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2012年9月20日星期四

Now THAT'S a Royal Wedding! Sultan of Brunei celebrates marriage of daughter, 32, with spectacular ceremony straight out of Arabian Nights

The daughter of the Sultan of Brunei, one of the world's wealthiest men, wed groom Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini today in a dazzling ceremony at the monarch's 1,700-room palace.
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, 32, the fifth child of the Sultan and his wife, Queen Saleha, and her groom Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, 29, exchanged their vows this afternoon in front of scores of gathered family and friends, royals and international dignitaries.
Both the bride and groom work in Governmental roles as employees of the Sultan of Brunei, with Hafizah, who has a degree in business administration, working as an officer in the finance ministry, and Ruzaini a civil servant in the Prime Minister's office.
Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah was a vision in lilac at the ceremony ahead of her wedding
Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini looked very dapper in pink
 
Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah and her groom Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini attended a ceremony ahead of their wedding, which took place today

 
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, right, and Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha at the pre-wedding ceremony yesterdaySultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, right, and Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha at the pre-wedding ceremony yesterday

 
The pre-wedding ceremony and the wedding both took place at the Brunei monarch's 1,700-room palaceThe pre-wedding ceremony and the wedding both took place at the Brunei monarch's 1,700-room palace
 
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah led a ceremony ahead of today's wedding, where daughter Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah was dressed in lavish silks and prepared for today's serviceSultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah led a ceremony ahead of today's wedding, where daughter Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah was dressed in lavish silks and prepared for today's service
The Sultan is Prime Minister of the small oil-rich Muslim sultanate that has been governed for 600 years by the same royal family, and also holds the roles of finance and defence minister.
The sultan has 12 children, five sons and seven daughters, from his three marriages, and the wedding is the first involving one of the sultan’s children since 2007.
 

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei prepared to give his daughter away in a lavish ceremony yesterday, which saw the family attend a service at the Throne Hall of Istana Nurul Iman palace in Brunei yesterday.
The couple then exchanged their vows in front of some the most powerful people in the region including Prime Minister Najib Razak of neighbouring Malaysia.
The guest list for the wedding was not released ahead of the day, but many international royals and dignitaries were preparing to attend, including Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of neighbouring MalaysiaThe guest list for the wedding was not released ahead of the day, but many international royals and dignitaries were preparing to attend, including Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of neighbouring Malaysia

 
The opulent Throne Hall of Istana Nurul Iman palace played host to the service yesterdayThe opulent Throne Hall of Istana Nurul Iman palace played host to the service yesterday

 
The daughter of the sultan of Brunei, one of the world's wealthiest men, is set to wed this weekend in a dazzling ceremony at the monarch's 1,700-room palaceThe daughter of the sultan of Brunei, one of the world's wealthiest men, is set to wed this weekend in a dazzling ceremony at the monarch's 1,700-room palace

 
The young boys looked dashing in their handmade silk outfits as they accompanied their fathers at the ceremonyThe young boys looked dashing in their handmade silk outfits as they accompanied their fathers at the ceremony
The couple will now be officially presented to the royal court in an elaborate ceremony on Sunday that marks the climax of more than a week of wedding-related festivities.
Southeast Asian leaders and foreign royalty are expected to be among the guests at a lavish royal banquet in honour of the newlyweds in the Islamic sultanate on Sunday night, hosted by the bride’s father, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 66.
This week’s festivities have included nightly vigils at the palace to bless the couple, but the monarchy will forgo a traditional public procession through the capital in the royal family’s gilded Rolls Royce.
Such weddings are typically a rare source of excitement in Brunei, which is known for its slow pace of life and lack of nightlife.
The wedding of Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah in 2004 attracted large crowds in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, and a guest list of over 2,000 people including members of the royal families of Japan, Jordan, Britain and Malaysia.
 
