Debunking myths about Prince Charles

Debunking myths about Prince Charles - Prince Charles does not have seven eggs cooked for him for breakfast, according to the Royal Family's new website which aims to dispel popular myths surrounding the British monarchy.

"No, he doesn't and never has done, at breakfast or any other time", Clarence House said in response to the claims that were first made by BBC presenter Jeremy Paxman in his 2006 book "On Monarchy".

An emergency services member is reflected in the sunglasses of Britain's Prince Charles during a reception at Bondi Icebergs swimming club in Sydney November 9, 2012. REUTERS/Lukas Coch/Pool

Clarence House, Prince Charles' private office, usually renowned for protecting the secrecy of the direct heir to the throne, his wife and children, has changed tact and opted to debunk the myths in a new frequently asked questions section.

The website denies Prince Charles, who turns 64 on Wednesday, dislikes all modern architecture - an allegation he has frequently been accused of in his work to protect British heritage. http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/faqs

In response to the question, "Does The Prince advocate untested and dangerous alternative medical therapies?", the site also gives a forceful no.

"Not at all. The Prince is a keen advocate of integrated healthcare. This means taking a wider, preventative approach to healthcare by addressing the underlying social, lifestyle and environmental causes".

The Prince also pays tax, has not given any thought to his coronation, nor lent his support to the creation of a new Royal Yacht as a legacy for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Neither does the Duchess of Cornwall smoke, the website assured. She "gave up smoking many years ago".

In response to a question about why Prince Charles, as an environmental campaigner, drives a Bentley, the site said the "car is required for some engagements for security reasons and is owned by the Metropolitan Police". ( Reuters )

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Unlicensed to sell! Middletons risk wrath of Bond producers with their 007-themed party range

Unlicensed to sell! Middletons risk wrath of Bond producers with their 007-themed party range -  An advert dedicated to the movie, complete with the James Bond Skyfall logo, has now been removed from website - Earlier this year they fell foul of strict advertising laws covering the London Olympics with a range of Games-themed goods

First they were accused of trying to cash in on the royal wedding, then they breached strict advertising laws surrounding the Olympics.

But this time, the Middletons seem to have offended an even more formidable foe: James Bond.
 

Just days before the new Bond film, Skyfall, was released, their party company was advertising apparently unlicensed 007 merchandise, urging online shoppers to throw their own ‘secret agent’ event.

The Party Pieces website featured an advert dedicated to the movie, complete with the James Bond Skyfall logo, its release date and an iconic black and white picture of the film’s star, Daniel Craig, seen through the barrel of a gun.

In hot water: Carole Middleton, right, with children Pippa and James, and husband Michael

But the Middletons’ keenness to make money out of the phenomenon appears to have raised eyebrows among the legendary Broccoli family, who not only produce the Bond films but own – and jealously guard – all product, image and merchandising rights.

A spokesman for their UK-based firm, Eon Productions, told the Mail they were aware who owned Party Pieces, set up in 1987 by the Duchess of Cambridge’s mother, Carole Middleton.

They said the issue had been passed on to the marketing and legal department – meaning that Party Pieces is very likely to be unlicensed to thrill.

Eon Productions was founded by Albert R. Broccoli, who died in 1996.

It is now owned by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli, and stepson, Michael G. Wilson, who also produce the Bond films.

The spokesman added: ‘It is not something we comment on but the film makers are very protective of everything they have built up.

'It is something we take very seriously.’

The offending advert: It has now been removed from the website

The situation is particularly awkward as the Duchess of Cambridge’s father-in-law, the Prince of Wales, and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, were guests of honour at the royal world premiere of Skyfall last week, where they met Daniel Craig and the Bond cast as well as Miss Broccoli.

Hours after the Mail contacted Party Pieces and Eon Productions on Friday, the offending banner disappeared from the company’s website.

But it is not clear whether the removal of the advert was the result of any threatened legal action from the Bond producers, as Party Pieces did not respond to a request for comment.

The goods, which are still available, are listed under the heading ‘James Bond Secret Agent Party’.

They include a £3.99 table centrepiece made up of two paper martini glasses and a stiletto shoe, and tuxedo-shaped gift boxes for 50p each.

