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.”
Slice of Queen and Prince Philip’s wedding cake sells for more than £2,000
A slice of cake from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding has sold at auction for £2,200.
The fruit cake was found under a bed in a suitcase in the original box, along with a presentation card postmarked April 21 1948, auctioneers Reeman Dansie said.
The fully packaged cake in its original state is “very rare” and was expected to gather £500, but was sold over the phone on Tuesday to a Chinese buyer for £2,200.
“It’s incredibly rare because normally, of course, people would have eaten it,” said Jonathan Benson, auctioneer at Reeman Dansie.
It was put up for sale by the family of Marion Polson, an ex-member of the Royal Household who worked at Holyroodhouse from 1931 to 1969 and who later died in the 1980s.
Slices of the cake were gifted to royal staff to mark the wedding of then-Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Prince Philip of Greece R.N. on November 20 1947.
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’
Watch: Prince William provides update on Kate's health
Camilla’s chest infection: How the royals’ health troubles stacked up in 2024
The royal family’s health blows have led to one of the most personally challenging years for the Windsors.
News of the King’s cancer – undisclosed in its form – came in February, after it was discovered while he was treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate in January.
Online conspiracy theories began to escalate about Kate’s health, with the princess in the end delivering a bombshell video message to the nation in March revealing she was undergoing chemotherapy after post-operative tests showed she also had cancer.
There was a further health blow for the royal family in late June when the Princess Royal, now 74, was rushed to hospital after being struck by a horse while out walking on her Gatcombe Park estate.
Sarah, Duchess of York meanwhile was diagnosed with malignant melanoma skin cancer, just months after facing breast cancer. She later said her treatment had been successful.
Charles, who made an appearance at church on Easter Sunday, returned to public-facing duties in April by visiting a cancer centre in London, while Kate announced she had finished her chemotherapy course in a heartfelt video in September.
Kate is hoping to join the royal family at the annual Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph in honour of the war dead on Sunday – an important fixture in the royal family’s calendar – but her attendance is yet to be confirmed.
Camilla too has pledged to be there after pulling out of the annual Field of Remembrance opening at Westminster Abbey on Thursday due to her chest infection.
Pictured: South African fans dressed as Royal Family members
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
The thing Prince William is trying to teach his children
Prince Willam started his final day in South Africa with a visit to South Africa’s largest naval base in Simon’s Town Harbour.
While joining the rescue team from the National Sea Rescue Initiative (NSRI), he joked that he should wear more kit so he did not get wet whilst asking how choppy the water was.
He told the crew: “We are trying to teach the children to understand currents. The problem with rips is that you don’t know where they are going to appear.”
Prince Harry needs to ‘rein back’ comments, says royal expert
The Duke of Sussex “needs to rein back” in slamming the Royal Family if he wants to gain popularity, royal Expert Phil Dampier has warned.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Dampier said: “Making documentaries has never really gone well for the royals, particularly Prince Edward when he started making lots of documentaries about his own family. That ended in disaster.
“Harry needs to rein back, and hopefully we’re not going to get any more slagging off the royal family in his documentaries, and he moves into other things.”
William tells Heidi Klum he woke feeling ’emotional’ after Earthshot awards
The Prince of Wales has told supermodel Heidi Klum he woke feeling “emotional” and “excited” after his Earthshot Prize awards.
William sat by the waterside in Kalk Bay Harbour in Cape Town with the celebrity and fellow model Winnie Harlow and reflected on his “green Oscars” as they enjoyed a braai or barbecue.
They were joined by celebrities Billy Porter and Tobe Nwigwe, who had also taken part in Wednesday’s ceremony which saw five environmental winners awarded £1 million to develop their ideas to “repair” the planet.
William told the famous Earthshot advocates: “I really appreciate all your support,” and Harlow replied: “It was an honour.”
He added: “I woke up this morning feeling quite emotional and excited.”
Klum, who announced the Fix our Climate category winner, won by an organisation that converts waste heat into energy, said: “I was emotional on the stage.”
In pictures: Prince William meets South African businesses during tour
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