Will and Harry Unlimited

...For July 2003

July 30, 2003 -

Prince Harry may be coming to Mandurama

He may not be quite as dashing as older brother William, but Prince Harry will prove just as popular in Mandurama if rumours that he will be playing polo there are true. According to a metropolitan magazine, the Prince will lead his Young England polo team in a special Ambassador's Cup match, to be held at the Millamolong Station polo ground near Mandurama.

His presence has not been confirmed, however he is captain of the team, due here in November. If the eighteen-year-old Prince does make the trip, it would be the first foreign visit the Prince has made on his own and the first royal visit to the Central West for more than 20 years. Queen Elizabeth last visited Orange in the early 1970s and Bathurst in the early 1980's.
Prince Harry's trip will also coincide with the Rugby World Cup final in Sydney.
Prince flies to the heart of Africa

Prince William has been indulging his love for Africa and brushing up on his Swahili during a three-day camping expedition on the Nile in Uganda.

The 21-year-old, accompanied by a male friend, flew into Bujagali by private jet from Nairobi and spent two days river rafting before flying back to Nairobi yesterday. The Prince, who travelled with an entourage of 11, stayed at the Eden Rock Resort where camping costs from Ł3 a night, and bed and breakfast in the chalets is priced at Ł35 a night.

Jason Roussos, the campsite manager, said: "He was dressed very simply in darkish blue jeans. One of his friends seemed to be very close to him. I think he is a schoolmate. They spoke Kiswahili, but they refused to let us take photographs, we cooked a barbecue for him. We prepared chicken, steak, sausages and plenty of potato salad. He told us how he enjoyed the rafting and the beautiful scenery along the river."

The Prince's favourite tipple is cider, but in its absence he seemed enthusiastic to try the local beer. "He loved the campsite," Mr Roussos said. "They had a beer or two. He actually asked my mother for Ugandan beer and we gave him Nile Special which he enjoyed with his friends."

The Prince is believed to have toured the source of the Nile, the Nile Resort Hotel and Itanda falls. It is understood that he was accompanied by Mark Dyer, 35, a former Welsh Guard who acts as the Prince's "minder" and travelled with him during his gap year when the Prince forged a deep and abiding love for Africa. It was a passion the Prince referred to in his 21st birthday interview when he said: "I'm trying to teach myself Swahili. It's because of my love for Africa."

St James's Palace would only say of Prince William's trip: "It is a private matter."

July 29, 2003 -

Prince William braves whitewater rapids in Uganda

Prince William has been whitewater rafting on the River Nile in Uganda. The 21-year-old prince is on holiday from his studies at St Andrews University. He is reported to have sat on rocks overlooking the rapids for several hours gazing before he was recognised.

Campsite manager Jason Roussos said: "It is unbelievable but it is true that Prince William himself, the one we see in newspapers and TV, came with an entourage of 11 people, including British bodyguards and camped at our Eden Rock Resort Bujagali.

"He was dressed very simply in darkish blue jeans. We cooked a barbecue for him. We prepared chicken, steak, sausages and plenty of potato salad. He told us about how he enjoyed the rafting and the beautiful scenery along the river. He loved the camp site. They had a beer or two. He actually asked my mother for Ugandan beer and we gave him Nile Special which he enjoyed with his friends," Roussos told Uganda's New Vision newspaper.
'It's gone mad this year'

In case you didn't know, it was the Cartier International on Sunday, the biggest date in the polo calender. But who, apart from Harry, was playing? Who was watching? And is the sport really taking off? Oliver Burkeman, who doesn't know a chukka from his elbow, went along

'Harry Wales has a little tickle!" the commentator shouts over the public address system - polo-speak for the fact that the third in line to the throne has hit the ball with his stick, but not nearly hard enough. "There's not much whistle in this chukka," he adds cryptically. Not many people are listening, though: late morning on the polo circuit's glitziest day, last Sunday's Cartier International at Windsor Great Park, is not really a time for watching the game - even if those on the grass do include Prince Harry, playing in advance of the afternoon's main international match, England v Mexico. It is, instead, a time for parking up your Freelander 4x4 and spreading out your picnic under a collapsible awning as large as the vehicle itself; for browsing the tents in the trade village (Hackett sportswear; the Chilean tourist board; the Countryside Alliance; Audi), or simply for bemoaning the state of the modern polo audience. "They just don't have the interest, do they?" a man wearing a magnolia suit and a sad expression is saying as he takes his seat in the grandstand. "Far better to come to these things only with polo people. Then you don't have any problems."

