Ann Pewter, 74, was killed in the incident last March at the King Harry Ferry crossing in Cornwall as her husband David, 76, watched on in horror. The Mazda Estate floated for a time, an inquest heard, but Mrs Pewter tried to save her pets rather than leaving. A vehicle expert told the inquest the handbrake had been applied, but was only on the second of six notches, so still slipped down when Mr Pewter climbed out.

With their wavy brunette hair, petite features and slim figures, the physically resemblance between the two is uncanny. But the royals have much more in common than just appearance. Both were 'commoners' who married a prince. Princess Mary is native to Australia and met her husband-to-be during the Sydney Olympics. Like Kate, who met Prince William at university, she had no royal roots.

The floating accommodation, currently moored in Surrey, comprises two double bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open plan lounge and fully fitted kitchen. A decked bow platform and ballustraded roof terrace - once used to watch rowing races - provide views of the river. The rare 'Oxford Barge' dates back to the 19th century, and was formerly used by university rowers as a changing room and common room.

Sam Smith, 31, (pictured left) carried out unnecessary repair work on Leslie Halford's house in Northfield, Birmingham, over a two-year period. He charged a staggering £225,000 for the work - causing the pensioner to part with his life savings and become dependent on borrowing money. Meanwhile, his brother Michael, 40, (right) conned another man, Kenneth Cook, into believing his roof was on the verge of collapsing. Mr Cook, who is believed to be in his 50s, forked out £22,350 for the building work on his house in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. The brothers have now both been jailed at Birmingham Crown Court.

Lidia Pankiv, 24, had been one of the protesters out on the streets campaigning against corruption and demanding a change the day she met police officer Andrei. She had been one of a group of women acting as a human shield and standing between the police officers and a group of protesters hoping that by their presence there they would stop the violence.

The new treatment claims to be an effective alternative to liposuction - and Sharon Donaldson, 39, from Liverpool, was one of the first women to try it. Sharon paid £1000 to have fat-zapping treatment on her face and midriff, before getting married to Peter, 32, last year. Sharon said: 'Having a slim, toned stomach has given me so much more confidence and I had spent years working in the gym and trying every diet you can think of to achieve what I have now.'

Authorities closed schools and colleges in Meerut, 37 miles northeast of the Indian capital, after the leopard was discovered prowling the city's streets on Sunday. Photos showed the beast pushing its way through a lattice wall at the hospital as a policeman in riot helmet, stood ready to hit it with a baton.

Sami Hayek, 40, was driving a sports car eastbound on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles when he lost control of the car and swerved into the oncoming traffic. He crashed into a pickup truck, killing Hayek's unidentified 43-year-old Mexican male passenger. Hayek was taken to the hospital for several broken ribs and facial lacerations. The driver of the pickup truck was treated for a broken foot. The crash is still under investigation.

The 30-year-old, named by friends as Georgina China (left), plunged from her second-floor balcony (bottom right) in Queen's Park, west London, yesterday morning. Sources close to the investigation have said she was six months pregnant with her third child. A friend of the young mother, also known as Georgina Drinkwater, has claimed she may have fallen because 'she was trying to get away from someone'. Flowers have been left at the site where she fell (top right).

The Duke of Edinburgh was the recipient of some rather fruity barrack-room language on a visit to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in Aldershot today. The Queen's husband (pictured, left, joking around with soldiers) was standing on the touchline (right) watching a game of football between corporals and guardsmen when one exhausted player could not contain himself as he came off the pitch. Doubled up in pain, the soldier told the elderly royal 'I'm f*****.' Philip, 92, aughed and then continued to chuckle away to himself as the player finally looked up, realised who he was speaking to and walked off looking slightly sheepish.

The traps built out of heavy chains and disused railway track almost 70 years ago have been exposed on the beach at Porthcawl, South Wales. The storms and gale-force winds moved large amounts of sand to reveal the fortifications to stop a Nazi invasion from Britain's western shores. They were part of long line of barricades set up along the Welsh shore to stop Hitler's Panzer division from moving inland.

Tiger King in Portsmouth was closed immediately after a surprise inspection last week uncovered filthy conditions and was branded a health risk. Owner Daniel Fan was today fined £5,000 and banned from running food businesses for six months, while the hygiene inspector said the takeaway was one of the worst he had seen in 20 years.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Sharon O'Callaghan (right), 31, of Blackburn, Lancashire, was left scarred for life (left, top centre) after she was knocked unconscious and left with a broken nose and damaged jaw. Her brother, Stephen O'Callaghan (bottom centre), who has a history of domestic violence, walked free from court.

