Browse content similar to 26/04/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Hello and welcome to South Today. The top stories: HSBC staff are | :00:08. | :00:12. | |
taken to a football stadium to hear about job losses as the bank | :00:12. | :00:15. | |
becomes the latest firm to cut could -- posts. | :00:15. | :00:21. | |
The harsh reality of tough times. A food Banks sees a four fold | :00:21. | :00:26. | |
increase in demand. I am struggling and just about keeping my head | :00:26. | :00:30. | |
above water. If 50 years since Britain's first | :00:30. | :00:34. | |
human powered flight, pedal-powered takes one man to the skies again - | :00:34. | :00:37. | |
just. And the girl with the pearl | :00:37. | :00:41. | |
earrings - our treasures belonging to a boil mistress fetched a king's | :00:41. | :00:48. | |
ransom. We were told it was far more beautiful than any of the last | :00:48. | :00:58. | |
:00:58. | :01:01. | ||
ones. -- eight royal mistress. The 4th set of job losses to hit | :01:01. | :01:06. | |
the South in as many days was announced today. HSBC is to shed up | :01:06. | :01:11. | |
to 200 jobs across the region. It was on Monday that British Gas | :01:11. | :01:16. | |
announced plans to cut 550 jobs at its call centre in the city. The | :01:16. | :01:22. | |
following day, Aldershot IT company EU Plants Ltd -- CSC said it was | :01:22. | :01:26. | |
cutting 640 jobs. Yesterday, the insurance firm Zurich said it was | :01:26. | :01:32. | |
shedding almost 180 jobs in Hampshire, at Whitely and | :01:32. | :01:36. | |
Farnborough. But there were gains, with 200 call-centre jobs with | :01:36. | :01:43. | |
Southern Electric at Havant. Steve is at an HSBC branch for us. | :01:43. | :01:47. | |
It has been one of the worst weeks on record for job losses across the | :01:47. | :01:52. | |
South, with nearly 1000 job cuts being announced in recent days. | :01:52. | :01:56. | |
HSBC's announcement will affect office staff and financial advisers | :01:56. | :02:01. | |
in its branches across the country. HSBC says it is about streamlining | :02:01. | :02:06. | |
systems and cutting costs, but the unions say they are outraged that a | :02:06. | :02:14. | |
bank making big profits is cutting staff. One of the workers arriving | :02:14. | :02:18. | |
for this morning's meeting at Southampton's football stadium said | :02:18. | :02:23. | |
staff had been at respecting -- expecting news about restructuring. | :02:23. | :02:26. | |
As they returned to their office block in the city, but none of the | :02:26. | :02:30. | |
staff wanted to talk about the job cuts they had been told about. | :02:30. | :02:38. | |
Argue able to say anything? comment. But the unions were | :02:38. | :02:44. | |
commenting very forcefully about the announcement. -- are you able. | :02:44. | :02:48. | |
A outrage and disgust at. We believe the job cuts are necessary | :02:48. | :02:51. | |
and in appropriate to a company that it has made billions of pounds | :02:51. | :02:57. | |
of profit. 200 HSBC jobs are at risk across the South. Along with | :02:57. | :03:01. | |
financial advisers' posts in some branches, around 80 jobs are | :03:01. | :03:04. | |
expected to go in the bank's offices in Southampton and | :03:04. | :03:09. | |
Eastleigh. HSBC says some of those affected could be redeployed | :03:09. | :03:13. | |
elsewhere in the bank. One of Southampton's MPs says those being | :03:13. | :03:19. | |
made redundant face a tough struggle to find new jobs. | :03:19. | :03:22. | |
problem in our economy today is not just that people are losing their | :03:22. | :03:26. | |
jobs, but that nothing is being done to create new jobs to replace | :03:26. | :03:30. | |
them. That is why people know that if they lose their jobs at British | :03:30. | :03:36. | |
Gas, HSBC or anywhere else, it is pretty difficult to get a new one. | :03:36. | :03:40. | |
At a job spec in Reading today, the Employment Minister said he | :03:40. | :03:46. | |