Prince Harry, playing in his first high-profile game, must shoulder a lot of responsibility for the fact that so many people who aren't polo people have shown up for the Cartier today, most of them paying Ł20 for a parking place and the right to lean against a fence at one end of the field. And both young princes' involvement, more generally, seems to be behind a growth in profile for the world's most elitist sport that appears far out of proportion to its true accessibility, offering a public portal to a semi-aristocratic world of sportspeople, models and hangers-on that has always taken polo for its social focus; when the "comedy terrorist" Aaron Barschak gatecrashed William's 21st birthday party last month, police were thought to have initially blamed it on what the Daily Mail called "William's outrageous polo-playing friends".

As a symbol of having arrived in the ranks of Britain's super-wealthy, meanwhile, polo is doing better than ever: Dallas Burston, an emphatically new-money pharmacist from Northamptonshire, recently opened a polo club at Leamington Spa to cater for them, replacing the traditional rules of membership - having enough money to own your own ponies, or enough wealthy friends to borrow them from - with a golf-like system, charging under Ł1,000 a year for membership. Roman Abramovich, the mysterious Russian billionaire who recently bought Chelsea football club, is understood to be taking lessons. Some in the polo community have suggested that a hunt ban might also send more people to the sport; there's certainly a demographic overlap, judging by the way a pack of local hounds are cheered when they make a brief appearance, racing round the field.

"It's gone completely mad this year. We've got journalists from Mexico, from Norway; Greek, French, Dutch; and CNBC are here, doing a programme on money in sport," says Diana Butler, the tireless press officer for the Guards Polo Club, organisers of the Cartier. (In keeping with polo's relaxed attitude towards such matters, Butler is also a correspondent for Horse and Hound magazine, for which she will be filing a report on today's matches. The editor of Polo Times, Margaret Brett, also has two reasons to be present: her son Henry is one of the England team's four members.) Apart from the chukka, the name for each of the six seven-minute sessions into which a polo game is divided, it is a pursuit that is mercifully jargon-free and easy to follow. The stick is called a stick, the ball a ball, and the aim is to hit the ball with the stick until you score a goal, which is called a goal. This the players do with enormous aggression and panache, intermittently swapping their ponies for less exhausted substitutes, jumping saddle to saddle without touching the ground. Harry acquits himself well, scoring a crucial goal in his team's 9-8 victory. But for many of the traditional crowd, in striped blazers, wide-collared shirts, backless dresses and elaborate hats, the event is as much about socialising as anything else, and they're happy to admit as much. Polo, for one thing, must be the only sport that has built into it an opportunity for the audience to network: the half-time practice of treading-in the divots kicked up by the horses. "Of course we say we're treading-in," one spectator in the grandstand tells me. "Actually, we're people-watching."

And at the Cartier, perhaps more than any other event in the polo season, most eyes (and telephoto lenses) are on the hospitality tents, especially Cartier's and the one belonging to the upscale London club Chinawhite's - though the guest lists here aren't quite Chinawhite's usual rosters of footballers, TV stars and Jordan. Later in the evening, the tent becomes the venue of choice for Harry and some of his harder-partying friends: Pimms and Red Bull is consumed in volume, though Harry, by this time in jeans, confines himself to a small amount of drink. There is also an inexplicably strong newsreader contingent (both Michael Buerk and Peter Sissons are here somewhere); the model Sophie Dahl, the actor Clare Danes and, er, Christopher Biggins are also present, according to lists handed out to the media. The only person I recognise walking past the picket-fence pen housing the paparazzi is Will Carling. He looks bored.

