
Lock up the crown if Trump comes to visit
We've had Donald Trump stating his designs on Greenland, on Canada and now on the pope's position (Trump accused of 'mocking' Catholics after posting image of himself as pope, 4 May). His Majesty had better watch out when Trump susses out the possibility of obtaining regal headgear if he visits later this year.
Peter Nias
Bradford
I'm sure we can all name one convicted felon who could be locked up in Alcatraz (Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison for 'most ruthless offenders', 5 May).
Glenn Barr
Hornsea, East Yorkshire
I believe the name Kevin became popular in Germany after Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York came out in the 1990s (Letters, 1 May). The German titles are Kevin – Allein zu Hause and Kevin – Allein in New York .
Thomas Wilm
Wallasey, Merseyside
I am shocked that two Cornwall residents seem unaware that the only way to enjoy a chocolate digestive biscuit is topped with clotted cream (Letters, 6 May).
James Fox
Paddock Wood, Kent
Chocolate digestives fade into insignificance alongside a Border dark chocolate and ginger biscuit. You can eat it either way up as the chocolate goes all the way around the outside.
Lynn Fotheringham
Over Kellet, Lancashire
I still use my grandmother's carving knife and fork, which must be 100 years old (Letters, 5 May). And it's still the sharpest knife in the box.
Richard Bull
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
King Charles shares touching Father's Day tribute to late Prince Philip - in heartwarming post dedicated 'to all dads everywhere'
The King has shared a touching tribute to the late Prince Philip for Father's Day -dedicating the post 'to all dads everywhere'. Charles, 76, posted a black and white throwback snap of the former Duke of Edinburgh pushing himself and sister Anne, 74, on a swing when they were children. On Instagram Stories, the Royal Family account also unveiled home footage of Philip as a young, doting father - placing his little ones in baby carriages, feeding the horses with the kids, and chuckling along with his sons and daughter. The heartwarming montage also showed the young monarch enjoying the outdoors with his family, and bonding with his father. In a second post, Queen Camilla, 77, was also pictured with her father Bruce Shand - from the day of her wedding to Charles in 2005. She has often cited him as her inspiration, and owes her love of literature and reading initiatives to him. 'To all Dads everywhere, we wish you a happy Father's Day today,' the caption read. Elsewhere earlier today, the Prince of Wales's have also shared a sweet message for their 'Papa' this Sunday. 'To all Dads everywhere, we wish you a happy Father's Day today,' the caption read. Elsewhere earlier today, the Prince of Wales's have also shared a sweet message for their 'Papa' this Sunday Showing their love, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, cuddled up to their dad as they posed for photos with Prince William to commemorate the special celebration. In one of the pictures, shared on Instagram, the royal's children - all sporting cosy dusky green ensembles beam as they face the camera; and William's hands are affectionately on his kids' shoulders. And in a second more candid snap, the youngsters all tackle their father with hugs, laughing as they play around in some grass together. Both of the images were captured by one of the family's trusted professional photographers, Josh Shinner. The sweet post proves to be yet another break from tradition for Prince William's wife Kate, who has over the years put herself behind the lens to capture family moments. But earlier this year, for her son Prince Louis's birthday, Josh too was the cameraman behind the seven-year-old's portrait. The photo of Louis appears to have been taken on the same day as the adorable family photo unveiled today, while the Waleses were in Norfolk. 'Happy Father's Day, Papa,' the caption read, highlighting that the more posed picture with the family smiling for the camera is the 'before', while the more candid black and white shot of them giggling together is the 'after'. 'We love you! G, C & L.' It comes as yesterday, the family was out to celebrate Trooping the Colour. On Saturday the country came together to mark King Charles' official birthday amid a spectacular display of military pomp and pageantry before the Royal Family waved to crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace as part of an annual tradition. This year, Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, were joined by the Waleses as well as Princess Anne and her husband, Vice-admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Also in attendance were the Duke of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in a display of solidarity that rounded out the festivities - but one member stole the spotlight. Prince William