Royal news – live: Harry shares fears Meghan could be attacked with ‘knife or acid’ if returning to UK

Entertainment
27 Jul 2024 • 8:03 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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Prince Harry has revealed in a new interview that he is fearful of bringing Meghan Markle back to the UK incase of an “acid” or “knife attack”.

In the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, which aired on Thursday, the 39-year-old said he would not bring his wife back to the UK over safety fears partially caused by the press.

He said: “All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read... and whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is.”

The prince added that the late Queen is backing his tabloid fight “up there” and that he had many discussions with the late monarch about press intrusion and that she supported the action he is taking against it.

“She knew how much this meant to me and she’s very much up there saying ‘see this through to the end’,” he said.

Harry and Meghan moved to California in June 2020 after stepping down as working royals. The couple no longer has an official UK residence.

Key Points

  • Prince Harry fears for Meghan's safety after bad press
  • Prince Harry claims tabloid battle was central piece to royal rift
  • ‘Intimate’ letters from Princess Diana up for auction
  • King Charles to replace helicopters after £1m flight costs

Prince Harry ‘fears’ knife or acid attack on Meghan Markle

02:00

Emma Guinness

Prince Harry has said he will not bring Meghan Markle to the UK over ongoing security concerns.

In the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, he admitted that he believes the former Suits star could come to physical arm because of the actions of the tabloid press.

“All it takes is one lone actor, one person who read this stuff, to act on what they have read, and whether that is a knife or acid… they are genuine concerns for me, they are one of the reasons I won’t bring my wife back to this country,” he said.

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Prince Harry says mother Diana was ‘absolutely right’ in phone hacking suspicions

14:37

Holly Evans

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Meghan Markle ‘likely’ to miss UK Invictus Games

13:39

Holly Evans

Following the news that Prince Harry’s Invictus Games will be held in Brimingham, it has been speculated that Meghan Markle will miss the 2027 event.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, has not spent any time in the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! magazine: “Unless this is resolved and Harry gets the guaranteed police protection he feels he needs for himself and his family - a demand that I have some sympathy with, I can’t see him bringing Meghan and the children here.

“The security issue always provides a credible excuse for Meghan and the children not coming to the UK.

“Personally, I don’t think she ever wants to come here again, but I think she will be acutely aware that her absence at something like the Invictus Games – her husband’s greatest achievement – would signal more than a concern about safety.”

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Royals competing at the Olympics: From Princess Anne to King Felipe of Spain

12:35

Holly Evans

Glamorous, competitive, and packed with history, the Olympic Games remains the most prestigious of events in the world of sport. So, it should come as no surprise that a number of royals have competed in the tournament throughout the years.

An Olympic medal remains the most prestigious – and among the most illusive – achievements in the sporting world with each country only sending their very best to compete on the world stage.

Several times, this has included members of the British, Monégasque, Jordanian, Spanish and Emirate royal families.

Read the full article here:

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Prince Harry stumbles over question about royal family health woes

12:00

Holly Evans

The Duke of Sussex appeared to be flustered when he was asked about the cancer battles both his father King Charles and sister-in-law Kate are going through.

In ITV’s new documentary Tabloids on Trial, which aired on Thursday, presenter Rebecca Barry asked the prince: “Both your father and your sister-in-law have been unwell.

“It’s a reminder, I guess, to all of us that life is precious.

“Does it ever just make you think, ‘This is not worth it. Life is just too short for these legal battles’?”

Prince Harry, appeared shocked by the question, he replied: “Erm, I don’t think the legal, the continuation of these legal battles is the sort of, I...

“The two things are completely separate.

“Erm, you know, my father and my sister-in-law, and me, you know, following through on these legal battles are two completely different things.”

Queen felt increasingly isolated before her death, royal expert says

11:07

Holly Evans

The late Queen reportedly felt increasingly isolated in the months before her death due to the loss of several close friends and her husband Prince Philip, a royal biographer has said.

Robert Jobson claimed that she had begun to invite former members of staff to visit her, with one aide revealing: “She told me she didn’t know anybody [her staff and servants] anymore.”

In her final months, she came to enjoy regular visits and phone calls with her grandson Prince William, who had recently moved to Adelaide Cottage near Windsor Castle.

One aide said: “Prince William knew his time with his grandmother was precious and he is delighted they, as a couple, made that decision.”