Over in the trade village, meanwhile, the model Jodie Kidd and her boyfriend Tarquin Southwell, a professional polo player, are announcing the launch of their new company, Pret a Polo, which, a press release explains, "is an exclusive chance for like-minded people to enjoy elite mini-breaks... if you are not trotting off to a Pret a Polo event this year, you will be missing out on a whole new experience". Kidd, describing her envisaged clientele for a group of reporters, uses the phrase "everyday people" three times. "Polo has such a stigma attached, and that's changing," she says.
Southwell agrees heartily. "It's about everyone mixing in, having some fun, breaking down the barriers that you normally find on these kinds of days," he says. "Polo at the moment is on the crest of a wave... Prince Charles has always brought that mysterious royal side to polo, but sometimes that can be bad, because people read about Prince Charles, or [the Australian tycoon and polo-team owner] Kerry Packer spending Ł3m a season, and they say, well, maybe that's not for us. The boys are a bit younger, so they're definitely a benefit."

There is, unfortunately, one overwhelming inbuilt limit to the prospect of polo ever becoming a mainstream sport, the province of a wider range of people than the "chukka chicks" and "chukka chaps" featured on the inside back cover of Polo Times: the extraordinary financial resources required to participate. "You get a long way in polo by having a lot of money," says Howard Hipwood, former captain of the England team and father of Oliver Hipwood, a current England player. "The reason for that is that the horses are quite unique - and the very, very good ones, the ones that win you games, cost a lot of money. So if you've got a lot of money, you're almost there. Then you can just go and get the best players you can, and you're in the frame."
The sport, introduced to the west in the 19th century by British soldiers who heard stories of an ancient Indian game, is unlike any other in the near-absolute correlation between cash and performance; this explains why many four-person teams still consist of a single rich man, undertaking it as a vanity project, and three other skilled players whose ponies he is providing and whose salaries he is paying. The reliance on money also explains, as much as anything genetic, the preponderance of polo dynasties, and why the members of the current Mexican team, playing today, are all related to each other: two brothers and their cousins, three with the surname Gracida. Corporate sponsorship might be a way around this, and there's plenty of it on show today - but here's another problem: polo has so far proved almost impossible to televise, given that it takes place in an area three times the length of a football pitch.

Back on the field, in the day's centrepiece game, held in the presence of the Queen, England are confronting Mexico. The two teams have not met since 1986, when Mexico won; much honour depends on the outcome. It turns out that the day's polo nearly didn't happen, thanks to a row between the two sides over whether the game should be played at handicap, giving one team a lead of several goals to reflect differences in their track records. This practice is a way of making the game more closely matched, and more exciting, but since it fairly consistently benefits England over the legendary central and south American teams, one can't help suspecting that it is also there to keep England in the game.
Mexico have objected to playing this match at handicap - giving England two goals to start with - and apparently threatened not to play, until the secretary of the Hurlingham Polo Association, the English game's leading authority, counter-threatened to ban them from playing polo in England for life. They have, therefore, reluctantly consented, staging only the most polite of protests at the post-match press conference. So the home team canter on to the field with a head start of two. And win by eight goals to seven.

July 28, 2003 -

Harry Victorious at Cartier Polo Event

Prince Harry has proven his mettle on the polo field by winning a trophy at the Cartier International polo event. The 18-year-old's Highgrove team beat Hurlingham 9-8 to win the Golden Jubilee trophy, which was presented to Harry by his former Nanny Tiggy Pettifer.

It was the first time Harry has played at a significant event, but his abilities have already provoked talk in polo circles that he could turn professional.

He was a member of the Eton College team that won the national schools title, and is regarded as a gutsy, fearless competitor. "Harry is quite mad as a player, but you need that to be able to play at a high level," said Britain's top pro Henry Brett. "He could well go on to become a real contender."

