Even from beyond the grave, death still dogs Di
A NEW BOOK CLAIMS that the late Princess Diana had an abortion in 1994, when she was separated but not yet divorced from Prince Charles.
Socialite Lady Colin Campbell‘s “The Real Diana” says the baby was conceived with Diana’s then-lover, art dealer Oliver Hoare.
Campbell’s book, which relies heavily on unnamed sources, said Diana was so overcome with grief over the loss of what was to have been a daughter that “she wasn’t responsible for her actions.”
Meanwhile, Diana believed that one of her previous lovers was “bumped off,” according to tapes broadcast for the first time Monday on NBC’s “Dateline.”
Policeman Barry Mannakee died in a motorcycle accident in 1987, after being transferred from his post as Diana’s guard following their affair.
“It was all found out and he was chucked out. And then he was killed,” Diana says on the tape. “And I think he was bumped off. … We’ll never know. He was the greatest fella I’ve ever had.”
Or maybe it was just a charley horse
Buckingham Palace has termed “irresponsible” reports that a kidnapping threat forced Britain’s Prince Harry to cut short a trip to Argentina, blaming a knee injury.
The high-spirited second son of Prince Charles returned Friday from a polo-pony ranch outside Buenos Aires where he had been working, two days after gunfire was heard. Local authorities blamed poachers, but an Argentine newspaper reported that police fired into the air after suspecting kidnappers were near the ranch.
The local media also had reported that the rowdy prince was getting drunk and causing problems at a nearby bar, and that police had complained to the British Embassy. In October, the wild child punched a photographer outside a London nightclub.
Clooney back in the ER
A ruptured disk is keeping George Clooney from promoting his new film, “Ocean’s Twelve.”
Clooney canceled television appearances including “Good Morning America,” “The Daily Show” and “Charlie Rose” this week, saying his condition had worsened and he would be unable to travel. There was no word on how or when the injury occurred.
More not-so-cheery news
Shelley Long’s handlers are in high gear fending off reports that the former “Cheers” star took an overdose of pain killers because she was depressed about the breakup of her 22-year marriage to stockbroker Bruce Tyson.
“Shelley took an extra pain pill for her back, which she hurt when she fell on the set of ‘Cheers’ many years ago,” her spokesman said. “She had a reaction to it … but she is now home (from the hospital) and she is fine.”
Get high and you’ll do your time
Mindy McCready, who had a No. 1 country hit in 1996 with “Guys Do It All the Time,” pleaded guilty Monday to purchasing painkillers with a false prescription.
McCready, who turned 28 on Tuesday, was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.
The birthday bunch
Actor/director Woody Allen is 69. Singer Lou Rawls is 69. Singer Dianne Lennon (the Lennon Sisters) is 65. Comedian/actor Richard Pryor is 64. Actress/singer Bette Midler is 59. Singer Gilbert O’Sullivan is 58. Actor Treat Williams is 53. Country singer Kim Richey is 48. Actress Charlene Tilton is 46. Model/actress Carol Alt is 44. Actor Nestor Carbonell (“Suddenly Susan”) is 37. Actress Ashley Monique Clark (“The Hughleys”) is 16.