Sultan halts suit against his brother (Electronic Telegraph)
By Alex Spillius in Bangkok
THE Sultan of Brunei has reached an out-of-court settlement with his playboy
younger brother, Prince Jefri, 46, who is accused of squandering up to £23
billion of national wealth while he was finance minister.
The deal will halt a lawsuit that had begun to lift the cloak of secrecy over the
way the 600-year-old dynasty spends the tiny nation's huge oil revenues. The
prince's British lawyers had already told the court the sultan had sanctioned
withdrawals from the Brunei Investment Agency, the state's overseas
investment arm which Prince Jefri headed until he was sacked by his brother
in 1998 after multi-billion-pound losses were discovered.
Under the settlement, announced on television to Brunei's 330,000 subjects,
all Prince Jefri's assets at home and abroad, including several hotels and
Asprey, the Royal jewellers, will be returned to the state. It is also understood
that his passport will be withheld until further notice.
~*~
Tories criticise sell-off of royal
centenary party (UK Times)
BY DOMINIC KENNEDY
A tale of two functions
THE 100th birthday pageant for
Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother is to be the first royal
occasion since the beginning of
the 20th century when seats
have been sold to corporate
sponsors.
Conservative politicians
yesterday condemned the
Government for refusing to find
£400,000 for the open-air
military gala on Horse Guards
Parade on July 19. The Army,
which is organising the event,
has been forced to rely on
corporate sponsorship, selling
800 seats in balcony boxes with the best views.
Businessmen who buy the £500-a-head corporate tickets
will be able to boast that their guests are treated like
royalty.While ordinary members of the public will have to
queue for security checks, people in the sponsored boxes
will be swiftly welcomed through a "VIP entrance".
Once settled into their balcony seats, with the best views of
the pageantry, they will be given free champagne, canapés
and souvenir programmes.
The centenary pageant, which should have been a moment of
undiluted celebration uniting the nation, is descending into a
morass of rows and recriminations. Greg Dyke, the BBC
Director-General, was criticised when the corporation
withdrew plans to broadcast the pageant live because of
fears that it would receive low ratings.
After the Queen Mother requested that 2,000 tickets should
be reserved for ordinary people, the organisers decided that
they should go exclusively to readers of The Sun and The
Sunday Telegraph. Other newspapers, dismayed at the
huge free promotional boost for their rivals, were dismayed
to be told they would get free tickets only if there were any
"returns". One paper is negotiating to buy a box.
The Queen Mother's birthday pageant will combine the
talents of Dame Vera Lynn, Sir John Mills, Wendy Craig, a
host of military bands and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
There will be 40 boxes, with 20 guests each, offering
panoramic views of the event. Those sitting there will be best
placed to see the whole pageant, which features mounted
parades and flypasts by historic aircraft. Having been given
the highest locations, they will also be first to be hit by the
cascade of a million rose petals that will shower the Queen
Mother.
In a separate promotion, some commercial sponsors will get
their names into the programme as "benefactors".
Most of the 12,400 "ordinary" guests will be representing
organisations such as charities that have a close relationship
with the Queen Mother.
Queen Victoria did allow people to pay to attend some of
the events honouring her golden and silver jubilees, and
Edward VII followed her practice, the last monarch to do
so. These days, seats are sold to help to pay for the Queen's
Birthday Parade but they cost only £15 each and are drawn
by means of a national lottery to ensure fairness.
It appears that nothing has been deemed sacred in the
Government's crusade to compel the Armed Forces to use
marketing techniques to save money. The loss-making Royal
Tournament was abolished last year and is being replaced by
the "Royal Military Tattoo 2000", which looks likely to
become an orgy of corporate entertaining.
The tattoo on Horse Guards Parade from July 10-15 will
feature performances by the three Armed Services and is
being billed by Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, as a
showcase for Britain's military. Depending how much they
pay, guests at the tattoo will be treated to Pimms, fine wine,
a "souvenir wallet", and "bon voyage" drinks in the Officers'
Mess.
Even the Cabinet War Rooms, where Sir Winston Churchill
plotted Nazi Germany's defeat, is being hired out for a
"Millennium Champagne and Canapé Reception" for the
tattoo. The tattoo's commercial sponsors include BAE
Systems, the NAAFI/Warrior Group, the construction firm
Amey and The Daily Telegraph.
A spokeswoman at Clarence House said yesterday that the
Queen Mother had been consulted about the pageant, but
could not confirm whether she knew about the corporate
boxes.
"I think they do corporate boxes at Royal Ascot and places
like that," the spokeswoman said.
"There hasn't been a 100th birthday before so it's a bit of a
one-off. I don't think you can compare it with anything.
Obviously she is looking forward to it."
Harold Brookes-Baker, publishing director of Burke's
Peerage, said: "There should be complete acceptance for
this sort of thing as long as the money is for the event itself."
Iain Duncan Smith, the Shadow Defence Secretary, said:
"The Government should be ashamed. They throw good
money after bad on a plastic Dome yet are unwilling to find
money for what should be a great celebration."
Mr Hoon said: "A number of individuals and companies
expressed the desire to be part of this marvellous
celebration, and of course by doing so they will be reducing
the cost to the public purse. I am sure everyone would
welcome that."
A tale of two functions
Queen Mother's birthday
Date: July 19.
Setting: Horse Guards Parade with views of historic parks
and buildings.
Exclusivity: the next royal centenary is the Queen's 100th
birthday in 2026.
Drinks: champagne.
Food: "light eats".
Entertainment: a stupendous parade including racehorses,
Aberdeen Angus bulls, camels, chickens, corgis and
dachshunds. Seventy children bursting from a 25ft-high
birthday cake.
Luxuries: cushions available in case sitting is too onerous
for the corporate guests.
Rub shoulders with: 1,000 Sun readers who are getting
free tickets.
Souvenir: programme listing corporate sponsors.
Price: a 20-person box costs £10,000 (£500 a guest).
Henley Royal Regatta
Date: June 28 to July 2.
Setting: banks of the Thames
.
Exclusivity: happens every year.
Drinks: champagne, Pimms, fine wines, morning coffee,
afternoon tea.
Food: breakfast of warm pastries, five-course luncheon.
Entertainment: non-stop rowing races, live jazz band.
Luxuries: temperature- controlled chalets with race
commentary on loudspeakers; private garden areas.
Rub shoulders with: aspiring "glamour" models hoping to
be photographed after being refused entrance to the
Stewards' Enclosure for wearing short skirts.
Souvenir: Henley Royal Regatta Programme.
Price: £210 plus VAT per person on Wednesday and
Sunday, rising to £255 on Friday.