Media mania at Patterson murder trial
SBS is celebrating fifty years of broadcasting this year, but is it still meeting its mandate? Managing Director of the Special Broadcasting Service James Taylor is adamant that it is.
Thirteen years on from the prank call that shocked the world, radio host Michael Christian is taking his former employer to court. Over a decade after the call and the death of a UK nurse that followed it, where does the responsibility for damage caused by media lie?
Guest: James Taylor, Managing Director of SBS
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News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
What is the best video game of the 21st century?
If you cast your mind back to the turn of the century, playing video games used to involve blowing on a cartridge like a pan pipe to get the dust out, untangling the wired controllers, and then turning the TV to channel 3. The thought of downloading full games over dial-up was laughable, and the idea of watching someone else stream themselves playing video games would have required too much explanation and infrastructure. Things have gotten a bit better since then. Our 25@25 series will finally put to bed the debates you've been having at the pub and around dinner tables for years – and some that are just too much fun not to include. But 2000 was a huge time for video games. The PlayStation 2 hit stores with a whopping 32MB of RAM, and was the first console to feature a new-fangled DVD drive. Games like Deus Ex, Final Fantasy IX, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Sims, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 were changing people's expectations for what video games could be. It's hard to imagine games now without Xbox, but Microsoft joined the console wars a bit later than Sony and Nintendo, with the original Xbox getting an Australian release in 2002, introducing us to games like Halo, Forza Motorsport and Gears of War. The occasion was marked with midnight launch parties at the 'Electronics Boutique' and Grace Bros, featuring ATVs, green lighting and a specially decorated Jeep to deliver the first Xbox. A few years later the, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era began, setting new benchmarks for online multiplayer gaming and how many slurs you could hear a 13-year-old American say during one game of Call of Duty. The year after that new console generation kicked off, Nintendo released the Wii, which then introduced everyone to the joy of games with motion controls. This was later followed up with the release of the Wii U, an objectively excellent console that almost no one bought. While most people generally think of Japan and the US for video game creation and production, Australia actually punches way above its weight, with Aussie developers finding particular success in the new millennium. Some notable Aussie-made games and gaming accessories include LA Noire (Sydney, 2011), the UDraw tablet (Melbourne 2010), Fruit Ninja (Brisbane 2010), Crossy Road (Melbourne 2014), Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Canberra 2014), Untitled Goose Game (Melbourne 2019), the AFL video games (various), Unpacking (Brisbane 2021), Hollow Knight (Adelaide 2017), Cult of the Lamb (Melbourne 2022) and heaps more. Australian studios also work on Call of Duty and EA Mobile titles. Remember when the Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers footy teams bought Overwatch and League of Legends esports teams? Or when the Australian Open launched a Fortnite tournament with a $500,000 prize pool? Australia might not be the esports capital of the world, but we do know how to have fun with it. Plus, who could forget when Pauline Hanson used the unacceptable prospect of foreigners beating children from the bush at multiplayer games as an argument to improve the NBN? Drawing on that 25 years of gaming history, it's now up to you to determine the order of the 10 most impactful games and game franchises of the 21st century so far. Here is the shortlist of contenders: Minecraft It's hard to say what makes Minecraft so special, spawning film adaptations, Lego sets and campaigns to use it in education. Was it in the right place at the right time? Do the children truly yearn for the mines? Or is it simply that people love to create when given the opportunity, and Minecraft perfectly blends fun gameplay with a blank canvas. Kayleen Walters, Head of Mojang Studios told what makes the game special. 'At its core, Minecraft is a canvas not just for creativity, but for possibility,' she said. 