Royal Family

Prince Charles and Prince Andrew saw death strike close to them as separate accidents killed a skiing friend and two helicopter pilots. Charles, the heir to the British throne, left Klosters for home today, after escaping an avalanche which killed a friend and former aide to Queen Elizabeth, Maj. Hugh Lindsay. Elsa Rauch, a doctor who was flown to the scene, said Charles' quick rescue efforts helped save the life of another skiing companion, Patty Palmer- Tomkinson, who was briefly buried in the snow.

"James Bond was a [sleaze]! just going for one girl after another . . . and he was a lush, too. " - James Cameron, director of "Titanic," on the 007 mystique Noel Gallagher isn't known for his tact. The Oasis lead singer has made controversial remarks about drugs and religion and once boasted about his teen-age life of crime. But last week on Italian radio, the 30-year-old rocker broke new ground when he suggested that he thinks members of the royal family should be shot. "I don't like the queen.

Pressured by the size of crowds planning to fill central London's streets for Princess Diana's funeral Saturday, Britain's royal family agreed suddenly yesterday to more than triple the length of the funeral procession's route. A horse-drawn carriage bearing Diana's body will begin its final journey from Kensington Palace, her private residence after her separation and divorce from Prince Charles. Watched by an estimated two million mourners, the procession will then slowly travel a 3 1/2-mile route down Kensington High Street, past St. James's Palace and Parliament, and toward the historic 11th-century Westminster Abbey, where Diana will be memorialized in a service attended by royalty, celebrities and commoners.

A woman I know named Linda is deeply concerned about world affairs. Often, when a major development occurs, Linda will phone my wife to break the news. "Beth," Linda will say, with great urgency in her voice, "according to 'Inside Edition,' on several occasions, in Buckingham Palace, Diana discovered Charles waxing his legs. " "No!" responds Beth, also a keen student of current events. Soon they're discussing Charles' and Diana's marriage with far more interest than they would ever display in discussing, for example, the deficit, unless the deficit were to date Princess Margaret.

While Queen Elizabeth is off visiting the former colonies on the other side of the Atlantic, one of her subjects here is campaigning to get her fired. Don't take it personally, Your Majesty. After all, the idea is to get rid of the whole institution of monarchy, not just one queen. The architect of the plan is Tony Benn, a veteran member of Parliament and longtime spokesman for the left wing of the Labor Party. Benn's bill has the queen being forcibly retired. Her jewels, castles, yacht, paintings and other wealth that make her among the richest people in the world would be handed over to the state.

Britain's royal family may be the most powerful in the land but, unlike the commoners they rule, they are often powerless to fight back when wronged. As embarrassing revelations about them were published last week in the tabloid Daily Mirror - in advance of tomorrow's release of a tell-all book by former royal butler Paul Burrell - members of the House of Windsor had to stand by and just take it. They endured exposure of the humiliating contents of Prince Philip's private letters to Diana, Princess of Wales, in which he wrote that he doubted "anyone in their right mind" would ever leave her for Camilla Parker Bowles - which Prince Charles ultimately did. Also quoted in the articles were Diana's predictions that she would die in a car crash intended to kill her, and her claim that she never wanted a divorce.

Royal Post of Britain, which issued the first postage stamp 160 years ago, established a record last week when it issued commemoratives depicting four generations of the royal family. The occasion was the 100th birthday of Elizabeth the queen mother. The four 27-pence stamps are incorporated in a miniature sheet that reproduces a portrait of the queen mother; her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II; Charles, Prince of Wales; and Prince William. The queen mother is sitting and the others standing.

An English writer thinks he has answered two of life's perennial questions: Why does the queen carry a handbag, and what is inside it? Raymond Fullager, who writes and lectures about the royals, says Her Majesty uses her handbag to send at least 23 signals to her staff. Because the queen cannot be seen on official business continually snapping orders to courtiers, ladies-in-waiting and other hovering attendants, she has devised a secret apparatus - her handbag. The contents of this sturdy bag (a lucky rabbit's foot, some chocolate drops for the corgis, a small camera and a couple of crossword puzzles to pass the time en route to official functions)

Mary Carolou, 83, a Philadelphia native who served as lady-in-waiting for the late Queen Frederica of Greece and her royal family, died New Year's Day in Athens. "She was the epitome of a grand dame," said Mrs. Carolou's nephew, Constantine Stephano, 57, of New Hope. "Her house in Athens had signed photographs from Eisenhower and other presidents and kings. Her house was like a museum," he said. Mrs. Carolou was the daughter of Constantine Stephano, the founder of Stephano Bros.

