King Charles has arrived in Southport to meet survivors of the fatal Southport knife attack and their families.
The monarch, who received a warm reception as he arrived at Southport Town Hall shortly after 1.30pm, is expected to hear first-hand the experiences of children who were attacked at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last month.
Upon arrival in Merseyside, the king left flowers in memory of the three children who lost their lives – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.
Charles stopped to look at the memorials and greet some of those gathered before going inside the building to meet some of the children who survived the attack, their families and the police liaison team working with them.
The King is due to meet with the three bereaved families in London on Wednesday.
The touching meeting comes not long after it was claimed that Prince Harry “desperately” misses his old life in the UK.
One of the duke’s “oldest friends” revealed: “He’s an angry boy. Things haven’t turned out how he wanted. I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more,” The Times reported.
Key Points
- Late Queen described Donald Trump as ‘rude'
- William ‘does not want Harry at his coronation’, friends say
- King axes Andrew’s private security team
- Harry and Meghan dubbed a ‘symbol of resistance’ as they continue Colombian tour
King Charles axes Prince Andrew’s private security
06:00
Emma Guinness
King Charles has axed the security he was privately funding for Prince Andrew at the Royal Lodge.
According to reports, this will likely hasten the disgraced Duke of York’s departure from the mansion, which has an estimated private security bill of £3m a year.
Andrew has lived in the property since 2003, when he was given a 75-year lease on the lodge by the late Queen Elizabeth for £250 a week.
Staff at the Royal Lodge have been told their contracts will not be renewed in November.
King Charles to meet with bereaved Southport victims
04:00
Emma Guinness
King Charles will privately meet with the families whose children were tragically killed in the Southport attacks in London today.
This comes after he visited Merseyside yesterday to hear firsthand from the victims and first responders.
The monarch took the opportunity to lay flowers for the three victims – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.
Prince William does not want Prince Harry at his coronation
02:00
Emma Guinness
Prince William does not want his younger brother Harry to attend his coronation when the time comes, it has been claimed.
A close friend of the royals told The Sunday Times: “They are estranged, which is dreadfully sad.”
The insider said that the heir to the throne wants his coronation to “look and feel different” from his father’s.
Harry and William have not spoken in almost two years
Wednesday 21 August 2024 00:00
Emma Guinness
Prince Harry and William have not spoken since the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, it has been claimed.
The pair’s relationship has grown increasingly frosty since Harry stepped down as a working royal and proceeded to give a series of tell-all interviews and write his memoir Spare.
Royal expert Cameron Walker said: “I know whenever I speak to people close to Prince William, the barriers go up when I mention his brother, the Duke of Sussex.
“They’re not on speaking terms. It is understood the last time they did speak was at the Queen’s funeral back in September 2022, and then it was very brief indeed.
“Perhaps that’s very sad, but I suppose we will just have to wait and see if time plays any part in any kind of reconciliation between the brothers.”
Former aide questions Prince Harry’s purpose outside the monarchy
Tuesday 20 August 2024 22:00
Emma Guinness
A former aide has said that Prince Harry is at a “crossroads” in life as he tries to find a purpose outside the monarchy.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, stepped down as a working royal in 2020 alongside his wife Meghan Markle, citing a desire to live a more independent life and obtain increased privacy.
“What is the purpose of Prince Harry, and what is Prince Harry’s purpose?” the former aide told The Times.
“He loved the army and was very good at his job. The work with Invictus is great, and fatherhood was the role he most wanted, so perhaps those are enough for him. But everything else is a bit woolly.
“I always thought he wanted more from life. I can’t help but think he must be wondering, ‘Where do I go from here?’”
Meghan Markle ‘would have been great asset to royal family
Tuesday 20 August 2024 20:00
Emma Guinness
The Duchess of Sussex has been praised in the wake of her and Prince Harry’s recent tour of Colombia.
On the trip, Meghan showcased her Spanish-speaking skills and stressed the importance of women using their voices.
BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole said: “She would have been a great asset had she chosen the wider stage and the bigger stage that Buckingham Palace could have given her, instead of scooting off to Canada and then to America.”
Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals in 2020, citing press intrusion and a desire to live a more independent life.
Prince Harry an ‘angry boy’ after leaving UK
Tuesday 20 August 2024 18:00
Emma Guinness
The Duke of Sussex is reportedly longing for his old life in the UK and is an “angry boy” in America.