 
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, right, and Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha have 12 children
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
 
Happy occasion: Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, right, and Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, who both looked delighted during the ceremony, have 12 children

 
Traditional: Brunei's Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha applies ceremonial paste to Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah's hands during the week-long wedding festivitiesTraditional: Brunei's Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha applies ceremonial paste to Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah's hands during the week-long wedding festivities

 
Father of the bride: Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah applies ceremonial paste to Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah in the first of his children's weddings since 2007 Father of the bride: Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah applies ceremonial paste to Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah in the first of his children's weddings since 2007

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2012年9月7日星期五

Each one killed with a single shot to the head: Family massacred in French Alps bore trademark of a professional hitman

Three adult members of a seemingly respectable family, each murdered with a single shot in the head.
A seven-year-old girl left with life-threatening injuries and her younger sister badly traumatised after somehow escaping  alive from a psychopathic killer. 
A cyclist who is believed to have witnessed the bloodbath mercilessly assassinated.
Such barbarity would be shocking in some of the world’s most lawless countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia...
But for it to happen in a car park near the tranquil shores of Lake Annecy in the French Alps makes the crime infinitely more difficult to comprehend.
And, crucially, much more difficult to solve.
What better location for a professional hit than in a remote area, with few if any witnesses likely to see the atrocity, with quick road access to airports in three countries – France, Italy and Switzerland, and even further afield.
As French police launched an extensive manhunt to find the killer or killers, investigators were officially keeping an open mind about the motive for the crime and who might have been behind it.
The ruthless efficiency with which the murders were carried out suggested strongly that Saad Al-Hilli, his wife Ikbal and the rest of his family were specific targets, and the cyclist killed because he saw too much.
Pictures of the murder scene – in an isolated forest car park, 2.5 miles from the nearest village – show how the BMW was hit with automatic fire before the victims were finished off at point-blank range.
Had Mr Al-Hilli and his family been targeted in the UK, police would probably have had access to CCTV footage and data from number-plate recognition cameras, in their hunt for the killer’s escape vehicle.
Scroll down for video
How the brutal slaying of the family in the French Alps unfolded

But in Chevaline there has never been any need for security cameras, another possible clue that the killer may have carefully researched the best place, in terms of escaping detection, to commit the crimes.
A quick look at a local map shows he could have been out of France within minutes of the murders on Wednesday, possibly boarding a plane from Geneva within two hours.
 

Or perhaps he elected to drive several hours across Europe. Several witnesses reported seeing a car speeding away from the scene near Albertville, in France’s Haute-Savoie region, close to the Italian and Swiss borders, around the time of the attack.
No arrests were made in the immediate aftermath of the attack, nor did police report the discovery of any weapon.
Bullet-ridden: Police gather evidence from the BMW estate where Saad Al-Hilli and his family was massacred by a suspected assassin in the French Alps
Bullet-ridden: Police gather evidence from the BMW estate where Saad Al-Hilli and his family was massacred by a suspected assassin
Delayed reaction: Several hours after police arrived on scene, Mr Al-Hilli's four-year-old daughter Zeena was found alive huddling under her mother's legs inside the car
Delayed reaction: Several hours after police arrived on scene, Mr Al-Hilli's four-year-old daughter Zeena was found alive huddling under her mother's legs inside the car
Crime scene: French gendarme police escort the car involved in the shooting of a British family away from the area
Crime scene: French gendarme police escort the car involved in the shooting of the British family away from the area
But 15 spent, automatic pistol cartridges were found at the scene. ‘It was clearly an act of extreme savagery and it was obvious that whoever did this wanted to kill,’ said French prosecutor Eric Maillaud.
If Mr Al-Hilli’s family were deliberately targeted, police will want to establish how the killer knew where they were. Did he wait outside their campsite before ambushing them in the countryside?
The Iraqi-born British businessman’s commercial activities and political affiliations in his homeland will also be key lines of inquiry.
The bodies being taken away from the scene in a private ambulance escorted by police
The bodies being taken away from the scene in a private ambulance escorted by police

Tragedy: French police on guard near the site of the brutal slaying
Tragedy: French police on guard near the site of the brutal slaying

