Tag: royal

  • ‘Lucky to have him’: The Crown’s leading lady Elizabeth Debicki reveals how much she adores Humayun Saeed

    ‘Lucky to have him’: The Crown’s leading lady Elizabeth Debicki reveals how much she adores Humayun Saeed

    Pakistani superstar Humayun Saeed is essaying Dr Hasnat Khan, Princess Diana’s love interest in season five of the hit Netflix series, The Crown.

    Saeed will be the second Pakistani to be cast in a Netflix Original which will premiere on 9th November 2022.

    'The Crown': Release date of Humayun Saeed's Hollywood debut revealed

    The actor will play alongside Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki who has been cast as Princess Diana.

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    Now Elizabeth has praised the London Nahi Jaunga hero in her latest interview, “I absolutely adored Humayun — he was such a lovely actor, and such a beautiful person,” she told Entertainment Weekly. 

    Elizabeth Debicki Praises Humayun Saeed

    “You never know how that’s going to feel when you’re playing things like that with an actor. So I was very lucky to have him and I think he does such a beautiful job.”

    When the news was confirmed earlier this year, Pakistani superstar Mahira Khan congratulated the Bin Roye hero.

    Dr Hasnat Khan, a British-Pakistani surgeon, is widely known for his romantic, two-year relationship with Diana. In May 1996, she visited his family in Lahore too. Diana’s friends are reported to have described Hasnat as the “love of her life” and to have spoken of her distress when he ended their relationship in June 1997. Dr Khan attended Diana’s funeral ceremony in September 1997.

    Season 5 will be about the turmoil of Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage breakdown and the tragic death of Diana in August 1997.

  • Japanese princess to marry commoner boyfriend despite dispute

    Japanese princess to marry commoner boyfriend despite dispute

     Japan’s Princess Mako will marry a commoner, her former classmate, this month after years of controversy as she will give up her royal status, BBC News reported.

    The couple is all set to tie the know on October 26.

    The couple initially planned their wedding in 2018, but this was put off, reportedly after Mako’s boyfriend, Mr Komuro’s family had run into financial difficulties.

    They are expected to move to the US after marriage where Mr Komuro works as a lawyer.

    This excessive media coverage around the princess — whose father is Crown Prince Fumihito — and Mr Komuro’s family over the years has caused the princess to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Imperial Household Agency said, according to news outlet Kyodo.

    Her aunt, Empress Masako, also suffered from a stress-related illness, due to intense pressure to produce a male heir. There is often a stigma around mental illnesses in Japan. The couple first met in 2012 when they were students at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

    They were engaged in 2017 and were set to marry the following year. But news of Mr Komuro’s mother’s financial problems started doing the rounds; she had reportedly taken a loan from her ex-fiancé and not paid him back.

    Read More: Photographer deletes all wedding pictures after being denied food

    The palace denied the delay was linked to this, though Crown Prince Fumihito said it was important for the money issues to be dealt with before they got together.

    Princess Mako will reportedly forego a traditional lump-sum payment of up to 150 million yen ($1.3m), which is normally gifted to a member of the royal family upon their departure from the household.

    She is also expected to skip the usual rites associated with a royal family wedding. If she skips both the payment and the rites, it will make her the first female member of the Japanese royal family to do so.

    Under Japanese law, female imperial family members forfeit their status upon marriage to a “commoner” although male members do not.

  • Meghan Markle accused of ‘bullying’ two senior members of royal staff

    Meghan Markle accused of ‘bullying’ two senior members of royal staff

    Days before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey is scheduled to go on air, a report has accused Meghan of bullying two senior members of her staff during the time she was staying at Britain’s Kensington Palace.

    The news publication has claimed to have seen an email sent by Meghan’s former Kensington Palace communications secretary raising concerns about Meghan’s “bullying” behaviour.

    In one alleged incident, a royal aide who had been anticipating a confrontation with Markle told a colleague: “I can’t stop shaking.”

    Responding to the allegations, Markle’s spokesperson said: “The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself.”

    “She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right,” the statement add.

    The couple also accused the publication of “peddling a wholly false narrative” before the television interview, which is being touted as shocking and explosive.

    There was no immediate comment from Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace on the issue.

