Royal news - live: King Charles faces unusual ‘snub’ as Zara Tindall’s husband lays bare life in royal family
The couple’s royal reception is set to be sparsely attended by officials
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King Charles and Queen Camilla are facing an embarrassing snub by leading Australian politicians ahead of their tour of the country.
As the couple prepares to kick off their nine-day visit Down Under on Friday, every single state premier has turned down invitations to attend their royal reception in Canberra on October 21, reports suggest.
The King is set to deliver a speech at the event to recognise Australians for their achievements in the arts, culture, sports and health.
Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan is the latest representative to snub the invitation, whilst other politicians have given excuses such as “schedule clashes” and “election campaign duties”.
Meanwhile, the reality of marrying into the royal family has been revealed by Zara Tindall’s husband, who described the experience as “pretty easy”.
Mike Tindall, 45, made the revelation in his new book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby, following Meghan Markle’s claims that marrying into the firm was far from plain sailing.
“Believe it or not, marrying into the Royal Family was pretty easy for me,” he wrote. “They were always nice to me.”
Meghan, 43, cited several issues that came with royal life, including press intrusion, when she and Prince Harry chose to give up their positions as working royals in 2020.
King Charles and the £200bn slavery reparations bill looming over Commonwealth summit
King enjoys performance from Elton John at reception for UK’s international investment summit with Starmer
King’s trip to Australia dubbed ‘The Farewell Oz Tour’ by republicans
King’s charity formally changes name as new branding unveiled
King Charles reveals key life skills everyone should have
King Charles has revealed the two “fundamental” skills he believes everyone should learn to lead a more sustainable life – sewing and hemming.
The monarch, 75, has a longstanding passion for environmental protection and said that being able to sew and hem can help to dramatically reduce an individual’s clothing waste.
His comments came while celebrating the 10th anniversary of the King’s Foundation’s textile programme.
Director of education, Jacqueline Farrell, said the monarch is “passionate” about sustainable approaches in the clothing and fashion industries and this underpins every programme they offer.
Ms Farrell told The Telegraph: “At the heart of our teaching, His Majesty is keen that participants are equipped with fundamental skills that preserve the life of our clothes, such as simply being able to sew on a button, or being able to alter and hem garments.”
King Charles to ‘pause’ cancer treatment at the end of this week
King Charles is set to temporarily “pause” his ongoing cancer treatment as he travels to Australia and Samoa later this week.
The monarch, 75, has been battling an undisclosed form of the disease since earlier this year and is said to be bringing two doctors with him on the trip as a precautionary measure.
According to reports, he will resume treatment after the 11-day trip.
The monarch is said to be having a rest day on the visit to give him a break from his packed schedule too. There will also be no evening engagements.
Meghan Markle’s former bodyguard reveals ‘huge lesson’ he learned from her
Meghan Markle’s former bodyguard has opened up about working for the Duchess of Sussex, revealing that she was “a good person to work for”.
Steve Davies, who worked for the duchess in Toronto during the early part of her relationship with Prince Harry, told InTouch magazine: “My wife and I got invited to the wedding, that’s how close we became,” he said. “I would work with her again, not a problem at all. She was a good person to work for, and she still is a good person.”
He added: “I saw her, from working at the studio to working with charities to working with dog walkers and cleaners.
“There’s one huge lesson I learned from her: It’s give respect to get respect.”
Anti-monarchy group welcomes Charles and Camilla for ‘farewell tour'
An Australian anti-monarchy group has welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla’s impending visit to the country but claimed that it should be their “farewell tour”.
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) said the visit, which begins on Friday (18 October), will give the British royal family the “chance to wave goodbye to royal reign”.
Esther Anatolitis, co-chairwoman of the ARM, said on Twitter/X: “Welcome to Monarchy The Farewell Oz Tour.
“It’s time to wave goodbye to royal reign. This week’s visit is a valuable opportunity for us to ask that question we’ve been asking for many years, why does Australia still have a King?
