Queen Elizabeth news latest – Scandalous letter reveals her father ‘had affair’ & Charles ‘terrified’ of becoming King
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- Is Prince Andrew still a prince?
AN UNEARTHED letter written by Edward VIII, who famously abdicated the throne in 1936, reveals how he lured Lady Sheila Loughborough's husband away so his brother George VI could be alone with her.
The bombshell letter, written on June 9, 1919, has come to light after its owner put the missive up for auction.
According to Mail Online, Simon Luterbacher, specialist at Forum Auctions, said: "A bit of sibling solidarity was at play as they tried to get George alone with Lady Loughborough."
In other royal news, according to royal biographer Penny Junor, Prince Charles is dreading the moment that he will ascend to the throne - despite having been preparing for the role for much of his life.
Speaking on Podcast Royal, Penny Junor, said: "It’s going to be a very vicious week, moment and I think that I am sure that he is pretty terrified of the whole prospect."
Read our Royal Family live blog for the latest news and updates...
Not long now until the Jubilee coin goes in to circulation
The Royal Mint has unveiled a new commemorative coin showing the Queen on horseback, ahead of the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee this year.
Some 1.3 million coins will enter Post Office tills across the UK from Monday 7 February, the Royal Mint says.
That makes the Jubilee 50p one of the rarest ever to enter circulation.
The design, by artists Osborne Ross, features a number 70 engraved on the tails side of the coin, with the monarch’s cypher and dates of reign framed inside the zero.
It is one of two special edition 50p coins to be released as part of a Royal Mint collection celebrating the unprecedented anniversary.
The second coin, by artist John Bergdahl and depicting the Queen on horseback on its heads side, will not enter circulation.
Book will provide a “definitive account of the experiences"
Prince Harry’s book will provide a “definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses and life lessons that have helped shape him”.
Exactly what it will reveal remains to be seen, and just how damaging it could prove to Charles and Camilla similarly hangs in the balance.
But Harry has previously shared how he experienced “pain or suffering” because of the pain his parents endured in a potential dig at the way Charles handled the death of Diana when he was just 12.
He also told Oprah Winfrey that his father “literally cut me off financially” in 2020 and discussed his “genetic pain”.
Prince Phillips horses were left to Lady Louise
Prince Philip, who passed away last April, left his beloved ponies and carriage to granddaughter Lady Louise.
The Duke of Edinburgh had taught the young royal how to do carriage driving before his recent death.
Prince Edward, who is the Queen’s youngest child, was also asked when he personally realised his mum was the monarch.
He said: “I can’t necessarily remember when that realisation was there.
“When you grow up in that family and in that environment, that’s just what your parents do.
“It’s been much more interesting watching our children growing up, and watching our children trying to work out what that this, and how that works. It was probably not until five or six I think.”
Sussexes £18m Spotify deal is a ‘disaster’ PR expert says
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released just over 35 minutes of content for the streaming giant so far, despite signing a reported £18million deal more than a year ago.
And last week, Spotify came under further fire for hosting anti-jab content by US comedian Joe Rogan - piling pressure on Harry and Meghan to quit.
In a statement released over the weekend, the couple insisted they were committed to continuing the partnership with the tech giant "to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis".
But public relations expert Anthony Burr believes the mega bucks deal is now a "disaster" and the Sussexes should look at the situation "very carefully" to protect their brand's image.
Mr Burr told the Sun Online: "It’s a bit of a disaster right now. You’ve got this coming out when people are looking.
"If it’s not working or they don’t like the deal with Spotify, this is the time they can step out and say 'right, I don’t like the content you’re producing'.
"Using the anti-vax stuff as an excuse would be the way out if they want out.”
Queen’s ‘favourite’ granddaughter had no idea who her gran was
During a rare TV interview in 2016, Prince Edward’s wife Sophie Wessex revealed their daughter Lady Louise, 17, had no idea that her gran was Queen growing up.
Sophie said that Lady Louise had “no concept” of her “grandmama” was famous, and found out in a very unusual way.
