PRINCE Harry may pull out of a planned return to the UK this summer – after he was "shocked" by the frosty reception he received at Prince Philip's funeral.
Royal expert Russell Myers claimed the Duke may make an "excuse" not to return for the unveiling of a statue dedicated to his late mother.
He is due to stand alongside brother William for a ceremony in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden on July 1 – the date of Diana's 60th birthday.
But Mr Myers said Harry was stunned by the "very, very cold reception" he received from the Royal Family when he flew back from LA for his grandfather’s funeral earlier this month.
Speaking to talkRADIO, the expert said: "Some quarters of the family did give him a frosty reception and perhaps that did shock him somewhat."
And he claimed the Duke may use the birth of his second child, a daughter within weeks, as a "convenient excuse" not to "face the family".
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates…
- Debbie White
PRINCE HARRY ‘COULD FLY TO THE UK ON PRIVATE JET FOR PRINCESS DIANA STATUE UNVEILING’ – ROYAL EXPERT
The Duke of Sussex could make a quick private jet getaway to the UK for the unveiling of the Princess Diana statue, says a royal expert.
On ITV’s Lorraine show this morning, Royal editor Russell Myers said that “obviously he can jump on the private jet any time he wants and fly over, and I’m sure he will want to make every effort to get here.”
Lorraine told Russell: “Prince Harry is back in the news this morning, with reports that he faced a frosty reception from his family at Prince Philip’s funeral. No surprises there.”
She added: “Everybody was looking forward to the fact that in the summer, there’s going to be this tribute to Princess Diana, her two sons would be there, and that would really help build those bridges, but probably not?” Russell replied: “Well, it’s the million-dollar question isn’t it. Will he or won’t he [return]?”
Lorraine also said that like other royal fans, she would have loved to have known what Anne, Princess Royal, “had to say” to her nephew at the service in the wake of the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.
- Debbie White
PRINCE HARRY MAY NOT ATTEND PRINCESS DIANA STATUE UNVEILING AS MEGHAN DUE TO GIVE BIRTH
Although Prince Harry is “really hoping” to return to the UK for the Princess Diana statue unveiling, he might find it difficult if Meghan gives birth to their girl around the time of that event, says a royal expert.
On ITV’s Lorraine show this morning, royal editor Russell Myers said: “A lot has been made of [William and Harry’s] relationship of late.
“The discussions that they had or didn’t have after Prince Philip’s funeral, so, [I’m] still told both brothers are very much committed.
“However, Meghan is heavily pregnant, due to give birth in the early summer – [we] still don’t know when that is, but one would assume maybe June time.
“[But] if she goes over [her due date], will it be an issue with him coming over?”
- Debbie White
PRINCE HARRY STILL KEEN TO RETURN TO THE UK FOR PRINCESS DIANA STATUE UNVEILING
Prince Harry is “really hoping” to return to the UK for the joint unveiling of the Princess Diana statue with Prince William, says a royal expert.
On ITV’s Lorraine show this morning, royal editor Russell Myers said: “I’m still told that Prince Harry is really hoping to come back, and this is quite an interesting point because it’s the unveiling of the Princess Diana statue on July 1st.
“The boys have had a huge hand in this. And they will obviously want to put differences aside.”
The statue will be unveiled in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London.
- Debbie White
'SENSITIVE AND DISCREET' COMMS OFFICER NEEDED FOR KATE AND WILLIAM…MORE
No detail on salary for the coveted Royal communication job is given in the Cambridges' ad.
But it states that "excellent interpersonal skills" and the ability to work "proactively and flexibly" are required. The staff member, who will be based at Kensington Palace, will be involved in leading communications plans for the couple's royal engagements.
The permanent position will cover 37.5 hours a week as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
The advertisement states that the Royal household is looking for someone with strong written communication skills who can write everything from press releases to social media posts.
It comes as the Duke and Duchess prepare to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary later this week.
- Debbie White
WANT TO WORK FOR KATE & WILLS? YOU'LL NEED TO BE 'SENSITIVE, TACTFUL & DISCREET'
Kate Middleton and Prince William are searching for a new member of staff.
The Cambridges are looking for a trustworthy and capable senior comms officer to support them after William promised to focus on his duty.
According to the ad posted to LinkedIn, the busy couple want a loyal employee who can "handle sensitive information with tact and discretion at all times".
The job specification calling for 'discretion' will be important for the royal couple after Prince Harry's talks with senior royals were put on hold due to 'constant leaks from the Sussex side'.
