Showing posts with label News Update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News Update. Show all posts

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Prince William to the rescue: Fergie the royal outcast to get invitation to wedding

By Katie Nicholl



Lifeline: Pince William has apparently insisted that the Duchess of York receive an invitation to the Royal wedding and is expected to accompany daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie


Eight months after she was caught trying to sell access to her former husband for £500,000, the Duchess of York is on the verge of a shock return to the Royal fold with an invitation to the Royal wedding.

I’m told Prince William and Kate Middleton will invite Sarah Ferguson, who has been persona non grata with the Royal Family since her divorce in 1996 from Prince Andrew.

‘The invitations are being sent out next month and the list is almost finalised.
Sarah’s invitation was at William’s insistence,’ says a Palace insider.


‘William recognises that she is the mother of Beatrice and Eugenie and still close to his uncle Andrew.

William also knows that Sarah was a good friend of his mother Diana and, even though they fell out before her death, they shared a lot over the years.’

The Duchess, 51, who is battling her way out of the red after facing bankruptcy, will accompany her daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to the nuptials on April 29.

The Princesses are close to their cousins William and Prince Harry.

Fergie had received a staggering 28 lucrative offers from American TV networks to commentate on the wedding.


Royal fold: William is aware that Sarah was a good friend of his mother Diana and, even though they fell out before her death and her continued refusal to discuss the Royals has worked in her favour


But her continued refusal to talk about the Royals has worked in her favour.

‘Despite the embarrassing mess Sarah embroiled herself in by trying to sell access to Andrew, she has never spoken publicly about the breakdown of her marriage or spilled the beans on the Royal Family,’ said the insider.

Where Sarah will sit at Westminster Abbey has to be decided, and I am told she will not receive an invitation to the evening dinner and dance hosted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s planned show for the The Oprah Winfrey Network called Finding Sarah, a documentary about her financial recovery, has been pushed back until after the wedding.

**********************

After she stepped out in black at a friend’s wedding recently, many wondered if Kate Middleton might be using a stylist.

But Prince William’s fiancee is determined to dress herself. ‘Kate is having to come to terms with a lot and doesn’t want to lose her identity by having someone else dress her just yet,’ said a friend.

Kate is famed for recycling her wardrobe – often re-wearing dresses which she accessorises with new shoes and handbags.

Has smitten Pippa found herself a wedding date?

Pippa Middleton’s budding romance with former cricketer Alex Loudon is getting so serious that friends say he could accompany her to sister Kate’s wedding to Prince William in April.

The couple started dating just before Christmas and ex-England all-rounder Loudon, 30, who played for Kent and Warwickshire, is an old friend of William.

The pair were at Eton together and Alex, like William, was in 'Pop, the school prefects' society.

Well-bred Alex ticks all the right boxes. He has a double-barrelled name – he was born Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon – and his family own a stately pile in Kent called Olantigh, which has a 20-acre garden that is opened to the public for walks.

‘He’s absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and Pippa is very smitten,’ says a friend.

‘He stopped playing county cricket in 2007 to go into the City, but he’s still a great athlete and a really good chap.’


Wedding date: Pippa Middleton may have found herself a date to the Royal wedding in the form of current beau Alexander Guy Rushworth Loudon


Pippa, 26, who used to date Hong Kong banking heir J. J. Jardine Patterson, was once voted the sexiest singleton in London by Tatler magazine.

‘Pippa gets asked out on loads of dates but she seems very taken with Alex.

‘He may be her date for the wedding,’ adds the spy. Watch this space.



Source:Dailymail

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Queen of chic: Her Majesty is a vision in fur as she leads Royal fashion parade at Christmas service

By Andy Whelan



Fur Queen and country: Her Majesty was all wrapped up as she attended the traditional Christmas service at Sandringham


At 84, no one would really expect the Queen to be a fashion icon.

But as she attended the traditional Christmas Day service at Sandringham, she was the picture of stylish elegance in co-ordinated fur hat and fur-trimmed coat.

The ‘Snow Queen’ look was completed with ultra-fashionable high-heeled boots, a chic white scarf and clasp, and black designer handbag.

She certainly turned heads among the 1,000 well-wishers who had gathered on the Norfolk estate, while her look also seemed to inspire the Duchess of Cornwall, who attended the service at St Mary Magdalene Church in similar Dr Zhivago-style headgear – but a much bigger version.


The Royal party also included the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, the Duke of York and his daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Observers say they could not remember so few Royals attending the Christmas Day service.

Princess Anne was notably absent, although her son Peter Phillips and wife Autumn are expecting their baby – the Queen’s first great-grandchild – any day now. Buckingham Palace also announced the engagement this week of Peter’s sister, Zara, to rugby star Mike Tindall.


Family affair: Her Majesty with granddaughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie


Sister Act: Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice looked cheerful and stylish as they arrived at the Sandringham church


Prince William was absent as he volunteered to work at RAF Valley on Christmas Day.