The firm also sells ‘0’ and ‘7’ silver helium balloons at £6.99 each, and gold plastic martini party glasses for £1.49 a pop.

It is not the first time that the Duchess of Cambridge’s family has run into trouble over marketing issues.

Earlier this year they were asked to amend their website after falling foul of strict advertising laws covering the London Olympics with a range of Games-themed goods.

They were also accused by Britain’s Got Talent of illegally carrying its logo on their website and criticised for cashing in on the royal wedding with a range of themed items including corgi cake toppers and British trivia scratch cards.

Although the business’s accounts are not publicly available, the firm is clearly a money-spinner for the Middletons, who recently bought a £4.7million country home and have put their three children through private school.

It is a remarkable achievement for Mrs Middleton, who started the business from scratch by making party bags around her kitchen table. ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking jump: Lego style

Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking jump: Lego style - When Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier by skydiving from 24 miles up, he became an instant celebrity. Reactions were tweeted by millions of watchers, who saw the leap from the safety of their laptop screens. Not bad.

 

The "bunny hop" represents a crucial moment for Lego Felix.

But we doubt even Baumgartner could have been prepared for the ultimate honor: Seeing his epic tumble to Earth re-created in Legos form. The video, an ad for the Model Maker Fair in Vienna, includes majestic music, squawky radio chatter and some impressive visuals.

But, while Baumgartner's daredevil jump lasted more than four minutes (it takes a long time to fall 128,100 feet), the Legos version is over and done in a matter of seconds and ends with a rather inglorious face-plant. Walk it off, Lego Felix.

This isn't the first time enterprising folks have sent toys skyward. Last month, a father-son team successfully launched a toy train into the stratosphere using a weather balloon and a small camera. ( The Sideshow )

========

Did You See This? The Lego Stratos Jump - A record 8 million people watched Felix Baumgartner’s 23-mile fall to Earth yesterday, live on YouTube, as the skydiver became the first to plummet faster than the speed of sound. At least one of those viewers has already followed up by recreating the feat using Legos.

The results, apparently filmed using an actual hot air balloon (made from what looks like a trash bag), are surprisingly dramatic. I’m still not sure exactly how our Lego filmmakers pulled this off, let alone so quickly. (Did they film this all beforehand? If so it still manages to be remarkably faithful.) But they deserve extra points for the helicopter shot at the end. Watch it in HD if you can. ( slate.com )

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Who is Felix Baumgartner's Girlfriend?

Who is Felix Baumgartner's Girlfriend? - When Nicole Oetl's boyfriend says he's going to work, he means he's floating 24 miles above the earth, and then jumping down. It's not a relationship for the faint of heart.

On Sunday afternoon, when Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier with his record-setting jump, scientists, engineers and fans rooted for the former military parachutist. But girlfriend Nicole Oetl just wanted him to survive.

 

(Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool)

"I'll be relieved when Felix is [standing] before us," she told the crowd of media gathered in Roswell, New Mexico to watch the 43-year-old Austrian skydiver make history.

As the fastest human to skydive from the highest altitude, after his 128,097-foot free-fall, Baumgartner has a lot to be thankful for. Topping the list is his 30-year-old girlfriend, who wiped away tears as she watched her boyfriend's descent from a camera alongside his parents.

Oetl is a gymnast turned gymnastics instructor based in Linz, Austria. She's been with the record-breaking daredevil and pilot for at least two years, and in that time has watched him fly through and fall from the sky with some regularity.

Some of his accomplishments include jumping off the world's tallest building and skydiving across the English Channel. But this mission, which involved free-falling 23 miles, was his most dangerous.

It also may have brought the couple closer together. After his mission, Baumgartner claims to want to settle down with Oetl in the U.S. and in Austria, and just pilot rescue missions, you know, like a normal boyfriend.

But there's no going back to normalcy after Sunday night. Aside from capturing the attention of the more than a million viewers who tuned in to watch the fall, he's become a heartthrob in record time. One of the popular questions trending on Twitter was whether Baumgartner has a girlfriend.

