Russian hoax raises questions over Sussexes’ security

Royal expert sounds alarm after Prince Harry seemingly duped into thinking he was talking to Greta Thunberg

Russian hoaxers who apparently tricked Prince Harry into offering help to take penguins to the North Pole have raised serious questions over security and screening measures for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they leave the royal fold, a royal expert said.

Posing as the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and her father, hoaxers Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexey Stolyarov managed to reach Harry on his landline at his rented Vancouver Island mansion on New Year’s Eve and on 22 January, it has been reported.

Continue reading...

Duke and Duchess of Sussex receive standing ovation at Royal Albert Hall

London concert for Royal Marines one of couple’s final public engagements as senior royals

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received a standing ovation at the Royal Albert Hall as they attended one of their final public engagements before they step back as senior royals.

The couple were treated to a sustained round of applause before the national anthem and as they took their seats in the royal box at the London venue on Saturday for the annual Mountbatten Festival of Music.

Continue reading...

Harry and Meghan in first official UK appearance since royal split

Couple appear at the Endeavour Fund awards as they begin final round of public engagements

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made their first official appearance together in Britain since their shock announcement they are stepping back as senior working royals.

Meghan flew in from Canada, where the couple have been living since November, to join Harry as they begin their final round of public engagements in the UK.

Continue reading...

Hilary Mantel says ‘invective’ against Meghan is partly due to racism

Wolf Hall novelist adds that centuries on from Henry VIII, a female royal such as the Duchess of Sussex is ‘still perceived as public property’

Hilary Mantel has said that racism has been an element in the “invective” against Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

The novelist, who is about to publish the third part in her trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell, The Mirror and the Light, was asked by the BBC if Meghan had been a victim of racism. She said that “racism is a factor” in the criticism the duchess has faced since marrying Prince Harry.

Continue reading...

Harry and Meghan show anger at palace over loss of royal branding

Sussexes say monarchy has no jurisdiction over use of word ‘royal’ overseas

The freeze in relations between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace has become apparent after the couple were forced to drop plans to use the brand “SussexRoyal”.

Posts on the couple’s official website suggest they are angry at the way the decision was reached and how they have been treated compared with other royals. A statement on Friday night suggested that a blanket ban on the use of the word “royal” was unenforceable abroad. “There is not,” it noted, “any jurisdiction by the monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘royal’ overseas.”

Continue reading...

Duke and Duchess of Sussex to ditch word ‘royal’ from branding

Meghan and Harry’s non-profit organisation will no longer be named Sussex Royal Foundation, spokeswoman says

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer use the word royal, as in their “Sussex Royal” branding, a spokeswoman for the couple has said.

The spokeswoman said: “While the duke and duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word royal, it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation, when it is announced this spring, will not be named Sussex Royal Foundation.

Continue reading...

The more dysfunctional the royals are, the more their fans love them

Harry and Meghan’s split from the firm, Prince Andrew and The Unpleasantness, and a double whammy of divorces make the royals ever more popular. Plus: how Al Pacino lost the bloom of youth

News that Prince Harry and Meghan will cease their royal duties at the end of next month is now in, yet offers no letup in the backbreaking schedule of Windsors-related toss-giving demanded of all UK humans.

On the one hand, we are told that all this may turn out to be a mortal blow for the royal family, though my feeling is the mere fact of “Charles III” has the potential to be rather more seismic. On the other hand, we have never seemed to care more about these people. Whatever happened to Prince Charles’s much vaunted plan for a slimmed-down royal family?

Continue reading...

Harry and Meghan attend exclusive JP Morgan event in Miami

Sussexes appear in one of their first engagements since stepping down as senior royals

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended an exclusive JP Morgan event in one of their first engagements since stepping down as senior royals, a palace source has said.

It is unclear whether the couple, who have pledged to become more financially independent, were paid for their roles as speakers at a summit the banking giant hosted in Miami on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Harry and Meghan in new privacy row – just hours after Canada reunion

Couple threaten legal action over press pictures of Duchess of Sussex and baby Archie

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their new lives in Canada by firing a warning shot across the bows of the media over paparazzi photographs they said were taken without consent.

Within hours of Prince Harry touching down in Vancouver to join Meghan and their baby son, Archie, the couple’s lawyers were threatening legal action over pictures taken of the Duchess of Sussex while out for a stroll.

Continue reading...

Prince Harry gives emotional speech on decision to step down

Duke of Sussex says he and Meghan had ‘no other option’ than to take ‘leap of faith’

The Duke of Sussex has expressed his sadness over his decision to step down from royal duties in his first public remarks on the move, saying he had taken a “leap of faith.”

Giving a speech at a private dinner in London for his charity Sentebale, Prince Harry said: “Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations without public funding. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible.”

Continue reading...