The successful candidate will also respond to media enquiries about the Cambridge family, as well as working on communication plans for overseas tours.
- Debbie White
PAL DEFENDS PRINCE ANDREW OVER JOINT BUSINESS
A source close to Prince Andrew defended Harry Keogh yesterday as a “friend and adviser to the duke”.
When asked about the Duke of York setting up a company with Keogh, once a star financier at the Queen's bank, Coutts, the source described him as “the duke’s private banker for some 20 years”.
Last Friday, Keogh said a non-disclosure agreement with the bank meant he was unable to comment on the allegations.
The source close to the duke said the allegations against Keogh “don’t appear to have been subject to any investigation by law enforcement or independent third parties and nor have they been tested by due process in a court of law”.
- Debbie White
PRINCE ANDREW GOES INTO BUSINESS WITH ‘DISGRACED BANKER’…MORE
The company is named Lincelles, after an 18th-century battle in which the Duke of York commanded the English against the French.
Andrew is said to control 75 per cent of the firm through the Urramoor Trust, while he and Mr Keogh are listed as persons with significant control over Lincelles, says The Times.
Lincelles' other controller is Charles Douglas, a commercial lawyer specialising in advising offshore funds and high-net-worth individuals.
Its director is Dominic Hampshire, the secretary of the QuadCentenary Club, of which the duke is chairman.
The business will not have to file accounts with Companies House and can avoid disclosing its profits or income.
- Debbie White
PRINCE ANDREW GOES INTO BUSINESS WITH 'DISGRACED BANKER'
Prince Andrew has gone into business with a banker who quit after he was accused of groping young female staff, it has been reported.
The Duke of York has set up a company with Harry Keogh, once a star financier at the Queen's bank, Coutts, who resigned in 2018 following a storm of sexual harassment claims.
Mr Keogh was disciplined after being accused of inappropriately touching young female staff.
And the Duke of York, who has previously faced questions over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, now seems to have gone into business with his long term friend, who was a guest at his daughter Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018.
Their company, which was formed last June, will be a vehicle for Andrew's family investments and will have an unlimited status, giving it a degree of privacy, The Times reports. A friend of Keogh told the The Wall Street Journal that he denied the allegations and it was reported that he had sued the bank for unfair dismissal.
- Elizabeth Little
THRONE IT ALL AWAY – ROYAL PEACE TALKS ON HOLD DUE TO SUSSEX LEAKS
Crunch 'peace' talks between Prince Harry and senior royals have been put on hold because of constant leaks “from the Sussex side”.
Sources say palace aides still harbour deep misgivings about any future clear-the-air discussions with Harry. They point to a flurry of articles in the US within hours of his return to California.
And they have become increasingly alarmed at the speed at which details of private family exchanges have emerged.
For example, US magazine People carried intimate details of a private phone call between Meghan, one-year-old son Archie and the Queen ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral.
People has previously been seen as a favoured outlet for the Sussexes. In February 2019, five of Meghan’s closest friends briefed it in depth about her life while claiming she had suffered “global bullying”.
- Elizabeth Little
MARTIN BASHIR 'LOSES £125K IN LONDON HOUSE SALE'
Under-fire Martin Bashir has copped a whopping £125,000 loss after selling his home "in a hurry" to a lingerie exec, says the Daily Mail.
The paper reported that the BBC's religion editor "packed up and left London is a rush last November, as the scandal raged over his Princess Diana interview."
It was bought for £1.8million by Lucy Litwack, who owns underwear brand Coco de Mer, according to Land Registry details.
This price is £125K less than the amount paid by Mr Bashir and his wife five years earlier, the Mail adds.
Diana opened up her heart to Bashir in one of the most explosive talks ever broadcast – admitting there were “three people in her marriage” owing to Charles’ affair with Camilla.
- Elizabeth Little
KATE MIDDLETON'S UNCLE RECKONS ROYAL SHOULD BE QUEEN 'SOONER'
The Duchess of Cambridge's proud uncle is ultra keen for the royal to be made Queen sooner rather than later, says a report.
Gary Goldsmith told the Daily Mail: "She's taken to that job – and it is a job – like a duck to water, and emerged as the best thing that could have happened to the Royal Family.
"She's their biggest asset at the moment.
"She was a breath of fresh air [upon marrying Prince William], and she hasn't put a foot wrong since!"
- Elizabeth Little
WILLIAM AND KATE 'READY TO REIGN' IN CHANGE OF ROYAL ERA
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge could easily take over the Monarch's role, according to Kate's uncle, Gary Goldsmith.
