Royal family had pledged to declare all presents received in an annual list, after several controversies
King Charles and his family have failed to reveal their official gifts for the past four years, despite previously promising to publish an annual list.
Palace officials have blamed the pandemic, the change of reign, and then planning for last year’s coronation for their inability to publish details of the gifts received by members of the royal family.
Continue reading...Living among film stars and estranged from his father and brother, Harry’s milestone birthday may bring moment of reflection
Ten years ago, Prince Harry was given the run of Clarence House for his 30th birthday. Guests headed by Prince William and including long-standing childhood friends enjoyed a black-tie dinner where they were reportedly serenaded by Ellie Goulding while Charles and Camilla discreetly decamped to their Scottish hideaway.
Such a family celebration now seems unthinkable as Harry prepares to mark his 40th on Sunday.
Continue reading...Duke speaks at summit on digital responsibility while on visit with Duchess of Sussex to Colombia
The Duke of Sussex has hit out at online disinformation during a four-day visit to Colombia, warning: “What happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets.”
Speaking in Bogotá at a summit on digital responsibility, Harry said of the spread of false information via artificial intelligence and social media: “People are acting on information that isn’t true.”
Continue reading...Nonfiction shows by Sussexes will feature ‘joys of friendship’ and ‘unprecedented access to the world of professional polo’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to be the executive producers of two new nonfiction Netflix series focusing on lifestyle and polo.
One show will explore “the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship”, while the other will give “unprecedented access to the world of professional polo” and the US Open Polo Championship in Florida, Netflix said.
Continue reading...A book has named Charles and Catherine as royals alleged to have discussed skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s unborn son
The royal race row that erupted more than two years ago, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that a member of the royal family had remarked on Prince Archie’s skin colour before he was born, has simmered ever since. Now it has exploded once more as the Dutch version of a new book appears to have named King Charles and the Princess of Wales as family members alleged to have made such remarks.
Continue reading...Copies of book about British monarchy changing hands on resale websites for up to €175
Dutch first editions of the book Endgame, which names two members of the British royal family alleged to have discussed the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unborn baby, are selling online for many times above the original retail price of €22.99.
As parts of the British press reached fever pitch trying to find out whether the Dutch version had contained a mistranslation, or had failed to adopt final excisions or was running a strange publicity stunt, bids for a Dutch version on Marktplaats on Thursday reached €175 (£150).
Continue reading...Streaming platform yet to decide, but its executives were ‘shocked and disappointed’
Clarkson’s Farm could be cancelled after its next series, with Amazon bosses saying they were “shocked and disappointed” by its presenter’s comments about the Duchess of Sussex.
The third series of the hit show about life on Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds farm is being filmed for release in 2024 but Amazon bosses said they have yet to decide if the programme will return for a fourth run.
Continue reading...The Sun will have to print a front-page statement explaining that its columnist was found to have discriminated against the duchess
Jeremy Clarkson discriminated against the Duchess of Sussex when he used an article in the Sun to describe his “hatred” of her with a series of sexist tropes, a press regulator has ruled.
Clarkson used his national newspaper column to describe how he hated Meghan on a “cellular level” and suggested she had used “vivid bedroom promises” to transform Prince Harry into a “warrior of woke”.
Continue reading...Views range from sympathy for the Sussexes in light of treatment by royals and tabloids, to regarding them as being ‘as entitled as the others’
Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever. The memoir has been controversial, with Harry making claims that Prince William physically attacked him and accusing his father of putting his own interests first.
The Guardian asked readers – some of whom had already begun reading the book – for their views on the memoir and the publicity around it. Many said their views on the royal family had been changed, while others said it strengthened existing positions. Other readers also made the point that the book was more balanced than had been presented by parts of the media.
Continue reading...Paper’s apology followed piece in which columnist said he ‘hated’ Meghan
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has said an apology by the Sun over a column in which Jeremy Clarkson said he “hated” Meghan is “nothing more than a PR stunt”.
The column has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s (Ipso) most complained about article, with more than 20,000 people contacting it over the piece, according to Ipso.
Continue reading...Paper says that ‘as a publisher, we realise that with free expression comes responsibility’
The Sun has apologised for Jeremy Clarkson’s column, in which he said he “hated” the Duchess of Sussex, but has not stated whether any action has been taken against him.
Last week’s column has become the Independent Press Standards Organisation’s most complained about article, with more than 17,500 people contacting it over the piece as of Tuesday morning.
Continue reading...New Zealand PM features in the follow up to Netflix’s Harry and Meghan documentary that was released this month
New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern says she learned she would feature in Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new documentary series the day the trailer was released.
Ardern featured prominently in the first trailer for 'Live to Lead, a new documentary project, which will feature “leaders committed to making a difference in the world share[ing] their inspiring life stories”. The series is a follow-up to Harry & Meghan, Netflix’s documentary series by and about the pair, released this month.
Continue reading...Outcry after presenter writes he is ‘dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets’
A Jeremy Clarkson column in the Sun about the Duchess of Sussex has provoked outcry online, with social media users labelling it “vile”, “horrific” and “abusive”.
In an article for the paper published on Friday, Clarkson wrote that he loathed Meghan “on a cellular level”. He said he was “dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”.
Continue reading...Duke and Duchess accuse press of creating false narrative that privacy was a key reason behind their step back from duties
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have hit back at attacks over their sharing of personal video clips and photographs in their Netflix documentary.
A spokeswoman for Harry and Meghan said the narrative that privacy was a key reason behind the couple stepping back from royal duties and quitting the UK was a false one.
Continue reading...Bob Seely says he was considering proposing private member’s bill even before recent controversy over Netflix documentary
A Conservative MP has said he is planning to bring forward legislation in an attempt to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their royal titles. Bob Seely told the PA news agency he could propose the short private member’s bill early next year in an attempt to amend the 1917 Titles Deprivation Act.
If passed, it would see MPs vote on a resolution that could give the privy council the power to downgrade Harry and Meghan’s royal status.
Continue reading...First chapter of what has been described as an ‘unprecedented’ look behind the scenes at conflict in British royal family arrives at 8am UK time
“I just really want to get to the other side of all of this” Meghan says during the opening montage of the documentary, which includes a voiceover by Harry, and starts at the point where the couple have performed their last royal engagements having announced they were stepping back from royal duties. “I think anyone else in my situation would have done exactly the same thing” Harry says. There is clearly a lucrative role in playing sad piano music for Netflix documentaries out there.
I’ve no idea how many people will be tuning in as soon as the documentary arrives – 8am does seem an odd time to launch a prestige series – but I, and presumably a load of other journalists, have just pressed play.
Continue reading...Duke and Duchess of Sussex honoured for their activism days ahead of revelatory Netflix show
A US human rights charity has awarded Harry and Meghan its Ripple of Hope award for their activism on racial justice and mental health.
In a statement celebrating their award, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said “a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change”. The couple received the award on Tuesday night in New York, two days before the release of a tell-all Netflix show expected to include damning revelations about the royal family.
Continue reading...‘We know the full truth,’ Harry’s voiceover says in trailer for his and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries
Prince Harry has highlighted the “pain and suffering” of women marrying into the British royal family, in a new trailer for the Sussexes’ highly anticipated behind-the-scenes docuseries.
Netflix has promised an “unprecedented and in-depth documentary series” over six episodes where the couple “share the other side of their high-profile love story”.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...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.
Continue reading...