Little is known about the couple's initial courtship, but Oetl appears to be a solid match for the skydiver. She's an athlete herself, and she doesn't seem to shy away from heights. She's accompanied Baumgartner in helicopters to high-altitude skydiving conventions and supported him during the months of training in preparation for the Stratos jump.

Baumgartner seems to pull his weight too. He wrote on his personal blog about a special visit he paid in 2010 to the young gymnastic team she coaches offering a little star power and inspiration.

After Sunday, however, he's off-duty for a bit. His rep told media on Monday he's skipping interviews and taking the day to rest. Maybe he's planning a follow-up to his pre-jump vacation. Two months ago, Baumgartner posted to his Facebook page an album of photos called "Weekend Getaway with my Girlfriend Nici." If there was any question about his relationship status, the handful of romantic images he posted said it all. In the not-so-extreme images, Oetl and Baumgartner are toasting in swimsuits, riding on a boat, and doing dock headstands just like any other couple in love.

Of the album, Baumgartner writes: "lake, boat, beer and girlfriend! Wonder what you guy's have done on your weekend. Guess pretty much the same?"

Maybe. But most of us weren't preparing to fall from the sky a few months later. ( yahoo.com )

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Felix Baumgartner's jump from space: By the numbers

Felix Baumgartner's jump from space: By the numbers - The Red Bull Stratos mission reached its thrilling conclusion Sunday when the Austrian daredevil broke the sound barrier... with his own body

Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner stepped onto the edge of a specially rigged space capsule on Sunday, stared at the ground 24 miles below, and bravely leaped into the history books. The supersonic dive, broadcast live worldwide as part of the Red Bull Stratos mission, clinched multiple world records for the 43-year-old pilot. He became the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, completed the highest-altitude skydive in history, the longest freefall without a parachute, and the fastest speed ever achieved during a skydive. A brief look at Baumgartner's historic jump, by the numbers:

 

It took five years to plan Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos mission, and just 10 minutes for it to actually happen. Photo: Balazs Gardi /Red Bull Stratos via Getty Images

128,100

Altitude, in feet, from which Baumgartner jumped. That's 24 miles above the ground, and "four times higher than most passenger jets fly," says Ryan Owens at ABC News.

2.5

Hours he spent ascending through the atmosphere

10 to 20

Seconds Baumgartner spent spinning out of control when he first jumped out of the capsule. "At a certain R.P.M.," said Baumgartner, "there's only one way for blood to leave your body, and that's through your eyeballs. That means you're dead. That was what we feared the most." Luckily, he was able to gain control over his body once the atmosphere thickened.

260

Seconds that Baumgartner spent free-falling through space before deploying his parachute

690

The sound barrier, in miles per hour

833.9

The world-record speed, in miles per hour, that Baumgartner hit while falling (Mach 1.24)

119,846

Feet Baumgartner plummeted before deploying his parachute — also a world record

300

People who worked on the Red Bull Stratos mission, including 70 engineers, scientists, and physicians

5

Years of planning before the Red Bull Stratos finally happened

30

Cameras used to record the stunt

40

Television stations, including the Discovery Channel, that showed the jump live

8 million

People who tuned in to watch the jump online, easily crushing the 500,000 YouTube livestream record set by the London Summer Olympics

10

Minutes that passed from the time Baumgartner jumped to the moment he raised to raise his fist victoriously while standing on solid ground. "Soon he was hugged by his mother and father," says Zelle Pollon at Reuters. "And his girlfriend jumped up and wrapped her legs around him." ( theweek.com )

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Johnny Depp starting book imprint

Johnny Depp starting book imprint — How cool is this: Johnny Depp is going to help run a publishing imprint.

Already on the list of books is one by Bob Dylan, "The Unraveled Tales of Bob Dylan," which aims to set the record straight on the songwriter's enigmatic life and career and will be based in part on interviews with Dylan by best-selling historian Douglas Brinkley.

 

Associated Press - FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2012 file photo, actor Johnny Depp participates in a photo call and press conference for the film "West of Memphis" at TIFF Bell Lightbox during the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto. HarperCollins Publishers announced Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, that Depp will help run an imprint that will be a home for “authentic, outspoken and visionary” books. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Depp's imprint will share its name with his production company, Infinitum Nihil, meaning "Nothing is forever." The imprint will be part of HarperCollins Publishers, which announced Monday that Depp will seek "authentic, outspoken and visionary ideas and voices."