The Duke of Edinburgh decided to walk the quarter-mile from Sandringham House to the church with Prince Harry, while the Queen arrived by car. After the service, she was presented with photographs and flowers by local schoolchildren.

The Queen chose sport as the theme for her televised Christmas Day message, describing how it can teach values such as honesty, respect and a sense of community.

She said: ‘Apart from developing physical fitness, sport and games can also teach vital social skills. None can be enjoyed without abiding by the rules, and no team can hope to succeed without co-oper­ation between the players.


Snowy stroll: The Duchess of Cornwall linked arms with husband Prince Charles as they walked to the church with Prince Harry and the Duke of Edinburgh


‘This sort of positive team spirit can benefit communities, companies and enterprises of all kinds.’

But there was no mention of the forthcoming wedding of Prince ­William and Kate Middleton in the speech, which was filmed at Hampton Court Palace for the first time, rather than at Buckingham Palace.


Furry Christmas: The Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall leave the church with Prince Philip - but many of the Royals were absent from the service



Source:Dailymail

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Abbey feels the strain: Royals 'will pay only a small sum' for William and Kate's wedding

By Rebecca English



Kate and William's big day will cost the 1,000-year-old Wesminster Abbey £2 million


Westminster Abbey is struggling to cope with the financial strain of hosting next year’s royal wedding, the Daily Mail has learned.

The Royal Family will pay only a small sum to the church for hosting the ceremony on April 29, despite claims to the contrary, sources say.

One senior official involved in the planning process described the payment offered to the Abbey as ‘a mere gesture’ which ‘in no way’ covers the financial toll the wedding will take.

‘Contrary to what many people believe it is a gesture – a token fee – and nothing more,’ the source said.


It is estimated that hosting Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day will cost the 1,000-year-old Abbey up to £2million.

Much of this will be down to lost revenue as the building and its precincts will be closed to the public for a week to prepare for the event, move in television cameras and create a ‘sterile’ security zone.


Westminster Abbey receives no financial assistance from the Church Commissioners, the Government or the Crown.

Instead it is run as a charity funded by visitor charges, public donations and a small portfolio of investments. Last year it earned £15.4million but cost £14million to run.

Sources say the church is set to lose an estimated £500,000 in door-takings and will be forced to cancel dozens of services which bring in thousands of pounds.

Senior personnel have introduced a series of belt-tightening measures including cancelling the staff Christmas party and stopping essential maintenance to areas such as staff and storage rooms.

One senior member of staff said: ‘While Prince William’s wedding will be good for us in many ways in terms of publicity and future visits, many people who work here are very concerned at the financial impact it will have on the Abbey.

There is a lot of grumbling from people who feel that the Royal Family should contribute more given the size of the occasion.’

An Abbey spokesman confirmed that it would be shut to the public for several days but denied it would suffer financial hardship.

‘The Royal Family will be contributing financially but the wedding is four months away and we cannot discuss details,’ he said. ‘It is true that it will be shut for several days, primarily to move in the television cameras, but it is a logistical thing.

‘The staff Christmas party has been cancelled this year but this is due to building work which means we have nowhere to hold it.

‘The wedding is a routine event for us and will not be a financial strain.’
A St James’s Palace spokesman added: ‘The Royal Household has a good working relationship with the Abbey and we will never comment on costs.’

Kate has lunch with the Queen

A special guest was at the Queen's lunch yesterday at Buckingham Palace - newest future-member of the family firm, Kate Middleton.

The lunch was a private affair, but photographers managed to snap a grinning Kate sitting between Prince William and Prince Harry during the short drive from his place to his mother's, just across the road.


Prince Harry and Prince William with Kate between them on their way to see the Queen for lunch


According to CBS, Kate mingled confidently with the 50 or so members of the extended family who were invited.

'Kate Middleton is a confident young woman, I think we saw that on the engagement footage,' said CBS News contributor Neil Sean. 'While people might think it is slightly daunting to go in there, for her she has that super support of Prince William.'

The primary royal Christmas event is the annual gathering at the Queen's country estate at Sandringham.The family's trip to a local church is a Christmas day ritual.

At this stage, however, it seems Kate won't be there. Nor, it seems, will William make it either. He will be working at his day job; on duty as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Kate's expected to spend a final Christmas with her own family - her last 'normal' Christmas, perhaps, before she's swept up fully in royal pomp and protocol.





Source:Dailymail

Friday, December 17, 2010

Snub for Obamas as Royal sources reveal they will not be invited to Prince William's wedding

By Fay Schlesinger


-American President left off the guest list as it is not a 'state occasion'
-Royal couple eager to ask ordinary citizens to attend rather than VIPs
-Heads of State who may attend include Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni


Uninvited: Royal sources have revealed that President Obama and his wife Michelle are not going to be invited to the Royal wedding as it is not classed as a state occasion


President Obama and his wife Michelle will not be invited to Prince William's wedding next year.

