Royal wedding memorabilia of Prince William and Kate Middleton are shown at a souvenir shop

Royal wedding memorabilia of Prince William and Kate Middleton are shown at a souvenir shop in central London, on April 24, 2011, before the royal wedding between Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.



Actors Camilla Luddington (L) and Nico Evers-Swindell, who star as Kate Middleton and Britain's Prince William in a television film entitled 'William and Kate: The Movie' pose for photographs outside Westminster Abbey in London, on April 25, 2011. The film, inspired by the royal wedding, premiered in the United States on April 18. Britain's Prince William will marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London, on April 29, 2011.




Gay Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell (C) holds a wedding card addressed to Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton in front of Buckingham Palace in London on April 25, 2011. Tatchell is in favour of changing the law which prevents gay couples getting married. Currently the law only allows civil partnerships for gay couples. Britain's Prince William is to marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011.



People queue to visit Westminster Abbey, in central London, on April 25, 2011. Britain's Prince William will marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London, on April 29, 2011.




Workmen build a media stand opposite Westminster Abbey, in central London, on April 25, 2011. Britain's Prince William will marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London, on April 29, 2011.



A commemorative plate for Diana, Princess of Wales is pictured with a souvenir plate for the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton on a market stall, in London, on April 25, 2011. Britain's Prince William is to marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011.



Guest on his way to a wedding stops and buys souvenirs from a stall selling memorabilia for the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, in London, on April 25, 2011. Britain's Prince William is to marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011.



Tourists are pictured walking along The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace in central London, on April 25, 2011. Britain's Prince William is to marry his fiancee Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London on April 29, 2011.


source: daylife
photo: Gettyimages

'I considered shooting myself after end of affair with Diana,' James Hewitt reveals in U.S. TV interview

By Daily Mail Reporter


Searing truth: The former military man told Inside Edition he had planned to shoot himself during a trip to France - until his mother made him take her along


James Hewitt has claimed he considered committing suicide following his five-year affair with Princess Diana.

The former military man said he had planned to shoot himself during a trip to France - until his mother made him take her along.

'I got in my car and loaded a few things up to get on the ferry to go to France - to shoot myself,' he said.


'Then my mother insisted on coming with me. If she hadn't, I would probably have shot myself. So I owe her my life really.

'I felt I had let people down - probably myself, my family, my friends, the nation, the army, my regiment. Other than that, no one at all.'

Hewitt, 52, opened up about life after Diana during an interview on U.S. television show Inside Edition.

The Princess, who died aged 36 in August 1997, acknowledged her affair with the former household cavalry officer after her divorce from Prince Charles.

Affair: Diana blushes as she presents James Hewitt with the Captain and Subalterns Cup after he led his army polo team to victory at Tidworth in 1989 - at the height of their affair

By royal admission: Princess Diana, who died aged 36 in August 1997, acknowledged her affair with the former household cavalry officer after her divorce from Prince Charles


Rumours later circulated that Hewitt, not Charles, could be the father of Diana's son Prince Harry.

But the ex-army man has claimed the young Prince was born before he and Diana began their affair.


'No I am not,' he said, when asked once again whether he was Harry's father. 'I am not happy talking about it. It's out of respect for everyone.'

Hewitt came under fire for trying to sell love letters he received from Diana for £10 million.

He also helped write a book about the Princess following her death, but insists he still misses her.

'I think we all miss her,' he said. 'But I've tried to move on with my life.'

The full interview with Hewitt airs in the United States today.

It was revealed last week that Hewitt is to trade upon his increasingly tenuous links to the Royal Family by throwing a Royal Wedding party at his bar in Spain – with himself as ‘guest of honour’.

He has been living in Marbella in exile after his scandalous attempt to sell her letters for £10 million.

The ‘comeback cad’, as he’s been dubbed, has cheekily given his approval for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding and is planning a lavish Royal-themed day at his bar, Polo House, on April 29, complete with a big screen showing the ceremony.

