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Queen Elizabeth checks on her savings

Queen Elizabeth checks on her savings

Queen Elizabeth in the Bank of England's vault.

Queen Elizabeth generally shies away from ostentatious shows of wealth, but she couldn’t help grinning as she inspected her gold bullion reserves yesterday.

The monarch and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Bank of England’s underground vault, which contains gold bars worth an estimated $240 billion.

Though the fortune does not personally belong to the Queen, the bank is the official financial institution of the British government, of which Her Majesty is the head.

The Queen also signed a million pound note for the Bank’s guest book, and took obvious pleasure in viewing a similar note she signed in 1937 as an 11-year-old princess.

On seeing her girlish signature, the Queen remarked: “It hasn’t improved much you know.”

Elizabeth and Philip seemed to enjoy themselves during the visit, but comments the monarch made while in the vault have sparked international controversy.

The Queen — who usually remains apolitical — appeared to blame Gordon Brown’s Labour government for the 2008 British economic crisis.

“People had got a bit lax, had they?” the Queen was heard saying.

She then went on to criticise the Financial Services Authority, saying it “didn’t have any teeth”.

The Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority played down the significance of the remarks, saying they were “very grateful” for the Queen’s visit and interest.

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Jess and dad Joe ‘in another bust-up’

Jess and dad Joe in another bust-up

Jessica Simpson and manager dad Joe have been keeping the family feud well and truly alight, as they met up last week only to have yet another bust-up.

The star, who is expecting baby number two in May, appeared to be hiding her bump as she ventured out dressed in dark, loose-fitting clothes and carrying an oversized handbag, to meet her father.

According to reports, Joe persuaded Jess to meet him at Los Angeles restaurant Café Med with the promise of new TV jobs and in an attempt to clear the air.

But 32-year-old Jessica is said to have promptly shut him down, blasting him for taking advantage of younger sister Ashlee, and causing rifts within the family.

The father and daughter have been keeping a safe distance since Joe’s marriage broke up earlier this year amid reports of Joe’s alleged gay affairs, but sources say the former Baptist minister has been making every effort to lure Jess back into his life.

“Joe told her there were a lot of TV offers on the table that they needed to go through. But no sooner had Jessica sat down at the table, than she told Joe she didn’t want to do anything TV-related and wanted to concentrate on her fashion line instead,” a source revealed.

“As far as Jessica’s concerned, she is done with her father and doesn’t want to see him again.”

Jessica is reportedly keen to remain in close partnership with mum Tina, who manages the star’s fashion line and who is still coming to terms with the shock and heartbreak of her marriage break-up.

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Has life changed for Suri since the TomKat split?

From private jets to rides on the subway, is life taking a more ‘normal’ turn for Suri following the TomKat split?

A life less ordinary

Suri has enjoyed a remarkable life for a six-year-old, but many suspect Katie will want a more ‘normal’ life for her daughter following the divorce.

Bonding at the fairground

Enjoying a father-daughter moment before the split: Suri and dad Tom Cruise share some good times together in Pittsburgh.

Suri and Tom

Suri clings on tight as Tom carries his daughter (and cuddly friend!) to the family’s private jet.

Travelling in style

Suri on board the Cruise’s private jet in 2011.

Helicopter rides

Tom leads his then-wife Katie and daughter Suri in his helicopter months before the couple’s separation.

Suri takes a lift

Suri gives a wave to her bodyguard before setting off.

Air travel

Tom and family were known to travel by helicopter due to their tight work schedules.

Your carriage awaits

Suri steps into a chauffeur-driven car earlier this year.

Hitting the sub-way

Post-split: Just four months after the divorce, Katie Holmes and Suri are seen taking the NYC subway.

A life more ordinary

November 2012: A rain-sodden Suri pounds the pavement with mum Katie Holmes.

Shopping for groceries

Sources predict Suri will be heading towards a more ‘normal’ life following the break-up of Tom and Katie.

The future for Suri

Suri started a new school in NYC this September – a decision which is believed to have caused the initial rift between Katie and Tom.

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In review: Delta Goodrem, Moshi Monsters and more!

In review: Delta Goodrem, Moshi Monsters and more!
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William walks red carpet alone as Kate misses fourth event

William walks red carpet alone as Kate missed fourth event

William walking the green carpet alone.

Prince William cut a lonely figure at the Hobbit premiere last night, walking the green carpet alone as Kate’s lingering illness forced her to cancel a fourth engagement.

The Duke of Cambridge arrived at London’s Leicester Square late and looking rather sombre in an unusual black tuxedo.

Related: Pregnant Kate suffers relapse forcing William to cancel event

He smiled as he waved to screaming fans, but was obviously missing his wife’s presence, telling the cinema’s general manager: “Kate would have loved to have been here.”

It was the fourth official engagement Kate has been forced to pull out of since she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum — a rare complication of pregnancy that causes constant nausea and vomiting, making eating and drinking nearly impossible — last week.

Kate reported she was “feeling better” when she was discharged from hospital on Friday, but fell ill again on Sunday, forcing William to cancel an engagement to stay by her side.

UK media are now predicting Kate won’t be seen in public until Christmas, and maybe not even until after the baby is born next year.

Related: Royal prank nurse left suicide note

Hyeremesis gravidarum often lasts throughout a pregnancy, and has even been known to continue several weeks after birth.

Eighty percent of women who have it never have another baby because they are so traumatised by their experience with the condition.

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Meet Drew Barrymore’s little miracle

Meet Drew Barrymore’s little miracle

Drew Barrymore has finally introduced baby Olive to the world, sharing pictures of her adorable girl for the very first time.

Talking exclusively to People magazine, the 37-year-old first-time mum, whose daughter with husband Will Kopelman was born back in September, opened up about the most important role of her life.