Because Prince William is not yet heir to the throne, his wedding to Kate Middleton is not classed as a ‘state occasion’ – and the couple feel under no pressure to fill the 2,000-strong guest list with heads of state, the Mail understands.

They are more eager to ask ordinary citizens and charity workers than foreign dignitaries and VIPs to what will be the first royal ‘people’s wedding’, courtiers suggested.

A handful of heads of state are likely to be invited in line with previous royal weddings, possibly including France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni.


But the decision to exclude the American premier and his wife Michelle from the celebrations marks a break from tradition.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana invited then-American president Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy to their 1981 ceremony – though she came alone because the president was too ill to travel following an assassination attempt on him.

A senior courtier said: ‘It is certainly not the case that all foreign heads of state will be excluded. The guest list is still being drawn up and could change, but as things stand it’s right (to say Mr Obama will not be invited).’

A St James’s Palace spokesman said: ‘The wedding will not be a formal state occasion since Prince William is neither the sovereign nor the heir to the throne.’

The decision is an example of William’s single-minded desire to hold the first ever ‘people’s wedding’ by packing the pews with members of the public who have worked with his 21 charities.


'The People's wedding': William and Kate's courtiers have said they are more keen to invite volunteers and charity workers than VIPs to their wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29


And as William and Kate continue to thrash out the plans for Westminster Abbey on April 29, they are understood to be looking towards the Queen and Prince Philip’s austere 1947 nuptials as a template.

With a post-war Government facing huge cuts, the then Chancellor Hugh Dalton said only the decorations in Whitehall and outside the palace could be funded by the taxpayer.

And the Archbishop of York compared the wedding to that of a commoner ‘married this afternoon in some small country church’.

Conscious of the credit crunch and rising unemployment rates, William has vowed to have a wedding that is not as ‘ostentatious’ as his parents’ St Paul’s Cathedral ceremony, with 3,500 guests.

But the couple still want to encourage a ‘street party’ atmosphere to sweep the country – and Kate’s dress is expected to cost considerably more than Princess Elizabeth’s £1,200 gown, partly paid for with 300 rationing coupons.

A royal aide said: ‘It will be done properly and well, but not in an ostentatious and lavish manner. This time is more analogous with 1947. In 1981 a lot more people were invited to the wedding. The route to St Paul’s was also longer than it is to the Abbey. It was undeniably a bigger wedding.’


Nancy Reagan attended the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana in her husband's absence in 1981 and also received an invite to Prince Andrew's 1986 wedding to Sarah Ferguson - despite that not being a state occasion


A St James’s Palace spokesman said: ‘The couple will be drawing on inspiration from elements of the 1947 and 1981 weddings – there are obvious similarities to both.

They want to strike the right balance between intimacy and providing an occasion that can be enjoyed by everyone.’

In a growing sign of Kate’s formal acceptance into the royal fold, she was invited to the Queen’s annual pre-Christmas lunch with about 50 members of the Royal Family yesterday.

The traditional banquet at Buckingham Palace is reserved for family members – and following her engagement to William following an eight-year courtship, Kate finally counts in Her Majesty’s eyes.

She met many minor members of her new family for the first time, including children who may be among her bridesmaids.

The smiling 28-year-old was seen leaving Buckingham Palace with her fiance and his brother Prince Harry, 26, yesterday afternoon.

The Queen and Prince Philip hosted the sumptuous meal, understood to have been held in the Palace’s Bow Room, with their four children – Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - and their families.

Among the guests pictured at the palace yesterday were Charles and Camilla, Princess Beatrice, Zara Phillips (sporting a shorter bob haircut) and her brother Peter with his wife Autumn, who is due to give birth to their first child this month.

Edward’s wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, drove their seven-year-old daughter Lady Louise Windsor – tipped to be among Kate’s bridesmaids - to the lunch, while Princess Alexandra and James and Julia Ogilvy arrived with a boot full of Christmas presents.

Also there were Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, the Queen’s cousin Lord Linley and his family, Lady Sarah Chatto and her son Arthur, Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor, and Lady Davina Lewis and her husband Gary.



Source:Dailymail

Saturday, December 11, 2010

The Prince of Cuddles: The touching embrace that shows the love between William and Kate... and a refreshing departure from Royal protocol

By Laura Collins



Hands-on prince: Shunning the traditional Royal reserve, Prince William proudly holds Kate in a protective, loving and close embrace - to her obvious delight


If there were any lingering doubts over just what sort of a man Prince William is – or just how determined he is to do things his way – this is the picture that dispels them.

In contrast with previous generations of Royal husbands-to-be and with scant concern for traditional reserve, William wraps Kate Middleton protectively in his arms, cherished and embraced for all the world to see.

