Their appearance on holiday together started rumours that they were rekindling their romance.
But Marc Jacobs looked more interested in his book than his ex-boyfriend Lorenzo Martone yesterday.
As the fashion designer relaxed on the beach his former fiance tried to grab his attention in a pair of tight white shorts.
Marc and Lorenzo have been taking a break in St. Barts and look to be still close despite breaking off their engagement last year.
Jacobs, 48, wore an understated pair of black swimming trunks and was quite content to just bathe in the sun.
Lorenzo, however, had different ideas and appeared to be trying his hardest to grab Marc’s attention.
He wore a very tight pair of white trunks and accessorised it with a cream silk head scarf.
Lorenzo, who is an advertising executive, turned the beach into his own private fashion shoot.
He took a couple of pictures of a sunbathing Jacobs before turning the iPhone on himself and smiling for the camera.
Dressing like Rambo wasn’t enough for Martone as he showed just how he manages to keep his tattooed body in such good shape.
Equipped with his headphones he headed off for a jog along Saline Beach before going for a dip in the sea.
Marc hardly batted an eyelid and stayed enthralled by his book The Petting Zoo by Jim Carroll.
The creative director of Louis Vuitton was on the beach with one of his own trusty Marc Jacobs handbags and took full advantage of the Caribbean sun.
The couple, who got engaged in March 2009, called it quits last year with Martone announcing the news via Twitter in July 2010.
He posted: ‘thanks for t notes. yes, I saw t press today,’ he wrote. ‘We are not together, haven’t been in 2 months. And we will not comment on it. Sorry. We r fine (sic).’
These holiday pictures though would suggest that there may be something still between them.
Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have shown off pictures of their children’s’ first Christmas.
The couple – who welcomed Moroccan and Monroe into the world in April – today shared snaps of the eight-month-old fraternal twins via a website dedicated to their existence.
The image features two separate portraits of the babies, with their son, Monroe wearing a pumpkin-style suit on the right and their daughter, Monroe, donning a pink all-in-one as she is cuddled by Father Christmas and her mother on the left.
With her eyes closed she looks blissful as she poses for the photo titled Monroe and Moroccan’s First Christmas.
The adorable snapshot comes as Carey has topped a poll of celebrities who gave their children the worst names this year.
The Touch My Body singer’s choice of the name Moroccan for one of her kids with TV presenter Nick Cannon, 31, tied as the worst boy’s name.
Meanwhile, the star’s post-pregnancy Jenny Craig weight loss plan has definitely been working.
She flaunted a slender figure in a one-piece Spandex ski suit in Aspen over the weekend.
The Butterfly star has been vacationing in Colorado’s chic ski playground to the stars with her partner.
was quite clear that Mariah was not going to let the plummeting temperatures ruin her fashion sense as she donned a black and red and bodysuit with white trimming to shield her from the freezing Colorado cold.After losing 30 lbs she openly discussed her weight in an interview with ABC News and the media pressure to shed the extra poundage quickly.
‘If they want to rag at me for looking like a huge boat, like that wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t help it,’ she said.
‘Carrying two human lives inside me and doing the best I could. What am I going to do?’
We’ve always known Rihanna is smoking hot, but these pictures of her only cement it further.
The pop princess, 23, will be the envy of every girl across the globe as she parades her incredible curvaceous figure during a dip in the sea in her home country of Barbados.
Leaving little to the imagination in a barely-there orange bikini, Rihanna displayed her womanly physique with curves in all the right places and a flirtatious attitude to match.
Obviously benefiting from the high-energy dance routines she performed almost every night on stage during her tour, Rihanna’s body looked toned yet curvy.
She hit the beach in her native Barbados with family members and friends – of course, she was the centre of attention throughout the duration of her time on the beach.
At one point she had a wrestle in the sea with her youngest brother Rajad, revealing her playful side as she tried to dunk him under the water – but her brother was up to the challenge and the both ended up flying into the sea head first.
As she emerged though, she was dangerously close to an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction as the left side of her bikini top was pushed up a little too far.
