Fresh drama erupts after secret royal peace talks: ‘Frustrated'
Shortly after details of secret talks between Prince Harry and King Charles' senior aides emerged, the delicate push toward reconciliation has already hit a snag.
The UK's Telegraph reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's team is frustrated that the story, which included quotes from a source and pictures of the sensitive meeting, leaked so quickly to The Mail on Sunday.
A huge factor in the years-long rift between both camps has been mutual distrust – and having specific details of the private conversation between Tobyn Andrae, the King's communications secretary, Harry's new chief communications officer, Meredith Maines, and his UK-based publicist, Liam Maguire, picked up by the press almost immediately has done nothing to help the situation.
According to the Telegraph, sources insisted that Harry's camp was not responsible for the leak, despite suspicions.
Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the matter.
In the initial story, published on Sunday, a source told the Mail: 'There's a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years. There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.'
It came after a period of increasingly hostile relations between the US-based Sussexes and the Palace, following the release of a series of personal – and unflattering – details about the couple's issues during their time as working royals.
As a result, senior royals had become 'wary' of speaking to either Harry or Meghan over concerns details would be used in future projects, as had occurred with their Netflix series and the duke's memoir, Spare.
For his part, one of Harry's main gripes about life within the monarchy was his allegation that members of his family were leaking stories about each other to the press.
Meanwhile, after the 'peace summit' over the weekend, it's now been reported that Harry could potentially meet with the King in just a matter of weeks.
In May, he had confirmed he and his father were no longer on speaking terms, marking a sad new development in what's been a turbulent few years in their relationship.
The Sun 's royal editor Matt Wilkinson reports that Harry '[gave] his blessing' for the casual meeting, which was centred around ways to finally reconcile family issues, although he added that 'a proposal for Harry to make a royal return was not on the agenda'.
It's unclear which side reached out first to book the catch-up, and it's understood no-one from Prince William's team was present.
In September, Harry is expected to return to the UK to attend the annual WellChild Awards, of which he is patron, providing a potential opportunity for the pair to meet in person for the first time in 18 months.
They last saw each other back in early 2024, when Harry made a quick dash back to London to see his father shortly after he revealed his cancer diagnosis.
If Harry and the King arrange a reunion, it would mark a significant turning point in the ongoing feud between the duke and the royal family, which was sparked before Harry and Meghan sensationally quit official duties and moved to the US.
September is already set to be a big month for the royals, with the announcement on Monday that they will be hosting US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on a state visit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Sabotage': Rebel Wilson sued by production company
Rebel Wilson is being sued by the production company behind her directorial debut. UK-based AI Film has filed the lawsuit in Australia, accusing the 44-year-old actress of deliberately sabotaging the film's release in order to devalue the movie and pressure AI Film and Australian company Dunburn Debutantes Commissioning Company - named as the second plaintiff in the lawsuit - into selling their stake to her company Camp Sugar. According to The Guardian, AI Film said in a statement: "These proceedings are regrettable but essential to ensure The Deb's timely release. It's a joyous, fun film, and we are sure that audiences are going to love it." Lead actress Charlotte MacInnes said: "I love this film and I can't wait for it to be released … it would be wonderful if these proceedings can help make that happen." Wilson responded to the lawsuit with a message on Instagram Stories saying: "Apparently I'm being sued in Australia. It makes no sense. As the director, producer and co-star who nurtured a project called THE DEB for 5 years from a 3 page idea into a gorgeous feature film - I want nothing more than to have this film released and have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen. To say otherwise is complete nonsense. I'm so proud of the film! "In my opinion this is continued bullying and harassment from UK financiers of the project Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden after I exposed their dodgy behaviour. They tried to prevent the film from premiering there (they lost) and now they've tried to stop the film being released because of a baseless US lawsuit and now a further Australian one. "I've moved on, now directing my 2nd movie and loving it. But regarding THE DEB all I can literally say is 'F*** my life" with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart. Everyone who worked on the movie and who knows me KNOWS I put my blood, sweat and tears into this. Everyone knows I'm a 'truth teller' when it comes to vile people in the industry. I just want this movie to come out and for all the amazingly talented contributors to be recognised for their sensational work! (sic)." In 2024, Wilson was hit with a defamation lawsuit after accusing the producers of The Deb of stopping it from premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Rebel Wilson is being sued by the production company behind her directorial debut. UK-based AI Film has filed the lawsuit in Australia, accusing the 44-year-old actress of deliberately sabotaging the