Lady Di's first job contract where she 'lied about her age' set to sell for thousands
By Paul Andrews
Princess Diana’s first employment contract where she ''lied about her age to get the job'' is set to sell for thousands at auction.
The contract from Solve Your Problem Ltd – an agency offering nannies to the rich – was completed by Diana in May 1979 just weeks after moving to London.
Her address is noted as Cadogan Place SW1 where she temporarily lived before moving to her own London flat at Colherne Court, Kensington, a few months later.
The contract is largely filled out in Diana’s own hand and she incorrectly listed her date of birth as ‘1960’ instead of ‘1961’.
In May 1979 she would have been 17 turning 18 that year - but by changing the year she made herself already 18.
The seller says they were told it was deliberate - so Diana could get the job or better pay.
The document is expected to sell for over £5K when it goes under the hammer at Auctioneum Ltd in Bristol later this month.
Auctioneer Andrew Stowe says the error on the date of birth was on purpose by Lady Di.
He said: ''Our client had always been told that this was done deliberately, in order that Diana would appear older and therefore more likely to secure a job with the agency, or at least a higher rate of pay!
The document is thought to be Diana’s first official work contract, which saw her undertake various short-term jobs as a nanny, mother’s help and child carer.
Prior to this in 1978 Diana had worked for friends and family, in an unofficial capacity, some are noted as referees on the contract.
‘This is an incredibly important piece of history,’ adds Andrew. ‘'Getting your first job is a big moment in anyone’s life, let alone when that person becomes one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century.
''Here we have a teenage Diana Spencer, freshly moved to London, trying to find her way in life and applying for her first job. It’s so human, so real, so normal.’
''Elsewhere on the contract the employers have listed some of Diana’s skills including ‘cook – basic,’ ‘housework,’ ‘animals,’ and ‘ballet dancer.’
''As well as comments of ‘check skirt’ and concluding ‘lovely girl – send anywhere.’
Solve Your Problem Ltd was an employment agency set up by Mary Cook – a one-time Portuguese Countess - who moved back to London after divorcing her husband in the 1970s.
The agency was a high-class establishment, vetting staff for royal residences and for homes of the rich and famous based in London.
The contract was kept by Cook as a souvenir and was eventually passed to the current owners, who are now offering it for sale.
‘This is such a poignant item,’ adds Andrew ‘at face value, this is just an everyday document, a piece of office stationery that lived in a filing cabinet alongside hundreds of others.
Yet just over two years later, Diana Spencer would become Princess Of Wales and her life would never be the same.
This contract is one of the last remaining snapshots of Diana’s life before she was thrust into the spotlight.’
‘It’s filled with hope, it’s filled with nerves, it represents the emotions and feelings of every teenager trying to find their first job – and yet, there is of course, a great feeling of sadness attached,’ says Andrew.
Diana’s first work contract is featured in Auctioneum’s ‘Autographs & Memorabilia Online Auction’ which ends on April 30th and carries an estimate of £5,000 to £8,000.
The catalogue can be viewed on their website www.auctioneum.co.uk
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
This spacecraft will head to Saturn
By Dean Murray
This is the spacecraft that will head to Saturn.
NASA has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to the planet's organic-rich moon Titan.
The space agency say the decision allows the mission to progress to completion of final design, followed by the construction and testing of the entire spacecraft and science instruments.
The rotorcraft, targeted to arrive at Titan in 2034, will fly to dozens of promising locations on the moon, looking for prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and the early Earth before life developed.
Dragonfly rotorcraft has eight rotors and flies like a large drone. It marks the first time NASA will fly a vehicle for science on another planetary body.
“Dragonfly is a spectacular science mission with broad community interest, and we are excited to take the next steps on this mission," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Exploring Titan will push the boundaries of what we can do with rotorcraft outside of Earth.”
With the release of the U.S. president’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, Dragonfly is confirmed with a total lifecycle cost of $3.35 billion and a launch date of July 2028. This reflects a cost increase of about two times the proposed cost and a delay of more than two years from when the mission was originally selected in 2019.
Following that selection, NASA had to direct the project to replan multiple times due to funding constraints in fiscal years 2020 through 2022. The project incurred additional costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain increases, and the results of an in-depth design iteration.
To compensate for the delayed arrival at Titan, NASA also provided additional funding for a heavy-lift launch vehicle to shorten the mission’s cruise phase.
Dragonfly is being designed and built under the direction of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, which manages the mission for NASA.
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Rescued cat caught on camera bringing random bits of rubbish home!
