Royal Family doesn't need a Disney makeover

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Prince Charles turns royal barman as he pulls a pint in a pub

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall enjoy a pint of self poured ale at The Bell pub in Purleigh, Essex 4:20PM GMT 29 Jan 2014

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall tried their hands at pulling pints today as they chatted to regulars at The Bell pub in Purleigh in Essex.

The visit to the pub, which dates back to the 14th century, was part of a day-long trip around Essex with visits to the High House Production Park in Purfleet and the Palace Theatre in Westcliff-on-Sea.

The royal couple toured High House Production Park where students from South Essex College, where they watched teenagers learning how to light a music performance and make sure the sound levels were right.

Later today they will finish their tour at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff-on-Sea to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare.

Source: APTN

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Royal Navy ship helps US Coast Guard crack £300million cocaine smuggling operation

300million drug smuggling operation in the Caribbean.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Naval Support Ship, RFA Wave Knight was on
patrol when US authorities asked for help in intercepting a
speedboat loaded with cocaine.

The operation on January 22 led to the seizure of a 1.25 ton cargo of cocaine
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Royal Marine jailed for life for murdering wounded Taliban fighter 'in cold blood'

. It's nothing you wouldn't do to us.”

Blackman, a 15-year veteran in the marines, then turned to his patrol and said: "Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention."

WARNING: AUDIO CLIP CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE

listen to ‘Audio recorded during Royal Marine patrol in Afghanistan’ on Audioboo You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood.

Judge Jeff Blackett

Two other soldiers, known only as Marine B and Marine C, were acquitted of murder by the court martial board in Bulford, Wiltshire last month.

They were thought to have "encouraged and assisted" in the murder but were later cleared.

Blackman, known as Marine A throughout the trial, denied the murder claiming he believed the insurgent was already dead.

However today Judge Jeff Blackett told him: "You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood.

"By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation."

The judge said he took into account that many had supported the marine for  his "killing within conflict" but said that these members of the public "are very wrong".

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Royal Marine Alexander Blackman guilty of murdering Taliban insurgent defended as a 'leader of men' by colleague

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Popularity of Royal baby names wane as Breaking Bad inspires parents

Names from the American crime series Breaking Bad are picked by a growing number of parents Photo: AMC/AP By Agencies

10:08PM GMT 01 Dec 2013

Parents have moved away from naming their babies after members of the Royal family because they do not want to be seen as copycats.

The shift in attitudes was revealed by researchers for the website BabyCentre, who have released the top 100 baby names for 2013. Olivia was the most popular for girls, and Oliver for boys, up three places from last year.

The name George, which had been rising in popularity since 2010, came in at number nine in the boys’ chart in June this year. But it was pushed out of the top 10 after July, when Prince George was born. Other royal names, including William, Harry, Charles, Kate, Catherine and even Prince George’s middle name Louis – also fell out of favour.

Meanwhile, names from the American crime series Breaking Bad were picked by a growing number of parents. Skyler and Jesse have increased as choices by 70 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

“Inspiration for your baby’s name can come from anywhere, which is why a show like Breaking Bad, which has been hugely popular, has influenced choices this year,” said Sarah Barrett, of Baby-Centre. “Parents fear being labelled Kate copycats, but will take inspiration from characters in TV shows or films.’’

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Has Duchess of Cambridge cut off the royal wedding hairdresser?

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When James Pryce was asked to style the Duchess of Cambridge’s hair for her wedding and then tend to her locks on her tour of North America, he took advantage of his new-found fame by cutting his ties to Richard Ward, the owner of the Chelsea salon where he made his name.

Sadly, Mandrake hears that Pryce has not been able to retain his most famous client. “Richard Ward still cuts Kate’s hair and she has her colour done at the salon,” one of Pryce’s fellow crimpers tells me.

“Plus, she has her stylist, Amanda Cook Tucker, who blow dries her hair for events, but James has really been pushed out.”

Pryce took a job at Josh Wood Atelier, in Holland Park, where he now works part time. “He only works three days a week.

"When he went solo and tried to tour around the USA – he launched a Facebook page and Twitter account which featured hundreds of pictures of Kate and her various hairstyles to promote his business – obviously, that did not go down too well with the Palace at all.”

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Mandrake disclosed in 2011 that Pryce, who created the Duchess of Cambridge’s demi–chignon style for her wedding, had parted company with the salon that made his name. He had been a “creative director” at Richard Ward.

After the royal wedding, at which Ward had eight assistants to look after the hair of the Duchess and other members of the Middleton family, he said: “She’s been an absolute poppet. All the time. Really. I know you would expect me to say that, but she’s amazing. And that’s why we are going to be in safe hands with her because she’s just so amazing with people.”