Courage sometimes has a price, however, and Harry injured his arm during Sunday's match and was seen sporting a bandage and ice-pack afterwards. Maybe that was why he decided to miss the luncheon that was laid on after the match. A place was laid for the young Prince, but he decided to hang around the horse-boxes instead, much to the disappointment of his fellow diners.
HOORAY HARRY
Wild prince shows he's a jolly good fellow at posh party for polo set

PARTY animal Prince Harry showed his Hooray Henry side as he let his hair down and cheered on his table-dancing chums.Well, when a chap has just won polo's Golden Jubilee Cup with his Highgrove- based Prince of Wales team, he is entitled to dance the night away with other bright young things. And where better than the impressively posh Cartier International Polo champagne reception at Smith's Lawn in Windsor.

A red-faced Harry, no stranger to under-age binge drinking, showed what a jolly good fellow he was by partying with the best of his team-mates and chain-smoking chums. Showing he was just another chap by dressing in a baseball cap and jeans, the prince downed drink after drink and cheered loudly as some of his posh pals jumped up on to tables at the exclusive bash.

At one point the young royal, 18, held his head back and let a blonde Henrietta pour energy drink Red Bull - often mixed with vodka - down his throat. Then he waved his arms conductor-style at the revellers on the tables, roaring with laughter when a couple snogged. But two Scotland Yard protection officers made sure the party did not get out of hand. And what with keeping star-struck admirers away as well, the police had their work cut out.

When one's daddy is the Prince of Wales you can't be too careful. Especially when one's wild ways - Harry has been known to puff cannabis - have upset father in the past. The prince, who goes by the name Harry Wales on the polo pitch, had earlier helped the Prince of Wales team to a 9- 8 victory over rivals Hurlingham.

They were watched by a number of celebrities, including model Jodie Kidd and her boyfriend Tarquin Southwell. During the meal, Harry had a surprise for bride-to-be Nicola Waskett, who was holding her hen night at the do. He climbed up on to the platform where she was standing and, to her delight, planted a kiss on her cheek. Nicola, who works in PR, gushed: "It was fabulous. I don't know him very well and I don't know how he heard about it, but it was a cool thing for him to do."

Harry picked up his love of polo from his father and now excels at the top toff sport. He has captained the Young England team and will play in Australia this autumn before starting Army officer training at Sandhurst.

July 23, 2003 -

Prince Harry's off to Oz

A Prince born to be king knows his destiny, but a prince who is third in line to the throne can afford to live a little. As military life beckons, Prince Harry appears determined to live up to his fast-growing reputation of a playboy as his gap year begins.

Often seen with a bottle or cigarette in his hand, Harry has struggled in the shadow of his more able and more controlled older brother, Prince William. Now polo officials in Australia have confirmed that before his initial training at Sandhurst starts next year, followed by a stint in one of the elite Guards regiments, Harry is off to captain his country playing polo Down Under.

If the trip gets his father's approval, it will be his first solo foreign foray and give him the chance to indulge his two sporting passions - it will coincide with the Rugby World Cup final in Sydney on 22 November. There will also be the usual flock of attractive, wealthy young women who gather at such social events.

Harry, 18, is expected to captain the Young England team in a special Ambassador's Cup match in Millamolong, New South Wales. John Ashton, custodian of the Millamolong polo team, said he has received an official request to "accommodate Prince Harry" from John Tinsley, president of polo's governing body at Hurlingham. The Millamolong club has been asked to place its stable of polo ponies at the disposal of the Federation of International Polo for the match. St James's Palace today said the trip was "speculation" as they are still working on details of the prince's gap year. But the year is bound to be peppered with occasional charity work.

Harry captained the England team when they last played France. The prince's estimated personal fortune of Ł24 million is tied up in trust until he reaches 30. He has been linked with a number of girls but does not have a steady girlfriend. The prince left Eton last month after sitting A-levels in art and geography.