He told the Daily Mail: "Obviously I'm a massive fan of the Queen, and it's amazing that her reign has been the longest in the history, but wouldn't it be great if William and Kate had the opportunity to have perhaps an even longer reign?
"We are in an era of change for the Royal Family. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster, and if Her Majesty was to step aside, it's my opinion William and Kate would give the whole country stability."
- Elizabeth Little
SUPPORT GROWS FOR PRINCE CHARLES AS KING
Nearly 40 per cent of Brits surveyed about the Monarchy say that the Prince of Wales should be the next king.
A YouGov survey of 1,730 adults for The Times found that 37 per cent of people thought that Prince Charles should reign – compared with 34 per cent signalling support for his son, Prince William.
It's a change from the end of 2020, when 40 per cent favoured William, and 32 per cent supported his dad.
The Times points out: "Since the earlier survey there has been the fallout of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' interview with Oprah Winfrey, and the death of the Duke of Edinburgh."
- Elizabeth Little
MEGHAN IS 'LEAST POPULAR ROYAL' – UK SURVEY
The Duchess of Sussex is Britain's least popular royal after Prince Andrew, a survey has shown.
The Times writes that a recent YouGov poll on behalf of the paper reveals that Meghan Markle is the least popular royal, with 61 per cent of people surveyed having a negative opinion of her.
"Harry is next, with 49 per cent. The results reveal a split between older and younger Britons, with the latter keener on the couple.
"William and Kate are by the far more popular, with 80 per cent of people being positive about him, and 78 per cent for her."
- Elizabeth Little
LAND ROVER TOUR OF ROYAL SANDRINGHAM ESTATE
You can now enjoy a Land Rover Defender tour of the Royal Sandringham Estate, which is offering house and garden tickets available to book online for spring, summer and autumn.
Sandringham Royal Park spreads over 243 hectare, and is the "much-loved country retreat of the Queen and has been the private home of four generations of British Monarchs since 1862," the website adds.
The two-hour Land Rover Defender tour explores "stunning scenery on the wider estate, the Wash – an outstanding shallow bay teeming with wildlife and the largest estuary system in the UK, internationally recognised for bird species' – and the Royal Station platform in the village of Wolferton".
Visitors can also see organic farmland and extensive forests, to try and spot deer, hare and birds of prey.
The 'safari' includes afternoon tea, and is limited to a maximum of six people.
- Elizabeth Little
CHARLES PHILS IN FOR OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
Prince Charles is to formally step into his late father’s shoes — with plans for him to accompany the Queen to the State Opening of Parliament.
Whitehall officials have been asked to designate him a role as his mother’s official “consort” following Prince Philip’s death.
It is part of a strategy for senior royals to help reduce the workload of the 95-year-old Queen.
Charles, 72 — who discussed the future with his father in hospital in the weeks before he died — will shoulder a greater burden of major royal duties before eventually taking over as King.
- Elizabeth Little
CROWN BOSSES STRUGGLE TO FIND ACTOR TO PLAY PRINCE ANDREW
The Crown bosses are struggling to find an actor to play unpopular Prince Andrew in the upcoming fifth series of the Netflix hit.
Producers of the historical drama, Left Bank Pictures, have resorted to advertising the role on Spotlight, a job website for out-of-work actors, to play the Duke of York, now 61, in his mid 30s to early 40s insisting it’s “a very good role".
A casting source said: “Prince Andrew is one of the most unpopular members of the royal family and wannabe stars aren’t exactly queuing up to play him.
"It’s not the sexiest role and is unlikely to set a Hollywood career alight."
The ad reveals that filming will begin in August and continue to January next year, with a view to return for Season six which is scheduled to film from 2022.
- Elizabeth Little
KATE ‘GIVEN ETIQUETTE LESSONS BUT NOT MEGHAN’
Kate Middleton was reportedly given etiquette lessons before she joined the royal family.
Royal correspondent Ashley Pearson claimed she was taught all the royal protocols ahead of marrying Prince William – unlike Meghan Markle.
Speaking in 2017 documentary Kate Middleton: Working Class to Windsor, she said: “From the beginning, Kate Middleton had a great deal of support from the Royal Family, which was really instructed by the Queen, to make sure that she knew as much as she could possibly know in what to do in every situation.
“Bearing in mind, of course, she didn’t really grow up in this world where there were things like learning how to get out of a carriage without exposing your modesty, learning how to bend down and receive flowers from a young girl without exposing your modesty and things like that that you would never think you would have to learn.”