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King Charles and Kate Middleton received 27,000 get-well-soon cards after their cancer diagnoses

09:52

Holly Evans

King Charles and the Princess of Wales were sent a huge volume of get-well-soon cards after they were diagnosed with cancer, the palace has revealed.

It has been a difficult year for the royal family, with both Charles and Kate having to step back from public-facing duties as they continue treatment.

The pair supported each other through the difficult news but have also had plenty of support from outside palace walls, having received a staggering 27,000 written messages wishing them good health.

Prince William’s feelings towards Harry revealed in unseen letters from Princess Diana

08:45

Holly Evans

Personal letters from Princess Diana to her family’s former housekeeper have revealed an insight into Prince William and Harry’s childhood relationship.

Diana sent the previously unseen notes to Violet Collison, who she affectionately called Collie, the head housekeeper at Park House on Sandringham Estate where Diana spent her childhood years.

In one of the letters, she wrote: ““William adores his little brother and spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs and kisses over Harry.”

Read the full article here:

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Prince Harry says tabloids were ‘central’ to rift with family

08:00

Emma Guinness

Prince Harry has shed some light on his distant relationship with the royal family in the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, who is taking legal action against the publisher of The Sun, said his ongoing fight with the press was “certainly a central piece” in the breakdown of their relationship.

“Anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press,” he admitted.

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Meghan and Harry ‘on a permanent decline'

05:00

Emma Guinness

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are allegedly “on a permanent decline” within the royal family, biographer Tom Bower has claimed.

“The future for the Sussexes is pretty grim... I think they’re on a permanent decline,” he told The Sun.

Bower then suggested that the couple, who have given several tell-all interviews, could “drop another bomb”.

“But whenever they need money, whenever they need publicity to stoke their reputation, they will drop another bomb,” he claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship with the royal family appears to have soured after they stepped down as working royals in 2020, citing press intrusion and a desire to live a more independent life.

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Princess Eugenie and Beatrice 'firmly pledged their allegiance to the royal family’

Saturday 27 July 2024 00:00

Emma Guinness

A royal insider has claimed that Princess Eugenie and Beatrice have picked a side amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s apparent feud with the royal family.

While there have been reports that the women remain allies to the Sussexes, they have reportedly now distanced themselves from the couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020.

“Beatrice and Eugenie have firmly pledged their allegiance to the royal family,” an insider told Bella magazine.

“They haven’t communicated with the Sussexes for quite a while. They are nowhere near as close as they once were.”

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Royal family gets additional £45 million in funding

Friday 26 July 2024 22:00

Emma Guinness

The royal family are set to enjoy an additional £45 million in funding thanks to soaring profits from the Crown estate.

Palace officials have revealed that the £86.3m given to the family in the year 2024 to 2025 will increase to £132m.

The additional funds will be used to complete the ongoing renovations of Buckingham Palace.

The increased profits from the estate have been credited to the creation of new offshore wind farms.

A palace spokesperson said that royal spending will be reviewed again to ensure it is kept at an “appropriate” level.

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Late Queen ‘supported’ Prince Harry’s battle against UK tabloids

Friday 26 July 2024 20:00

Emma Guinness

Prince Harry has reiterated that the late Queen Elizabeth supported his ongoing battle against the UK tabloid press.

The Duke of Sussex made the revelation in the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, where he said that he does not believe his wife Meghan Markle is currently safe in the UK because of the actions of the press.

“We had many conversations before she passed, and this is very much something that she supported,” he said of his ongoing action against the publisher of The Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN).

“She knew how much this meant to me and… she’s very much out there, going see this through to the end, without question.”

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Intimate Princess Diana letters to be sold at auction

Friday 26 July 2024 18:00

Emma Guinness

Intimate letters from the late Princess Diana to her housekeeper have given a sweet insight into royal life.

Violet Collison, who the princess nicknamed Collie, was thanked in the exchanges for gifts she gave to a young Prince William and Harry.

“William adores his little brother & spends the entire time pouring an endless supply of hugs & kisses over Harry,” Diana wrote from Kensington Palace on 25 September, 1984.

The letters are set to be sold at auction 30 July, with initial estimates suggesting they will fetch several thousand pounds.

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Prince William refuses to rehire Queen Camilla’s sister

Friday 26 July 2024 16:00

Emma Guinness

Prince William has refused to rehire Queen Camilla’s sister as an interior designer for the Duchy of Cornwall.