It is not so much a formal portrait as a remarkable public declaration of love to herald a new Royal age.


For much of their eight-year courtship they abided by a pact not to touch in public, conscious that their every move was subject to scrutiny and speculation.

Now, nearly a month after Prince William and Kate announced their engagement, we see them for the first time just as they wish to be seen: a young couple bursting with happiness and love; intimate and at ease and unlike any R Royal couple before.

And where his father Charles and uncle Andrew were both stiffly formal in official photographs with their fiancees, William is as easy, tactile and affectionate as the woman he is about to marry.

It is one of two very different portraits released today in which William and Kate reveal their acute awareness of the formal public role that they must play, while offering, with gentle insistence, a charming reminder that they are, at heart, a couple in love.

And in this striking departure from conventional Royal portraits, the less formal of the two is further evidence that William is determined that he and his bride will be the driving force behind this wedding – not Prince Charles and his staff at Clarence House, and not the Queen and her retinue at Buckingham Palace.

The official engagement photo¬graphs were taken by Mario Testino on November 25, nine days after the couple, both 28, made their announcement.


Traditional: Even in this more formal portrait, which was taken in the Council
Chamber at St James's Palace, William and Kate appear tactile and happy in their evident love for one another


According to Testino: ‘They are in their prime and brimming with happiness. I have never felt so much joy as when I see them together.’

Certainly joy and light suffuses the less formal of the pictures taken that day at St James’s Palace. William wears jeans and a beige cashmere jumper by Brunello Cucinelli. Kate snuggles into him in cream Whistles blouse and jeans.

The soft tones and flawless complexions may owe something to the photographer’s skilful lighting, but the sentiment is real enough.

Testino has been the photographer of choice for many significant Royal occasions. It was Testino to whom Prince Harry turned to mark his 20th and 21st birthdays, when he photographed the third in line to the throne laughing with his older brother and father.

But it is his portraits of Diana with which the Peruvian photographer will always be most closely associated, a fact of which both William and Kate would have been keenly aware. Yet again her son’s desire to include his late mother in his current happiness is clear and, set against all that beige and cream, the deep blue of her former engagement ring draws the eye.

For all the echoes of the past, this picture is all about William and Kate as they cuddle into each other in the Cornwall Room, part of the private quarters at St James’s Palace.

The more formal of William and Kate’s two portraits is notably crisper in style and shot in a setting steeped in history. Fittingly the Council Chamber in which William and Kate stand is one of the palace’s State apartments, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1703.

Portraits of William’s ancestors hang on the walls: William III, Mary II and Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel.

William is dressed in Turnbull & Asser suit, shirt and tie while Kate wears a cream Reiss dress and Links earrings.

Even here they are a couple at ease, naturally turning their bodies in towards each other while looking out at us; a thoroughly modern couple, aware of their past, but clearly determined to shape their own future.

What a contrast with the rest of the family

Official photographs of Royal engagements haven't always been so informal...


Defensive: Prince Charles crosses his arms, leaving Diana to hug him in their 1981 official engagement picture


Formal pose: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson show little affection


Smiles: But with Sophie and Edward the bride-to-be seems more at ease


Stand firm: Formality was the watchword when the Queen and Prince Philip stood, ram-rod rigid, staring into the distance with little contact

Couple plan to take over 71-room hotel

By KATIE NICHOLL

William and Kate hope to take over a five-star hotel for their wedding weekend – at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

They are in talks to hire the Goring Hotel, which is 400 yards from Buckingham Palace, where their reception will be held after the wedding on Friday, April 29.

Kate is particularly keen for her family and the couple’s friends who are travelling to London to be somewhere close to the Palace.

The hotel has 71 bedrooms, 17 of which are ‘queen doubles’ costing £345-a-night. A suite costs £850-a-night.

The near £30 million cost of the wedding is being picked up by the Queen and Charles.

Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, are giving £100,000 but much of this will go towards the bridal gown.

Sources say Kate was at the hotel two weeks ago, meeting its general manager, Graham Copeman, to discuss taking it over for the weekend.

Mr Copeman refused to comment yesterday but a source at the hotel said staff had been told to be available to work over the wedding weekend, including the bank holiday Friday.

‘They have been told they will be required to work around the clock and that the hotel is being locked down for the long weekend of the 29th,’ said the source.

St James’s Palace said that Kate is considering ‘a number of options for accommodation for her family but nothing is confirmed’.



Source:Dailymail

Thursday, December 2, 2010

'We love freebies!' David and Victoria Beckham open up about orange tans, separate bathrooms and turning 'hippie' in LA

By Daily Mail Reporter



Separate bathrooms: David and Victoria have revealed about their secret grooming habits... and their love of freebies


He epitomised the 'metrosexual male' of the Noughties, and she is regarded as one of the most high-maintenance celebrities.

So is it any surprise that David and Victoria Beckham require separate bathrooms?