believes there are opportunities for people losing their jobs. -- a | :03:46. | :03:51. | |
job there. Any redundancy is painful and difficult. There are | :03:51. | :03:55. | |
opportunities there and you will come through and find a job. You | :03:55. | :03:58. | |
will get into something different or something the same. There is | :03:58. | :04:04. | |
good support. Today's news means four big organisations in the South | :04:04. | :04:07. | |
have announced job losses within four days. These are very tough | :04:08. | :04:14. | |
times for the workers involved and their families. | :04:14. | :04:18. | |
It is the second time in three years that HSBC has announced job | :04:18. | :04:24. | |
cuts. In 2009, 200 jobs went in Southampton. Yesterday's GDP | :04:24. | :04:28. | |
figures showed the UK economy had slipped back into recession but | :04:28. | :04:32. | |
interestingly, those figures are questioned by some economists and | :04:32. | :04:36. | |
business organisations, who say there are some signs the UK economy | :04:36. | :04:42. | |
may well start to grow slowly over the coming months. | :04:42. | :04:45. | |
Around 1800 people were looking for jobs at a recruitment fair in | :04:45. | :04:49. | |
Reading today. The town has weathered the recession better than | :04:49. | :04:53. | |
many places in the region, which is seen as highly important in leading | :04:53. | :04:57. | |
the recovery. There opportunities but also challenges for people | :04:58. | :05:04. | |
looking for work, as Benn reports. I am being made redundant in eight | :05:04. | :05:11. | |
a weeks' time. Basically, I feel lost. That is the truth. | :05:11. | :05:16. | |
hunting is a new and daunting experience for 56-year-old John. | :05:16. | :05:20. | |
I feel a bit intimidated, really. The last eight years, I have done | :05:20. | :05:28. | |
where housework. A you going to take the plunge? -- I have worked | :05:28. | :05:36. | |
in warehouses. They call events like this job speed-skating. | :05:36. | :05:40. | |
We have a warehouse there so we will send the application form out | :05:40. | :05:47. | |
to you. One employee it is using the fare to actively recruit, as it | :05:47. | :05:50. | |
is three months into a �36 million redevelopment of Reading's rail | :05:50. | :05:57. | |
depot. We have a full spectrum of jobs we are looking to recruit four, | :05:57. | :06:00. | |
all the way from entry-level positions to fully qualified site | :06:00. | :06:05. | |
engineers. I was really surprised with the quality of the candidate | :06:05. | :06:09. | |
so I was meeting today. Hopefully we should be able to get some | :06:09. | :06:14. | |
people started. The new train depot is just one example of the big | :06:14. | :06:18. | |
engineering projects that are under way or in the pipeline for the town. | :06:18. | :06:21. | |
It is projects like this that give it a reputation as being recession- | :06:22. | :06:28. | |
proof. But figures from the National Office of Statistics say | :06:28. | :06:35. | |
that 70% of people in the town are unemployed. -- 17%. That means more | :06:35. | :06:39. | |
than 6,000 people are currently out of work here, so is it really a | :06:39. | :06:44. | |
shining example? I don't think any way is recession-proof but there is | :06:44. | :06:48. | |
no doubt the economy here in the Thames Valley, door and the | :06:48. | :06:58. | |
:06:58. | :06:59. | ||
proximity to great transport links makes a difference. -- corridor. | :06:59. | :07:04. | |
The government wants to see more job fairs to help people like John | :07:04. | :07:08. | |
but at least he lives in the right place, statistically. There are | :07:08. | :07:13. | |
thousands of people like me. Hopefully as we have paid enough | :07:13. | :07:16. | |
into the government, they will pay us some back. | :07:16. | :07:20. | |
A new figures released by the charity The Trussell Trust showed | :07:20. | :07:23. | |
twice as many people I using food banks compared to the same time | :07:23. | :07:29. | |