Annabel Elliot, 75, who was given the role following the now King Charles’s 2005 wedding to her sister was removed from the payroll for the year 2023 to 2024.

The Telegraph reported: “Sources confirmed that Prince William would no longer employ Ms Elliot, although it was no reflection on her work.”

The Duchy said in a report: “During the period to 8th September 2022 the Duchy paid Mrs. Annabel Elliot, the 24th Duke of Cornwall’s sister-in-law, in the normal course of business and on an arm’s length basis £19,625 for fees and commission and £12,316 for the purchase of furniture, furnishings and retail stock for the Duchy of Cornwall Holiday accommodation, Duchy offices and Duchy Nursery.”

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‘Zero chance’ Meghan Markle will miss UK Invictus Games

Friday 26 July 2024 14:30

Emma Guinness

A royal expert has said there is “zero chance” that Meghan Markle will miss the upcoming UK Invictus Games.

But one expert believes that an exception will be made for the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.

“There’s zero chance of Meghan missing the Invictus Games,” royal author Christopher Andersen told Fox News.

“I guess that she will be there, briefly, but without [their children] Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Meghan and Harry’s security concerns are legitimate, but the rest of the royal family doesn’t see it that way. Neither do the British courts.”

“The feeling in the UK is that the Sussexes are no longer working royals, and therefore are not entitled to state-funded police protection.”

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Prince William refuses to disclose how much tax he pays

Friday 26 July 2024 13:30

Emma Guinness

Prince William has come under fire for refusing to reveal how much tax he pays on his vast private property portfolio.

He reportedly recieved £23 million in the past tax year from the Duchy of Cornwall.

But in a marked change from his father, who he interited the estate from, William, 42, has chosen not to dislcose how much tax he is paying on its earnings.

It has been claimed that despite the non-disclosure, William pays an “appropriate” amount of tax.

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said this decision could become “unsustainable” in the current economic climate.

“The absence of answers to basic questions could prove unsustainable in the years ahead,” he wrote on Twitter/X.

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King Charles installs solar panels at Windsor Castle

Friday 26 July 2024 12:30

Emma Guinness

King Charles has installed solar panels at Windsor Castle in a bid to be more environmentally friendly, palace officials said.

The panels replaced the led roof that had previously existed on the Lord Chamberlain’s Upper Store and there are plans to add more in the future.

This is not the only move the royal family are making in this area and their Bentley limousine cars are also being converted to run on biofuel.

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GoFundMe launched to support Thomas Markle

Friday 26 July 2024 11:30

Emma Guinness

A GoFundMe has been launched to support Meghan Markle’s estranged father after his 80th birthday wish to meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, went unanswered.

Created by Lady Colin Campbell, the fundraiser praises Thomas Markle’s “kindness and generosity” and said it aims to show him “that there are still people in the world with good hearts, good values, and good intentions” after he was “rejected and abandoned” by his daughter.

Thomas, who turned 80, this month, became estranged from Meghan around the time of her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry after it emerged that he had taken part in a staged paparazzi photoshoot.

The fundraiser was created with a £10,000 target, but it has already exceeded this amount and raised over £39,000 from over 2,000 donors.

“My father is gone from this earth and I wish I could give him a hug,” wrote one supporter.

“I want to give it to you and just know that you have daughters around the world now. You are loved.”

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Meghan Markle ‘likely’ to miss UK Invictus Games

Friday 26 July 2024 10:20

Emma Guinness

Following the news that Prince Harry’s Invictus Games will be held in Brimingham, it has been speculated that Meghan Markle will miss the 2027 event.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, has not spent any time in the UK since the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.

Harry, 39, recently opened up about his ongoing security concerns in the new ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial and admitted that press intrusion into his life has made him fear for Meghan’s safety to the point where he does not believe she is safe in the UK.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! magazine: “Unless this is resolved and Harry gets the guaranteed police protection he feels he needs for himself and his family - a demand that I have some sympathy with, I can’t see him bringing Meghan and the children here.

“The security issue always provides a credible excuse for Meghan and the children not coming to the UK.

“Personally, I don’t think she ever wants to come here again, but I think she will be acutely aware that her absence at something like the Invictus Games – her husband’s greatest achievement – would signal more than a concern about safety.”

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Prince Harry stumbles over health of Princess Kate and King Charles

Friday 26 July 2024 06:58

Barney Davis

The Duke of Sussex appeared to be flustered when he was asked about Princess Kate and King Charles’s cancer battles in a new documentary.