'Every player brings their own spark, their own story, their own vision. Whether it's a simple shelter under the stars or a vast redstone-powered machine that defies belief, Minecraft gives players the tools and the freedom to build whatever they can imagine.' Grand Theft Auto Grand Theft Auto first launched in 2D in 1997. However the majority of the franchise's success occurred in the last 25 years, so it still counts. Earning the title for 'most controversial video game series in history' from the Guinness Book of World Records, GTA III was originally banned in Australia until the ability to pick up sex workers in game had been removed. GTA is also one of the most successful franchises, perhaps partially because of all that free publicity the controversies garnered, proving that a good game is more than just the sum of its grossest parts taken out of context. GTA V was released all the way back in 2013, but it still routinely tops Australia's weekly video game sales charts, with the game having sold more than 215 million copies worldwide. GTA VI was originally supposed to be released this year, but the planned release date has now officially been postponed to May 2026. Many gamers are hopeful that it will be released some time before Christmas 2027. Fortnite There have been a lot of successful free-to-play games over the years, but few have scaled the heights of success that Fortnite has enjoyed. When Fortnite was released back in 2017, the focus was the Save The World mode, building was an important aspect, and so was the storm. But it wasn't until developer Epic Games took those ingredients and put them in a battle royale that the popularity of Fortnite exploded. Suddenly, kids everywhere were doing Fortnite dances on the playgrounds in numbers that had talkback radio hosts channeling the reverend from Footloose, acting as though kids copying dances they'd seen in a game was both novel and scandalous. The game has grown even more since then, with the current popular modes including Battle Royale, Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, and Fortnite Creative, where anyone can make their own games that anyone else can then play. More importantly, thanks to all the collaborations on skins, it's the only game where Peter from Family Guy can hunt down Darth Vader and then dance with Batman to celebrate. But, more than all the numbers and modes and variety, it's just fun. It's the game that a generation of gamers will point to as the one that made them fall in love with video games, and it's likely that its influence will be felt for decades to come. Call of Duty In the last 25 years, there have been 22 Call of Duty games, with a further six free-to-play games. While some of its popularity has died down slightly in recent years, it's hard to articulate just how much of a cultural impact Call of Duty had in its heyday unless you were there. Matt Cox, senior vice president and general manage of Call of Duty, put it well when he told 'Call of Duty is more than a game—it's a signature piece of pop culture that continues to bring us together to create lasting memories with our friends, families and global community'. There aren't many games that can pull off conveying the seriousness of the Second World War, meditations on the nature of modern war from the perspective of a British SAS commando, and collaborations with celebrities like Nicki Minaj. And yet, somehow Call of Duty has managed to span the gamut of emotions around war and war games. While it certainly wasn't the first first-person shooter game series, it's likely the one most people think of when the genre is mentioned. Wii Sports Wii Sports is the only game on this list locked to a single, superseded console, and yet I think it's also perhaps the most universally beloved. Bundled with the Wii console, Wii Sports was designed to show off what the Wii Remote could do, introducing people to remote-based motion controls. For some people, it ended up being the only game they needed to play on Wii, becoming an instant hit for kids, university parties, family gatherings, drinking games, and old folks' homes. Even people who didn't like video games loved trying to get a strike in bowling, or absolutely destroy their friends at tennis. Other sports included boxing, golf and baseball, and the game struck the right balance of being easy enough that anyone could play, while being challenging enough that it took skill to win. Stardew Valley Stardew Valley is the most successful indie game of all time, and for many people it's their comfort game. It's cosy; all you have to do is farm, fish, mine, battle against unspeakable horrors (creatures in the mine) to please ancient spirits (Junimos), and fight against capitalism (JojaMart). Created by one man (Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone), it's gotten steady, free updates since its release in 2016, and has never had paid DLC or ads. It's currently available as part of the Apple Arcade subscription service, as well as the Xbox Game Pass service, or it's pretty cheap on basically any console. Pokémon Sure, Pokémon's popularity might be borne out of the 1990s anime and trading card game craze. But the game series also gave rise to the most iconic in-person gaming event of the last 25 years: The Pokémon Go winter of 2016. It was one of those events you had to be a part of to truly understand why it captivated so many people. The sense of community, and joy of getting to explore our towns and cities while playing a game we loved was somewhat magical. Pokémon Go is still going strong, of course, but nothing compares to the huge groups of people running through the Melbourne CBD, stampeding towards the Yarra to catch a Dratina, at a time when