- Elizabeth Little
WILLIAM AND HARRY AGREE ON SWEET DIANA TRIBUTE
Prince William and Prince Harry have given permission for their mother’s wedding dress to go on display at Kensington Palace this summer, for the first time in more than 25 years.
Princess Diana’s bridal gown will be accessible to the public in honour of what would have been her 60th birthday this year.
Royal fans will be able to see the stunning silk taffeta wedding dress up close in a temporary exhibition called Royal Style In The Making.
The dress will be on display in Diana’s former home from Thursday 3 June until January 2022.
- Elizabeth Little
THE QUEEN HAS NO INTENTION OF RETREATING, LIKE QUEEN VICTORIA
The Queen has no intention of emulating her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who retreated from public life when her husband, Prince Albert, died unexpectedly at the age of 42, says a royal author.
Robert Hardman, who wrote Queen of the World, said that since Prince Philip's funeral, “the signal she’s been putting out is that this is going to be business as usual – that duty comes before self.
“She will continue with all her duties because… she took a coronation oath and she’s sticking to it.”
- Elizabeth Little
PRINCE HARRY SAYS PRINCE PHILIP MAKES HIM FEEL ‘PROUD AND ENERGISED’
Prince Harry has paid tribute to Prince Philip in a video he narrated for World Earth Day.
The eco-warrior has regularly spoken about the environment and how people should change their ways. In a statement alongside the video, Harry, 36, pays tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh and his role in conservation.
He said: "As we now begin to move towards an era of global recovery and regeneration, it's critical that we continue to look at the strengthening and protecting of biodiversity, not just as a value we hold – but as a responsibility that is vital to our way of life.
"On this Earth Day, I reflect on the generations of conservation champions, including my late grandfather, and feel proud and energised to continue doing my part in this legacy.
"This year especially, I join the incredible African Parks team and communities around the world in shared dedication to our environment and collective well-being."
- Elizabeth Little
CAMILLA ISN’T A FAN OF NETFLIX SHOW 'THE CROWN'
The Duchess of Cornwall isn’t a fan of The Crown, confirms her son.
Speaking to ITV’s Loose Women show this morning, Tom Parker Bowles was asked by panellist Janet Street-Porter: “Do you watch The Crown, and does your mum watch The Crown?”
Tom replied: “I can answer truthfully, no and no.”
But she does enjoy watching Loose Women, he added, to which Coleen Nolan replied that she’d love to have her on the show.
- Elizabeth Little
HARRY AND MEGHAN MAY BE 'DITCHED' FROM ROYAL FAMILY
Prince Harry and Meghan may be sensationally "ditched" from the Royal family during a streamlining of the Monarchy, says an expert.
Renowned royal biographer Angela Levin claims the Prince of Wales is poised to "cut the monarchy down" in the future to save cash.
Ms Levin told talkRADIO: "Prince Charles has wanted for a very long time to cut the monarchy down to save costs and to make people be worth the money that they got from the taxpayer.
"I imagine that might be when Harry and Meghan are ditched from being members of the Royal family.
"I think the outer edge, which the Queen has wanted to keep together for a very long time for sentimental reasons, which at her age she didn't really particularly want change which I think is understandable. But he wants to change and I think he will do that."
- Elizabeth Little
BBC DEFENDS PRINCE PHILIP FUNERAL COMPLAINTS
The BBC has defended its coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral after being hit with complaints.
The Corporation devoted almost four hours to the event on April 17, led by broadcaster Huw Edwards, which was watched by an average of almost seven million people.
The BBC received 110,000 complaints about its coverage on the day of the duke's death, after it cleared its schedules and put mirrored coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and its News Channel.
In its response, the broadcaster said: "The funeral of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was a significant event which generated a lot of interest both nationally and internationally.
"We acknowledge some viewers were unhappy with the level of coverage given, and impact this had on the billed BBC One schedule.
"We do not make such changes without careful consideration, and the decisions made reflect the role the BBC plays as the national broadcaster during moments of national significance.
"We are grateful for all feedback, and we always listen to the response from our audiences."
- Elizabeth Little
NO ROYAL CRUNCH TALKS DUE TO CONSTANT LEAKS
Crunch talks between Prince Harry and senior royals have been put on hold because of constant leaks “from the Sussex side”.
The Sun revealed no “meaningful conversations” have taken place since the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
Sources say aides still harbour deep misgivings about any future clear-the-air discussions with Harry. They point to a flurry of articles in the US within hours of his return to California.
And they have become increasingly alarmed at the speed at which details of private family exchanges have emerged.
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