Harry and Meghan to give up HRH titles and repay £2.4m

Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give back taxpayers’ money spent renovating their home and drop official duties

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give up using their Royal Highness titles and return £2.4m to the taxpayer to cover the costs of refurbishing their Windsor home as they leave their roles as senior member of the royal family.

The Queen said last night in a statement that this “constructive and supportive way forward” would allow the Sussexes “to start building a happy and peaceful new life”. In a rebuff to critics of her granddaughter-in-law, the Queen added that she was “particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family”.

Continue reading...

Meghan gets twice as many negative headlines as positive, analysis finds

Guardian analysis appears to support claim Duchess of Sussex receives more critical treatment than Duchess of Cambridge

The Duchess of Sussex gets more than twice as many negative headlines as positive ones, according to Guardian analysis of articles published between May 2018 and mid January 2019.

The analysis – which appears to support Meghan’s argument that she has faced highly critical treatment in the British press – found that of the 843 articles in 14 print newspapers since mid-May 2018, 43% were negative. Just 20% of the articles were positive, with the remaining 36% remaining neutral.

Continue reading...

Prince Harry and Meghan’s UK home being closed down

Reports add to speculation that Duke and Duchess do not plan to spend much time in UK

Frogmore Cottage, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is in the process of being shuttered, according to reports, fuelling speculation the couple do not intend to spend any meaningful time in the UK in the near future.

Related: It’s not just Meghan and Harry. I’d like us all to escape this dire royal circus | Suzanne Moore

Continue reading...

Prince Harry makes first public appearance since talks with Queen

Duke conducts Rugby League World Cup draw while Meghan visits women’s organisations in Vancouver

The Duke of Sussex has appeared in public for the first time since announcing he and his wife are to step back as frontline royals.

Prince Harry returned to Buckingham Palace, the heart of the institution rocked by the bombshell announcement last week that he and Meghan would leave their senior roles as full-time royals and move part-time to Canada.

Continue reading...

Meghan faces release of more texts in case against Mail on Sunday

Newspaper defence says it could release further messages between duchess and friend

The potential perils for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in her high stakes legal battle against the Mail on Sunday have become clear after the newspaper filed a detailed legal defence hinting at the future release of royal text messages.

The case revolves around allegations of breach of copyright, invasion of privacy and misuse of personal data after the newspaper published excerpts from a letter she sent to her father complaining about how he was treating her.

Continue reading...

Mail on Sunday could call Thomas Markle in high court defence

Newspaper faces legal action from Duchess of Sussex for publishing excerpts from a letter to her father

Thomas Markle could be called to give evidence at the high court against his estranged daughter Meghan, as part of her ongoing legal action against the Mail on Sunday, after it emerged that the paper’s defence appears to rely on his account.

The Duchess of Sussex is suing the newspaper for breach of copyright, invasion of privacy, and misuse of personal data after it published excerpts from a letter she sent her father complaining about how he was treating her.

Continue reading...

Sussexes decided ‘not necessary’ for Meghan to join royal summit

As royals including Harry return to engagements, aides counter reports Meghan barred from talks

The Duchess of Sussex did not take part in the Queen’s Sandringham summit to decide future roles for herself and Prince Harry, it has emerged, as the remaining full-time working royals returned to their round of official engagements.

Before Monday’s crisis family meeting, sources had indicated Meghan was likely to be personally involved in the urgent discussions precipitated by the couple’s shock announcement that they intended to “step back” from frontline royal duties.

Continue reading...

Trudeau: there will be ‘many discussions’ about Harry and Meghan’s security – video

Following the shock statement by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex last Wednesday that they want to 'step back' as senior royals and divide their time between Canada and the UK, questions were raised over whether Canadian taxpayers would have to pay for the couple's security during their time in the country. Speaking to Canadian broadcaster Global News on Monday, the country's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said: 'There will be many discussions to come on how that works'

Continue reading...

Queen says Harry and Meghan will have ‘period of transition’ in UK and Canada in first statement – live news

Monarch says she ‘would have preferred’ couple to remain full-time working royals as day of Sandringham talks concludes

Buckingham Palace has just released the following statement from the Queen:

Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.

My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.

Reports are coming in from correspondents at Sandringham that the royals have left the estate.

The meeting is over. The senior Royals have been seen leaving Sandringham.
We await news ...#HarryandMeghan

Charles, Harry and William have all been photographed leaving Sandringham separately #SandringhamSummit

Continue reading...

Prince William: Harry and I are now separate entities

‘I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that any more,’ prince says

The Duke of Cambridge has expressed his sadness over tensions with his brother before Monday’s crisis summit at Sandringham called by the Queen to decide the future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The brothers are now “separate entities” but Prince William hopes matters can be resolved so the royal family can once more play as “a team”, according to reports.

Continue reading...