The couple have revealed their secret bathroom habits in a new interview, including what annoying traits they have.

'She always leaves her drawers open,' David says of his 36-year-old wife, adding that she 'leaves the toothpaste top off too.


'It’s kind of her mess, though. It’s her bathroom. It’s not down to me.

'He means like cupboard drawers, not as in knickers!' Victoria explains. 'I’m very messy. Clean, but very messy.

'We’re lucky enough to have separate bathrooms. David’s is all dark wood, very masculine.

'Mine is very modern, black and white. David’s products are all hidden away, whereas mine are quite on show.'

'David’s pretty tidy. He doesn’t really have any annoying bathroom habits,' the designer says in the new issue of InStyle magazine.

And Victoria has revealed how the thrill of receiving free gifts hasn't worn off after all these years.


Bathroom buddies: David's typical grooming habits probably don't include James Corden


'We’re in a great position in that every now and then, we get big boxes of products sent to us, which we’re very lucky to have,' she says.

Asked if it still excites her, she replies: 'Oh my goodness, yeah. We get sent lots of products and clothes.

'I’m never going to become blasé about that. I really appreciate that someone has gone to the effort to send me things.

And while it is widely believed that Victoria tends to eat very little and not work out, since moving to Los Angeles she has embraced fitness.


Pale and interesting: Victoria says she has 'embraced whiteness' (left, last month in New York) since kicking her fake tan habit (pictured right in 2006)


'Victoria’s obsessed with working out,' David says. 'She’s in the gym every morning. You run, what, five miles?'

Victoria replies: 'Four, five miles every day on the treadmill. For me, I like the fact that, mentally, I can get off whenever I want.'

David adds: 'I hate running and not getting anywhere. I like to be outside. I like to run on the roads late at night. When I’ve got a day off, I’ll go to the gym with Victoria. There’s this amazing gym in Santa Monica we go to.'

And it's not just Victoria's fitness levels that the Los Angeles lifestyle has changed.

The couple, who have three children - Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz - say they have discovered the 'hippie' powers of crystals.


Turning hippie: The couple, pictured with their children in September, reveal they have started using crystals since moving to LA


'We both like crystals, as in crystal energy; I have lots of pink quartz and black tourmaline in my bathroom,' says Victoria. 'It’s quite spiritual out here; all very positive.'

David adds: 'We’ve been into that since moving to LA.'

But despite living in California, Mrs Beckham says she no longer sports a tan.
'I’ve embraced whiteness,' she admits, to laughter from her husband. 'No, I don’t use any tanning products.

'Sometimes in photographs I look orange, which is really random, because I don’t use any fake tan at all. I used to a long time ago, but not any more.'

David explains: 'The kids are always outside with the dogs, so we just sit out there and watch them. You do get a bit of a tan.'

To read the full interview buy the new issue of InStyle magazine, on sale today.



Source:Dailymail

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tempted by laser eye surgery? It's not without risks

By Alison Smith Squire



Regret: Lois Roberts now suffers from painfully dry eyes


The TV advert for laser eye surgery made it sound so straightforward that Lois ­Roberts didn’t think twice.

‘The idea of just being able to see perfectly as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning seemed fantastic,’ says the law graduate.

She’d worn contacts and glasses for short-sightedness since she was 13-years-old and ‘really looked forward to being able to bin them’.


‘I also played a lot of sport such as hockey and found wearing glasses ­annoying,’ she says.

Her parents thought it was such a good idea that they helped pay for the £1,500 cost as a present for her 21st birthday.

Yet, instead of the simple pain-free experience Lois was led to expect, the surgery to correct her short-sightedness left her in agony for days.

Worse, three years on, she still has ­painfully dry eyes as a result of damage to the nerves that stimulate tears.

Lois has to apply eye drops daily - which in itself is a problem, as ­long-term use can raise the risk of chronic eye inflammation. Dry eyes can also lead to serious infections and, ultimately, even loss of vision.

As well as dry eyes, Lois suffers from constant floaters and poorer night vision.

‘The floaters are like clumps of black lines and dots,’ she says. ‘I’ve been reassured they’re harmless, but they are incredibly annoying.’

Floaters occur as a result of a popular form of laser surgery in which a flap is cut into the surface of the cornea — the clear, domed part of the eyeball.

The flap is lifted so that the laser can remove some of the corneal tissue underneath, to reshape it. But if the flap is folded back down with wrinkles in it or doesn’t adhere to the eye properly, it can result in speckles in vision. Poor night-time vision occurs because part of the cornea has been lasered incorrectly.

The good news is that the surgery did correct her short-sightedness ­(previously it was minus 4.5; now she has ‘perfect’ vision).

But I’m upset I wasn’t warned enough at my ­initial consultation that anything like this could happen,’ says Lois, from North Wales. ‘I would have thought much harder about it had I known the risks.’

