it was down to Tony Blair to draw up a code of conduct for the 74
Whitehall special advisers, who cost the taxpayer pounds 4million a year.
Neill said they performed "a valuable function within Government" but said gave
no guidance on limiting their numbers.
But he said it should become a criminal offence for an MP to solicit a bribe.
(Daily Record, January12)
~*~
Harrods to lose royal warrants
By Robert Hardman
HARRODS is to lose three of its four royal warrants - after 90 years of
continuous royal patronage - following yesterday's announcement that the Royal
Family had severed trading links with the store.
The first warrant to go will be that of Prince Philip, whose coat of arms must
be removed from the store by Dec 31 - 45 years after Harrods was first appointed
as "outfitters" to the Duke of Edinburgh. The Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed, who
recently accused the Prince of murder, was informed of the news by letter
yesterday.
The decision followed the standard five-year review process that is applied to
all warrants. Warrants expire if there has been insufficient trade with a royal
household. The Harrods warrants of the Queen and the Prince of Wales are due for
review at the end of this year but, as The Telegraph has already disclosed, they
will also not be renewed.
Buckingham Palace yesterday admitted that there was now "no trading
relationship" between Harrods and the relevant royal households. In the absence
of any trade, the loss of the warrants of the Queen and the Prince of Wales is
inevitable. Harrods will then be left with the warrant of Queen Elizabeth the
Queen Mother whose warrants are no longer reviewed.
Both the Palace and the store insisted that the loss of Prince Philip's warrant
was merely a reflection of royal shopping habits. The letter to Mr Fayed said
the warrant was not being renewed because the Prince's custom at the store had
"declined significantly over the last three years".
There was no mention of Mr Fayed's outspoken attacks on the Royal Family since
the death of his son, Dodi, in the Paris car crash that killed Diana, Princess
of Wales. His most notable charge came during the recent libel action brought by
the former MP Neil Hamilton, in which Mr Fayed claimed that Prince Philip had
been behind the crash.
Laurie Mayer, Harrods spokesman, said that the store did not interpret the
Prince's decision as a calculated snub. He said: "We are not reading anything
into this. It just reflects the level of trade over the last three years, and
that predates the Paris crash."
Prince Philip's coat of arms, he said, would remain on the shop's walls,
stationery and packaging until the end of the year when it would be removed, as
required under a 113-year-old law. Asked why Mr Fayed still displayed the arms
of someone he has accused of murder, Mr Mayer said: "I think that the business
of Harrods is a rather separate matter."
He said he did not believe that the loss of Prince Philip's warrant would
affect sales. He said: "The days when there was a huge cachet from a royal
warrant are long gone."
However, Rowan Morgan, retail analyst at stockbroker Teather and Greenwood,
said: "I think Harrods will be disappointed, particularly if they lose other
warrants. People like to shop where the Queen shops. A warrant is a nice thing
to have but it's embarrassing when it's removed because it looks like you've
done something wrong."(electronic Telegraph January 14)
~*~
Make Ecstasy A Soft Drug, Say Prince's Team
A THINK-TANK backed by Prince Charles was criticised yesterday after it said
Ecstasy should be treated as a soft drug.
The Police Foundation, which includes former Home Office mandarins and senior
police officers,
believes the law should class the drug in the same way as cannabis instead of
grouping it alongside
heroin.
They are said to be "appalled that teenagers have been sent to prison for
supplying a small group of friends with a single tablet of Ecstasy each".
Charles is president of the foundation, which looks at the operation of the
criminal law and is partly funded by his Prince's Trust.
It is also expected to call for cannabis users to be freed from the threat of
jail, with anyone caught with less than two grammes of the drug let off with a
caution.
Phyllis Woodlock, whose son Andrew became Scotland's youngest Ecstasy victim
when he died aged 13, said any move to ease drug sentences would lead to more
deaths.
She added: "They would not say Ecstasy is relatively harmless if their son or
daughter had died from it.
"Anyone who wants to legalise drugs will have to accept the consequences, which
are that people will die."
The foundation has spent two and a half years looking at the drugs problem and
is expected to report its findings next month.
Its director, Dr Barrie Irving, refused to comment on leaked reports of its
recommendations.
But they are understood to suggest that the current Misuse of Drugs Act, which
applies throughout the UK, is woefully out of date.
While they are not expected to recommend legalising cannabis, they are likely to
urge the abolition of jail terms, which can be as long as seven years, for
people caught in possession of it.
They will suggest fines and other non-custodial measures should be used.
Their ideas on Ecstasy will be even more controversial. They are expected to say
that, with 500,000 people estimated to be using it every weekend, it should be
viewed in the same way as cannabis and should not attract the same heavy
penalties that possession of heroin does.
Government sources said there was next to no chance of the Foundation's
recommendations being adopted. PM Tony Blair and Home Secretary Jack Straw are
known to be against any liberalisation of the law on cannabis, let alone any
stronger drugs.