A friend of Harry, 39, said that his life in California is not what he thought it would be after he left his previous role as a working royal in 2020.
Since then, Harry has pursued several projects, including Netflix documentaries and writing his tell-all memoir Spare about his life in the royal family.
His relations with the royals and some sections of the British public have soured as a result.
The friend told The Times: “He’s an angry boy. Things haven’t turned out how he wanted.
“I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more.
“Anyone who knows him feels he’d rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate.”
King Charles’s plans for the Royal Lodge
Tuesday 20 August 2024 16:00
Emma Guinness
King Charles is reportedly planning on renting out the Royal Lodge for up to £1m a year after Prince Andrew leaves.
He recently hastened his disgraced younger brother’s departure from the property he has occupied since 2003 by removing his security provisions.
An insider told The Sun: “It makes sense for Royal Lodge to be handed back to Crown Estates, which can pay for the much-needed repairs and renovations.
“It could then be rented to earn money for them, the King’s coffers and the country rather than being a drain on everyone’s resources.”
The Duke of York was forced to step down as a working royal in 2019 following his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Harry and Meghan’s royal departure started with Archie’s birth
Tuesday 20 August 2024 15:00
Emma Guinness
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began considering leaving the royal family shortly after Prince Archie’s birth in 2019, a royal biographer has claimed.
Royal expert Anna Pasternak said that a lack of privacy at the time caused their opinion of life as a working royal to sour.
She told Channel 5: “I think that started to sour things (lack of privacy after Archie’s birth) and then of course it’s easy to add the moniker that they’re entitled, they’re going to do it their way, they’re difficult, they’re not playing the royal game.
“I think there was definitely the sense that the pressure is building, cracks were starting to show and that there was a friction.”
The couple cited press intrusion as one of their reasons for stepping down in 2020.
King Charles arrives in Southport
Tuesday 20 August 2024 13:52
Emma Guinness
King Charles has arrived in Southport to meet with survivors of last month’s deadly knife attack.
The monarch was greeted by cheers when he arrived at Southport Town Hall this afternoon.
He laid flowers in memory of the three children who lost their lives at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.
Harry and Meghan ‘desperate’ to heal rift with royal family
Tuesday 20 August 2024 13:00
Emma Guinness
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly “desperate” to heal their rift with the royal family.
Harry and Meghan’s relationship with The Firm has progressively deteriorated since they stepped down as working royals in 2020.
“It seems quite clear that they are desperate to start healing the rift,” a former employee told the Daily Mail.
The couple’s desire to reconcile reportedly stems from fears about the November US election after Donald Trump vowed to treat Harry like any other citizen should it emerge that he lied on his visa application.
It is currently the subject of a review following revelations about his prior drug use in his 2023 memoir Spare.
First £1 King Charles coins enter circulation
Tuesday 20 August 2024 12:00
Emma Guinness
The first £1 King Charles coins have officially entered circulation.
Adorned with bees on the tail side of the coin to reflect the king’s passion for the environment and his official effigy on the head side, a “buzz of excitement” is speculated amongst collectors.
Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint has made the circulating coinage of each of Britain’s monarchs since Alfred the Great and it is an honour to reveal that King Charles III’s £1 coin is now in circulation.
“We know there’ll be a buzz of excitement amongst collectors and the public to get this special piece of history in their change.
“We hope the designs across all denominations spark important conversations about the conservation of these important species.”
King Charles to meet survivors of Southport attack
Tuesday 20 August 2024 11:00
Emma Guinness
King Charles will meet survivors of the Southport attack later today.
The 29 July incident shocked the nation when a knifeman rampaged at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, murdering three children and seriously injuring several others.
A series of riots subsequently broke out across the country, which were condemned by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as “far-right thuggery”.
The riots were inspired by false claims about the 18-year-old suspect’s identity, and the king was kept closely informed about the situation as it unfolded.
The monarch will then privately host the bereaved families tomorrow.
Late Queen described Donald Trump as ‘rude'
Tuesday 20 August 2024 10:00
Emma Guinness
The late Queen Elizabeth shared what she really thought of the former president in a “discreet” exchange, an explosive new biography has claimed.
Describing him as “rude”, the monarch speculated that Trump had an “arrangement” with his wife Melania, Craig Brown claimed in his new book A Voyage Around The Queen.