London link: The home of Saad Al-Hilli in Claygate, Surrey
London link: The home of Saad Al-Hilli in Claygate, Surrey
But French police, whose track record in investigating the murders of British nationals makes uncomfortable reading, would be foolish to rule out other possible explanations.
Already there has been speculation that the attack may have been a case of mistaken identity linked to drugs.
Another theory is that shots could have been fired during a bungled armed robbery, with the dead cyclist being a witness to the crime. Reports suggest the same gang may have carried out previous attacks.
Another possibility is that the crimes were racially motivated, or that the gunman is mentally ill.
The French prosecutor described the carnage as being like something seen in a film.
In most crime movies, the killer is finally brought to justice. If this was a professional hit, it will be a serious challenge for the French police to live up to that script.
The little Venice of the Alps

VIDEO: British PM David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande cow to do all they can... 



Journey to the centre of the earth: British climbers drop nearly 4,000 feet into cave once dubbed 'world's deadliest' to capture haunting images of world within a world

Once feared by explorers as a killer cave where all but the most daring feared to tread these pictures show how humans have triumphed over the underworld.

At 3,680-feet deep (about two-thirds of a mile) six people, including one-female Briton have died while exploring the Gouffre Berger limestone cave in south eastern France.

It was the first cave to be explored over 1,000 metres under the surface of the Earth and was named after the man who discovered it - Frenchman Joseph Berger.
caver ascends the Gouffre Berger
Into the abyss: The Gouffre Berger limestone cave in south eastern France was the first over 1,000 metres deep to be explored 

The Gouffre Berger cave
Subterranean wonder: Six people have died accessing the underground lakes and labyrinthine caves

Awaiting a ride in HMS Badger 1
Teamwork: A caver awaits a ride in HMS Badger 1 at the bottom of Scialet des Fees Anglaises in the Gouffre Berger
But now these stunning pictures show how safe the once deadly caves can be - with a huge group of 200-cavers descending in one huge expedition captured by British photographer Robbie Shone, 32, from Manchester.
'These cavers are adventurers descending for the thrill of it," said Robbie. 'This cave used to be considered dangerous but is now far more accessible to cavers.
'Because of how significant Gouffre Berger is in the history of caving reaching the bottom is a rite of passage for many inexperienced cavers.
Chris Blakeley climbs Puit Aldos
Setting off: Chris Blakeley climbs down Puit Aldos, one of the entrances to the feared Gouffre Berger

turquoise pool of water in The Gouffre Berger
World within a world:  This caver's grueling descent is rewarded with this stunning view of an underwater pool

Caver Sarah Payne
Martin Holroyd tackles the narrow section called the Meanders
Challenging: Sarah Payne, left, tackles the rope traverse at the head of Puit Aldo while Martin Holroyd, right, tackles a narrow section called the Meanders
'It's possible to get to the bottom in a day but I camped for three days so I could spend time on my pictures.'

Cavers, many of whom were British, used ropes to rappel down vertical shafts and swam across hauntingly beautiful underground lakes.

The adventurers were dwarfed by mighty formations as they used lanterns to navigate the huge caverns.
 

'There are sheer drops to descend,' said Robbie. 'As well as passages flooded with water. Once the bottom is reached there's a real sense of being someone very deep underground.
'There are the initials of the original explorers in the last flooded cavern. That's the end for dry cavers - those who don't cave dive underwater.
'After that if you want to go further you have to pull on diving gear and explore the totally flooded tunnels.'
British cavers kit up on the Sornin Plateau
Last minute preparations: A group of 200-cavers descending in one huge expedition captured by British photographer Robbie Shone

Chris Blakeley climbs Puit Aldos
Careful: Chris Blakeley climbs a section called Puit Aldos. Six people have died exploring the cave

