"Perhaps history will bear out that the choice of my partner was my best decision, " said the monarch, who is known affectionately as Queen Bea.

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"Myself and my business partner James are Suffolk lads, " he said.

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"I was watching the news with my partner when it came on about Samoa and American Samoa being hit by the tsunami, " he said.

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Updated information: The carat-weight of each gem is approximately one carat each, said Jean Christophe Chatignier, a partner with the auction house, who responded to my e-mail Monday morning.

FORBES: Connect

"Guy Oseary, my partner at Maverick (Records), was given a demo by a French artist called Mirwais, " she said.

CNN: graphic