In an interview for the Queen's 90th birthday, Sophie told Sky News: “I mean Louise had no concept really that the Queen and her grandmother were one and the same person.
“It wasn’t until she was at school that other children were mentioning it and saying, ‘Your gran is the Queen’.
“And she’d come home and say, ‘Mummy they say that Grandmama is the Queen.’
"And I said, ‘Yes,’ and she said, ‘I don’t understand what they mean.’”
Prince Edward and Sophie, both 57, typically keep their kids, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, 14, out of the spotlight.
'It really must feel like home for her'
The Queen will mark the beginning of her 70th year on the throne on February 6, but will also mark her father King George VI’s death.
Podcaster Christina Garibaldi said that this is a time of mourning for the Queen.
Speaking on the Royally Us podcast, she said: “Queen Elizabeth, after months at Windsor Castle, she travelled to Sandringham to honor a tradition…70 years on the throne but this is also a time of mourning as well.
Co-host Christine Ross replied: “You would initially think this is a celebratory event for her but actually it is the anniversary of her father’s death and I think her father died quite early.
“She was very very young so it was a huge transition for her so she tends to spend this day privately in a time of reflection, so she’s gone up to Sandringham which is such an important place to her.
“I think it really must feel like home for her, it’s in such a beautiful setting in Norfolk normally, she goes up there in December ahead of the Christmas season but she stayed in Windsor for Christmas and for the New Year.”
When is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?
Princess Elizabeth became Queen on February 6, 1952 – the day her father King George VI died.
Therefore February 6, 2022, will mark 70 years on the throne.
However, the UK will celebrate Her Majesty’s 70th anniversary as monarch with a blockbuster weekend of celebrations in June 2022.
It is the first time any British monarch has reached this historic milestone.
Heartwarming stories of Sun readers meeting The Queen
NEXT weekend, the Queen will have been on the throne for an incredible 70 years.
Her Majesty has met thousands of people – in all walks of life, all over the world – over those decades. No one forgets the moment they came face to face with her.
So we asked for your memories of the day YOU met the Queen – and they were wonderful!
- ‘I remember thinking: What a beautiful face. She’s so amazing’
- We were ordered at RAF lunch not to stare – but it was hard
- The picture of our meeting hangs proudly in my hallway
- Chat on Canada tour made my Grandad so proud
Read the stories in full here.
Andrew gives up golf membership
The , 61, gave The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews “notification” he wished to hand back his membership, the club said yesterday.
Giving up his membership will be a humiliation for the duke who is a passionate golf fan, meeting many of the top names in the sport over the years.
Andrew will no longer enjoy the perks of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, where the duke was regarded as being a member in a private capacity.
A spokesperson for the club, said: “I can confirm that The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has received notification that the Duke of York will relinquish his honorary membership.
“We respect and appreciate his decision.”
Queen ‘always forgives’ Prince Andrew
A royal biographer has claimed that Prince Andrew was ‘always forgiven’ by the Queen and had a “radically different personality to his siblings.
Nigel Cawthorne wrote in the Daily Mail two years ago that Buckingham Palace staff found Andrew a “handful” from the very beginning.
He said: “He had seven nurseries in four palaces, endless sumptuous treats and far more of his mother’s attention.
“Somehow, Andrew was always forgiven — even when he sprinkled itching power in his mother’s bed or climbed on to the roof of Buckingham Palace to turn the TV aerial so that the Queen wouldn’t be able to watch the racing at Sandown Park.”
Spotify stepping in to help
Bosses at Spotify are stepping in to help Harry and Meghan deliver the goods.
They are recruiting new in-house staff to work with Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Audio for a show that features “the voices of high profile women.”
The jobs are being offered to applicants on short six-month contracts based in Los Angeles.
Harry and Meghan’s only podcast effort so far has been a 35-minute ‘holiday special’ in December 2020, featuring celebrity pals such as Elton John and James Corden.
Fans have been questioning when their so-called “full-scale launch” of episodes would be coming.