"I pledge, on behalf of Infinitum Nihil, that we will do our best to deliver publications worthy of peoples' time, of peoples' concern, publications that might ordinarily never have breached the parapet," Depp said in a statement released by HarperCollins. "For this dream realized, we would like to salute HarperCollins for their faith in us and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship together."

Brinkley, who recently wrote a cover story on Dylan for Rolling Stone, said he and Depp thought the Dylan book was "the ideal way" to inaugurate the Infinitum Nihil series.

"Bob has been very warm and forthcoming with us," Brinkley said in a statement. "His music has inspired us both deeply since we were teenagers."

The Dylan book is scheduled for 2015. Dylan and Brinkley also will collaborate on the editing and publication of a previously announced novel by one of Dylan's heroes, folk musician Woody Guthrie, who died in 1967. The novel, "House of Earth," was completed by Guthrie in 1947 but was only recently discovered. It's scheduled for January.

Depp, whose movies include "Edward Scissorhands" and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, already has ties to the book world. He was a close friend of Hunter Thompson and starred in film adaptations of Thompson's "Rum Diary" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." He also narrated parts of the audio edition of Keith Richards' memoir "Life."

Other celebrities with their own imprints include Chelsea Handler and Rachael Ray. ( Associated Press )

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Prince Harry Reportedly 'Risking His Life' in Afghanistan

Prince Harry Reportedly 'Risking His Life' in Afghanistan - Britain's Prince Harry is "in the thick of" fighting in Afghanistan and has had "multiple engagements" with the Taliban during his time in the war zone, according to a new report in the UK's The Sun.

Harry, 28, is one month in to a four-month tour of duty as a chopper pilot in Afghanistan. He is stationed at Camp Bastion in Helmand province, on the front line. Citing an unnamed "military source," the Sun reports that Harry, known as Captain Wales in the British Army, is part of a four-man team on around-the-clock standby to both fire at the enemy and provide cover for aircraft rescuing wounded soldiers.

"Think World War Two Spitfire pilot and The Battle of Britain," the source told the Sun. "He can be sat in a deckchair for hours then scrambled immediately. When in the air his role is diverse."

The palace has had no comment on Harry's time in Afghanistan.

The prince, and third-in-line to the British throne, also served a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2008 that was cut short because of publicity and concerns for the safety of him and his fellow soldiers.

The news of Prince Harry's reported direct engagement with Taliban fighters comes less than one month after Camp Bastion was attacked by 15 Taliban fighters dressed in U.S. Army uniforms.

Two U.S. Marines were killed in the attack, and nine others were wounded, including one civilian contractor. NATO officials said at the time that Prince Harry was several miles away, and was never in danger during the attack.

Just as Prince Harry arrived in Afghanistan last month, a Taliban spokesperson said that the terror group would use "all our strength" to kidnap or kill the prince.

"We are using all our strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone around Sept. 10. "We have informed our commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him."

Mujahid made the same threat in an earlier interview with Agence France Presse, saying the Taliban had a "high-value plan" to get the prince. "It is not important for us to kidnap him," he said. "We will target him and we will kill him."

Harry qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot in February after completing a rigorous 18-month training program in the United Kingdom and United States that left him and his fellow trainees, "up to the challenge of operating one the of the most sophisticated attack helicopters in the world," according to a statement from Britain's Defense Ministry.

The Sun broke news last January that the 18-month training program included Harry, who first entered the military in 2005, being hooded and threatened in intense hostage training to prepare him for a possible return to Afghanistan.

Harry, the third in line to the throne, is the first British royal to complete that level of intense training, according to the Sun. His current tour of duty in Afghanistan will make him one of the most decorated Royals in history.

After completing his U.K. and U.S.-based training, in February, Prince Harry was named as the best front-seat pilot, or co-pilot gunner, from his class of more than 20 fellow Apache helicopter pilots. Harry's award was one of only two given at the end of the training course and marked the student whose "overall performance during the course is assessed as the best amongst their peer group," the ministry noted. ( ABC News )

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