Her Majesty ‘to dramatically scale back Jubilee plans’ after her Covid battle in major blow

Archie’s surname caused huge rift between Queen & Philip

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, use the royal family’s official surname – Mountbatten-Windsor. This is because they aren’t senior enough to have HRH titles.

The moniker combines the royal name, Windsor, with Prince Philip’s surname, Mountbatten.

However the name was even raised in the Houses of Parliament, and in turn resulted in a rift between the Queen and her husband.

It didn’t appear on an official document until 1973, but the complicated story behind the name dates all the way back to 1952.

Before marrying The Queen and becoming the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip’s official title was Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.

New details for ‘Operation London Bridge’ revealed

NEW plans have been revealed for “Operation London Bridge” after the Queen passes away. 

Leatherworks all over Britain will make more muffles for church bells that will toll for the Monarch’s death. 

As part of Operation London Bridge, on Her Majesty’s funeral and death an hour’s muted chimes will ring out. 

The majority of Britain’s 16,000 churches have never rung bells that are fully muffled since the death of King George VI, the Queen’s dad. 

Central Council of Church Bell Ringers spokeswoman Vicki Chapman told the Mail on Sunday: “We have spent a lot of time talking to the Royal Household and Lambeth Palace about the day the Monarch passes, which we hope will not be any time soon.

“Adding muffles makes bells sound mournful, more like a hum –so they will sound like thud, thud, thud rather than dong, dong, dong.

“It is about paying due reverence to the service of the Monarch and commemorating her life.”

Read more here.

Queen breaks silence on Covid 19 battle in major health update

Imam Faruq Siddiqi, hospital chaplain, said families ‘felt a sense of hope when they knew he was visiting their loved ones.’

“Although I didn’t hold any miracles, I hope I was able to bring some sort of comfort to them through my presence and prayers,” he said.

The Queen replied: “It obviously was a very frightening experience to have Covid very badly, wasn’t it?”

Mr Siddiqi said: “I think what made it worse was being by themselves.”

“Exactly. So they were alone, too,” the Queen remarked.

Queen breaks silence on Covid 19 battle in major health update (1/2)

THE QUEEN has revealed she is feeling ‘exhausted’ after battling with Covid in February, which has left her feeling ‘tired and exhausted’.

In a special video call to NHS staff and patients at Royal London Hospital last week, the Monarch told them: “It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it? This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result.”

Via video call, the Queen marked the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Unit at the hospital, of which she is patron, wearing a floral dress with a pearl necklace to mark the occasion.

Nurse Charlie Mort who attended the call said: “The amount of bravery that both the patients and my colleagues showed throughout the entire pandemic was amazing and the amount of kindness we were shown was inspiring. I think we will all be bonded together because of it, forever.”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, what can be done when needs be,” the Queen replied. 

Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding was ‘tense’

Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding was ‘tense’ and the ‘Queen’s body language topped the list’ according to a body language expert.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Judi James explained how the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla was ‘tense’, with Harry ‘distancing’ himself from the group in portraits.

She said: ‘This was a tense affair all round, with the Queen’s body language probably topping the list when it came to stoicism and teeth-gritting. 

‘Harry and William performed their usual upbeat and fun-loving double act, with Harry clearly living up to his reputation as ‘the joker prince. 

‘However he appears to be less keen on showing the face of grinning ‘approval’ when it comes to the official portraits.’

She continued: ‘Both William and the Queen are sporting’ intentional gesture’ smiles, a baring of the teeth that looks too forced to be authentic but which shows a desire to be seen to be sociable and polite. 

Queen ‘deeply hurt’ as Meghan & Harry choose Holland trip 

THE QUEEN is said to be “deeply hurt” after “publicity-hungry” Meghan and Harry chose to go to Holland over Prince Philip’s memorial.

Meghan, 40, will join Harry at his Invictus Games in Holland in her first trip out of America since Megxit – and the pair will be followed around by Netflix cameras.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will both be in The Hague for the opening ceremony of Harry’s games for wounded soldiers on Saturday.

It will be the first time the couple have been together in Europe since Megxit two years ago.

But royal experts have claimed that this is a “snub” to the Queen – after they refused to attend Prince Philip’s memorial just days ago.

And despite it being “unnecessary” for Meghan to be at the Invictus Games, she “wouldn’t want to miss out on the publicity,” it’s been claimed.

Read more here.