With only one show under their belts, the streaming platform has so far paid the couple £500,000 for each minute.
Links to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell
The Duke’s legal reply does admit his links to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
The document, submitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, also sets out a series of defences “without assuming the burden of proof, and expressly denying any and all wrongdoing”.
This includes arguments that the claim should be dismissed because Ms Giuffre is a permanent resident of Australia and that by entering into the 2009 agreement with Jeffrey Epstein she “waived the claims now asserted in the complaint”.
Could Kate put on a show at the Jubilee?
A royal expert has claimed that Kate Middleton is set to wow fans at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a special performance.
The Duchess of Cambridge surprised fans when she performed a surprise piano piece during the Together at Christmas carol concert and Neil Sean has suggested she may surprise again.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, he said: “Everybody in the inner circle of the royals are hoping that Kate may have a reprieve and wish to do something very similar again in June this year.
“Apparently that has gone down so well they’re now looking at redoing something rather different this time with Kate once again taking to the keys.
“I’m not sure if she’s going to be teaming up with someone but of course who would not want to be part of such a wonderful achievement of 70 years on the throne?
“We know Kate and the Queen are very close indeed and if that’s one of her wishes I think Kate certainly will oblige.”
Harry to give lecture to thousands
PRINCE Harry is set to give a lecture on the importance of taking a break – despite making just one podcast since signing an £18million mega-deal with Spotify.
The talk will be screened to 100,000 people who subscribe to BetterUp. Harry was made the firm’s chief impact officer last year.
Promos for the lecture show a photo of Harry alongside the slogan: “Breakthroughs happen when you take a break.”
He will be joined at the Inner Work Day seminar by Meghan’s friend Serena Williams.
How Meghan’s blog got its name
Meghan launched The Tig from her home in Canada in 2014, when she was an actress in the legal drama Suits.
Explaining the blog’s name, she previously said of her first sip of Tignanello wine: “It was an ah-ha moment at its finest.
“For me it became a ‘Tig’ moment – a moment of getting it.”
Around the time of joining the Royal Family, Meghan closed her blog, personal Instagram page and quit acting.
Sussexes stick with £18million podcast deal
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had come under pressure to ditch their reported £18million mega-deal with the company after it was accused of hosting anti-jab content by US comedian Joe Rogan.
In a statement released over the weekend, they said they had spoken with Spotify bosses about their concerns.
But the couple insisted they were committed to continuing their own deal with the tech giant "to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis".
They said: "Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis.
"Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of mis- and disinformation every day.
"Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of Covid misinformation on its platform.
"We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.
"We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does."
Platinum bank holiday weekend (Continued…)
A Big Jubilee Lunch will then be held up and down the country on June 5, with over 1,400 people having registered to host their own big lunch so far.
Other celebrations include the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, where performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers will unite to tell the story of The Queen’s 70 year reign in a festival of creativity.
The London based Pageant is said to combine "pomp and ceremony, street arts, theatre, music, circus, costumes as well as cutting-edge visual technology".
A ‘River of Hope’ section will also see two hundred silk flags process down The Mall, appearing like a moving river.
Platinum bank holiday weekend (Continued...)
On the Friday, a Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen’s reign will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Further details of the are expected to be announced in due course.
On the Saturday, the BBC will host a huge 'Platinum Party at the Palace' - a live concert bringing together some of the world’s biggest entertainment stars to celebrate some of the most significant moments from The Queen’s reign.
All UK residents can enter a ballot to secure tickets, set to launch in February.
Platinum bank holiday weekend
The long weekend will start with a bang on the Thursday as the Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) is held.
The colour will be trooped by the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, and more than 1,200 officers and soldiers from the Household Division will put on a display of military pageantry on Horse Guards Parade, together with hundreds of Army musicians and horses.
On the same day, over 1500 towns, villages and cities throughout the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories will come together to light a beacon to mark the Jubilee.