“It’s positively the best moment of my life. As life gets shorter, the stakes get higher. And this is the most important thing I will ever do,” she told the magazine.

Drew, who married Will in June, said she wasn’t prepared for how much her life would change when she became a mother.

“I couldn’t eat or sleep for two weeks, I was just so nervous! You have the highest highs and yet you’re facing the biggest fear of, ‘How do I keep someone alive?’,” she said.

While her own upbringing wasn’t so conventional, with Drew battling drug addiction as a young actress and checking into rehab at just 13 years old, she is determined her daughter won’t follow in her footsteps.

“I’m trying to figure out how to do things differently than when I grew up. I’ve got some really great blueprints of what not to do.”

Luckily her art consultant husband has a “strong family life”, and the pair are confident this will provide a strong upbringing for their daughter.

“He provides a strong family… for people who didn’t have the strongest families… if you can create that, you have a second chance. It’s like a miracle,” she said.

Drew recently revealed the idea behind her daughter’s name, telling talk-show queen Ellen DeGeneres that it was all Will’s idea.

“I never would have guessed that would have been the name. But I was reading a book with my husband,” she said. “I was three months pregnant and they said your baby is the size of an olive, and that was it. We never looked back!”

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Hospital wedding a race against time for cancer-stricken groom

Hospital wedding a race against time for cancer-stricken groom

Ryan Miller and Lindsay Saunders were married at the hospital where Ryan is being treated for cancer.

When 28-year-old Ryan Miller proposed to Lindsay Saunders, 19, in August last year, the loved-up Texas couple decided they would wait until the time was right to get married.

But when doctors noticed an ominous mass in Ryan’s right lung in August this year their walk down the aisle became a race against time.

Ryan had an Ewing’s Sarcoma — an aggressive tumor that occurs in bones or soft tissues.

On December 5, Ryan’s family was told to start thinking about end of life plans, and marrying his fiance was his first priority.

“We were going to wait a little while until we had a house and everything was financially stable, but then this happened,” Lindsay said.

“He told me that he did not want to die without having been married to me and I didn’t want him to pass without it either.”

The couple wed on December 6 in a ten minute ceremony at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, where Ryan is in residence taking specialised treatment.

Doctors believe the chemotherapy he is now undertaking gives him a 40 percent chance of recovering, but his unstable condition had his family concerned he might not make it to his wedding day.

Thankfully, the wedding went ahead with the intimate ceremony being performed by a hospital chaplain with the couple’s family looking on.

“We were just thrilled and honestly we didn’t know that we would get there and be able to go to a wedding,” said Lindsay’s mother.

Now the happily-married newlyweds are enjoying their time together, and hope that Ryan’s treatment will see him through to February, when a new treatment that could help his recovery is due to be approved.

“Some days are just so great where he’s up and he’s smiling and he’s walking around the room and some days he’s just not looking so good. But for those days that he smiles, it’s just the best,” Lindsay said.

“You just only live in the moment and that moment was just absolutely amazing.”

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Russell Crowe moves on with Billy Joel’s ex-wife

Russell Crowe moves on with Billy Joel’s ex-wife

Russell Crowe has started dating again following his split from Danielle Spencer.

The Les Miserables star was spotted getting cosy with Billy Joel’s ex-wife, food critic Katie Lee.

The pair were caught cuddling at New York’s Greenwich Hotel around 3am on Sunday morning in front the fireplace.

“They seemed to be in an intense flirtatious conversation,” a source told the New York Post.

“They looked really into each other”.

The pair were again spotted in the same place the following afternoon.

Katie was seen earlier in the week at Joe’s Pub, where she watched Russell perform his live show, The Indoor Garden Party.

She has also been “seen around with Russell”, who is currently in New York filming Winter’s Tale.

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Charlie Sheen gives $75,000 to young cancer victim

Charlie Sheen gives $75,000 to young cancer victim

Troubled star Charlie Sheen has shown he has a lot of heart.

After writing Lindsay Lohan a cheque for $100,000, so the broke actress could pay her tax bill, Charlie has now given $75,000 to help a little girl fighting cancer.

The Anger Management star, who has never met 10-year-old Jasmine Faulk, found out about her condition after speaking to her father, a police officer at Hermosa Beach, California.

Jasmine suffers from childhood rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that occurs in the muscle tissue, and the local police association is raising funds for her treatment.

A source told TMZ celebrity website that Charlie was upset for the family, telling her father, “No parent should have to watch their kid go through that”.

Charlie wrote out a cheque the next day to the Hermosa Beach Police Association. Charlie’s stunt double Eddie Braun, inspired by the star’s generosity, donated a further $25,000.

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Couple marry after call to wrong number

Couple marry after call to wrong number

Elizabeth Bennett and Brian Woodward, and the BBC's Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy.

She shares a name with one of Jane Austen greatest romantic heroines, and now UK woman Elizabeth Bennett is the star of her very own epic love story.

Last weekend, Elizabeth, 25, tied the knot with Brian Woodward, 26, a man she met when he dialled a wrong number nine years ago.

It was a fairy tale ending for a romance that began, like the one between Lizzie Bennett and Mr Darcy, with intolerable rudeness.

“Brian was really rude when we first spoke,” Elizabeth told the BBC. “He was worse for wear and didn’t know what he was doing.

“But he called back the next day to apologise and a couple of weeks later he turned up at Thetford train station and hasn’t been away since.”

On Saturday, the pair married at St Peter’s Church, Ickburgh, Norfolk. Elizabeth said the wedding was “perfect”.

The couple, who live in Mundford, Norfolk, will spend Christmas at home with their families before going away for a honeymoon in the new year.

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