and Kate Middleton's youngest child, Louis, put on his most animated display yet as he waved excitedly at fans while showing off his gap-toothed grin - much to the amusement of his siblings. Ever the composed older brother, Prince George gently tried to calm Louis down by placing one hand on his arm as their father William, 40, looked affectionately down at his sons - while Princess Kate and Charlotte, 10, took in their surroundings. At one point, Louis turned to his grandfather Charles and appeared to make an observation about the fighter jets flying overhead as a body language expert noted Louis' effervescent personality shone through from the balcony. If Louis once found the proceedings overwhelming, you wouldn't know it from the way he snuck in one final wave before Kate, 43, gently ushered her brood back into Buckingham Palace after the spectacular flypast was concluded. The sweet post proves to be yet another break from tradition for Prince William's wife Kate, who has over the years put herself behind the lens to capture family moments Prince Louis made his most memorable Trooping the Colour appearance today as the young royal's antics ensured all eyes were on him during the famed Royal Air Force flypast over Buckingham Palace Commenting on the young royal's reluctance to go back inside, Judi James told MailOnline: 'There was a seismic change in royal body language signals on the balcony with Louis suddenly morphing into the most visible and active royal but for all the right reasons. 'Instead of his usual playful activities, he appeared totally focused on the aircraft, only turning to his dad to show off his plane spotting skills, with the affirming nods from William suggesting his younger son is becoming a bit of an aircraft expert 'It was also Louis lingering longer before going back in, to gaze down at the crowds and to keep up the increasingly royal looking waves longer than the rest of the Firm.' Taking cues from his father and grandfather, Louis attempted different variations of his royal wave while making sure his siblings were thoroughly entertained throughout their balcony appearance - one of the most eagerly-awaited moments of the day. Louis also joined Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and the Duchess of Edinburgh in observing one minute of silence in honour of the 241 passengers and crew killed in the Air India plane crash on Thursday, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. During the King's Birthday Parade - the third of Charles' reign - the Wales children rode in a carriage with Kate as they waved at onlookers gathered along The Mall to watch the procession. Prince Louis caught the attention of royal watchers as he flashed a cheeky grin and waved at the assembled crowds during Trooping the Colour on Saturday. As the carriage made its way towards Buckingham Palace, Louis grinned sheepishly at Prince George as Kate and Charlotte - who both paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II by wearing pieces of jewellery she loved - laughed and chatted away. As their carriage pulled up outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, George couldn't help himself from laughing as Louis pulled funny faces while feigning exasperation as the cheekiest royal dramatically leaned back into his seat. When Prince George covered his face, his younger brother quickly followed suit and copied his actions before Kate led her and Prince William's children inside to prepare them for the flypast. Ahead of the morning's celebrations, crowds of well-wishers and royal fans had started lining the Mall. If the cardboard cutouts they carried were any indication, the Princess of Wales ' arrival was most eagerly anticipated. Photos showed a group of Britons holding up a life-sized picture of the Princess of Wales, wearing the red, long-sleeved Alexander McQueen dress she most famously donned for the Diamond Jubilee pageant in 2012. Another person was carting around a cut-out of King Charles, dressed in full military regalia, in a show of support for the monarch as he continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. No doubt the appearance of Prince Louis - the youngest of the Wales' siblings - was also highly anticipated. He is known for his cheeky antics, and last year he stole the show. During one of his many animated displays, the young prince was caught on camera scrunching up his face, while Kate, 43, appeared to crouch down to talk with her son on a balcony on Horse Guards Parade. The Prince and Princess of Wales ' youngest child was also captured yawning at the London event, which usually consists of more than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses, 400 musicians and a flyover of 70 aircraft. Kate and her brood! Prince Louis looks grumpy as Prince George and Princess Catherine flash beaming smiles while Princess Charlotte, with her hair in an elegant style, watches on