Myanmar appeal raises £7.5 million on day one with donations from King and Queen
The King and Queen are among those who have donated to the UK's Disaster Emergency Committee's (DEC) appeal to help people affected by the earthquake in Myanmar.
The appeal raised £7.5 million on the first day and donations from the public are still being matched pound for pound by the UK government up to £5 million, as part of its UK Aid Match scheme.
Made up of 15 UK aid agencies – including the British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children – the DEC issued an urgent appeal for funds to help the thousands injured and displaced.
The DEC said the current appeal total includes a 'generous' donation from Charles and Camilla, who are regular supporters of DEC appeals.
More than 3,100 people have died so far in Myanmar and more than 4,500 have been injured, according to the leaders of Myanmar's military government.
The DEC's latest fundraising announcement comes after television and radio appeals aired on Thursday calling for support.
The DEC has launched the Myanmar Earthquake Appeal to help those affected by the powerful earthquakes that have caused devastation in Myanmar.
Survivors urgently need critical support.
Please donate now. https://t.co/7cGOlpkXVD pic.twitter.com/SSvvJfdCLh
— DEC (@decappeal) April 3, 2025
Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said: 'We are extremely grateful to all the people who have already donated to the DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal.
'Once again, the UK public have shown their immense generosity and desire to help those impacted by disasters.
'The stories we are now hearing from the survivors who have managed to escape the ruins of flattened buildings are harrowing.
'Children have lost their families. Thousands have suffered life-changing injuries. Countless more have had their homes and possessions destroyed.
'Life-saving aid is already being delivered by member charities using funds donated to the DEC. But we can reach more people, families and children with your donations. If you are able – please help.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
King Charles and Prince Harry's Rift Reportedly Boils Down to This Reason
Prince Harry has been estranged from members of the royal family—namely his brother Prince William and his father King Charles—for some time. Last month, Harry gave an interview to the BBC where he said, in part, that Charles 'won't speak to me' and that he doesn't 'know how much longer my father has.' Royal biographers weigh in on the underlying reason behind the tension between father and son in particular—and whether the two will ever mend fences, as Charles continues to receive treatment for Harry's rift with the royal family—namely his brother, Prince William, and his father, King Charles—has raged on for years. At the core of it, a royal biographer said, is a lack of trust. Sally Bedell Smith told People for its cover story released on June 3 that 'the underlying issue is trust. The King and William don't trust Harry and Meghan [Markle] with any kind of confidential conversation.' This is likely spurred on by Harry and Meghan's 2020 step back from life as working royals and interviews that have followed—from their 2021 sit down with Oprah Winfrey to their 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan to Harry's 2023 memoir Spare. Last month, Harry granted another interview—this time to the BBC—where he said, in part (and alluding to his father's cancer diagnosis, announced publicly in February 2024), 'I don't know how much longer my father has.' Harry also said that Charles 'won't speak to me.' Royal biographer Valentine Low told People that Harry's BBC interview 'wasn't meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one. It makes Charles reaching out even harder.' Low added of the King that 'There is not a good angel in his ear to say, 'Be a good dad and make the first move.'' Harry was meant to be 'one of his reliable lieutenants he could call on to support the monarchy,' royal historian Dr. Ed Owens told the outlet, but circumstances changed. 'If you have that level of breach in a family and you are estranged, you run that risk every day of having something unfathomable to deal with,' fellow royal biographer Catherine Mayer told People. 'There is so much baggage there that the idea that one meeting would resolve everything is ridiculous,' she continued. 'But having some contact would seem better than none.' Low told the publication that the ongoing family feud could 'potentially damage [Charles'] legacy,' and to get to a place of possible reconciliation, 'Both sides have to reach a point where they realize they can't carry on as they are.' But is there hope at all of mending fences someday between father and son? 'I would like to think the King will take that step toward reconciliation with Harry in due course,' Owens said. Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Prince Harry and King Charles' Royal Rift That Won't Heal: 'The Underlying Issue Is Trust' (Exclusive)
King Charles faces increasing pressure to repair his fractured relationship with Prince Harry Despite Harry's public call for reconciliation, the monarch has yet to make a personal move toward reconciliation Trust remains the biggest barrier to a reunion; insiders say neither King Charles nor Prince William are ready to bridge the divideAs King Charles sat on a throne carved from Windsor trees at Canada's Parliament on May 27, delivering a message of unity amid rising U.S.-Canada tensions, his estranged son Prince Harry was thousands of miles away in Shanghai. Though briefly on the same continent, father and son remain emotionally worlds apart. 'The True North is indeed strong and free,' Charles, 76, declared — earning praise for his statesmanship, even as he continues weekly cancer treatments. 'He could give a master class in diplomatic relations,' Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth, tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. But another challenge looms — one no speech can fix: his fractured relationship with his son, who told the BBC in May: 'I don't know how much longer my father has… He won't speak to me.' The man Charles called his 'darling boy' was meant to be 'one of his reliable lieutenants he could call on to support the monarchy,' says royal historian Dr. Ed Owens, author of After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself? That vision unraveled in 2020 when Harry and Meghan Markle, 43, stepped back from royal duties and moved to Montecito, California. The rift deepened with bombshell interviews, their Netflix docuseries and Harry's best-selling memoir Spare, which alleged a physical altercation with Prince William, 42. While William remains firmly estranged from Harry and Meghan, some royal observers believe it's King Charles — head of the Church of England and a longtime advocate for unity — who should take the first step. But inside palace walls, hesitation reigns. At times, there has been a desire to reconnect — but 'the underlying issue is trust,' says royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith. 'The King and William don't trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation.' Charles, insiders say, isn't surrounded by voices encouraging reconciliation. William has shown no interest in extending an olive branch, and Queen Camilla, 77 — sharply criticized in Spare — 'stays out of it,' says a source. Even senior aides like Clive Alderton, also mentioned in Harry's memoir, are unlikely to push for a personal outreach. 'There is not a good angel in his ear to say, 'Be a good dad and make the first move,'' says Valentine Low, author of the upcoming book Power and the Palace. Despite Harry's call for peace, his BBC comments were widely seen as another blow. 'It wasn't meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one,' Low says. 'It makes Charles reaching out even harder.' And with the King still being treated for an undisclosed type of cancer, the stakes are growing. 'If you have that level of breach in a family, and you are estranged, you run that risk every day of having something unfathomable to deal with,' says Catherine Mayer, author of Charles: The Heart of a King. Even before recent events, Charles and Harry's dynamic was complex. Harry, the son of a broken marriage, lost his mother, Princess Diana, in tragic and public circumstances. Amid the rift with his father, Harry spoke with his uncle Charles Spencer about changing his family's last name to his mother's surname, Spencer, but was told the legal hurdles would be too great. 'There is so much baggage there that the idea that one meeting would resolve everything is ridiculous,' Mayer tells PEOPLE. 'But having some contact would seem better than none.' At the heart of the dispute is security. Harry says losing his official protection endangers his family, making him unwilling to bring Meghan and their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, who turns 4 on June 4, to the U.K. He believes Charles can reverse the decision, but the palace says the courts have 'examined [it] repeatedly and meticulously.' Low warns that the split could 'potentially damage [Charles'] legacy.' Still, he believes most people can separate the private drama from his public role: 'This is a family rift rather than a constitutional rift — it's what happens to families. Both sides have to reach a point where they realize they can't carry on as they are.' For now, father and son remain focused on their separate paths across the Atlantic. Harry, backed by a new communications team, is exploring new commercial ventures alongside his philanthropic work. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Charles, meanwhile, continues to show stamina. A senior aide noted after the Canada trip that the King is managing his illness amid 'incredible advances' in medicine and is determined to live life 'as normal as possible.' For Harry, that resolve may offer a glimmer of hope. 'I would like to think the King will take that step toward reconciliation with Harry in due course," Owens says. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Throne speech was an 'emotional moment' for the King, Buckingham Palace says
