Royal news live: Inside historic £369m Buckingham Palace refurbishment as Prince Harry’s court battle resumes
The palace’s grandest rooms will undergo ‘phased closures’ for refurbishment
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Your support makes all the difference.Buckingham Palace will be undergoing huge upheavals in the coming months as the £369m refurbishment closes some of its grandest rooms.
Next month’s visit by the Emir of Qatar will be the last state visit to take place at the famous royal residence for three years, as work continues on its historic renovations.
The palace’s grandest rooms will undergo “phased closures” for refurbishment, beginning with the White Drawing Room, the Music Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the State Dining Room.
The King and Queen will instead host royal receptions at St James’s Palace or Windsor Castle until the palace re-opens fully in 2027.
The latest hearing in the Duke of Sussex’s High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail began on Tuesday.
Harry is among a group of high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Sir Elton John, bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) for allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars.
ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, claiming the allegations are “lurid” and “simply preposterous”.
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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.
Real Polo housewives of Orange County: Inside Meghan’s ‘domestic era’
Ahead of the release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show, the former Suits star is busy shape-shifting into the perfect American wife, with her new jam products and ‘polo-mom’ glossiness. It’s a master plan that could make them millions, says Anna Tyzak:
Real Polo housewives of Orange County: Inside Meghan’s ‘domestic era’
Ahead of the release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show, the former Suits star is busy shape-shifting into the perfect American wife, with her new jam products and ‘polo-mom’ glossiness. It’s a master plan that could make them millions, says Anna Tyzak
Christmas comes to Windsor with towering tree and tiny dolls’ house decorations
Windsor Castle is ready for the festive season with a towering, eco-friendly, living Christmas tree on show and, for the first time, miniature decorations in its famous dolls’ house.
A team of around six Royal Collection Trust staff has spent two days decorating the castle for visitors.
The six metre-tall Nordmann fir, which has been illuminated with 3,000 lights, was grown in Windsor Great Park and is kept fresh with a special watering system in its stand in the grand St George’s Hall.
After its stay in the castle, the tree will be replanted in the park – an environmentally conscious move introduced a number of years ago during the late Queen’s reign.
Harry’s High Court claim against Daily Mail publisher could face trial in 2026
The Duke of Sussex’s legal claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail could face a trial in 2026, a High Court judge has suggested.
Harry is among a group of high-profile individuals – including Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Sir Elton John – bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities, such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations.
ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously telling the court that they are “lurid” and “simply preposterous”.
At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, which was attended by Lady Lawrence, judge Mr Justice Nicklin said that it was important to progress the case to an eventual trial.
He said: “My broad objective is we fix a trial date… It will probably start on 14 January 2026.”
The judge continued that the date may change and repeated that it was an “objective”.
He added: “I don’t know what is going to happen in various stages of the litigation… That objective may ultimately be thwarted.”
Pictures: Highgrove festive decorations
Highgrove decorations feature Camilla’s dog Beth and eco-friendly ornaments
The King’s country estate Highgrove has been decorated for Christmas, with a sweet nod to the Queen’s beloved dog Beth.
Among the tree ornaments is an embroidered motif of the Jack Russell, who had to be put down last weekend, leaving Camilla heartbroken.
The handmade likeness of Beth, wearing a red bandana decorated with a crown, and one of Camilla’s other terrier Bluebell, complete with a crown on the dog’s head, are new additions to the Highgrove shop this year.
Embellished with gold metal thread work and sequins, the decorations cost £12.95 each and were introduced in September as part of a long-planned addition to the Christmas range, and placed on the tree earlier this month, before Beth’s illness became known.
Harry and Meghan’s polo docuseries to highlight ‘grit behind the glamour’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will bring a new series to Netflix in December, revealing the “grit behind the glamour” in the high-stakes world of polo.
The five-part series will debut globally on December 10, following elite global players on and off the field as they compete in the US Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Florida.
A trailer for the series titled Polo, executive produced by Harry and Meghan, was released on Thursday, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the “fast-paced and glamorous world of polo”.
In a statement, Harry said: “This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour.
“We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport — and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.”
It has been produced by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions, having previously released three documentaries with Netflix as part of a multimillion-pound deal with the streaming giant.
Town council in Canada at standstill over refusal to pledge oath to King
A town council in Canada is said to be at a standstill because of newly elected members refusing to pledge an oath of allegiance to the King.
Stephen Johnson, the mayor-elect of Dawson City, in the territory of Yukon, said he and others refused to take the oath because of the Crown’s history with indigenous populations, the Canadian Press news agency reported.
He told the news outlet that the council has not been able to govern and is waiting for the territory’s Department of Community Services to respond to its request to take an alternative oath.
The Canadian Press said the oath of allegiance requires newly elected councillors to swear or affirm they “will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III” and his “heirs and successors according to law”.
Mr Johnson said they are currently unable to do anything legally required of them under the Municipal Act.
“It’s a bit of a sticky situation,” he told the Canadian Press.
The territory is reviewing the council’s request to swear a different oath, a Community Services spokesperson said in an email to the Canadian Press.
King’s coronation cost £72 million, government accounts show
The King’s coronation cost taxpayers £72 million, official accounts have revealed.
The figures included £50.3 million of Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) costs and £21.7 million for the Home Office for policing the “once-in-a-generation” event in May 2023.
Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from around the world.
A star-studded concert at Windsor Castle took place the following night.
The DCMS annual report and accounts said the department “successfully delivered on the central weekend of His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation, enjoyed by many millions both in the UK and across the globe”.
DCMS was the lead government department working with the royal household on the coronation, which it described as a “once-in-a-generation moment which provided an occasion for the entire country to come together in celebration, and offered a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our national identity and showcase the UK to the world”.
William speaks of passion for Oman as he launches expedition
The Prince of Wales has spoken of his desire to return to the Middle East as he launched an expedition inspired by a famous British explorer.
William visited Oman in 2019 and on Monday gave his support to six explorers who have been inspired by Bertram Thomas, who took a 42-day trip along the south-east coast of the country in 1928 discovering new specimens.
Speaking on Monday to a group of education and youth outreach staff at the Royal Geographical Society, William expressed his desire to return to Oman, saying: “We’ll make something happen, time flies.”
The prince’s 2019 trip was without the Princess of Wales, but he has sounded optimistic about possible joint overseas engagements with his wife after her cancer battle.
“I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up,” he said earlier this month.
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