She also headed into the water on her own to let the waves crash against her toned body, lifting up her arms and jumping as they did so.
Libyan soldiers have found former autocratic ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s secret cacheof gold, dollars and euros buried in a garden on the outskirts of Sirte.
According to a TV report showed on a Doha based satellite news channel Al-Libya, the cache was found in a garden in Gaddafi’s stronghold Zanaki Kamish, containing the equivalent of around one million euros in the local dinar currency and a bag full of euro bank notes and gold ingot.
“We found a safe so full of money and gold that four men like us can’t lift it,” a soldier was reported to have said, while another added, “this is Gaddafi’s mafia money. For this money he killed thousands of Libyans,”
Werner Otto, the founder of the mail-order company that bears his name and a prominent figure in West Germany’s post-World War II economic resurgence, has died. He was 102.
The company, Otto Group, said Tuesday that he died in Berlin on Dec. 21 in the presence of his family.
source : http://www.usatoday.com
Otto opened a shoe factory in Hamburg in 1945, but it didn’t last long in the face of tough competition from southern Germany.
So in 1949, with four employees, he turned to selling shoes by mail order — the start of what became Otto Group, which now employs 50,000 people and has annual revenues of €11.4 billion ($14.9 billion).
Its first, hand-produced, catalog appeared in 1950, offering 28 styles of shoes. The business then grew rapidly during the 1950s, expanding its range and establishing itself with the help of shoppers from outside major cities who didn’t have ready access to stores; in 1963, Otto introduced telephone orders and went online in 1995.
Otto handed over the company’s operational management in 1965 and founded another enterprise, ECE, which builds and manages shopping malls in Europe.
He also set up Paramount Group, Inc., to invest in U.S. real estate.
Otto dedicated himself to a range of social causes, including his Werner Otto Foundation, founded in 1969, which supports medical research.
Among other projects, his company said he also donated a new museum building to Harvard University, the Werner Otto Hall, to showcase expressionist art from the German-speaking world.
Otto was born in the eastern German town of Seelow on Aug. 13, 1909, the son of a merchant.
He is survived by his third wife, Maren, and his five children. His oldest son, Michael, is now Otto Group’s supervisory board chairman and his youngest son, Alexander, is the chief executive of ECE.
North Korea’s next leader led a funeral procession for his father Kim Jong-il through Pyongyang’s snow-covered streets.
Footage broadcast today on North Korea’s state television showed Kim Jong-un walking at the side of a sedan bearing a massive portrait of Kim Jong-il as it made its way slowly through a cold, grey Pyongyang.
Tens of thousands of mourners stood in the snow as they passed by. Soldiers stood in lines with their heads bowed.
Kim died of a heart attack on December 17.
Kim’s youngest son and successor has rapidly gained prominence following his father’s death.
Dressed in a dark overcoat, the younger Kim bowed his head slightly against the snow, and raised his right arm in salute.
Walking behind was Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law and a vice chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission who is expected to play a crucial role in helping Kim Jong-un take power.
Tens of thousands of mourners stood in heavy snow as they passed by. Soldiers stood in lines with their heads bowed.
Kim Jong-il, who led the nation with an iron fist following his father Kim Il Sung’s death in 1994, died aged 69, according to state media.
Kim Jong-un is already being hailed as the “supreme leader” of the party, state and army.
A private ceremony is believed to have been held earlier today in the inner sanctum of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace with Kim Jong-un and top military and party officials.
Foreign dignitaries in the city had been asked to gather at a sports stadium shortly before noon to be taken to Kumsusan to see the hearse pass at the start of the funeral procession through Pyongyang.
The young Kim made his public debut just last year with a promotion to four-star general and an appointment as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party.
But in the days since his father’s death, the campaign to install him as the next leader has been swift, with state media bestowing him with new titles, including “great successor”, “supreme leader” and “sagacious leader”.
It may sound like a Spielberg movie plot, but if senior U.S. airmen are to be believed, this scenario is not science fiction.