Diana admitted to having the five-year affair during her sensational Panorama interview in 1995.

He first met Princess Diana at a party in London's Mayfair in 1986. She was 25, he 28.

Although six years ago, he was hypnotised for a television programme in which he 'revealed' that his affair with Diana had begun earlier than he had previously stated, commencing in 1982, not 1986 - before the birth of Prince Harry.

My story: In another interview on Larry King Live in 2003
, Hewitt discussed his relationship with the princess, the controversy over his going public with her personal correspondence and recent press reports of his attempts to auction the letters


When they met, Diana was in the middle of a famous 39-day trial separation from her then husband Prince Charles.

Diana took Hewitt on as a horse-riding instructor for her and her two sons. Their relationship lasted until 1992 when Diana is reported to have stopped taking Hewitt's calls.

In 1994 Hewitt broke cover and collaborated with writer Anna Pasternak on Princess In Love, a sordid account of his affair with Diana.

Diana was said to be distraught by this betrayal, telling Martin Bashir in the Panorama interview: 'Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very let down.'

'I was in love with him': Diana admitted to having the five-year affair during her sensational Panorama interview in 1995


Hewitt later tried to tried to sell 60 love letters he received from the Princess for a reported £10million.

In 1999, two years after Diana died in Paris, he published his autobiography, Love and War in which he revealed intimate details about his affair.

He told how Diana seduced him and how they made love in her four-poster bed and on a bathroom floor.



source:dailymail

Will it rain on William and Kate's big day? Forecasters predict heavy showers in London for Royal Wedding

By Daily Mail Reporter


-Wedding day will be 'warmer than average', say forecasters
-Supermarket sales soar after rush for barbecue foods

Final preparations: Regent Street is awash with Union Jack flags ready for the Royal Wedding this Friday - but the weather forecast is threatening to put a dampener on the excitement


The Royal Wedding could be hit by heavy showers, forecasters have said as cloudier and cooler weather spread across the country today after a scorching Easter Sunday.

After an Easter weekend of sunny weather, downpours could hit both central London and Kate Middleton's hometown of Bucklebury, Berkshire on Friday.

Today London Regent's Street was awash with Union Jacks ready for Friday's celebration. With everything in place Prince William and his bride-to-be will be hoping they avoid a downpour.


However, forecasters are predicting that Friday will be warm - even if it is wet.

Helen Rossington, a senior forecaster at MeteoGroup, said: 'At the moment, it is looking like temperatures will probably be a little bit above average (on the day) and there is a risk of heavy showers.

'Temperatures will probably be somewhere in the high teens but it is difficult to pin down so far ahead.

'The weather is always changing, there is that risk that we are seeing on the current outlook that we have at the moment, but nearer the time the models might change a little bit.'

Tom Morgan, a spokesman for the Met Office, warned that the Royal Wedding day would feel much cooler in England and Wales than this bank holiday weekend.

Final preparations: William and Kate will be hoping they miss the showers when they marry at Westminster Abbey on April 29


'Generally in the London area there will be fairly cloudy skies with occasional brighter spells, but also a risk of showery rain at times,' he said.

'A brisk north-easterly wind will make it feel much chillier than of late.'

If bookmakers have an inside track on Friday's weather, all indications are that the couple will be able to take their first journey as man and wife in an open carriage.

The latest odds suggest that London will stay dry - at least for the duration of the ceremony.

Bookmaker William Hills is offering 1/5 odds that it will not be raining when the Royal party arrives at the Abbey. They are also offering 1/10 odds that the newlyweds will be able to return to Buckingham Palace after the service in an open carriage.

'The latest forecast suggests that the rain should stay away on the big day, at least until after the service,' said Hill's Royal spokesman Rupert Adams

And the rest of the country should enjoy much better weather as hundreds of street parties take place.

Western England, western Wales, the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were forecast to enjoy a 'bright' day.

