Royal news live: King Charles ‘axes’ Prince Andrew’s £1m allowance due to Royal Lodge row
King Charles cut the £1 million payment after Prince Andrew refused to move out of his current royal home
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Your support makes all the difference.The King will cut financial ties to the disgraced Duke of York after he refused to move out of his home, a royal writer has claimed.
Prince Andrew’s £1 million “living allowance”, received every year, has been withdrawn by Charles as he continues to seek to distance himself from his younger brother.
This is according to royal writer Robert Hardman, in the serialisation of a new book published by the Daily Mail.
The keeper of the privy purse was “instructed to sever [Andrew’s] living allowance”. It comes after Andrew reportedly refused to move out of the 30-room Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor Great Park into the smaller Frogmore Cottage - previously inhabited by Harry and Meghan.
"’The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,’ confirms one familiar with the situation,” Mr Hardman writes.
"’He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs - which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case.
"’But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter."’
Prince William hits back at critics over homelessness project
Inside the no-frills health retreat Charles and Camilla can’t keep away from
Charles and Camilla broke up flight home from Samoa with India stopover
Princess Diana biographer issues withering Meghan Markle verdict: ‘She’s flawless about getting it all wrong’
Meghan Markle could release ‘new memoir’ in next career move
Speculation is swirling around Meghan Markle’s potential next career move, with some royal experts suggesting she may release her own memoir.
Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield said she could make new revelations about her time in the Palace to “monetise her truth”.
He told Talk TV: “A part of me wonders if, similar to Jada Pinkett Smith, Meghan’s going to wait to reveal her truth until she finds a way to monetise it.
“Jada did that with her book, and Meghan has technically already done that with the Netflix series.”
Late Queen urged William and Harry to prioritise nation’s needs
Queen Elizabeth offered a crucial piece of advice to her grandsons, Princes William and Harry.
According to royal author Angela Levin, the late Queen, who passed away at 96, was increasingly troubled by what she perceived as a misalignment in their priorities.
Levin’s book, ‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’, reveals that the Queen expressed her worries in a direct nine-word warning: the brothers must “think of the nation’s needs rather than their own.”
At the time, the Queen’s concerns were particularly focused on Harry's vision for his role within the family.
Mr Levin said that Duke of Sussex envisioned a life for the young royals that embraces a sense of “ordinary life,” suggesting that their familial obligations might sometimes take precedence over their commitments to the monarchy.
This perspective seemed at odds with the Queen's traditional views on royal responsibilities.
Insiders close to the royal family said that this was a serious concern for the Queen, who, while known for her stoic demeanour, felt the weight of her legacy and the institution she represented.
George, Charlotte and Louis quiz Prince William on homelessness
Prince William has shared that his children have been quizzing him about homelessness.
In the two-part documentary, titled Prince William: We can End Homelessness, that premiered last night. the future King reflected on how his own experiences shaped his understanding on the issue.
He said: “When I was very small, my mother started talking about homelessness, much like I do now with my children on the school run.
“We saw people on the street. When you’re that small you’re just curious and you’re trying to work out what’s going on.
“You just ask the question like, well, why are they sitting there?
“And my mother would talk to us a bit about why they were there. And it definitely had a really big impact.”
King criticised ‘loathsome political correctness’ of most churches
A private letter from 1998 has revealed that King Charles believed the Orthodox Church was the only Christian denomination untainted by what he described as “loathsome political correctness.”
The correspondence, sent while he was still the Prince of Wales, shows his criticisms of the Church of England, of which he is the supreme governor.
The letter, marked “private and confidential,” was addressed to Dudley Popak, an interior designer who had worked closely with the royal family.
Following Mr Popak's death in 2005, the letter became part of a collection of royal correspondence that was auctioned by Lay’s Auctioneers in Cornwall for over £1,700.
In the letter, Charles, then 49, wrote: “Personally, the older I get, the more I am drawn to the great, timeless traditions of the Orthodox Church. They are the only ones that have not been corrupted by loathsome political correctness.”
The context of Charles's irritation remains somewhat unclear.