Straw has rejected the idea of making cannabis legal for medical use and refuses
to consider relaxing the law for other users. (Daily Record January 14)
~*~
Prince William flirts with barmaid - paper
LONDON (Reuters) - Prince William wrapped his arms around a blonde barmaid and
danced the
night away at a nightclub while on a recent skiing trip with a group of friends,
the Sunday People said.
The 17-year-old William cuddled and smooched with barmaid Annaliese Asbjornsen,
22, and told her she was "absolutely gorgeous", according to the tabloid.
Prince William, the elder son of Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales,
was in the luxury Swiss ski resort of Crans Montana with a group of
schoolfriends and just wanted to have fun like "any other teenager", the paper
said.
"I knew his friends were watching so I was well behaved," Asbjornsen told the
paper. "I thought he was very sexy and the perfect gentleman."
No one at Buckingham Palace was available for comment. (Daily Record January 15)
~*~
Photographer's Royal Warrant
THE Prince of Wales has awarded his Royal Warrant to a photographer who began
his career in holiday camps and once received a £1,500 grant from the Prince's
Trust, writes
Paul Burns, 29, a former paratrooper, is the first photographer to hold a
warrant from the Prince. He has been the Prince's personal photographer, taking
pictures at private functions at Highgrove and St James's Palace, since 1995,
when he was picked at random to record an event.
"Prince Charles's equerry phoned me and asked me to come and take pictures of
the Prince at Highgrove," said Mr Burns of Banwell, Bristol. "They liked what I
did and asked me back. Now I photograph the Prince about 50 or 60 times a
year."(Electronic Telegraph January 15)
~~~~~~~~~
Engagement of his Durchlaucht prince Maximilian with measure Angela Brown Its Durchlaucht the prince and its Durchlaucht the princess of and to Liechtenstein are pleased highly, the engagement of its son, his Durchlaucht prince Maximilian, with measure Angela Brown to communicate to be able. The wedding will take place on 29 January 2000 in New York. The bride, measure Angela Brown, became as a daughter of Mr. Javier Francisco Brown and Mrs. Silvia Maritza Brown, geb. Burke in Bocas del Toro / Panama born. After termination of the Primarschule and Highschool in New York measures Brown studied mode to the Parson's School OF Design, at which she was distinguished with the OSCAR de la Renta price. After its occupation entrance with a mode enterprise in New York and the experience, years long its own Designunder the name A. Brown in the United States sells 3 to hectars to have sold, measures Brown for Adrienne Vittadini, an American mode enterprise operated, where she was responsible until September 1999 as a directress for the area Design. Prince Maximilian completed both the Primarschule and the High School in Liechtenstein. After one intermediate year, which was filled out by different work practical courses and journeys, prince Maximilian began his study to the European Business School in Frankfurt, which he successfully locked 1993. Following his study prince Maximilian for Chase Capital of partner in New York operated. During this time learned he measure Brown. In January 1997 prince Maximilian continued his academic formation to the Harvard Business School in Boston, which he locked in June 1998 with the diploma " master OF Business administration ". Since September 1998 prince Maximilian in Hamburg and London for Industri capital, one operates the prominent venture Capital societies of Europe.(December 20, 1999) ~*~ Press release of the prince(liechtenstein)
The government set the note of the message of the Federal Republic of Germany
from 15 December 1999 for the prince on 17 December 1999 S.D. both concerning
the report of the BND and an anonymous report.
Report from 1997 to a large extent identically to the report of the BND
This anonymous report carries the date from 23 February 1997 and is to the "
pressestelle - lock Vaduz " addresses. This report on 3 March 1997 with the
pressing and office for information of the government one arrived and one did
not pass on by 17 December 1999 to the prince.
The report contains detailed specification concerning the circle of
acquaintances in state and economics, that with the organized crime co-operates
allegedly very closely and covers themselves with the general predicates of the
article in News magazine " the mirror ". These
connections are in accordance with the report from 23 February 1997 allegedly
also the judicial authority one with Liechtenstein of gotten used to state admit
to be. With these authorities however obviously until today no contact was taken
up. It is to be assumed the report from
23 February 1997 is contentwise identical also to the report of the Federal
Information Service, since the note of the message of the Federal Republic of
Germany acknowledges that " the mirror " a confidential report of the Federal
Information Service was the basis for the article
of the news magazine.
Prince assigns to execute Ambassadors and government a global investigation
S.D. the prince assigned therefore its Ambassadors to take up not only the
judicial authorities of the friendly State of contact but also the German
authorities, in order to clarify, to what extent the specification of the report
from 23 February 1997 actually applies. Additionally
S.D. the prince assigned the government, in the interest of the country to
execute and the persons a global investigation mentioned in the report. It
should result in the course of the clarifications that the report from 23
February 1997 is based upon unproven and slanderous
predicates, it would be not only in the interest of the personalities concerned,
but also the country to place this publicly clearly. However if the suspicious
factors should confirm themselves, the criminally necessary steps would have to
be undertaken immediately by the
authorities.(December 20, 1999)
***All above are from the Liechtenstein official homepage(translated)***
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