My Favorite Things About Angelfire
My Favorite Web sites
Angelfire Home Pages
Free Web Building Help
Angelfire HTML Library
htmlGEAR - free polls, guestbooks, and more!
Shah's daughter found dead of overdose in London hotel(Electronic Telegraph)
By Neil Tweedie and Thomas Harding
PRINCESS Leila Pahlavi, youngest child of the late Shah of Iran, has been found dead in a London hotel after apparently taking an overdose.
The princess, who lived in America, was found dead by staff at the Leonard Hotel in the West End on Sunday evening. She was 31. Yesterday, her brother, Reza Pahlavi, the elder son of the Shah and heir to the Peacock Throne, refused to confirm the cause of death.
In a statement released from his office in Virginia, he said: "It brings me enormous pain and deep sorrow to announce the tragic passing away of my beloved sister Princess Leila Pahlavi after a lengthy illness."
No details of the nature of the illness were given and the office refused to provide details. Police are investigating the possibility that she took an overdose of sleeping pills, but were awaiting the results of toxicology tests and a post mortem examination last night.
Princess Leila, who was unmarried, was the youngest of the Shah's five children, and the fourth child of his third wife, Queen Farah. Born in Teheran in 1970, she appeared destined for a life of opulence and privilege. But nine years later she was forced to flee Iran with her family when her father was deposed in the Islamic revolution.
Following the Shah's death from cancer in 1980, the family settled in America and Leila enjoyed a relatively normal existence, being educated at the state Pine Cobble School in Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the family home.
She graduated from the Ivy League Brown University in 1992, and spent much of her time commuting between America and Europe, with no apparent need for work. She and her family continued to command a degree of loyalty among exiled Iranians. Last year, she joined her mother and brother in a ceremony at her father's tomb in Cairo to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death.
The extent of the dynasty's wealth is a source of mystery. The Shah was said to have salted away $10 billion in foreign accounts before his removal, but the Queen, who maintains an office in New York, has dismissed such figures.
Princess Leila spent much of the year staying at the Leonard Hotel, near Marble Arch. She paid £450 a night for her favourite suite. Angela Stoppani, the hotel manager, said the princess would visit London at the hotel to "chill out". She was never seen with any friends.
Miss Stoppani said: "Miss Pahlavi was a lovely lady and always friendly, kind and polite to staff. Her death came as a great shock to us all when she passed away on Sunday. It was very upsetting. Our sympathies go to her family."
In an interview in America, Princess Leila said she missed Iran but enjoyed the anonymity of exile. She said that although she had not set foot on Iranian soil since 1979, she often visited the country in her dreams. She said: "There's one dream as scary as hell. I'm in the palace and I'm not supposed to be there. If someone catches me I could have my head cut off."
She said she no longer craved the privileges of royal life. "When you've been through what we have, formality isn't what counts." Two years ago, the princess was considering buying a home in London, but was stopped by the thought of her dogs going into quarantine. Despite the repressiveness of her father's regime, she remained loyal to his memory. A bust of the Shah dominated her living room
~*~
Charles and Camilla gaze at the stars (UK Times)
BY LISA ARMSTRONG
NOT since Donatella Versace and De Beers co-hosted an evening of a trillion diamonds at Syon Park two years ago has there been such a gathering of venerable old rocks in one place as there was at Waddesdon Manor last night.
I refer, of course, to the jewels and twinkling gowns that were the dress code and not to Sting, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, who was wearing a gown by Antony Price. The evening, in aid of MacMillan Cancer Relief, was the idea of Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of Vogue, and was co-chaired by Madonna and Lord Rothschild, who had long toyed with the idea of organising a fashion event at Waddesdon.
This was an impressive and aesthetically pleasing crowd and, as is the vogue these days, mind-bogglingly eclectic: a little bit of fashion, a little bit of pop. Ferdinand de Rothschild, who feared his 45-room manor would eventually fall into decay, would have been most gratified.
Joseph Fiennes was cheekbone to cheekbone with Kylie Minogue, Stella McCartney, Kate Moss, Bianca Jagger, Joan Collins, Jemima Khan, Patsy Kensit and Naomi Campbell.They and 800 other guests had gathered to dine, to dance and to view eight pavillions created for the evening by the world’s more glamorous designers, among them Donatella Versace, Alexander McQueen, Georgio Armani and Tom Ford of Gucci.
Undoubtedly the evening was a success. Waddesdon had never looked more glorious; thousands of pounds were raised and the Jaguars that chauffeured many of the guests through the narrow Buckinghamshire lanes passed the ultimate jiggle test: disgorging their passengers at Waddesdon without a single molecule of Botox out of place.
~*~
Priest takes murdered king's soul into exile(Electronic Telegraph)
By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi
A NEPALI priest rode off on an elephant for a lifetime of exile yesterday in a ceremony designed to exorcise the ghosts of the royal massacre.
Wearing the late King Birendra's shoes, socks and spectacles, Durga Prasad Sapkota was deemed by Nepalese Hindu ritual to be taking the king's spirit with him to a remote mountainous region where he will spend the rest of his life as an "unholy outcast".
Devout Nepalis believe his departure will ease the troubles in the country since the massacre on June 1, when Crown Prince Dipendra murdered nine members of the royal family before fatally shooting himself.