By 1998, the Church of England had recently altered its laws to allow the ordination of women as priests, with the first women being ordained in 1994.
However, there were no indications of royal opposition to this significant shift.
At the time of the letter, the Church of England had yet to change its stance on the remarriage of divorced individuals with living ex-spouses, a decision that would ultimately benefit Charles by paving the way for his marriage to Camilla, whose former husband was still alive.
This change would come four years later, in 2002.
ICYMI: King’s ‘hot equerry’ Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson is engaged
Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, affectionately dubbed the ‘hot equerry’, has announced his engagement to Olivia Lewis, his girlfriend of 18 months.
The announcement, first reported in The Times, has sent ripples through royal circles, as admirers of the dashing equerry come to terms with his impending nuptials.
The engagement announcement read: “The engagement is announced between Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Thompson of Morpeth, Northumberland, and Olivia Rose, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Simon Lewis OBE of Primrose Hill, London.”
You can read the full story below:
King’s ‘hot equerry’ Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson announces his engagement
King Charles and Queen Camilla could be among the attendees at the wedding of the ‘hot equerry’
Princess Beatrice spotted at Saudi Investment Conference
Princess Beatrice of York, 36, was recently spotted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, attending the Future Investment Initiative conference on Thursday.
The event, ending today, sees worldwide leaders and innovators discuss the future of global investment.
Beatrice is believed to have attended alongside her sister Princess Eugenie. A social media post by an Al Monitor reporter shows the princess at the event:
Watch: Prince William confronted by founder of The Big Issue in awkward interaction
Study reveals nation’s sentiment after Queen’s death
A recent study by psychologists from multiple universities, including The Open University, has shed light on the impact of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on the nation.
Conducted in the wake of her passing on 8 September 2022, the research focused on individuals who participated in national mourning events in Edinburgh and London.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, have revealed a desire for the monarchy to continue playing a significant role in British life.
During the official ten-day mourning period, the nation witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of grief.
Over 250,000 individuals queued to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, while the Queen’s funeral attracted one million attendees and an estimated 29 million viewers in the UK alone - four billion worldwide.
Researchers claim that many mourners still have a deep connection between their national identity and the Queen, who, in their view, “represented something of who we were.”
Researchers said: “You cannot have a future Britain without the preservation of the institution of monarchy.”
The study also highlighted that significant portions of the British public actively engaged in commemorative activities surrounding the Queen's death.
ICYMI: Eric Trump launches unprompted attack on ‘black sheep’ Prince Harry
Eric Trump has lashed out at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, claiming the only reason Prince Harry’s US Visa is safe is because “no one cares” about him.
The former President’s son recently discussed how much his father and current presidential candidate Donald Trump “loved” the late Queen Elizabeth II and how much damage Harry caused to the royal family after he and Meghan decided to leave their positions in 2020.
Eric also told the outlet that Harry would not need to worry about being deported if his father is elected on November 5 even if his visa application has been questioned.
Read the full story below:
Eric Trump launches unprompted attack on ‘black sheep’ Prince Harry
The former president’s second son said the Duke of Sussex had ‘gone off the deep end and it’s sad to watch’
Prince William faces uncomfortable moment in homelessness documentary
Prince William has faced an uncomfortable moment during the premiere of his documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, which aired its first part last tonight.
In the film, the Prince of Wales, 42, was confronted by Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, who challenged him to address the “failed thinking” surrounding homelessness.
Lord Bird bluntly stated he wanted no “b******t” in their discussions, urging the prince to spearhead a new approach through his Homewards programme - an ambitious initiative aiming to end homelessness within five years.
“We need the expertise of everybody,” Lord Bird said during their meeting in episode one.
He criticised the fragmented efforts of local authorities, charities, and government departments over the past three decades.
William responded with an invitation for open dialogue, adding: “I’m conscious that it’s a team environment... please do feel free to pile in when you need to.”
To which Lord Bird replied: “I hope you mean that,” before jokingly adding: “Sorry, I’m jumping in.”
The Prince’s goal of ending homelessness has been inspired by his childhood experiences visiting shelters with his late mother, Princess Diana.
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