Royal news live: Prince Harry veteran award backlash continues as William heads to Euro 2024 quarter final
Harry has been defended for his ‘incredible’ work with the Invictus Games
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Prince William is heading to Germany to watch England play in the Euro 2024 quarter final as his brother, Prince Harry, has been defended for the decision to give him an award for veterans.
A petition calling for a “rethink” on the decision to give the Duke of Sussex, 39, the Pat Tillman Award for his work with the Invictus Games, has surpassed 63,000 signatures.
The late Tillman’s mother, Mary, was amongst the people who believe there are more deserving recipients, but the sporting network behind the award, ESPN, has defended its decision, hailing the “incredible” work of the games.
“While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating,” a spokesperson told Sky News.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales will attend England’s match against Switzerland on Saturday, Kensington Palace has confirmed.
The Prince, who is the president of the Football Association, will be present to cheer on Gareth Southgate’s team in Dusseldorf as they seek to secure a place in the semi-finals.
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Prince Harry defended as petition against the prince reaches 50,000 signatures
Why Kate’s children never visited her in hospital
A royal expert has provided some insight into why the Wales children reportedly never saw Kate Middleton while she was hospitalised.
The princess’s health troubles began in January when she went into hospital for what was reported to be planned abdominal surgery at the time.
It later emerged that she had been diagnosed with cancer and would be undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl told Vanity Fair that Kate never had her children visit her in hospital because she “did not want her children to see her in a gown and hooked up to monitors and tubes.”
“She made do with video calls home every day.”
The expert then quotes a friend of the family, who reportedly said: “Things were so normal at home that George was playing a rugby match against another school while Kate was hospitalised.”
Meghan Markle wants ‘sit down’ with royals
An insider has claimed that Meghan Markle wants to sit down with the royal family so that they can resolve their differences.
It is not known exactly when the former actress last saw her in-laws in person, but it could be as far back as the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022.
“Harry is more willing to move on, let’s just say that,” they told the Express.
“It’s not a case of Meghan being difficult, she genuinely feels hurt and would like some kind of sit down to hash things through – but that’s not something the other side is willing to consider at this time.”
The couple’s relationship with the royals appeared to deteriorate after they stepped down as working members of the family, later accusing the Firm of racist comments and failing to provide Meghan, in particular, with the psychological support she needed.
Prince Harry ‘finds the day long and lonely'
A royal commentator has weighed in on Prince Harry’s new life in America after stepping down as a working royal in 2020.
It comes amid fresh concerns that the Duke of Sussex, 39, could be deported by Donald Trump if he is reelected in November.
The Republican said that he would treat the prince like any other citizen if it emerges that he lied on his visa application about his prior drug use.
Tom Quinn told the Mirror: “During his first six months in the States, Harry found everything new and exciting, but the glamour is definitely wearing off.
“However big your garden, and Harry and Meghan’s garden at Montecito is enormous, there’s only so much you can do when you have no practical skills and you have always paid people to cook, clean and garden for you.
“Harry has never done any of these practical things, so after he’s taken the dog for a walk in the morning, he finds the day long and lonely.”
Harry and Meghan planning holiday on ‘private island'
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly planning a summer holiday on a “private island” where they plan to live in “complete luxury”.
A source close to the couple claimed they want a chance to relax and have fun after a “stressful” year so far with the royal family’s health troubles.
“Meghan wants to get away with Harry and the kids to a remote island so they can just have fun as a family without any outside pressure and be in complete luxury,” they told OK! magazine.
“Archie and Lilibet are at that age now where they can do more adventurous stuff and Meghan has even talked about a trip to Disneyland as she knows they will be well looked after there and how much the children would love it.
“Lili is very into Disney princesses right now and would be in her element.”
Princess Anne’s hospitalisation ‘shaken Zara to the core'
The Princess Royal’s recent hospital stint reportedly shook her daughter Zara Tindall “to the core”.
Zara, 43, is Anne’s only daughter and she has allegedly been concerned about her mother’s unwillingness to slow down as she ages.
Anne, 73, is widely considered to be the hardest-working member of the royal family and has attended over 200 engagements this year.
She was hospitalised almost two weeks ago after sustaining a concussion and minor injuries after being kicked by a horse.
According to reports, she also sustained memory loss as a result of the incident.
“This is exactly what Zara’s been worried about happening for years now, but her mum hasn’t had a chance to slow down with everyone else falling apart,” a source told OK! magazine.
“It’s really shaken Zara to the core and she’s desperately hoping this memory [loss] is temporary. This has been a huge wake-up call for everyone in the family and they’re rightfully distressed.”
Why the royal family do not vote
The royal family can vote in General Elections but choose to stay politically neutral for “practical reasons”.
Their roles, for example, require them to interact with people of all political affiliations.
Robert Blackburn, a professor of constitutional law at King’s College London, told Time magazine: “The King and active members of the royal family can legally cast a vote at General Elections on the same basis as other eligible citizens.
“But in practice [they] do not do so for obvious reasons, especially because it would cause a furore of media speculation and violate the constitutional requirement today that they maintain a strict party political impartiality.”
Prince Harry petition continues to gain momentum
A petition calling on American sports network ESPN to “rethink” its decision to give Prince Harry an award for veterans has continued to gain momentum.
It currently has over 63,000 signatures, despite the network defending its decision to give the Duke of Sussex the award for his “incredible” work with the Invictus Games.
The Change.org petition reads: “Prince Harry, while a former military officer, has been involved in controversies that call into question his suitability to receive an honour of this magnitude.
“He has faced accusations of endangering his squadron by publicly revealing military kills.
“The Prince also allegedly targeted his own father, Prince Charles, during a flyover.
“More recently, his role in the Invictus Games, a platform meant to celebrate the resilience and dedication of veterans, has been criticized as self-centered.”
Princess Anne remains out of action after hospitalisation
Princess Anne remains off duty as she continues her recovery after being kicked by a horse almost two weeks ago.
Following the incident on her Gloucestershire estate, the Princess Royal was hospitalised for five days before being released on Friday.
She suffered a concussion and minor injuries in the incident, with brain and cognition expert Natalie Mackenzie telling The Independent that concussion symptoms should resolve within two weeks.
King Charles pictured with SNP leader before election losses
King Charles was pictured with the SNP leader John Swinney on the eve of his party suffering huge losses in the General Election.
The pair met yesterday (4 July) as part of Holyrood Week, which celebrates Scotland’s achievements, culture and community.
It was cut short so that the Monarch could return to London to appoint the new prime minister, Keir Starmer.
The SNP lost 38 seats in the election, leaving them with just nine and calling into question the party’s mandate for Scottish Independence.
King Charles appoints Keir Starmer as prime minister
King Charles has officially appointed the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Monarch travelled back from Scotland to ask the Labour leader to form a new government after his party won yesterday’s General Election by a landslide.
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