Royal news - live: Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection
Comes just weeks after a nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa
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Your support makes all the difference.Queen Camilla is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Her Majesty The Queen is currently unwell with a chest infection, for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest.
“With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal.
“She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
It is understood the Queen will remain at home under doctor’s supervision while she recovers.
The Duchess of Gloucester, Brigitte, will step in on Camilla’s behalf to attend the annual Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.
The Queen will also miss the Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King on Thursday.
The announcement comes just weeks after King Charles and Camilla returned from on a nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa.
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Prince Andrew ‘shoving two fingers up at King Charles’ over £30m Royal Lodge standoff
Tensions are continuing to build between Prince Andrew and King Charles over the disgraced duke’s residence at his 31-bedroom Windsor mansion.
Royal commentators have suggested Andrew is standing firm on his plans to remain in the £3mn Royal Lodge, despite his brother making it increasingly difficult for him to live there and shocking images showing the house in a state of disrepair.
Royal author Christopher Wilson believes the duke is “digging his toes in” and “shoving up two fingers at” Charles as he continues to live at the former home of the late Queen Mother and King George VI.
“It’s dishonouring [the Queen Mother’s] memory. It’s shoving up two fingers at King Charles,” he told The Sun. “The state of his mind is reflected in the state of his home. It is falling all around him. He doesn’t care anymore.”
Camilla seen visiting refuge in new documentary
In her new documentary, Camilla is seen visiting a refuge and speaking candidly with domestic abuse survivors about their deeply personal experiences.
Earlier this year, Camilla backed The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign to build two new refuges for women fleeing abuse. Thanks to generous donations from readers the initial £300,000 target has recently been reached, with more than £500,000 of donations pouring in so far and plans are already underway for the building of a second home.
Speaking about the importance of refuges in the documentary Camilla says: “You flee and you arrive at this haven. Room of their own, a door they can lock. And as time goes by, they start having their confidence restored and start their life anew.
“These refuges are literally life savers. Without these refuges, where would they go?”
Full story: Charles and William face calls to dissolve private estates and back out of lucrative NHS deal
King Charles is facing calls to dissolve his lucrative private estates and refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is making millions from renting out ambulance parking spaces and sub-standard properties.
The monarch and Prince William have sparked uproar after it was revealed they are benefiting from rental deals with public services - including the armed forces and state schools - on their private estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall.
The two estates earned the royals upwards of £50mn in the last financial year, with both estates being exempt from paying corporation tax or capital gains tax.
Charles has been asked to reconsider an £11.4m deal struck by the Duchy of Lancaster last year to store a fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses for 15 years.
Read the full story:
Charles and William face calls to dissolve estates which ‘earn millions from NHS’
‘Abolish the Duchies’, campaigners say
King Charles severs financial ties with Prince Andrew
King Charles has instructed the royal purse-keeper to “sever” Prince Andrew’s annual £1 million allowance, according to royal writer Robert Hardman in a new book serialised by the Daily Mail.
The keeper of the privy purse was “instructed to sever [Andrew’s] living allowance” after the Duke of York refused to move out of his 30-room mansion the Royal Lodge into the smaller, nearby Frogmore Cottage.
“’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.’”
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Charles continues engagements as scheduled
As Camilla pulls out, the King is carrying on with his duties at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Charles is holding audiences with two new ambassadors and a high commissioner.
The 75-year-old monarch welcomed Qatari ambassador Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Thani; Rajendre Khargi, who is the ambassador from the Republic of Suriname; and the High Commissioner for the Republic of Vanuatu, Georges Maniuri, who presented their credentials in the 1844 room.
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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
King open to removing word ‘empire’ from OBE honours amid colonial controversy
The word “empire” may be dropped British honours as part of reforms reportedly being considered by royal officials.
Under the plans, those with an OBE -Order of the British Empire – may choose to recieve an Order of British Excellence, according to a new biography of the King by author Robert Hardman, which is being serialised by the Daily Mail.
A parallel Order of Elizabeth has also been proposed in remembrance of the late Queen.
However in both cases the colonial-era titles could be retained for those who wanted them.
Read the full report:
King open to removing word ‘empire’ from OBE honours amid colonial controversy
Recipients have previously handed back or turned down honours over ‘toxicity of empire’
Eric Trump launches unprompted attack on ‘black sheep’ Prince Harry
Eric Trump has lashed out at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, claiming the only reason Prince Harry’s US Visa is safe is because “no one cares” about him.
The former President’s son recently discussed how much his father and current presidential candidate Donald Trump “loved” the late Queen Elizabeth II and how much damage Harry caused to the royal family after he and Meghan decided to leave their positions in 2020.
Eric also told the outlet that Harry would not need to worry about being deported if his father is elected on November 5 even if his visa application has been questioned.
Read the full story:
Eric Trump launches unprompted attack on ‘black sheep’ Prince Harry
The former president’s second son said the Duke of Sussex had ‘gone off the deep end and it’s sad to watch’
Charles faces calls to back out of lucrative NHS deal
King Charles is facing calls to dissolve his lucrative private estates and refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is making millions from renting out ambulance parking spaces and sub-standard properties.
Charles has been asked to reconsider an £11.4m deal struck by the Duchy of Lancaster last year to store a fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses for 15 years.
Campaigners described the deal as “disgraceful” and a “money-grabbing activity” which ought to be reconsidered by the King.
“I think it is disgraceful actually, given the NHS is under so much pressure, for the Royal Family to charge for ambulance parking and other NHS uses,” Dennis Reed from Silver Voices, a campaign group for elderly people, told The Daily Mail. “[It] sounds rather like a money-grabbing activity. And I would hope because of the publicity there will be a rethink in the Royal Household.”
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