THE Prince of Wales should be free to marry Camilla Parker Bowles and
would strengthen the institution of marriage by so doing, says a rabbi.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Reform Synagogue, says that the
Talmud, the interpretation of and commentary on Jewish religious law, views
gravely the ending of a first marriage, but second marriages often succeed.
He writes in the Jewish Chronicle today: "There is an element of tragic
romance to the story of the young Prince and his friend who were in love in
the 1970s, made wrong decisions and each married someone else, but always
maintained their friendship, which then blossomed anew as those mistakes
became evident, and who now have the chance of taking up where they left
off 30 years ago."
They had "erred morally" but "suffered accordingly".
~*~
Honour from the Queen sends actress into a spin(Electronic Telegraph)
JANE SEYMOUR, the actress, yesterday celebrated receiving her OBE
from the Queen with a spin on the Millennium Wheel followed by a boat party
on the Thames.
She said, after the Palace investiture: "This will be a day to remember. After
seeing London from the wheel, we will be sailing up the Thames with music,
dancing and fireworks."
The actress, who has homes in Malibu and Bath, added: "Having spent as
much time as I have abroad - but always loving England - it was very special
to be honoured by my own country and especially by the Queen." She was
accompanied by her mother Mieke Frankenberg, who survived a Second
World War concentration camp.
Ian Wright, the former England footballer, said he felt "very humble" after
receiving his MBE. Wright, who is now a television chat show host, said: "It's
quite a humbling experience - it's the most nerve-racking thing I've ever had to
do. I told the Queen that I've just retired as a professional footballer and I
have to say, so far, I'm not missing it.
"Maybe when the season starts, I'll start to miss it. But I want to work with
kids - soccer schools, that sort of thing."
~*~
Dome useless, says Duke (UK Times)
BY DOMINIC KENNEDY
A SMILING Duke of Edinburgh yesterday sabotaged the
£2 million campaign to save the Millennium Dome by
suggesting the attraction was a useless waste of money.
As the Dome launched an advertising blitz with the slogan
"You've got a mind of your own, take it to the Dome", the
Duke decided it was an apt time to deliver his own
verdict. As he opened a new £56 million Centre for
Mathematical Studies at Cambridge University, of which
he is Chancellor, he did a quick calculation. "This is", he
said as he unveiled a commemorative plaque, "a lot less
expensive than the Dome."
The audience laughed so heartily that, warming to his
theme, the Duke added: "And I think it's going to be a
great deal more useful." The royal visitor later conferred
nine nine honorary degrees, including one to the
playwright Sir Tom Stoppard.
The Duke's derogatory remarks are the latest nightmare
for Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, the Dome's chief executive.
Launching the advertising campaign this week, he
admitted his fears about negative stories. It could have
been worse. At least the Duke did not criticise the
electrical wiring.
~*~
Exile who, after forty years, returned home at the last
PRINCE TOMISLAV OF
YUGOSLAVIA (UK Times)
Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia was born in Belgrade
on January 19, 1928. He died in Topola, Yugoslavia,
on July 12 aged 72
A SENIOR member of the Yugoslav Royal Family,
Prince Tomislav was for more than half a century a leading
figure in the Yugoslav émigré community. He made his
home in Britain, where he kept himself busy growing
apples and helping fellow exiles from the Yugoslav
communist regime, before finally returning to his native
land just as it had started to tear itself apart.
At birth Tomislav Karadjordjevic was second in line to
the throne of Yugoslavia and sixteenth in line to the British
throne. The only surviving son of King Alexander I and
Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, he was the great great
grandson of Queen Victoria and godson of King George
VI. By the time of last year's Nato bombing, which he
endured alongside his countrymen, he was fifth in line to
the Yugoslav throne. He was related by blood to the royal
houses of Russia, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and
Greece.
When in October 1934, his father King Alexander I was
assassinated by a Croatian fascist in Marseilles,
Tomislav's brother Crown Prince Peter, then at prep
school in England, succeeded to the throne as Peter II.
Simultaneously with the declaration of the succession of
his brother, Prince Tomislav was declared heir
presumptive to the throne by the Yugoslav parliament on
October 10, 1934. Tomislav followed in his brother's
footsteps and came to England for his education, going to
Oundle and then on to Clare College, Cambridge.
In November 1945, Tito established a communist regime
in Yugoslavia and abolished the monarchy. He
subsequently banned the Royal Family from returning to
the country. Prince Tomislav bought himself a farm in
West Sussex where he worked hard to become a
successful apple grower. In these years, he was a stateless
person, relying on the UN for a passport.
In West Sussex, Prince Tomislav dedicated himself to a
number of charitable causes, notably St John Ambulance,
of which he became County Commander. He strongly
supported the Serbian Orthodox Church in England and
aided the Yugoslav émigré community, many of whom
had served in the Royal Yugoslav Army or with Allied
forces during the Second World War.
In 1991 Prince Tomislav was at last able to return to the
land of his birth, and was permitted by the Yugoslav
Government to return and live at King Alexander I's villa
in Oplenac. That year, Tomislav's nephew, the Crown
Prince Alexander, also visited Yugoslavia, where he was
shunned by President Milosevic. While the Crown Prince
was championed by Vuk Draskovic and his Serbian
Renewal Movement, Tomislav found himself being
supported by the leading Serb nationalist Vojislav Seselj
and Milosevic himself.
Yet Tomislav affiliated himself to no party, and never
indicated that he wanted to be king, despite having the
advantage over his nephew in actually being able to speak
Serbo-Croat fluently. Tomislav insisted on remaining in
Serbia last spring throughout the Nato bombardment.
In 1957 he married Princess Margarita of Baden, the
niece of the Duke of Edinburgh and a member of the
Royal House of Zahringen. When in 1981 this marriage
was dissolved he married his secretary Linda Bonney.
By his first marriage he is survived by a son Prince
Nicholas, and a daughter, Princess Katarina, who is
married to Desmond de Silva, QC. By his second
marriage he is survived by two sons, Princes George and
Michael, who are at school in England.
~*~
Wright's big day at Palace (UK Times)
BY CONAL URQUHART
HE IS renowned for his antagonism to authority on the
football field but yesterday Ian Wright was "humbled" as
he collected the insignia of the MBE from the Queen.
The former Arsenal and England striker, who required
counselling to control his temper on the pitch, said that the
ceremony at Buckingham Palace was "the most
nerve-racking thing I've ever had to do".
Wright, 36, scored more goals for Arsenal than any other
player in the history of the club but is now concentrating
on a career in television.
He said: "I told the Queen that I've just retired as a
professional footballer and I have to say, so far, I'm not
missing it."
The Queen also presented insignia to the actresses Jane
Seymour and Harriet Walter. Ms Seymour said that she
felt honoured and celebrated her becoming an OBE with a
ride on the Millennium Wheel. Ms Walter, who played
Lady Macbeth in a recent Royal Shakespeare Company
production and whose film work includes Sense and
Sensibility, collected the insignia of the CBE.