Prince Harry faces lonely New Year's Eve after girlfriend Cressida flies to Richard Branson's private island without him.

Prince Harry's girlfriend Cressida Bonas has flown out of the country, leaving the royal facing a lonely New Year.
The 24-year-old is currently holidaying with her half sister, Isabella Branson, on Virgin tycoon Sir Richard's private Caribbean island, Necker, Mail Online can reveal.
Friends have not ruled out the prince deciding to join her at the last minute -  but it looks as if Harry will miss being with his girlfriend of 19 months for both Christmas and New Year.

Couple: Prince Harry and his girlfriend Cressida Bonas may now celebrate New Year's Eve separately after spending Christmas apart while he was at Sandringham with his family

The report scotches claims the fourth in line to the throne is tonight throwing a dinner party  Sandringham, the Queen's Norfolk estate, where Cressida will be a guest.
According to several informed sources, she is already lapping up the sun with Isabella - formerly Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe - who married Sam Branson, Sir Richard's son, earlier this year.
The holiday was arranged before Prince Harry announced he would undertake a charity trek to the South Pole in aid of Walking With The Wounded in December, which kept the couple apart for almost four weeks.
He arrived home last week and immediately met up with Cressida, spending the weekend together at the Branson mansion in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
They stayed as guests of Sam, 28, and Isabella, 33.
Harry was seen with Sam  in The Bell pub at Hampton Poyle on Sunday before he later returned to the mansion nearby.
Sir Richard gave the mansion to his daughter Holly, 31, and son after deciding to spend most of his time on his Caribbean island of Necker.
The couple were parted when Harry drove to Sandringham for Christmas, where the Queen celebrated with her closest family.
Cressida was with her own family before flying out of the country.
'Harry doesn't appear to have gone with her. Although it is unlikely, I couldn't rule out him joining her at some point,' said a friend.
'The relationship is increasingly serious but Cressida is also very close to Isabella and she would never let her down.

Studs up tackle: Prince Harry goes in for a strong challenge during an annual December 24 football match at Sandringham where he celebrated Christmas

Sibling rivalry: Prince Harry, who had a beard, clashes with an opponent during the football match. He was on the opposite side from his older brother Prince William

Clash: Prince William battles for the ball during the match on Christmas Eve at Sandringham

'If he decides not to go they will have plenty of time together after New Year and a ski holiday is most definitely on the cards.
'Cressida is a very good skier, unlike Harry's former girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, who hated the cold.
She and Harry are looking forward to getting away with each other.'
Harry is due to  return to duty as an Apache helicopter pilot in the next few weeks.
The Prince and Cressida were introduced last year by his cousin and her best friend, Princess Eugenie.
Described by friends as ‘bubbly and terribly, terribly sweet’, they were earlier this year photographed smooching on the ski slopes of Verbier and enjoying dinner dates and nights on the town.
Despite their increasing closeness friends have moved to dismiss rumours that the couple are set to get engaged.
Cressida, 24, recently graduated from a dance course but is believed to be considering a career in teaching instead.
Cressida is the daughter of four-times married and divorced Lady Mary Gaye Curzon, a renowned 60s society beauty who once posed semi-naked for a glossy coffee table photography book called Birds of Britain.
She has five children with three of her husbands of which one is Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe.

Christmas celebrations: Princes Harry and William attend a Christmas Day church service at Sandringham

Cressida was the product of her third marriage to Old Harrovian businessman Jeffrey Bonas, which ended in divorce after six years in 1994.
In an interview with US television last year, handsome Harry complained that girls appeared to be put off by his title and indicated he was keen to shed his playboy tag.
‘I’m not so much searching for someone to fulfill the role, but obviously, you know, finding  someone that would be willing to take it on,’ he said.
Meanwhile, well-placed sources close to the prince firmly scotched reports that Harry is holding a dinner party at Sandringham to which Cressida was invited.
'It's not true. Cressida isn't at, or going to Sandringham,' they said.
Another source added: 'That's not something that would happen when the Queen is in residence, as she will be until early February.'
On Christmas Eve, Harry went head-to-head with his brother Prince William in a charity friendly football match on the Sandringham Estate.
During the match between estate workers the Duke of Cambridge jokingly pleaded with the referee to give his brother a yellow card for 'backchat'.
The now traditional pre-Christmas fixture ended in a 2-2 draw.

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Wimbledon winner WON'T be knighted in New Year Honours... despite No10 saying he was a 'dead cert'.

He won the hearts of the nation with an accolade that had eluded any British man for 77 years.

And within minutes of Andy Murray holding the Wimbledon trophy aloft, there was talk of a knighthood to add to his OBE honour recognising his Olympic and US Open triumphs a year earlier.

