Queen Elizabeth news – Her Majesty, 95, looks happy & healthy as she’s seen for FIRST TIME since health fears grew
THE Queen looked all smiles today as she held her first in-person engagement at Windsor castle for nearly a month today.
, also the head of the British armed forces, held an audience with outgoing army general Nick Carter.
The monarch, 95, was pictured standing, smiling and shaking Carter's hand as she handled the official engagement with ease.
It comes the day after the Queen's son Edward read a speech on her behalf to the Church of England's national assembly.
After missing the Remembrance Sunday service at the weekend, the was due to appear in person at the Synod, but her appearance was cancelled last week - the first time she has missed the appointment in her 72 year reign.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest news and updates...
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- Meghan Markle’s Ellen interview has everyone saying the same thing
Royal loan
31.5 million was gifted to Prince Andrew by a controversial businessman to pay off a loan he had taken out from a private bank.
He was given the cash by property boss and financier David “Spotty” Rowland, whose clients have included dictators and despots.
Eleven days earlier, in 2017, Andrew had borrowed the same amount from Banque Havilland — which is controlled by multi-millionaire and former Tory Party treasurer Mr Rowland’s family.
Banque Havilland denies any wrongdoing.
The payment sheds some light on the enduring mystery of Andrew’s wealth.
Read more here.
Piers has had his say
Piers Morgan mocked Meghan yesterday as the Duchess revealed she had spoken to talk show titan Ellen.
Just months after the her bombshell tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex has sat down to talk to TV host Ellen DeGeneres in an interview due to air tomorrow.
Richard Eden posted “We’ve had the #Oprah interview, and the #EllenDeGeneres chat. Who’s next for #Meghan? @piersmorgan I hope”.
And in typical form, Piers Morgan hit back: “I’m available…”.
A very British takeaway
Her Majesty is reportedly quite partial to a staple takeaway of Britain every now and then.
A source said that the Queen has a soft spot for takeaway fish and chips: “She very occasionally treats herself to fish and chips when at Balmoral… A footman is dispatched to get it from the local town of Ballater.”
Former royal chef Darren McGrady has pulled back the curtain on what it was like working for the Royal Family for 15 years on several occasions.
Queen, 95, appears after spraining her back
Her Majesty was seen standing yesterday after spraining her back and missing the Remembrance Sunday service.
The Queen looked keen to get back to her normal duties as she met with General Sir Nick Carter - the Chief of the Defence Staff - at Windsor Castle.
Dressed in a green floral dress, the monarch - who is head of the Armed Forces - smiled and shook hands with Gen Sir Nick as they began chatting.
Christmas plans
The Sussexes will not join the Queen for her first Christmas without Prince Philip, sources claim.
This year will be the first Christmas since the death of the Queen's "strength and stay" Prince Philip in April.
The Palace did invite Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, to join them for their traditional Christmas Day festivities in Sandringham, but they are set to decline, sources understand.
One insider said: "There’s a lot that goes into the logistics and the planning of the family Christmas, so of course, staff know that Harry and Meghan are not coming.
"If they were, they would have communicated it to their family by now.
";But this is Her Majesty’s first Christmas without her husband, so one would have hoped they would want to be with her."
‘Its time for action on the ground’ after COP26
In the banquet suite, the foreign monarch made a short speech and said: “We are tremendously delighted to welcome you back.”
He spoke of his late father and his own pride at being “the third generation” to have had such a warm relationship with Charles.
He said it continued with “our two young men” – a reference to the meeting between the Duke of Cambridge and the Crown Prince when the pair watched the World Cup together in 2018.
The King also thanked Charles for his environmental efforts: “I want to say how proud we all are of the successes in Glasgow because that was something you started way beforehand.”
Charles said: “You’re very kind to mention (Cop26) but now hopefully the talking has gone on for so long, it’s time for action on the ground.”
Meghan ridiculed by Australian TV presenter
Meghan's latest interview has already faced heavy criticism before even airing and now she has been ridiculed by an Australian TV presenter.
Amelia Adams, the US corresponded for Australia's Today show, made fun of the Duchess while delivering a news update about the surprise sit-down that airs today.
"Not sure we'll hear any bombshells [about the Royal family] in tomorrow's chat with her old friend Ellen," she explained showing the trailer.
"Certainly, at this stage, the clip they've released is Meghan reminiscing about her days as a struggling actress.
"She spent a fair bit of time at the Warner Bros. studio, where the Ellen Show is recorded, and she said she used to show up there in an old Ford Explorer with a broken door."
After the trailer ended, Ms Adams made a snarky dig at the Duchess by saying: "Yeah, she's just keeping it real there....in a $4,000 Oscar De La Renta blouse.
"Safe to say she has moved up in the world since those days."
