PRESTON'S mayor nearly ended up looking a proper Charlie after a town hall blunder led locals to believe she was about to meet the Prince of Wales.

Council officials had planned to let Coun Rose Kinsella attend the launch of Century 105, the North West's newest radio station, after they received an invitation inviting Preston's first citizen to meet HRH.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. For, 24 hours before the event, eagled-eyed press officer Angela Court smelled a rat. Surely HRH wouldn't send an invitation on fluorescent yellow paper, carrying the message: 'One would like the company of one at one's visit to the launch of Century 105'.

In fact it was a different HRH attending - an hilarious royal look-alike.

But despite the apparently obvious joke, until Angela's interception, the ploy went un-noticed.

Angela said: "Coun Kinsella very nearly ended up going to the event because the Mayor's secretary has been off recently.

"I saw the event listed on the Mayor's engagements list and it seemed quite strange that Prince Charles would be launching a commercial venture.

"The penny immediately dropped when I saw the invitation. It was very funny, but the only appeal of the visit was the fact Prince Charles was supposed to be there.

"There was no point Coun Kinsella attending an event so far from the town for something like that."

Coun Kinsella said: "I was just told it had been cancelled. It would have been nice to have met the Prince, but I didn't want to travel all that way just to meet a look-a-like."

John Myers, boss at Century 105, said: "We are a fun-loving station and to hear that the council nearly fell for our gag is very funny."

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