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In this casserole of gossip were some tiny chunks of fact: the royal couple had not been together since mid-October when the Duke went on cruise; no royal child has been born since Elizabeth became Queen. In the teeth of the storm, royal spokesmen issued a firm denial of any rift between the Queen and her consort. This week Elizabeth plans to fly to Lisbon to join her husband for two days before they pay a state visit to Portugal. Soon the headlines were foreseeing a second honeymoon. In preparation the Duke shaved off the reddish, roguish beard he had cultivated during a six-week whisker-growing contest aboard the Britannia.