last year. -- are using. They rely on donations from the public and | :07:29. | :07:33. | |
supermarkets to provide for people in Severe hardship. One in | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
Eastleigh says it has seen more people asking for food donations | :07:37. | :07:40. | |
because of benefit delays or because they are in eligible for a | :07:40. | :07:49. | |
crisis loan. Craig has come here to feed his family. His wife died | :07:49. | :07:52. | |
suddenly one year ago and he gave up work to look after his three | :07:52. | :07:58. | |
children. People struggle and that is what has happened. I am | :07:58. | :08:03. | |
struggling and just about keeping my head above water. Volunteers say | :08:03. | :08:07. | |
it takes a lot of courage to go to the feedback and ask for help, but | :08:07. | :08:15. | |
more and more people are having to do it. -- goat to the food bank. | :08:15. | :08:21. | |
This food bank at speeds between 15 and 20 families a day. This room | :08:21. | :08:25. | |
will be empty in two weeks. Volunteers say people need to come | :08:25. | :08:29. | |
here because they are not receiving benefits fast enough. We have had | :08:30. | :08:36. | |
people who have had to wait between six and 13 weeks to get benefits, | :08:36. | :08:42. | |
and you cannot live without any money coming in. People come from | :08:42. | :08:46. | |
all walks of life. People who just don't know where to turn. | :08:46. | :08:50. | |
Especially those who have not been on the benefits system before. | :08:50. | :09:00. | |
:09:00. | :09:11. | ||
We have fresh veggies... The food is donated by individuals, | :09:11. | :09:16. | |
supermarkets and schools. Badgers are given out by organisations like | :09:16. | :09:21. | |
the Citizens Advice Bureau. Craig was referred by his son's school. - | :09:21. | :09:27. | |
- of vouchers are given out. I can now give my children a proper diet | :09:27. | :09:32. | |
instead of junk food and it lightens the load of the day to | :09:32. | :09:37. | |
date bills. Craig expects to be back next week. He hopes this is a | :09:37. | :09:42. | |
short-term solution, but they need all this food bank shows no sign of | :09:42. | :09:48. | |
ending. Plans to put a tunnels on five | :09:48. | :09:53. | |
acres of Berkshire farm and have been a crew to buy a bombers. EU | :09:53. | :09:57. | |
Plants Ltd wanted to use the tunnels at Manor Farm in | :09:57. | :10:05. | |
Finchampstead to grow plants. -- have been approved. | :10:05. | :10:09. | |
Fed up with the rain? Find out what is in store with LX is. | :10:09. | :10:13. | |
Tomorrow will be another day of sunshine and showers but all eyes | :10:13. | :10:23. | |
:10:23. | :10:23. | ||
are looking to the weekend. Wet and windy conditions. -- with Alexis. | :10:23. | :10:27. | |
Plans for a funeral parlour in a residential street in Portsmouth | :10:27. | :10:32. | |
have been rejected by the city council. Southern Co-operative | :10:32. | :10:37. | |
wanted to build a chapel of rest at Tangier Road in Copnor. Planners | :10:37. | :10:40. | |
rejected the application on the grounds it would affect people | :10:40. | :10:44. | |
nearby. The company says it is disappointed. | :10:45. | :10:47. | |
Thames Valley Police are searching for a 15-year-old girl who has gone | :10:47. | :10:52. | |
missing. Stacie Richardson was last seen at her home on Monday 19th | :10:52. | :10:56. | |
April. Police say their parents are extremely worried. She has links to | :10:56. | :11:03. | |
Dorset and Surrey. If you have seen her, contact Thames Valley Police | :11:03. | :11:06. | |
on 101. More than 10,000 people have | :11:06. | :11:11. | |
visited Southampton's new Sea City Museum in less than two weeks. 1000 | :11:11. | :11:15. | |
of those were city residents with free tickets for the attraction, | :11:15. | :11:20. | |
which cost �15 million to build. Researchers at the University of | :11:20. | :11:24. | |
Reading say they have discovered for the first time how blood clots | :11:24. | :11:28. | |
