Tag: royal family

  • Prince Harry says ‘The Crown’ is ‘loosely’ based on the truth

    Prince Harry, in his first interview after moving to North America, has revealed that he stepped down from royal duties and away from the spotlight because of the “toxic” British press adding that it was negatively affecting his mental health.

    “I did what any husband and what any father would do,” said Harry. “It was like, I need to get my family out of here.”

    The royal further went on to clarify that “it was never [about] walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down.”

    “There was a really difficult environment as I think a lot of people saw,” he added.

    When asked about his thoughts on Netflix’s The Crown, Harry said: “[The Crown doesn’t] pretend to be news.”

    “It’s fictional, but it is loosely based on the truth. It gives you a rough idea of what that lifestyle and the pressures of duty and service over family and what can come from that. I am way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family and my wife or myself because it’s the difference between [The Crown] is obviously fiction.”

    “Take it as you will, but [the tabloids] have been reported on as facts because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that,” said Harry further.

    Read more – UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    Harry also revealed that his and Meghan’s relationship went from “zero to 60” in the first two months because they were forced to spending so much time alone together.

    “It’s kind of flipped upside down. All the dates become dinners or watching the TV and chatting at home, then eventually once you become a couple, then you venture out for dinners, the cinema, and everything else,” said Harry.

    “Everything was done back to front with us. So we got to spend an enormous amount of time just the two of us … And that was great, an amazing thing.”

    Earlier this month, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle made a final split with the British royal family, telling Queen Elizabeth that they will not be returning as working members of the monarchy.

    In January 2020, Harry and Meghan sent shockwaves across the world by suddenly announcing they were splitting from the family and embarking on a new future across the Atlantic – one of the most extraordinary royal exits in decades.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Harry and Meghan are expecting their second child. The couple announced the news on Valentine’s Day.

  • Harry and Meghan make final split with British royal family

    Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have made a final split with the British royal family, telling Queen Elizabeth that they will not be returning as working members of monarchy, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

    According to Reuters, Harry and Meghan sent shockwaves through the monarchy in January 2020 by suddenly announcing they were splitting from the family and embarking on a new future across the Atlantic – one of the most extraordinary royal exits in decades.

    That split has now been formalised after discussions with the 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth: Harry and Meghan will lose their treasured royal patronages which revert to the queen and will be distributed among other family members.

    “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family,” the Palace said.

    “While all are saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”

    The split amounts to an abdication from the royal family whose senior members such as the queen have long prioritised duty and service above personal wishes.

    The pair, who said they would remained committed to their service to Britain, will break their silence on the royal split — cast by British newspapers as “Megxit” — in an interview with Oprah Winfrey next month.

    When they announced their intention to carve out a “progressive new role” away from stifling media intrusion in 2020, they said they wanted to become financially independent but also honour their duties to the queen and their official patronages of charities and organisations close to their hearts.

    Those patronages have now gone. Queen Elizabeth, whose 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, is currently in hospital in London, took a firm line.

    “The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” the Palace said.

    The pair will lose their associations with The Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving as well as with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football Union, The Rugby Football League, and The Royal National Theatre.

    Through a spokesman, Harry and Meghan said that they remained committed to service.

    “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal, the spokesman said.

    “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role.”

    Meanwhile, their decision may have left many displeased but the one person in the family who understood their need to step back was Princess Anne.

    Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, moved with their son Archie to Southern California to live a more independent life and escape the British media. They announced on Sunday that they were expecting their second child.

    Harry is the second son of Prince Charles, heir to the throne, and his first wife Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Harry and Meghan are expecting their first child. The couple shared this news on Valentine’s Day.

  • Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘overjoyed to be expecting their second child’

    Prince Harry, Meghan Markle ‘overjoyed to be expecting their second child’

    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expecting their second child, their spokesman told British media in a Valentine’s Day announcement on Sunday. The child will be eighth in the line to the British throne.

    The couple released a black and white image of them under a tree, all smiles, with Markle, 39, showing signs of pregnancy. The photo was reportedly taken remotely via iPad by their friend and longtime photographer, Misan Harriman.

    “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother,” the spokesman said, referring to the couple’s son. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”

    The couple’s announcement on Valentine’s Day was a nod to Princess Diana, who 37 years ago on the same day, had announced that she was pregnant with Prince Harry.

    Meghan and Harry, 36, who is Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson, quit frontline royal duties in March last year and now live in California.