A majority of Britons believe Queen Elizabeth, 62, should abdicate in favor of her son Prince Charles, 40, according to an opinion poll published yesterday. The Gallup poll in the Daily Telegraph newspaper showed 59 percent of her subjects thought it would be a good idea for the queen to retire and allow the Prince of Wales to become king before he is much older. Queen Elizabeth has reigned since 1952. Because of the disgrace surrounding the abdication in 1936 of the queen's uncle King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson, the queen has said she will never abdicate.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - For the second time in less than a year, Saudi Arabia was thrown into the process of naming a new heir to its 88-year-old king after the death Saturday of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz. That forces a potentially pivotal decision: Whether to bring a younger generation a step closer to ruling one of the West's most critical Middle East allies. King Abdullah has now outlived two designated successors, despite ailments of his own. It's widely expected that the current succession order will stand and Nayef's brother, Defense Minister Prince Salman - another elderly and ailing son of the country's founding monarch - will become the heir to the throne of OPEC's top producer.

Quintessence Theatre Group's mission is to tangle with the classics, and this time, they tackle Jean Anouilh's wartime adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone . A response to Nazi occupation of France, the tragedy, as reimagined for a 20th-century audience, trades the wrath of the gods for existential dilemma, allowing man and woman to blunder about on their own, making terrible decisions for terrible reasons. Antigone, you may recall, is the daughter of Oedipus and daughter/granddaughter of Jocasta, both dead.

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II marked her Diamond Jubilee on Monday with a message thanking all those who had supported her over her 60-year reign and reaffirming her dedication to serving the British people. The 85-year-old monarch ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952. She is the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years. Before a year's worth of festivities to celebrate her milestone, the queen said she and her husband have been "deeply moved" to receive so many kind messages about her Diamond Jubilee.

Since the announcement of their engagement, city and country tours have been set up to look at places associated with Prince William and Kate Middleton and to highlight primary destinations for the wedding day. But what happens after the wedding, once the fairy tale starts? Here are the official residences in which the British royal family lives and entertains. They're open to the public while family members are not in residence.   England Windsor Nearly 1,000 years ago, William the Conqueror selected the site of Windsor Castle . Since then, it has been inhabited, altered, and refurbished by successive monarchs and remains a working residence.

CAN SOMEONE explain to Tattle about this royal wedding thing? Seriously, what's the big deal? A former empire experiencing its own economic woes is about to spend a small fortune on horse-led carriages, bodyguards, balls and flower arrangements so an heir to the throne can marry his girlfriend. We sort of get why people in London care - traffic is going to be a nightmare (and it already is a nightmare) - but why do people care here in the Colonies? Is it the pageantry?

TATTLE has not yet received our invitation to the royal wedding, but the Associated Press has graciously provided rules of etiquette so we don't embarrass our employer. No. 1: Don't be late. "The queen should be the very last person to arrive at the church before the bride and her attendants," said wedding planner and etiquette adviser Sarah Hayward . "At most weddings, guests are asked to arrive around 20 minutes before the ceremony, but the royal wedding will obviously have several important guests and very high levels of security so give yourself plenty of time to get there.

REALIZING that gravity will eventually wreak havoc on her breasts no matter how much synthetic material they're made of, Pamela Anderson may be saying enough to the flaky, stringy-haired rock stars. According to Marc Malkin at eonline.com, Pam has her sights set on royalty. Someday her prince will come. May have already happened. It's been kept quiet, but the star of E!'s "Pam: Girl on the Loose" (ah, synergy!) is reportedly seeing a handsome dude from Abu Dhabi's royal family, whom she lovingly has nicknamed "Milk-Sheik.

The year of celebrity mishaps, missteps and misdemeanors that began with a nipple shield seen round the world is finally over. Though we dwell on days past, we here at Gossip Central do take an occasional look into the future. So, after a quick polish of our dime-store crystal ball, we hazard a guess at what might happen this year. Or not. To all, a good knight Hyper-litigious Hollywood power couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones will take on the British empire, suing the royal family - and all of Britain - because they have not been granted a knighthood.

Prince Charles: "I didn't do it. " The Media: "Do what?" Prince Charles: "Never mind. " A new Monty Python routine? No: It's the even loonier reality of Britain's royal family. On Thursday, Bonnie Prince Chuck issued a public statement denying a rumor - but didn't say what rumor he was denying in his denial. A rumor has been pinballing around the Internet and the international press that George Smith, a former royal valet, had observed the prince in flagrante with a man on the royal payroll.

Britain's royal family may be the most powerful in the land but, unlike the commoners they rule, they are often powerless to fight back when wronged. As embarrassing revelations about them were published last week in the tabloid Daily Mirror - in advance of tomorrow's release of a tell-all book by former royal butler Paul Burrell - members of the House of Windsor had to stand by and just take it. They endured exposure of the humiliating contents of Prince Philip's private letters to Diana, Princess of Wales, in which he wrote that he doubted "anyone in their right mind" would ever leave her for Camilla Parker Bowles - which Prince Charles ultimately did. Also quoted in the articles were Diana's predictions that she would die in a car crash intended to kill her, and her claim that she never wanted a divorce.