PRINCE PHILIP left a trail of angry dignitaries and embarrassed diplomats in his wake during a trade mission to Texas in 1966.
During a two-day visit the Prince allegedly rowed with airline bosses who refused to let him pilot a passenger plane, upset expatriates excluded from his plans and snubbed the Mayor of Houston.
Embarrassing details of the visit were given in an informal letter from a British consul which was among government documents made public for the first time yesterday.
Much to the chagrin of his advisers, Prince Philip told one press conference "I'm not here to flog anything" and when asked in another about the state of Britain he said: "We are down on our uppers."
The tour of Texas, which was part of a longer trip across America, was described by Gerald Simpson, the consular general to Houston, in a letter to Sir Patrick Dean, the British Ambassador in Washington.
Despite the claims, which Mr Simpson said would leave "scars that will be visible for a long time to come", Sir Patrick glossed over them when reporting back to London.
The revelations came to light yesterday when the file about the trade mission was included among other Foreign Office documents released by the Public Record Office. The file reveals that Prince Philip, then in his 40s, embarked on the mission to America to promote trade after being invited by the Variety Club International.
The majority of the trip, which also included visits to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, appears to have gone smoothly.
But even before he arrived at Houston, his visit had been derailed by the behaviour of his tour manager, Colonel Bill Heald, who, according to the file, racked up £20,000 in personal travelling expenses organising the trip.
According to the informal 10-page note, Mr Simpson said the behaviour was "hardly fitting for formal treatment". He claimed Col Heald made seven planning visits in which he described his behaviour as "orgiastic".
Despite the frequency of the trips, Mr Simpson claimed the tour manager failed to meet local dignitaries. He did, however, squeeze in time for dinner with Danny Kaye, the Hollywood actor.
When the Prince arrived on March 10, he was asked about the nature of his trip, a question ironically planted by his own advisers. To their embarrassment he replied: "I am not here to flog anything."
A dinner went off without much incident although local dignitaries from the English Speaking Union, of which Prince Philip was president, complained to him that they had been snubbed by the trip.
The trouble really began the next morning when they boarded the British-built BAC111 airliner, supplied by Braniff Airlines. The Prince allowed the plane to leave 15 minutes early even though the mayor, who was due to say farewell, had not yet turned up.
When asked to reconsider by his aides, the Prince replied that he had "talked himself out" with the mayor.
Prince Philip then demanded to fly the plane on its trip from Houston to Dallas and then on to Tucson, Arizona. Mr Simpson wrote: "Braniff did not like this and in the end would only allow him to fly the second leg when the chairman, president and executives of the company (and their wives) would not be on board."
Furthermore, Mr Simpson said they only allowed him to fly the aircraft on the condition that he did not take any alcohol at lunch in Dallas. "I understand that HRH was not pleased by any of this."
An impromptu press conference in Dallas went off "very well indeed", Mr Simpson said except for "some derogatory remarks by HRH about civil servants and one unfortunate one that we were now down on our uppers".
According to Mr Simpson, after lunch Prince Philip "seized" the controls of the plane and took off very competently indeed.
In his report to the Foreign Office in London, Sir Patrick Dean, the British Ambassador in Washington, neglected to mention the criticisms. He concluded that the trip had been a "personal triumph" for Prince Philip.
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Fergie minutes from Trade Centre horror(Yahoo: Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was just minutes away from the World Trade Centre when the first hijacked plane smashed into it, the Sun newspaper has reported.
The paper said Ferguson was on her way to a meeting with charity workers in one of the twin towers when the tragedy unfolded.
"The Duchess of York is desperately upset for everyone involved in this terrible tragedy," her spokesman said.
"It is unbelievable -- she was just a few minutes away when the explosion happened."
Two planes were forced to fly into the twin towers of the Trade Centre by hijackers. A third crashed into the Pentagon.
The tabloid said the Duchess was stuck in traffic on her way to a breakfast meeting with the organisers of U.S. charity Chances for Children.
The charity is based on the 101st floor of the Centre.
Her former husband Price Andrew was halfway to America when the disaster erupted. His plane was ordered to turn round and fly back to Britain.
Thousands of people are thought to have died in the attack which has left America and the world in shock.
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Queen's 'disbelief and shock' at devastation(Yahoo: Ananova)
The Queen has expressed her disbelief and shock as devastation unfolded following the Washington DC and New York terrorist attacks.
In a message to US President George W Bush, the Queen said she is thinking of all those who have lost those close to them in the plane crashes and subsequent building collapse.
The Queen, who is at Balmoral in Scotland, is being kept closely in touch with developments, said Buckingham Palace.
Her message reads: "It is with growing disbelief and total shock that I am learning of the terrorist outrages in New York and Washington today.
"On behalf of the British people, Mr President, may I express my heartfelt sympathy to the very many bereaved and injured and our admiration for those who are now trying to cope with these unfolding tragedies.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you all."
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Prince Andrew in mid-air turnaround after U.S. attacks(Yahoo: Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - A plane carrying Prince Andrew to the United States made a mid-air turnaround today after the attacks on the World Trade Centre.
A palace spokeswoman told Reuters the prince was due to fly to Atlanta and then to New York but decided to return after learning that two planes had crashed into the New York skyscraper.
"The Duke of York was due to go to Atlanta and then New York but he turned around after the news," the spokeswoman said.
She did not say at what point the plane had turned around, nor why the prince planned to go to the United States
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