The Best and Worst of the British Press

L O N D O N, July 27 -- Think of your favorite line from a Beatles tune. Chances are it's a headline in one of Britain's newspapers today.

News of Sir Paul McCartney's engagement to former model Heather Mills has swept the British off their feet.

The Times, headlined "Sir Paul says love me do to Heather," writes the engagement has the blessing of McCartney's children Stella, Mary, James and Heather. The Daily Telegraph adds Mills' father is equally delighted.

"Her story is a true inspiration. When they get married it will be the proudest moment of my life," says Mark Mills — who happens to be a year younger than his future son-in-law.

Mills became a leading anti-land mine campaigner after she lost part of her left leg in a motorcycle accident eight years ago.

The couple will marry sometime next year.

Dangerous Bodyguards

The Daily Mail thought they had uncovered a smoking gun on Prince William Wednesday, reporting that he was a regular cigarette smoker. A denial has since been issued.

But today they had pictures of a real smoking gun — a Glock pistol dropped by one of the future king's bodyguards during a scuffle with a foreign press photographer.

Scotland Yard insists there was no danger because the Austrian-made pistol has a safety mechanism that prevents it from discharging if dropped. A by-stander says the prince seemed unaware anything had happened outside the trendy restaurant in West London.

Fears of Renewed Terrorism

Guns — and how to get the Irish Republican Army to decommission them — remain one of the major sticking points in Northern Ireland's struggling peace process.

The Guardian reports two key pro-British members of Parliament from the troubled region have walked out on talks aimed at reviving the Good Friday peace agreement. The news comes as British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern present a "take it or leave it" peace package to politicians on all sides of the conflict.