In January last year, revelations about under-age drinking and experiments with cannabis led to questions being raised about the role of the royal protection officers. Harry apologised to his father for embarrassing him and was said to be "deeply ashamed" to have caused such a furore at the start of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

July 22, 2003 -

New Idea magazine

July 21, 2003 -

Wills Skips Balmoral In Favour of Kenyan Holiday With Jecca

Having made no secret of his love for Kenya – evidenced by his "Out Of Africa"-themed 21st birthday party last month – Prince William is now set to spend his August holidays in the country, lodging with the family of his close friend Jessica Craig.

While William's family enjoys a summer trip to Balmoral, the Prince will be relishing the exotic surroundings of the foothills of Mount Kenya at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. According to the British newspaper The Mail On Sunday, Jessica – or Jecca as she is known by friends – is also staying at the 55,000-acre refuge, which is owned by her mum and dad, Ian and Jane Craig.

While a St James's Palace official has denied that "there is or ever has been any romantic liaison", it's clear that a strong friendship has blossomed between the 21-year-old royal and Jecca, whom he met in Africa during his gap year. The young brunette was seated next to William at his birthday bash, and her parents have also been invited to Windsor Castle.

The three-year friendship came to light last month, after it was reported that the Prince had once had a "pretend engagement" with the 21-year-old. The statement from the Palace refuting the romance rumours soon followed.
Bros in a royal dust-up

PRINCES William and Harry aren’t horsing around as they clash during a polo match yesterday.

William, 21, and 18-year-old Harry played on opposite sides at Cirencester Park, Gloucs.

Harry won this tackle, but Wills’ team were crowned champs.

July 15, 2003 -

Brooklyn replaces Royals as top client

TRADITIONAL children's shoemaker Start-rite has lost its Royal Warrant, just one week after it announced it is to close its remaining Norwich factory.

Only three royals, the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles, can issue the warrant, but now, with no children in their family, it has had to be withdrawn.

When Prince Harry celebrated his 18th birthday last year, it was the end of an era, because no more royal children were waiting in line for the famous shoes to grace their feet.

Start-rite is one of the oldest shoe manufacturers in the country and held the Royal Warrant for nearly 50 years.
But today, Peter Lamble, company chairman, said that although the firm was sad it had lost the royal seal, Start-rite was moving with the times and was now selling shoes to David and Victoria Beckham for their son Brooklyn.

He said: "It is very important we can attract different types of customer.

"We are a classic shop, but we also appeal to the modern era. Although we do not go round and fit Brooklyn's shoes as we did the royal children, it is still wonderful our shoes are seen on his feet. It is sad but inevitable we would lose the warrant and, to be honest, we were surprised it was renewed three years ago."

Once Norwich's largest employer, Start-rite is switching all its remaining production overseas when it closes its track and finishing room on September 26. It claims such a move will help it improve its competitive edge, but the 28 factory jobs which remain after departmental closures staged over two years will be lost. It is estimated that Start-rite, which was granted the warrant in 1955, has fitted more than 1,500 pairs of shoes for the Royal Family.

Royal warrants are granted to people or companies which have regularly supplied goods or services for a minimum of five consecutive years. There are strict regulations surrounding the warrant, which allows the words, "by appointment" to be used, and the Royal Arms to be displayed.

Mr Lamble added: "With all the royal children now grown up, it will be a long time before we can expect to get the warrant back."

The company will still have a presence in Norwich, with the building of a new office and warehouse complex already under way at the Broadland Business Park.
Charges dropped against Prince William's "comedy terrorist"

Police dropped charges against the self-styled "comedy terrorist" who gatecrashed Prince William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle, west of London.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it told Aaron Barschak, 37, that "there will be no further action taken against him," following advice from prosecutors.

"The man has been released from his bail conditions," it added.