Last month, this column reported that the Duchess had booked Joh Bailey, a hairdresser in Sydney, for the tour of Australia that she is planning to make with the Duke of Cambridge next year.

He is the same snipper who tended to the locks of Diana, Princess of Wales during her final visit to the Antipodes the year before she died.

Pryce declines to comment.

Read more from Mandrake here

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Royal Marine who brought AK47 home from Gulf War spared jail

File photo of a AK47 rifle Photo: ALAMY By News agencies

10:09AM GMT 21 Nov 2013

A Royal Marine who brought home an AK47 rifle from the Gulf War has been spared jail after a judge described him as an 'exemplary' serviceman.

Father-of-two Richard Bowen, 45, was caught when police discovered the Chinese manufactured weapon in his loft during a search.

He had originally wanted to display the type 56 assault rifle at home as a "trophy", but was stopped by his wife, who "sensibly" refused, a court heard.

Junior non-commissioned officer, Corporal Bowen, a Marine of 28 years and a Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, admitted possessing a prohibited weapon.

He was just 22 when he was deployed to northern Iraq and served in Operation Safe Haven more than two decades ago.

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He did not know the rifle was in his belongings when he returned to the UK in 1992, the court heard.

It was only when he started packing for another operation a few weeks later, that he realised it was there.

At first he wanted to put it up on the wall of his home, but also considered throwing it into the harbour.

It was found in parts in plastic bags in a military container with Bowen's details on it.

By law, possession of a firearm carries a mandatory minimum five-year jail sentence for offenders aged over 18 when the crime is committed.

However, courts have discretion not to impose the minimum term in 'exceptional circumstances'.

Portsmouth Crown Court was told Bowen is an expert in his field and highly respected in his professional and personal life.

After hearing of his unblemished military record, Judge Sarah Munro ruled Bowen's was 'the most exceptional' case and suspended a 12 month jail term.

Sentencing, Judge Munro said: "The man standing before me is an exemplary soldier, a devoted husband of 25 years and a father of two children aged 21 and 19.

"All who speak in your favour speak highly of you. They speak of your professionalism, compassion, sensitivity and proficiency."

She added: "You have an exemplary service record. You are admired and respected by all in your profession."

Prosecutor Richard Barton said the AK47 did not have a bolt and no ammunition was found with it by Ministry of Defence police.

But examinations revealed that had a bolt been added and ammunition placed in the magazine it would have been in 'good working order', he said.

Bowen did not put any weapons in his kit before returning to the UK and had no intention of using it or passing it on to anyone else, the court heard.

He discovered the AK47 shortly before he was due to embark on another exercise.

Sam Brown, mitigating, said: "For a while it's true to say that the defendant, still very young, contemplated displaying it as a trophy.

"The defendant's wife sensibly said 'no'."

Bowen also considered throwing the weapon into the harbour, but was concerned about being caught on CCTV, Mr Barton added.

And he didn't hand it in during two national firearms amnesties, one in 1996 and 2003.

Ministry of Defence officers came across it while searching Bowen's home in Southsea, Hants, on an unrelated matter on March 26.

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A royal love story: Prince Charles and Camilla

Camilla knew Prince Charles for 25 years before they married in 2005 Photo: Hugo Burnand/Clarence House/PA By Christopher Wilson

7:00AM GMT 13 Nov 2013

On state occasions, pinned to the Duchess of Cornwall’s left shoulder, is a small but priceless trinket. It’s a miniature, painted on ivory, depicting a young Queen Elizabeth II in evening dress and wearing the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter.

To the knowledgeable few, it shows just how the Duchess’s fortunes have changed. The Royal Family Order is an intensely personal gift from the monarch, and perhaps the best indicator of how Camilla has won the Sovereign’s approval since her 2005 marriage to Prince Charles.

Rewind to that April day nearly nine years ago, and remember the Queen’s patently equivocal stance on the marriage of her son to the then Mrs Parker Bowles. We have grown used to the idea of Charles and Camilla as a couple, but back then things were very different.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall on their wedding day outside Windsor Castle

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In the days leading up to the ceremony it was uncertain whether the Queen would attend and chance losing the support of her traditionalist and Christian followers - or not, and be accused of creating a breach within the House of Windsor. Among certain sectors of the population the name Parker Bowles was toxic, and for once in her life the Queen’s reputation was on the line.

Her Majesty deftly sidestepped the issue by not attending the wedding at the Windsor Guildhall, but by being present at the service of thanksgiving at Windsor Castle which followed. And so Camilla, who by that stage had known the Prince for a quarter of a century, was plunged with this somewhat backhanded compliment into life as a full-time royal.