“She confided in one lunch guest that she found [President Trump] ‘very rude’: she particularly disliked the way he couldn’t stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting,” Brown wrote.
“She also believed President Trump ‘must have some sort of arrangement’ with his wife Melania.”
Duchess of Sussex ‘so proud’ of Colombian children embracing mental health
Tuesday 20 August 2024 06:00
Emma Guinness
The Duchess of Sussex has lent her support to Colombian children who are openly speaking about their mental health.
Meghan, 43, said she was “so, so proud of them” when the young people she and Prince Harry met on their tour said they were using dance to help them manage their emotions.
Harry and Meghan ‘work incredibly well together as a team'
Tuesday 20 August 2024 04:00
Emma Guinness
Meghan Markle took the opportunity to pay tribute to Prince Harry while speaking at a women’s event in Colombia.
Praising the Duke of Sussex, 39, for being a supportive partner, the duchess, 43, said: “We work incredibly well together as a team, but as my husband is great testament to, the role of men in this of empowering women, of allowing them to know that their voices are heard, starting at a young age all the way through adulthood, is key.
“For us and the work that we do with our Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents, as I do as a mother, is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard.”
Harry and Meghan ‘banned’ from Palace night before late Queen’s funeral
Tuesday 20 August 2024 02:00
Emma Guinness
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were banned from Buckingham Palace the night before Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Royal expert Roya Nikkhah explained that the decision was based upon their status as non-working royals.
“The Sussexes also understood they would be at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the funeral alongside the rest of the royal family, when Charles and Camilla hosted a reception for foreign heads of state,” she wrote in The Sunday Times.
“They were initially asked to the event but their invitations were later ‘rescinded’, with the Palace clarifying the event was for ‘working members of the royal family’ only.’”
Meghan ‘took the lead’ on Colombia tour
Tuesday 20 August 2024 00:00
Emma Guinness
A body language expert has weighed in on how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle conducted themselves on their Colombia tour.
On day three, the couple visited a drumming school as part of the trip’s aim to highlight the local culture.
“Day three of this tour threw up some body language rituals that seemed to suggest it was Meghan in the lead as she was from their arrival, stepping into the greeting rituals with a keenness, a perfect smile and almost regal grace while Harry appears to be lurking, waiting his turn or standing behind Meghan looking slightly downcast,” Judi James told The Mirror.
“Meghan has clearly perfected the art of the gracious perma-smile but Harry’s expressions appeared to fluctuate, smiling, laughing and gesticulating one minute but looking more disconnected the next as he waits his turn.”
The trip follows the couple’s successful visit to Nigeria earlier this year, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
Late Queen’s Paddington Bear performance praised as ‘brilliant'
Monday 19 August 2024 22:00
Emma Guinness
The late Queen Elizabeth has been praised for a skit she did with Paddington Bear for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who wrote the afternoon tea-themed scene, said: “She did it brilliantly and with evident enjoyment.”
He also explained that as Paddington wasn’t there and the Queen was talking to an empty chair, it was an impressive example of acting.
“Paddington’s not really there,” Cottrell-Boyce explained, The Telegraph reports. “So it’s technically an amazing performance.”
Meghan Markle showcases her Spanish skills
Monday 19 August 2024 20:00
Emma Guinness
The Duchess of Sussex took the opportunity to show off her Spanish-speaking skills on the Sussex’s recent tour of Colombia.
Speaking at the ‘Afro women and power’ event, she said: “I would like to begin in Spanish because we are in your country, my husband and I, and I can feel this embrace from Colombia.
“It’s incredible, so many, many thanks, because the culture, the history, everything has been like a dream on this trip.
“Sorry if my Spanish is not perfect because I learned it 20 years ago in Argentina, but I’m trying here because I can feel this community and this feeling which is the best in the world.”
Meghan previously learned the language while studying abroad in 2002. The recent tour was designed to “illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”.
Harry and Meghan ‘dropped out of conversation’ in US
Monday 19 August 2024 18:00
Emma Guinness
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no longer a topic of “conversation” in the US, it has been claimed.
A friend of the royal family told The Times: “What they haven’t been able to do is create a public presence that’s respected and popular.
“I was in LA recently and was struck by how they’re not the topic of conversation.
“Everyone wanted to know about the King and Kate’s health. Harry and Meghan have dropped out of the conversation.”
