Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liveupdated1730552868

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

Salma Ouaguira,Alex Croft
Saturday 02 November 2024 13:07
Comments
Prince William confronted by founder of The Big Issue in awkward interaction

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

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Prince Andrew’s £1 million “living allowance”, received every year, has been withdrawn by Charles as he continues to seek to distance himself from his younger brother.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."’

1730384700

Sarah Ferguson claims Princess Kate and William’s wedding triggered ‘great regret’

Royal fans around the world celebrated the marriage of Prince William and Princess Kate during their lavish ceremony in April 2011.

However, a former member of the Royal Family who did not attend the ceremony, Sarah Ferguson, expressed “great regret” at the time.

In a resurfaced interview on the US TV show The Daily, the Duchess of York recalled her own wedding to Prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey on 23 July, 1986.

“I was that bride, and at 25 years old, I went down the aisle of Westminster Abbey,” she said.

Fergie explained that William and Kate’s big day triggered “great soul searching on regret”.

She added: “If I, being me now, could go back to that young girl when I was 24, I would say to her, ‘You know what? I will stick with you. I will stay with you. I’m with you…. You don’t need to run around trying to get everyone to love you. I love you, i.e. yourself, myself’.”

The Duchess continued: “You’ve got me. Listen to me. I will guide you. Listen to your instincts Sarah and be aware of your behaviour and be aware of how lucky you are.

“You’ve got the world. You’ve got the best-looking prince. You’ve got the world at your feet. Don’t blow it.”

Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 14:25
1730382300

Camilla’s son hasn’t been to a Royal family Christmas ‘for various reasons'

Tom Parker Bowles, stepson of King Charles and Queen Camilla, has revealed that he and his children have yet to join the royal family for their traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham.

In a candid interview with People, he said: “We are married in; we are not the royal family.”

Despite his close ties to the royals, he explained that various commitments, including as his job and his children’s schooling, have prevented them from attending the festive celebrations.

“I find everyone incredibly nice and friendly, and we’ve known them all for a long time. It does seem natural,” he added.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have fostered a blended family since their marriage nearly 20 years ago.

Bowles added that his children, Lola, 17, and Freddy, 14, have grown fond of their step-grandparents, affectionately referring to them as “Gaga and Uppa.”

His younger son even participated in the coronation ceremony, serving as a page alongside Prince George.

(Chris Jackson/PA)
Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 13:45
1730379780

Queen Camilla ‘terrified’ after King Charles’ health admission

Queen Camilla is reportedly feeling "terrified" following King Charles's recent admissions about his health, with sources suggesting she fears he may be “rushing” his cancer recovery.

Friends close to the Queen have expressed their concerns over the King's determination to return to full duties too quickly after his diagnosis earlier this year.

While Buckingham Palace outlines plans for Charles to return to a "full" schedule of international travel next year, concerns about his well-being remain.

A senior palace official told GBNews:“We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour program for next year.”

However, this push for a robust itinerary raises alarm for Camilla, who is worried about the implications of such commitments on her husband's health.

“It’s hard to overstate the joy that he takes from duty and service,” the official added.

Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 13:03
1730378458

VOICES: The royal family’s finances are a mystery: it’s time to open the books

The view of the monarchy in the UK remains overwhelmingly positive, writes Alan Rusbridger.

But the public deserve full transparency on the family’s staggering wealth:

The royals’ finances are shrouded in mystery: they need to open the books

The view of the monarchy in the UK remains overwhelmingly positive, writes Alan Rusbridger. But the public deserve full transparency on the family’s staggering wealth

Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 12:40
1730374858

Donald Trump’s son attacks Meghan Markle and Harry

Donald Trump’s son, Eric, has attacked Meghan Markle describing the Duchess of Sussex as “pretty unpopular”.

A row between the Trumps and the Sussexes was ignited in 2016 after Meghan described the former US president of being “divisive” and misogynistic” during an interview on The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore.

Three years later, the Republican candidate replied by saying: “I didn’t know she was nasty,” and attempted to dismiss the comment.

In 2020, Trump slammed Meghan again and said: “I’m not a fan of hers. I wish a lot of luck to Harry, he’s going to need it.”

Now, his son has hit out at Harry. He told the Daily Mail: “Kate, I think she conducts herself so incredibly well and has been such a rock in the next generation of the family.

“And William, obviously I don’t really think has made a misstep.

“And yet, you look at this one black sheep [Harry] who doesn’t exactly know where he is, led by a wife who’s pretty unpopular, both here and over where you are.”

(Getty Images)
Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 11:40
1730372458

‘It’s important to change the narrative around homelessness’, says William

In the ITV documentary We Can End Homelessness, Prince William said it is vital to change attitudes towards homelessness.

“I think it’s really important that we can try and change and tackle the narrative around homelessness,” he said. “People live with it, we see it every day in our lives, that’s something I want to challenge.”

One of the clips shows the prince looking through photos of a visit to a homeless charity when he was a child, with his mother, Princess Diana.

“That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do. When you’re quite small, you just think life is what you see in front of you, and you don’t really have the concept to look elsewhere,” he said.

“It’s when you meet people, like I did then, who put a different perspective in your head and say like, ‘well, I was on the street last night’, and you’re like, ‘whoa’,” he added.

Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 11:00
1730371134

The Waleses to celebrate Halloween together

Tonight, Princess Kate and Prince William are set for a special family evening with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as they enjoy their half-term break from school.

The young royals are expected to go trick-or-treating once again.

The couple has previously shared in this festive tradition, with neighbour Jay Rutland recalling a friendly Halloween visit from Kate and the kids last year.

Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 10:38
1730369647

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.

Salma Ouaguira31 October 2024 10:14

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in