    Meanwhile, Meghan has also stirred controversy for wearing earrings gifted to her by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, just three weeks after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to details, the pair of drop earrings which Meghan wore to a formal state dinner in Fiji were a wedding gift from MBS. At the time, Kensington Palace said the earrings had been “borrowed” but did not reveal from whom.

    The Duchess of Sussex had allegedly told aides who were prepping to brief the media about her outfit that the earrings were lent to her by a jeweller. But lawyers for Markle countered that she wasn’t aware then of rumours that the prince was involved in Khashoggi’s murder, and said that every relevant staffer knew whom the earrings were from.

    Earlier, the CBS broadcast network released two brief clips from Winfrey’s interview with the couple, which is scheduled to air on March 7. It is the first TV interview the couple, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have given since quitting royal duties and moving to California.

    Last month, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple would not be returning to their lives as working members of the royal family, adding that Harry will give up his honorary military titles.

  • Did you know Sarwat Gilani has royal roots?

    Did you know Sarwat Gilani has royal roots?

    Sarwat Gilani, in an exclusive interview with The Current, has revealed that she has royal roots.

    “My maternal grandfather was the Nawab of the princely state of Manavadar, which included 70 villages in India,” shared Sarwat in the interview.

    “Junagarh and Manavadar were two princely states. Junagarh was his brother’s and Manavadar was his [Sarwat’s Nana’s] own state,” she continued. “And they chose to come to Pakistan at the time of Partition.”

    “So they left everything over there: their palaces, their cars, guns, everything. They left all their treasure over there in love for Pakistan,” she added.

    Sarwat then said: “When people ask me how I feel about being such a big star, they come to my mind. Because they are real stars who left everything for Pakistan and spent a very simple life after migrating.”

    The actor had earlier revealed that her family did not approve of her career choice. When asked how she managed to convince them, Sarwat said: “I convinced them by being consistent at being decent. For me, convincing my maternal grandmother, my mother and her family was very hard. So I thought if I do well, and constantly do well, they will someday be convinced on their own.”

    “And I think, I did that,” she added.

    The actor in the interview also talked about her infamous kiss with husband Fahad Mirza, meeting Karan Johar, her Whatsapp group with Mahira Khan and Sanam Saeed and how she feels that the “government has nothing better to do, [other than being] busy with banning things and [getting involved] in petty issues.”

    Watch the full interview below:

  • Royal Visit Day 3 – Kate & William return to Lahore

    Royal Visit Day 3 – Kate & William return to Lahore

    After a jam-packed schedule, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrapped up their visit to Lahore and were expected to head back to Islamabad but due to bad weather in the capital, their plane had to turn back.

    According to details, Kate and William departed for Islamabad but had to return due to bad weather. Reports said that the royal couple will leave for the federal capital in the night if weather turns normal otherwise they will stay at a local hotel in Lahore.

    Kate and William spent the day in Lahore where they had a jam-packed schedule. The couple traced Lady Diana’s footsteps on most of their visit.

    Their last engagement of the day was a visit to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, where they interacted with patients and doctors. The doctor who had given Diana a tour of the hospital gave the Duke and Duchess a tour as well.

    Kate wears a toy tiara as she attends a tea party in the children’s ward

    Late afternoon, they visited Badshahi Masjid where they toured the historic mosque, engaged in an interfaith discussion and listened to a recitation of the Holy Quran.

    Kate wore a sea-green outfit by Maheen Khan for the visit and covered her head as she entered the mosque. The couple also took off their shoes.

    After exploring the capital and the mountainous North, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed in the heart of Pakistan – Lahore earlier on Thursday.

    Princess Kate looked elegant in an ivory outfit by Gul Ahmed and a shawl by Maheen Khan.

    The couple was received by Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar and Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar.

    At the airport lounge, they held a brief meeting with Governor Sarwar and CM Punjab who presented them souvenirs. While Sarwar gave the couple a painting, CM Buzdar gifted Kate a shawl.

    After that, they visited the SOS Village on Ferozepur Road where they interacted with orphans and even celebrated a birthday party.

    Kate also gave her first speech of the tour there. She finished her speech by wishing the children in Urdu, and it is the most adorable thing you’ll see today.

    They then went to National Cricket Academy where they played cricket with professional cricketer including Hassan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Sana Mir and Azhar Ali.

    Kate changed from her heels into a pair of sneakers for the game while William also wore a pair of blue joggers.

    For all the royal updates from Day 1 and 2, click here and here.