They claim that since 1948, aliens have been hovering over UK and U.S. nuclear missile sites and deactivating the weapons– once even landing in a British base.
Furthermore, they warn, our governments are hushing the activity up.
Captain Robert Salas, who, along with six others is to break his silence on the subject, said: ‘We’re talking about unidentified flying objects, as simple as that.
‘They’re often known as UFOs, you could call them that.
‘The U.S. Air Force is lying about the national security implications of unidentified aerial objects at nuclear bases and we can prove it,’ he said.
The former officer said he witnessed such an event first-hand on March 16, 1967, at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
‘I was on duty when an object came over and hovered directly over the site.
‘The missiles shut down – ten Minuteman [nuclear] missiles. And the same thing happened at another site a week later. There’s a strong interest in our missiles by these objects, wherever they come from. I personally think they’re not from planet Earth.’
Colonel Charles Halt claims to have seen a UFO at RAF Bentwaters, near Ipswich, one of the few bases in the UK to hold nuclear weapons.
The sighting is said to have taken place 30 years ago. First he saw the object firing beams of light into the base then heard on the military radio that aliens had landed inside the nuclear storage area, he said.
‘I believe that the security services of both the United States and the United Kingdom have attempted – both then and now – to subvert the significance of what occurred at RAF Bentwaters by the use of well-practised methods of disinformation.’
The six former U.S. Air Force officers and one former enlisted man, are to present declassified information which they claim backs up their findings.
They have witness testimony from 120 former or retired military personnel which points to alien intervention at nuclear sites in the U.S. as recently as 2003.
They will urge the authorities to confirm that alien beings have long been visiting Earth.
A press conference today in Washington will also highlight testimony from retired U.S. Air Force Captain Bruce Fenstermacher, whose security team saw a cigar-shaped UFO hovering above FE Warren nuclear base in Wyoming in 1976.
Researcher Robert Hastings, who has written on the subject, explained that so far the aliens appeared interested in ‘mere surveillance’ but warned they seemed to have gone further in some instances.
‘At long last, all of these witnesses are coming forward to say that, as unbelievable as it may seem to some, UFOs have long monitored and sometimes tampered with our nukes,’ he added.
The 27-year-old hopped onto the beast for a Boxing Day mountain town tour in Vietnam, where he is enjoying a festive break.
Zuckerberg jetted into the Asian country five days ago with his girlfriend Priscilla and a few mates.
The young billionaire is understood to have visited popular tourist spot Ha Long Bay on Christmas Eve before journeying to an ecolodge in the northern mountain town of Sapa.
Zuckerberg’s decision to holiday in Vietnam is an interesting one because the country blocks its citizens from using Facebook.
The site is one of many blocked by the authorities, although it can still be accessed.
And social media use is reportedly booming in Vietnam, which is one of the world’s top 10 fastest growing markets.
The biggest sales rush in British history was marked by bloodshed yesterday as a teenager was murdered in a suspected row over a pair of trainers.
Bargain hunters looked on in horror as the 18-year-old was stabbed in a branch of Foot Locker on Oxford Street in central London.
Witnesses said the teenager was amongst a group of black youths, thought to be rival gangs, fighting over the trainers.
The teen, named as Seydou Diarrassouba, managed to stagger outside bleeding heavily before collapsing on the street.
Videos posted on the internet showed that as paramedics treated him other youths pushed and shoved police in scenes reminiscent of the summer riots.
Hours after the murder, police rushed to a second incident near Oxford Circus Tube station – 700 yards from Foot Locker – where a young man had been stabbed in the leg. At the scene were a bloodied pair of jeans and a pair of Nike trainers.
Police were investigating whether there was any link between the two stabbings.
Eleven people have so far been arrested in connection with the Foot Locker incident.
Scotland Yard said there were five 19-year-olds, three 17-year-olds, two 22-year-olds and one 16-year-old among the 11 people arrested in connection with the Foot Locker murder.
They are in custody at several London police stations.
Police also said a post-mortem examination is taking place at Westminster Mortuary today to establish the cause of Mr Diarrassouba’s death.
