Category Archives: Monarchy

False King Charles death story spread by Russian media outlets

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One site tweeted of monarch’s purported demise only to later concede: ‘Most likely, the information is fake’

The news broke in the Russian media on Monday afternoon. King Charles III was dead. He was not, but no one really had time to check the details. The saga of the royal family finally had its latest twist: a viral Russian disinformation angle.

The rumour went into overdrive when it was shared on a Telegram channel used by Vedomosti, once Russia’s most respected business newspaper. There was a photo of Charles in ceremonial military uniform and the curt caption: “British King Charles III has died.” It made it through Russian internet channels, including Readovka, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with more than 2.35 million subscribers.

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Where is Catherine, Princess of Wales? The internet is rife with ‘Katespiracies’

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The royal’s absence has led to a proliferation of conspiracy theories after announcement of a mysterious abdominal surgery

It seems that everyone has recently become fixated on one question: where in the world is the Princess of Wales?

We’ve long known the world is watching the royal family, but the visible absence of Catherine has sent social media and US news outlets into a tailspin – driving even those ordinarily not interested in the royals to pay attention.

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‘Multiple frames were likely used’: the royal photo’s telltale signs of editing

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Guardian’s imaging team identifies 20 anomalies with the picture that may require further inquiry

The release of the first official picture of the Princess of Wales and her three children since her operation was undoubtedly meant to end speculation about her recovery. But that has backfired spectacularly after the princess was forced to admit she had edited it.

Catherine apologised on Monday after the manipulation of the picture led international picture agencies to refuse to distribute it on grounds of editorial standards.

1. Jumper cuff does not match wrist edge.
2. Blurred edge detail jolts from one line to another.
3. Definitively inconsistent detail at base of jumper.
4. Strong horizontal line running through hair and jacket zip, indicating different focus and detail.
5. Visible selection lines within lower hair areas.
6. Edge of knee detail potentially blurs too quickly for the depth of field.
7. Suspect/soft bend of hair leading to the shoulder.
8. Abrupt hair detail.
9. Cloning repetition detail.
10. Visible selection lines and hard edges with the hair interacting with the soft blue jumper.
11. Rogue cloning detail.
12. Suspect vertical detail transitioning at edge of red jumper.
13. Sharp horizontal line running through soft window frame detail.
14. Sharp horizontal and vertical patches on window pane.
15. Inside finger “V” edge does not match.
16. Visible selection lines and hard edges with the hair interacting with the soft blue jumper.
17. Rogue sharp detail on soft arm area.
18. Ambiguous edge detail above thumbnail.
19. Sharp vertical line running through soft jumper detail.
20. Ambiguous due to shallow depth of field, hand and jumper detail softer than immediately surrounding areas.

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Fate of precious Henry VIII stained glass in dispute as ‘haunted house’ auction halted at last minute

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Intervention by conservationists halts sale of 1530s roundel from Grade-I listed manor, created to celebrate king’s union with Anne Boleyn

The fate of precious Tudor stained glass marking the union of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is in dispute after its last-minute withdrawal from a private auction, the Observer has learned.

Urgent intervention by conservationists prevented the sale of English glasswork “of exceptional importance”, including a window made in the 1530s as well as older ­medieval glass. The windows were hanging in a 16th-century Dorset manor and were destined for a private contents auction until spotted listed alongside vintage furniture and china.

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First Princess of Wales photo after surgery released for Mother’s Day

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Picture of Catherine with her three children posted on social media with message thanking well-wishers

The first official photograph of the Princess of Wales after her abdominal surgery has been released to mark Mother’s Day.

A picture of Catherine sitting on a chair surrounded by her three children was posted to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts on Sunday morning, along with a message thanking well-wishers for their support.

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Descendants of King William II’s killer want to donate triptych depicting death to UK museum

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Latin-inscribed artwork tells story of Walter Tirel, whose son killed British monarch

The Italian descendants of King William II’s killer want to donate a work of art partly depicting William’s death to a British museum.

The three-slab triptych is owned by the Tirelli family, whose aristocratic origins can be traced back to France, for over 400 years. They have said they believe it was made by a Norman artist in 1100.

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Army to remove claim Princess of Wales will attend event in June

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Catherine’s reported appearance at trooping the colour published without Kensington Palace’s approval

The army is to remove a claim made on its website that the Princess of Wales will attend an event in June, it has been reported, after apparently publishing the information without approval from Kensington Palace.

Tickets were being sold for the trooping the colour, which will take place on 8 June, advertising an appearance by Catherine, as of 8.30pm on Tuesday.

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Norway’s King Harald V hospitalised in Malaysia with infection

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The 87-year-old, Europe’s oldest ruling monarch, has suffered from ill health in recent years, and it is unclear when he will return home

Norway’s King Harald V, aged 87 and in poor health, is “improving” from an infection that forced him to be hospitalised while on holiday in Malaysia, his office has said.

The king will remain in hospital on the island of Langkawi and it is not yet known when he will return home, the Royal House of Norway said in a statement on Wednesday.

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Prince William pulls out of godfather’s memorial service over personal matter

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Prince of Wales will not attend service for Constantine the former king of Greece at Windsor Castle

The Prince of Wales has pulled out of attending a memorial service at Windsor Castle for Constantine, the former king of Greece, due to a personal matter.