“Does it make sense that our head of state inherits the role by birthright and isn’t here for Australians full time?
“By all means, let’s welcome Charles and Camilla to Australia, but let’s see this as the last visit of a sitting monarch. Makes a lot of sense.”
👋 A message from our Co-Chair Esther Anatolitis. Let's wave goodbye to royal reign! #AusRepublic #FarewellOzTour @_esther pic.twitter.com/vfXrYqs07t
— Australian Republic Movement (@AusRepublic) October 14, 2024
Duchess of York celebrates 64th birthday
The Duchess of York is celebrating her 65th birthday today.
Sarah Ferguson joined the royal family when she married Prince Andrew in 1986. While the pair later divorced, she still lives with her ex-husband at the Royal Lodge.
After recently recovering from breast and skin cancer, she has been using her platform to raise awareness of the disease.
King Charles marks the end of the International Investment Summit
King Charles marked the end of the International Investment Summit in London yesterday by meeting with investors and leading names in British business.
The event, which took place at St Paul’s Cathedral, was attended by around 300 guests, many of whom had a chance to personally meet and speak to the monarch.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed the importance of economic growth at the event, telling attendees that it is “vital if we’re to steer our way through a great period of insecurity and change and on to calmer water”.
Yesterday, The King joined investors and leading names in British business at a reception to mark the end of the International Investment Summit 🇬🇧#UKInvestment pic.twitter.com/Op1jwqzoVN
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 15, 2024
King Charles’s youth charity to formally change its name
King Charles’s longstanding youth charity, the Prince’s Trust, is set to formally change its name to the King’s Trust today.
The charity’s chair, Alison Brittain, described the change as heralding a new, “exciting” chapter for the charity, which was established almost 50 years ago in 1976 when Charles was still the Prince of Wales.
She added: “As the King’s Trust continues to work for young people in the UK and around the world, we are as committed to supporting young people to build the skills and confidence they need for work and ultimately a brighter future.”
The change was marked by a new logo featuring a white crown in front of a red background.
ITV teases Prince William’s new homelessness documentary
Prince William’s upcoming documentary that showcases his belief that homelessness can be eradicated has been teased by ITV.
Alongside a trailer for the documentary, the channel wrote on Twitter/X: “Prince William: We Can End Homelessness Coming Soon to @ITV and @ITVX.
“An exclusive ITV1 documentary which follows the launch and first year of @HomewardsUK and its work to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness.”
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness
— ITV (@ITV) October 13, 2024
Coming Soon to @ITV and @ITVX
An exclusive ITV1 documentary which follows the launch and first year of @HomewardsUK and its work to demonstrate that it’s possible to end homelessness@KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/fQPWUrhwX8
Zara Tindall’s husband opens up about marrying into royal family
Zara Tindall’s husband has opened up about his experience of marrying into the royal family and described it as a “pretty easy” process.
Mike Tindall, 45, made the revelation in his new book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby, where he said the process was “simple”.
“Believe it or not, marrying into the Royal Family was pretty easy for me,” he wrote. “They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really.”
Australian anti-monarchists sell ‘farewell tour’ merch ahead of visit
Anti-royalist activists are selling “farewell tour” merchandise ahead of King Charles’ visit to Australia this week.
Charles and Camilla are set to kick off the first royal visit to the country in over a decade on Friday - but their anticipated arrival has sparked debate about the monarchy’s role in modern Australia.
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) has branded the visit as the royal’s “farewell tour” as they campaign to separate the Commonwealth country from the monarchy.
Retro style satirical posters, T-shirts and beer coasters have been created with Charles, Camilla and Prince William on them, encouraging Australians to “wave goodbye to royal reign”.
A T-shirt, featuring the royal trio in aviator sunglasses, is retailing for 34 AUD on the campaign group’s website, finished with the description: “Alright legends the stage is set... Let’s wave goodbye to royal reign! Grab this killer t-shirt to support the campaign and help take the republic movement to the main stage.”
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