'All of these areas look like they are going to see a bright day with decent sunny spells and pleasant warm temperatures into the mid to high teens,' Mr Morgan said.

Bank holiday sun: People flock to the beach at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in Cleveland as the warm weather continues today - before many return to work tomorrow

Unseasonal weather: People enjoying the sun and the sea in Cleveland today - but it is expected to be cooler from tomorrow


If it rains, Prince William and Kate Middleton will leave Westminster Abbey in the Glass Coach, rather than the open-top 1902 State Landau.

The forecast comes after much of the country basked in a heatwave this bank holiday with predictions that this month will beat the 2007 record as the warmest ever April.

Many areas of London reached highs of 27C (around 82F) on Saturday with Wisley, Surrey, registering 27.8C.

Yesterday saw cooler weather with a top temperature of 25.3C (around 78F) in Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, and a maximum of 24C (75F) across London.

A weak cold front over Scotland and Northern Ireland will push south today bringing cloud and some drizzle to areas such as the Pennines and mountain areas of Wales.

Temperatures will rise to a high of 22C (72F) in London and the south of the country, and between 11C and 14C (52F to 57F) in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Lindsay Dove, forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: 'Today will be noticeably cooler, across the south it will be maybe two or three degrees cooler than yesterday.

Busy bank holiday: Sonic, Bobby and Dora prepare to take daytrippers along the beach in Saltburn-by-the-Sea today. Yesterday was the warmest Easter Sunday for more than 60 years

Warm weather: Three children enjoy rides on donkeys along the beach as the country continues to bask in summer-like temperatures... and on Friday there's another Bank Holiday


'Tomorrow, it will be much cooler again.

'You are looking tomorrow at a maximum of 18C in London (64F) with Scotland and Northern Ireland looking at the same temperatures of 11C to 14C. There is going to be a breeze across the South East which is what will make it feel much cooler.'

The soaring weather last week was welcomed by retailers who reported an increase in sales, which they put down to the heat.

Supermarket chain Waitrose reported that sales on Saturday had reached more than £114.7m, up 15 per cent on last year. The store said that demand was driven by sales of barbecue foods, which had risen by 25 per cent compared with the same period in 2010.

Around ten million people took advantage of the unusual combination of good weather and a Bank Holiday weekend to take in a domestic break, according to Visit England.

In Bournemouth, 90,000 ice creams were sold over the weekend, and every one of the resort’s 16,000 hotel rooms was booked.

Changing seasons: Just days ago this field in Hambledon, Hampshire, was covered in a yellow carpet of flowers - but the view has been rapidly changed by the hot weather and the same field is now a sea of dandelion clocks

All change: Days ago the same field in Hambledon was a sea of dandelions. Yesterday was the hottest Easter Sunday for more than 60 years

The same field is now attracting pheasants scratching around for seed

Sunrise on a new dawn: Bluebells in Micheldever Wood, near Basingstoke, as the sun makes its way into the sky on Easter morning


source:dailymail

Pictured: Aerial view of the devastation left by tornado

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Ripped up: Debris is strewn around this home in Bridgeton St Louis County. Miraculously only three people suffered minor injuries during the storm


It was like being in a horror movie, says passenger

This was the scene of devastation today left by a tornado which hit several counties in St Louis and tore off the roof of the city's International airport.

Almost 50,000 homes had power cuts as the storm flattened dozens of homes in Maryland Heights and Bridgeton and threw cars into the air. Miraculously only three people suffered minor injuries.

Five were taken to hospital with cuts and many more treated at Lambert airport after half the windows in the main terminal were blown out sending debris raining down on passengers.

The airport - crowded with travellers heading home for Easter - was so badly damaged it was shut down on Saturday but was planning to run a reduced flight schedule by Sunday morning.