everyone was sharing this same experience and adventuring together. With the growing popularity of the Pokemon TCG Pocket mobile game, and the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Pokemon isn't going anywhere any time soon. The Sims The concept for The Sims came after developer Will Wright's house burnt down, and he wanted to create a virtual doll house so people could build their homes in game, and create characters to tell their own stories. Ever since, players from all over the world have spent thousands of hours crafting the most beautiful castles and most messed up family plot lines. The Sims is easily one of the most iconic game franchises ever. When asked why The Sims games were so popular and why people should vote for them, an unnamed member of The Sims development team told 'In The Sims, if you can dream it, you can Sim it. Whether reimagining real life or building from scratch, your creativity takes centre stage. 'You can recreate your favourite reality drama, whatever is happening in pop culture or a story purely from your imagination. Life transcends beyond the boundaries of reality. 'Every moment is an opportunity to redefine life on your own terms. You can build fantasy scenarios or explore everyday life, or an unexpected mix of both.' World of Warcraft Who among us hasn't lost a week in World of Warcraft? There had been massively multiplayer online role-playing games before World of Warcraft debuted in 2004, such as Everquest, but none quite captured people's attention or imagination like WoW did. People have met, proposed and gotten married in game. It's the kind of game where you work your regular job, and then get to go home to adventure in this massive world with friends you're closer to than anyone else, despite living on the other side of the world. Darren Williams, the Associate Technical Director of World of Warcraft (who is originally from Adelaide) said the reason why Australians should Vote One WoW is because of those connections. 'So many people have formed lifelong friendships or relationships thanks to World of Warcraft, spanning distances and other communication barriers,' he explained. 'For most of this century people have been finding like-minded folks and forming deeply important and meaningful connections through the game. 'Families who met through the game are now sharing it with their kids; the game is generational and bridges many communities. World of Warcraft is an important part of so many people's lives.' FIFA/EA Sports FC Once known as the FIFA games, now known as EA Sports FC, this soccer series really defined what serious sports games could be. Nearly every time I've interviewed an athlete about video games, no matter which code they played (NBA, AFL, tennis, soccer, hockey, etc), they all played EA Sports FC more than the games that actually featured them and the team they played for, that's how good this game is. There are people out there who own consoles only so they can play each year's iteration of the game. When asked why Australians should vote for EA Sports FC as the best game of the last 25 years, the development team told 'EA SPORTS FC sits at the intersection of sports and entertainment and continues to shape football culture in an unprecedented way. Living out your ultimate football fantasy and connecting to fans all over the world is possible because of our commitment to community and our love of football and gaming.' Honourable mentions OK, that's all 10 up for your consideration. But, because it's impossible to distill 25 years of video games into just a top ten, here are some honourable mentions which didn't make it, but still deserve a shoutout. Mario Kart All of the Mario game series are classics, but there is something extra special about blue shelling your friend metres before the finish line on Rainbow Road, or heading down to Moo Moo Meadows. The Last of Us I don't think a week has gone by since I played The Last Of Us Part 2 that I haven't thought about it. This series has been so hugely impactful in so many ways, and it spawned the best TV adaption of a video game yet. Forza Horizon This is my personal favourite game series of all time because it so perfectly balances the best of how polished and realistic a driving sim can be (the amount of detail in the cars is absurd) with the best of the freedom video games gives you (I can take that realistic car and drive it off a cliff to get points). Halo It's Halo. Guitar Hero/Rock Band These games gave a whole bunch of people a love of music and rhythm, and gave some the confidence to try picking up a real guitar. I'm one of the many people who deeply miss the days of going to a party and just having fun on the full Rock Band set up in the games room. Tony Hawk Pro-Skater This is the game that introduced a whole heap of kids to skateboarding and punk music, and for that we are all grateful. Counter Strike Counter Strike really changed the face of esports. Every single one of the thousands of people who attended the finals at the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in Melbourne this year knows how electric the energy can be at a CS:GO event.
