Royal news live: Kate set for biggest engagements since cancer battle as Camilla returns to duties
Kate implored people not to ‘judge or criticise’ those suffering from addiction
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Your support makes all the difference.The Princess of Wales is due to face her biggest engagements since stepping away from public duties to receive cancer treatment, as her carol concert at Westminster Abbey is due to go ahead.
Kate, is expected to be joined by her family, husband William and three children for the annual event, which is filmed as part of a special programme on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve
The Queen is set to return to her official duties, after having stepped away for several weeks due to a chest infection.
Camilla will attend the Entente Littéraire Prize Ceremony with Madame Macron next week to celebrate Franco-British literary talent and the special connections between the two countries.
The scheduled appearance comes after she was forced to cancel a number of engagements, including the Rememberance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Royal Variety Performance.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales has channeled Princess Diana as she delivered a powerful message urging the public to not “judge or criticise” those suffering from addiction.
As the Princess of Wales, Diana was renowned for her work to tackle stigmas among the most vulnerable in society, a sentiment echoed by Kate ahead of Addiction Awareness Week.
Sophie offers support to Yazidi genocide survivor as she pays tribute to bravery
The Duchess of Edinburgh has warned that the devastation of conflict-related sexual violence continues long after the guns fall silent, as she offered a comforting hug to a Yazidi genocide survivor.
Sophie was pictured with her arm around Awaz Abdi who was captured and enslaved by so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq a decade ago when she was just 10 years old.
The pair met when the duchess visited The Women Who Beat Isis travelling photography exhibition at the Foreign Office in London on Wednesday.
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Sophie offers support to Yazidi genocide survivor as she pays tribute to bravery
The duchess visited The Women Who Beat Isis travelling photography exhibition which focuses on the strength and courage of the survivors.
Meghan Markle says ‘every year it gets better’ as she shares holiday plans with Archie and Lilibet
Meghan Markle is embracing the magic of the holidays, thanks to her children with Prince Harry.
In an interview with Marie Claire, the 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex reflected on how her children — son Archie, five, and daughter Lilibet, three — are reaching the age when the festive season feels even more special.
“I love the holidays,” Meghan shared enthusiastically. “Archie and Lilibet are now three and five, so every year it gets better.”
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Meghan Markle says ‘every year it gets better’ as she shares holiday plans with kids
Duchess of Sussex gushes over the holiday season, despite keeping this year’s festivities ‘pretty low-key’
Kate says do not ‘judge or criticise’ addicts ahead of Addiction Awareness Week
The Princess of Wales has urged the public to change its attitude towards those dependent on drink or drugs – saying “addiction is not a choice”.
Kate highlighted how every addict is a “human being, with a story of their own” and “it is not our place to judge or criticise” in a written message to mark Addiction Awareness Week.
In a bid to tackle the stigma associated with the issue, she called on everyone to support charities helping addicts and their families by changing the “way we think about and consider the many people coping with addiction”.
And by listening or providing a shoulder for someone to cry on the “misunderstandings” faced by many can be broken down.
Kate is patron of the Forward Trust, an addiction charity, and her involvement in the awareness week comes a few months after the princess announced she was returning to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy treatment.
She has made a few official appearances, joining senior members of the royal family for the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and travelling with the Prince of Wales to Merseyside to meet the bereaved families of the Southport stabbings.
Battersea rescue dogs needing homes head to Highgrove for footstool photoshoot
Rescue animals from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home took part in a festive photoshoot at the King and Queen’s country estate Highgrove.
Percy, Darcie, Elspeth, Harper, Missy and Shadow, who are all looking for new homes in time for Christmas, were invited to Gloucestershire, travelling from the charity’s Old Windsor Centre.
They posed on a new range of bespoke footstools, crafted and upholstered using recycled curtains from Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle by students and community groups working with Charles’s charity The King’s Foundation.
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Battersea rescue dogs needing homes head to Highgrove for footstool photoshoot
The King’s Foundation welcomed the six dogs, who helped showcase a new furniture project using recycled royal curtains.