Barschak -- squeezed into a salmon-pink evening dress with a stick-on beard -- had clambered over a wall and onto the castle grounds, then bluffed his way into William's "Out of Africa" theme costume party. To hoots of laughter from the revellers, Barschak hopped on stage with the young royal, kissed him on both cheeks, and invited one and all to catch his show at the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Royal aides soon identified the comic as a gatecrasher, however, and turned over to police, triggering an investigation into the most serious breach of royal security in many years.
Queen Elizabeth II was among the party guests.
WILLIAM AND HARRY'S VOW AS DIANA FUND CRISIS DEEPENS; FURIOUS PRINCES
FIGHT ON

Princes William and Harry yesterday brushed aside the crisis-hit
Diana memorial fund and vowed to go it alone with their mother's
charity work.

William is expected to meet Aids victims during a private holiday to
Africa next month - the anniversary of Princess Diana's death. And
Harry said he will also carry on supporting his mother's favourite
causes, such as the homeless. The Princes have expressed their fury
over the legal fiasco and mismanagement surrounding the Diana fund.
They have already instructed their own lawyers to examine whether
their inheritance could be at risk - for the Sunday Express can
reveal that the potentially ruinous legal action brought in
California against the fund by US memorabilia giant Franklin Mint has
also targeted Princess Diana's estate.

The Princes have always refused to have anything to do with the fund,
believing that all the money raised following Diana's death in the
Paris car crash should have been dispersed immediately.
William in particular always feared that a long-term charity set up
in their mother's name would turn into a bureaucratic nightmare.

Yesterday a source close to the boys said: "William and Harry
regarded the fund as a vehicle for people who have wanted to exploit
their mother's memory. They thought all the money should have been given away at the
beginning to the good causes Diana supported. They felt that it shouldn't be turned into a self-perpetuating fund with all the bureaucracy but that the money should be given away. I think that's why they never acknowledged the work the fund did."

On Friday the fund announced it had been forced to freeze all its
assets because of the case brought by Franklin Mint, which makes
dolls of the Princess.

The company, run by two Beverly Hills-based billionaires, claims that
an attempt by the fund to stop it manufacturing Di mementos, which
also include plates and coins, was "malicious" and is suing for GBP
16million. Last night it insisted it would not target the Princes themselves,
adding that the company is only interested in pursuing the memorial
fund and its trustees.

But a spokeswoman for the fund admitted: "At the end of the line,
they could go after the Diana estate.

"The fund did agree to indemnify the Diana estate if they were found
liable for wrongdoing in some way. They agreed to take the rap. But
the indemnity is a hugely complex legal number and there is not 100
per cent agreement on how far that indemnity goes. It might not
protect the estate totally."

Most of Diana's GBP 21.4million fortune is being held in trust for
her sons until they turn 25.

In her "letter of wishes", Diana wrote in her will: "I would like to
divide, at your discretion, my personal chattels between my sons and
my godchildren. The division to be three-quarters in value to my sons
and one quarter between my godchildren. I would also like you to
allocate my jewellery to the share to be held for my sons so their
wives may, in due course, have it or use it."

But now the Princes' inheritance has become embroiled in the legal
wrangling.

In papers filed in Los Angeles District Court at 111 North Hill
Street, Los Angeles, Diana's estate is named as a defendant in the
case, along with the fund and the Princess's mother, Frances Shand
Kydd, and her sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

The reason the estate has been named is because it was on behalf of
its executors - Lady Sarah, Mrs Shand Kydd and the Bishop of London,
the Rt Rev Richard Chartres - that Franklin Mint was first sued in
California's District Court in 1998.

The case turned into a calamity when the demand for an injunction
against the Franklin Mint was dismissed. Ultimately, the action was
thrown out by a judge and an appeal also failed.

The entire fiasco cost more than GBP 4million, with lawyers' fees
alone totalling nearly GBP 3million.

The case so infuriated the Franklin Mint's wealthy owners, Stewart
and Lynda Resnick, that they launched their own suit against the fund
and Diana's executors, insisting their good name had been sullied.
Although the action was brought last autumn, it is unlikely to go
before a judge before November.

The next hearing on October 3 will look into a motion to file the
case "under seal" to keep details from the public.