form. They say this new knowledge has the potential to lead to | :11:28. | :11:33. | |
breakthroughs in the treatment of some of the world's biggest killers | :11:33. | :11:37. | |
like heart attacks and strokes. Language schools are warning that | :11:37. | :11:41. | |
the region's economy could lose millions of pounds per year because | :11:41. | :11:45. | |
of a government crackdown on student visas. They say new rules | :11:45. | :11:51. | |
make it more expensive for students outside the EU to X -- to obtain | :11:51. | :11:58. | |
visas and it has already led to a significant drop in numbers. | :11:58. | :12:01. | |
This woman is studying five A- levels and hopes to study economics | :12:01. | :12:06. | |
in the UK. Her visa will allow her to do that but changes to long-term | :12:06. | :12:09. | |
student visas are making it harder for international students to | :12:09. | :12:15. | |
follow in her footsteps. For most of them, they run not even the | :12:15. | :12:21. | |
opportunities to come to the UK and study. The government crackdown on | :12:22. | :12:25. | |
student visas has led to a reduction in applications but | :12:25. | :12:29. | |
according to new research, that could impact on the British economy. | :12:29. | :12:34. | |
According to figures supplied by English UK, foreign language | :12:34. | :12:39. | |
students generate �122 million to the economy of Brighton and Hove | :12:39. | :12:46. | |
each year. In Sussex, the figure is �74.6 million. It is not as the | :12:46. | :12:50. | |
tuition fees but the living costs. They have to live, eat, they spend | :12:50. | :12:57. | |
money extensively on all the things that young students do. But not all | :12:57. | :13:01. | |
language schools are as a reputable. A BBC investigation discovered this | :13:01. | :13:05. | |
man was running a bogus language school in Brighton, helping people | :13:05. | :13:11. | |
to get into the UK using a student visa. It is situations like these | :13:11. | :13:15. | |
that the govern want to clamp down on. One of the big immigration | :13:15. | :13:20. | |
streams his students. -- government want to. If you let them stay on | :13:20. | :13:24. | |
regardless, we would not hit our targets and that is why we are | :13:24. | :13:28. | |
bringing in these restrictions. Language schools say that these | :13:28. | :13:31. | |
reforms are simply turning away good business in a time of | :13:31. | :13:38. | |
It's the dream of dozens of inventors every year who take part | :13:38. | :13:41. | |
in the Bognor and Worthing Birdman events - human powered flight. Of | :13:41. | :13:43. | |
course many of these contraptions never stand a serious chance of | :13:43. | :13:47. | |
making it very far - but now, on the 50th anniversary of Britain's | :13:47. | :13:49. | |
first human powered flight, one engineer is trying to recapture the | :13:49. | :13:59. | |
magic. Tim Muffett caught up with him at the University of Sussex. | :13:59. | :14:04. | |
Ever since the Legend Of Icarus, people have been captivated by | :14:04. | :14:10. | |
human powered flight. Only a handful have achieved it. The first | :14:10. | :14:16. | |
was 50 years ago and to mark the anniversary the BBC have decided to | :14:16. | :14:22. | |
join a handful of people who have successfully taken off due to pedal | :14:22. | :14:29. | |
power alone. Congratulations, it is looking half-built. Let's have a | :14:29. | :14:39. | |
:14:39. | :14:52. | ||
quick look at how you got on when Fairly successful although a brief | :14:52. | :15:00. | |
flight. For decades Human powered flight, despite the attempt in 61, | :15:00. | :15:06. | |
is between cartoons and reality. We thought how difficult is impossible | :15:06. | :15:11. | |
and if we can do it with limited time and resources, know the others | :15:11. | :15:16. | |
will say it is not that bad at more people will fly. When I learned | :15:16. | :15:22. | |
