Kate and King send 'strong royal reminder' with subtle moves amid Harry drama
The King and Princess of Wales sent a 'royal reminder' with their subtle gestures at a special service to mark 80 years since VE Day, according to an expert. A huge gathering of royals attended the service at Westminster Abbey today, where they honoured the sacrifices of those who brought peace to Europe.
They all observed a national two-minute silence before the King and Prince William laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. The service saw readings from Prime Minister Keir Starmer while Sir Winston Churchill's great-great grandson Alexander Churchill, aged 10, lit the VE Day 80th candle of peace.
The VE Day service and commemorations come after last week, when Prince Harry criticised his royal relatives after losing his security case at the Court of Appeal. And body language expert Judi James said it showed the royals "at their best" and reminded everyone of their "impeccable confidence and professionalism".
At the end of the moving ceremony, as the royals processed out of the Abbey, the Firm met veterans in the nave at the end of the service. William warmly placed his hand on one veteran's shoulder as he chatted to the former serviceman who stood to speak with the prince and Kate.
The princess crouched down to meet one woman, holding her hand as she chatted to the veteran, who was wearing medals and sat in her wheelchair. Meanwhile, the King was seen deep in enthusiastic conversation with several veterans, bending close to speak to them.
Judi James told the Mirror: "There was a strong message from the body language of the royals today that they had established a 'New Normal' in terms of going back to basics. This was a professional and drama-free appearance.
"Charles looked touched and delighted to be sharing some jokes and gentle touch rituals with the veterans while William and Kate presented the calm elegance of the next generation.
"It was Kate being fully immersive during the greeting and chats to the veterans after the service, who illustrated how royal warmth really can look. Her conversations looked animated and authentic, and when she met a woman in a wheelchair, she bent right down to squat on her heels to talk eye-to-eye, with several tactile moments.
"Kate's smile only faltered once when she was warned that she needed to move outside. Her expression became firmer, and she seemed to suggest that she wouldn't be hurried in her chats with the people that this service was all about.
"Like his daughter-in-law, Charles has become much more tactile with the people he meets. He held hands and arms, and he offered some affectionate pats in a way that he would not have done so naturally prior to his illness." Judi added: "As a display of solid, impeccable confidence and professionalism, the Firm turned out an immaculate performance today, reminding the public how royals used to be before two generations of drama. The focus here was on the veterans rather than the royals."
On May 8 1945, the nation celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day, as church bells rang out across the country and people gathered to revel in the end of hostilities, and crowds famously gathered outside Buckingham Palace and called for King George VI.
After almost six years of fighting against Hitler's Nazi regime, peace was declared, with only the conflict against Japan to be concluded. Four days of events commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day will culminate tonight with a concert in London's Horse Guards Parade attended by the King and Queen, with performances by The Darkness, Toploader, and classical singer Sir Willard White.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Welsh Conservatives have lost touch with Senedd voters, Paul Davies says
The Conservative party has lost touch with some of their core supporters, according to the deputy leader of the group in the Davies said he did not understand why former members such as Laura Ann Jones and David Jones had decided to join Reform UK. But he does think some members are turning their backs on the party because they have not been Conservative Senedd member for Preseli Pembrokeshire said party leader in the Senedd Darren Millar had "made it quite clear that every policy we now publish and present, must be Conservative". "That is why we may have lost some of our former Conservative members," he told BBC-produced Newyddion the Royal Welsh Show in July, former Conservative member of the Senedd Laura Ann Jones said the Conservative party was "unrecognisable" and "wasn't the party that I joined over three decades ago".Former Secretary of State for Wales David Jones has also joined Reform saying he had become "disillusioned" with the Conservative described Reform as a "protest party" with no leader in Wales."Of course Reform is good at recognising the problems but they are not good at recognising solutions to those problems," he said. "They want to nationalise some of our industries, they want to spend a lot of money."So Reform is not a conservative party. They follow socialist policies to be completely honest, and I am surprised that some of our former members support and join Reform."But Davies accepted that "over the years, to some extent" his party has lost touch with ordinary supporters, which he called "unfortunate".The Conservatives are currently the main opposition party in the Senedd but a series of opinion polls has put them in fourth place behind Plaid Cymru, Reform and the Labour acknowledged the group "have a lot of work to do as a party"."But I believe that we are offering a real choice, we are offering a real plan to fix Wales because we believe that Wales is broken. The health service is broken under Labour governments that have been supported by Plaid Cymru."We have to persuade the people of Wales that we are the real choice," he all the criticism of Reform, the Conservatives are willing to work with them in the Senedd after the next election."Our leader Darren Millar has made it clear that we are willing to work with anyone to get rid of the Labour party," Davies said.