Battered: In this aerial photograph, homes have been destroyed in Bridgeton with neighbours surveying the damage


Empty shell: An officer cautiously climbs stairs of what was once a family home as colleagues search debris


One American Airlines 757 jet sustained significant damage, and four other American planes had minor damage. Five or six flights had to be diverted from St. Louis.

Winds were so severe they blew an airport shuttle bus to the end of a car park where it teetered over the edge.

If the power is restored to the terminal, it is expected to operate at around 70 per cent of its normal capacity. Around a 1,000 workers are involved in the clean-up operation.

Airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said: 'There are a number of things we can be thankful for. It's a miracle there were no fatalities.'


Gaping: A large hole is seen in the roof of the main terminal. Five people were treated in hospital for cuts when half the windows were blown out by the storm


Destruction: Storm damage is seen next to a parking garage outside terminal one at St. Louis International


Smashed up: The aftermath of the tornado which sprayed debris over the airfield and burst glass in the airport


Sirens went off inside the airport and staff scrambled to rush hundreds of passengers into bathrooms and offices to ride out the storm.

Dianna Merrill, a mail carrier from St. Louis, was waiting inside the terminal to fly to New York when the storm hit.

She said: 'Glass was blowing everywhere. The ceiling was falling. The glass was hitting us in the face. Hail and rain were coming in.

'The wind was blowing debris all over the place. It was like being in a horror movie. Grown men were crying. It was horrible.'


Perilous: A shuttle bus was blown across a car park and left teetering dangerously over the edge


source: dailymail

How it's difficult to avoid haunting comparisons with Diana

By CATHERINE OSTLER

Backwards glance: It's difficult to avoid haunting comparisons between Kate Middleton (right) and William's mother, Diana, pictured shortly after her engagement to Prince Charles


For so many of us, it is difficult to avoid the haunting comparison. When willowy Kate Middleton goes walkabout wearing an elegant suit and that optimistic smile, it’s the woman who would have been her mother-in-law who springs disconcertingly to mind.

Diana was, of course, the last beautiful young woman to marry an heir to the throne — precipitating a fashion fever and thousands of young girls’ dreams of wearing a puff-ball dress as they were swept off their feet by their prince.

Just like Diana before her marriage, Kate Middleton can start a trend in minutes. This time, it’s royal blue and fitted tweed rather than knickerbockers and pie-crust collars.


Sham: While we all wanted to believe in the fairytale wedding of Charles and Diana, it actually made fools of us all


Like Diana, Kate seems to be a natural at meeting ‘ordinary’ people. She has happily flipped pancakes in Belfast, and christened a lifeboat with champagne in Anglesey.

These appearances have been deemed ‘triumphs’ by Palace aides.

Certainly, with her striking looks and personable manner, Kate is a hit with the public; and yet I sense that Britain is not as gripped by joyous wedding anticipation as the monarchy and the British Establishment might wish.


Equal partnership: Kate has so much more in common with William than Diana ever had with Prince Charles


Full of confidence: Kate is ten years older than Diana was on her wedding day


source: dailymail

241 tornadoes rip through fourteen states in three days

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Some houses untouched, others obliterated after tornado rips through Deltaville, Va. Tornadoes and flash flooding have left several people dead in Virginia, and crews are continuing to assess damage that severe weekend storms caused across several areas of the state.


23 deaths reported in North Carolina, four in Virginia, seven in Alabama, two in Oklahoma, seven in Arkansas and one in Mississippi

Three of the victims came from one family - and the death toll is expected to rise

Deadliest U.S. storm since February 2008 - 200,000 homes in North Carolina without power


The death toll from three days of severe weather in the South-east is believed to have risen as high as 44, as a reported 241 tornadoes ripped off the roofs of schools, blocked roads and took down power lines.

Four people - including a child - were killed in the fast-moving violent storms that swept across Virginia and injured 64 residents of Gloucester County on Saturday. Hailstones the size of grapefruit were reported, creating flash floods.