In Tabloids on Trial, ITV New’s Rebecca Barry asked the prince: “Both your father and your sister-in-law have been unwell.

“It’s a reminder, I guess, to all of us that life is precious.

“Does it ever just make you think, ‘This is not worth it. Life is just too short for these legal battles’?”

Prince Harry, appeared shocked by the question, he replied: “Erm, I don’t think the legal, the continuation of these legal battles is the sort of, I...

“The two things are completely separate.

“Erm, you know, my father and my sister-in-law, and me, you know, following through on these legal battles are two completely different things.”

Harry wants entire Royal family to join his battle with the press

Friday 26 July 2024 06:00

Barney Davis

In the Tabloids on Trial documentary, Prince Harry was asked whether his determination to fight the tabloids destroyed the relationship with his family.

Harry replied: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it.

“But, you know, it’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done.

“It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family.”

He stressed that those in a public role should do things for the greater good.

“I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good,” he said.

“But, you know, I’m doing this for my reasons.”

Prince Harry speaks on tabloid court battle

Friday 26 July 2024 05:00

Barney Davis

Prince Harry is set to break his silence on his phone-hacking court battle with the tabloid press tonight, as he delves into particular headlines about his personal life.

Looking at a headline from the time about his then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy apparently preparing to split with him, the Prince said: “Harry’s girl to dump him - seems as though they knew something before I even did.”

He also says in an ITV documentary airing tonight: “I think there’s a lot of I guess, paranoia, fear, worry, concern, distrust in the people around you, clearly a headline like that has absolutely no public interest whatsoever.

“There’s a big difference between what interests the public and what is public interest, so what happens in my private life between myself and [my] then girlfriend is exactly that, between us.”

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Mirror group apologise for ‘historical wrongdoing'

Friday 26 July 2024 04:00

Barney Davis

MGN said in response to the Tabloids on Trial programme: “We welcomed the judgment in December 2023 that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.

“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation.”

Harry has also brought legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations it carried out or commissioned unlawful information-gathering, which are all denied by the newspaper group.

They have accused Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations.

The legal claims are in the preliminary stages.

Paul Gascoigne sobs as he recalls emotional distress of phone hacking scandal

Friday 26 July 2024 03:00

Barney Davis

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Prince Harry says mother Diana was ‘absolutely right’ in phone hacking suspicions

Friday 26 July 2024 01:00

Barney Davis

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Prince Harry reveals Queen supported his battle with the press

Thursday 25 July 2024 23:45

Barney Davis

Prince Harry revealed he had many conversations with his grandmother the Queen about his battle with the press.

He told ITV: “We had many conversations before she passed. This is very much something she supported.

Pointing to the sky, he said: “She knew how much this meant to me and she’s very much up there going ‘See this through to the end’ without question.”

Prince Harry fears for Meghan's safety after bad press

Thursday 25 July 2024 22:14

Barney Davis

Prince Harry claims he “will not” bring his wife, Meghan Markle, back to the UK over fears for both their safety. He has told an ITV documentary “it only takes one lone actor [who reads negative stories about Harry and Meghan in the press] with a knife or acid.”

On if he’s seeking attention through the court battles, he said: “There is more than enough attention on me and my wife anyway.

“There was... they pushed me too far. It got to a point where you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.

“They pushed me too far. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

“I don’t think there’s anybody else in the world that is better suited and placed to be able to see this through than myself.

“It’s still dangerous. And all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read...

“And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is.

“And these are things that are a genuine concern for me.

“It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”

Meghan has not returned to the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.

Harry speaks about how his mother Princess Diana was painted as paranoid by press

Thursday 25 July 2024 22:06

Barney Davis

As he breaks his silence on his successful High Court case, Prince Harry opened up about his mother’s own experience of phone hacking.

Speaking in a new ITV documentary about whether the hacking made him paranoid he said: “I think paranoia is a very interesting word because yes, then it could be paranoia, but then when you’re vindicated it proves that you weren’t being paranoid. You know, same with my mother.

“You know, there is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-nineties, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid.

“But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right about what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”

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Prince Harry speaks about the ‘harrassment' from paparazzi

Thursday 25 July 2024 21:29

Barney Davis

The Duke Of Sussex was shown video footage of him immersed in flashing cameras as he tried to get into a car after a night out.

He said: “In those days the paparazzi was something else.

“I remember that night out I remember being hit over the head by cameras.

