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Idris Elba praises Prince Charles


Idris Elba has praised Britain's Prince Charles for giving him his "big break".
The 'Wire' actor explained during a 30-minute speech in parliament about diversity on TV that the heir to the throne had helped him via The Prince's Trust, the youth charity that helps young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training.
Idris explained: "I'm a product of my imagination. Made in Hackney. Made in Newham. Made in Dagenham. But above all, I was made in my mind: I'm seeing it, thinking it, doing it.
"I finally got my first break in the creative industries from the Prince's Trust. Yes, good old Prince Charles came in there."
"The Prince's Trust subsidised one of my first jobs with the National Music Youth Theatre. They gave me £1,500, because my parents didn't have enough money.
"There were hardly any black kids, because none of us could afford it.
"And although back then I didn't get to meet Prince Charles, we had one thing in common. We both fell into the same line of work as our parents did.
"It's true. My dad worked in a car factory, so before I could get any work as an actor, I ended up doing night shifts at Dagenham.
"In fact Ford Dagenham had more opportunity and diversity than the TV industry I was trying to break into."
Idris went on to reveal his disappointment that Britain's diversity is not reflected on TV.
He said: "The Britain I come from is the most successful, diverse, multicultural country on the earth.
"But here's my point: you wouldn't know it if you turned on the TV. So many of our creative decision-makers share the same background."

Prince William’s office PlayStation


Prince William's new office has a PlayStation for staff.
The 33-year-old royal works as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, based at Cambridge International Airport, and he and his colleagues have recently received a new office.
It features a number of home comforts for relaxing between missions, including the PlayStation, 55-inch televisions, a cappuccino machine and a large refrigerator.
It also contains two bedrooms with bunk beds for staff.
A staff member told the Daily Telegraph: "When you are doing this day-to-day, you need to talk about it and you need to de-brief and sit down and have a nice cup of tea in a beautiful environment with all the up-to-date equipment."
The new facilities are sure to impress all staff after they posted an appeal for a new fridge on Twitter last year when theirs broke.
The tweets read: "Oh no! The fridge at our Cambridge base has broken down and needs replacing.
"We're looking for someone to donate a new standard under-counter fridge."
William flies an EC145 T2 aircraft and responds to emergencies in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. He donates his salary to charity.

Prince Charles’ fashion sense praised


Designer Patrick Grant says Prince Charles is "the most stylish member of his family".
The creative director of bespoke tailors Norton & Sons of Savile Row is a huge fan of the royal's fashion choices and says his style is more impressive than his son Prince William's.
He told The Guardian: "He is a beautifully dressed man, always immaculate. He has access to lots of great stuff and can wear almost whatever he wants in the evening because he is head of so many of the armed forces.
"Not that I have anything against the Queen, but the Kings of England and Princes of Wales were always sartorial ambassadors for the UK. While we had kings on the throne, from Charles II onwards, we ruled menswear. Edward VII, George IV, Edward VIII... These were probably the most copied menswear icons globally. Charles would resume that. He is the most stylish member of his family. Let's not talk about Prince William's style."
And Patrick also loves that Charles has his own distinctive look.
He said: "As with all great stylists, if you put a bag over his head you could still tell it was him. Princes Charles has a distinctive cut and tie knot, and often wears a lapel pin and pocket square."

No royal romance for Prince Harry

Reports of a romance between Britain's Prince Harry and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece have been rubbished by a royal source. The 31-year-old royal was recently linked to the 19-year-old beauty by Australian magazine New Idea, which claimed that th...

Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday celebrations


A new TV special will celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday.
The monarch will reach the milestone age on April 21 and ITV will air a special tribute to her live from Windsor Castle and hosted by presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, who recently worked on a documentary with her son Prince Charles.
A source told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: "Ant and Dec's names were in the frame before the Prince's Trust documentary but I imagine it has helped that they have a good relationship with Charles.
"It's going to be a similar format to the Diamond Jubilee Pageant but with even bigger performers and performances. This night has been two years in the planning.'
"The line-up has yet to be announced but ITV is very keen that this is a show for the Queen with music and acts that she will enjoy. As well as some of the world's biggest performers, there will be horses, the military and everything the Queen loves, all in her back garden."
Dame Helen Mirren, Alan Titchmarsh and Katherine Jenkins will all be involved in the live show.
Simon Brooks-Ward, producer of the celebrations, said: "We want to represent everything that matters to the Queen.
"We have performers and military regiments from all over the world coming and all the Queen's bodyguards taking part."

