THE Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York were last night with their children in a holiday hideaway on the French Riviera. The royal holidaymakers arrived at Cannes Airport and were driven to a secret location in the hills above the Riviera close to Fayence in Var.
They are staying in a picturesque hunting lodge thought to belong to the Duchess's old flame, motor racing millionaire Paddy McNally.
Prince William, Prince Harry Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie stepped from a private jet accompanied by their mothers.
Meanwhile, John Major last night hosted a Downing Street banquet to celebrate the 80th birthday (on July 9th) of former British prime minister Sir Edward Heath. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were among the guests, who also included Viscount Whitelaw, Lord Carrington, Lord Howe, Betty Boothroyd and Yehudi Menhuin.
The ongoing divorce between actor Anthony Quinn (80) and his wife of 30 years, Iolanda, took an ugly turn when a judge, during closed door hearings in Manhattan told Quinn to "shut up" after he repeatedly cursed his wife's lawyer.
Meanwhile, away from the courtroom, the star of Zorba the Greek is celebrating the recent birth of his 13th child with his former secretary Kathy Benvin (34).
Eric Douglas (37) the youngest son of movie star Kirk Douglas was sentenced to 30 days in prison for disrupting a flight from California to New Jersey earlier this year. Douglas had let his dog out of its carrier, ignored requests by the crew to cage the animal, was "loudly abusive" and threw rolled up blankets at flight attendants, an FBI complaint said.
US actor Gene Vilder, star of The Producer and Blazing Saddles, is to make his stage debut in Britain later this year. The star who has not acted or appeared in a film for five years is to play comic Sid Caesar in the Neil Simon comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor.