Royal news live: Kate Middleton meets families of Southport victims with William in surprise joint appearance
The Prince and Princess of Wales had undertaken their first joint engagement since Kate’s cancer treatment
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The Princess of Wales has made a surprise joint appearance with Prince William to meet the bereaved families of the Southport attacks today.
Marking their first joint engagement since Kate’s cancer treatment, the couple privately met the bereaved families in Merseyside.
The Princess is said to have attended because she wanted to show her “support, empathy and compassion to the local community”.
As well as meeting with the victim’s families, Kate spoke to first responders and the dance teacher who was present at the July attack.
Meanwhile, King Charles has issued a statement expressing his “greatest sadness” after the death of inspirational Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert.
Ms Ebert won global praise for speaking out about her experience of Auschwitz, where she lost her mother, younger sister, and brother to the gas chambers.
She passed away peacefully at the age of 100 yesterday (10 October), having previously met the King in 2022 after he commissioned a portrait of her.
The monarch said: “It was with the greatest sadness that I heard this morning the news of Lily Ebert’s death.
“As a survivor of the unmentionable horrors of the Holocaust, I am so proud that she later found a home in Britain where she continued to tell the world of the horrendous atrocities she had witnessed.
“Her extraordinary resilience and courage [are] an example to us all, which will never be forgotten.”
Royal family gives rare insight into Buckingham Palace restoration
The royal family have given a rare insight into the ongoing restoration work being carried out at Buckingham Palace.
Sharing a video to Twitter/X, the official royal family account explained: “The Reservicing Programme has been continuing work in the Basement of Buckingham Palace, replacing old electrical cabling under the floors and throughout the historic building.”
In response to the footage, one watcher praised the work being done to modernise the iconic building.
They wrote: “Preserving Buckingham Palace’s history while modernizing its infrastructure is essential. It’s great to see such important work being done to maintain this iconic landmark!”
The Reservicing Programme has been continuing work in the Basement of Buckingham Palace, replacing old electrical cabling under the floors and throughout the historic building.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 8, 2024
Watch more! 👇 pic.twitter.com/Z1jCM3WaBt
Duchy of Cornwall town subject to serious complaints – ‘There are rats everywhere’
A town built to King Charles’s specifications of an idealised community is suffering from a serious waste collection problem.
Residents of Poundbury, Dorset, which is built on Duchy of Cornwall land, have now spoken out in a bid to solve the problem, appealing to the king directly.
One local told The Telegraph: “There are rats everywhere and the smell is awful. No one seems to be bothered.”
A second said that the king “would be horrified” and compared the development, which is due to be completed in 2026, to a “third-world country.”
Explaining the root of the problem, a third added: “The number of bins is not sufficient, there needs to be a second refuse and recycling point. It’s carnage around Christmas with rubbish everywhere.”
Watch: Inside Buckingham Palace’s refurbishment
The palace has revealed the latest work that has been done in Buckingham Palace’s extensive reservicing programme.
The refurbishment is expected to cost £369m and began five years ago.
In a clip shared to social media, the palace offered a glimpse into the replacement of 3.5km of electric cabling, which had previously not been updated since the 1950s.
It wrote on X: “The Reservicing Programme has been continuing work in the Basement of Buckingham Palace, replacing old electrical cabling under the floors and throughout the historic building.”
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