News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
What is the best new Aussie beer of the 21st century?
Foster's Lager was a staple in Australian pubs and homes for much of the 20th century, emblematic of our beer-loving culture. At the same time, no one fit the mould of what it meant to be Aussie more than Paul Hogan - who was often seen Foster's in hand, promoting his latest film. Fast forward to 2025, and Foster's has become a rarity on Australian shelves, its presence now replaced by a burgeoning craft beer movement and shifting beer-drinker preferences. Our 25@25 series will finally put to bed the debates you've been having at the pub and around dinner tables for years – and some that are just too much fun not to include. Foster's remains a recognisable brand globally but its domestic presence seems near invisible - just like 'chucking a shrimp on the barbie'. Emerging in its place? Enter the likes of summer and pale ales, hazy XPAs, and even double-fruited smoothie sours ... yes, a real thing. Successful craft beer brands such as Stone & Wood and Balter, the latter co-founded by Aussie surfing royalty and shark attack survivor Mick Fanning, have increased their total share of the market to more than 20 per cent. That's more than Foster's at its peak. But which new entrant is the best? Little Creatures Pale Ale Launched in 2000 by Howard Cearns, Nic Trimboli, and Phil Sexton in Fremantle, Little Creatures Pale Ale is seen by many as a pioneer in Australia's craft beer movement. It's American-style pale ale, brewed with Cascade and Chinook hops, has been lauded as the product that introduced many Australians to hop-forward beer. The brewery's name was inspired by the 'little creatures' of yeast that turn sugars into alcohol during the fermentation process. Dave Padden of Akasha Brewing previously told The Daily Telegraph, 'Little Creatures... was my introduction to craft many moons ago and it's still considered one of the classics'. Established in 2012 in Newtown in Sydney's hip Inner West, Young Henrys fast became a local favourite. Their flagship Newtowner Pale Ale is a tribute to the suburb's 150th anniversary. The brewery was honoured as Vintage Cellars Brewery of the Year in 2019, with Newtowner consistently ranking in the top 5 of the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer Awards from 2017 to 2019. It has remained independently owned. Earlier this year, facing potential relocation due to redevelopment plans at their brew site, co-founder Oscar McMahon told 'Young Henrys was born and bred in Newtown and we will do everything we can to always have a Newtown presence.' 4 Pines Pale Ale Founded in 2008 in Manly, NSW, 4 Pines Brewing Co. quickly garnered attention with its American-style Pale Ale, known for its balance and drinkability. In 2017, the brewery was fully acquired by the world's biggest beer company, Anheuser-Busch InBev. Asahi absorbed 4 Pines in 2019 when it bought CUB. Mountain Goat Beer, established in 1997 in Melbourne, played a pivotal role in Australia's craft beer scene. Their GOAT Very Enjoyable Beer, a 4.2 per cent ABV lager, was introduced and is described as a straightforward, sessionable option. Asahi purchased Mountain Goat Beer in September 2015. The Mountain Goat Beer founders have since departed. Launched in 2015 in Adelaide, Pirate Life Brewing quickly made waves with its high hop profile beers. In 2017, Pirate Life was quickly snapped up by AB InBev via CUB and is now under the Asahi umbrella. The brewery describes South Coast Pale Ale as 'light-bodied, cruisy and brewed with the session in mind', capturing the essence of relaxed coastal living. Feral Hop Hog Founded in 2002 in Western Australia, Feral Brewing Co won over beer lovers with its Hop Hog, an American-style IPA. The beer was lauded by James Smith, the founder of online craft beer publiction The Crafty Pint in The Guardian as 'near to the perfect beer as you will find'. In 2017, Feral was acquired by Coca-Cola Amatil, but in 2024, it returned to independent ownership under Nail Brewing and Beerfarm. John Stallwood of Nail Brewing is quoted by The Shout as saying, 'Feral is an iconic beer brand and Hop Hog has started many Australians on their journey to love craft beer'. Balter XPA Established in 2016 on the Gold Coast by surfing legends including Fanning and Joel Parkinson, Balter Brewing Company quickly topped craft beer charts with its XPA, known for its tropical hop character. In 2019, Balter was acquired by Carlton & United Breweries. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the sale of Balter to CUB was worth between an eye-watering $150 million and $200 million. It too now forms part of the Asahi stable. Stone & Wood Pacific Ale Founded in 2008 in Byron Bay, Stone & Wood Brewing Co. introduced Pacific Ale, a beer that is an icon of the Australian craft beer movement. Originally named Draught Ale, it was rebranded to Pacific Ale, featuring Galaxy hops for a tropical aroma. Kirin now indirectly owns Stone & Wood through its ownership of Lion, which in 2021 acquired Fermentum, the previous, smaller-scale parent company of Stone & Wood and other brands like Two Birds, Fixation, and Forest for the Trees. Co-founder Jamie Cook recalled the beer's rapid success to the Crafty Pint, stating that in the summer of 2011, just three years from opening doors, 'we didn't have remotely enough beer' to keep up with its roaring popularity. Not just a beer drinker? Take the rest of our 25@25 polls Read related topics: 25@25 Join the conversation
News.com.au
34 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Who is the best royal of the 21st century - and where do we begin with Harry?
Windsor Castle. June 21, 2000. It was hailed as THE party of the century. Hordes of the upper crust, hot and cold running grandees, titled Europeans and old fox hunting muckers gathered for the 'Dance of the Decades', a combined celebration of the Queen Mother's 100th birthday, Princess Margaret's 70th, Princess Anne's 50th, Prince Andrew's 40th and Prince William's 18th. The royal family that gathered on that night looked profoundly, nearly unthinkably, different from the one of today. The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were still gathering for a lunchtime voddy. Prince William looked like a Disney dreamboat with a luxuriant full head of wavy blonde hair. And Queen Elizabeth had barely recovered from the greatest disaster of her 48 years on the throne. Our 25@25 series will finally put to bed the debates you've been having at the pub and around dinner tables for years – and some that are just too much fun not to include. The monarchy had just - and only just - been pulled back from the precipice after Buckingham Palace's stony-faced handling of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Stunned by her shocking end in Paris and the Palace's frigid response, the people had turned on the crown with a shockingly un-British degree of emotion and on that night in 2000, the shadow of the princess' death still hung over The Firm. And in Bucklebury, Berkshire, a hockey-loving gel was packing her hipster jeans as she prepared for her gap year, without a clue what fate had in store for her - a crown rather than a lifetime of driving a Volvo station wagon to Asda. If you zipped back in a time machine to that June night in 2000 and told Queen Elizabeth on her third glass of Pol Roger how the royal family circa 2025 looked, you would have been liable to be sectioned: The next Queen is a middle-class art history graduate, William needs beanies and flat caps to keep the chill out, and Prince Harry now occasionally does bits on late night TV shows, cut irrevocably adrift from his family and doomed to a lifetime of gluten-free mimosa brunches with Kris Jenner. So, who is your favourite royal from the past 25 years? Queen Elizabeth II It would take years, decades, after the turn of the millennium for the late Queen to shake off the perception of her as the cold fish, icily distant monarch who had struggled to connect with her nation at a moment of crisis. One did occasionally smile and chuckle in public but One was largely known as the monarch whose spectacularly out-of-touch response to Diana's death had taken the monarchy to the brink. Slowly, the ship began to right itself and it would take the arrival of one fresh-faced Kate Middleton to usher in a new royal chapter. A key turning point came on July 27, 2012 when billions around the world watched, delegated agog, as she 'met' 007 at the Palace and then 'skydived' into the London Olympics' opening ceremony. It was a brief, wonderful moment of levity and cheekiness for a woman defined by a certain Easter Island-like blankness and stoicism in public. As the years passed, the ghost of Diana receded and as the 21st century got under way the late Queen morphed into a genuinely beloved figure, hailed for her implacable, unwavering devotion to duty, her signature Launer handbag in the crook of her arm as she Got On With It. Her late Majesty represented a certain dignity, a poise, a steadfastness and a chin-up-chaps-ness in the face of adversity, family crisis and having to have the fluorescent Mr Trump around for