Prince Charles borrowed nearly £3,000 from his protection officers after the royal found himself short of cash and needing to fork out for "travel expenses," it was reported yesterday.
The heir to the throne repaid the £2,744.34 (€3,029) to his officers after they stumped up the money thought to be for flights abroad, according to the Independent.
The money was paid back by Clarence House in December 2007 and Scotland Yard cashed the cheque days later, the newspaper said, citing a document. The previous month the prince and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, had visited Turkey and Uganda.
A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said officers did occasionally lend VIPs they were protecting money, although she did not confirm the 2007 incident. (AFP)
Gate crashers subpoenaed
A congressional panel has voted to subpoena a married couple who slipped into a White House dinner, making them the world's most famous gate crashers and raising questions about security.
The subpoenas direct Tareq Salahi and his wife, Michaele Salahi, to appear on January 20 before the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.
On back-to-back votes of 26-3 and 27-2, the committee authorised the subpoenas of the two in response to the Virginia couple's refusal to come before the panel voluntarily last week.
There was no immediate comment from the couple's attorney, Steve Best. But congressional aides said based on an earlier correspondence, they expect them to invoke their right to refuse to answer questions on the grounds they might incriminate themselves.
In an apparent publicity stunt, the couple got into the November 24 state dinner honouring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Their attendance, which inc-luded posing for pictures with President Barack Obama and other dignitaries, has made them the focus of federal probes and raised questions about White House security. (Reuters)
Christmas cheer saves woman's speeding fine
A young woman in Germany who burst into tears when police fined her for speeding received an early Christmas present when another woman caught for the same offence paid the charge.
Authorities in the western city of Aachen said the older driver was so moved by the woman's crying at the police station that she pulled out her purse and handed over the money.
"It is Christmas soon after all," local police quoted her as saying. (Reuters)
Hepburn's gowns sell for double estimate
A collection of dresses worn by film star Audrey Hepburn fetched £268,000 (€484,000) at auction, more than double the pre-sale estimate, organisers said yesterday.
More than 40 items from her wardrobe, including dresses worn in her films, were auctioned in London in a sale described by organisers as "the like of which will never be seen again".
The highest price, £60,000, was paid for a Chantilly lace cocktail gown by Givenchy which Ms Hepburn wore in How to Steal a Million in 1966 - against an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000.
Hubert de Givenchy was the designer most closely linked with Ms Hepburn, but also up for auction was the ivory satin bridal gown designed by the Fontana Sisters for her planned marriage to James (later Lord) Hanson, which sold for £13,800. Ms Hepburn later called off the wedding.
The collection was sold by Tanja Star-Busmann, a life-long friend of Ms Hepburn's, and 50 per cent of the net sale proceeds will be donated to The Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund.
Organisers at La Galleria had expected the auction to fetch a total of £100,000 pounds, but in the event it made £268,320. (Reuters)
Gifts for the disaster age
Imagine tearing open that large present under the Christmas tree with your name on it and finding inside... a fire extinguisher.
Or a foldable ladder. Or a smoke alarm in that smaller box.
Those, plus a home disaster kit including food, water and prescription medications for 72 hours, or a first aid certification course are just some of the gifts that the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) is suggesting Americans give their loved ones this holiday season.
"Giving a gift of a fire extinguisher might not be the first thing that springs to mind, but for the guy who has everything, it might be perfect," Fema administrator Craig Fugate told AFP.
"For tech geeks, you might get one of those emergency crank-up radios. And I'm a big fan of those little flashlights as stocking fillers. You can never have enough flashlights when there's a power cut," Mr Fugate said.
"You're giving them a gift that can save a life and keep them safe in an emergency," he said. (AFP)