David Cameron, who watched the match from the Royal Box, gushed: ‘It was an absolutely brilliant performance, an amazing day for Andy Murray but also an incredible day for British tennis and for Britain.’

History man: Andy Murray lifts the Wimbledon men's singles trophy in July after becoming the first Briton to win the tournament in 77 years

Soon afterwards, Downing Street added to the knighthood fever by declaring it was a ‘safe bet’ that they would be recommmending Murray in the New Year’s Honours List.

After all, Bradley Wiggins became a Sir for becoming the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France in its 100-year history.

 

But sources who have seen the list say Murray has been snubbed by senior mandarins.
The Mail understands that civil servants decided that Murray, 26, could not receive a knighthood since it is too soon to give him another honour – a move dismissed as ‘stuffy’ by one insider.

The snub comes as mandarins also seek to crack down on high profile gongs for celebrities amidfears that actors, sportsmen and other figures seeking to ‘game the system’, where they reject minor honours hoping to receive better recognition later – a tactic clearly not used by Murray.

‘His name’s not on the list. It’s quite a boring list,’ one Whitehall source said.

‘You can’t get a second honour so soon after the first.’

Snub: Andy Murray shows off his OBE outside Buckingham Palace with long time girlfriend Kim Sears, but he is not to receive a knighthood in the New Years honours list

But another senior figure said the rules were not hard and fast and it was a pity that Murray has not been honoured. ‘It looks a bit stuffy,’ the source said.

Decisions about honours are made by a series of committees, including one dedicated to sport, which is led by the London 2012 supremo Lord Coe.

Their recommendations are then considered by the main Honours Committee, whose chairman is Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the Home Civil Service.

Decisions about honours are made by a series of committees, including one dedicated to sport, which is led by London 2012 supremo Lord Coe

Whitehall sources say that Murray may be the victim of a crackdown on celebrities and sports stars getting gongs.

Record numbers of honours were given out last year for Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists, against the wishes of some mandarins who wanted the numbers limited.

Knighthoods were awarded to cycling team boss Dave Brailsford and sailor Ben Ainslie.

Senior officials have also complained to the Government about the leaking of the names of celebrity winners in advance of the awards.
And insiders say Murray has fallen victim to a desire by senior mandarins to enforce the rules rigidly as a result of a growing tendency of high profile figures manipulating the system  to get better gongs.

One source familiar with the process said: ‘They phone up or write back and say “Do you know, I’m not sure I’ve done anything worthwhile this year. Why not wait until I have done something really worthwhile”.

‘They know that if you get  an MBE or an OBE that you  have to wait a few years for  something better.’

The source added: ‘Celebrities are increasingly gaming the system. They want the CBEs and the knighthoods. It’s a bit cheeky. Perhaps Andy Murray should have tried that.’

Officials say that, as a general rule, MBEs are for people who have made a major contribution to their local community, OBEs are for those whose achievements are recognised nationally, while CBEs and knighthoods are for those whose performance is internationally renowned.

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From gin palaces to private islands... drool over the world's seven most extravagant holidays.

From the most palatial of gin palaces to the world's poshest B&B where a week's stay won't leave you any change from £2.2million - these are the ultimate holiday destinations for the world's mega-rich and super famous.
So if you happen to have a spare few million burning a hole in your pocket, why not check in to the ultimate ski chalet or rent your own private Caribbean island?
Of course you can rest assured that every whim you can think of, and many you can't, will be well and truly catered for.

The gin palace on steroids - £441,000

There are gin palaces and then there’s a 242ft yacht called RV Pegaso, which comes with a submarine that can accommodate five people.

You can explore the bottom of the ocean around the Caribbean while someone tops up your glass of Dom Perignon.
Closer to the surface, a flunkie will film you swimming with manta rays and introducing yourself to friendly sharks.
Back on board there’s a recompression chamber and toys galore (a 32ft waterslide, trampoline, outdoor gym, Jacuzzi) and, of course, a heliport at the stern.  
You might want to ask for a Flyboard — a 30ft power hose, pictured right, that lets you fly through the air.
With practice, you can do aerobatic spins and twists.
The yacht sleeps 12 and there’s a lift up to the oak and walnut-panelled penthouse suite.
RV stands for ‘research vessel’ but you don’t need to be a marine scientist to appreciate this sort of life on the ocean wave — just very rich.
Charter Pegaso from £441,000

 

The ultimate safari - £52,000

Africa’s impressive wildlife is all very well but those early morning starts on safari need to be offset by a little spoiling.