tea. Finally, the world came to respect what she had been doing all along. Paddington Bear said it best in 2022, doffing his red felt cap during her Platinum Jubilee: 'Thank you, for everything' Prince Philip And by Queen Elizabeth's side for 73 years was, of course, her 'strength and stay' Prince Philip. He was an unlikely choice for the young princess back in the 1940s, the penniless son of the deposed Greek King who had grown up being shunted around tiled relatives' houses in Europe and toughened up in a remote Scottish boarding school. However, from the first moment the young Princess Elizabeth clapped eyes on him, he was the only man ever for her. He had a valiant, courageous war battling the Germans sea and then in 1946 gave up smoking on his wedding day to devote his life to 'Lilibet' and shaking the hands of quaking Lord Lieutenants. Philip was most famous for his incurable case of foot-in-mouth-itis, managing to wheel out racially offensive quips from Glasgow to the Northern Territory to China, perpetually unperturbed by the diplomatic havoc he left in his wake. Again, today, Philip's image is one defined by devotion, to his wife and to doing his bit. It was only in 2017 - aged 95-years-old - he retired from royal work, saying 'the world's most experienced plaque-unveiler'. King Charles On September 8, 2022 the third Carolean age began when Charles Philip Arthur George acceded to the throne to finally fulfil his lifelong destiny to wear a crown and to install composting bins at the Palace. But in 2000 he was still the Prince of Wales, a man who was still slowly inching back from the greatest disaster of his personal and royal life, the death of Diana. It is hard to give anyone not alive at the time the palpable, visceral public tsunami of grief that followed, for years, after the princess' death, that was followed by anger towards Crown Inc and Charles. Anger at the palace for years of cold-blooded treatment of her and anger at Charles for rejecting her in favour of his frowzy lifelong paramour Camilla. (It was, of course, much more complicated than that.) Back then, Charles' views on the environment were perceived as fringe and a bit of a doolally indulgence while his Prince's Trust charity (now the King's Trust) quietly changed young Britons lives without anyone quite noticing. He was seen as something of a busted flush, and there was a genuine, ongoing conversation about whether the crown should skip a generation and go straight to William. Like his mother, the last 25 years have seen Charles work tirelessly to shake off that image and to replace it with one of widespread respect. Today, the King is a man hailed for his lifelong, dogged commitment to climate action and relentlessly turning lights off, whose nearly 60 years of hard work, public service and dedication are finally being recognised and valued. Just don't give the man a fountain pen. Queen Camilla The King's greatest, formerly unthinkable achievement: Bringing Camilla in from the cold. The story is not true but telling nonetheless - in the 90s it was claimed that such was public hatred towards Camilla that someone had chucked a bread roll at her in the supermarket. In 2000, the UK and the world was truly buffeddled - how could Charles have chucked over dazzling, orphan-hugging Diana for Camilla, a woman who permanently looks like she had just come in from doing the horses or field dressing a pheasant? Diana's labels said 'Versace'; Camilla's said, '100 per cent viscose'. Back then, the idea that this woman would one day be Queen and crowned alongside Charles at Westminster Abbey would have been ludicrous. However, Camilla has shown us all. Since marrying Charles in 2005, the Queen's main charitable focus has been on fighting domestic and sexual violence, doing everything from persistently giving speeches, filming a moving documentary and spearheading a campaign to provide toiletry bags to rape victims in hospitals. She is the first royal patron in history of a rape crisis centre. Also, finally the world is appreciating that she and Charles are a great love story. Their chemistry, the fizz, their devotion to and adoration of one another is abundantly clear. Prince William Adios Eton, hello world. In 2000 the prince finished high school and trundled off to enjoy a gap year that included training with the Welsh Guards in Belize, scrubbing toilets in a remote village in Chile while teaching English and 4am starts helping out a British dairy farm. In 2001 he would finally go to university, at St Andrews in Scotland, and there not only managed to get a very average degree but to