By Faye Mayern
A mischievous moggy has turned his back on hunting mice - and has been bringing back pieces of litter through his cat flap instead.
Nine-month-old Tofu has been bringing plastic containers, a roll of poo bags and even a lamb shank bone back to his home.
His owner, Jane Sweet, has caught the white and brown kitten on a camera bringing back rubbish through his cat flap and proudly placing them around his home.
He was taken in by Miss Sweet, from Stevenage, Herts, after she found him as a stay kitten in the pouring rain last September.
Miss Sweet, 41, said: "Tofu started to bring back leaves and worms after I first started letting him out into the garden again in the run up to Christmas last year.
"Before long, he bought me some parcel tape, fish food pellets and a Nutella lid.
"It's just carried on since then with mostly food related things but once he did come back with a cigarette filter tip."
Miss Sweet added that she thought that Tofu had been copying his adopted brother Kimchi who would regularly bring back mice.
However, Kimchi was sadly hit by a car a few days before Christmas, prompting Miss Sweet to install the Ring camera.
Over the last few months, Tofu's trophies have become increasingly more adventurous.
Miss Sweet said: "He bought back a lamb shank bone over Easter - I have no idea where he goes to find these things.
"A few days ago he came back with a large tub of cat treats which were still half full.
"He couldn't fit through the cat flap and I could hear all the treats rattling.
"It's completely random when he'll come back with something - sometimes he won't do it for a week or two weeks.
"My dad jokes that it's Tofu's way of paying rent."
Miss Sweet said that Tofu's adopted sister, Sushi who is six, is unimpressed with his finds most of the time.
She said: "Sushi is a bit bemused by it.
"She'll walk up to it thinking it’s something good like a mouse but then she seems to think ‘what is this piece of plastic?'
"I don't know how long he was outdoors before I came across him. Maybe he had been scavenging and it just stayed with him.
"He’s a bit of a strange cat."
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Funny moment gran realised she won after betting on Grand National winner
By Leo Black
This is the moment a racing-mad grandmother found out she had won after betting on the Grand National.
Video shows Margaret Harding, 88, getting the news on the phone - gobsmacked that she picked the winner.
Margaret, of Northampton, East Midlands, can be heard saying: "Crikey! I can't believe it!" as she gapes at her granddaughter who is recording.
The retired receptionist passionately follows and bets on the horses and even gives her family advice on how to place their bets.
She had placed the bet on I Am Maximus ridden by Paul Townend, who took the spoils in Saturday’s showcase Aintree race.
Margaret had bet £5 so took home £35.
Granddaughter Maisie Stanford, 27, a marketing executive from Northampton, said: "All the family ask her for tips on betting on the horses including me.
"I won £20 from asking her the week before."
According to Maisie, her grandmother is mad for horse racing and follows all the races and news to keep track of the sport.
Maisie said: "She loves to read up in the newspaper about the latest stats and odds and races and she often does pick a winner.
"She got my aunty to go to the local bookies and put a bet on for her. She bet £5 and won approximately £35.”
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce spotted KISSING at Coachella afterparty
By Ben Barry
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted kissing at a Coachella after party.
Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce were spotted at Neon Carnival - an invite-only party on Sunday night (14/04).
The couple arrived at 2:15am and partied in a private VIP section near the stage with a group of friends.
Footage shows the smitten pair dancing and sharing a smooch while sat at a table surrounded by their friends.
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Bridgerton superfan spends 300 hours hand crafting dolls of show's characters
By Elise McGrath
A Bridgerton superfan has spent 300 hours hand-crafting dolls of the show's characters and prefers it to leaving the house.
Mimi Bassant, 49, became obsessed with the Netflix series during lockdown and found comfort in making models of the characters after losing her brother, Edwin Lopez, 43, to Covid.
She has made 30 dolls including - Eloise Bridgerton, Mother Violet, Colin, and Lady Danbury.
They take her three days to craft by hand and Mimi will spend all day perfecting their hair and outfits.
Mimi, an employment agent, from Sebring, Florida said: “I decided to watch Bridgerton during the pandemic.
"I didn’t think anything of it but when I saw some of the outfits they were wearing I fell in love with it.
“It’s one of my favourite eras of time. I started watching it around the same time I started collecting dolls again.
“I kept imagining what the dolls would look like if they were dressed in that era – then I got hooked on the show and outfits.”
Mimi needed something to put her energy towards after losing her brother in 2021.
She makes the dolls for her own personal collection and does not plan on selling them.
