Paralympics: Iranian Athlete Refuses to Shake Hands with Duchess of Cambridge

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Iranian athlete refused to shake the Duchess of Cambridge’s hand after she presented him with a silver medal in the Olympic Stadium on Sunday night for “cultural reasons”, it has emerged.

Discus thrower Mehrdad Karam Zadeh finished second behind Briton Aled Davies in the F42-class discus on Sunday morning, and received his medal from the Duchess in the main stadium last night.

The Duchess was introduced to a huge cheer from a capacity crowd, but when she presented Zadeh with his medal it was noticeable that the 40 year-old athlete failed to shake her hand.

Bronze medallist Lezheng Wang and Davies both shook her hand after receiving their medals, with the Welshman exchanging words with the Duchess, who has been a regular spectator at the Paralympics.

The Iranian delegation in London were unavailable for comment when contacted this morning, but they have told Games organisers that Zadeh’s actions were not politically motivated.

According to sources the Iranian’s actions were based on gender, with cultural convention preventing a man from shaking the hand of a woman. » | Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter | Monday, September 03, 2012

Kate Middleton's Olympic Themed Cartier Necklace Costs £49,000!
And we thought she was thrifty

ENTERTAINMENT WISE: When our very own queen of recycling Kate Middleton stepped out in a £515 Olympian blue Stella McCartney dress to attend the National Portrait Gallery yesterday, we thought that was pushing the boat out.

But we are stunned to reveal that the ‘statement’ gold ring Olympic themed necklace that the Duchess of Cambridge wore to accessorise the 60s inspired shift dress costs a staggering £49,000 and is in fact by Cartier.

The white, yellow and rose gold exquisite piece, which is from the jeweller’s Trinity range – features five diamond-studded circles that are held together by a cluster of delicate chains. Now that’s some complicated bling.

And St James Palace have [sic] claimed the super expensive necklace is owned by Kate personally. This just gets more confusing. "It's a personal piece which she's had for some time," says a St James's Palace spokesman. "It's not an official Olympic item but it's appropriate to wear it." » | Lucia Binding | Friday, July 20, 2012