Royal family

Prince William needs to sort out his issues with brother Prince Harry if he wants to show he is a leader, a royal expert has said. The feuding brothers appeared to have agreed to a temporary truce in the days after the Queen's death with William inviting Harry and wife Meghan Markle to join him and Kate for a walkabout in Windsor. They also stood shoulder to shoulder during several solemn processions on the day of their grandmother's funeral and joined their royal cousins for a vigil around her coffin. But royal sources have said there is still "a serious amount of distrust in the air" between the brothers with their relationship still hanging in the balance until the contents of Harry's upcoming memoir are revealed. Prince William and Prince Harry, who have had a rocky relationship ( Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images) And now royal expert Duncan Larcombe has said it is "not a good look" for William as a future King if he cannot bury the hatchet with his … [Read more...] about Prince William needs to end rift with Harry to show he’s a ‘leader’, says royal expert

She was dubbed the Queen's 'second daughter', and is widely regarded as a ‘safe pair of hands’ for Royal Family - it's fair to say that Sophie, Countess of Wessex is a key member of The Firm. But she still retains a low profile - alongside her husband Prince Edward , 58, King Charles' youngest brother, and their two children Lady Louise Windsor , 18 and James Viscount Severn , 14. Having formed an extremely close bond with the Queen, she was the only other non-blood relative aside from Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Tim Laurence, at Balmoral after the monarch's death. James, Viscount Severn, at the Commonwealth Games with mum Sophie Wessex and older sister Lady Louise Windsor ( Image: Getty Images) Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on King Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up . She is widely regarded as a 'peacemaker' who holds a vital role, as royal … [Read more...] about Sophie Wessex’s peacemaking gesture to Harry and Meghan after Megxit

Former England rugby star Mike Tindall has addressed comments he faced online after he was spotted wearing three medals during The Queen's funeral service at Westminster Abbey. In a special episode of his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby , Mike Tindall who is married to Princess Anne's daughter Zara , spoke about the comments he faced online. Fans had questioned what the medals were awarded for, given the 43-year-old World Cup winner has no military experience. He was seen wearing his MBE, awarded after his triumph in Australia, and his Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals, handed out in 2012 and 2022 respectively. Tindall sported three medals at the Queen's funeral ( Image: WPA Pool/REX/Shutterstock) Addressing this, Mike responded after his fellow presenter jokily asked him how many years he had served in Afghanistan - in a nod to the question he was repeatedly facing online. Addressing it, he said: "It has been an interesting one, we've had this … [Read more...] about Mike Tindall admits he ‘hates’ wearing medals after criticism on social media

Peter Andre has opened up about how the Queen's funeral left him thinking of his eldery mum Thea in Australia. The Mysterious Girl singer recently told how his beloved 86-year-old mum is 'suffering and declining' as she gets older. And now Peter has confessed his sadness after Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral brought up some very raw feelings. Writing in his OK! column, the 49-year-old penned how he thought Her Majesty's passing brought up thoughts for many people who have lost loved ones or who have elderly relatives. He then opened up about his own mum, writing: "I, like many, can relate with my beautiful mother being older and unwell.” Read More Peter Andre said his mum is 'declining' and found the Queen's funeral difficult to watch He explained: “Emily took Millie, Theo and Princess into London on the day of The Queen’s funeral. Although they weren’t able to see the procession, they soaked up the atmosphere. “They said it was so busy yet there was such a calmness … [Read more...] about Queen’s funeral was close to home for Peter Andre amid mum’s ailing health

Prince William says online safety must be a priority after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell. The schoolgirl took her own life after viewing social media posts which the NSPCC said "no child should see". Molly, from Harrow, in north-west London, killed herself in November 2017 , prompting her family to campaign for better internet safety. An inquest heard how the teenager accessed material from the “ghetto of the online world”. Reacting to the coroner's ruling that social media contributed to Molly's death, the Prince of Wales said: “No parent should ever have to endure what Ian Russell and his family have been through. "They have been so incredibly brave. Online safety for our children and young people needs to be a prerequisite, not an afterthought.” Her family say social media sites, such as Pinterest and Instagram , recommended accounts or posts that “promoted” suicide and self-harm. Prince William said online safety needs to be a priority ( … [Read more...] about Prince William says online safety must be a priority after tragic girl’s inquest