Some observant royal watchers thought King Charles looked emotional at times throughout his trip to Canada last week — and a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirms to CBC News that the normally stoic monarch found delivering the throne speech to be a particularly poignant moment. "His Majesty was deeply moved and touched by the enthusiastic response to his visit," the palace spokesperson said. "On the speech, the standing ovation in particular was an unexpected and emotional moment for His Majesty. You can hear his voice go a bit crackly in the final lines." Footage shows Charles looking pleased by the warm reception he received as the assembled dignitaries rose to applaud him and his speech. Charles's line about Canada "indeed" being the Truth North "strong and free" was particularly well received in the Senate chamber. There was no act of protest like when an Australian Indigenous senator shouted at the King in Parliament during his visit to that realm last year. WATCH | King Charles gets a standing ovation in Parliament: His voice then wavered and his eyes appeared to well up as he said the final line to the gathered parliamentarians: "May you honour the profound trust bestowed upon you by Canadians, and may God bless and guide you in all your duties." Charles also seemed to tear up outside the Senate building as thousands of people watched him arrive in the royal landau and inspect the military honour guard while the Royal Canadian Air Force band played O Canada. After the speech, he cheerfully greeted many of the onlookers and there were no obvious signs of protest. "It was the warmest of welcomes and the fondest of returns to a nation and a people we love," Charles and Queen Camilla themselves said in a joint statement released after they left Ottawa. WATCH | The royal parade to Parliament: The U.K. press took note of Charles's unusual display of emotion on this trip — his 20th official visit to Canada and his first as monarch. "Royals don't normally 'do' emotion, at least they do their very best to hide whatever feeling they have. But for some reason, King Charles seemed unable to do that on this occasion at the end of a short, but highly significant, visit," ITV's royal correspondent Chris Ship wrote in his coverage of the speech. In an interview with CBC News, Justin Vovk, a royal historian at McMaster University, said there was "more emotion than we've come to expect from members of the royal family." "I think Charles was taken aback somewhat. The King had been itching to get here and eager to make his presence felt in Canada but no one really knew what kind of reaction he would receive," Vovk said. "Journalists, academics, royalists, we were all watching and wondering: would there be a tepid turnout? Would there be protests? And I think once Charles saw the level of reaction from the people, it floored him; it seems he wasn't expecting it." The emotion may also have been driven by just how high-stakes the visit was for him and the country, Vovk said. In the face of American taunts and insults, Prime Minister Mark Carney pressed Charles into service, asking the head of state to assert Canada's sovereignty in the first throne speech delivered by a monarch in nearly 50 years. It was a diplomatic balancing act because Charles, as the sovereign of 15 realms, had to fulfil his duties as King of Canada without torpedoing Anglo-American relations given there's a sometimes mercurial president in the Oval Office and the U.K. is also facing trade threats. "Opening Parliament, reading the speech from the throne, these are the most significant constitutional roles that the sovereign plays in our political system," Vovk said. "He understood the weight of it politically, personally and dynastically," he said. Plus, Vovk said, for Charles, "Canada has deep meaning for him and deep meaning for his family." The King's favoured relative, his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and his own mother, Queen Elizabeth, made dozens of trips to Canada and wrote and spoke fondly about their experiences. Those sentiments have seemingly rubbed off on him, Vovk said. The Queen Mother, writing to Princess Margaret in 1958, said: "I have a feeling that Canada gives one a boost. They are so nice and so loving and the Mounties are so beautiful and so romantic." Looking back at her historic 1939 tour with King George VI on the eve of the Second World War — the first time a reigning monarch had been in North America — the Queen Mother said: "Canada made us." Queen Elizabeth, who personally witnessed seminal moments in the nation's history including the repatriation of the Constitution, described Canada as "home." "Charles is acutely aware that he and his family have had a presence in Canada at crucial moments. This is one of those moments," Vovk said. "He delivered, very deliberately, slogan-worthy, quotable lines — the True North, strong and free, Canada seeping into his bloodstream and straight to the heart. Those will be phrases associated with the monarchy in Canada for a very long time," he said. As for whether Charles's ongoing cancer battle may have played into his emotional reaction, Vovk said it's hard to say. "It's impossible to speculate on what goes on behind the curtain with the sovereign," he said.