England Royal Family

Queen Mother Elizabeth quietly celebrated her 91st birthday Sunday with her daughter, the queen, at the royal Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The church organist slipped a few bars of "Happy Birthday to You" into the processional as the Queen Mother left the morning service at the Sandringham parish church in eastern England. The church was packed with local residents and estate workers who joined the rector in wishing the Queen Mother "a very happy day."

The press conference schedule simply said Edward Windsor. No title. No mention of a royal lineage. Just a name, as he wants to be known in the television business. But this wasn't your average executive. Around banquet tables of English tea and finger sandwiches, surrounded by draping velvet banners and classical music, nearly 200 American media reporters anxiously awaited a close encounter with a real live member of British royalty at a Pasadena hotel.

Buckingham Palace has set out strict guidelines to ensure that royals keep official duties and business careers separate, a palace spokeswoman said. The rules were drawn up after an inquiry into remarks made by Prince Edward's wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones, who told a reporter posing as a sheik that her royal connections were useful in business dealings.

Robin Walker, a senior De Beers official, picks up the telephone and calls the people in charge of the British crown jewels. His influence works. Two days later, on a private visit to the Tower of London, a reporter peers into the Kohinoor, the notorious Indian diamond.

Puritans from this tiny village were among the earliest Pilgrim settlers in the New World, but it's only now, more than 350 years later, that students at the local primary school are preparing to mark their first American-style Thanksgiving. And it's all because of President-elect George Bush. Bush has what genealogists here describe as an impeccably patrician English pedigree. So his election victory triggered both a touch of British chauvinism and unaccustomed attention to things American.

In just two years, from 1984 to 1986, Princess Diana dramatically transformed herself from a shy, awkward young princess into a confident, dashing young woman who would win praise from fashion experts around the world for her poise, elegance and style. It was almost certainly the arrival of Sarah Ferguson on the royal scene that gave Diana a radically different perspective on life. Fergie's confidence began to rub off on Diana.

Britain's star-crossed Princess Diana, newly in love after a bitter divorce from Prince Charles, and her companion, Harrods heir Dodi Fayed, died early today after their car crashed in a Paris tunnel, apparently while being chased by photographers. The death of the 36-year-old Diana was confirmed by both French and British sources just before dawn, 5 1/2 hours after the accident near the River Seine. Fayed, 41, died at the scene along with the car's driver.

Wildlife conservationists in Britain have leveled their fire at Prince Charles, heir to the throne, as part of their campaign to rid the country of so-called blood sports. The animal rights advocates reacted with anger after Charles took his 7-year-old son, Harry, on a recent hunt in which two hares were killed. Charles' niece Zara, daughter of Princess Anne, was also taken to the hunt by her uncle, part of a group of 20 children among the 50 riders.

Choosing international protocol over domestic politics, Britain announced Monday that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Foreign Minister Geoffrey Howe will represent it in Tokyo next month for the state funeral of Emperor Hirohito.

Three more relatives of the British Royal Family were sent to a mental institution at the same time as two of Queen Elizabeth's cousins more than 40 years ago, London newspapers said Tuesday. A spokesman at Buckingham Palace said earlier that the queen was aware of the confinement of cousins Katherine and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon but that it was "a matter for the immediate (Bowes-Lyon) family." The queen's mother is the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.