Harry and Meghan told they CAN’T have private armed guards 

HARRY and Meghan have been told they CANNOT have private armed security guards on their first trip to Europe since Megxit.

The Duke of Sussex is suing the British government after his taxpayer-funded Met Police armed guards were removed when he quit royal duty.

In High Court papers the duke says he “does not feel safe” in Britain without armed security and says the decision is “unlawful and “unfair” Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, are believed to have armed protection in the US but are not allowed to use them when they come to Britain.

Last night Dutch authorities said Harry and Meghan’s private close protection officers cannot be armed if they travel to Holland for the Invictus Games this weekend.

The couple are due to be at the opening ceremony in The Hague on Saturday.

The Dutch royal family are expected to attend the games but Harry and Meghan will not be staying at their palaces and there will be no official reception for the duo.

Harry and Meghan are believed to employ armed security from A-list bodyguards to the stars Gavin de Becker when they are in America.

Asked if private guards are allowed to carry weapons in the Netherlands, police spokeswoman Anna Sophia Posthumus said: “No, in the Netherlands only government officials (police, military personnel etc) are allowed to carry weapons”.

Princess Anne’s plans in Papa New Guinea

Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, landed in Port Moresby on Monday evening after a weekend of engagements in Australia, including opening the 200th Sydney Royal Easter Show on Saturday.

They were greeted on the tarmac of Jacksons International Airport by Prime Minister James Marape, and Anne was presented with a garland of flowers before she inspected a guard of honour.

After visiting Caritas on Tuesday, the princess and her husband were scheduled to tour Papua New Guinea with visits to St John Ambulance, the Bomana War Cemetery, Adventure Park Papua New Guinea and the National Museum and Art Gallery.

She will also open a Women’s Resource Centre at Vabukori Village and the National Cardiac Diagnostic Centre at Port Moresby General Hospital, and will meet elders and community leaders at Hanuabada Village.

Anne will conclude the two-day tour with a dinner with Mr Marape and representatives from the charity sector and business groups.

It comes after the Queen and the royal family on Saturday marked the first anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death.

Anne greeted by performances at Papa New Guinea school

The Princess Royal was given a red-carpet welcome by pupils in traditional dress on her second day in Papua New Guinea as part of her tour marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Anne started the day at Caritas Technical Secondary School, a Catholic boarding school for 700 girls in Port Moresby, where she was presented with flowers and given a tour of the facilities including the cooking laboratory and the gymnasium.

Wearing a narrow-striped sand-tone two-piece pantsuit, the princess offered the seated pupils inside the gymnasium some advice while also expressing her gratitude for the welcome.

In comments carried by local media outlet Loop PNG, Anne said the school was a place where pupils could build their skills and options for life as adults.

“But it’s also about enjoying being part of the educational process, making new friends and respecting one another wherever you might come from,” she added.

“So, my congratulations to this school and all of you who have been part of it over the years. And a particular thank you for the way in which you have celebrated Her Majesty’s Jubilee.”

Harry ‘WILL go after’ Camilla & Charles in new book

A royal biographer has claimed that Prince Harry will “go after” Charles and Camilla in his new memoir. 

Tina Brown, who was friends with Princess Diana, said that Harry “can’t stand Camilla” and doesn’t want her to be Queen. 

She said: “Harry’s not going to go after The Queen, she’s sacrosanct. And he probably won’t go after Kate, who he’s very fond of.

“But he will go after Charles and Camilla and maybe William.

“William has accepted Camilla in terms of what she means to his father’.

“He’s been grown up about it. Harry, on the other hand, can’t stand Camilla. He doesn’t want Camilla to be queen.”

Heightened security for ‘Operation London Bridge’

The secret blueprint for codename Operation London Bridge also includes arrangements for heightened security, Covid contingencies and even the Royal Family’s social media accounts.

It meticulously chronicles preparations for the 10 days from the monarch’s passing to her state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Prince Charles will address the nation on the night of the Queen’s passing, before going on a mourning tour of Britain.

The Prime Minister will be told by Buckingham Palace’s most senior courtier, while the head of the civil service and top ministers will also be informed.

Flags will be lowered to half-mast across Government buildings within 10 minutes and Parliament will adjourn if sitting. 

As when Prince Philip died last year, the Royal Family’s website will revert to a black holding page confirming the Queen’s death.

No doubt over Harry’s security in The Hague says ex-head of Royal protection (3/3)

Mr Davies said that if Harry had attended the memorial service for Philip last month he would have been protected due to being with family members.