Cavers crawl in the only crawling area
Rare sediment deposit in The Grand Canyon in the Gouffre Berger cave
Tight squeeze: Cavers crawl through a 10 metre stretch but other sections have lofty, cavernous spaces
First discovered in 1953 it was the deepest known cave at the time - and has a rich history of British achievement with the world record for the deepest cave dive going to British diver Peter Watkinson and his team in 1967.
Watkinson and other team members received international acclaim for reaching the deepest point possible on foot and then completing a perilous 130-feet underwater dive.
Because of Gouffre Berger's limestone walls water can penetrate the cave is liable to flooding after heavy rainfall, which caused five of the deaths, including Briton Nicole Dollimore from Oxford in 1996.
Cavers climb along a short ledge in The Great Gallery
Cavernous: First discovered in 1953 it was the deepest known cave at the time

James Alker swims through the Psuedo Sithon
Flood fears: Because of Gouffre Berger's limestone walls water can quickly penetrate the cave after heavy rainfall


Alexa Chung hits the decks to DJ for Moschino fans at Fashion Night Out in New York

She is the fashion world It girl that everybody wants on their guestlist and last night Alexa Chung's port of call was the Moschino store in the Meatpacking district, New York.
The 28-year-old model swapped the red carpet for the DJ decks as she spun some tunes for dancing partygoers.
Dressed in a tight black dress with floral, ruffled embellishment and her trademark red lipstick, she looked glamorous but cool and her chunky headphones added to her stylish appeal.
Alexa Chung looked stunning in a fitted black dress and matching black clutch as she posed for photographers at Moschino
Alexa Chung looked stunning in a fitted black dress and matching black clutch as she posed for photographers at Moschino

Alexa caught herself in a style faux pas as she attempted to put on her headphones
Alexa caught herself in a style faux pas as she attempted to put on her headphones
Alexa caught herself in a style faux pas as she attempted to put on her headphones


Alexa is our best-dressed export, consistently topping style lists and influencing the wardrobes of woman across the UK so it came as no surprise that she looked every inch the part.

She showed off her stylish and bright coloured floral nail art as she attempted to keep her hair in pristine condition using the headphones.
Alexa Chung showed off her cool nail art at the event
Alexa Chung showed off her cool nail art at the event
Alexa Chung showed off her cool nail art at the event

TheTV persenter looked confused as she tried to work the DJ decks, but help was at hand
TheTV persenter looked confused as she tried to work the DJ decks, but help was at hand
The star has won the Style Icon award twice at the British Fashion Awards, she has a Mulberry handbag named after her and this year she was was rewarded for all that hard work being fabulous with a specially created ambassador role for the British Fashion Council.
She has even recently confirmed that she will launch her own clothing label.

Other glamorous FNO attendees included slim Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson, 30, who clashed her magenta lips with her long-sleeved red dress and kissy platforms at QVC in New York.
The model was in good spirits as she played some great music for dancing guests in the store
The model was in good spirits as she played some great music for dancing guests in the store
Also at QVC was the usually fabulous Nicole Richie, 30, who took a fashion misstep in her drab and busy teal dress and black booties.
Alessandra Ambrosio bordered on ice-skater chic with her pleated pink mini-dress while posing in the trendy Soho district.
So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley, 35, looked lovely in her black starry dress at the Woolite Washed Boutique in New York.
Meanwhile, the amply-charmed model Kate Upton, 20, could barely contain her assets in a simple turquoise knee-length dress.
Alessandra Ambrosio did ice skater chic in Soho and Cat Deeley came out on top in her starry LBD at the Woolite Washed Boutique
Alessandra Ambrosio did ice skater chic in Soho and Cat Deeley came out on top in her starry LBD at the Woolite Washed Boutique
Alessandra Ambrosio did ice skater chic in Soho and Cat Deeley came out on top in her starry LBD at the Woolite Washed Boutique

Kate Upton could barely contain her sizable assets in a simple turquoise knee-length dress, while Miranda Kerr broke the 'don't wear white after Labor Day' rule in her ladylike floral dress in Sydney
Kate Upton could barely contain her sizable assets in a simple turquoise knee-length dress, while Miranda Kerr broke the 'don't wear white after Labor Day' rule in her ladylike floral dress in Sydney
Write caption here
The Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl helped judge a karaoke contest at Michael Kors' Madison Avenue store alongside the designer and Will & Grace actress Debra Messing.

