The Duchess of Cambridge had to face an embarrassing moment yesterday when she attended a St Patrick’s Day parade at a military barracks.
The mishap occurred when the heel of one of her shoes became stuck in a drain ahead of watching the parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire.
Kate, who showed patriotic spirit in the same green Emilia Wickstead dress coat she wore to the event last year, had to lean on Prince William while she pulled it out with her hand.
Afterwards, the royal couple chatted to soldiers from the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in the Guardsmens’ cookhouse. (AP)
Man, son die on French Alps
A British man and his 12-year-old son have been killed on a hiking trip in the French Alps.
The 48-year-old man called for help at 2pm on Saturday when his son fell down a cliff near Mont Blanc.
Their bodies were found together yesterday.
Emergency services in Chamonix tried to trace the unnamed man’s mobile phone call and launched a helicopter rescue. A French police officer said: “We think the father tried to find his son after he called us and asked for rescue.
“We believe he fell as he tried to find his son. Their bodies were found together this morning at 7.40am.”
A mountain guide who has worked in the area for 20 years described a “number of footpaths which weave in and out of indentures in the mountainside” and this “is where they may have slipped off”. (AP)
Giant Easter egg goes missing
Police have joined the hunt for a giant Easter egg that has gone missing after it was placed in a city centre for a charity fundraising event.
The 2ft-high fibreglass egg is one of more than 100 that were hidden across Glasgow by the charity Action for Children for its Big Egg Hunt.
The eggs feature some of the UK’s best-loved children’s characters such as Moshi Monsters, Peppa Pig and SpongeBob SquarePants, as well as unique designs by artists. (PA)
Jessie J goes bald to raise cash
Singer Jessie J shaved off her long locks as the great British public took part in outrageous fund-raising stunts to help raise a record £75m for Comic Relief on Saturday.
The famous singer raised more than £500,000. Speaking to host Dermot O’Leary, Jessie J said: “It’s the weirdest feeling.”
She admitted being nervous beforehand, but told viewers: “It feels so liberating.” (AP)
Let harmless blazes burn
The US Forest Service is pondering saving money – after coming in $400 million over budget following last year’s busy fire season – by letting some fires burn instead of tackling every one.
The move, quietly noted in a letter late last month by Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell, brings the agency more in line with the National Parks Service and back to what it had done until last year.
It also answers critics who said the agency wasted money and endangered firefighters by battling blazes in remote areas which posed little or no danger. (PA)