She said: "My mum tries to get me out of my home but I refuse because I would rather be crafting the dolls and dolls house.
"If I am not making a doll, I am building a house from the inside."
Mimi added: “Before he passed away, he gave me a gift of a Barbie doll. It has sentimental value, so I won’t turn it into a Bridgerton doll.
“At first my mum thought I was a little crazy – she said things like everything to be focusing on and you’re focusing on that.
“I just kept making these dolls and thought I should make the whole Bridgerton cast."
She has spent roughly $500 on the dolls and the materials for their outfits and has over 1000 dolls in boxes that she collects.
"I will make a few dresses cut the patterns and decide which doll looks like the characters.
"I have over 1000 dolls, mostly in boxes."
Mimi also is half way through doing up a doll house for the Bridgerton dolls and owns eight doll houses.
"I bought the house for $35 and started constructing it and making my own furniture.
"I own three cars and carriages for the fancy Bridgertons."
Mimi said: “It’ll take me around one to three days to make the dolls and I am about to finish the 30th character.
“It’s hard to decide who my favourite character is – I feel like I relate to Daphne with her first-time having sex.
“It reminds me of my first time and how parents didn’t talk about sex and stuff.
“I really love the storyline of season one between Daphne and Simon.”
Mimi said the storyline and the outfits inspired her to start creating the dolls.
She said: “I have made my way through season one – I've made Eloise Bridgerton, Mother Violet, Colin, Daphne and Simon.
“Last night I made Daphne’s baby – I have made Lady Danbury from the other season as well as Marina Thompson too.
“I am just in absolute awe of all the outfits, and I haven’t seen anyone else making Bridgerton dolls.”
Mimi washes the dolls' hair and uses straws to curl it.
"If I start making them as early as 8am I will finish around 9pm, if I make them on a weekday I will cook dinner at lunch so I can start them as soon as I get back.
"I will go to second hand stores and ebay to find dolls with no clothes especially if they look like my characters.
"When I get days off work - I will sit and finish my projects."
Mimi said her friends and family have been supportive of her Bridgerton obsession and her friends help her choosing the right materials for the outfits.
She said: “I am so excited for the new season – I go on social media everyday to get little glimpses.
“I want to get ahead of the game and start making everybody’s outfits.
“I have already made Violet’s daughter according to the outfits I’ve seen on the internet.
“I tell them how much I love that era and the storyline is so amazing. I find it so interesting how girls weren’t allowed to be with boys without a chauffeur.”
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I'm eight months pregnant - my extreme morning sickness turned out to be cancer"
By Hannah Van De Peer
A mum-to-be was diagnosed with cancer at five months pregnant - when her extreme morning sickness turned out to be a symptom of the disease.
Caitlin McAlinden, 24, put her cancer symptoms - including a golf ball-sized lump on her neck, nausea and fatigue - down to morning sickness.
But after losing two stone in four months she was referred to a haematology team at Arrowe Park, the Wirral.
They gave her a neck biopsy and diagnosed her with stage one Hodgkin lymphoma in March 2024.
Caitlin is expected to make a full recovery but has to take a steroid injection and a blood-thinning pill every morning.
After her baby boy is born, on May 8, she’ll start a four-week course of chemotherapy.
Caitlin, a primary school teacher, from Wirral, Merseyside, said: “This isn’t the pregnancy I was hoping for - I haven’t felt well this entire time.
“Everything I want to do after my baby is born has to be put on pause due to the chemo.
“My odds are really good - but having my baby will be a good distraction for everything I’m going through.”
Caitlin found out she was pregnant on September 16, 2023 - after feeling nauseous at her birthday dinner the week before.
Her first trimester was “rocky” and she originally believed she had a severe form of morning sickness.
She was vomiting at least once a day and would fall asleep intermittently throughout the day.
But it wasn’t until Christmas Day that she first noticed the pain in her neck and after weighing herself, noticed she’d lost two stone.
She said: “I went back to County Armagh to visit my family for Christmas.
“I remember Christmas Day, falling asleep on the sofa and waking up with a really sore neck.
“I thought I’d just slept funny, but I started massaging my neck.
“That’s when I found a lump, about the size of a pea.”
Caitlin didn’t want to see a GP at first - believing the lump was just another “weird” sign of pregnancy.
But in just a week, her tiredness became worse and the pea-size lump tripled in size.
“I was so, so tired,” she said.
“Walking up the stairs alone would make me need to go for a lie down.
“I felt my neck again one day and the lump had become golf ball-sized.”
Her partner, Connor, 27, a procurement manager, told Caitlin she needed to see a doctor as soon as possible.