No more defending Meghan
Susanna Reid today revealed she can no longer defend Meghan Markle over her "endless media".
The surprise appearance on Ellen DeGeneres talk show comes just months after Meghan gave her explosive Oprah interview and follows her and Prince Harry's repeated calls for privacy.
But Susanna Reid, who continued to defend the royals from Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, told audiences she is now finding their pleas "hard to defend".
Speaking about Meghan's latest media chat, Susanna said: “I find it’s getting increasingly hard to defend.
“But their explanation is they didn’t want the kind of media coverage, the kind of endlessly critical media coverage, they were getting with the undertones that Meghan and Harry said there was around it.
"They wanted almost to take back control."
‘Tackling misinformation’
Harry has recently released a report on “tackling misinformation” in technology, media and social media.
It comes as last week he blasted sections of the media as “pirates with press cards”.
He said he had warned the boss of Twitter of a potential “coup” the day before the attack on the US Capitol.
‘Rude’ Meghan ‘will spark DREAD at Palace’
Meghan's interview with Ellen "will spark dread" at the palace following in the path as her reveal all interview with Oprah, a royal expert has warned.
The Duchess of Sussex was a barrel of laughs as she joked candidly about life before joining the Royal Family in a sneak-preview clip of her appearance on the Ellen Show - set to air today.
But Angela Levin blasted "ruthless" Meghan as "desperate for publicity" for carrying out the interview amid the Queen's latest health scare.
The 95-year-old monarch has cancelled four public appearances in just one month - including this year's Remembrance Sunday service.
Angela said it is not the first time Meghan's interview choices have been questionable, after the "extraordinarily bad timing" of her bombshell Oprah tell all.
Ellen previously mocked Meghan
Ellen DeGeneres had previously poked fun at Meghan Markle for being a Deal or No Deal briefcase model.
In an unearthed skit the comedian mocked the former actress during a stand-up routine shortly after she got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017.
Ellen took a playful swipe at Meghan as she revealed that she was once a briefcase model on game show Deal or No Deal.
"Her name is Meghan Markle, she's from Los Angeles, she's an actress, she's been on General Hospital, she's been on CSI New York," she told the crowd.
";And this is true - she was once the holder of case 24 on Deal or No Deal."
As the audience erupted into laughter, Ellen added: "Which means if Harry had picked the other model could have gotten $1million. So, darn it."
Meghan gushes over happy LA life
During an interview on Ellen DeGeneres talk show, Meghan Markle has revealed that Lilibet is teething.
The Duchess of Sussex said she was looking for "anything to relieve" her six-month-old's pain.
The appearance, will be aired today, which saw Meghan reveal what life was like during her acting days before meeting Prince Harry.
A glimpse into their family life is also on offer as Meghan talks about the milestones baby Lilibet has already reached.
The duchess said she was looking for “anything to relieve” Lilibet’s teething pain, to which Ellen replied: “Tequila, anything.”
Meghan joked: “That’s Auntie Ellen for you” and the talk show host accepted: “That’s why I don’t have kids.”
Will they ever return?
Royal author Adam Helliker has told the Sun that the brood returning to Harry's home country was "imperative for family unity".
He said both sides are "striving for reconciliation" following the fallout from their bombshell Oprah interview.
The Sussexes alleged there were conversations with Harry and a "family" member about their unborn son Archie and what colour his skin would be - and "what that would mean or look like".
He added: "They seem to have very fixed views about the privacy of family occasions.
"I think having the christening in the UK will be putting too much pressure on them.
"And I think Meghan will be putting her foot down and say no we don't want an international circus."
‘Something must have happened between today & the weekend’
Royal Editor Chris Ship has said “something must have happened” between Thursday evening and Sunday morning for the Queen’s position to change.
He told Good Morning Britain: “Something happened between then and Sunday morning.
“The explanation was that it was a back strain – the reasoning was she was in such discomfort she was unable to make that car journey and also stand up for the 20 minutes or half an hour that she would need to.”
Today’s appearance comes after the Queen gave Prince Charles her blessing to continue with his royal tour despite her health fears.
Rare doll of Princess Elizabeth goes on sale
A rare doll of the Queen as a toddler that incurred the wrath of her mother because it made her look 'too chubby' has been unearthed as it goes on sale in a collection estimated to be worth £40,000.
The Queen Mother was so displeased with the German-made model of a three-year-old Princess Elizabeth that she refused to give it the royal seal of approval.
As a result the doll never made it into mass production and very few of the prototypes exist today.
The blonde haired and blue-eyed toy was made in 1929 by toy manufacturers Schoenau and Hoffmeister.
The smiling rosy-cheeked doll was dressed in a frilly pink dress and white oil-cloth shoes and socks. It is believed the outfit was modelled on one which was worn by baby Elizabeth.
