Category Archives: UK news

World leaders greet King Charles at Buckingham Palace on eve of Queen’s funeral

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King’s ‘accession tour’ of UK draws to a close as prime ministers and presidents gather to pay their respects

After 10 days receiving the condolences of the British people, King Charles III was embraced by world leaders before Monday’s funeral for the Queen, after which he will finally lay his mother to rest in a private ceremony in a Windsor chapel.

The King’s black Rolls-Royce swept on to the forecourt of Buckingham Palace on Sunday morning as prime ministers and presidents from the US to Rwanda gathered. He waved to cheering crowds which have followed him around Britain over the last week on his “accession tour”, before holding his second meeting with Liz Truss, the prime minister.

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Buckingham Palace releases smiling Queen photograph taken in May

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Monarch pictured at Windsor Castle wearing cherished jewellery given to her by her parents on her 18th birthday

On the eve of her state funeral, Buckingham Palace released a previously unseen photograph of Queen Elizabeth II, showing her smiling at Windsor Castle.

It was taken four months before her death, in May 2022, at the home where she had spent most of her time during her final years.

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Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman no longer expected at Queen’s funeral

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Apparent change of heart by de facto ruler suggests relations with west have not fully recovered from murder of Jamal Khashoggi

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is no longer expected to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Monday, a British Foreign Office source said on Sunday, contrary to Britain’s earlier expectations that he would.

Saudi Arabia would be represented instead by Prince Turki bin Mohammed al Saud, the source said. Prince Turki is a minister of state and has been a member of the cabinet since 2018. He is the grandson of late King Fahd and part of the new generation that has been brought to power by Prince Mohammed.

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Jair Bolsonaro uses visit to London for Queen’s funeral as ‘election soapbox’

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Speaking from the balcony of his ambassador’s home, Brazilian president rounds on leftists, abortion and ‘gender ideology’

Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been accused of using the Queen’s funeral as a political soapbox after he flew into London to deliver a speech to supporters about the dangers of leftists, abortion and “gender ideology”.

Speaking from the balcony of the Brazilian ambassador’s 19th-century Mayfair home on Sunday, the South American populist voiced “profound respect” for the royal family and UK citizens and claimed that honouring Queen Elizabeth II was the “main objective” of his visit to London.

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Queue for lying in state closes after UK holds minute’s silence – as it happened

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Decision taken to close entry to queue permanently after it reached capacity before Monday’s funeral

The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has told the BBC that in her conversation with King Charles he expressed gratitude for the condolences of the people who had come out to take part in the week’s events. PA Media reports she said:

I’ll keep my comments here very, very general because we always try to keep in close confidence the conversations we are lucky enough to have with His Majesty.

But the overriding sentiment was just the gratitude for the great effort that people were putting into coming and paying their respects, and by that I mean not just leaders, but people.

What you’re going to expect is the best of funeral services, the prayer book service, the words which were an inspiration to Shakespeare.

You’re going to hear this wonderful English at its best, also you’re going to hear angelic voices of the choir of the abbey plus the Chapels Royal, you really hear voices that are singing to the glory of God.

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‘It felt important to keep going’: grief hands London fashion week a dilemma

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Whether to pay homage to the Queen amid the party dresses has divided participants

There was only one show in town in London this weekend, and that was the Queue. But the catwalks of London fashion week soldiered on.

“It felt important to keep going, because this is a time when London needs to stick together, and right now some of this city’s young designers are at risk of losing their businesses,” said the designer Jonathan Anderson after his JW Anderson show.

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Jeremy Vine attacks social media firms after jailing of stalker

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BBC and Channel 5 broadcaster says firms such as YouTube and Twitter have no moral values

Jeremy Vine has criticised social media companies for failing to take action against online hate in the wake of the jailing of stalker Alex Belfield.

Companies such as YouTube and Twitter had no moral values, said the BBC Radio 2 and Channel 5 broadcaster.

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‘Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty’: Prince Andrew pays tribute to Queen

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Duke of York, who has been stripped of royal duties, says he will treasure monarch’s ‘compassion, care and confidence’

The Duke of York has paid tribute to the Queen in an emotional statement on the eve of her funeral that began: “Dear Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one.”

Prince Andrew, the Queen’s second-eldest son, who has been stripped of royal duties over his relationship with the convicted sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein, said: “Your Majesty, it has been an honour and privilege to serve you.

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Liz Truss meeting with Irish PM raises hopes Brexit talks with EU will resume

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British prime minister and Micheál Martin understood to have agreed there is opportunity for reset of relations

Hopes that talks between the UK and the EU will resume over a protracted dispute about the Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland have risen after a 45-minute meeting between Liz Truss and the Irish prime minister in Downing Street on Sunday morning.

The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, was one of five world leaders to have “leaders’ meetings” with the British prime minister before the Queen’s funeral on Monday, in what was seen by some as a mark of the UK’s determination to reset soured relations with its neighbour.