Charles and Camilla at a polo match in Cirencester Park in 1975

It’s no easy matter joining that tight-knit team (read any biography of Diana, Princess of Wales) and the first steps as wife to the heir to the throne were hesitant: early on we learned that the newly-minted Duchess suffered fatigue on long-haul engagements, was prone to seasickness, and was reluctant to undertake solo engagements.

Within the walls of Clarence House this last may have become the subject of heated debate. Prince Charles, after a lifetime of pressing the flesh, knows how important for the continuity of royalty it is to see and be seen.

Understandably his new wife was nervous of facing a public which was having to recalibrate its attitude towards someone who, in the recent past, had been characterised by the popular press as Public Enemy No 1.

Indeed, on at least one occasion, the opening of a library extension in Winchester, the Duchess bowled up to find the streets outside devoid of crowds – hardly a soul was to be seen on the wet pavements, and those that were there evinced a profound indifference to the arrival of the royal motorcade.

Charles and Camilla's first appearance as a couple was in 1999 at the Ritz, central London

Seen from her perspective this was a painful baptism - one of many, one suspects - and a burden she would have to shoulder alone. And, after a lifetime of living privately, she discovered that to enter a world where someone is constantly knocking on your door can be invasive and exhausting.

The many complex networks – charitable, business, environmental – created by Prince Charles in pursuit of duty and personal passion were not part of a world familiar to Camilla, yet from day one she was expected to learn names, faces, and personal histories at a burdensome rate.

Little wonder that she sensibly retained the Wiltshire home she bought after her divorce, Ray Mill House, as a bolthole. Her husband, she discovered, is not great around small children and yet with a growing brood of grandchildren she needed space and time to be with them and enjoy them.

In short, the marriage of Charles to Camilla was presented as one thing, but was quite another. To listen to the whispers of courtiers it was a dream come true, the righting of a wrong, a sensible culmination to years of anguish and recrimination. In reality, it was a period of painful adjustment for both parties, two people moving at different speeds with divergent personal agendas.

The marriage of Charles to Camilla was presented as one thing, but was quite another

In youth, love conquers all and accomodations can easily be made; but at the time of her marriage Camilla was nearing her 60th birthday, not a time of life to easily embrace such fundamental change. Prince Charles, meanwhile, professed undying love for his “non-negotiable” Duchess, but when it comes to matters of royal business he is uncompromising.

And so, not everything in the Highgrove garden was so terribly rosy – indeed, some questioned, in addition, whether a relationship which had thrived on subterfuge could flourish now it was out in the open.

To add to the pressure, there remained in the minds of the nation the question of Charles’s endgame when it came to Camilla. Was she to be his Queen? Nobody believed for a moment the Princess Consort guff that was handed out at the time of their wedding, and yet on this point the Prince remained – remains – opaque.

Prince Charles, pictured in Oman in March, has professed undying love for his “non-negotiable” Duchess

Public opinion remains resentful that those plans for the future, which could be realised at any time, are a closely guarded secret. As a result, the situation was less than perfect. And then Camilla broke her leg.

It was April 2010. The Duchess was out walking her dogs on the Birkhall estate near Balmoral when she stumbled over a rabbit-hole. She was taken the next day to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where the break was confirmed and treated, but in the ensuing period of enforced rest it would seem a new policy regarding the Duchess and her public engagements emerged, which allowed her more time and space, and the ability to develop at her own speed.

Since then Camilla has gone from strength to strength. Left to her own devices she has shown herself to the public to be a jolly good sort she is in private, someone who enjoys a laugh and who has finally shaken off her dread of meeting the public.

Her royal apprenticeship was declared well and truly over when last year she sat alongside the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee celebration drive in an open carriage through the streets of London.

Charles and Camilla on the Queen's boat during the Diamond Jubilee river pageant in 2012

She’s taken part in a photocall at Fortnum & Mason with the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge – a real seal of approval from those shrewd image-makers at Buckingham Palace – and appeared on a number of other occasions alongside the Queen, where their animated conversation demonstrates the accommodation that has finally been reached.

Camilla is now truly a part of The Firm, and she’s got the badge to prove it.

Christopher Wilson is a best-selling royal biographer. His books include 'The Windsor Knot: Charles, Camilla, and the Legacy of Diana’

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Prince Charles and his garden at Highgrove

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Channel 4 has been accused of “degrading the Royal family” after it broadcast a sexually explicit joke about Prince Harry.

A character in a sitcom talked about the fourth in line to the throne being given a “hand

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