The family of a woman who suffered severe injuries in a rollercoaster crash have slammed a theme park for reopening the ride. Shylah Rodden, 26, was struck by a carriage and hurled nine metres into the air before landing on the ground at the Melbourne Royal Show on Sunday (September 25). The Australian woman is thought to have been hit after walking onto the track of the Rebel Coaster to retrieve her phone. She was taken to Royal Melbourne hospital with critical head injuries, and remains in an intensive care unit. After closing the ride for several days following the incident, the Melbourne Royal Show have now announced its reopening, saying inspectors from health and safety agency WorkSafe had given it the all-clear. Shylah Rodden, 26, was left in intensive care after being struck by a rollercoaster on Sunday ( Image: shyyrodden/Instagram) A statement from the event organisers read: "Following the tragic accident at the Rebel Coaster ride on Sunday … [Read more...] about Family of woman left with horror injuries in rollercoaster crash slam park for re-opening ride

A Victoria Cross awarded to an army officer who saved three wounded soldiers by dragging them to safety has been sold for £223,000. Colonel William Cubitt risked his own life to round up his injured comrades while retreating from a marauding enemy during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. He lifted one of the men on to his horse then got the two others to cling to his stirrups as they fled the battlefield with mutineers in hot pursuit. Miraculously, they escaped the enemy who outnumbered them 10 to one. Col Cubitt delivered the wounded soldiers to the nearest military hospital. Later, Corporal James Kirby, the man Col Cubitt saved by lifting him on to his horse, wrote to him to tell him "I wish I could crown you with a wreath of laurels for the proud deeds that you have done." Nearly 30 years later, Col Cubitt, then aged 51, was awarded another bravery medal, the Distinguished Service Order, for successfully capturing the Ruby Mines in Burma. His fine bravery medals and a … [Read more...] about Victoria Cross awarded to army officer who saved three wounded soldiers sold for £223,000

A submarine touted as the world's most advanced hunter-killer submersible has joined the United Kingdom's Royal Navy fleet. The submarine was welcomed Wednesday at a ceremony in Barrow, England. The £1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) HMS Anson is touted as offering naval stealth and striking power, and is able to gather vital intelligence, protect other Royal Navy vessels from threats above and below the waves, and destroy enemy military infrastructure with pinpoint accuracy. The submarine was commissioned at BAE Systems' yard in Cumbria in England's northwest in front of her crew and their families, plus naval leaders, Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace, Prime Minister Boris Johnson , Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, and the patron, Julie Weale. It has taken more than 11 years - and some 20 million hours' work by an estimated 10,000 people from 400 firms and organizations across the U.K. - for the 8,000-ton vessel to be ready for action. Anson is the fifth … [Read more...] about World’s most advanced attack submarine joins British Navy

When you get the opportunity to see a bunch of operas in quick succession, the canon starts forming narratives for you. It suddenly seems obvious that Cherubini’s “Medea,” from 1797 — with which the Metropolitan Opera opened its season on Tuesday — found a germ of inspiration for its title character in the similarly jealous, witchy Elettra of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” (1781), which the Met performed the following evening. And if you, like me, were in the house once more on Thursday to complete this little marathon, you would have felt that Katerina Ismailova, the murderous, defiant antiheroine of Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” (1934), had been conceived in the tradition of Medea: a woman who earns our sympathy even as her crimes repel us. What a week. Three of opera’s most memorable scores, each distinctive, none overfamiliar, all performed with care and passion. The standards that dominate the repertory have not been banished: “Tosca” returns next week, with “La … [Read more...] about A Trio of Dangerous Women in a Met Opera Week to Remember

THE WHALEBONE THEATRE, by Joanna Quinn Whales loom large not just in the ocean but in landlocked imaginations: these mysterious mammals, gentle but fearsome, threatened and threatening, almost unfathomably enormous. So like us with their warm blood and communication skills, and yet so not. You might never have cracked Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” and still use the phrase “great white whale” to mean an obsessive but elusive goal. The massive model of a blue whale in the American Museum of Natural History was immortalized further by Noah Baumbach in “The Squid and the Whale.” Don’t forget Carvel’s Fudgie, the ’70s sheet cake that won’t quit . And one of the most appealing characters in Lidia Yuknavitch’s recent novel “Thrust” was the wearily maternal whale who helped out the human protagonist. The 60-foot-long, seven-foot-tall creature that appears in Joanna Quinn’s first novel, “The Whalebone Theatre,” is, alas, D.O.A., found beached on the coast of Dorset, England, by a … [Read more...] about Bright Young Things, Revisited: War Clouds a Childhood Idyll