This is far from a unique ­experience. Marketing manager Sarah Carter, 45, is taking legal action after treatment to correct severe short-sightedness (minus 6.5) left her with such dry eyes she needed further surgery.

Unfortunately, this operation also went wrong, and the laser damaged the rim of her eyelids.

As a result, Sarah, from Maidstone, Kent, ­suffers from painful ingrowing eyelashes, which must be plucked ­several times a month by an ­optician. She is about to undergo further eye surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital, but there is no ­guarantee of any cure.

Five years since she had the laser eye surgery, she says: ‘I regret ever having it done. It seemed incredibly straightforward and, at the time, I was just fed up of the inconvenience of contact lenses and glasses.

‘But that was nothing compared to the agony I’ve endured since.

‘I can’t wear eye make-up any more, and my days are full of drops, ointment and constant eye irritation.’


Every year, 100,000 Britons undergo laser eye surgery, which alters the shape of the cornea to correct long and short-sightedness.

First carried out in Britain in 1989, the technique was ­marketed as an end for the need to wear contact lenses and glasses.

Since then, a whole range of ­different types of laser surgery have become available.
However, some experts are ­concerned that the multi-­million-pound industry glosses over some unpleasant, and sometimes ­serious, side effects.

Last year, a Which? report claimed six out of ten ­opticians offering laser eye surgery — including branches of big chains such as ­Optical Express, Optimax and Ultralase — gave unsatisfactory advice and failed to point out the risks.

These include not only dry eyes, floaters and poor night vision, but also growths where the eye is cut, double vision, foggy vision, chronic eyelid inflammation and even loss of sight.

Shockingly, there is no law preventing any surgeon from ­operating as an ‘eye expert’ — though the Royal College of Ophthalmologists awards a ­Certificate of Competence after a surgeon has demonstrated ­expertise in laser eye surgery. It ­recommends patients choose a surgeon with a minimum of three months’ formal training in laser eye surgery who performs at least 500 eye laser operations a year.


Laser surgery can have permanent side effects such as dry eyes and poor night vision


The Royal College says at least 75 per cent of patients undergoing laser surgery
should end up with 20/20 vision. However, one in three still need glasses — and even when eyesight is successfully corrected, some will also be suffering from some sort of side-effect.

The ‘overall risk’ of something going wrong with laser surgery ­— including floaters and dry eyes — is ‘less than 5 per cent’, according to its report published this year.

The risk of serious complications — such as losing your eyesight — is less than 0.2 per cent. Worryingly, it admits the risk of complications at individual clinics can be as high as 40 per cent.

Retired optometrist Dominic Devlin was so concerned about the lack of information about potential risks, he set up a website to help consumers.

‘As part of my research, I’ve been to consultations and have been ­surprised how little is made of potential problems that might occur,’ he says. Mr Devlin is also concerned many patients believe laser surgery is a permanent cure and think they’ll never have to wear glasses again.

‘The truth is laser eye surgery is not a lifetime fix. Side-effects from surgery mean some people will still need glasses for night-time and, as eyesight changes as we grow older, the vast majority will eventually need glasses for reading.’

Furthermore, he says, surgery can be much more painful and the recovery time might take much longer than people are sometimes led to believe. As illustrator David Holroyd, 57, learned to his cost.


Eighteen months ago, he ­underwent laser eye surgery for short-sightedness, paying £2,600 for treatment at a private clinic near his Manchester home.

‘I’d seen a TV advert that made it look as if it was something you could have done in your lunch hour,’ he says. ‘I was ­struggling with several pairs of glasses — not only did I need bifocals generally, I also had a pair for reading.’

David says his consultation lasted 20 minutes, the ­surgery sounded straightforward and there was no mention of pain.

Yet he claims that within ­seconds of starting the surgery, he was writhing in agony.

My head was in a clamp so I couldn’t move, but I could feel every brush of the laser.

‘I’d had local anaesthetic drops put into my eyes, but the doctors could see from my face I was in excruciating pain.

‘I was in too much agony to even speak, let alone tell them to stop. Yet all the doctor said was: “We are aware. Try to keep still.”

‘The surgery lasted only minutes, but was terrifying. Had I known how painful it would be, I never would have had it done.’

‘Afterwards, I was in bed for three days, followed by two weeks when my sight wasn’t good enough to go out.’

As well as the pain, like Lois and Sarah he has also been left with dry eyes for which he will need drops for the rest of his life.

Now, though his sight is much better, he has been told his eyes will be permanently dry. ‘I just feel angry that I wasn’t warned about any of this,’ he says.

Mr Devlin is campaigning for a proper independent body where patients can seek advice and complain to if surgery goes wrong. He points out that contact lenses are much more sophisticated and cause fewer problems than they did 20 years ago and may be a safer option than laser surgery.

‘If you have a problem with ­contact lenses or glasses, you can pop back to the opticians where it can be easily rectified,’ he says.