Prince Louis revealed to have a passion for the drums
The Prince of Wales joked that Prince Louis’ drumming practice has left him taking drastic action.
William told celebrity musicians about his son’s musical aspirations have as he thanked them for supporting a wildlife charity.
He told the group about his youngest son, who is renowned for his cheeky personality that: “My youngest is learning the drums, that’s why I spend my entire life with my fingers in my ears.”
William went on to say “I’m interested in different eras of music” and “music is such an important part of my life”.
Meghan Markle requests extension for lifestyle brand trademark application
It looks as though Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand may be still be months away from launching, as lawyers for the duchess request an extension for her trademark application.
Meghan originally soft-launched her brand American Riviera Orchard back in March with prospective customers told to join a waiting list to keep them updated on products, thought to include jams and other lifestyle goods.
However, the brand, has suffered a series of setbacks in the months since, meaning they are yet to begin trading.
Her inititial trademark application was refused by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in September, noting that American Riviera was a “common nickname” for Santa Barbara.
She was given three-months to address the issue, with lawyers now filing a request for another three month extension.
Full story: William and Kate pay tribute to ‘brave and humble’ young photographer Liz Hatton
The Prince and Princess of Wales have expressed their sadness at the death of teenage photographer Liz Hatton, saying it was “an honour to have met such a brave and humble young woman”.
The 17-year-old, who died on Wednesday, pursued a photography bucket list after being diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of cancer at the start of the year.
Liz, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, hit the headlines when she was pictured being hugged by Kate at Windsor Castle in October after being invited to take pictures of William at an investiture.
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William and Kate pay tribute to ‘brave and humble’ young photographer Liz Hatton
Liz, who died on Wednesday at the age of 17, began a photography bucket list after being diagnosed with cancer at the start of the year.
Inside the next phase Buckingham Palace’s £369m refurbishment
Buckingham Palace will be undergoing huge upheavals in the coming months as the £369m refurbishment closes some of its grandest rooms.
The palace’s grandest rooms will undergo “phased closures” for renovation, beginning with the White Drawing Room, the Music Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the State Dining Room.
This will be followed by the Ballroom, where state banquets are held, and state rooms including the Throne Room and the Green Drawing Room.
Work will be paused during the summer months as the state rooms open to the public as usual.
King Charles makes significant diet change in wake of cancer diagnosis
Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles has revealed that King Charles has made a significant change to his diet in the wake of his cancer diagnosis.
The food critic told Saga magazine that he has reduced his intake of red meat, with the Queen also cutting back on lamb, beef and pork.
He noted that King Charles was “looking again at what, and when, he eats” following “what he’s been through recently”.
He added: “I’m no nutritionist, but I know that food is part of a body’s “medicine”. It knows when it’s having the right stuff.”
On their website, Cancer Research UK states: “Red meat is classed as a probable cause of cancer. This means there is lots of good evidence of a link between eating red meat and some types of cancer, but we need a few more of the best quality studies to be certain.”
Kate Middleton channels Princess Diana with powerful message
The Princess of Wales has channeled Princess Diana as she delivers a powerful message urging the public to not “judge or criticise” those suffering from addiction.
As the Princess of Wales, Diana was renowned for her work to tackle stigmas among the most vulnerable in society and became prominent philanthropic force in her lifetime, using her stature to raise awareness for countless humanitarian issues, from the AIDS crisis to landmines.
In 1987, she famously shook hands with a patient who had AIDS at London Middlesex Hospital, challenging the false belief that the illness could be transmitted by touch.
Much like her late mother-in-law, Kate has strived to tackle stigma as she spoke out ahead of Addiction Awareness Week.
In a written message, the princess highlighted how every addict is a “human being, with a story of their own”.
In a bid to tackle the stigma associated with the issue, she called on everyone to support charities helping addicts and their families by changing the “way we think about and consider the many people coping with addiction”.
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