“But he chose not to. That’s his prerogative,” he said.

Speaking about the likely security arrangements in The Hague, Mr Davies said: “The truth is I have no doubt that he will be protected, whether he takes his own team or whether the Dutch authorities give him some kind of VIP status.

“The truth is, if there’s a risk both countries – ours and the Netherlands – have sophisticated systems of determining risk.

“This country has determined he is no longer at risk. That may or may not be true, but people far better qualified than I am now can make that decision and they never make it lightly.”

No doubt over Harry’s security in The Hague says ex-head of Royal protection (2/3)

A spokesperson for Harry confirmed earlier in March that he would miss the service for his grandfather, but that he hoped to visit the Queen soon.

Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, said the idea that Harry is unable to come to the UK due to safety concerns is “sheer unadulterated nonsense”, adding that the duke is “not an expert in security”.

It is not known whether Harry will visit the UK and see his grandmother while he is on this side of the Atlantic for the Invictus Games.

Asked if he would say the UK is a potentially unsafe place for Harry, Mr Davies told the PA news agency: “No I wouldn’t. He would get the same risk assessment as every other royal.

“Most of them now don’t get full-time protection or even half-time protection, so the truth is the UK is far safer than most other places.

“And with great respect, Harry is not an expert in security.”

No doubt over Harry’s security in The Hague says ex-head of Royal protection (1/3)

The safety of the Duke of Sussex will be secured by his own team or he may be given “VIP status” by Dutch authorities during his trip to The Hague, a former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard has suggested.

Harry will be joined by his wife Meghan at the Invictus Games, which is taking place from April 16 to 22, in what will be her first trip to Europe since the couple quit as senior working royals more than two years ago.

Meghan’s attendance at the event, for the first few days, was confirmed by a spokesperson for the couple on Monday.

The trip to the Netherlands comes after Harry was absent from the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in London last month.

Harry is bringing a claim against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the same degree of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself.

The duke wants to bring his children to visit, but he and his family are “unable to return to his home” because it is too dangerous, his legal representative has said.

The changes in the Royal Family since Philip’s tragic death

PRINCE Philip’s death 12 months ago heralded a significant shift for the Royal Family.

The Queen, now 95, lost her “strength and stay” – with the Firm facing a year of drastic change.

As Her Majesty and the family privately mark the anniversary a few days ago, here are seven changes in royal life since the duke’s death:

1. Meghan and Harry refuse to return to the UK
2. Kate Middleton and Prince William plan a move
3. Camilla will become Queen Consort
4. Prince Andrew settles his sex assault case
5. Full throttle for jubilee plans
6. The birth of baby Lilibet
7. William’s plans for the future of The Firm

Read the article in full here.

‘Diana would have loathed the idea of Queen Camilla’

Princess Diana’s biographer has claimed that she would have “loathed” the thought of Camilla getting the Queen consort title.

Speaking to the Telegraph Magazine, Tina Brown said: “Diana would have loathed the idea of Queen Camilla, there’s no question about it, but we’re 25 years on.”

She added: “The Queen’s always been a pragmatist and she knows Charles wants Camilla to be queen. So what the Queen wants to do now is tidy up and do what she can to help Charles take on the role.”

Prince Harry was ‘angry and glowering’ during public appearances with Camilla

Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Judi James revealed how there appeared to be ‘friction’ between the pair during engagements over the last few years.

She explained: ‘Like his brother William, Harry appeared to adopt a philosophical view of the woman once called ‘The Rottweiler’ and be willing to make verbal declarations of affection for her. 

‘However this behaviour seems to have been linked to and possibly dependent on his relationship with his father.

‘It looks very much as though Harry needed an alienation from his father before he dropped some of the social niceties with Camilla.’

Canadian PM looking forward to welcoming Charles and Camilla

Mr Trudeau said on Twitter that he was looking forward to welcoming the prince and duchess on their upcoming tour.

He added: “During their visit, they will have the wonderful opportunity of seeing first-hand the diversity and kindness of Canadians and the beauty of our abundant natural landscapes that make us proud to call our country home.

“This year, Canadians and people across the Commonwealth are celebrating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, which marks the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

“The Royal Tour, which coincides with this historic milestone, will be an opportunity for Their Royal Highnesses to take part in various initiatives to honour The Queen’s service and dedication to our country, and meet with inspiring Canadians who are making a difference in our communities.

“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I look forward to welcoming Their Royal Highnesses and showing them some of the many reasons why we take pride in being Canadian.”

