Fergie wants to continue Victoria's reign Date July 9, 2013 (CANBERRA TIMES)

Former British royal Sarah Ferguson hopes to persuade Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes to sign on to pen the script for a sequel to The Young Victoria.

The Duchess of York, who was previously married to Prince Andrew, served as co-producer on the 2009 Oscar-winning film, which also featured her daughter Princess Beatrice as an extra, and hopes to re-create its success with a follow-up.

Fellowes was behind the script to The Young Victoria, which chronicles the life of Britain's Queen Victoria and her romance with Prince Albert, and Ferguson wants to re-team with the writer for the new project.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/ct-editorial/fergie-wants-to-continue-victorias-reign-20130708-2pm4e.html#ixzz2YYNEyZZa

Hugh Grant gets an apology from Murdoch Duchess of York and Christopher Eccleston also settle hacking cases in High Court JAMES CUSICK (INDEPENDENT)

The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, actors Hugh Grant and Christopher Eccleston, and the Catholic parish priest of singer Charlotte Church, Father Richard Reardon, were among 17 phone-hacking victims offered  public apologies in the High Court  today by News International.

The “sincere” contrition and undisclosed “substantial” damages for a total of 144 cases, means that 26 victims of the News of the World’s illegal phone-hacking activities, have yet to settle with Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper division in the latest wave of claims.

Among the claimants who opted for a court-room apology were singer James Blunt, Uri Geller, Geoffrey Robinson, the former Labour minister, and Colin Stagg, the man wrongly accused of the murder of Rachel Nickell. Mr Stagg, one of the few to have his damages disclosed, was awarded £15,500.

Those who settled, but opted to keep the terms of the arrangement private, included Cherie Blair QC, the wife of the former prime minister, Ukip leader Nigel Farage, TV presenters Jamie Theakston and Chris Tarrant, Ted Beckham, the father of the former England football captain, former Tory minister Lord Blencathra, actor James Nesbitt, footballer Wayne Rooney, and BBC reporter Tom Mangold.

READ MORE:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/hugh-grant-gets-an-apology-from-murdoch-8486935.html

Hugh Grant Sues News Corp. Over Phone Hacking by Tabloid By Erik Larson - Sep 14, 2012 10:26 AM ET (BLOOMBERG)

Hugh Grant, the British actor who told a media-ethics inquiry the press had become “toxic” in its pursuit of celebrity gossip, sued News Corp. (NWSA)’s U.K. unit over claims its News of the World tabloid hacked his phone.

The lawsuit was filed yesterday in London, his lawyer Mark Thomson said in an e-mail. Grant, 52, joins Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and 34 other victims who lodged claims yesterday, racing to beat the deadline for the civil suit which won’t begin before May 1.


Grant, who starred in the comedy “Notting Hill,” told the inquiry in November that phone hacking was probably used by other publishers. He said he’d suffered numerous media intrusions, such as a break-in at his apartment in 1995 and tabloids running stories about private medical treatments.

The now-defunct tabloid targeted some of the best-known celebrities, including U.S. actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and England soccer player Wayne Rooney, prosecutors said in July. Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive officer of News Corp.’s U.K. publisher, and seven others were charged with conspiring between 2000 and 2006 to hack the phone messages of more than 600 people.


READ MORE: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-14/hugh-grant-sues-news-corp-over-phone-hacking-by-u-k-tabloid.html