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Prince Philip enjoys Dunkirk spirit(Electronic Telegraph)
By Guy Rais
PRINCE PHILIP visited several of the 60 Little Ships in Dover harbour and
met crew hoping to return to Dunkirk today for the 60th anniversary of the
Second World War evacuation.
In contrast to the poor weather that has threatened the re-enactment, calm
seas and sunshine greeted the Prince's arrival at the port. The first craft he
boarded was MTB 102, which 60 years ago was the Royal Navy's fastest
ship.
The Prince met Cdr Christopher Dreyer, 82, who as a sub-lieutenant aged 21
in 1940 commanded the vessel as it went to Dunkirk eight times in the nine
days of the evacuation, which rescued 338,000 men from burning beaches.
He said: "It was magic to be here and see the old Navy ship again."
The Prince chatted with a retired Canadian admiral, Richard Timbrell, 80. As
a sub-lieutenant then commanding the yacht Llanthony, he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross for his part in picking up 900 soldiers with his
flotilla of four fishing boats.
Prince Philip went below and inspected the cramped quarters of the ward
room, side cabin, mess deck and galley. "We were nervous as we thought it
looked a bit of a tip," said Richard Basey, the skipper of MTB 102,
preserved by a charitable trust as a memorial to the "spirit of Dunkirk".
"But the Prince didn't seem to mind. As a sailor himself he accepted it exactly
the way it was. He seemed impressed with the ship and paid tribute to those
who turned out." Among the ships Prince Philip visited was the smallest,
Firefly, 25ft long, and the largest, the 120ft motor cruiser Atlantide.
The Prince left the basin to a cacophony of the ships' sirens, bells and hooters.
Earlier he visited Dover Castle and saw a maquette of Adml Sir Bertram
Ramsay who, from the fortress, masterminded evacuation of Dunkirk. The 6ft
bronze statue, sculpted by Stephen Melton, will depict Adml Ramsay holding
a telescope and looking out to sea.
~*~
Duchess of York may face income tax
review for staff(Electronic Telegraph)
By David Graves
TAX inspectors are to meet the Duchess of York's accountants next week to
discuss an audit of income tax for her four staff, a spokesman for the duchess
confirmed yesterday.
Inland Revenue inspectors planning a standard audit pay review will ensure
that the correct amount of tax has been paid for the duchess's nanny,
chauffeur, secretary and an office worker.
Although a review is regarded as routine by the Inland Revenue, any shortfall
in tax could result in the duchess, as their employer, being fined and ordered
to repay the sum with interest. Her annual salary bill is said to be £100,000 a
year.
Kate Waddington, for the duchess, said yesterday: "There has been some talk
between the duchess's accountants and the Inland Revenue about a standard
audit pay review. But nothing has been confirmed and any investigation will be
completely routine. All employers face reviews every few years.
"If any investigation does take place, the duchess's accountants will
co-operate fully. The duchess wants complete transparency in her financial
affairs." Although the duchess uses accountants to handle her financial affairs,
ultimately she is responsible for her employees' tax.
Investigators are expected to examine payments in kind given by the duchess,
including telephone bills and use of cars. The duchess, once £4 million in debt,
has reduced her outgoings substantially in recent years.
She has negotiated a string of lucrative contracts to become an ambassador
for Weight Watchers in America, a promoter for Wedgwood china, an
interviewer for Hello! magazine and a correspondent for NBC, the American
television network. The duchess, 40, is on holiday in Majorca with her
daughters Beatrice, 11, and Eugenie, 10, and was unavailable for comment.
A spokesman for the Inland Revenue said yesterday: "We never confirm or
deny if we are holding an investigation." He said a standard review was
regarded as "run of the mill' for an employer's tax affairs.