PEOPLE

Paula with paparazzi

Paula Yates was accused of assaulting a paparazzi who photographed her outside the hotel where her late fiancee, Australian rock star Michael Hutchence, hanged himself last year. Yates, who arrived in Sydney on Sunday for a television interview, grabbed paparazzi Bob Sachs by the throat and pushed him backwards over the bonnet of his car as she emerged from the upmarket Ritz-Carlton Double Bay Hotel. Sachs told AFP he was unhurt but shocked by the attack, which took him completely by surprise. Yates, wearing a shoestring summer frock with trademark plunging neckline, had paid an emotional visit to the hotel in which Hutchence was found dead last November. She was accompanied by Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, her daughter by Hutchence, and longtime friend Belinda Brewin. When Yates saw Sach taking pictures from a distance, she stormed over to him and screamed: "Leave me alone — my husband died here." Yates, a London-based TV personality, is to be interviewed forChannel Nine’s Sunday show, 60 Minutes, which she said recently had contributed towards her travel expenses. However, she denied through Brewin that she had been paid for the interview. "Unlike many of the people involved in this tragedy, respect for Michael’s memory and not fees were her primary concern," Brewin said. "To this end Paula is only doing two interviews and nothing more." The statement followed gossip column articles hinting that Yates had cut a lucrative deal to talk about the relationship.

Sking success

Prince Charles thanked the international media for giving him and his two sons the privacy they wanted while on a skiing vacation in Canada. Charles, the heir apparent to the British (and Canadian) throne made his remarks while posing for a pre-arranged photo-opportunity with his sons, William, 15, and Harry, 13. He told the media: "I’m grateful to you all for leaving us alone. It makes such a difference." That contrasted sharply with a flap on Wednesday when two Canadian televisioncrews were criticised by officials with the royal party for filming the three princes at a chair lift. It turned out, however, that the two television crews were filming something else and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the photo-opportunity, Charles was asked if Harry was the best skier of the group. To the amusement of his father and brother, William quickly quipped: "I don’t know about that."

Last duty

Earl Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, paid tribute to his sister’s crusade against landmines saying he and millions of others had been made aware of their horrors through her campaign. "The truth is that, as with too many people in the world, the whole issue of landmines was once understood little and thought about even less — that is until my late sister forced me, like many others, to face up to the obscenity that landmines represent," Spencer said. Speaking in Phnom Penh, Spencer said only Diana with her worldwide appeal and recognition could haveraised such awareness. "Beyond question, nobody else could have turned such a glaring spotlight on to the subject," he said. Diana had planned to visit Cambodia, one of the world’s most heavily mined countries, last year but that trip was cancelled due to security reasons before her death in Paris. Before the trip was cancelled, Spencer said Diana had asked him on three separate occasions to assist with making a documentary about her visit here. "Our film can never come to fruition of course, but our conversations have compelled me to complete her wish in some way by coming here myself," he said. "The past two days have to some extent seen my duty discharged," he added.

DiCaprio’s case

Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio nude in Playgirl magazine? Not if he can help it. Dicaprio, 23, sued Playgirl to prevent it from publishing photographs of him naked in its July issue. The lawsuit claims Playgirl officials have refused to allow DiCaprio to view the pictures or reveal theirsource. The lawsuit, which also seeks unspecified damages, said publishing the photos would be "offensive and objectionable". "Mr DiCaprio is confident that his rights will be protected by the courts, and will not tolerate Playgirl or any other person or entity’s illegal exploitation of his name and likeness," his publicist said. The photos also are being used to promote Playgirl‘s Internet site, said DiCaprio, who also stars in The Man in the Iron Mask.