Preston granted 'Champion City' status ahead of Queen's Jubilee
The city of Preston has been granted "Champion City" status by the Queen's Green Canopy initiative to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne next year.
The award was announced yesterday, with 13 cities across the UK selected to play a lead role in planting millions of trees for the Platinum Jubilee.
Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and York are amongst the others chosen to take part in the mass planting, starting during National Tree Week later this month.
Prince William was furious after he faced criticism for holiday
The Cambridges' recent family holiday has reminded royal commentators of the time when Prince William found himself in the centre of a media storm.
He missed a Commonwealth Service to go skiing at a Swiss resort in 2017, and was scrutinised because he was the only senior royal to miss the event at Westminster Abbey.
In an interview with the Sunday Times in March 2021, a friend of William's explained the Duke did not take the criticism well: "That p****d him off.
"He was leaving home at 5.30am, getting home after dark and saving lives in between, but people were still being critical of his commitment to his [other] job."
Meghan & Harry 'may be approached for Oprah top-up interview'
Royal expert Neil Sean has claimed Oprah Winfrey’s team might be keen to do a second interview.
This interview could see Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's open up to their responses in their first interview, and explore them more.
Speaking on his , royal expert Neil Sean said: “They’re wondering whether they now need to do a top-up interview.”
He continued to say: “But of course Oprah Winfrey is a very powerful mogul in television, and would no doubt like to get a top-up version; their side of the events as to what’s happened over the last six to nine months.
“This has been discussed at great lengths over in the US with CBS TV and Harpo Productions.”
Meghan & Harry have not visited the UK together since 2020
Meghan and Harry have not visited the UK together since 2020, meaning the Queen is yet to meet her great-granddaughter Lilibet.
Commentators on the noted that this year will be a particularly “tough Christmas” for the monarch.
'Significant questions need to be asked about Andrew’s business dealings'
In 2018, property boss and financier David “Spotty” Rowland and his family had front-row seats at Princess Eugenie’s wedding at Windsor Castle.
During a trip to Balmoral, the businessman also met the Queen and Prince Charles.
In return, it is reportedly said that Andrew used his pal's luxury private jet at least five times while on official royal business.
Due to this, Ex-Home Office minister Norman Baker has now called for a full investigation.
He said: “The Rowlands are hard-headed businessmen.
"They won’t have given Andrew that money out of the goodness of their hearts — they will want something in return.
“Significant questions need to be asked about Prince Andrew’s business dealings and his association with some characters. Parliament should investigate this matter with some urgency.”
Stories you may have missed
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘WONT join Queen for her first Christmas’ without Philip
- Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet could be baptised with holy water ‘collected from Jordan by Prince Charles’
- Prince Andrew gifted £1.5million by a controversial businessman to pay off a loan
- Meghan Markle complained Royal Family controlled every part of her life but one in her bombshell emails
Meghan and Harry 'finding it quite hard on their own'
A royal expert has claimed that despite Prince Harry and Meghan's move to the US nears two years ago, the Sussexes have not "found their feet" in California yet.
Russell Myers has claimed on Pod Save the Queen: "They’re so far from doing that at the moment.
";They just seem to be fighting so many battles on so many levels.
"They’re still trying to work out where they are. It’s a tricky business."
Meghan ‘plans to become most famous princess in world’
Meghan Markle “plans to become the most famous princess in the world”, claims a political commentator.
Speaking to Sky News, Calvin Robinson said it was “absolutely shocking” that the couple continues to use their titles, despite being “political”.
He said: “We saw, only this week, they were at an event and they introduced themselves as royalty.
“The Royal Family need to say: ‘if you’re going to be political, if you’re going to keep selling yourselves to Netflix and Disney and all of the Hollywood industry, you need to take away the titles’.
“It’s not just a British institution, it’s a global institution…
“I think we’re all being pulled down by Meghan Markle’s plan to become the most famous princess in the world.”
Meghan & Harry urged to avoid UK this Xmas
Harry and Meghan have been told by fans on social media to stay away from the "grey island" this Christmas, with one Twitter user saying a UK trip would only make sense if "they opt for sadness".
Twitter fan account Meghan Daily opened up a debate for its nearly 4,000 followers, writing: "I don’t see H & M with the kids going to the grey island for Christmas.
"Meghan and the kids are unsafe in that cesspool island."
Fellow fans quickly joined the conversation.
One said: "For me, it’s even not an option! Meghan and her kids will never be safe and this for a while in shutter island!"
Another wrote: "Can't be anything worse than sitting next to your in-laws having Christmas dinner knowing they don't want you there.
"I would sooner stay home with a microwave meal than put myself through all that ****."