Category Archives: Prince Harry

Governor general proclaims King Charles III as Australia’s head of state – As it happened

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Anthony Albanese has set 22 September as National Memorial Service Day for Queen Elizabeth II. This blog is now closed

Howard says the popularity of the Queen was the key reason behind the republican movement failing, but that the monarchy offers stability.

I think there’s also a keener appreciation of the value of the institution and its strength. People look around the world at the moment and the alternative governance systems on offer, everyone in democracies, don’t look all that flash on occasions. I think the strength and durability and flexibility of the constitutional monarchy is something that more people appreciate than is imagined.

That is fair enough. It’s a democracy. People can argue for change. My observation is the strength of the monarchy in Australia was immeasurably increased by the personal popularity of the Queen.

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Charles III’s first speech: what the King said and why it was important

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The King’s first speech to the nation was telling of his hopes for his reign and how the royal family will operate

King Charles III’s first speech to the nation as sovereign contained telling passages showing how he hopes the public, in the UK and abroad, will see his forthcoming reign and how he wants the royal family to operate.

The King said: “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well-lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

“As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.”

“In the course of the last 70 years we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths. The institutions of the state have changed in turn.” And he said: “Whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love.”

“My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”

“I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.”

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Meghan rejects ‘gendered’ idea she was lucky to be chosen as Harry’s bride

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In podcast interview, Duchess of Sussex discusses stereotypes and stigma surrounding single women

The Duchess of Sussex has dismissed comments she was lucky Prince Harry chose her as his bride as “gendered, archetyped and stereotyped” in a new podcast, released as the couple arrived in Germany to promote the Invictus Games.

Meghan said that when she and Harry got engaged, “everyone was just like: ‘Oh, my God, you’re so lucky, he chose you’. At a certain point, after you hear it a million times over, you’re like: ‘Well, I chose him, too.’

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Meghan: Mail on Sunday privacy battle cost Harry relationship with father

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Duchess of Sussex reveals in magazine interview how toxic tabloid culture had torn her and Harry’s families apart

The Duchess of Sussex has said her and Prince Harry’s privacy battle with the Mail on Sunday cost her husband his relationship with his father.

In an interview with the Cut magazine, Meghan discussed how toxic tabloid culture had torn her and the Duke of Sussex’s families apart.

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So, Prince Harry’s memoir is done – but what’s likely to be in it?

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Ghostwritten book, with interviews conducted mostly during ‘peak rage’, expected to be published by end of year

The manuscript is, reportedly, written; the ink now dry. Publication is said to be on course to capitalise on the lucrative Christmas market.

Few crumbs, if any, of the contents of the Duke of Sussex’s much-anticipated memoirs have so far emerged. “It’s juicy, that’s for sure,” one source told the Page Six website, with another adding: “There is some content in there that should make his family nervous.”

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Officials warned of ‘serious wildlife incidents’ at Queen’s Sandringham estate

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Exclusive: Dozens of laws protect Queen’s private estates from investigators – but documents reveal allegations of wildlife crime

On a pleasant autumn evening in 2007, a wildlife warden at the Dersingham Bog nature reserve in Norfolk took a friend to see two female hen harriers returning home to roost. But as dusk descended, they were startled by the sound of shotgun blasts.

After the first shot, they saw one of the rare birds of prey “immediately fold and drop out of sight”. About 30 seconds later they heard a second blast – and another harrier fell from the sky.

Sandringham has been investigated for wildlife and pesticides offences against legally protected birds of prey at least six times between 2005 and 2016.

As well as the two hen harriers shot in 2007, police and Natural England have investigated the deaths of a goshawk, a sparrowhawk, a red kite, a tawny owl and a marsh harrier at Sandringham estate and land it owns nearby, with only one prosecution.

In 2009, the estate was given an official warning about the mishandling and unlawful storage of highly toxic chemicals after the sparrowhawk was poisoned.

In 2016, Sandringham admitted it had destroyed the body of a goshawk found dead near Sandringham House before it could be examined by police, which meant no cause of death could be established.

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Prince Harry and Meghan release photo of Lilibet on her first birthday

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Daughter of Duke and Duchess of Sussex turned one during the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared a photograph of their daughter, Lilibet, which was taken on her first birthday during the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations.

Named in honour of the Queen’s childhood nickname, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor turned one on Saturday during the couple’s brief UK visit for the jubilee. To mark the occasion, close friends and family were invited to a backyard picnic at Frogmore Cottage, the couple’s home on the Windsor estate, where they stayed during their flying visit.

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Queen’s platinum jubilee 2022: Monarch ‘humbled and deeply touched’ by celebrations – live

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‘While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all,’ Queen’s statement says

Grant Shapps has said people are “over-interpreting” the boos directed at Boris Johnson when the prime minister attended a service on Friday for the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

People are gathering for a Big Jubilee Lunch on Windsor’s Long Walk as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations.

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Queen’s absence strikes symbolic note as royals gather at jubilee service

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Charles stands in for his mother at St Paul’s Cathedral in ceremony that pays tribute to her seven-decade reign

The symbolism of a great state service of thanksgiving for an absent Queen was not lost beneath the imposing dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. All the more so as the country was paying tribute to her seven decades of public service as Britain’s now longest-reigning monarch.

The Prince of Wales was in her stead for the formal procession through a 2,000-strong congregation of prime ministers past and present, parliamentarians, diplomats, a full squad of other royals and 400 members of the public honoured for their community work.

