Royal news live: Charles set for full overseas tour as William breaks silence on Harry in Diana tribute
Prince William has mentioned Prince Harry publicly for the first time in years, as he recalls a childhood memory in his upcoming documentary.
The Prince of Wales recounted the time his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and his brother to visit a homeless shelter more than 30 years ago.
“My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think probably at the time, maybe 10. I’d never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect,” he said.
He added: “I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious at what to expect. But mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone.”
The last time William spoke about his brother publicly is thought to be six years ago, when the pair were interviewed at Royal Foundation Forum in 2018.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace officials have given a major update on King Charles’ work schedule, as he continues cancer treatment.
Charles is set to return to his normal schedule of overseas tours next year and will fly abroad during the spring and autumn, provided doctors sanction the travel.
Key Points
Prince William inspired by Princess Diana to end homelessness as he shares unseen family footage of charity visit
A new ITV documentary shows William visiting the same homelessness charity where his mother first took him and Harry when he was 11.
William says: “I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious at what to expect. But Mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone.
“I remember thinking if no one has a home everyone would be really sad but it was incredible how happy an environment it was. I remember having good conversations, playing chess and chatting. That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do.
Prince William: We Can End Homelessness airs 30th and 31st October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player
Prince William inspired by Princess Diana in personal mission to end homelessness
Prince William has revealed how his mother Princess Diana inspired him to end homelessness as he shared unseen family footage of a charity visit. A new ITV documentary shows William visiting the same homelessness charity where his mother first took him and Harry when he was 11. William says: “I had never been to anything like that before and I was a bit anxious at what to expect. But Mother went about her usual part of making everyone feel relaxed, having a laugh and joking with everyone. “I remember thinking if no one has a home everyone would be really sad but it was incredible how happy an environment it was. I remember having good conversations, playing chess and chatting. That’s when it dawned on me that there are other people out there who don’t have the same life as you do. Prince William: We Can End Homelessness airs 30th and 31st October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player
King to embrace overseas tours despite cancer battle
The King will return to regular overseas trips next year as he adapts to living with cancer.
Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn, the traditional periods for official foreign royal trips, provided doctors sanction the travel.
The development comes after the King’s recent tour of Australia and Samoa with the Queen he was “determined” to carry out and which was a “perfect tonic” for the head of state, said a senior Buckingham Palace official.
The palace official added: “We’re now working on a pretty normal looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms.”
An update about the state of the King’s health or his treatment has not been given but the news that Charles will take on more overseas trips suggests his cancer is being managed successfully.
ICYMI: Commonwealth nations adopt 1st ocean declaration as former British colonies seek reparatory justice
Commonwealth countries have adopted their first ocean declaration during their summit held for the first time in the Pacific island nation of Samoa as calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for reparatory justice for the trans-Atlantic slave trade grew louder:
Prince William breaks silence on Harry in touching tribute to their mother Diana
Prince William has mentioned Prince Harry publicly for the first time in years, as he recalls a childhood memory in his upcoming documentary.
The Prince of Wales recounted the time his mother, the late Princess Diana, took him and his brother to visit a homeless shelter more than 30 years ago.
He said: “My mother took me to The Passage. She took Harry and I both there. I must have been about 11, I think probably at the time, maybe 10. I’d never been to anything like that before, and I was a bit anxious as to what to expect.”
The mention of Harry is believed to be the first in six years. The last time William spoke about hus brother publicly is thought to be in 2018 when the pair were interviewed at Royal Foundation Forum.
Previously unseen pictures have also released as part of the documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, showing William as a child on the visit.
New book reveals how high society and British intelligence smeared Wallis Simpson
A new book investigates whether the scandalous stories surrounding Wallis Simpson’s time in China were the product of society gossip or an orchestrated effort by the British establishment to sabotage her relationship with the future Edward VIII.
Dubbed the “China Dossier”, this collection of rumours accused Simpson of affairs, connections to gangsters, and risque behaviours, but author Paul French argues in Her Lotus Year that none of these claims had any factual basis with Simpson.
Instead, they appear to have been drawn from unrelated incidents in 1920s China, and possibly amplified by figures in British intelligence.
French’s research suggests that the tales were carefully constructed to tarnish Simpson’s reputation, showing the lengths to which the establishment may have gone to block a royal union with a controversial American divorcee.
“They just wanted to scupper this relationship somehow,” French said.
Charles ‘unruffled’ by Australian senator’s ‘genocide’ accusation
King Charles was “completely unruffled” after being confronted by an Australian senator accusing him of genocide, a palace official has said.
Lidia Thorpe, 51, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, shouted at the King in a fiery address during his royal reception in Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday.
She approached the stage shouting “you are not my king” and accusing the King of “committing genocide against our people”, as she urged him to negotiate treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government.
However, the monarch remained relatively unaffected by this. The palace official said: “He’s been around a long time. As always, kept calm, carried on.”
He believes “free speech is the cornerstone of democracy, and so everyone is entitled to their views”. Potential issues during a overseas tour are “not ducked”, it’s “very easy to run away from some of these issues.
“But the King isn’t one for doing that,” said the palace official.
King to return to full schedule of overseas trips – ICYMI
King Charles is set to return to his normal schedule of overseas tours next year, amid his ongoing cancer treatment.
In an update given by a palace official, it was revealed Charles will fly abroad during the spring and autumn in 2025, provided doctors sanction the travel.
“We’re now working on a pretty normal looking full overseas tour programme for next year, which is a high for us to end on, to know that we can be thinking in those terms,” the official said.
An update about the state of the King’s health or his treatment has not been given but the news that Charles will take on more overseas trips suggests his cancer is being managed successfully.
Full story: Prince William remembers ‘anxious’ first visit to homeless charity with Princess Diana
The Prince of Wales has recalled playing chess and chatting with people during his first visit to The Passage homelessness charity with his mother, more than 30 years ago, in a new documentary.
William said he was “a bit anxious as to what to expect” before his first visit, and remembered his mother – Diana, Princess of Wales – “making everyone feel relaxed and having a laugh and joking with everyone”.
Tom Parker Bowles gives his verdict on the cooking of his mother, the Queen
Tom Parker-Bowles has lifted the lid on the cooking of his mother, Queen Camilla, and the meals they ate at home while he was growing up.
Describing Camilla as a “good, basic cook”, he said she perfected slow-cooked scrambled eggs (always on the Aga) and roast chicken – but steered clear of all spice and curries.
Never following a recipe, she relied on “very, very simple food” while providing meals for Tom and his sister Laura at their home near Chippenham in Wiltshire.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent’s editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig, the renowned food writer discussed everything from his fondest childhood food memories to the one meal that caused Buckingham Palace to grind to a halt.