what to do what to do in the air, I think we will fly it for longer. | :15:22. | :15:25. | |
People in aviation think it is great and hopefully we have lowered | :15:25. | :15:31. | |
the barrier for entry. Maybe I will take you up on the offer! The | :15:31. | :15:37. | |
University of Sussex have lent them the hall to recreate this and | :15:37. | :15:45. | |
hopefully it will take to this guy is one day. | :15:45. | :15:51. | |
They were brilliant. Let's go on it to the sport. | :15:51. | :15:54. | |
A bigger creditors meeting at Portsmouth. No buyer, soon, no | :15:54. | :15:57. | |
money. Creditors were clinging onto hope at Fratton Park today as they | :15:57. | :16:01. | |
gathered for the second time in two years to hear the latest assessment | :16:01. | :16:04. | |
of the club's woes. I was inside the meeting, along with a colourful | :16:04. | :16:07. | |
cast which represented the club's past- and in all likelihood, it's | :16:07. | :16:15. | |
future too. Two years on from Portsmouth's last meltdown, many of | :16:15. | :16:19. | |
the Senate creditors were at Fratton Park again to see how much | :16:19. | :16:24. | |
more money they would lease. Much of the debt will never be recovered. | :16:24. | :16:34. | |
:16:34. | :16:43. | ||
Faced with the doomsday scenario, the former owner and creditor is | :16:43. | :16:48. | |
ready to step in again through his company, but according to | :16:48. | :16:54. | |
representatives. His brother was there but would not comment. They | :16:54. | :16:58. | |
are the only people with the funding to take the club forward | :16:58. | :17:04. | |
into next season. Unless someone else comes out of the wings it does | :17:04. | :17:08. | |
seem they are the front-runners. am only interested in the club | :17:08. | :17:14. | |
being saved but if he comes back, so be it. I would like us to start | :17:14. | :17:19. | |
the season not going too much money. The former chief executive spoke to | :17:19. | :17:25. | |
the meeting acknowledging at no time since 2010 and the birth of | :17:25. | :17:30. | |
the new club had Pompey been self- sustaining. It relies on outside | :17:30. | :17:32. | |
investment which dried up when the last owners went into | :17:33. | :17:37. | |
administration. The bills are rising and the administrators are | :17:37. | :17:42. | |
owed thousands for their work so far. The PFA representing the | :17:42. | :17:48. | |
players have a claim for 26 million for past and future payment. | :17:48. | :17:52. | |
Football at Fratton Park next season? Probably but after have the | :17:52. | :17:55. | |
prize. Trevor Birch also cast doubt on the Portsmouth Supporter's | :17:55. | :17:57. | |
trusts efforts to save the club alone, unless they receive | :17:57. | :18:00. | |
significant backing from wealthy individuals, but they had a boost | :18:00. | :18:03. | |
to their fund raising today Three of Pompey players became signed up | :18:03. | :18:06. | |
members of the trust. From left to right, goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown was | :18:06. | :18:09. | |
joined by Joel Ward and David Norris in joining the scheme which | :18:09. | :18:15. | |
is aimed at producing a community buy out of the club. Bournemouth | :18:15. | :18:19. | |
have announced profits for the year of �1.1 million. Although the | :18:19. | :18:22. | |
league one club revealed a 1.2 million operating loss. That was | :18:22. | :18:25. | |
offset by player sales amounting to 2.3 million. The figures are for | :18:25. | :18:30. | |
the period to June 2011. Just 22 days until the Olympic | :18:30. | :18:34. | |
Torch Relay begins but GB Hockey have already hit the road. The | :18:34. | :18:38. | |
men's and women's squads are based at Bisham Abbey near Marlow. To | :18:38. | :18:40. | |
help promote the sport ahead of London 2012 they're spending | :18:40. | :18:43. | |
eighteen days on the road with "The Big Dribble." It's a chance for | :18:43. | :18:48. | |
fans to meet some of the stars of the game and try out the sport. | :18:48. | :18:53. | |
