Now that the news is out, however, she said it had been a "great surprise" when Prince William's office contacted her husband Jack in response to a letter the couple had sent.

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After joining the Home Office, Mr Michael followed Home Secretary Jack Straw in taking a tough line on burglars and paedophiles.

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Jack Roderick, who later became mayor of Anchorage, shared a small law office with Stevens in those days.

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