Seemingly not occupied enough by the parade, at one point, the cheeky prince was even caught tugging on the cord for the blinds as he chatted to his mother. Louis, who was wearing a double breasted blazer, a pair of shorts, a crisp shirt and a tie last year, could not hide his facial expressions - much to the enjoyment of fans. He even attempted to try and open the window on the balcony next to the Duchess of Edinburgh, gripping the frame as he tried to pull it up. And the prince looked less than impressed during the ride, knitting his brows together at points as he stared out of the window, open-mouthed. The Wales were once again, typically stylish for the event this year as they made their arrival. Trooping the Colour is a centuries-old tradition that marks the Sovereign's official birthday. It dates back to the 17th century and is rooted in battlefield custom, when regimental flags, or 'colours,' were trooped in front of soldiers to ensure they could be recognised amid the smoke of combat.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Soccer Aid 2025 live: England vs World XI kick-off time, line-ups and build-up at Old Trafford
England take on the World XI in the 2025 edition of Soccer Aid, with celebrities and former footballers joining forces to raise money for charity Unicef UK. The Three Lions have called on Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Jill Scott to boost their quality, plus One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, Bear Grylls and Tom Grennan are in the ranks as celebrities. The World XI has the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Carlos Tevez and Nemanja Vidic, plus Tony Bellew, Noah Beck and Bryan Habana, all combining to help add to more than £100m raised since its inception in 2006. It promises to be an evening packed with some entertaining football and plenty of laughs, with England able to pull level in the 14th iteration of the event, with the World XI leading 7-6 so far.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Rodelinda review – powerplay and pig's blood in thrillingly energised Handel
Handel's operas don't stage themselves. In her new production of Rodelinda for Garsington Opera, the director Ruth Knight has to grapple, like those before her, with the need to balance the tone, taking the story and its unlikely curveballs seriously enough to make us care, and yet finding enough levity to entertain. By and large she succeeds – but even if not everything we see on stage convinces, what we hear certainly does. The cast, led by Lucy Crowe's powerhouse Rodelinda and Tim Mead's gloriously rich-toned Bertarido, is first-rate, the playing of the English Concert thrillingly energised. Conducted by Peter Whelan, they support the singers yet never give the impression of holding back. Leslie Travers' set brings the bones of the Garsington Opera pavilion on to the stage, with the same steel beams and glass panels that are all around us creating two levels of playing area. At the top there are three groves of green trees, one for each of the royal siblings whose power plays, depicted in the busy overture, have led to the opera's starting point; all have turned to ash by Act three. It mostly works well, but can feel cramped, with the tallest dancer's head missing the girders by only inches. Those dancers are the usurper Grimoaldo's staff: a dozen or so creepy ninja-like attendants who move like snakes or birds. Sometimes they fight; more often they lurk, staring – a pack of velociraptors who are not quite hungry yet, but will be soon. Crowe's Rodelinda takes several of them down in her first rage aria, whirling her sword like Uma Thurman as the Bride, but in gold silk trousers rather than a yellow boiler suit; later she'll drink blood squeezed from a pig's heart before popping out high notes like little explosions. What with those attendants and this heroine – not to mention the deliciously devilish villainy of Grimoaldo's ambitious adviser Garibaldo, smoothly sung by the bass-baritone Brandon Cedel – the feeling of menace and high stakes is taken care of. As for the counterbalance, there are surprisingly generous touches of lightness, the best of which come courtesy of Ed Lyon's Grimoaldo, a perfectly judged portrayal full of lightly worn swagger and increasing self-pity, or from the Unulfo of the impressive young countertenor Hugh Cutting, a kind of friend to all sides who slouches amiably around, ciggie in hand; at the end there's a cute but superfluous suggestion that he's a guardian angel who's just earned his wings. Why Bertarido's disguise should be quite so comically sparkly and camp is anyone's guess, though, and it rather undermines the opera's hero. Still, perhaps that is Knight's point: often this opera can feel like it should be called Bertarido, but this time it's definitely Rodelinda who is centre stage. At Garsington Opera, Buckinghamshire, until 19 July