British Royals

Prince William will soon be chasing cocaine smugglers in the Caribbean while he serves a temporary stint with the Royal Navy, the Daily Mirror reports. Military brass say Britain's possible future king needs experience as an officer with all the services, though officials ruled out sending him to Iraq or Afghanistan because he'd be too much of a target. More »

In a possible indication that a royal wedding is in the cards, a royal live-in relationship appears to be unfolding at Prince William's residence, Clarence House. On-again-off-again girlfriend Kate Middleton has her own place, but she’s an overnight guest so frequently that she’s installed a gym, and she even stays over when William is out of town, the Daily Mail reports. More »

It seems like only yesterday that William was Britain's standup prince, brother Harry the misled stoner in an SS uniform. But after revelations that William landed his RAF helicopter on his girlfriend’s lawn, and that the younger Harry served actual combat in Afghanistan, the tables have turned, the AP reports. One commentator called William’s antics “the whole spoiled brat syndrome.” More »

British officials have defended allowing Prince William to land a military helicopter on a field next to the home of his girlfriend’s family after the media blasted it as “ridiculous and inappropriate,” the BBC reports. “This was a routine training sortie"—and no one entered or exited the chopper, said the Ministry of Defense. Wills' girlfriend Kate Middleton and her parents watched the landing from their home. More »

Though he maintains “reservations,” Mohamed al Fayed won’t fight the verdict in the inquest into the death of his son and Princess Diana, the Daily Telegraph reports. “I’ve done everything for 10 years,” he said. “Enough is enough.” He said he accepts the inquest’s ruling “for the sake of the two princes” and was “leaving the rest for God to get my revenge.” More »

Prince William and Harry are relieved that the grueling inquest into their mother's death has concluded, hoping it will quiet speculation about conspiracies behind the tragedy. "They just want it to end after all this time," a source told the Daily Telegraph . The inquest concluded yesterday that Princess Diana's car-crash death was caused by a chauffeur’s drunk driving in a high speed evasion of pursuing paparazzi.  More »

Prince Philip has been hospitalized with a chest infection, Buckingham Palace announced today. Queen Elizabeth’s husband, 86, walked into the hospital unaided and was able to sit up in bed and write, the Times of London reports. Using his formal title, a palace spokeswoman said: "The Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital for assessment and treatment for a chest infection.” More »

Diana wasn't the victim of a murder plot, her coroner told an inquest jury today after six months of testimony. Lord Justice Scott Baker told jurors to decide either that the Princess and Dodi died in an accident, or as result of gross negligence—her driver's or the paparazzi's. But the Duke of Edinburgh and MI6 are in the clear, the Guardian reports. More »

The British press is in the full throes of Sarkomania as the French prez and wife Carla Bruni arrived today. The Sarkozys were met by Prince Charles, who accompanied them to Windsor Palace—where Queen Elizabeth obliged with a full royal welcome, followed by a state banquet. Nicolas Sarkozy said he hopes the two nations progress from "being cordial to being friendly." More »

Carla Bruni isn’t the only tempestuous romance in Nicolas Sarkozy's life—the “turbulent love affair” of Anglo-French relations comes to the fore Wednesday as the flamboyant French prez prepares to meet with Queen Elizabeth. But Sarkozy is a vocal fan of Britain’s hardy economy, and with increasing economic interdependence between the oft-warring neighbors, smoother relations are expected. More »

American F-15 fighter pilots were impressed with the composure of the British soldier who called in air cover on Taliban entrenchments in Afghanistan in December. But for 2 months Capt. Ben Donberg and Col. Dan DeBree had no idea that "Widow Six Seven" was actually Britain's Prince Harry calling in his first airstrikes, the Air Force Times reports. More »

The richest man in England has been linked to the prostitution ring patronized by Eliot Spitzer, the New York Daily News reports. Sources identified Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, as Emperors Club “Client 6,” who arranged four visits in late 2006. Grosvenor is a close friend of Prince Charles—and godfather to Prince William, second in line to the throne. More »

When Matt Drudge revealed to the world Prince Harry was in Afghanistan, there he should have stayed, writes Christopher Hitchens for Slate. It's "piffle" to think that his royal highness was a "bullet magnet" in Helmand province, already one of the most dangerous places on Earth for any Western soldier. Even if the jihadists wanted to, Hitchens reasons, they couldn't "bring extra firepower to bear." More »

An Australian women's magazine has apologized to Britain's Prince Harry for breaking a media embargo and being the first to reveal that he was serving with troops in Afghanistan. The young royal was immediately pulled from the combat zone after just 10 weeks because of fears he would become a terror target. "We do acknowledge that our actions in publishing the story can be reasonably viewed as insensitive and irresponsible," said the magazine New Idea . More »

The British military is investigating a soldier who defied military orders and tried to sell "extraordinary" pictures of Prince Harry’s secret Afghanistan deployment to the media, the Guardian reports. In the pictures, Harry witnesses the beheading of a live goat during Christmas celebrations and films the event on his cell phone. More »

Princess Diana’s ex-butler rejected a request to return to Britain to clarify statements made to a reporter about having lied to the inquest into her death, the Guardian reports today. Paul Burrell, who now lives in Florida, says he had "been drinking all evening and was tired and depressed" the night he was unwittingly videotaped bragging about perjuring himself. More »

Taliban militants knew Britain's Prince Harry was deployed with his infantry unit in Afghanistan and were plotting to kidnap or kill him, one of their leaders tells Newsweek . Deputy Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Karim claims he learned of the presence of "an important chicken" as long ago as December, despite attempts by British Army brass to keep the prince's presence a secret. More »

In a revealing interview with the British press, Prince Harry spoke yesterday of his stint in Afghanistan as one of the happiest times of his life, and said he "generally" doesn't "like England that much." The third-in-line to the British throne insisted he's not a hero, and talked emotionally of two wounded soldiers who flew home with him. "Those are the heroes, guys who had been blown up by a mine serving their country. It is a bit of a choke in your throat," he said.   More »

Prince Charles welcomed Harry home from Afghanistan today, telling the media he was “enormously proud” of his son. “It’s obviously a great relief to see him home in one piece,” he said, adding that he now understood what service families endure. But he also was frustrated at Harry’s early return. “He had been looking forward to coming back with his regiment.” More »

Prince Harry is back home after an abrupt end to his hitherto unreported Afghanistan deployment, CNN reports. The frustrated royal had earlier rued his return. "I don't want to sit around in Windsor," Harry, third in line to the throne, had told the Telegraph . "But I generally don't like England that much. It's nice to be away from all the press and the papers." More »