woo the woman who has, and will, save the monarchy from themselves and those recessive Hapsburgh genes. As the world watched William grow up, he proceeded to do the unthinkable and actually get a paying job, piloting a search and rescue chopper and then later an air ambulance, responding to unthinkable accidents and quite literally saving lives. Over the last decade he and Kate, The Princess of Wales, have quietly done away with the nearly century-long model of royalling - of ribbon cuttings and tree-plantings and their presence simply being seen as enough - to replace that with highly dynamic and forward-looking doing. William is currently in the midst of his decades-long handing out of nearly $100 million to fund innovative solutions to the climate crisis and has relentlessly worked on destigmatising mental health, especially for men. Kate, The Princess of Wales It does not bear thinking about: where the royal family would be today if William had ended up with the sort of aristo gal he had dated in his teens who could trace her lineage back to the Norman Conquest and had never eaten a Tesco sausage roll. Thank god. There have been plenty of bumps on the road to this point, like Kate's years of being harassed by the press and paparazzi, perpetually mocked as 'Waity Katie' and more recently was alleged to have been the 'royal racist' who commented on her unborn nephew's skin colour. Still she persisted and the Princess of Wales has evolved into a widely adored figure who, like William, has locked onto her legacy issue and is indefatigably plugging away, fundamentally changing early childhood in the UK in the hope of dramatically moving the dial on mental health and addiction for future generations. The Kate of 2025 is a woman who has, like the late Queen, just gotten on with it and in doing so has overturned all scepticism about how a girl pejoratively labelled as 'normal' would do having to carry the weight of a thousand-plus years of royal history on her shoulders. Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex Oh Harry. Where do we even begin? If you plotted his story in a novel it would seem too outlandish - the two tours on the frontline in Afghanistan, the naked billiards, the troubled, sozzled lost boy made good who found love with a stunning American with, of all outrageous things, a career, only to chuck it in and burn every bridge in exchange for psychologically unburdening himself and big fat pay cheques. Has any figure in the 982 years since William the Conqueror ditched Normandy to go to the UK and to boot out the Anglo-Saxons ever had such a precipitous and stunning change in public opinion as Aitch? The most recent stats show that 27 per cent of Brits have a positive view of him - and 63 per cent negative. The figure the Duke of Sussex cuts in 2025 is a man unmoored from his former job, identity and homeland as he fumbles around trying to build a new one. Photos shared by his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex show a man whose personal life is filled with the joy of fatherhood and family but how will he fill the next 50 or 60 years of his life? Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex Imagine going back to the Dance of the Decades in 2000 and telling the Queen Mother and Margaret that Harry would marry a divorced actress from Los Angeles who had never heard of the Windsor Horse Show. But the story of the royal family is one indelibly shaped and changed by the Sussexes' love story. In 2016 she and Harry were set up on a blind date and only 18 months later, giddily, the couple announced their engagement to the world. It was all so fairytale and it was all over so fast. The stardust barely lasted two years and by January 2020, the Sussexes were out, done with following the long established script and playing ball and off to borrow a private jet to point towards California. It is hard to think of a more lightning rod figure than Meghan, a woman who attracts such vehemence of opinion there is a PhD thesis in unpicking it all. The Duchess of Sussex is a woman who, for better or worse, must be hailed for always following her own star and charting her own path, one that has taken her back to her home state and is unlikely to ever see the Clarence House drinks trolley again. More Coverage Meghan and Harry cut staff to 'save cash' 'Big illusion': Meghan's brand shattered In 2025, the duchess is a woman busy making her own mark and trying to convince the world of the life changing power of flower sprinkles as her entrepreneurial push with her As Ever brand continues. Next up, the launch of a rosé.