‘But adverse side effects from laser surgery might be ­irreversible and permanent.’

Dominic Devlin’s website can be found at laser-eye-surgery-review.com



Source:Dailymail

Saturday, November 27, 2010

'I've had a facelift!' Tennis legend Boris Becker's shock confession on how he maintains his fresh-faced look

By Sarah Bull



Shock confession: Boris Becker admitted to having had a facelift during an interview on Daybreak this morning


Tennis legend Boris Becker has stunned fans by admitting to having had a facelift at the age of 43.

The former Wimbledon champion made the revelation as he was interviewed by Daybreak's sports presenter Dan Lobb on the show this morning.

Becker said he had decided to go under the surgeon's knife in an attempt to maintain his fresh-faced look.


Admission: Boris, 43, revealed he had gone under the surgeon's knife to maintain his fresh-faced look


Asked by Lobb how he managed to look so good for his age, Becker, who was being interviewed in London's O2 Arena, replied: 'It's a dark arena here so you don't see my wrinkles. I also had a facelift recently and I coloured my hair, so...

'I turned 43 this week, and winning Wimbledon was 25 years ago, and I do feel very much like I'm 43 right now.'

The tennis champion was interviewed by Lobb as he searched for the best ball girls and boys for next year's Wimbledon championship at the O2's ATP World Tour finals.


Post-surgery: Boris stepped out with wife Lilly in London earlier this week


Enjoying life: The pair looked happy and in love on their evening out


Becker has been enjoying life with wife Lilly Kerssenberg since she gave birth to the German sportsman's son Amadeus in February.

He is also father to sons Noah, 16 and ten-year-old Elias from his marriage to ex-wife Barbara Feltus, as well as a ten-year-old daughter Anna, from an infamous brief encounter with a model at a London restaurant.

Lilly, who married Boris in Switzerland last year, has said she is looking forward to having more children with the German sportsman.


What a difference: A younger Boris at an event in 1990 aged 23, and earlier this year


In a recent interview, she said she hoped to have a total of three children, but wanted to wait a bit before getting pregnant again

She said: 'Maybe next year... This year I want to enjoy Amadeus and reclaim my figure.'

And Boris is also keen to add to his brood.

'My wife is quite young and this is her first, so I’m sure she wants to have more,' he said in a recent interview. 'Obviously I’ll be happy to oblige.'

But while he has been concentrating on his personal life in recent months, Boris is also keen to continue his professional commitments in the tennis industry.

And there's a chance he could be signed up to coach British hopeful Andy Murray ahead of Wimbledon next year.

Murray, who is looking for a new coach, said in an interview recently: 'There are a lot of guys out there, and he’s one of the best who ever played.

'He’s someone I would not write off. There are a lot of past players who could definitely help.'


Source:Dailymail

Friday, November 26, 2010

'Why?' Prince Philip refuses to shake hands with 11-year-old and asks Middle East ex-pats what they're hiding from

By Daily Mail Reporter



When the barefoot Queen appeared dressed in elegant gold in the majestic setting of an Abu Dhabi mosque in yesterday’s papers, another Royal PR coup seemed assured.

She was the first visiting head of state to visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the largest in the United Arab Emirates, which she was visiting for the first time in 31 years.

But as she further cemented ties between the nations today at the unveiling of the model for the futuristic new national museum, designed by Lord Foster, things went slightly awry.

And seasoned Royal observers won’t be all that surprised by the source of a slightly embarrassing scene.

During the event the Queen was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of York and all three royals went on a walkabout meeting hundreds of British expats who were waving union and UAE flags.

Philip appeared to be in an irascible mood and when asked by a group of people if he would shake their hands, he said 'I've got to get back to work' and walked away.

Further along the line of waving crowds, Jack Morgan, 11, who has lived in the UAE for the last 18 months with his parents, stuck out his hand and asked the royal for a shake. The Duke replied 'why?' but eventually relented.

Philip asked many in the crowd where they were from and when they replied he joked with them saying: 'Are you running away from something?'.

Happily many of the ex-pats saw the funny side.

Andrew Ledger, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel from the Queen's Royal Hussars, greeted the Duke, who is his former unit's Colonel-in-Chief, and was also asked by the royal if he had fled to the Gulf but laughed it off, saying 'that's just like him'.

And the unveiling of the Zayed National Museum, which will feature five 'steel feathers', some up to 125 metres high, ensured the visit will go down as a success.


Fly-by: The Royals watched a display the UAE and Royal Air Force


What's all that noise? William Hague, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Sheikh Hamden Bin Mohamed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum and Prince Andrew attend a military display

It will be built on Saadiyat Island off the Abu Dhabi coast.

Lord Foster said after speaking to the Monarch at the unveiling in Abu Dhabi: 'She was very gracious and very complimentary.

'I think this is of great significance, the national museum is absolutely central to both the culture and heritage of the United Arab Emirates.'