film's release in order to devalue the movie and pressure AI Film and Australian company Dunburn Debutantes Commissioning Company - named as the second plaintiff in the lawsuit - into selling their stake to her company Camp Sugar. According to The Guardian, AI Film said in a statement: "These proceedings are regrettable but essential to ensure The Deb's timely release. It's a joyous, fun film, and we are sure that audiences are going to love it." Lead actress Charlotte MacInnes said: "I love this film and I can't wait for it to be released … it would be wonderful if these proceedings can help make that happen." Wilson responded to the lawsuit with a message on Instagram Stories saying: "Apparently I'm being sued in Australia. It makes no sense. As the director, producer and co-star who nurtured a project called THE DEB for 5 years from a 3 page idea into a gorgeous feature film - I want nothing more than to have this film released and have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen. To say otherwise is complete nonsense. I'm so proud of the film! "In my opinion this is continued bullying and harassment from UK financiers of the project Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden after I exposed their dodgy behaviour. They tried to prevent the film from premiering there (they lost) and now they've tried to stop the film being released because of a baseless US lawsuit and now a further Australian one. "I've moved on, now directing my 2nd movie and loving it. But regarding THE DEB all I can literally say is 'F*** my life" with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart. Everyone who worked on the movie and who knows me KNOWS I put my blood, sweat and tears into this. Everyone knows I'm a 'truth teller' when it comes to vile people in the industry. I just want this movie to come out and for all the amazingly talented contributors to be recognised for their sensational work! (sic)." In 2024, Wilson was hit with a defamation lawsuit after accusing the producers of The Deb of stopping it from premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Rebel Wilson is being sued by the production company behind her directorial debut. UK-based AI Film has filed the lawsuit in Australia, accusing the 44-year-old actress of deliberately sabotaging the film's release in order to devalue the movie and pressure AI Film and Australian company Dunburn Debutantes Commissioning Company - named as the second plaintiff in the lawsuit - into selling their stake to her company Camp Sugar. According to The Guardian, AI Film said in a statement: "These proceedings are regrettable but essential to ensure The Deb's timely release. It's a joyous, fun film, and we are sure that audiences are going to love it." Lead actress Charlotte MacInnes said: "I love this film and I can't wait for it to be released … it would be wonderful if these proceedings can help make that happen." Wilson responded to the lawsuit with a message on Instagram Stories saying: "Apparently I'm being sued in Australia. It makes no sense. As the director, producer and co-star who nurtured a project called THE DEB for 5 years from a 3 page idea into a gorgeous feature film - I want nothing more than to have this film released and have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen. To say otherwise is complete nonsense. I'm so proud of the film! "In my opinion this is continued bullying and harassment from UK financiers of the project Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden after I exposed their dodgy behaviour. They tried to prevent the film from premiering there (they lost) and now they've tried to stop the film being released because of a baseless US lawsuit and now a further Australian one. "I've moved on, now directing my 2nd movie and loving it. But regarding THE DEB all I can literally say is 'F*** my life" with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart. Everyone who worked on the movie and who knows me KNOWS I put my blood, sweat and tears into this. Everyone knows I'm a 'truth teller' when it comes to vile people in the industry. I just want this movie to come out and for all the amazingly talented contributors to be recognised for their sensational work! (sic)." In 2024, Wilson was hit with a defamation lawsuit after accusing the producers of The Deb of stopping it from premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Scottie Scheffler clears the air on British Open fart-gate
The Scottie Scheffler fart-gate took a brand new twist. On the 17th hole at the British Open last Thursday, when Scheffler was chipping to the green, the broadcast feed picked up someone passing gas. While some thought a fan was the culprit, Scheffler completely changed the narrative this week, the New York Post reports. Scheffler was featured on Barstool Sports' 'Pardon My Take' podcast and shed light on who is really to blame for the incident — himself. 'Yeah, that was me,' Scheffler admitted on the show. 'Oh yeah, that was me. 'You're out there for like six hours, you're eating some different food over there. Some stuff is going to happen. 'You never know with the boom mics there, you never know what they're going to pick up. I'm definitely surprised it hasn't happened more in the past picking up stuff like that. I literally didn't think anything about it then after we got inside, Xander [Schauffele] was showing me the video. He pulls up the video and I see myself standing on 17, and I'm like, 'Oh, I know what this is.'' Now that the truth is out, the gas might've helped fuel his shot as Scheffler almost chipped it straight into the hole. Scheffler finished Thursday 3-under par and continued to ride high into the weekend before he ran away with the British Open crown, his first time winning that major. The chasing group behind him never got within four strokes on the final day. Scheffler, before winning the event, was the world No. 1 golfer and the betting favourite to win the Claret Jug. 'It is a pretty special feeling,' Scheffler said after winning. 'It was a tough week; I battled hard all weekend. Today, once again, was a battle, but [I] played some really good golf. I'm fortunate to be standing here holding the trophy.' The British Open now gives Scheffler the third of the four major trophies in golf, as he needs the U.S. Open to complete the career grand slam.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