She visited her GP on January 2 and was referred for an initial ultrasound on her neck.
They gave her a biopsy on January 16 and the clinician asked Caitlin if she had any family history of Hodgkin lymphoma.
She told them one of her second cousins had gone through it years before and they urgently sent her for more blood tests.
“My doctor’s whole demeanour changed when I said I had a family history of it,” Caitlin said.
“I went for a blood test on the same day.”
Caitlin was diagnosed with stage one Hodgkin lymphoma on March 12, 2024, and instantly started steroid treatment to shrink the mass on her neck.
She was told she won’t need surgery and doctors are confident she’ll be able to start chemotherapy after her due date on May 8.
Despite the cancer being treatable, chemotherapy will stop Cailtin from doing things she wanted to do after her baby boy is born.
She says she won't be able to hold a Christening or breastfeed - which isn’t advised while on chemotherapy due to the chemicals passing through the milk.
She said: “In Catholic culture, we’re expected to christen our baby within the first few days of birth.
“But that coincides with chemotherapy - so I can’t.
“I really wanted to breastfeed, but chemo is stopping me from doing that, too.”
A haematologist needs to be present at all of Caitlin’s obstetrics and gynecology appointments - and doctors may try to induce her earlier than her due date.
She said: “They might try and induce me next week, as I’ve got my cervical sweep booked.
“The waiting times back home in Northern Ireland for treatment are a lot longer than here, so I’m really lucky with how fast everything has moved.”
Caitlin says Connor has been her “rock” throughout the ordeal - and the pair have since found out they’re going to have a baby boy, but will be keeping his name a secret.
“Connor has been amazing,” she said.
“My family have also been making lots of trips back-and-forth from Ireland to England.”
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I spend more than 30 hours a week on dating apps - but my love life is still disastrous"
By Emma Dunn
Meet the dating addict who spends more than 30 hours a week swiping - but still has a "disastrous" love life.
Damon Birch, 52, regularly spends up to four hours a day on apps and websites like Tinder, Match.com and Ourtime.
But he says he's still unlucky in love - and is waiting for Mrs Right.
Damon, a project engineer by trade but currently between jobs, said: “I’m on the apps for three to four hours a day.
"I’m addicted. When I was working I’d go to the loo and sit and swipe.”
Damon, from Leicester, met his ex-wife on early social media site Friends Reunited.
The pair were together for 12 years before their marriage ended in November 2022.
Damon then took to the dating apps again to combat his shyness.
He said: “I wasn’t overly self-confident. Going up to strangers was a bit daunting.”
But he hasn’t had so much luck this time round – and has had to navigate catfishes and scammers.
Damon said: “It makes you really suspicious of people. I keep them engaged.
“I had one who wanted to meet up but kept asking for me to send her money.
“Another sent absolutely gorgeous photos but I did a photo search on Google and found out she was using a photo of an American porn star.”
Damon says he’s been on four dates since getting back on the apps - but they have mostly been “disastrous”.
He said: “One date broke her nose falling down the stairs. That was the end of that one.”
Damon is still hoping his time on the apps will help him find love again - and is currently splitting half his time on them and looking for a job.
He said: “Sometimes it’s just boredom. I’ve got more self-confidence now.”
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
Commuters shocked to find they're joined on train platform by - a horse
By Dean Murray
Commuters at a train station were shocked to find they were joined on a platform by - a horse.
The escaped racehorse managed to enter Warwick Farm Station in New South Wales on Friday (5 April) evening.
CCTV footage captured by Transport for NSW shows the animal seemingly looking as if it was waiting for a train - and even standing behind the yellow safety line.
Transport for NSW jokingly reported about the 'missing individual', writing they were " last seen heading to Warwick Farm Railway Station after escaping the heavy rain", and adding "he was reported to be wearing only a rug and demonstrating a bit of horseplay."
In a later update they said: "After a CCTV review the individual was located on the platform at Warwick Farm Railway Station. He appeared to pursue an informant along the platform before unsuccessfully attempting to board a train service.
"The individual then moved to the carpark area where he was taken in by his owner and he was returned to his residence in a stable condition.
"No one involved in the incident is intending to take any further action as the individual was only horsing around!"
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
"I gave birth at 50 - trolls tell me it's shameful but it's made me wiser and more immersed"
By Emma Dunn
A mum who gave birth at 50 says trolls tell her it is "shameful" to be an older parent - but she feels "wiser" and "more immersed" in her son's life.