Yesterday they were in Southampton, and Ed Sherry went along. It's not | :18:53. | :18:56. | |
everyday you can wonder into your local shopping centre and play | :18:56. | :19:03. | |
alongside one of the stars of British sport. We have covered 40 | :19:03. | :19:13. | |
cities and are aiming to do 2012, the biggest year for sport. 212 | :19:13. | :19:17. | |
kilometres dribbling for hockey. Many people are having a go and it | :19:17. | :19:21. | |
shows how brilliant the event is. They were out in force in | :19:21. | :19:24. | |
Southampton clocking more laps than any other stop on the Big Dribble | :19:24. | :19:29. | |
and a taste of what life could be like after the Olympics. It is a | :19:29. | :19:35. | |
very strange, not something... I find it strange that a hockey | :19:35. | :19:38. | |
family is an incredible sport. This is what's made Alex such an | :19:38. | :19:41. | |
inspiration in the hockey family. GB hasn't official selected the | :19:41. | :19:44. | |
squad for London 2012 yet, but the Reading player's place is virtually | :19:44. | :19:47. | |
assured. The GB women are in good form - coming second in a major | :19:47. | :19:50. | |
international tournament in January. And the sport is looking to | :19:50. | :20:00. | |
:20:00. | :20:00. | ||
capitalise on the Olympic publicity. London 2012 is not a moment in time. | :20:00. | :20:05. | |
We do not want to miss the opportunity to miss participation. | :20:05. | :20:11. | |
Young and old alike were certainly inspired. It is an ideal chance to | :20:11. | :20:16. | |
pick up the stick and may be joined in later with a club. It is fun and | :20:16. | :20:23. | |
you get to learn a lot. You get to play against other teams. | :20:23. | :20:29. | |
encourages the children to play. Next year, it will be evident there | :20:29. | :20:33. | |
will be more children wanting to come to the club. The Big Dribble | :20:33. | :20:36. | |
is about creating a legacy for the sport by the time it reaches | :20:36. | :20:41. | |
Trafalgar Square in May the Hockey family will be that much bigger. | :20:41. | :20:44. | |
And tomorrow morning the Big Dribble starts at the Surrey Sports | :20:44. | :20:50. | |
Park in Guildford. It also visits, Reading, Oxford on May 1st. | :20:50. | :20:53. | |
Onto cricket, and batsmen have been moaning about the lack of runs in a | :20:53. | :20:56. | |
very early start to the season. But Warwickshire's batsmen cashed in at | :20:56. | :21:00. | |
Hove today. Centuries for Varun Chopra and Jonathan Trott have | :21:00. | :21:02. | |
helped the visitors at the Ageas Bowl, Hampshire have found wickets | :21:02. | :21:12. | |
:21:12. | :21:22. | ||
I have the day off tomorrow. Do I want to know that? Make us feel | :21:22. | :21:31. | |
good. The big build-up for Saints on Saturday. | :21:31. | :21:35. | |
On to the weather, it is not looking good. I have some charity | :21:35. | :21:41. | |
walks over the weekend. It will be touch and go on Sunday. Gale force | :21:41. | :21:46. | |
wind and heavy rain. It is coming from the Bay of Biscay. Wellington | :21:46. | :21:52. | |
boots. Or put on some waders! Warwick captured flooding from the | :21:53. | :21:58. | |
River Stour in Blandford. Part of the supermarket car park was | :21:58. | :22:01. | |
submerged under water. The rough sea at East Preston beach in West | :22:01. | :22:04. | |
Sussex created foam on the shore. This photo was taken by Susie | :22:04. | :22:07. | |
Strand. And Christian Penfold decided to head home after coming | :22:07. | :22:17. | |
:22:17. | :22:17. | ||
across flood water near Purbrook in We had localised flooding, further | :22:17. | :22:20. | |
showers and patchy rain for the first part of the night drifting | :22:20. | :22:26. | |
northwards with clear spells dotted around. Showers further north and | :22:26. | :22:32. | |
west. A longer spell of rain for Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. Very | :22:32. | :22:38. | |