Today a school friend of the victim identified the fatally stabbed teenager as Seydou Diarrassouba, who lived in Mitcham, south London.
Munawar Shaikh, 20, who went to school with the knife victim, said: ‘I heard about it on social network sites.
It’s devastating, I had lost contact with Seydou but he was such a big personality and a person everyone in Mitcham would know. ‘He was just a good kid who always had a smile on his face. I have not had a chance to go out yet but I imagine everybody will be cut up about it.’Asked if he thought the killing may have been gang-related, Mr Shaikh said: ‘I cannot say if it was a gang thing, it seems more like it was just a misunderstanding between youths.’
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dunne, who is leading the murder inquiry, said: ‘This is probably the busiest place in the United Kingdom right now on the busiest shopping day.’
The crimes brought a large area thronged by tens of thousands of shoppers to a standstill and closed many stores.
Scotland Yard said Oxford Street has today fully reopened to pedestrians, buses and other traffic, while a small crime scene remains in place outside the Foot Locker store.
Police commanders had to bring in extra officers to hold back crowds of bargain hunters incensed their spending spree had been interrupted.
Yesterday’s murder happened at about 1.45pm – the height of the shopping frenzy.
The sprawling Foot Locker store, near Bond Street Tube station, was packed with shoppers frantically sifting through piles of sales goods.
Police today appealed for any onlookers who caught the Oxford Street stabbing on their camera phones to come forward with the footage.
Detectives believe a number of witnesses filmed the horrific incident on their mobiles as the 18-year-old was knifed by a Foot Locker.
Det Supt John Sweeney said: ‘There were several people who witnessed this event both inside and outside the store.
‘A number of them recorded it on camera phone and we are interested in those people coming forward.
‘We also want to speak to anyone else who saw what happened both inside and outside the store.’
Witnesses said a group of young men began arguing over a box of trainers before the victim was stabbed in the chest. It is believed the group may have been on Oxford Street on a shoplifting spree and were arguing over who stole what.
One said the killer said ‘Wallah’, an Arabic slang term for ‘I swear to God’, before plunging the knife into his victim.
She’s known for having no inhibitions as she poses topless in front of the camera, and during her downtime.
So it seemed pointless that Kate Moss donned a barely-there bikini which failed to cover her small frame – especially when the shoot was for a naked calendar.
The supermodel ultimately poses without any clothing for the final version of the famous Pirelli publication, in the name of ‘art’.
Kate showed off her taut stomach and toned legs in the tiny garment.
She was given a natural look with minimal make-up and slicked back hair.
Kate and eleven other stunning women were flown to Murtoli on the Mediterranean island of Corsica for the week-long assignment before she married rocker Jamie Hince this summer.
Locations used included abandoned old farmhouses as well as the blue seawater with backdrops of rocky outcrops – with security guards keeping onlookers at bay to stop sneaky pictures being taken.
The never-before seen shots have just been released by tyre manufacturer Pirelli to hype up the exclusive 2012 calendar, which was launched on December 9 in New York.
Among the other beauties included in the calendar are David Walliams wife Lara Stone, Ukranian actress Milla Jovovich and Dutch model Saskia de Brauw.
Its 25-photo spread includes 18 black-and-whites and seven coloured pictures.
An insider on the set said: ‘It was a fantastic assignment with the emphasis really being placed on feminine beauty and the pictures are fabulous the girls look really, really sexy.’
Since it’s inception in 1964, Pirelli has instructed leading photographers to capture the world’s most beautiful women on film for the exclusive calendar solely as a gift for royalty, celebrities and VIP customers.
Prince Andrew is said to be a regular recipient.
It is the second time that Kate has appeared in the Pirelli calendar.
By coincidence Sorrenti is an old boyfriend of Kate and he photographed her several times during the 1990′s for the designer Calvin Klein.
The two have remained close friends despite splitting up.
Kate said of her friend: ‘We’ve known each other since I was 17 – we were boyfriend and girlfriend for a couple of years. He adores women.
‘He really loves the female form and everything about it.’