On Friday Dr Andrew Purkis, chief executive of the fund, said its
financial future was so shaky that it was immediately freezing grants
to 120 causes, including Aids treatment centres and landmine clearing
projects.

Yesterday Dr Purkis admitted the Franklin Mint could target the
Princes' inheritance and was sceptical of the US firm's pledge to
leave them out of its action.

He said: "You can't name someone in a lawsuit and then say, 'Oh we
didn't really mean it'. But there is an indemnity which means the hit would be aimed at the
finances of the fund not the Diana estate and it would only be in a
slightly silly scenario that there is no money whatever left in the
fund that the estate would be targeted. But first you have the fund itself that would be cleaned out, then
its trustees such as Lady Sarah, then the Diana estate. So to be
absolutely honest it is not a plausible scenario. But if you are
inventing nightmares, it could happen in theory, yes."

The fund has pledged GBP 50million to more than 300 organisations. Dr
Purkis said it needed GBP 10million "to pay existing grant
commitments".

While there was little prospect of the fund folding, he warned that
some of the "wonderful projects" it bankrolls could go under.

As far as blame was concerned, he said: "I think you will have to
point the finger at a big American corporation, which already had its
victory in court, launching a quite unnecessary malicious suit
against a charity which is doing fantastic work among the most
vulnerable people in the world."

July 11, 2003 -

Fury over Di fund crisis

By CHARLES RAE

PRINCESS Diana’s sons revealed their dismay yesterday after the fund set up in her memory axed all payments to charities. The Diana Memorial Fund has been plunged into a massive financial crisis after a US firm launched a Ł16million legal case against it.

William, 21, and Harry, 18, were said to be “totally mystified” by the fund’s predicament.
And a close family friend added: “They’re both very disappointed this is happening.
There is great concern for the future of many of the charities which the fund has helped.”

Prince Charles also expressed concern at the crisis and said he hoped it could be quickly ended.

The fund has suspended payments to 127 charities because it is being sued by memorabilia firm Franklin Mint. The bitter legal wrangle began when the fund launched a court bid to stop Franklin — run by Lynda Rae and Stewart Resnick — making Di dolls. The fund branded the firm “vultures feeding on the dead”. But the charity lost its case and Franklin is counter-suing in a Ł16million lawsuit for malicious prosecution. The fund’s trustees, including Di’s sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, could be held personally liable if Franklin wins.

The Diana Fund was launched within days of her 1997 death and Ł20million was donated by grieving members of the public. Fund boss Dr Andrew Purkis admitted it was now in need of a “Dunkirk-style rescue.”

And he warned 500 charity jobs were at risk if other organisations did not step in to honour the fund’s commitments. Dr Purkis accepted it had been a mistake for the fund to take on Franklin in the first place — a battle that cost it Ł4million. But he said Franklin had already won its victory and slammed the big US corporation for launching the new case.

He said: “It is a quite unnecessary suit against a charity which is doing fantastic work amongst the most vulnerable people.”

Dr Purkis said the fund had no legal option but to freeze its Ł46million assets until the issue was settled. But he revealed the organisation is hoping to get the case kicked out at a hearing in Los Angeles in September.

Former fund trustee Vivienne Parry said: “It is appalling that Franklin Mint is putting the fund’s work at risk.”

Franklin sells Diana merchandise — including dolls, plates and jewellery — in 15 countries.
Goods on its website include a Diana porcelain bride doll for Ł120, a Diana tiara ring at Ł360 and an “England’s Rose” diamond pendant for Ł70. Franklin last night insisted its action was not a matter of money and said it planned to give any winnings to charity.
A spokesman said: “We have sued the trustees because we believe they acted in bad faith.”
Franklin said it was “disappointed” the fund had chosen to suspend payments.

July 9, 2003 -

HARRY'S ETON OUTFIT IS SHOP HEAD TURNER

A costume worn by Prince Harry in an Eton College production of Shakespeare is now turning heads in Torquay.

