Max Key is sports mad, so will feel right at home at Balmoral.
Max Key is sports mad, so will feel right at home at Balmoral.
Family might meet other royals during weekend with the Queen.
The Prime Minister's daughter, Stephanie, 20, showed her artistic bent with provocative self-portraits, now his 18-year-old son Max has displayed his sporting flair by taking part in the 90 Mile Classic IRB Challenge on the weekend, a gruelling surf life-saving race.
It's a big step up from planking on the peril scale. And it's something to brag about when he sees Prince William, a retired rescue pilot, at his granny's house on Friday.
Not that that's a topic of conversation. "I can't say anything about who will be at Balmoral Castle," John Key told The Diary yesterday.
However, the British press reported yesterday that Wills, Kate and Prince George are now at the Queen's summer residence where Mr Key and his family will arrive on Friday afternoon.
The Queen and Prince Philip have been in residence there since July.
It's the first time the Duke of Edinburgh has met his great-grandson. Granddad Prince Charles is at his Balmoral digs, Birkhall.
The Queen and three future kings will get together for a historic photo. The Keys will be there, too.
There's a range of activities for sports-mad Max to try, such as deerstalking, horseriding and golf.
And he's quite comfortable shooting hoops, posting a hilarious video to YouTube playing mini-basketball inside the Keys' Parnell mansion, including in the kitchen, lounge, and bedroom.
On Saturday, he took to the waves. "Had a sick time competing in the 90 Mile Classic IRB Challenge ... the surf was pretty gnarly in stages," Max said. Sick - for those not part of Generation Now - means crazy cool.
The Keys will attend two dinners during their two-night stay at Balmoral - one a black-tie dinner, and the other a more casual barbecue.
They are bringing a gift of half a dozen New Zealand wines.
The visit is part of Mr Key's trip to London, Paris and New York, where he will speak at the United Nations General Assembly.
Ridge's boyfriend battles ex
As Sally Ridge fights former partner Adam Parore in court over assets three years after their relationship ended, her current boyfriend and hand-holder in court, Warren Fenning, is embroiled in a financial battle with his estranged wife Carita Fenning and their screenprinting company.
Sally Ridge's boyfriend Warren Fenning is embroiled in a court case with his estranged wife Carita.
Lawyers Michael Foley and Warren Templeton, who represent Mrs Fenning, told The Diary their client had begun proceedings. "I'm unable to say very much because this matter is heading to court, but all we're fighting for is what is legally hers - half of the assets," Mr Foley said. Mr Fenning declined to comment.
As tension mounts on the water in San Francisco Bay, a stand-off is going on between the TVNZ newsroom and network management this week over America's Cup coverage. In one of the biggest news events of the year - to which TVNZ holds the rights - One News has one sports reporter there, Martin Tasker.
Martin Tasker is holding the fort in San Fransisco for TVNZ.
When New Zealand made it through the Louis Vuitton series, Breakfast got the green light to send Toni Street and a producer, and Seven Sharp sent Craig Stanaway - but still, no extra news staff.
Sources say the news division wanted to send another reporter over to help cover the event for One News but network bosses wouldn't spend the money. "Everyone is gutted because our coverage is suffering," said a well-placed insider.
A rep for the network said Tasker was more than capable of holding the fort.
Mallard's junket jeered
Labour MP Trevor Mallard (at the time of going to print) is getting jeers, and not just from David Cunliffe supporters. Mallard's publicly-funded junket to the America's Cup in San Francisco has raised eyebrows. "He's currently on the taxpayer's tit living it up in San Francisco," broadcaster Duncan Garner bemoaned. "He's on a junket and taxpayers should be appalled."
Mr Mallard, who held the Sport and America's Cup portfolios when he was in the Cabinet six years ago, breezed off to watch the final series saying he'd stay until Team NZ won. Nice end date! Labour and the Speaker gave him permission, and he was off.
He joins Cabinet minister Amy Adams and Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully, who's Mr Mallard's mate in the parliamentary rugby side. But should we be paying for it? Mr Mallard did his job, now he's out of government. In six years Japan hosts the Rugby World Cup, but would Mr McCully go as an opposition MP because he organised the last one? Isn't it time politicians found a cure for the insufferable disease Entitlementitis?
Prime Minister John Key said that now David Parker was deputy Labour leader, Mr Mallard was toast. "Parker is useless and it shows the party is still divided. But they have killed Mallard [who was replaced as Leader of the House by Grant Robertson]. He's obviously on a boat in San Francisco and not coming home".
Publicity fit for a princess
She's been dubbed the voice of her generation, now Girls creator Lena Dunham has taken a swipe at our Lorde. "Wait, Lorde is 16!? She MAY still be a royal! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW AT THAT AGE," the American writer/director tweeted, prompting the schoolgirl muso to respond: "U makin fun of me Lena". But she whipped that tweet down, perhaps because any mention by Dunham is good publicity.