“My security did everything to keep them away.”

He added: “It feels horrible then and it feels horrible now.”

Prince Harry feels vindicated by legal victory against tabloids

Thursday 25 July 2024 21:23

Barney Davis

Harry won a legal battle against the tabloid press last December as it was ruled he had been a victim of phone hacking.

Prince Harry told ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial: “Yeh I did feel vindicated. Phone hacking has been going on for a long time. The defendants claim for it all to be historical.

“Well, there’s a huge amount coming to light now that the British public especially simply have no idea about.”

He added on their tactics: “Well there’s voicemail interception, blagging of flight records.

“It was always referred to as phone hacking but it’s the unlawful information gathering, and use of private investigators that was really the secondary part to this.”

Prince Harry says he is seeking justice for everybody in ITV phone hacking documentary

Thursday 25 July 2024 21:12

Barney Davis

Prince Harry says he is seeking justice for everybody as he speaks to ITV about the phone hacking legal battle for the first time.

He said: “This is a David v Goliath situation.

“The Davids are the claimants and the Goliath is this vast media enterprise.

“I’m trying to get justice for everybody.“I don’t think there is anybody better in the world to see this through than myself.

Looking back at old paper headlines accusing him of smoking weed as a teenager, he said: “Being that young and being under constant surveillance and distrusting everyone around you. It sucks.”

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Full story: Princess Diana’s ‘intimate’ letters to former housekeeper up for auction

Thursday 25 July 2024 20:00

Athena Stavrou

More than a dozen personal letters and cards from Princess Diana to her family’s former housekeeper are set to go under the hammer.

Diana sent the previously unseen notes to Violet Collison, who she affectionately called Collie, the head housekeeper at Park House on Sandringham Estate where Diana spent her childhood years.

Collie witnessed the births of four Spencer children, including Diana, and remained close with the family until her death in 2013 at the age of 89.

The collection, being auctioned at Sworders in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, reveals a unique insight into crucial stages at the princess’ royal life.

Read the full story below:

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Royal pictures of the week so far

Thursday 25 July 2024 19:00

Athena Stavrou

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Diana ‘wished people could see love letters’ sent from Charles during happy times, biographer claims

Thursday 25 July 2024 14:20

Athena Stavrou

A royal biographer has claimed Princess Diana wished people could have seen love letters she received from Charles during happier times.

Ingrid Seward made the comments at an Oldie magazine lunch, according to The Times, where she said: “Diana told me very shortly before she died that she wished people could see the love letters that she had from Charles.”

She added: “She really wanted people to know that she loved Charles and he loved her. And I always remembered that. And she wanted the boys [Prince William and Prince Harry] to know that,” she continued.

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Recap: Monarchy’s income to rise by £45m due to Crown Estate profits

Thursday 25 July 2024 13:50

Athena Stavrou

The monarchy is to receive a boost of more than £45 million, with a 53% jump in its official annual income to more than £130 million.

Soaring profits from the Crown Estate to £1.1 billion mean the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which supports the official duties of the royal family, will increase from £86.3 million in 2024/2025 to £132 million in 2025/2026.

Officials said the increase will be used to help fund the final stages of the 10-year £369 million renovation of Buckingham Palace, keeping it on time and budget.

The boost will be reviewed through legislation in 2026/27 to keep funding of the royal family at a “more appropriate” level, a Palace spokesman said.

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Royal travel costs soar by £300,000 despite fewer engagements, figures show

Thursday 25 July 2024 13:20

Athena Stavrou

Royal travel costs soared by hundreds of thousands of pounds last year despite fewer engagements due to the illness of the King and Princess of Wales, figures show.

The Sovereign Grant report revealed travel expenditure went up by £300,000 at a bill of £4.2m despite there being around 400 fewer visits and less foreign travel than the year before.

My colleague Alexander Butler has the full story:

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King’s annual private income from Duchy of Lancaster hits £27m

Thursday 25 July 2024 12:50

Athena Stavrou

The King’s annual income from his private Duchy of Lancaster estate was more than £27 million, accounts have shown.

Charles received the money from the Duchy, an ancient portfolio of land, property and assets which is held in trust for the sovereign, in his first full financial year as monarch.

This private Duchy income is separate from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant and has been the personal estate of the reigning monarch since 1399.

It spans more than 18,000 hectares of land in England and Wales and comprises commercial, agricultural and residential properties mostly in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, S