How The Veronicas' 'Untouched' became their Hottest 100 debut in 2025
Please stand for your national anthem and number three placegetter in the Hottest 100 of Australian songs — 'Untouched' by The Veronicas. Written in Los Angeles by the sister duo of Jess and Lisa Origliasso, with German producer and songwriter Toby Gad whose credits include Beyoncé, John Legend, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and more), 'Untouched' explores the all-encompassing longing that's felt when you're physically separated from those you love. In The Veronicas' case, being on the other side of the world and away from their family in their early 20s. Released in 2007 and recognised as the Australian response to alternative pop icons like Avril Lavigne and P!NK, 'Untouched' was the first single in the US and UK from Hook Me Up, The Veronicas' second album, and delivered the sisters their first taste of international attention. Defying the hesitations of their record label at the time, 'Untouched' peaked at number two in Australia, number one in Ireland and reached the top 10 in Czech Republic, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and New Zealand. Locking in double platinum in the US, and platinum in Australia and Ireland, 'Untouched' truly established The Veronicas as a pop force to be reckoned with. But it had never made a Hottest 100 countdown, until now. The power-pop heater opens with those iconic strings and then explodes into its fast-paced lyricism and tempo to match. It's certifiably a speedy song. Sitting at 177 BPM, 'Untouched' is one of the most amped-up tracks in the entire Hottest 100 of Australian Songs, narrowly behind Amyl and the Sniffers' 'Hertz' at 185 BPM. Something about them just makes you want to get up and go , and that's in the beat. The music video is an iconic piece of Australian cinematic history in itself. Filmed at the Marble Bar at Sydney's Hilton Hotel, it captures the essence of edgy teen fashion in the mid-2000s. Black lace, sweeping fringes, heavy eyeliner — a gothic, baroque moment seen throughout the era (looking at you, Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy). It's no surprise that The Veronicas launched their own fashion range in major Australian department stores shortly after. While 'Untouched' had its time in pop culture around the time of its release — notably in TV series such as The Hills and 90210 — the song lived primarily in '00s pop party and throwback playlists until it found a renewed audience with the queer community. After Jessica was outed by tabloids at age 20, and just beginning her career, she famously dated Ruby Rose on and off from 2008 to 2018. She later got engaged to her partner Alex Smith in late 2022. "It was weird to have it written about so publicly because you don't really see that anymore. I was 20," Jessica told Stellar Magazine in 2023. "I didn't want to give them an answer because I didn't know what the answer was at the time. Labels were loaded back then. But all our fans knew I was queer; I wrote about it in so many songs." Fast forward to 2019 where the pair introduced 'Untouched' at LA Pride as "the national gay anthem", cementing the LGBTQIA+ community as the custodians of the power pop hit. "People say that we gave the gays 'Untouched,' but it was actually the gays that gave us 'Untouched'." "Because we literally grew up influenced by all the music that was defining queer culture," Jessica told Nylon Magazine in 2019. "So, of course, we were going to go on to create music that reflected that. 'Untouched' doesn't say 'I want to kiss a girl,' that's 'Take Me on the Floor'. There's no overt language in 'Untouched', but it's something about that song." Back home in Australia, The Veronicas struck the sweet spot when they joined Allday at Splendour In The Grass in 2019, bringing a whack of 2000s nostalgia to the stage. Their trap-infused remix of the song countless young Aussies had on their childhood iPods catapulted Jessica and Lisa into the zeitgeist, and ushered in a whole generation of new fans. This new legion of fans showed their love for the track in the way a chronically-online generation knows how: memes. Lots and lots of memes. Most recently, 'Untouched' has featured in the psychological supernatural horror Bring Her Back by fellow Australian power twins, Danny and Michael Philippou. "You're always trying to find songs that tie into the themes of the film or tie into something we're trying to convey," Danny told triple j. "And Laura's a character that when she's in these uncomfortable situations, she blasts music to try and cope with her nerves." So how do The Veronicas feel about a track they wrote 17 years ago having new life breathed into it? "It's literally the dream as a songwriter and as a performer," Lisa told Lucy Smith in 2023. "It was the first song for our second album. For us we took everything that we learned and we took a risk with 'Untouched' because at the time the genre and style of music that it was wasn't being played on radio. Lady Gaga hadn't even come out yet, so electro pop rock just wasn't a thing. "For this to be the blueprint of The Veronicas that people really feel like solidifies our sound is, for us, just the highest compliment." 'Untouched' is a song that has lasted the test of time, seen an artist through the bell curve of rising, falling and rising popularity, and now reached the podium of the best Australian Songs. The Veronicas are truly untouchable.