Harry and Meghan’s ‘endearing’ actions on Colombia tour
Monday 19 August 2024 16:00
Emma Guinness
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been praised for “letting their guard down” and having fun on their Colombia tour.
Designed to “illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”, Harry and Meghan had plenty of opportunities to enjoy themselves on the four-day trip.
An insider told The Mirror: “They have finally let their guard down and are just being themselves. It’s no secret the Duke and Duchess both love music, especially hip-hop, salsa and dancing, so to get to do this on their Colombia tour was a dream come true. They danced like they did not care who was watching, and that was so endearing.”
The couple previously cited a desire to live a more independent life when they stepped down as working royals in 2020.
Colombian vice president slammed for Sussex visit
Monday 19 August 2024 15:00
Emma Guinness
The vice president of Colombia has been slammed for inviting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to the country for an official tour.
Francia Márquez has been accused of pandering to royalty instead of her own people by her right-wing rival Maria Fernanda Cabal.
“The invitation to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex brings absolutely no cultural exchange or anything of the sort,” she said, as reported by The Telegraph.
“It is part of the showmanship of a vice president who is disconnected from the reality of the country.
“The vice-president is black and, as a minority, should set an example of greatness, of affection towards the population, especially the poor, without resentment or hatred.
“She should seek out even minimal projects that the community needs, stand by the people, not by royalty.”
Colombian local did not know who Meghan Markle was
Monday 19 August 2024 14:00
Emma Guinness
A Colombian local was confused by the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their unofficial tour of the country.
Ahead of the couple’s arrival a former slave down, San Basilio de Palenque, Justo Valdés, a 70-year-old singer, questioned: “Who’s Meghan?”
A local journalist, who asked to be kept anonymous, told The Telegraph that they believed the tour was a deliberate distraction from issues facing the country.
“People are expecting the government to address these issues rather than focus on a high-profile event with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” they said.
“Although addressing and confronting cyberbullying in children is an important issue, it is not the most pressing problem we face.”
Prince Harry ‘lost’ after leaving royal family, former aide claims
Monday 19 August 2024 13:00
Emma Guinness
A former royal aide has claimed that Prince Harry is lost after stepping down as a working royal.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020 and has undertaken a series of ventures since then, including various tell-alls about his time in The Firm.
“He loved the army and was very good at his job. The work with Invictus is great and fatherhood was the role he most wanted, so perhaps those are enough for him,” the aide said, as reported by The Times.
“But everything else is a bit woolly. I always thought he wanted more from life. I can’t help but think he must be wondering, ‘Where do I go from here?’” the person added.
King Charles’s capacity to forgive Prince Harry ‘undimmed'
Monday 19 August 2024 12:00
Emma Guinness
A friend of Prince Harry has said that King Charles’s capacity to forgive his youngest son is “undimmed”.
This comes amid claims that Prince William does not want Harry to attend his coronation when the time comes.
They told The Times: “From the conversations I’ve had with the King, I would never say their relationship is irreparable.
“The King’s capacity to forgive his son is undimmed. There are other members of the royal family who are much more weighted against Harry, that’s the problem.”
Harry’s relationship with the royal family has steadily deteriorated since he stepped down as a working member in 2020 and moved to California.
Prince Louis shouts ‘let’s do this’ at Nerf gun party
Monday 19 August 2024 11:00
Emma Guinness
Prince Louis was delighted to attend a Nerf gun party and united the Wales family by shouting “let’s do this”.
The remark was made when the family attended the Nerf war at the Gone Wild Festival at Holkham Hal in Norfolk.
“Nerf or nothing, let’s do this!” Louis, six said, according to Norfolk Nerf Parties boss Georgina Barron said.
The Princess of Wales also joined in the fun and “grabbed a Nerf gun, ran around, and played stuck in the mud with her kids”, the Daily Mail reports.
Meghan Markle describes Colombia tour as ‘a dream'
Monday 19 August 2024 10:00
Emma Guinness
Meghan Markle has described her and Prince Harry’s recent tour of Colombia as “a dream”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent four days in the country on a visit designed to “illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”.
“The culture, the history – all of it was a dream – this trip was a dream. I can feel this community and this is the feeling that is the best thing right now,” she said.
Princess Lilibet has ‘found her voice’, Meghan reveals
Monday 19 August 2024 09:14
Emma Guinness
The Duchess of Sussex gave an insight into daughter Princess Lilibet’s life on her recent tour of Colombia.