Before leaving Kathmandu, the frail 75-year-old Brahmin, who volunteered for the role, sat in a tent on the banks of the Bagmati river and ate 84 different items, including rice and vegetables, from silver bowls. In ancient times, he would have eaten part of the king's brain, but yesterday the leg of a sacrificed goat served the purpose.
After the meal, he put on a red and gold brocade dress and the king's footwear and spectacles. Arranged around the tent were the king's sofa, study table, leather briefcase, peacock feather fan and radio. A silver crown with a long white plume, similar to the king's, was placed on Sapkota's head and he sat under a bamboo canopy, signifying the throne.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala then offered the priest money before asking him if he was happy. "I am happy, I have everything now. I just don't have a house. I need a house," replied Sapkota. According to tradition, the banished priest is granted all his demands. He was, however, given £8,000 raised from an appeal before mounting the brightly-painted elephant that will remain with him in exile.
~*~
Queen 'sacked' in row over hunting(Electronic Telegraph)
By Joan Clements in The Hague
THE Dutch equivalent of the RSPCA has dismissed Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands as its patron because she allows boar hunting on the royal estates.
More than half the members of the National Animal Protection Organisation voted to dismiss the queen at their annual meeting. The decision ends a link between the royal family and the society that began when it was established in 1864 during the reign of King Willem III.
Elly von Jessen, a spokesman for the society, said: "The fact that hunting for fun is still allowed on the royal estates, with members of the royal house participating, can no longer be reconciled with our goals. The queen should set the right example."
She added that the organisation had several times asked the queen, patron since her coronation in 1980, to forbid hunting in the Veluwe woods. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the throne, is among those who hunt boar there. Foxhunting is virtually non-existent in the Netherlands.
~*~
Fashion world throws a royal garden party(Electronic Telegraph)
By Hilary Alexander, Fashion Editor and Richard Alleyne
THE Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles attended a charity gala of unprecedented glamour last night.
At what was described as a cross between a royal garden party and Oscar night, the grounds of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire were buzzing with A-list guests from the worlds of fashion, film and music.
The designers Giorgio Armani, Sir Paul Smith and Stella McCartney were there, along with Donatella Versace and Alexander McQueen. Also at the party were models Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell, Mick Jagger, his daughter Jade, Sir Elton John and Joseph Fiennes, the actor who starred in Shakespeare in Love.
More than 500 people paid £646 each to attend the event which was in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief, of which Prince Charles is a patron. The summer splendour of the manor house was a perfect backdrop for the party which was organised by British Vogue and sponsored by Jaguar.
Built 125 years ago in the style of a 16th century chateau by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, the banking mogul, to entertain politicians, painters, writers and royalty, Waddesdon Manor has since become a jewel in the crown of the National Trust.
It is home to one of the most complete collections of 18th French decorative art. Dotted around the manicured gardens, recently returned to their former glory, seven of the world's leading fashion houses - Armani, Asprey and Garrard, Burberry, Christian Dior, Gucci, McQueen and Donatella Versace - displayed their latest designs in specially built pavilions. Guests then sat down to sip Laurent Perrier champagne and eat smoked duck and seared sea bass. Wines from the Rothschild cellar were also served.
Mrs Parker Bowles and the Prince arrived in separate cars but entered the gala together at around 7pm. She wore a silver and dusty pink dress, in a 1930s vintage style designed by Antony Price who described it as looking like "morning mist over peonies in a meadow". The dress set off a diamond and silver necklace, said to be a family heirloom.
Amanda Barrie, the Coronation Street actress whose character Alma Halliwell is currently battling cervical cancer in the soap, spoke with Prince Charles about the storyline. The Prince asked her: "Have you gone yet?" Barrie told him that her character was due to die next week. She said: "I told him I was 'going' soon. It's very good for soaps if it can help boost cancer awareness. It's all to the good." Also at the event was Conrad Black, the chairman of Hollinger, the owner of The Daily Telegraph, and his wife Barbara Amiel.
Mr Armani, whose guests included Natasha Caine, Lady Helen Taylor and Princess Alexandra of Greece, was wearing a dinner jacket from his own label accessorised with a diamond and silver bracelet by Gucci. Patsy Kensit and Sophie Dahl arrived together, both wearing plunge neck Versace dresses.
The Italian designer Donatella Versace gave a sneak preview of a design from the new haute couture collection she will show in Paris next month - an hourglass, fish-tail gown in fluorescent lime and canary yellow with sequins and beads. The presence of Madonna on the honorary committee was enough to ensure an extraordinary flurry of interest in the event. The singer, however, just starting her European tour, was unable to attend.
A brace of waterfalls flanked a giant video screen on which images from British Vogue were projected. On each table, clothed in black, was a single white orchid, wrapped in a Vogue fashion image and floating on a sea of mist and glitter. After dinner, a further 200 guests arrived for dancing and a firework display to synchronised music.
An X-type Jaguar customised by Sir Paul Smith will be auctioned by Ruby Wax, and Henry Wyndham of Sotheby's, to raise funds for the charity. Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue, said: "It's a momentous gathering of some of the world's most highly respected names in fashion. I am honoured to be a part of this and am pleased to be able to support Macmillan Cancer Relief which does extraordinary work to help people living with cancer across the UK."