At Singita Serengeti House — which opened in January on Sasakwa Hill in north Tanzania — you may feel so special you expect the animals to seek you out rather than you having to look for them.
Rented on an exclusive-use-only basis, it sleeps eight in four suites and is right on the migratory route of the wildebeest.
Singita means ‘place of miracles’ and when you’ve got 350,000 acres to yourself but can still watch a family of elephants bathing from your bedroom window, you might agree.
And as you swim in the infinity pool and a rhino comes to call, you may imagine miracles are two-a-penny.
Seven nights cost £52,000 all-inclusive, spa treatments extra. Singita.com.sfzx

 

Private paradise island - £300,000

The Cohens, a French family of estimable means, bought 50-acre Calivigny Island, off the south coast of Grenada in 2000 and spent more than £100 million developing it. Only in the past couple of years has the private island been available for rent.

It can accommodate 50 people, but if you want just the main house, it sleeps 20 and costs £300,000 a week, so double that for the whole confection.
You’ll find marble bathrooms, Persian rugs, Egyptian cotton, and furniture by the classy Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta.
There are Italian, French and Granadian menus each night, six sandy beaches — one for each day of your stay — and a plethora of water sports. For New Year, a band will come over from the mainland and the fireworks should be good, too.

A week’s stay on Calivigny will set you back around £300,000, calivigny-island.com.

 

The bullet-proof chalet - £230,000

Chalet N is the world’s most expensive rental chalet at £231,088 per week. It overlooks the slopes of Oberlech just down the valley from Lech in the Austrian Alps.

This is its second season (singers Tina Turner and Rihanna were debut visitors last year) and although not even the white-hot price can guarantee snow, everything else is taken care of.

The cutlery is titanium and pillows are embroidered with your initials. A spa bigger than a tennis court takes up the basement; the pool has underwater music and the water changes colour according to your mood; there’s a private wine cellar where tastings take place as and when you wish and your skis are made by Porsche. The windows are, of course, bullet-proof.

It sleeps up to 24 in 11 bedrooms — that’s two fewer guests than staff.
Seven nights cost from £231,088 (chalet-n.com, 0043 5583 37900).

 

The world's poshest B&B - £2.2million

Called the King of the Castle holiday, this tour of Maharaja palaces in India’s Rajasthan includes three nights in three different hotels.

You can either have them all to yourself or invite 120 or so friends. Whatever you choose, the price is the same: £2,160,000.

Breakfast is included but everything else, including private jet travel between locations, is extra.

You start at the Lake Palace in Udaipur (built in 1743 by a philandering prince in defiance of his father and where the James Bond film Octopussy was shot) then move to Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, where Liz Hurley married the Indian textile heir Arun Nayar in 2007.

Last stop is Rambagh Palace, once home to the Maharaja of Jaipur and set in nearly 50 acres of gardens.

The model Kate Moss and her chums checked in two years ago for the birthday bash of Naomi Campbell’s then boyfriend Vladimir Doronin — but don’t let that put you off.

Ampersand Travel (020 7819 9770, ampersandtravel.com) from £2,160,000 B&B from October-April.

 

The jet just for you - £590,000

Why queue at the airport when you can fly to Australia by private jet and invite 30 friends along?
This 20-day trip begins at the nearest airstrip to your house and ends in Sydney, with stops wherever you like.
How about the temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt, the Taj Mahal, India, and Luang Prebang (the World Heritage Site best known for  Buddhist temples and monasteries) in Laos?
The 20-day Ancient Worlds Explorer costs £589,878 (excluding your return flights from Australia), billpeachjourneys.com.au

 

The eco-millionaire's retreat - £1.1million

Laucala Island in Fiji will do nicely if you want privacy — although there’s room for 60 of your nearest and dearest if you use all 25 villas.
This six-square-mile South Pacific island is owned by Red Bull drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz (it formerly belonged to big bucks American Malcolm Forbes) and is hot on self-sustainability.
Accessed only by private plane (no, not exactly the greenest of options!), Laucala rears its own livestock, grows tons of fruit and veg, makes its own honey and even bottles its own mineral water. It makes Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island look unsophisticated.
Villas have thatched roofs made from sago palms and coconut husk (all come with their own pools of course).
If you find your guests tiresome, there are five restaurants and enough space to get in touch with your inner ‘I want to be alone’ Greta Garbo. Take the whole island for a week and you’re looking at spending more than  £1 million — but it is all-inclusive.
Scott Dunn (020 8682 5099, scottdunn.com) from £1,092,000, including flights from the UK.

I should have done better with error away to City, but now I have to focus on Chelsea.