    The news follows Markle’s disclosure in The New York Times in November that she had suffered a miscarriage in July.

    A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.”

    The couple’s departure last year — dubbed ‘Megxit‘ by the British press — was a far cry from 2018 when they married in a ceremony at Windsor Castle watched around the world.

    The mood soured as reports circulated about a rift between Harry and his brother Prince William, second in line to the throne.

    Since leaving, they have launched several legal cases against news outlets alleging invasion of privacy — including one that ended on Thursday with a victory against Associated Newspapers in the UK.

    The cases have attracted criticism from some, as the couple are also launching themselves into the public eye with high-profile commercial projects.

    Last year they launched a non-profit organisation, Archewell, after giving up a “Sussex Royal” brand as part of the terms of their departure from frontline royal duties.

    They have started other ventures, including signing a deal with Spotify to produce podcasts that tell “uplifting and entertaining stories”. The couple also signed a contract, reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars with streaming giant Netflix to produce “impactful” films and series.

    Read more – Archie speaks publicly for the first time on Meghan, Harry’s first podcast

    Harry and Meghan’s announcement came days after Princess Eugenie, a granddaughter of the queen, gave birth to a baby boy.

  • Duchess of York’s debut novel to be an ‘immersive historical saga’

    Duchess of York’s debut novel to be an ‘immersive historical saga’

    Looks like we’re geared up for another romantic saga! The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has landed a book deal with romantic fiction publisher Mills & Boon.

    According to a report in The Guardian, Ferguson’s debut novel, Her Heart for a Compass, will hit shelves in August and tells a fictional account of the life and love story of her great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott. The Duchess revealed that she “drew on many parallels from my life” for the historical tale.

    On the other hand, Mills & Boon has described the novel as an “immersive historical saga” that “sweeps the reader from the drawing rooms of Victoria’s court and the grand country houses of Scotland and Ireland to the slums of London and the mercantile bustle of 1870s New York”.

    It follows Margaret, “who desires to break the mould, follow her internal compass – her heart – and discover her raison d’être – falling in love along the way”.

    Sarah shared that she came across Margaret after researching her ancestry and became fascinated with her because Margaret is her middle name.

    The Duchess has spoken of how she took inspiration from her own experiences when writing the novel. She was pictured in a Victorian-style floor-length outfit, complete with a high-necked blouse, jacket and gloves, sitting on a stone bench gazing at a compass she held out in front of her, to promote the work.

    She said: “Although her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, were close friends with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, I was unable to discover much about my namesake’s early life, and so was born the idea which became Her Heart for a Compass.

    “With real historical events and facts to hand, my imagination took over. I invented a history for her that incorporated real people and events, including some of my other ancestors.

    “I created a friendship between my heroine and Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s sixth child, and I drew on many parallels from my life for Lady Margaret’s journey.”

    For the unacquainted, Ferguson is the Duke of York’s Prince Andrew’s former wife and the Queen’s former daughter-in-law. She was cast out from the royals amid her “toe-sucking” scandal in the 1990s, and fell deeply into debt, owing millions.

    Read more – Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice is in Pakistan for a ski trip

    She once confessed: “I was hopeless from the start … they could never make me the perfect princess.”

    The Duchess, who has previously written her memoirs, is the author of numerous children’s books including the Little Red and Budgie the Little Helicopter series.

    She has been reading children’s books throughout the pandemic on her YouTube channel, Storytime with Fergie and Friends.

    Sarah added: “I have long held a passion for historical research and telling the stories of strong women in history through film and television. I am proud to bring my personal brand of historical fiction to the publishing world.”

    Mills & Boon, the UK’s leading publisher of romantic fiction, was established in 1908. Its books are written by women for women and range from historical romance to rom-com and erotica, and one is sold every 10 seconds in the UK.

  • Govt issues special permits for Houbara hunting to Dubai royals

    The government has reportedly issued special permits to seven-members of Dubai’s royal family to hunt the internationally protected Houbara bustard during the 2020-21 hunting season.

    As per details, the permit has been issued to Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and six other members of the ruling family including the crown prince, deputy ruler and finance and industries minister, deputy police chief, an army official, two other members of the royal family, and a businessman.

    The hunting permits were reportedly issued by Prime Minister Imran Khan himself who earlier opposed the hunting of rare bird, while in opposition.

    It is pertinent to add here that local citizens are not allowed to hunt the migratory bird wrongly prized as an aphrodisiac and classified as vulnerable by conservationists.