Meanwhile down under in Sydney, Miranda Kerr broke the 'don't wear white after Labor Day' rule in her ladylike floral dress and red pumps.
The 29-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel looked chic and polished at the Kora Organics pop up store in Martin Place.



When David Harewood landed the role as a tough, do-it-by-the-book CIA spymaster for the Golden Globe-winning drama series Homeland, he arranged to meet a real-life spook to learn how to make it authentic. After all, as a former barman from Birmingham, he could hardly be expected to know much about the highly classified world of America’s fight against terrorism. And who better to turn to than the glamorous woman who — as a professional veteran spy — was advising the show’s writers, and on whom the main character, CIA officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) is based? Spymaster: David Harewood, centre, with Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison Spymaster: David Harewood, centre, with Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison But Harewood — cast as CIA boss David Estes — found himself being given a full-on interrogation. ‘It was supposed to be me pumping her for information,’ he recalls. ‘Instead, I suspect I told her far more about myself than I wanted to — or realised I was doing. If I’d been a terrorist, she would have had a confession out of me within minutes’. They met for what Harewood had hoped would be an informal briefing over lunch. ‘She was in her 40s and had been working for the CIA since she was 18. That much I got out of her. There was a hint of cleavage, and to anyone watching, we would have seemed like an ordinary couple. More... * That's classified information! Pregnant Homeland star Claire Danes plans to keep baby's sex a secret * From Slough with love: BOND ON BOND: THE ULTIMATE BOOK ON 50 YEARS OF BOND MOVIES BY ROGER MOORE * Live And Let BUY! Bond memorabilia including Quantum Of Solace Aston Martin, Solitaire's tarot cards and Scaramanga's golden bullet buckle up for sale ‘But the moment we sat down, she fixed her gaze on me and not once did she avert her eyes. I was aware that she was forensically examining me, making a mental note of any habits or flaws, storing away everything about me. ‘On the surface, it was all very affable. But I was unnerved. I tried looking away, but she kept her eyes locked on to mine. She was very, very good at not giving anything away. I knew I was being given a highly professional once-over, and I was never going to penetrate that hard outer shell.’ Private lesson: David Harewood got a one-to-one with a CIA spy in preparation for his Homeland role Private lesson: David Harewood got a one-to-one with a CIA spy in preparation for his Homeland role So what did he learn from her? ‘That these people are very intense, ruthless in their determination to hunt down the bad guys, and they never take anyone at face value — they are burrowing deep inside your psyche.’ He says the CIA’s attitude permeates the Homeland set. ‘Normally, I’m looking for a bit of fun when the cameras aren’t rolling. But everyone is so consumed with the stories that it’s as if we really are immersed in a very serious fight. ‘The script calls for me to be closely analysing everything that’s said and done, never taking anything for granted, and I find myself doing it off the set, too.’ Homeland, shown here on Channel 4, follows the story of Nicholas Brody (played by another Brit, Damian Lewis), a U.S. Marine captured in Iraq by al-Qaeda, and presumed dead. When he returns home after eight years, he is greeted as a hero. But one CIA operative, Carrie Mathison, suspects he has been brainwashed by his captors and will carry out an attack on U.S. soil. It is Estes’s job to remain neutral at all times, which adds to Carrie’s frustration because, while she’s trying to persuade him to take her suspicions seriously, she’s struggling to hide her bi-polar disorder from him. It’s unmissable stuff, generally held to be authentic, and President Obama’s favourite TV show. ‘He really enjoys it’, says Harewood, who was made an MBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours. ‘He sneaks off to watch it in his own room at the White House when Michelle and the kids are busy. It’s great to know it’s not far from the truth of what could happen.’ The cast know this because Lewis was told by none other than Obama himself, at a White House dinner this year. Says Harewood: ‘Even in that cordial atmosphere, there was a whiff of how seriously they take the threat of terrorism. Damian made a joke about it, but the President remained impassive. He immediately changed the subject as if nothing had been said.’ As the two resident Brits — albeit playing Americans — Harewood and Lewis have bonded. ‘We are both a long way from home for almost six months a year, so it’s natural to try to overcome the homesickness by sticking with one of your own.’ Previous adventures: David Harewood stars as Tuck in BBC's Robin Hood against Jonas Armstrong as Robin and Lara Pulver as Isabella Previous adventures: David Harewood stars as Tuck in BBC's Robin Hood against Jonas Armstrong as Robin and Lara Pulver as Isabella The series is filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina — almost 4,000 miles from Harewood’s home in Streatham, London, his wife Kirsty and their daughters, Maize, nine, and six-year-old Raven. ‘It’s not as much fun as working in TV at home, and although I’m enjoying the experience, I’m finding it all a bit cut-throat. The US has a different attitude to celebrity and publicity, so Damian and I feel we are not fully plugged in.’ Harewood, 46, feels that his landing the role in Homeland was due to a divine intervention. ‘My best mate Louis, who I’d known since I was eight, died in 2009. A routine operation on his knee went wrong. He was the life and soul of the party and a cartilage removal operation ended it. Pregnant Claire Danes walking in New York City on Thursday I spy... pregnant Claire Danes in New York yesterday ‘It destroyed me. I didn’t know what to do, so I took a year out. I couldn’t work, I was broke. I felt the crushing of reality. ‘Eventually, I did a show at the National, but I felt very vulnerable the first time I was on stage since his death. ‘When I was sent the script for Homeland, I didn’t think anything of it. Three months later my manager rang and said: “They are interested in you”. I read it and I realised, yes, I do want this. Then I got an email saying I’d got it. My wife said: “You know what day it is? It’s Lou’s birthday.” ‘He always used to say the one job I always wanted I was going to get. Whenever I was down he’d say: “You’re going to make it.” So this happened on his birthday.’ He’s lost for words, choked up. ‘I like to think it was him.’ Harewood got his big break after leaving RADA in 1989, playing a bisexual murderer on stage in Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane. Some of the audience walked out and he was criticised by the black community for setting a bad example. He said at the time: ‘It’s like having a gun to your head. There was a huge pressure of being the ultimate black man. I started turning up to the stage drunk.’ After that he would have episodes where he would forget who he was. He ended up in a psychiatric ward and then had to retreat to his parents’ house in Birmingham for a few months. Therapy saved him, but he found relationships with women destructive. After seven years he got a grip on himself and in 2002 met Kirsty. Did he know Homeland would be groundbreaking? ‘It was very different. I love the serious nature of the plot, and the personal dynamics. None of us know how it’s going to end until we get a script three or four days before filming. It’s very exciting. We just found out that one of the characters with us in the first series got shot. None of us saw that coming. ‘The way the stories unfold, no one is sure who’s next in line for a bullet. Claire Danes is probably safe, but anybody else could go. Could it be me? I’ll have to wait and see.’

