A former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales,
has been arrested over the alleged theft of a
£1m wedding present given to her and Prince
Charles.
Harold Brown has been questioned about a
jewel-encrusted model ship.
The ornament was a gift from the Emir of
Bahrain when the royal couple married in 1981,
and was one of the Princess's most treasured
wedding presents.
It is believed to have disappeared from her
apartment at Kensington Palace days after her
death three years ago.
Mr Brown, 48, is said to have been laid off by
the Princess, and was later taken on by
Princess Margaret, for whom he still works.
Second arrest
He was released on police bail after his arrest
on Tuesday, pending further inquires.
A 50-year-old man was arrested in connection
with handling stolen goods, and was also
released on police bail.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "We
understand that a member of staff is helping
police with their inquiries.
"Anything further is a matter for the police."
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Following
receipt of information, the Metropolitan Police
Service has launched an inquiry into the
circumstances surrounding the alleged
disappearance of an artefact from a location in
central London."
~*~
Queen throws Olympic party(BBC News)
Royal guests: Harrison, Redgrave and Lewis
The Queen has hosted a reception for Britain's
victorious Olympic squad.
The country's greatest Olympian, five-times
gold medallist Steve Redgrave, was among the
guests at the Buckingham Palace celebration
on Thursday evening.
The athletes received the royal accolade after
notching up 11 gold, 10 silver and seven
bronze medals in Sydney - Britain's best
Olympic tally since Antwerp in 1920.
Rowing star Redgrave chatted to the Queen,
but admitted: "I normally like to stay in the
background".
'Sir Steve'
He was also shy about speculation that he
may be knighted in the New Year's Honours.
"They already think I've been knighted in
Germany and call me Sir Steve," he said.
Redgrave's rowing
colleagues in the gold
medal-winning eight
were also honoured at
the reception.
The eight includes Ben
Hunt-Davis, the son of
the Duke of Edinburgh's
private secretary
Brigadier Miles
Hunt-Davis.
Other gold medallists at
the party included women's heptathlon
champion Denise Lewis.
"The Queen said that I must be delighted with
my performance and asked me if I was now
taking a break," she said.
"I'm maximising my time off but I'll be back in
training in January."
Super-heavyweight boxing champion Audley
Harrison also met the Queen at the event.
"The Queen knew I was a boxer and we talked
about the stadium in Sydney," he said.
He added that life was "very hectic these
days".
Members of Britain's successful Paralympic
team have been invited to a reception at the
Palace early in the New Year.