Lionel Digby's fancy dress emporium in Market Street is showing off a cute little number it ran up for HRH in a performance of Much Ado About Nothing. It was Plenty Ado About Something for Lionel's assistant Emma Lloyd who produced the costumes by royal appointment. The casting of young Harry as Conrade, a thirst-slaking boozer, created giggles in the media after the youngster's widely reported ban from his local pub for alleged over-indulgence.

One pupil at the Ł20,000-a-year seat of learning quipped: "It's what Hollywood would call method-acting. He was drawing on experience."

Lionel has just had the Eton portfolio returned to him and created a window display around the eye-catching clobber as worn by the third in line to the throne. His business provided all 17 matador costumes for the players who gave the play a Spanish setting. Costume number five was marked up for one Harry Windsor. Costumier Lionel also helped dress some of the guests invited to brother Prince William's scandal-soaked 21st birthday bash with an African theme.

"I didn't do Wills' costume or the comedy terrorist's Bin Laden number," he added quickly.

Lionel regularly kits out the UK's top private schools. Harrow is a client as well as Eton.

"We did Eton's Shakespeare production last year when we first twigged that one of the costumes was for his royal highness," said Lionel.

His colourful creation can be seen for the rest of the month. After that the costumes will be available for hire.

July 7, 2003 -

Royal love triangle

by Rupert Youngman
Just you try it, Charlie.
Wimbledon may be over for another year, but the papers' obsession with bottoms occupies more than just a fortnight.
And that's why Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles occupies the front page of all the tabloids, as she wowed the crowds during Party In The Park on Sunday.

One person who was smitten by the 21-year-old diva is Prince William, with the Sun claiming that Prince Charles revealed that his son fancied her.

"Both of my sons have your album and I think Wills quite fancies you," he apparently told her.

But Wills may have a bit of competition - from his dad.
The Express says Charles was "mesmerised" by Beyonce, "who was looking her bootylicious best in a figure-hugging crimson hotpants jumpsuit and blue stilettos".

Bootylicious she may be, but the Star says that Beyonce would give J.Lo a run for her money when it comes to diva-like demands.
An insider tells the paper that the singer arrived late for rehearsals because she had been watching Wimbledon.

"When she did finally show, she shouted at her dancers and insisted chairs were moved around for her," the source says.

However, she"s got some way to go until she catches up with Mariah Carey, queen of the divas.
According to the Star, whenever she visits the gynaecologist, she insists that all other appointments that day are cancelled.

"Apparently, Mariah doesn't want to run into mere mortals in the waiting room," the paper says.

We don't blame her.
Wills, the pop star

Prince William has all the right attributes to be a pop star, and it doesn't matter whether he can sing, music boss Simon Cowell says. Cowell, known to millions as a caustic judge on the TV talent show Pop Idol, said the handsome prince, who turned 21 last month, could have a huge hit if he recorded a ballad. In an interview published in the latest issue of celebrity magazine Heat, Cowell said it did not matter whether William, who is second in line to the British throne, could sing or not.

"Prince William would make a great pop idol. He's got the looks and class of a true star," Cowell was quoted as saying. "I don't know whether the prince can sing or not, but let's face it, that's not always a problem."

Cowell said he could see William making it as a "tortured soul" with "a ballad reflecting on the troubles in his life", including the divorce of his parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and his mother's death in a car crash in 1997.
William is known to have a taste for rhythm and blues, hip-hop and pop, but has shown no sign of wanting to become a recording artist.
Royal jellies for princes

SWEET princes Harry and William swap polo for jellies yesterday — after getting a box each as a consolation prize after a defeat.
Wills, 21, and brother Harry, 18, beamed with delight at the tasty treat.
Royal polo team Highgrove lost 7-5 to Altu at Cirencester Park, Gloucester.

The losing side are traditionally presented with a memento — usually a plaque, which Prince Charles, 54, left, picked up.
But a polo insider said: “The young princes have so many plaques it was decided to give them something else.
“Their eyes lit up when they were awarded the sweets.”

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