Shoppers have been racing through the doors as they try to snatch up armfuls of bargains in the Boxing Day sales.
Across the country customers have been ransacking the rails as they seek out the slashed prices.
Staff at Selfridges’ in London were greeted by excitable consumers who burst through the door and raced up the elevators, eager to claim reduced-price designer goods.
Despite the cold weather people started to queue at 10.30pm on Christmas Day, and when the Oxford Street opened its doors for trade at 9am, there were over 2,000 people waiting outside, manned by over 250 security guards and police.
In the first hour of trading today the shop experienced their biggest hour of trade in history and is on course to break a new record for sales across all four Selfridges’ stores in England.
A record number of stores are open today promising to slash prices by up to 80 per cent in what is a bloody battle for survival.
Marks & Spencer opened 98 of its larger stores for the first time while Next opened more than 400 outlets to eager shoppers from 6am.
Over 700 people queued at 6.30am this morning at the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, east London.
The Sun reported that consumers will spend £22.8billion by the third week of January – £338million more than last year.
Despite tube drivers striking in the capital, bargain hunters are determined to seek out goods that have been slashed in price.
An estimated 5.6 million drivers will take to the roads in search of a bargain, according to Green Flag breakdown.
All the major supermarkets are also opening more outlets today as December 26 becomes more like a normal shopping day than ever before.
Even Tesco’s online grocery shopping and delivery service is back up and running today, despite the fact that the nation will have stocked up on food before Christmas.
At Birmingham’s Bullring retail complex, which has attracted 1.3 million visitors in the last week, queues began to form as early as 2am.
More than 2,500 eager shoppers were waiting in St Martin’s Walk by the time fashion chain Next opened its doors and the Bullring’s branch of Selfridges saw an initial queue of around 1,000 people.
The 160-store centre estimated that 9,000 visitors had hit its shops by 9am.
Predicting that almost 230,000 bargain hunters would visit the centre during Boxing Day, Bullring general manager Tim Walley commented: ‘Three of our biggest retailers have launched their iconic Boxing Day sales so we expect a bumper day.
Despite his eagerness to rejoin the Royals at home, Prince Philip has learned he will have to spend a fourth night in hospital.
The Duke of Edinburgh was particularly disappointed to miss the family’s annual Boxing Day pheasant shoot today.
He was visited yesterday by six of the royal grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry, at Papworth Hospital near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, where he is recovering after treatment on a blocked coronary artery.
The 90-year-old did not get to lead the traditional shoot, as he normally would, but was comforted by a 45-minute visit from the princes, as well as the Duke of York’s daughters Beatrice and Eugenie and the Princess Royal’s children Zara and Peter.
The blow came a day after what is thought to be the first Christmas morning service at Sandringham he has missed since it became a tradition for the Royals in the 1990s.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘The Duke is in good spirits and will remain in hospital under observation for a short period.
‘The Queen will continue to be briefed on his condition. We do not have details of a release date at this stage.’
The Palace said there was no change this morning but added that the Prince had spent another ‘good night’ at Papworth.
Just hours after his life-saving operation, Philip was demanding to be released from hospital.
‘I feel fine’, the irascible 90-year-old told doctors who had carried out an emergency operation to treat a blocked coronary artery. ‘I don’t want to make a fuss. I just want to go home.’
An insider at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire said: ‘He is itching to get out.’
The Queen, who flew the 60 miles by helicopter from Sandringham on Christmas Eve to be with her husband of 64 years, remained at the Norfolk estate with the rest of her family.
At her request, their thoughts were with Philip but their eyes were on Kate prayers were said for the duke during a community service at St Mary Magdalene Church yesterday morning.
It was the second visit to St Mary’s that the 85-year-old Queen had made that day. For the first, she was driven as usual to the church, accompanied by her daughter-in-law the Countess of Wessex, while the rest of her family, headed by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, went on foot.
The presence of the Duchess of Cambridge, spending her first Christmas as a member of the Royal Family, helped to attract a record 3,000 well-wishers.
