Neither Jane Atkinson, the Princess's aide, or her solicitor would comment.. A move by Bupa, Britain's biggest health insurer, to encourage its 550,000 personal subscribers to switch to private hospitals rather than NHS pay- beds could have a devastating impact on NHS treatment, health service chiefs warned yesterday. The switch could lead to the collapse of the NHS's pounds 250m private patient income, Marco Cereste, chairman of the NHS Trust Federation claimed. That in turn would lead to cuts in NHS services as hospitals lost the profits from private patients and the efficiency gains from running pay-beds alongside NHS services. The move was potentially "a catastrophe" for the NHS, he said, adding: "We are not going to take this lying down." The Federation is consulting lawyers over whether Bupa's move is legal and will hold talks with PPP, Norwich Union and the other insurers to organise a fightback, Mr Cereste said.Bupa accused the federation of "overreaction" - saying that only pounds 16m of its pay-outs for personal subscribers went to the NHS.But Norwich Union, the third biggest health insurer, accused Bupa of reducing "choice and diversity" for its customers, adding that the move was aimed at protecting Bupa's own hospitals and those of the other private providers when they have been losing business to the NHS.The row follows last month's launch of Bupa's new Health Fund which allows subscribers to build up credits which can then be spent on other health care products such as long-term care or fitness clubs.In return, subscribers will normally be limited to a choice of only 150 private hospitals, including Bupa's own and those of Nuffield and BMI with whom the health insurer has cut advantageous deals.Bruce Tranter, Bupa's marketing director, said it had gone only for private hospitals in part because there was "a question mark" over whether NHS pay-beds would continue under a Labour government. There are also negotiations over the Princess's title after divorce and the Government has to be consulted over her future role.Buckingham Palace refused to confirm the meeting, merely observing that the Queen meets family members regularly and that "the Princess of Wales is no exception".

Speculation about the lump sum the Princess has been seeking ranges from pounds 15m to pounds 50m, a sum the Prince could not afford on his own. He is thought to be looking for a cheaper deal based on annual payments from his Duchy of Cornwall. In contrast the Duke and Duchess of York reached a divorce settlement within 10 days. The Princess is believed to have "implied' that if Prince Charles's side failed to speed up progress she may simply pull out and wait for him to go for a divorce based on five years separation - meaning a delay of nearly two more years. They formally parted in December 1992.The afternoon meeting with the Queen, who sees all senior members of the Royal Family on a regular basis, is regarded by some observers as yet another "ploy" by the Princess to obtain the best possible divorce terms.The main obstacle to settlement appears to be money. The Princess met the Queen on Wednesday to express her concern at the slow progress of the proceedings, which have lasted for nearly five months. "I am sure that I have done nothing to be ashamed of," he said.. The Queen has been urged to intervene again in the divorce negotiations between the Prince and Princess of Wales after a personal complaint from the Princess that talks between the pair's representatives have effectively stalled.

We know exactly which tickets were stolen and anyone coming in with one of those will definitely be stopped and probably arrested as well."Touts have been selling stolen or forged tickets for up to pounds 1,000 a pair, according to Andy Mitton, the editor of the United We Stand magazine.A big security operation to ensure the London final, attended by a capacity crowd of 80,000, passes off peacefully began yesterday, as the first fans began to make their way down from the north-west.Bookmakers say that this year's final will attract record bets, and both teams are quoted at 13-8 to win in normal time, making it the closest final ever.Trevor Phillips, a senior Football Association official who resigned as an investigation began into alleged illegal ticket sales for the Euro 96 football championships yesterday denied any wrongdoing. Paul Sergeant, director of Wembley Stadium, said: "Every FA Cup final ticket is recorded somewhere in the system. He said: "It will be full of Chelsea fans so I can rub it in."More than 400 Manchester United and Liverpool fans will not get to watch the match either. When they turn up at Wembley today they will find that the tickets for which they have paid up to pounds 500 each on the black market are stolen. It is an experience that he does not want to repeat. As United take on Liverpool today in an attempt to win the double, the Championship and the FA Cup, Mr Best will probably be watching in the pub in Chelsea, south-west London, where he is a familiar figure.