Prince Edward Earl of Wessex has made it clear to his staff that from now on he wishes to be known as just plain Ed, by every member of the royal household and also by the public.
Prime Minister David Cameron has refused to comment on revelations that Edward has recently joined Republic, the campaign for an elected Head of State and is consulting with constitutional experts on the implications for the Monarchy of a republican Prince.
An unnamed palace insider however claims that Prince Edwards conversion to republicanism is a cynical ploy, driven by irrational fear, and follows the horrific demise of the Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.
After viewing the footage of Gadaffi's capture and subsequent summary execution, our anonymous source claims that Edward quickly developed a nervous tick and became convinced that the British people, given the opportunity, would treat him similarly owing to his habit of referring to them as 'grockles'.
In a straw poll asking members of the public their opinion 8o% of respondents answered 'who is Edward of Wessex?' 10% answered 'where the hell is Wessex?' and the remainder answered 'stuff the sod'