The Queen wore a lavender wool boucle coat by Karl Ludwig, upon which she had pinned a diamond shell brooch with a pearl at the centre, with a matching white and ivory hat by Angela Kelly.
She accepted dozens of bouquets helped by three of her grandchildren, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and the Wessexes’ daughter Lady Louise Windsor.
The regime in Pyongyang, meanwhile, was further angered by South Korea’s reaction to the death of military ruler. The State Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea called on Seoul, not to limit the number of delegations condolences. North Korea warned that would never be tolerated if someone discourages mourners. Officially, Pyongyang since the Korean War is (1950-1953) at war with Seoul. After Kim’s death, the South had put its army on alert. Read the full story
The “Great follow-up” is still collecting offices and honorary title: After the death of his father, Kim Jong Un will be conducted in North Korea as a “commander” and secretary general of the ruling Workers’ Party. His uncle, an influential power broker, presents itself as a general. Meanwhile, two South Korean delegations have arrived in the isolated country – and were received by Kim Jong Un. Read the full story
The Queen visited the Duke of Edinburgh at Papworth Hospital this morning following his emergency heart surgery to treat a blocked coronary artery.
Her Majesty was flown to Papworth from her Sandringham estate in the royal helicopter and was then driven to the hospital in a Range Rover.
She was accompanied by the Earl of Wessex, The Princess Royal and the Duke of York as they visited the Duke’s bedside.
The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were seen arriving by car.
The Duke, 90, was ‘in good spirits’, Buckingham Palace said.
The Palace had earlier said Philip had spent a ‘good night’ following the coronary stent procedure yesterday evening.
The Palace said: ‘The Queen, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal arrived from Sandringham to Papworth by helicopter before 11am.
‘They were met by Mr Stephen Bridge, chief executive of Papworth, and Professor John Cunningham, physician to the Queen.
‘The visit lasted 45 minutes. Prince Philip is in good spirits.
‘The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall also arrived by car 45 minutes later.’
There were no further details about when the Duke would be discharged.
The Queen was flown in to Papworth this morning from Sandringham, her private Norfolk estate, where the royal family is spending Christmas.
The royal helicopter touched down near the hospital and the visitors were driven in in a convoy of two Range Rovers and a third car.
The royal party returned to the helicopter and was flown away shortly before midday.
Philip was taken to the specialist heart hospital last night after complaining of chest pains, and following tests a blocked artery was discovered by doctors.
He underwent an ‘invasive procedure of coronary stenting’, which was declared a success.
The Duke had a coronary stent fitted after suffering chest pains while preparing for Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham.
As details of Prince Phillip’s health scare emerged, one senior doctor said it ‘was likely’ the Duke of Edinburgh had suffered a heart attack which was stopped in its tracks by the emergency surgery.
Dr Iqbal Malik, a consultant at Imperial College London, told The Telegraph: ‘It seems that he probably was having a heart attack that Papworth have successfully aborted.
‘Hopefully he will make a great recovery from this. Despite the fact he is 90 the chance of him getting on with his life is optimised by having that blocked vessel open.’
It is not known when he will be discharged, but medical experts have said that many patients can leave hospital a day after undergoing the procedure, providing there are no complications.
Dr Simon Davies, a cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, said: ‘The pain was from the heart. It means that one or more of the coronary arteries was badly narrowed or perhaps blocked.
‘That meant that the blood was not passing through that artery so the muscle was starving of oxygen and in danger of dying, in other words a heart attack, or was on the verge of one.’
In view of his age, the Queen’s husband, who still conducts more than 350 engagements each year, will remain in hospital for a day or so for further monitoring.
A Downing Street spokesman today said: ‘The Prime Minister has been kept informed of the situation and wishes the Duke of Edinburgh a very speedy recovery.’
Dozens of well-wishers gathered at the hospital’s gates to catch a glimpse of Prince Phillip’s visitors and to show support to the family.
Braving the winter cold outside the hospital was Terry Hutt, 76, who had driven from nearby Cambridge to wish the Duke a swift recovery.