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
Labour takes control of key steel factory after owner collapses
The Government has taken control of Britain's third largest steel factory after its owner collapsed. The official receiver is to take over operations of tycoon Sanjeev Gupta's biggest steelmaking operation, looking to save 1,500 jobs and a green furnace from the brink of insolvency. The move deepens Labour's entanglement with the UK's steel industry. The Government stepped in to take over British Steel from its Chinese owner in April, and has handed £500m to Tata Steel for its green plans in Wales. The High Court on Thursday approved a winding-up petition from creditors owed hundreds of millions of pounds by Mr Gupta, the self-styled 'saviour of steel'. Administration of his Rotherham-based Speciality Steel UK (SSUK) will now pass to the Government's official receiver. The taxpayer will fund the plant's operations until the administrators – insolvency specialists Teneo Advisory, supervised by the Government's receiver – can find a private buyer for the struggling business. Monthly wages at the plant total £4m, meaning the bill for running the plant will quickly run into the tens of millions. The Government intends to sell on the Rotherham plant after stabilising operations, insisting it can reclaim its costs. However, ministers have so far struggled to find a buyer for British Steel despite a similar ambition to find a buyer. Mr Gupta had asked the court for another month to finalise a rescue deal that would have allowed him to buy the assets of his business out of administration. His key lieutenant, Liberty Steel's chief transformation officer Jeffrey Kabel, said the judge's decision to hand the factory to the Government was 'irrational'. He said Mr Gupta, who is in Australia this week, was 'sad, because he's put a lot into this'. It is a major blow to the former tycoon, whose global empire, built in a decade-long spree of steelworks purchases, has unravelled following the March 2021 collapse of Greensill Capital, his key financier. Mr Gupta still has a steel plate mill in Scotland, which Mr Kabel said would start running again next month with 'a very large contract to kick that off', and a steel-pipe maker in Hartlepool. SSUK supplies highly engineered steel to the aerospace and defence industry but operations have been mothballed for months. It did not have enough money in the bank to meet its payroll on Friday, the High Court heard.
The National
11 hours ago
- The National
Campaigners raise 'serious questions' over William and Kate house move
William and Kate are set to move to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, with their children George, Charlotte and Louis – a property that belongs to the Crown Estate, which has the job of raising funds for the government. The family have been living in the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage in the castle grounds since August 2022 and it will be where they plan to live as a family when they become King and Queen. But Republic campaigners have questioned assertions the costs will be met by the couple. Republic CEO Graham Smith said: "Why does the Crown Estate allow the royals to pick and choose which properties they can use, and where is the evidence that they are paying market rates for Forest Lodge? READ MORE: The National series highlights positive stories of refugees in Scotland "These are public properties, the public has a right to know what is paid for their use. And why has the Crown Estate evicted two families so William can move house? "While reports claim the costs will be met by the couple, it is likely to cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds to upgrade the home's security infrastructure. "Meanwhile the taxpayer continues to fund a 20-room four-storey mansion for William and Kate inside Kensington Palace. Why? How many homes does he need?" READ MORE: Observer editor warns of 'chilling political interference' over BBC Smith has said he will be writing to the Crown Estate and ministers challenging them "over the royal use of public property and the arrangements between the royals and the Crown Estate". The BBC reports the Prince and Princess of Wales are funding the move privately and they will pay market rent on the property. William and Kate now have four homes – a mansion inside Kensington Palace, the 10-bedroom Anmer Hall on the grounds of Sandringham in Norfolk, a large house on the Balmoral estate and Forest Lodge.