Tatiana Kaplan, 54, knew she wanted to have a family with her partner, Kenan Kaplan, 52, who works in IT, and the pair started trying for a baby a month after meeting.
After three years of trying with no success the pair resorted to IVF but following seven unsuccessful attempts - costing $100k CAD - Tatiana was ready to give up hope.
She and Kenan went on a trip around Europe but when they returned Tatiana realised her period was late and discovered she’d fallen pregnant naturally - after 11 years of trying.
Tatiana had a smooth pregnancy – walking up to 6km a day – and gave birth to her son, Mark Kaplan, now four, via c-section.
The mum-of-two says she has grown "wiser through the years" and is able to dedicate more time to her son.
She wants to give hope to others looking to become later in life mums - despite some trolls calling late motherhood "shameful".
Tatiana, a stay-at-home mum, living in Toronto, Canada, said: “I feel I broke free of confined expectations about what is possible at different ages.
"Perhaps that's why I don't feel in my 50 years internally. Instead, I brought new life into the world.
"I hoped to demonstrate to women that staying healthy and fit into their 50s, rather than early decline, is possible and important.
"Some commented that late motherhood would be shameful in their cultures.
"In parenting my son, I fully immerse myself in his beautiful years."
Tatiana had her daughter, Katerina, 35, at aged 19 and lost her dad when was just four.
She remained single for a long time but met Kenan in February 2007 and the pair started trying for a child together straight away.
Tatiana said: “We knew from the first days of our relationship that we wanted a family together.
“As I approached 39, nesting instincts stirred, and a dream of a child grew too strong to ignore.
“My partner and I started trying to conceive right away when we began living together, - just one month after our first meeting.”
The pair struggled to conceive despite doctors telling them they were both completely healthy.
Tatiana swam regularly and ate a nutritious fresh diet to help her chances but found nothing worked.
In October 2010, the couple decided to try IVF but after seven attempts nothing worked spending $100k CAD on travel, hotel stays, medication and procedures.
Tatiana said: “My final try was at 47. I started thinking I should give up hope.
“I asked the universe why my son hadn't arrived yet and in a dream, he told me – ‘Mum, we will meet when the time is right’.”
The couple decided to take a road trip from Antalya, Turkey to Montserrat, Spain in summer 2018 to distract them from their disappointment.
Tatiana said: “I prayed to her for the privilege and joy of motherhood.
“After 11 years of hoping and dreaming, along with seven failed IVF attempts working with top fertility clinics and two miscarriages, my hope of carrying my child was nearly gone.”
In January 2019, it dawned on Tatiana that her period was late.
She said: “I sprinted to get tested, praying silently for positive results.
“When my husband showed me the paper saying ‘you're pregnant’ I screamed so loudly the whole hospital heard.
“I was blessed with the happiness and privilege of a natural pregnancy.
"Isn't it miraculous how motherhood found me after exhausting all options medically and being at the end of my journey?
“All those years of waiting, all the disappointments, only to have success come when I least expected it.
“To experience pregnancy naturally, after the incredible struggle to conceive, truly feels nothing short of a miracle.”
Tatiana had a smooth an active pregnancy but had a c-section as her son was breach.
He was born on September 18, 2019, weighing 6lbs 6oz at North York General Hospital, Toronto.
She said: “As they placed him on my chest I cried tears of joy, telling him how we made it this far together and thanking him for his strength.
“My husband witnessed the birth and was the first to look at our baby. We both sobbed at the overwhelming emotions.
"Amazingly just five hours post-op, I started walking through the halls and holding the wall for support. Some younger mums couldn't get up yet.
"I recommend all women practice fertility yoga, eat healthy, and release negativity - it greatly aids conception and supports an easy pregnancy even later in life."
Tatiana's son, now two, is "fascinating" and "curious".
She said: "I have found parenting my son as a 50-year-old woman to be a different experience.
"Over the past decades since becoming a teenage mother, I have sought to understand life's deeper meanings and allow my soul to grow wiser through the years.
"I strive to embrace each moment we share - whether those moments are big or small - with greater appreciation and presence.
"As a busy student and worker with responsibilities when my daughter was young, I sadly lacked the luxury of fully immersing myself in her wonder-filled early childhood."
Tatiana loves inspiring other later-life mums with her story.
She said: "Growing older doesn't have to mean becoming feeble. It can mean staying cheerful.
"I think life's real meaning is simply being present and enjoying each moment as it comes."
Follow Tatiana on TikTok @aurora.stories
This is Premium Licensed Content. Would you like to publish this article? Please contact our licensing team.