The grandfather of three, a retired carpenter, has been an enthusiastic follower of the royals since he met the Queen Mother during the Blitz.
Today he brought Philip a gift to wish him a swift recovery.
Mr Hutt said: ‘I’ve brought him a Father Christmas doll because I don’t think he’s a man of flowers. ‘It’s sad to have to come here for news but it’s good news so far so I really hope he can come out to spend Christmas with his family, like everyone else.’
Mr Hutt received treatment at Papworth three months ago and said he was sure the Duke was in good hands.
‘I had some trouble with my ticker and came here, it’s a fantastic place,’ he said.
James Benson, 20, said: ‘I thought it would be nice to come and show we’re thinking of him. When something like this happens to someone, it doesn’t matter whether you’re royalty or not – it’s still very worrying, especially at Christmas.’
It is believed the Queen has been reassured her husband’s health is improving and he is receiving the very best care.
It is not thought Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting the hospital today but were on route to Sandringham this afternoon to join the rest of the family.
Last night the Duke’s wife and children were being kept updated on his condition back at the Queen’s private Norfolk estate, where they are gathered for Christmas.
Although it may be viewed by some as uncaring, this is normal procedure within the Royal Family – and the Duke would have it no other way.
When he was in hospital for four days with a chest infection in 2008 he refused to receive any visitors and spent his time catching up on his paperwork.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement last night: ‘His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh was taken to Papworth Cardiothoracic Centre this evening from Sandringham House for precautionary tests after experiencing chest pain.
‘Following tests at Papworth the Duke of Edinburgh was found to have a blocked coronary artery which had caused his chest pains. This was treated successfully by the minimally invasive procedure of coronary stenting. Prince Philip will remain in hospital for observation for a short period.’
It is believed the Duke was flown to the hospital, which is around 60 miles away from the Sandringham estate, by a Sea King helicopter from RAF Wattisham, near Stowmarket in Suffolk, where Prince Harry is based.
The Duke’s illness comes at the start of the royal Christmas gathering at Sandringham in Norfolk.
Every senior member of the Royal Family was at the estate yesterday, including Prince Charles, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke of York, Princess Anne and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The Duke’s heart scare will come as a terrible blow to his wife of 64 years, who is due to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee next year with a nationwide tour with her husband by her side.
A source claimed that although the Queen is ostensibly the ‘senior partner’ in their relationship, she relies on her husband ‘utterly’.
‘It may be a cliché but he truly is the power behind the throne,’ said a source. ‘He is her rock.’
Philip is already the longest-serving consort in British history and the oldest serving partner of a reigning monarch.
She recently claimed she is not desperate to have a baby but Jennifer Aniston could have produced a mini-Pitt, if she’d listened to the bizarre advice of a recently deceased Hollywood agent.
Jennifer Aniston was advised to get a ‘sperm donation’ from Brad Pitt after they broke up in 2005, it has been claimed.
Agent to the stars, Sue Mengers – who passed away in October, aged 78 – voiced the odd recommendation to The Break Up star following her difficult separation from the actor.
Columnist, Maureen Dowd revealed the news today as an article about the ballsy film industry legend is published in New York Times Magazine.
Dowd claimed that Mengers admitted telling Jennifer to arrange taking some semen form her ex-husband.
Brad, 48, has gone on to enjoy parenthood since leaving Aniston and pairing up with Angelina Jolie, 36.
While she already had adopted son Maddox, now ten , when they started dating, Pitt accompanied her on her trip to Ethiopia to collect daughter Zahara, six ,
Then in 2006 the Mr and Mrs Smith actress gave birth to their first biological daughter, Shiloh Nouvel, five , but the child rearing didn’t stop there.
Pax, now seven, was adopted aged three after being brought up in a Vietnamese orphanage in 2007 and she gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008.
Meanwhile Jennifer and her other half, Justin Theroux, 40 , may not be producing offspring as yet but they are taking the next big step in their relationship.
The couple have created a personalised Christmas card together which they have sent out to family and friends in celebration of the festive season.