When David Harewood landed the role as a tough, do-it-by-the-book CIA spymaster for the Golden Globe-winning drama series Homeland, he arranged to meet a real-life spook to learn how to make it authentic.
After all, as a former barman from  Birmingham, he could hardly be expected to know much about the highly classified world of America’s fight against terrorism.
And who better to turn to than the glamorous woman who — as a professional veteran spy — was advising the show’s writers, and on whom the main character, CIA officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) is based?
Spymaster: David Harewood, centre, with Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison
Spymaster: David Harewood, centre, with Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison
But Harewood — cast as CIA boss David Estes — found himself being given a full-on interrogation. ‘It was supposed to be me pumping her for information,’ he recalls. ‘Instead, I suspect I told her far more about myself than I wanted to — or realised I was doing. If I’d been a terrorist, she would have had a confession out of me within minutes’.
They met for what Harewood had hoped would be an informal briefing over lunch. ‘She was in her 40s and had been working for the CIA since she was 18. That much I got out of her. There was a hint of cleavage, and to anyone watching, we would have seemed like an ordinary couple.
 

‘But the moment we sat down, she fixed her gaze on me and not once did she avert her eyes. I was aware that she was forensically examining me, making a mental note of any habits or flaws, storing away everything about me.
‘On the surface, it was all very affable. But I was unnerved. I tried looking away, but she kept her eyes locked on to mine. She was very, very good at not giving anything away. I knew I was being given a highly professional once-over, and I was never going to penetrate that hard outer shell.’
Private lesson: David Harewood got a one-to-one with a CIA spy in preparation for his Homeland role
Private lesson: David Harewood got a one-to-one with a CIA spy in preparation for his Homeland role
So what did he learn from her? ‘That these people are very intense, ruthless in their determination to hunt down the bad guys, and they never take anyone at face value — they are burrowing deep inside your psyche.’
He says the CIA’s attitude permeates the Homeland set. ‘Normally, I’m looking for a bit of fun when the cameras aren’t rolling. But everyone is so consumed with the stories that it’s as if we really are immersed in a  very serious fight.            
‘The script calls for me to be closely analysing everything that’s said and done, never taking anything for granted, and I find myself doing it off the set, too.’
Homeland, shown here on Channel 4, follows the story of Nicholas Brody (played by another Brit, Damian Lewis), a U.S. Marine captured in Iraq by al-Qaeda, and presumed dead. When he returns home after eight years, he is greeted as a hero. But one CIA operative, Carrie Mathison, suspects he has been brainwashed by his captors and will carry out an attack on U.S. soil.
It is Estes’s job to remain neutral at all times, which adds to Carrie’s frustration because, while she’s trying to persuade him to take her suspicions seriously, she’s struggling to hide her bi-polar disorder from him.
It’s unmissable stuff, generally held to be authentic, and President Obama’s favourite TV show.
‘He really enjoys it’, says Harewood, who was made an MBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours. ‘He sneaks off to watch it in his own room at the White House when Michelle and the kids are busy. It’s great to know it’s not far from the truth of what could happen.’
The cast know this because Lewis was told by none other than Obama himself, at a White House dinner this year. Says Harewood: ‘Even in that cordial atmosphere, there was a whiff of how seriously they take the threat of terrorism. Damian made a joke about it, but the President remained impassive. He immediately changed the subject as if nothing had been said.’
As the two resident Brits — albeit playing Americans — Harewood and Lewis have bonded. ‘We are both a long way from home for almost six months a year, so it’s natural to try to overcome the homesickness by sticking with one of your own.’
Previous adventures: David Harewood stars as Tuck in BBC's Robin Hood against Jonas Armstrong as Robin and Lara Pulver as Isabella
Previous adventures: David Harewood stars as Tuck in BBC's Robin Hood against Jonas Armstrong as Robin and Lara Pulver as Isabella
The series is filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina — almost 4,000 miles from Harewood’s home in Streatham, London, his wife Kirsty and their daughters, Maize, nine, and six-year-old Raven.
‘It’s not as much fun as working in TV at home, and although I’m enjoying the experience, I’m finding it all a bit cut-throat. The US has a different attitude to celebrity and publicity, so Damian and I feel we are not fully plugged in.’
Harewood, 46, feels that his landing the role in Homeland was due to a divine intervention.
‘My best mate Louis, who I’d known since I was eight, died in 2009. A routine operation on his knee went wrong. He was the life and soul of the party and a cartilage removal operation ended it.
Pregnant Claire Danes walking in New York City on Thursday
I spy... pregnant Claire Danes in New York yesterday
‘It destroyed me. I didn’t know what to do, so I took a year out. I couldn’t work, I was broke. I felt the crushing of reality.
‘Eventually, I did a show at the National, but I felt very vulnerable the first time I was on stage since his death.
‘When I was sent the script for Homeland, I didn’t think anything of it. Three months later my manager rang and said: “They are interested in you”. I read it and I realised, yes, I do want this. Then I got an email saying I’d got it. My wife said: “You know what day it is? It’s Lou’s birthday.”
‘He always used to say the one job I always wanted I was going to get. Whenever I was down he’d say: “You’re going to make it.” So this happened on his birthday.’ He’s lost for words, choked up. ‘I like to think it was him.’
Harewood got his big break after leaving RADA in 1989, playing a bisexual murderer on stage in Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane. Some of the audience walked out and he was criticised by the black community for setting a bad example.
He said at the time: ‘It’s like having a gun to your head. There was a huge pressure of being the ultimate black man. I started turning up to the stage drunk.’
After that he would have episodes where he would forget who he was. He ended up in a psychiatric ward and then had to retreat to his parents’ house in Birmingham for a few months. Therapy saved him, but he found relationships with women destructive. After seven years he got a grip on himself and in 2002 met Kirsty. 
Did he know Homeland would be groundbreaking? ‘It was very different. I love the serious nature of the plot, and the personal dynamics. None of us know how it’s going to end until we get a script three or four days before filming. It’s very exciting. We just found out that one of the characters with us in the first series got shot. None of us saw that coming.
‘The way the stories unfold, no one is sure who’s next in line for a bullet. Claire Danes is probably safe, but anybody else could go. Could it be me? I’ll have to wait and see.’