Charles and Camilla to tour Canada as part of Jubilee celebrations

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are to make an official visit to Canada as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Charles and Camilla, who will one day be king and queen of Canada, will visit in May.

Clarence House said the pair will meet communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, in Ottawa in Canada’s Capital Region and in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, and more details will be released in due course.

The prince has visited Canada 18 times, while Camilla has been four times.

They last toured the country together in 2017 when they met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and marked the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation.

Brooklyn & Nicola copy royals with wedding gift request from guests

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Brooklyn and Nicola invited guests to make donations to humanitarian agency Care. 

This is to help provide aid for those in Ukraine, particularly women and the elderly.

The father-of-the-bride Nelson Peltz, and the groom’s parents Victoria and David Beckham, were among those making donations.

This was similar to royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who sent their guests a list of charities they wished to support.

Kate and William supported 26 different charities with their wedding list. Meanwhile, Meghan and Harry asked for monetary donations for seven different charities including the Myna Mahila Foundation, Children’s HIV association (CHIVA), and the Wilderness Foundation.

Diana would have ‘loathed’ Camilla getting Queen Consort title

Princess Diana’s royal biographer has claimed that she would have “loathed” the thought of Camilla getting the Queen consort title.

Speaking to the Telegraph Magazine Tina Brown said: “Diana would have loathed the idea of Queen Camilla, there’s no question about it, but we’re 25 years on.”

“The Queen’s always been a pragmatist and she knows Charles wants Camilla to be queen.

She added: “So what the Queen wants to do now is tidy up and do what she can to help Charles take on the role.”

Meghan & Harry’s ‘snub’ to the UK

MEGHAN Markle confirms she’ll be at Invictus Games on first trip since quitting royals in a HUGE snub for the royal family.

This weekend, the Invictus Games will begin in the Netherlands and will take place in The Hague from April 16 to 22 after being delayed by the pandemic.

On Monday evening, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Meghan will join Harry for the first few days.

It comes after The Mirror last week revealed that the couple would be followed by a Netflix documentary crew throughout the Games.

This comes as a huge snub for the Royal family as neither Harry nor Meghan returned to the UK for Prince Philip’s memorial service.

Prince Charles’ ‘ridiculous demands’ before he becomes King

A royal author has claimed that Duchess Camilla is said to not let her husband Prince Charles make his ‘ridiculous demands’, she has started to rein them in ahead of him becoming King.

The Duchess of Cornwall is trying to put an end to Charles’ ‘pompous’ demand when it comes to pouring and drinking his gin and tonic.

Royal biographer Tina Brown claims in her new book about the House of Windsor, The Palace Papers that one of the Queen’s friends told her, “Camilla stops the pompous thing with Charles. She won’t let him get away with telling his man to get his gin and tonic.

“She says: ‘Oh, don’t be so ridiculous. Let me pour the gin and tonic’.”

Charles and Camilla are getting to be quite well known in the gin industry as they launched their own with Fortnum & Mason. It is said they use herbs grown in their home garden for it.

Prince William & Queen at odds at his wedding to Kate

PRINCE William once admitted that he and the Queen were at odds with each other over one detail at his wedding to Kate Middleton in April 2011.

In an interview given after the wedding, William admitted that he clashed with the Monarch and was forced to follow her wishes, as she didn’t want him to wear his first choice of outfit.

William said at the time: “What I really wanted to wear was the Irish Guards frock coat.”

“We had a couple of discussions on this matter but, as I learnt growing up, you don’t mess with your grandmother.

“What she says goes,” he admitted.

This month marks 11 years since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge married at Westminster Abbey.

Queen takes on Harry and Meghan 

THE Queen has given her blessing to her trusted aide to reveal her Covid lockdown secrets — and go head-to-head with Prince Harry’s tell-all book.

Royal dresser Angela Kelly, who has been with Her Majesty for 28 years, will tell of HMS Bubble and Prince Philip’s death in her offering.

A new chapter for Angela’s 2019 picture book The Other Side of the Coin will be released next month for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, publisher HarperCollins announced.

They say: “The Queen personally gave Angela her blessing to share their unparalleled bond with the world and Angela is the first serving member of the Royal Household to be given this extraordinary permission.”

It will cover lockdown when the Queen was protected by her ring-of-steel, dubbed HMS Bubble. It is set to show how Angela cut and set the Queen’s hair and will cover the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.