Napoleon said that 'an army marches on its stomach', and soldiers from across the world are powered by a range of foodstuffs including Tabasco sauce for the British, (top left), and a shot of alcohol for the Italian troops (top right). Operational ration packs are dished out to many servicemen and women on the front line, providing enough food to get them through 24 hours with French forces (bottom right) enjoying venison pate, while the US soldiers get a taste of home with pound cake and peanut butter (bottom left)

A pilot from Florida is lucky to be alive after a bird smashed through his windscreen and struck him the face. Robert Weber was about 10 miles from the airport at Page Field when the bird flew straight into his pilot-side window, sending shards of glass and feathers flying. Slowed cockpit footage shows the bird exploding on contact and Mr Weber's frantic struggle to regain control of the light craft.

Gunshots were heard at Keeper's Cottage just off Crooksbury Road in Farnham, Surrey, yesterday morning - when police arrived they found the bodies of two women and four dogs. An elderly man, named locally as puppy breeder John Lowe, 82, pictured left, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder, and police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths. Post-mortems on the two women, who have not yet been named, are due to take place later today.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Prabin Boro, a 45-year-old farmer from Assam, India, has burned himself to death during a protest over land ownership. Boro was taken to a nearby hospital with 100 per cent burns and died shortly afterwards. His grieving wife said Boro confessed his plans to her, and was determined to go through with it despite her pleas.

The penthouse (pictured) is in the exclusive One Hyde Park, London - the most expensive block of flats in the world. It boasts five reception rooms (main, bottom right), five bedrooms (top left), several dining and eating spaces (top right), parking for two cars and panoramic views across the capital. A private landlord has put the flat on the rental market for £45,000-a-week or £195,000-a-month. That means a Briton on the average annual wage of £26,500 could stay for just three days in the stunning apartment before being evicted. Over a 12 month period, any tenant will find themselves spending £2.34 million on rent, enough to buy nine 'average' UK homes priced at £250,000. One Hyde Park was built by billionaire Nick and Christian Candy - with a number of the world's wealthiest people owning flats in the block previously.

The remarkable satellite image, left, shows the stark contrast between North and South Korea which glows bright next to its neighbour. North Korea - which is ruled by supreme leader Kim Jong-un - is almost completely black appearing to show a distinct lack of power or energy supply. However the rest of the country - which has a population of 24 million - is pitch black looking almost like a sea between South Korea and China, right. The NASA Earth Observatory website commented on the photograph: 'North Korea is almost completely dark compared to neighbouring South Korea and China.

The man, left, who identified himself only as Chris, was pictured hacking away at the wall, right, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on which a valuable Banksy had been painted. Photographer Charlie Varley said: 'He called himself Chris and said it would be shipped to Tate Modern in London.' He was part of a group that told concern neighbours they had the owner's permission to remove the work by the famous British graffiti artist. The street art stencil, inset, called Girl with Umbrella, first appeared in 2008 before the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Squadron leader Billy Drake's career saw the 'outstanding' WWIII pilot decorated with ten medals and a bar group which includes both the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the US Distinguish Flying Cross (DFC) for his skill in air combat. The haul from his military service - which saw him serve in the battle of France, the battle of Britain, North Africa, Italy and Normandy - is expected to fetch up to £30,000 when it is sold.

Loubna Khader sobbed and smacked the glass divider at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas as she came face-to-face Stewart Richardson, who is still awaiting trial for the 2009 crash. She held up photographs of her son Abdallah before and after the crash (seen bottom right) and said she would never accept his apologies. Abdallah was left unable to see, speak or walk after Richardson rear-ended his family's car at an intersection. Mrs Khader (pictured top right) said she would never be able to forgive Richardson for destroying her son's life.

The stray, which was named Si Bao by an owner who later abandoned her, gave birth to four healthy puppies near Kouguan railway station in Datong, Shanxi Province in the north of the country. Shi Bao was made one of the city's many strays after her owner moved out of the neighbourhood and decided not to take her with him, but became well known locally when she lost her two rear legs after being hit by a speeding train two years ago.

American firm Hennessey has claimed for some time that its Venom GT is the quickest thing on four wheels, but it has now managed to beat the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport's record-breaking 269mph. The £800,000 car powered by a twin-turbocharged, seven-litre V8 engine which develops an incredible 1,244bhp. Pilot Brian Smith claims he could get another 5-10mph out of the car, but the runway in Florida was just 3.22 miles long.

After months of legal wrangling, a wealthy landowner who spent millions building his own pirate themed island only to be told it could be knocked down, has finally been granted planning permission. James Challis, 29, heir to a quarrying and haulage fortune, created 60-acre 'Challis Island' on a lake owned by his family.

In a short video posted on YouTube, a tiny meerkat descends into a fit of giggles while being tickled on the tummy at Whitehouse Farm, near Morpeth in Northumberland. The noise the animal makes while lying on its back has been described as 'cute' and 'hilarious', with comparisons made to a young child, a faulty car and even a small helicopter.