As the UAE's first major national cultural institution, the museum will serve as a memorial to the nation's founding father Sheikh Zayed, celebrating the state's history, wildlife and people, and is expected to be completed in 2014.


Presents: President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) presents gifts to the Queen as Prince Philip looks on


UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan (L) welcomes the Queen as she attends a meeting in Abu Dhabi




Source:Dailymail

Move over, Beckham! LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan reveals his toned torso on team trip to Australia

By Daily Mail Reporter



Looking good! US football star Landon Donovan looked in great shape as he took a stroll on a beach in Australia


David Beckham has been LA Galaxy's pin-up boy for years, but now he has some serious competition.

While Victoria Beckham's seems to have let his grooming regime slip of late, his teammate Landon Donovan is looking better than ever.

The football star revealed his toned torso while soaking up the sun on a Sydney beach yesterday.

The 28-year-old attacking midfielder was accompanied by some of his fellow LA Galaxy players during a short break on the team trip.


The entire 22-man LA Galaxy squad, including England international David Beckham, flew to Sydney on Wednesday.

They are due to play in an exhibition match against the Newcastle Jets on Saturday night but will also spend time relaxing, sightseeing and taking part in team activities including wine tasting and surfing.

The match is due to attract over 23,000 fans and generate over $1million for the Australian economy.


Football stars: Landon and the rest of the LA Galaxy team are in Australia to play an exhibition match against the Newcastle Jets on Saturday


Beach boys: The footballers spent time relaxing on the beach during their brief break before training

At a press conference held when the team landed, Landon addressed the possibility that he would return to play in the English Premier League during the MLS (Major League Soccer) off season.

'If you asked me today, I would probably say no because my body is exhausted. If you asked me in two months, I’d probably say yeah because I’m excited again,' he told reporters.

The star said he would decide for certain next month.


Team mates: A scruffy David Beckham joined Donovan at a reception and press conference for his LA Galaxy team in Sydney, Australia, today

David Beckham was also questioned by reporters in Sydney but they were more interested in the whereabouts of David's fashionable wife, Victoria Beckham.

'My wife and kids would obviously love to have been here but they're celebrating

Thanksgiving and Victoria's just come back from a long trip working in Europe,' Beckham said.

'Unfortunately she wanted to come out but it wasn't possible, but I'm sure she will at some point.'

Landon's wife, actress Bianca Kajlich, is also understood to have sat the trip out.

The couple reconciled earlier this year after a 12-month split.

It came after Donovan faced claims he had fathered a child during their separation with a British woman while on loan for Liverpool club Everton last year.

Donovan, who learned of the claim during the World Cup in South Africa in June, said he would be willing to 'take responsibility' for the child.

However, a month later he announced: 'I know now that I will not be a dad any time soon, which is good news for me.'

Donovan became the highest scoring American in World Cup history during his team's campaign scoring three goals during the teams three matches at the finals.



Source:Dailymail

Thursday, November 25, 2010

So are David Beckham's metrosexual grooming days over? Scraggly football star is decidedly caveman-like

By Chris Johnson



Me, moisturise? David Beckham appears to have done away with his metrosexual image, pictured today arriving in Sydney


With his unkempt hair and scruffy beard, the usually well-polished David Beckham is seemingly no longer the billboard poster for metrosexuality he once was.

Sporting his unkempt look, the former England skipper appeared more caveman than the 21st Century gent famed for his dalliances with waxing and sarongs.

The father of three arrived in Sydney today ahead of his LA Galaxy team's friendly against the Newcastle Jets on Saturday night.


The gruff-looking footballer was looking less than sharp in a navy blue branded tracksuit top, which he teamed with clashing black trousers and rugged boots.

He was also looking a little jet-lagged, no thanks to the 19 hour time difference between LA and Australia.

Making his arrival, Beckham talked shop, telling reporters that he strongly believed both Australia and the United States are more than capable of staging a successful World Cup in 2022.


Dressed down: He was looking less than sharp in a navy blue branded tracksuit top teamed with clashing black trousers and rugged boots


Touching down: The footballer and his LA Galaxy team mates arrived in Sydney ahead of Saturday's friendly with the Newcastle Jets on Saturday night


Although Beckham is currently pre-occupied with England's bid to host the event in 2018, the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder is confident the tournament four years later would be a success if it went back to the U.S. or to Australia for the first time.

'I've only thought about our (England's) bid for 2018, that's something that we're working hard towards, something that we're very proud to be in the running to get it.

'Everyone's got a chance to host that 2022 World Cup. Obviously the U.S. is up for it as well.'

'Both countries could host a huge competition like the World Cup.

'It's the biggest sporting event in the world something every country wants to
host but who gets it, we'll see.'


Press conference: Beckham was joined by fellow LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan, right, and coach Bruce Arena




Source:Daiymail

 
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