Royal news - live: Kate Middleton to make poignant return to duty as Prince William opens up on ‘brutal’ 2024
‘Dreadful’ assessment echoes Queen Elizabeth calling her worst year as ‘annus horribilis’
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Your support makes all the difference.The Princess of Wales is continuing her steady return to royal duties as she prepares to appear at two remembrance events over the weekend.
Kate, who announced she had finished cancer treatment in September, is to attend both the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Queen’s attendance at Remembrance events will be subject to medical advice nearer the time, the Palace said. Camilla, 77, is unwell with a chest infection and was forced to pull out of engagements earlier this week.
It comes as Prince William candidly described the past year as “brutal” and the “hardest” of his life as both his wife and father battle cancer.
Asked by reporters how his year has been, he replied: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.”
William who took time off Royal duties as his wife went through preventative chemotherapy, added: “So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.
“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
‘Stubborn’ Andrew determined to stay in Windsor, says expert
Prince Andrew’s “stubbornness” and “arrogance” has added fuel to the fire in his feud with King Charles over his residence Royal Lodge in Windsor, a royal expert claims.
A row sparked between the brothers after King Charles cut the Duke of York’s from an annual £1 million “living allowance”, according to a new biography book by Robert Hartman.
Commenting on the rift, royal commentator Rupert Bell told Times Radio: “One of the problems that Prince Andrew has is that he is occasionally convinced of his rightness, and he gets himself into hot water with his stubbornness and sometimes his own arrogance has caused him to create these problems.
“He feels like he lost everything and if he loses his house, well then he probably feels that even more has been taken away from him.”
Pictured: Prince William meets rescue volunteers in Cape Town
William: I miss working in search and rescue
The Prince of Wales has admitted he misses his former “life” working in search and rescue as he took to the seas with a lifeboat crew in Cape Town.
William kicked off his final day in South Africa with a visit to Simon’s Town Harbour, home to the country’s largest naval base.
He met volunteers working for the National Seas Rescue Institute (NSRI) to hear about their lifesaving work and asked what inspired them to get involved.
Before donning a life jacket and heading out with the crew, he asked how choppy the water was and joked that he should possibly be wearing more kit so he did not get wet.
William also revealed that he was trying to teach his three children about rip tides and admitted he wished his family had been with him for the four-day trip.
He was asked by a member of the crew if he had ever done search and rescue work, he replied: “I miss this life. Any chance to get back, I’ll take.”
The future King was a search and rescue helicopter pilot based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales before working as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Prince William laments ‘dreadful year'
Prince William has spoken out about his “difficult” year after his father and wife went through their own cancer battles.
Asked how his year has been by reporters, the Prince of Wales replied: “Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life.”
“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.
“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been, yeah, it’s been brutal.”
Royal codenames for funeral plans upgraded
The King’s funeral plans have been officially upgraded to Operation London Bridge, to copy those of the late Queen Elizabeth, a royal expert has revealed.
In his new book, royal commentator Robert Hardman claimed that the Palace has also come up with new codenames for the Prince of Wales’s future death.
Mr Hardman said: “As Prince of Wales, the King’s funeral plan had been codenamed Operation Menai Bridge, from the great structure linking Anglesey to North Wales. That is now the code for the new Prince of Wales, with the ‘Menai’ designation for all his immediate family in numerical order.
“Prince William’s plans had previously been codenamed Operation Clare Bridge, after the famous crossing over the Cam, during his days as Duke of Cambridge. ‘You need a plan for everything.
“Sadly, we all remember the death of a member of the family who died in Paris without a plan,’ explains one Royal Household veteran, alluding to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. ‘We are so accustomed, in this country, to these things, solemn and tragic though they are, going really well with no one putting a foot wrong.
“If we suddenly couldn’t do that, there would be a big question about the way this country looks at itself.’”
Charles could turn Royal Lodge into ‘Museum of King Charles III’
The Duke of York’s Royal Lodge may have an unexpected future, a royal author has revealed.
The 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park has been at the centre of a rift between Prince Andrew and Charles after the King scrapped his brother’s £1 million-per-year allowance.
With neither William nor Harry “showing great interest” in the property, a royal source has suggested it could one day be transformed into a “Museum of King Charles III.”
Writing in his biography book ‘New King, New Court, Charles III the inside story’ royal author Robert Hardman has shed light on the potential future of the monarch’s favourite retreat.
He said: “Neither of his sons has shown a great interest in taking on their childhood home. As a Duchy of Cornwall property (on a long lease to the King), Highgrove’s future will need to be decided by the current or future Duke of Cornwall. One close ally of the King has made an interesting suggestion.
“Given the King’s personal devotion to the place, and the way in which it encapsulates so much about the man, would it not make an ideal ‘Museum of King Charles III’ in years to come?”
Family Feud reveals the most common fact Americans know about Prince Harry – and it’s not flattering
The hit game show Family Feud has revealed what Americans really know about Prince Harry.
During a recent episode of the show, the Hernandez family competed against the Colley family, and they shared a few facts about Harry. In Family Feud, which has been running since 1976, two families guess the most popular answers to survey questions to win cash prizes.
At the start of the recent episode, host Steve Harry asked contestants to say “something that people know about Prince Harry,” with the six correct answers hidden on the board. In response, Fabian Hernandez answered: “He’s married to Meghan Markle.”
Read the full story below:
Family Feud reveals the unflattering facts most Americans know about Prince Harry
The top answer for things ‘people know about Prince Harry’ was his marriage to Meghan Markle
Duchess Sophie’s praised for ‘funny’ reaction after being hit with golf ball
The Duchess of Edinburgh has been praised for her “funny” reaction after being hit on the head by a golf ball.
The incident last Tuesday happened when Sophie was playing mini golf as part of a visit to Legoland as patron of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
Photographer Tim Rooke, who captured the moment, said the Duchess “laughed” and “found it funny.”
He told Hello: “The Duchess was playing adventure golf, going around with the kids. She hit the ball, and it bounced straight up in the air. You could see her watching it, and it just sort of whacked her.
“She laughed; she found it funny – she’s a good sport. You can see the guy behind her in the picture was in hysterics.
“She doesn’t mind a photo like this going around – what she cares about is raising awareness of the charity. She is really good at these events; she always makes everyone feel quite special.”
In pictures: Prince William’s visit to South Africa
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