Royal news live: Prince Harry award backlash continues as the Middletons appear at Wimbledon
Harry has been defended for his ‘incredible’ work with the Invictus Games
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Prince Harry has been defended as a petition calling for a “rethink” on the decision to give him an award for veterans has surpassed 63,000 signatures.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award for his work with the Invictus Games, which celebrates the sporting achievements of wounded, sick and injured service people.
But tens of thousands of people, including the late Tillman’s mother, Mary, believe there are more deserving recipients.
Now the sporting network behind the award, ESPN, has defended its decision, hailing the “incredible” work of the games.
“While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating,” a spokesperson told Sky News.
Meanwhile, Kate Middleton’s parents Michael and Carole made their second public outing since the announcement of her cancer diagnosis at Wimbledon yesterday (4 July).
The couple appeared in the Royal Box, which has the tournament’s best view of Centre Court.
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Prince Harry defended as petition against the prince reaches 50,000 signatures
Prince Harry petition continues to gain momentum
A petition calling on American sports network ESPN to “rethink” its decision to give Prince Harry an award for veterans has continued to gain momentum.
It currently has over 63,000 signatures, despite the network defending its decision to give the Duke of Sussex the award for his “incredible” work with the Invictus Games.
The Change.org petition reads: “Prince Harry, while a former military officer, has been involved in controversies that call into question his suitability to receive an honour of this magnitude.
“He has faced accusations of endangering his squadron by publicly revealing military kills.
“The Prince also allegedly targeted his own father, Prince Charles, during a flyover.
“More recently, his role in the Invictus Games, a platform meant to celebrate the resilience and dedication of veterans, has been criticized as self-centered.”
Princess Anne remains out of action after hospitalisation
Princess Anne remains off duty as she continues her recovery after being kicked by a horse almost two weeks ago.
Following the incident on her Gloucestershire estate, the Princess Royal was hospitalised for five days before being released on Friday.
She suffered a concussion and minor injuries in the incident, with brain and cognition expert Natalie Mackenzie telling The Independent that concussion symptoms should resolve within two weeks.
King Charles pictured with SNP leader before election losses
King Charles was pictured with the SNP leader John Swinney on the eve of his party suffering huge losses in the General Election.
The pair met yesterday (4 July) as part of Holyrood Week, which celebrates Scotland’s achievements, culture and community.
It was cut short so that the Monarch could return to London to appoint the new prime minister, Keir Starmer.
The SNP lost 38 seats in the election, leaving them with just nine and calling into question the party’s mandate for Scottish Independence.
King Charles appoints Keir Starmer as prime minister
King Charles has officially appointed the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Monarch travelled back from Scotland to ask the Labour leader to form a new government after his party won yesterday’s General Election by a landslide.
King Charles accepts Rishi Sunak’s resigniation
King Charles has met with Rishi Sunak after the Conservative Party’s devastating defeat in the General Election.
The politician formally handed in his resignation as prime minister before leaving Buckingham Palace after it was accepted.
The Monarch will now meet with Keir Starmer to ask him to form a new government. It is not known for long this meeting will take place for.
Prince William flies to Germany for Euros
Prince William is once again flying to Germany to support the England squad at this year’s Euros.
The heir to the throne, who is president of the FA, will watch the Three Lions take on Switzerland in the quarter-final tomorrow night.
King Charles arrives in London to appoint new prime minister
King Charles has arrived back in London to appoint the new prime minister Keir Starmer.
He will formally ask the Labour leader to form a new government after his party won the General Election by a landslide.
Starmer will be the third prime minister of Charles’s reign.
Kate Middleton waiting on ‘one thing’ to attend Wimbledon
Following the appearance of Kate Middleton’s parents at Wimbledon yesterday, officials remain hopeful that the Princess of Wales herself could attend this year’s tournament.
It has now been reported that she is waiting on “one thing” before confirming her attendance – an official sign-off from her doctors.
Announcing her return to public life last month, the princess said that she hopes to attend a few engagements this summer.
All England Club chair Debbie Jevans told the Telegraph: “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.
“We don’t know what we don’t know. All we’ve said is that we’ll work with her and give her as much flexibility as possible.”
Meghan Markle’s new cooking show finishes filming
Meghan Markle’s new cooking show for Netflix has already been branded “awful” after news emerged that filming has wrapped.
The dig was made by Sky News host Rita Panahi who did not hold back when it came to criticising the show based on the limited details known about it so far.
“Meghan Markle has just wrapped up filming on a new cooking and home show for Netflix, a show which has yet to receive a formal title or air date, as part of the Sussexes’ $100million deal and was filmed at a property near their Montecito mansion in Los Angeles,” she said.
“It’s apparently going to focus on the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining and friendship - and I’ve gotta say, it sounds bloody awful.”
The show comes hot on the heels of the announcement of Markle’s new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, which has already soft-launched jam and dog biscuits.
Inside King Charles and Keir Starmer’s relationship
King Charles reportedly has a warm relationship with the soon-to-be third prime minister of his reign, Keir Starmer.
The pair are set to meet at Buckingham Palace today when the Monarch will ask the Labour leader to form a new government.
While Starmer has been recorded saying that at one point he was in favour of the abolition of the Monarchy, he paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth when she passed away.
He told the Commons: “For the 70 glorious years of her reign, our Queen was at the heart of this nation’s life.
“She did not simply reign over us, she lived alongside us, she shared in our hopes and our fears, our joy, and our pain. Our good times and our bad.”
The politician then took the opportunity to praise King Charles as the incoming Monarch.
“King Charles III has been a devoted servant of this country his entire life, he has been a powerful voice for fairness, and understood the importance of the environment long before many others,” Keir said.
“As he ascends to his new role with the Queen Consort by his side, the whole House, indeed, the whole country, will join today to wish him a long, happy and successful reign.”
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