Who is royal aide Lady Susan Hussey?

Former lady-in-waiting stepped down from palace role after incident in which she asked guest where she ‘really came from’

Lady Susan Hussey has been a pivotal figure in the royal family for decades, serving as one of Queen’s Elizabeth II’s lady-in-waiting for more than 60 years.

She was the late monarch’s longest-serving lady-in-waiting with the title Woman of the Bedchamber and is also a godmother to the Prince of Wales, but on Wednesday stepped down from her palace role and apologised after a black charity founder at a reception was left feeling traumatised after Hussey questioned her repeatedly about where she “really came from”.

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William and Kate fly to US to promote prince’s environmental prize

Days later, Harry and Meghan will head to New York for human rights award, with no plans for brothers to meet

The Prince and Princess of Wales will fly to the US on Wednesday hoping to shine a light on the climate crisis against a media backdrop obsessed with sibling rivalry and turf war with the Sussexes.

In their first US trip in eight years, Prince William and Princess Catherine are visiting Boston to promote the prince’s environmental Earthshot prize.

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South African president makes first UK state visit of King Charles’s reign

Tory government eager to focus on trade rather than Cyril Ramaphosa’s refusal to put sanctions on Russia

The South African president has started a two-day state visit to the UK, the first since King Charles took the throne, with the Conservative government eager to focus on trade rather than challenge South Africa’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

Cyril Ramaphosa’s trip has been much delayed due to Covid and only by chance became the first state visit of the king’s reign.

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King’s former aide received £60,000 payoff when he quit Prince’s Foundation

Michael Fawcett resigned after revelations he offered to help Saudi donor obtain knighthood and British citizenship

A former aide to the King received a £60,000 payoff when he stepped down from the Prince’s Foundation amid a cash-for-honours scandal, it has emerged.

Michael Fawcett received the money after revelations that he offered to help a Saudi donor obtain a knighthood and British citizenship.

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Reserve Bank ‘consulting’ with government on whether King Charles should be on $5 note

RBA governor Philip Lowe says ‘monarch has been on at least one banknote since 1923’ but decision won’t be made until talks with Labor are complete

He’s on the throne but should he be on the fiver?

The Reserve Bank of Australia has begun consultations with the federal government to answer one of the burning questions following the death of Queen Elizabeth II – should King Charles III take her place on the $5 note?

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Quebec separatist urges Canada to cut ties with ‘incredibly racist’ monarchy

Yves-François Blanchet, leader of Bloc Québécois, says ‘slave-driven’ British monarchy is ‘archaic’ and ‘humiliating’

The leader of Canada’s Quebec separatist party has renewed calls for the country to sever its ties with the “incredibly racist” and “slave-driven” British monarchy ahead of the coronation of King Charles III.

The Bloc Québécois leader, Yves-François Blanchet, tabled a motion on Tuesday, widely seen as purely symbolic, in the House of Commons.

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King Charles criticises lack of vocational education while on The Repair Shop

Outspoken comments about schools policy were made before he became king in one-off episode of BBC show

King Charles has criticised the lack of vocational education in schools during his appearance in a special edition of the BBC television show The Repair Shop.

In the one-off episode, to be broadcast by the BBC on Wednesday, he praises the value of technical skills and apprenticeships, and describes the lack of vocational education as a “great tragedy”.

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John Major dismisses The Crown as a ‘barrel load of nonsense’

Former PM angered by fictitious storyline in which Charles seeks his help in getting the Queen to abdicate

As Netflix prepares to release its fifth season of big budget royal drama The Crown it has rejected criticism of the latest season after former prime minster Sir John Major described it as a “barrel load of nonsense”.

Major’s comments were made after concerns arose that a storyline in the hit programme could damage King Charles’s reputation.

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Labor says time is coming for republic debate as monarchists claim it’s giving itself a ‘head start’

Albanese government says Indigenous voice is its priority and any move away from monarchy is not going to come quickly

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The Albanese government has told a leading monarchist group that “the time is coming” for Australia to discuss becoming a republic, angering supporters of the British crown who claim Labor is giving itself a head start on a future referendum campaign.

But the government has also conceded that any move away from the monarchy is not going to come quickly, instead inviting monarchist groups to join the current campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

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Thorpe leads protest in Melbourne – as it happened

Q: Is an external review now the precedent for anyone at other clubs who may come forward with similar allegations?

McLachlan:

Our integrity team is investigating many things concurrently. I think it depends on the nature of the allegation and the particular circumstance. But that’s certainly what we felt was warranted here. And I hope that history says that all allegations will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially.

And that’s the challenging part about this, that these courageous people have come forward and now there’s a huge spotlight on them. And I hope it doesn’t deter them to lean in on this and have that conviction to tell their stories to this independent panel so that we can get to the bottom of this.

I spoke to our senior Indigenous players last night. Eddie was on the call. Shaun Burgoyne was there, and Shane Edwards and Steven May and Neville Jetta and others.

And what was confronting for them – and I think they’d be happy for me to talk about this – Burgoyne was there right through this period, and was confronted and challenged he didn’t see any sign of this. I know that was weighing heavily on him.

