Royal news live: Sarah Ferguson’s sweet tribute to ‘dear friend’ Diana on birthday of late princess
The Duchess of York took to Instagram to write a moving tribute to Princess Diana
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Sarah Ferguson has paid tribute to her “dear friend” Princess Diana on what would have been her 63rd birthday.
The Duchess of York took to Instagram to write a moving tribute to her former sister-in-law.
She wrote: “Happy birthday to my dear friend, Diana. You were a pillar of light and love. And what a legacy you have left behind. I will forever remember our laughter and the kindred, kind spirit I found in you.
“I am sure you are watching over us always. Rest in peace my friend.”
Fergie shared a photo from September 1990 as the pair commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain at Buckingham Palace.
It came as Wimbledon officials were hoping the Princess of Wales could appear during the tournament as it begins today.
“We’re hopeful that the Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as the Club’s patron, but her health and recovery is the priority,” an official told Telegraph Sport.
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Warning issued over new King Charles banknotes
A warning has been introduced over the newly-released King Charles banknotes, which are at risk of being counterfeited.
Savings expert Kevin Mountford is now urging people to be careful when accepting cash and to familiarise themselves with the new notes.
“Familiarise yourselves with the look and feel of the new notes,” he told Plymouth Live.
“Forgeries are often much easier to detect now these banknotes have improved from previous paper ones - however, criminals may still attempt to exploit the changes.
“Most retailers regularly check banknotes, so it’s unlikely you will come across a counterfeit when shopping with trusted retailers,” Mountford added.
“You should be more cautious about accepting cash from markets, online marketplaces like Facebook, and any cash-in-hand jobs.”
Prince William ‘considers’ Carole Middleton ‘a second mum'
A psychologist has speculated that Prince William regards Carole Middleton as a “second mum” after the pair were pictured looking close at Royal Ascot.
The event was the Princess of Wales’s parents’ first public outing since she announced her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
“We all know how tricky life with in-laws can be. And yet sometimes, they provide an alternative type of family to ours, which is welcome,” psychiatrist Max Pemberton wrote in the Daily Mail.
“It’s said William considers Carole a second mum. Of course, he lost his own at a tender age, so Carole may represent that maternal figure he’s lacked.”
Prince Harry doesn’t want to repair relationship with family, expert claims
A royal expert has claimed that the Duke of Sussex does not want to repair his frosty relationship with his family.
This comes after Prince Harry, 39, failed to meet his father on his most recent, fleeting visit to the UK.
Their failure to meet at the time was put down to the Monarch’s busy schedule after he returned to work following his cancer diagnosis.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “If Harry had really wanted to confront his family and patch things up, he would surely have allotted more time to his recent visits so that his father at least could make arrangements to see him.
“I don’t think there’s any chance of William wanting to do so, particularly with all he has on his plate right now. So, I’ll believe this when I see it, but it will be lovely if he could indeed spend some time, perhaps at Balmoral, during the summer and make peace with his father.”
Queen Camilla encouraging UK’s young people to read
The royal family have revealed a new photograph of Queen Camilla with children at a London school.
It features the Queen Consort and many youngsters putting their hands in the air after she learned about reading initiatives at Christ Church C of E Primary School in Chelsea, southwest London.
“As an avid reader, The Queen was encouraged to hear about all of the reading initiatives taking place at Christ Church C of E Primary School, London,” the image was captioned.
“Her Majesty was also shown a mosaic of His Majesty The King, created by the school’s pupils to celebrate The Coronation, before sitting in on a school assembly to hear about some of their favourite books,”
American footballer takes aim at Prince Harry for sport award
A former NFL player has criticised the decision to award the Duke of Sussex the Pat Tillman Award for his work with the Invictus Games.
Pat McAfee, who previously worked for the network running the ESPY awards, ESPN, said: “Why does the ESPYs do this?
“I don’t know anything about him except for the South Park episode and what I have learned from The Crown.
“But like, did his people know like ‘You publicly put me up for this award’. You’re just asking basically every person that considers themselves American like saying ‘This is bulls***’.
“Especially at a sports award type of thing… I assume he knew that. They didn’t expect that?”
This comes as the mother of Pat Tillman himself, Mary, said that there were “far more fitting” potential recipients.
Balmoral Castle public tours sell out
Balmoral Castle opened its doors to the public for the first time today and tickets to see behind-the-scenes of the royals’ Scottish retreat have already sold out.
Following the announcement of the tours, tickets sold out within just 24 hours.
The tours will take place from today (1 July) until King Charles and Queen Camilla’s return on 4 August.
Tickets were priced at between £100 and £150 – a price that also includes afternoon tea.
The tours will involve relatively intimate groups of 10 people, with a limit of 40 visitors per day.
Those visiting the Aberdeenshire castle have been promised a chance to “travel through time” and enjoy “a historical journey through several of the beautiful rooms within Balmoral Castle.”
Fergie pays emotional tribute to late Princess Diana on her birthday
To mark Princess Diana’s 63rd birthday Sarah Ferguson took to Instagram to write a moving tribute.
“Happy birthday to my dear friend, Diana,” the Duchess of York wrote.
“You were a pillar of light and love. And what a legacy you have left behind. I will forever remember our laughter and the kindred, kind spirit I found in you. I am sure you are watching over us always. Rest in peace my friend.”
She added a photo of the two women on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, taken in September 1990 as they commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Phones banned on new tours of Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle opened its doors today to give the public a never-before-seen insight into the royal Highland residence.
But those who attend the tours, which sold out in less than 24 hours, will banned from taking their mobile phones inside.
In a bid to keep the residence pristine, those on the 45-minute tours will also have to wear dust covers over their shoes, the MailOnline reports.
The tours will take place from today until King Charles and Queen Camilla’s return to the Aberdeenshire residence in August.
Princess Diana remembered on her birthday
Royals fans have been taking to social media to pay tribute to Princess Diana on what would have been the late royal’s 63rd birthday.
The hashtag, "Princess of Wales", began trending on Twitter (X) because so many people were acknowledging the occasion.
One fan wrote: “1 July 1961. Diana Spencer (later Princess of Wales), was born in Park House, Sandringham. She was the 1st wife of Charles, then Prince of Wales, and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
“Her activism and glamour made her an international icon.”
The title has now been passed to Diana’s daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton.
Prince William reacts to Euros rollercoaster
Prince William has taken to Twitter (X) to share his reaction to last night’s rollercoaster Euros game for England.
“Emotional rollercoaster! Let’s go @England! Quarter finals here we come! W,” he shared, alongside a repost from the team itself announcing their qualification for the quarter-finals.
The heir to the throne, who is president of the FA, flew out to Germany last month to support the team in person.
Emotional rollercoaster! Let's go @England! Quarter finals here we come! W https://t.co/4KaJkJcWAa
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 30, 2024
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