Beacons will also be lit in each of the capital cities of Commonwealth countries, with the Principal beacon will be lit in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Royal hospital visits sparked a surge in Brits writing wills last year
Hospital visits made by the Queen and Prince Philip sparked a surge in Brits writing up wills last year, according to figures.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s admittance to hospital in February 2021 led to an upsurge of 131 per cent in the number of wills produced.
According to the insight from will writer and funeral provider, Farewill, the ‘Royal effect’ continued with a 26 percent increase in will writing following the Queen going into hospital on 22 October.
Other notable announcements included Sir Captain Tom Moore receiving treatment for Covid, which saw a 39 per cent spike in will writing.
While the tragic passing of Girls Aloud star, Sarah Harding, at the age of 39, had a profound effect on the millennial generation – with a 33 percent increase in end-of-life planning the following day.
Additional research polling 2,000 UK adults also found nearly a third (32 percent) said they rarely consider their own mortality unless prompted by the death of others.
While seeing someone of the same age (34 percent) or younger (36 percent) pass away was particularly impactful.
It also emerged Mondays at 2pm is the most popular time to write a will, with nearly a fifth of all will writing to take place over the last three years being on the first day of the week.
Charity set up by Prince Phillip infiltrated
CHINESE intelligence officers infiltrated a charity set up by the late Prince Philip.
They wheedled their way into FaithInvest to conduct operations and buy influence.
Agents teamed up with the charity to meet the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle. The Duke also met the charity’s co-founder, Martin Palmer, at Buckingham Palace.
The revelations come after UK intelligence exposed a Chinese spy ring that tried to infiltrate Parliament.
And intelligence sources have now revealed that Communist agents working for a Beijing department accused by MI5 of espionage visited the Palace in 2017.
They also met the Prince on several occasions through a second charity, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), which was also set up by Mr Palmer.
Meghan could be set to relaunch lifestyle blog (Continued...)
Meghan launched The Tig from her home in Canada in 2014, when she was an actress in the legal drama Suits.
Explaining the blog's name, she previously said of her first sip of Tignanello wine: "It was an ah-ha moment at its finest.
"For me it became a 'Tig' moment – a moment of getting it."
Around the time of joining the Royal Family, Meghan closed her blog, personal Instagram page and quit acting.
But since stepping down as senior Royals, she and Harry have explored new opportunities like working with Netflix and high-profile interviews - meaning a return to blogging could be Meghan's next business venture.
Meghan could be set to relaunch lifestyle blog
The Duchess of Sussex shut The Tig, which is named after her favourite wine Tignanello, in April 2017 – before announcing her engagement to Prince Harry that year.
Now Meghan has applied to reactivate The Tig trademark, a move sure to excite her fans.
She previously described the blog as a “passion project” which “evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity”.
Public records in America, accessed by , show LA lawyer Marjorie Witter Norman filed a new application to trademark the name in July last year.
"There are deep, deep worries that this will get worse"
Princes Charles, 73, and William, 39, are leading efforts to persuade him to stop the case dragging on to protect the family from further humiliation, royal sources say.
A Royal source told The Sun: “After the car crash of News night no-one thinks a seven-hour deposition is a good idea. If he were to appear in court it could be many times worse and senior royals were deeply shocked when they heard that he was demanding a jury trial.
“The best outcome for everyone is that this is settled as soon as possible. There are deep, deep worries that this will get worse and worse for the family and will overshadow Platinum Jubilee celebrations.”
Lawyer for Virginia Roberts ‘to quiz him Andrew in UK'
THE lawyer for Prince Andrew's sex-abuse accuser is set to question him in the UK for two "uncomfortable" days - but will reportedly spare the other Royals.
The renowned attorney, 80, has said he will not require evidence from Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, his daughters or the Queen, however.
"I’m going to try to get him to understand that this is not going to be combative"’ he told The Mail On Sunday.
"Obviously, I’m going to ask him a lot of questions.
"And although some of the questions may be uncomfortable, I’m not going to be aggressive or in any way offensive to him. I’m going to be respectful."
He expects his visit to last "a day or two" and, should the case go to court, Mr Boies said he "doesn't think we would need" other members of the royal family to testify.