The child died in the state’s Shenandoah Valley after being swept away in a flash flood and authorities rescued another flood victim - but a third is missing. Three people from one family died as storms destroyed mobile homes in Raleigh, North Carolina.


Monster looms: this photo was snapped just seconds before Richard Burkett and his wife took cover in a closet underneath their stairs. The tornado hit their barn in Colerain, North Carolina and came over their house



Wide shot: This aerial photo shows tornado damage at the Lowes Home Improvement Center in Sanford, North Carolina on Sunday



Path of destruction: This aerial photo shows tornado damage in the St. Andrews subdivision south of Sanford, North Carolina


Crushed: The remains of a destroyed Lowe's Home Improvement store after a tornado in Sanford, North Carolina


The 241 twisters were reported in 14 states over the past 72 hours, ranking this outbreak among the largest in history and the deadliest U.S. storm since February 2008, when 57 people died from tornadoes in the south and Ohio Valley, said AccuWeather.com meteorologist Andy Mussoline.

'I would expect that total to rise, unfortunately,' Mr Mussoline said.


Holed: A car is swallowed up when a tree was felled by a tornado near Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday


In North Carolina, 62 twisters were reported, destroying homes, taking the roof off a school, flipping cars, bringing down electricity lines and cutting off power to around 200,000 homes in the state.

The National Weather Service reported 23 people were confirmed as having been killed in the state. Most of those occurred in two rural counties - four in Bladen and 11 in Bertie.

'Many communities have downed trees, downed power lines and a significant amount of debris on the roadways,' Doug Hoell, the head of emergency services, said.


Stars and stripes: Patrick Woods, a freshman at Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, picks up a flag on the remains of structures on the softball field at Pine Forest High School


Looking: Family and friends sort through debris of a house that was swept off its foundation by a tornado that swept through the area on Saturday night in Gloucester, Virginia



What's left: Curtis Russell carries out food from his freezer as he leaves his tornado damaged house in Clinton, Missisipi


Serious damage: A Lowes Home Improvement employee stands in the parking lot of their store after it was hit by a tornado


Significant damage was reported in at least 15 counties. Peggy Mosley, 54, who has lived in the Raleigh trailer park for 25 years, said she was prepared when the storm bore down.

'I got into my small bathroom and just sat in there, cried and prayed until it was over,' she said.

Nearly 30 homes were damaged at Camp Lejeune following a series of tornadoes that caused injuries, and one seriously-hurt child was taken to hospital.


Devastation: Homes and businesses were badly damaged Saturday by a severe storm system that whipped across North Carolina, bringing flash floods, hail and reports of tornadoes from the western hills to Raleigh


Destruction: A tornado flattened most of this home in the LaGrange subdivision in Fayetteville, North Carolina


Examining the wreckage: Residents look at a tree that fell into a home in Raleigh, North Carolina, which has been badly hit by storms


A temporary shelter was set up by officials at a nearby elementary school.

‘Today's outbreak of severe weather in North Carolina is quite unusual because of the intensity and frequency of tornadoes,’ CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said. 'This doesn't happen very often in this part of the country.’

According to experts there were three ingredients in place to create the violent tornado outbreak - a powerful jet stream, abundant moisture and a strong cold front.

A powerful jet stream helped to enhance the thunderstorm growth, while moisture surging in from the Gulf of Mexico acted as fuel for the thunderstorms.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency for the entire state and said they have been ‘assured we'll have whatever federal support we'll need’.


Searching: Haley Box, 12, goes through the debris of what is left of her trailer after a tornado in Alabama


Meanwhile, seven people were killed in Alabama, there were two other deaths in Oklahoma and seven in Arkansas, reported CNN.

In Mississippi, one death and six injuries were reported.

Severe weather has hit parts of the Midwest and South since Thursday - taking out trees, power lines, cars and homes as it moved towards the East.


Tornadoes,storms U.S.North Carolina.EE UU.


Death toll may rise after tornadoes in southern US



source: dailymail