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Trudeau’s team defend Bohemian Rhapsody rendition before Queen’s funeral

Clip of Canadian prime minister singing in London hotel two days before funeral has sparked criticism

A spokesperson for Justin Trudeau has defended the Canadian prime minister over a leaked video that showed him singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody in a London hotel lobby two days before Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.

The 14-second video clip, viewed more than 1.5m times, shows Trudeau in a T-shirt leaning against a piano at the Corinthia hotel and joining others in a rendition of one of the rock band Queen’s most famous songs.

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Queen Elizabeth II: from public pomp to a private family farewell

Ceremonial splendour in London gave way to a quiet burial in Windsor as Britain said goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch

After the majestical funeral pomp and military spectacle, unsurpassed in the nation’s living memory and watched across the world, the final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II would belong only to her family.

Night had fallen as she was laid to rest next to the Duke of Edinburgh in the George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor, in private and away from cameras.

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‘Now we have her no longer’: the crowds on the Queen’s final journey

As the coffin made the short trip to Westminster Abbey before heading on to the palace then Windsor, many were determined to pay their respects

As the Queen’s coffin emerged from Westminster Hall just before eleven o’clock for the short, slow journey to her funeral service at Westminster Abbey, the thousands who had gathered at Parliament Square, on Whitehall, and along the Mall, gradually fell into silence. The companionable chatter stilled, some climbed to their feet from folded chairs. Some bowed their heads.

Many, even among those who had been there all night, were dressed in black, others wore a chestful of medals or a union jack waistcoat, or wrapped themselves in a flag. There were woolly beanies and black fascinators, selfie sticks and a few stepladders.

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David Dimbleby echoes father to lead BBC coverage of Queen’s committal

Richard Dimbleby commentated on the Queen’s coronation 69 years ago and the funeral of George VI in 1952

The veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has commentated on the BBC’s coverage of the Queen’s committal at Windsor Castle, in an echo of his father from 70 years ago.

As the procession gradually made the mile-long journey to St George’s Chapel, Dimbleby calmly and clearly described for BBC viewers the “extraordinary scenes” that unfolded at Windsor over the past few days, the royal standard that covered the Queen’s coffin and the understandable restlessness of the horses moving at the slow place.

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Guardian Essential poll: Australians divided on whether King Charles should be head of state

Survey respondents split 50-50 but women, older voters and Coalition supporters more likely to back new monarch, poll suggests

Australians are divided over whether King Charles III should be the country’s head of state, with the latest Guardian Essential poll suggesting a 50-50 split between those who support the new UK monarch and those who do not.

The survey of 1,075 people, taken after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, gives little hope to the republican cause with fewer than half of the respondents (43%) supporting Australia becoming a republic – a figure that has barely moved over the past five years.

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‘End of an era’: how the Queen’s funeral was seen around the world

From Melbourne to Paris, New York to Delhi, the solemn events in London resonated around the globe

As the doors to Westminster Abbey opened to allow guests to take their seats, across the other side of the world, Australians sat down in front of their TVs to watch the historic event.

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Australia news live: former senator Rex Patrick demands explanation for freedom of information delays

Patrick will use the federal court to demand the information commissioner explain the lawfulness of her office’s delays in reviewing freedom of information decisions. Follow the day’s news live

The NSW government and the transport union will be meeting this afternoon behind closed doors after the union announced yesterday they’ll be withdrawing their plans to shut down the Opal card system.

Last week the union announced their plans to shut down the Opal card system indefinitely as part of their ongoing dispute with the state government.

[W]e know that higher interest rates will tend to depress residential and commercial property prices but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude and even the timing.

Not only can declining property prices have implications for economic activity, but also for financial stability as we outlined in the April financial stability review.

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Queen’s funeral: Elizabeth II laid to rest alongside husband, royal family announces – latest updates

The official website of the royal family said a private burial took place in the King George VI Memorial Chapel

Food confiscated from people waiting in the queue for the Queen’s lying in state is being donated to charity, reports PA Media:

People are not allowed to take food or drink inside the Palace of Westminster and any such items will be confiscated.

Charity the Felix Project said it expects to collect over 2 tonnes of food, mostly snacks including crisps, chocolate and biscuits, and is also accepting unwanted blankets.

With people waiting up to 24 hours to complete the five-mile walk from Southwark Park to Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen, they are coming with plenty of food to keep them going.

When they get to Victoria Tower Gardens the food is confiscated before entry to the parliamentary estate is allowed and instead of being thrown away, all non-perishable and unopened packages are saved.

The Felix Project will distribute the items to the thousands of community groups it works with across the capital.

Charity chief executive Charlotte Hill said: “We are honoured to be here to play a small part in this hugely poignant event and to know that an extra layer of good is being done here.

It’s hard to say exactly how many additional people [will travel], but we’re preparing for potentially a million people just within the footprint of the royal palaces and Hyde Park …

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Queen’s funeral: timeline of day’s key moments

A guide to the proceedings of the first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965

The first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965 will take place on bank holiday Monday for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Below is a guide of what will happen at key moments throughout the day.

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