similar temperatures to last night. Tomorrow starts dry, longer spells | :22:38. | :22:43. | |
of rain but showers rolling in from the south with the thunder and | :22:43. | :22:51. | |
slow-moving wind lighter. The odd rumble of thunder. Highs of 12-14. | :22:51. | :22:57. | |
Tomorrow night, we lose the showers in the early hours of the morning. | :22:57. | :23:02. | |
Temperatures cooler than tonight, loans of 68. A dry start on | :23:02. | :23:11. | |
Saturday, all change -- knows of six and eight. Low pressure pushing | :23:11. | :23:16. | |
up from the Continent from the Bay of Biscay, very strong wind, gale- | :23:16. | :23:22. | |
force gusts in places and heavy rainfall. The wind coming from the | :23:22. | :23:29. | |
east, unusual for this time of year. A Met Office weather warning, heavy | :23:29. | :23:34. | |
rain for Saturday night into Sunday. Very strong wind, gale-force gusts | :23:34. | :23:41. | |
of 50 to 60 miles an hour. Some damage in places. Send a, a wet day, | :23:41. | :23:48. | |
the rain ageing northwards, some sunshine and showers later. Monday, | :23:48. | :23:53. | |
a messy picture, hard to predict the showers but they could be heavy. | :23:53. | :24:00. | |
The odd rumble of thunder. Showers on Sunday, high is a 14 tomorrow. | :24:00. | :24:06. | |
The wind lighter than previously, Saturday, showers initially in the | :24:07. | :24:11. | |
morning turning wet later in the day, staying wet overnight into | :24:11. | :24:17. | |
Sunday and windy as well. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, | :24:17. | :24:23. | |
Tony. Let me take a note of that! A pair of pearl and diamond | :24:23. | :24:26. | |
earrings left hidden in a drawer since 1977 went under the hammer | :24:26. | :24:29. | |
today. The jewels were a gift from the exiled Romanian King 'Carol the | :24:29. | :24:32. | |
Second' to his mistress, Alena Lupescu. They were then given to a | :24:32. | :24:36. | |
family who had no idea of their value. So how much did they go for? | :24:36. | :24:46. | |
:24:46. | :24:49. | ||
King Carol comes ashore at Bermuda after a dramatic escape from his | :24:49. | :24:55. | |
own country. They have to the Playboy kill cock -- playboy king, | :24:55. | :25:01. | |
he was more known for his romantic misadventures than Royal leadership. | :25:01. | :25:06. | |
He was King of Romania for a decade from 1930 after which he went into | :25:06. | :25:15. | |
exile. Relinquishing his royal duties, the twice married King | :25:15. | :25:19. | |
Carol visited Europe with his mistress, Elena Lupescu. She was | :25:19. | :25:24. | |
the recipient of these rare pearl and diamond earrings. A love token | :25:24. | :25:29. | |
of from King Carol in the 1930s. Years later, they are on an | :25:29. | :25:32. | |
adventure of their own finding their way to an auction house in | :25:32. | :25:38. | |
Salisbury. A local family brought some pictures -- pieces in. They | :25:38. | :25:43. | |
phoned to say we have a few other bits and they brought them in | :25:43. | :25:48. | |
including the polls. I could not believe it. After Elena Lupescu's | :25:48. | :25:55. | |
death, the jewels were bequeathed to a friend. They were unloved and | :25:55. | :26:00. | |
thought to be of little value. Now, under the watch of a security guard, | :26:00. | :26:04. | |
the earrings are being celebrated for their uniqueness. It is a | :26:05. | :26:08. | |
highlight of my career and I will never see anything like them. It | :26:08. | :26:14. | |
has been a thrill. It's not just the earrings that have links to the | :26:14. | :26:24. | |
south. They are believed to have lived in Poole. A pearl and diamond | :26:24. | :26:34. | |
:26:34. | :26:37. | ||
earring. �1,350,000. The final time! Sold. The new owner is an | :26:37. | :26:41. | |
anonymous buyer on the telephone, a sparkling end to a scintillating | :26:41. | :26:47. | |
affair. I have to be honest I think they | :26:47. | :26:54. | |
are beautiful. They are stunning. It was strange because I saw Tony | :26:54. | :26:59. |