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Tributes paid to absent Queen at jubilee service of thanksgiving

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Archbishop of York says monarch is ‘still in the saddle and we are all glad there is still more to come’

It was a service of thanksgiving for an absent Queen, a St Paul’s Cathedral celebration to mark the longest reign of any British monarch. But the person to whom it was dedicated was far away at Windsor Castle, forced to watch on television, indisposed by the mobility problems that have plagued her jubilee year.

Senior royals, parliamentarians and diplomats joined 400 members of the public honoured for key roles they have played in their communities in the 2,000-strong congregation to celebrate the 70-year reign of the Queen, a lover of horses whose time on the throne, they heard, reflected “the distance of Aintree more than the sprints of Epsom”.

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Harry and Meghan to speak at opening of Invictus Games

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex will address spectators in The Hague accompanied by Netflix film crew

The Duke of Sussex took part in a driving challenge as the Invictus Games got under way on Saturday. Ahead of the opening ceremony, he and the Duchess of Sussex joined a junior driving contest where they were driven round a circuit of miniature Land Rovers.

The couple are expected to speak on stage at the Invictus Games opening ceremony on Saturday night.

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Prince Harry and Meghan visit Queen on way to Invictus Games

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The couple stopped off at Windsor Castle while travelling to The Hague in the Netherlands for the games

Prince Harry and Meghan have visited the Queen at Windsor Castle on their way to the Invictus Games.

The couple were travelling to The Hague in the Netherlands for the games, which begin on Saturday, and on Thursday visited the UK together for the first time since stepping down as senior working royals more than two years ago.

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Meghan to host Spotify podcast on how stereotyping affects women’s lives

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Archetypes will launch later his year as part of multimillion-dollar deal between streaming service and Duke and Duchess of Sussex

The Duchess of Sussex will present a podcast investigating the stereotypes and labels that have held women back from the past to the present, ranging from physical weakness to promiscuity and hysteria, as the first series in the Sussexes multimillion-dollar deal with Spotify.

The podcast, named Archetypes, will launch on the streaming service later this year after the deal was first announced in December 2020. Through conversations with historians and experts it will explore the origins of stereotypes and how they influence women’s lives.

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Harry and Meghan add voices to fierce critique of west’s Covid vaccine policies

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Pair join Gordon Brown and 126 others in attack on ‘self-defeating nationalism, pharmaceutical monopolies and inequality’

Prince Harry and Meghan, the actor Charlize Theron and the former British prime minister Gordon Brown are among 130 signatories to a letter lambasting wealthy countries’ approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, labelling it “immoral, entirely self-defeating and also an ethical, economic and epidemiological failure”.

In a strongly worded open letter published on Friday, the signatories warned “the pandemic is not over”, and said the failure to vaccinate the world was down to “self-defeating nationalism, pharmaceutical monopolies and inequality”.

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Prince Harry not given enough information when police protection pulled, court told

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Legal hearing challenges Home Office decision to prevent prince from paying for police protection when visiting

The Duke of Sussex received “insufficient information” about a decision to change his taxpayer-funded police protection when he is in the UK, the high court has heard.

Prince Harry has brought a legal challenge against the Home Office after being told he would not be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting the UK from the US – despite him offering to pay for it himself.

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Prince Harry launches libel action against Mail on Sunday

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Claim against Associated Newspapers is reportedly related to article on prince’s security arrangements

Prince Harry has launched a libel action days after the Mail on Sunday published claims about problems with his security arrangements.

Court filings show Harry made a claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) on Wednesday afternoon. The claims are reportedly related to an article published by the Mail on Sunday under the headline “Revealed: How Harry tried to keep his legal fight over bodyguards secret”.

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Website of Queen’s charity promotes Prince Harry’s US coaching firm

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Queen’s Commonwealth Trust site contains glowing review of California-based BetterUp, which the prince joined last year

A leading Commonwealth charity which has the Queen as its patron is promoting the online coaching business that employs Prince Harry as its chief impact officer.

The coaching, by BetterUp, is described as “truly phenomenal” in testimony by one user on the website of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT). Prince Harry was previously president of the trust.

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Prince Harry ‘does not feel safe in UK’, lawyers tell high court

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Legal hearing challenges Home Office decision to prevent duke from paying for police protection when visiting

Prince Harry “does not feel safe” when he is visiting the UK, a place that “is, and always will be, his home”, his legal team have told the high court.

His desire to return to see family and friends was emphasised on the first day of a legal hearing related to his claim over the Home Office’s decision not to allow him to pay for police protection for himself and his family while in the UK.

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Spotify to direct listeners to accurate Covid information after Joe Rogan outcry

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Streaming platform publishes rules for creators and announces plan to tackle misinformation, including ‘content advisories’

Spotify is adding a message that will direct listeners to correct Covid-19 information as controversy over misinformation shared on Joe Rogan’s podcast continues to grow, with the streamer losing billions in market value and more musicians withdrawing their music.

On Sunday, the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, released an official statement setting out the streaming platform’s plan to tackle misinformation. New content advisories will direct listeners of any podcast that discusses coronavirus to a dedicated website that “provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources”.

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Prince Harry files legal claim over right to pay for UK police protection

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Duke of Sussex seeks judicial review of Home Office refusal to let him pay for protection after being chased by photographers last summer

The Duke of Sussex has filed a claim for a judicial review against a Home Office decision not to allow him to personally pay for police protection for himself and his family while in the UK.

Harry wants to bring his son Archie and baby daughter Lilibet to visit from the US, but he and his family are “unable to return to his home” because it is too dangerous, a legal representative said.

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