Top marks in the style stakes: Mena Suvari struts her stuff in bra-let and high-waisted skirt for Fashion Night Out

It's a night dedicated to fashion so it is only right that attendees dress up for the occasion.
And Mena Suvari soared to the top of the class in the style stakes with her on-trend ensemble for Fashion Night Out in LA last night (Thursday).
The 33-year-old actress opted for a black bra-let and a figure-hugging high-waisted skirt.
Using the pavement as a runway: Mena Suvari was seen looking stylish in a bra-let and a high-waisted pencil skirt as she shopped during Fashion Night Out last night (Thursday)
Using the pavement as a runway: Mena Suvari was seen looking stylish in a bra-let and a high-waisted pencil skirt as she shopped during Fashion Night Out last night (Thursday)
The outfit emphasised Mena's tiny waist while accentuating her curves.
The pencil skirt boasted baroque print panels sat next to white and grey stripes and the actress finished the look off with a pair of peep toe heels.
She had her hair pulled back into a slick oversized bun on top of her head, and had eyeliner flicked out at the corner of her eyes for an 1950's inspired make-up look.
She bagged it: The 33-year-old actress visited the Farbod Barsum boutique and left holding on their new handbags
She bagged it: The 33-year-old actress visited the Farbod Barsum boutique and left holding on their new handbags
She bagged it: The 33-year-old actress visited the Farbod Barsum boutique and left holding on their new handbags

How to get out of a car: Mena made an elegant exit from her car as she arrived for the style event in West Hollywood
How to get out of a car: Mena made an elegant exit from her car as she arrived for the style event in West Hollywood
Mena was seen browsing through the Farbod Barsum boutique and it appears that a number of products on offer caught her eye.
She was seen leaving toting a black leather bag by the brand and a large smile, indicating she was rather pleased with her new accessory.
Mena also popped by to jewellery designer Suzanne Felsen's store, who she is close friends with.
The actress, who is gearing up for the release of her latest film You May Not Kiss The Bride, had left her diminutive boyfriend at home for the evening.
Getting ready: The actress tweeted a snap of herself as she was having her make-up done for the event
Getting ready: The actress tweeted a snap of herself as she was having her make-up done for the event
Going hell for leather: The actress had donned this dominatrix-inspired ensemble for the Fendi part on Wednesday night
Going hell for leather: The actress had donned this dominatrix-inspired ensemble for the Fendi part on Wednesday night
Going hell for leather: The actress had donned this dominatrix-inspired ensemble for the Fendi party on Wednesday night