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Queen’s funeral may break TV records – but it’s no cash bonanza for media industry

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A total blackout on TV advertising was agreed with Buckingham Palace following the death of the Queen

• Death of the Queen and King Charles’s accession – latest updates

The death of the Queen and coverage of her funeral will top the ranks of the most-watched broadcasts in British television history, while newspaper publishers have seen an unprecedented boost in sales as mourners seek commemorative copies. And yet the biggest national event in decades will not provide a commercial bonanza for media firms.

ITV has planned its largest-ever outside broadcast, with all of its channels simulcasting ad-free blanket live coverage for the first time in history. The day of the funeral will also be the first time in Channel 4’s four decades on air that it has instituted a 24-hour ad block across its channels.

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How to avoid it all: a guide to a royal-free bank holiday

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From a visit to a historic church to a flutter on the horses, there are many ways to escape the doldrums during Monday’s big shutdown

• Accession of King Charles and death of Queen Elizabeth – latest updates

Watching the state funeral on Monday is not compulsory, even if some public figures have claimed it should be. But anyone looking to avoid it has other options.

The bank holiday shutdown stretches from supermarkets and big retailers to leisure centres and tourist attractions. No English Heritage site will open, not even its historic churches, it confirmed last week, nor any National Trust garden or stately home.

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Beijing-backed Chinese language schools in UK to be replaced with teachers from Taiwan

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MPs in talks with Taiwan to help phase out Confucius Institutes as relations between the countries worsen

A group of cross-party MPs is in talks with Taiwan to provide Mandarin teachers to the UK as the government seeks to phase out Chinese state-linked Confucius Institutes, the Observer has learned.

There are currently 30 branches of the Confucius Institute operating across the UK. Although controversies have existed for many years, they have continued to teach Britons Chinese language, culture and business etiquette. These schools are effectively joint ventures between a host university in Britain, a partner university in China, and the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), a Beijing-based organisation.

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Jacob Rees-Mogg’s imperial measurements consultation ‘biased’ after no option given to say no

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‘It’s a nonsense’: government facing claims of manipulating questions to get desired result from survey on ‘Brexit bonus’

It was meant to be one of the sure-fire wins for Brexit, but plans to bring back imperial measurements face criticism over claims of a biased government review.

Ministers were keen to launch a review to revive imperial measurements – such as pounds and ounces – and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), now overseen by Jacob Rees-Mogg, conducted a government consultation over the summer. However, the questions appeared to have something missing.

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Liz Truss’s first big diplomatic meeting with Biden postponed

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Meeting rearranged for Wednesday in New York as Bidens travel to UK for Queen’s funeral

Liz Truss’s planned meeting with Joe Biden in Downing Street, which was to be her first major diplomatic event as prime minister, has been rescheduled for Wednesday at the UN.

Officials from both countries said that a meeting in the margins of the UN general assembly would allow “fuller” bilateral discussion and was not the result of friction. But, whenever the two leaders meet, they face disagreements over Northern Ireland.

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Anthony Albanese describes ‘very warm’ meeting with King Charles ahead of Queen’s funeral

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Australian prime minister also held informal talks with UK prime minister Liz Truss

Anthony Albanese has described his one-on-one meeting with King Charles ahead of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth as a “great honour”.

“I extended my personal condolences to King Charles but also the condolences of the Australian people,” the prime minister said from London on Sunday morning Australian time.

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Biggest interest rate rise for 25 years could spell showdown at the Bank

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This week’s decision could pit Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey against an expansionary PM and chancellor

A lightning strike from the Bank of England awaits. Having delayed its decision until after the period of national mourning for the death of the Queen, Threadneedle Street could this week launch the biggest rise in borrowing costs for at least 25 years.

Announcing its plans a day before Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget on Friday, the central bank is widely expected to use a fast and forceful rate increase to show its commitment to tackling soaring borrowing costs – despite the gathering storm clouds for the British economy.

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Camilla to pay tribute to Queen in TV broadcast

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Queen Consort’s address on Sunday will praise mother-in-law for forging role as woman in male world

The Queen Consort is to pay a televised tribute to the Queen on Sunday, praising her for carving out her own role for many years while being in the “difficult position” of being a “solitary woman” in a male-dominated world.

In prerecorded words, she will also recall the late monarch’s “wonderful blue eyes” and say: “I will always remember her smile.”

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Man charged with attempted murder after Leicester Square police stabbings

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Mohammed Rahman charged with multiple offences as one Met police officer remains under medical supervision

A 24-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent after the stabbings of two police officers in Leicester Square on Friday, the Metropolitan police have said.

Mohammed Rahman, 24, from west London, was also charged with assault and two counts of threatening a person with a blade, charges relating to three other constables. He was also charged with robbery and possession of a knife.

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Joe and Jill Biden fly to London for funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

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State funeral will be attended by almost 100 presidents and heads of government

Joe Biden and his wife Jill arrived in the UK on Saturday to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, who the US president has described as “more than a monarch” and a woman who “defined an era”.

The Queen’s state funeral on Monday is to be attended by almost 100 presidents and heads of government, and the Bidens were traveling without any former US presidents.

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