    Read more – Illegal falcon trade on the rise in Pakistan

    Talking about the hunting of the Houbara bustard Muhammad bin Naveed, an animal rights activist and member of Friends of Islamabad Zoo said: “Houbara bustards have become an unfortunate tool for so-called diplomacy with our Arab allies where again we are using animals and their lives to play politics.”

    He further added: “No government in the past or now has stood up to the killing of Houbara bustards by Arab royal families simply because they pay a lot to be here and contribute to the local economy. I think we, as a nation, and our Arab allies need to think if such activities have any place in the 21st century and why we are using animals to propagate outdated traditions that are not even a part of our culture.”

    Earlier in December 2020, it was reported that at least 18 Saudi and Qatari royals, including Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, will visit Pakistan to hunt the rare houbara bustard after the confirmation of their special hunting licences.

  • Archie speaks publicly for the first time on Meghan, Harry’s first podcast

    Archie speaks publicly for the first time on Meghan, Harry’s first podcast

    Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Tuesday thanked essential workers and offered encouragement to people who suffered during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in their first podcast released on Spotify.

    Harry and Meghan, known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hosted the episode and introduced reflections and hopes for the new year from singer Elton John, producer and actor Tyler Perry, tennis champion Naomi Osaka and other celebrities, artists and authors.

    During the 33-minute episode, the couple thanked healthcare and frontline workers and others who made sacrifices during a challenging year.

    “From us, I’ll say no matter what life throws at you guys, trust us when we say, love wins,” Meghan said.

    “Love always wins,” Harry added.

    The episode ended with a surprise appearance by the couple’s 19-month-old son, Archie. With guidance from his parents, Archie said: “Happy … New … Year!”

    Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in January and moved with Archie to Southern California to live a more independent life and escape the hostile British media. The pair made no mention of their move in the podcast.

    Read more – PM Imran shares his thoughts on Megxit

    In September, the couple signed a multi-year production deal for TV programming with Netflix Inc, followed by a multi-year agreement to produce and host podcasts for Spotify.

  • UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    UK Government wants Netflix to classify ‘The Crown’ as fiction

    The Culture Secretary of the United Kingdom Oliver Dowden has suggested that each episode of The Crown should begin with a disclaimer stating that the show is not factual.

    “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” Dowden said in an interview. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”

    He added that will write to Netflix this week to express his view.

    The fourth season of The Crown follows the life of the royal family during the late 1970s and the 1980s, which means many of the main characters’ real-life counterparts are still living. Charles and Princess Diana’s rocky married life and the Charles-Diana-Camilla love triangle is one of the main storylines in the season. It is pertinent to add here that the creators of the show have clarified that creative liberty has been taken while making the show. This season also shows Margaret Thatcher’s years in office as prime minister.

    Read more – Season Four of ‘The Crown’ is a Pakistani arranged marriage nightmare

    Meanwhile, Dowden is not the only one who thinks that The Crown should be classified as a work of fiction. Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, has also said that he believes the series should warn viewers that it takes artistic license with actual events.

    “I think it would help The Crown an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated that: ‘This isn’t true but it is based around some real events,’” Spencer had said in an interview.

    Season 4 of The Crown is now streaming on Netflix.

  • Prince William welcomes new investigation into Diana’s explosive BBC interview

    Prince William welcomes new investigation into Diana’s explosive BBC interview

    Prince William has “tentatively welcomed” an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding a BBC interview in 1995 with his mother, Princess Diana, royal officials said on Thursday.

    William, who is second in line to the throne, in a statement said that the probe is “a step in the right direction”. He added that it “should help establish the truth behind the actions” that led to the interview as well as “subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time”.

    The Princess of Wales was interviewed by BBC’s Martin Bashir (R) in the current affairs program, Panorama, November 20, 1995

    On Wednesday, BBC announced that it has appointed a retired senior judge to lead an investigation into the 1995 interview after Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, made renewed complaints this month that journalist Martin Bashir used false documents and other dishonest tactics to convince Diana to agree to the interview.

    The investigation will consider if the steps taken by the broadcaster and Bashir were appropriate and whether those actions influenced Diana’s decision to give the interview. It will also look into how much the BBC knew about the “mocked-up bank statements” that Charles Spencer claimed Bashir produced, purporting to show payments made to staff working for Spencer and the royal family.

    Read more – New documentary claiming Princess Diana tried to commit suicide ‘upsets’ William & Harry

    The 1995 interview, in which Diana famously said “there were three of us in this marriage” — referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles — was watched by millions of people and sent shockwaves through the monarchy.