Kensington Palace would not elaborate further but said the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from abdominal surgery, continued to be doing well.

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Prince William’s Gaza plea raises question of Foreign Office input

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Speculation that William’s ‘too many have been killed’ statement was encouraged to increase pressure on Israel

The timing of Prince William’s unprecedented intervention relating to the war in Gaza has raised questions about the involvement of the UK Foreign Office, and whether the royal statement was encouraged or even engineered to increase pressure on Israel.

On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales issued a statement saying “too many have been killed” in the conflict, and “I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible”.

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A soft regency? The House of Windsor reckons with shortage of working royals

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Cover for an incapacitated King Charles is looking rather thin, especially with William facing his own problems

One principle of hereditary monarchy is that it is the institution, not the individual, that prevails; the “Firm” over the figure on the throne.

Following King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace and the government can point to laws as evidence the well-oiled machinery of monarchy will continue to whirr efficiently in the background as the king retreats for treatment.

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No 10 confirms details of PM’s meeting with King Charles in unusual step

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Palace and Downing Street keen to show king is still carrying out core constitutional duties after cancer diagnosis

Buckingham Palace and Downing Street were keen to demonstrate that King Charles remains in close contact with the government on Wednesday, even as he recovers from his first session of cancer treatment.

No 10 took the unusual step of confirming that Rishi Sunak would be telephoning the king in the evening after an agreement with the palace to disclose the information.

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Prince Harry returns to UK after King Charles’s cancer diagnosis

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Duke of Sussex makes journey alone, with wife and children remaining at home in California

The Duke of Sussex has enjoyed a brief reunion with the king after taking an overnight flight from California to visit his father following Buckingham Palace’s announcement of the monarch’s cancer diagnosis.

Prince Harry landed at Heathrow shortly after midday following an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles. Travelling alone, the Duchess of Sussex having stayed in the US with the couple’s two children, Harry was pictured being driven from the airport in a black Range Rover with a police escort.

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King Charles: Prince Harry to travel to UK to see father after cancer diagnosis – as it happened

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King Charles ‘wholly positive about treatment’ but will postpone public-facing duties

Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said he wished the king a “speedy recovery” following his cancer diagnosis.

He said: “My thoughts and prayers are with His Majesty The King and I hope for a speedy recovery and return to public life.

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Charles’s cancer diagnosis will cast doubt on his future role

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The king’s illness comes just as he was making a mark and as his popularity was growing, and means postponing public duties

Last Monday, King Charles emerged from a private clinic alongside Queen Camilla to smile and wave to a small crowd.

The message that Buckingham Palace wished to convey was obvious – the monarch is strong and will carry on his duties, despite the health setback.

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Ben Elliot’s Quintessentially warns £29m liabilities could threaten its future

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Concierge service for super-rich co-founded by Queen Camilla’s nephew lost £1.5m in latest financial year

Quintessentially, the concierge service for the super-rich co-founded by Queen Camilla’s nephew, Ben Elliot, lost £1.5m in its latest financial year and warned investors it is struggling with £29m of liabilities that could threaten its future as a going concern.

The company that Elliot, a former co-chair of the Conservative party, set up in 2020, reported pre-tax losses of £1.5m in the year to the end of April 2022, compared with a £3.8m loss a year earlier. However, its post-tax losses increased to £12.9m, up from £8m the previous year.

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Man jailed for record 50 years for criticising Thai monarchy

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Mongkol Thirakot receives record sentence under kingdom’s strict lese-majesty laws for posts on personal Facebook account

A Thai man has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticising the monarchy – the longest jail term handed down under the kingdom’s strict lese-majesty laws – a legal rights group said.

The record-breaking sentence comes after several years in which Thailand has ramped up use of the legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent.

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Portrait of King Charles for public buildings unveiled in £8m scheme

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Move to offer the monarch’s photograph to UK bodies has been described as a ‘shameful waste of money’ by critics

A new official portrait of the king has been unveiled, created to hang in public buildings across the UK under an £8m government-funded scheme that an anti-monarchy campaign group has described as a “shameful waste of money”.

The Cabinet Office announced last year that it had set aside funds to offer every public body – local councils, courts, schools, police forces, and fire and rescue services – a free portrait of King Charles.

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Danes are cheering their new king Frederik X, but republicanism is stirring

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There will be protests at the coronation in Copenhagen, but support for the royals remains high in Denmark

When the Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen appears on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on Sunday afternoon to announce the new monarch, she is expected to be met by a sea of cheering faces.

But one figure in the crowd who will not be showing support for new king Frederik X as he takes the reins from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, who is abdicating after 52 years, is Mads Rundstrøm.

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‘The high life can be low carbon’: the European royals taking on the climate crisis

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Despite leading lavish lifestyles, some monarchs are influencing people to make greener choices

When Prince Frederik takes the throne on Sunday, the Danish crown will pass from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, a monarch who has cast doubt on the fact that human pollution is heating the planet, to one who feels bound by duty to call for stronger action on climate breakdown.

“I think it’s important for me to have a message for other people,” he told the Financial Times in 2010 after a trip to the melting Arctic with the heirs to the Norwegian and Swedish thrones, “to convince the broader population there are changes happening and that we are making the change.”

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