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will take his error against Manchester City in his stride and look to bounce back at the weekend.
The Belgium international has had a good start to his Anfield career, having joined in the summer, but his failure to deal with Alvaro Negredo's shot ultimately led to City winning 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day.
Liverpool had led through Philippe Coutinho's 24th-minute strike but, after Vincent Kompany's headed equaliser, Mignolet got a full hand to Negredo's shot on the stroke of half-time but still allowed it to bounce past him.

Goalkeeping blunder: But Simon Mignolet has been excellent for Liverpool since joining the club

'It is one of those things that happens, unfortunately, when you are a goalkeeper. Any goal you concede is a disappointment,' he said.
'I probably should have done better with it. I've been there in the past as a goalkeeper and you have to accept it and move forward to the next game.
'It was a very awkward moment for us just before we went into half-time.
'It gave them a lift and we went in being down but then again in the second half we lifted our heads and tried to create as many chances as we could.'

Flap: The Belgian knows he should have dealt better with Alvaro Negredo's (right) shot

Mignolet said despite his mistake there was no blame culture in the dressing room and the squad remained united in their support for one another.
'You always win with 11 and lose with 11 and more importantly also with the people on the bench,' he added.
'We don't want to look for excuses because every game you lose it is always up to you and it is your team performance which counts but we can gain a lot of confidence from this game.
'I thought we played well and created a lot of opportunities but unfortunately we came out with a defeat rather than the three points because I think we had chances to win the game.

Frustration: Without Alvaro Negredo's (left) goal, Liverpool may have gone on to win at The Etihad

'We can certainly take positives out of this game moving forward to the Chelsea game at the weekend.
'We have to make sure we prepare ourselves for Chelsea and do things right there.'
Defender Glen Johnson offered his support for Mignolet.
'He has been fantastic all year,' he said. 'He is a strong lad and mentally tough. Everyone makes mistakes.'

Protective: Glen Johnson (back) has stuck up for his Liverpool team-mate Simon Mignolet

The England right back felt the performance against City, who have now won all nine of their home matches this season, showed they could compete with the teams who are established Barclays Premier League title and top-four contenders.
Had decisions gone their way the result could have been different with Raheem Sterling having a first-half goal disallowed despite being well onside when he made his run.
'You can't defend the lino - it's ridiculous,' he said of the offside decision.
'You've heard commentators defend officials in the past when the players are on the same bit of grass but they are three yards apart, it's not even close.'

Going close: But despite Liverpool's performance against Manchester City, they left empty handed

Johnson added: 'We dealt with most things well and we had some good chances and that is why we are disappointed we haven't got more than we have.'
Next up is Johnson's former club Chelsea, who also have an impressive home league record.
Back-to-back defeats would be a significant blow to a Liverpool side which is now fourth, having been top of the league on Christmas Day.

Unlucky? Liverpool's Raheem Sterling (left) was wrongly ruled offside when scoring against Manchester City

'No team fighting for the top four wants to lose two games in a row,' Johnson added.
'We will get over this and we will be as positive as you can be with a defeat and move on to Sunday.
'On our day we can give anyone a game. We know we have the quality to be up there.

'We played well it is just a shame we didn't get at least a draw.'

Film buff Fergie is going to the Oscars! Godfather fan ticks one off the 'bucket list' by treating Cathy to A-list bash next March.

Sir Alex Ferguson has treated his missus Cathy to a very special Christmas present this year - a trip to the Oscars.
Fergie, a known film buff who rates the Godfather as his favourite film, has attendance at the Academy Awards on his 'bucket list'.
The managerial great will take Lady Cathy, his wife of 47 years, to the star-studded Hollywood bash in March, according to The Sun.

Christmas treat: Sir Alex Ferguson will take his wife Cathy to the Academy Awards next March

Star-studded: Ben Affleck (centre), George Clooney (right) and Grant Heslov celebrate their Best Picture Oscar for Argo last year

Fergie, 71, stepped down from 27 years in charge at Old Trafford in May.
He said: 'Cathy and I go to the cinema all the time. I get my pick 'n' mix, hot dog and ice cream, Cathy says I'm a pig!'
The Scot has been a regular at United games this season and was in the crowd to see his former side come back from two-goals down at Hull.
He is believed to have arranged the sought-after tickets through Hollywood chums. Ferguson also rates John Wayne's iconic Western The Searchers among his most-watched.

Film buff: Fergie is a cinema lover and rates The Godfather - with Marlon Brando in the title role (left) - as his favourite, while The Searchers - starring John Wayne as Ethan Edwards (right) - is also among his top choices

Regular: Sir Alex still attends the majority of Manchester United's games. Here he is seen at Hull City on Boxing Day