    Diana divorced from Charles in 1996 and died in a Paris car crash in 1997 as she was pursued by paparazzi. Charles married Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005.

  • Princess Diana makes a dramatic debut in the latest season of ‘The Crown’

    More than two decades after her death, Princess Diana’s ill-fated entry into the British royal family is the main storyline in the long-awaited fourth season of the hit Netflix drama The Crown.

    https://twitter.com/TheCrownNetflix/status/1321814107943772162

    Emma Corrin, a 24-year-old actress little known until now, immerses herself in the role of the young Diana, capturing her soft voice and timid gaze from under a heavy fringe.

    But the actress admitted in an interview with The Sunday Times that she felt a “huge amount of pressure” to pull off the role in the new season, which starts on Sunday.

    Diana is shown as a naive teenager who quickly becomes lonely in the role of Prince Charles’ fiancee and rollerskates around Buckingham Palace to pass the time. Even before their unhappy marriage, she begins cycles of bulimia: binge-eating and then purging herself of food.

    Diana Spencer had just turned 20 when the couple married in 1981, while Charles was 32. As heir to the throne, since reaching his 30s, he had faced pressure to marry to ensure succession.

    Despite having doubts, he agreed to propose to Diana but did not sever ties with his long-time lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 and Charles subsequently married Parker-Bowles in 2005.

    While the previous series depicted Charles as a sensitive and misunderstood boy, as Diana’s husband he is seen as cold and unfaithful, complaining to Camilla that she is “so weak, so fragile”.

    The breakup of their marriage due to infidelities and Diana’s confessional television interview was scandalous at the time and is making headlines even today.

    The BBC has pledged to hold an independent investigation into how its journalist Martin Bashir persuaded Diana to take part in the sensational interview in 1995. Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, claims Bashir showed faked documents to persuade Diana to take part in the interview, where she famously complained “there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded.”

    The love triangle is one of the main storylines in the fourth season, which covers the late 1970s and the 1980s.

    The scriptwriters also dramatise a notorious incident that year in which a 33-year-old man, Michael Hagan — frustrated at being unemployed and separated from his wife — broke into Buckingham Palace and entered the queen’s bedroom.

    The queen, who kept her legendary sang-froid, is again played by Olivia Colman, the British actress who won an Oscar for The Favourite in 2019. In the fifth series, she will hand over the role of the older queen to 64-year-old Imelda Staunton, known for playing the cruel Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.

    The US actress Gillian Anderson plays Margaret Thatcher, the imperious first woman to head the British government, in a season dominated by strong female roles.

    Read more – Netflix Originals you can watch with your parents

    A critical and popular success, The Crown was first broadcast in 2016 and has won numerous awards, including three Golden Globes and 10 Emmy Awards.

    A total of 73 million people have watched at least one episode of the series, Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s joint chief executive and chief content officer, said in January.

  • Prince William reportedly contracted COVID-19 in April

    Prince William reportedly contracted COVID-19 in April

    Britain’s Prince William reportedly contracted COVID-19 in April at a similar time to his father Prince Charles, British media reported late on Sunday, citing Kensington Palace sources.

    William, grandson of Queen Elizabeth and second-in-line to the British throne, kept his diagnosis a secret because he did not want to alarm the country, The Sun newspaper reported.

    “There were important things going on and I didn’t want to worry anyone,” William was quoted by the newspaper as having told an observer at an engagement.

    He was treated by palace doctors and followed government guidelines by isolating at the family home Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, the newspaper said, adding he still carried out 14 telephone and video call engagements during April.

    “William was hit pretty hard by the virus – it really knocked him for six. At one stage he was struggling to breathe, so obviously everyone around him was pretty panicked,” a source told The Sun.

    BBC News also confirmed the news from sources late on Sunday, with Kensington Palace and the office of Prince William refusing to comment officially to the news outlet.

    According to royal reporter Chris Ship, Kate and the couple’s children did not test positive for the virus.

    The residence of William’s father, Prince Charles, had said on March 25 that Charles tested positive for the coronavirus. The heir to the throne had self-isolated at his residence in Scotland for seven days with mild symptoms.

    Britain has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and has reported 46,717 COVID-19 deaths – defined as those dying within 28 days of a positive test. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service. The one-month lockdown across England will kick in at a minute past midnight on Thursday morning and last until December 2.