While speaking at an event highlighting Afro women, she stressed the importance of using your voice and said that Lilibet has already found hers, despite being three years old.
“I know how it feels when you don’t utilise your voice when you need to be heard or have something to say,” she said.
“I encourage our daughter to do so – who at three has absolutely found her voice, and we are so proud of that.”
Residents of America’s first free town say Harry should apologise for slavery on visit
Monday 19 August 2024 08:00
Athena Stavrou
Residents of the first free African town in the Americas have said Prince Harry should apologise for the royal family’s role in slavery on his visit.
On the third day of their quasi royal tour of Colombia, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited San Basilio de Palenque, which was established as the first free African town in the Americas in 1619.
Ahead of their arrival, locals expressed their wish for Harry to use the visit as an opportunity to apologise for the royal family’s role in the slave trade.
“I think he does have to [apologise], to free our hearts and our minds and ask for a pardon,” said Segundo Caceres Reyes, 49, president of the town’s local police told The Telegraph.
“We are in the process of forgiving and forgetting because we know how hard the facts are.”
Local hairdresser Elida Canarte Diaz, 33, also voiced her hope for an apology and told the paper: “His ancestors made our ancestors go through terrible times and he can make good faith and repent to show that they don’t agree with what happened before.”
During the visit on Saturday he and Meghan enjoyed speeches and performances from community leaders.
The couple greeted their hosts in the indigenous language of Palenquero before finishing in Spanish. Meghan said she was “so honoured” to visit the town. Harry described the visit as an “incredibly moving experience” before they explored the street market and watched a concert featuring local musicians.
William ‘does not want Harry at his coronation’, friends say
Monday 19 August 2024 07:00
Athena Stavrou
Friends of Prince William have reportedly said that the he does not want Prince Harry to come to his future coronation.
The heir to the throne has had a strained relationship with his younger brother following the duke’s departure as a working royal in 2020.
Since then, Harry has gone on to do a tell-all interview with Oprah, a Netflix series and written a book revealing private conversations between himself and his family.
A friend of William’s told The Times that, in the aftermath of the King’s coronation last year, The Prince of Wales said he wanted his own coronation to “look and feel different”.
The source revealed that as things stand, he would not want his brother at the crowning and said: “They are estranged, which is dreadfully sad.”
Royals worry Harry will reveal conversations in second book, friends say
Monday 19 August 2024 06:00
Athena Stavrou
Members of the royal family worry that private conversations had with Prince Harry will feature in a second autobiography, a friend of the family has said.
Speaking to The Times, a friend of the king revealed: “The problem for the King and other members of the family is the worry that if they have a chat with Harry, it will appear in Spare volume two. How do you regain the trust? I don’t think Harry ever can.
“But from the conversations I’ve had with the King, I would never say their relationship is irreparable. The King’s capacity to forgive his son is undimmed. There are other members of the royal family who are much more weighted against Harry, that’s the problem.”
Harry’s old friends believe he misses Britain
Monday 19 August 2024 05:00
Athena Stavrou
Some of Harry’s oldest friends have questioned how happy the prince is in California as they say they “can’t imagine” he wanted to end up in “gilded” Californian exile.
Friends described the Harry they used to know loved a “night out out in the pub and hanging out in the country with friends” but say he is now “isolated from his family and most of his old mates.”
A source who has known Harry since his teenage years told The Times: “Maybe he has grown into a different person, but do I think he’d really suit the Californian lifestyle? No. Now we’ve seen it all play out, what has that left him with? On the surface, an enviable lifestyle — but for the Harry I know, I can’t imagine that gilded exile in California is where he wanted to end up.”
Another friend who says he still gets “the odd WhatsApp” from the duke said: “He’s an angry boy. Things haven’t turned out how he wanted. I think he misses being over here [in Britain] desperately and wants to be admired more. Anyone who knows him feels he’d rather be top of the pops here with everyone loving him, as they do with William and Kate.”
Disgraced Prince Andrew could be evicted from royal lodge
Monday 19 August 2024 03:00
Athena Stavrou
As reports reveal that the King is axing the Duke of York’s entire security team, rumours are circulating that this could mean the end of Prince Andrew’s stay at the Royal lodge.
Andrew’s private security have been privately funded by Charles after he lost publicly-funded police protection in 2022. According to The Sun on Sunday, mem