Princess Anne for big screen?


A new screenplay titled 'Anne: The Frisky Princess' will lift the lid on Princess Anne's love life.
While the 65-year-old royal has been happily married to Sir Timothy Laurence, 60, since 1992, the script, written by a member of the royal staff, tells the story of her romantic exploits from her youth.
According to the Daily Mail, "the story would start with Gerald Ward, an Eton-educated ex-cavalry officer who later became Prince Harry's godfather", a love interest of Anne's in her late teens.
Anne has two children, Zara and Peter Phillips with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, who she divorced in 1992, eight months before she wed Timothy.
The screenplay reportedly details her love life all the way from her first fling with Ward, right up to her marriage to Timothy.
Meanwhile, these days Princess Anne is one of the hardest working royals and last year was named England's busiest member of the royal family.
Nikki Jeffries, managing editor at Royalista.com, said: "The apple never falls far from the tree and Princess Anne has had two very good royal role models in her parents.
"None of them has ever craved the limelight, even though they all understand the importance of using their public profile to highlight the causes they support."

Duchess Camilla to judge writing competition


Duchess Camilla has been named as judge for 500 WORDS.
The writing competition for children between the ages of five and 13 has added the royal to the judging panel this year, Chris Evans announced on his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
He said: " Myself and the whole 500 WORDS team at BBC Radio 2 are hugely proud and honoured to welcome The Duchess of Cornwall as an Honorary Judge for the competition. Does this mean Radio 2 is now 'By Royal Appointment'? How exciting! And with the final taking place in the amazing surroundings of Shakespeare's Globe, this will be a truly special year for the competition. So come on kids, what are you waiting for? Get inspired, get writing and make sure you send your entry to us by 25 February for the chance to join us there!"
Camilla joins Malorie Blackman, Charlie Higson, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Francesca Simon on the judging panel.
To tie in with the BBC's celebration of Shakespeare, the final will take place in a spectacular live broadcast from Shakespeare's Globe in London.
Last year, The Duchess of Cornwall hosted the live final at St James's Palace and presented the Gold medal winners with their prizes.

Princess Eugenie enjoys eight holidays in 15 months


Britain's Princess Eugenie has enjoyed eight holidays in just 15 months.
The 25-year-old daughter of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew recently returned from a jaunt to Burma where she rang in 2016 with pals, according to The Sun.
She has also taken trips to New York, Los Angeles and Beijing over the past 15 months.
Last year the royal was reportedly banned from taking any more holidays in 2015 after she took 25 holiday days during her first 10 weeks of work at the Hauser & Wirth gallery in London.
Eugenie is working as an associate art director at the company and they have warned her that she could not have any more time off until after Christmas.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: "Because she is a royal, the company does expect Eugenie to take more time off than most. But it has been made clear to her that the summer is over and it's time to knuckle down.
'She will be working incredibly hard over the coming weeks and she won't be holidaying again until Christmas."
While Eugenie has enjoyed a number of getaways, her older sister Beatrice, 27, has taken 18 holidays in the past 18 months.

Pippa Middleton living with boyfriend?


Pippa Middleton has reportedly moved in with her boyfriend.
The sister of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge rekindled her romance with hotel heir James Matthews two months ago following the end of her three-year relationship with hedge fund manager Nico Jackson and things are believed to be so serious that they are now living together.
An insider told the Sun on Sunday: "It's all moved very quickly. They've been friends for a long time, but James has always been keen.
'They've tested living there and all seems to have gone well. As she was spending so much time at James's it made sense to keep stuff there."
James, 40, whose brother is 'Made in Chelsea' star Spencer Matthews, owns a £17 million townhouse in Chelsea, West London.
A source previously told MailOnline: "James is behaving like a peacock, he is showing her his feathers and wants her to be impressed. James is really into Pippa and she is falling into step. There is affection between them."
Meanwhile, Pippa and James were most recently spotted enjoying a holiday with Pippa's brother James and his girlfriend Donna Air in St Barts over the festive period.
Despite his family's hotel - the luxurious Eden Hotel - being nearby, Matthews opted to stay with Pippa and James Middleton at a villa overlooking the island's capital of Gustavia.
The couple were seen topping up their tans as they enjoyed a number of activities including tennis whilst also sampling various dishes as they dined out and about on the beautiful island.

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