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Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How the Queen and Prince Philip tried desperately to change the fate of Charles and Diana's 'sorry story': 'Close friend' to the Royals shares what it was like behind palace doors, and the 'dismayed' reaction to the doomed marriage
Today marks 44 years since Prince Charles and Princess Diana tied the knot at St Paul's Cathedral in what was billed as the 'wedding of the century'. Their union marked a highpoint in the popularity of the Royal Family and was watched by a global audience of 750million across 74 countries A public holiday was declared and 28.4million Brits watched the wedding on TV with a further 600,000 lining the streets of London. But all was not well behind palace doors as whispers of adultery began to surface. Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth, a 'close friend' of Prince Philip – though he later confessed that 'royalty offer you friendliness, not friendship'. This 'friendship' – or 'friendliness' – offered the broadcaster a unique insight into the workings of the royal household. He wrote in his 2021 book, Philip The Final Portrait, that he has heard both sides of the divorce story, having friends who were also good friends with both Diana and Charles. The former Tory MP met Prince Philip through his work with the Playing Field Association, and was often given privileged access to the Queen, to walk and talk with her as she went about her official duties. And when it came to the Queen and her husband's views on their son's relationship, Brandreth wrote: 'Unlike almost everybody else involved in the drama, Philip and Elizabeth could see both sides of the story, and had some sympathy with both sides too. 'They kept their own counsel. They looked on, silent and dismayed. 'They cared about Charles and they cared about Diana. The cared about their grandchildren, especially. And they cared about the Crown and the country, also.' But by the summer of 1992, the Queen agreed that 'something must be done' about their failing relationship, just as the Sunday Times had began to serialise Andrew Morton's book, Diana: Her True Story. Brandreth wrote: 'There are certainly two sides to the sorry story of the marriage of Charles and Diana. 'Charles, according to Diana's camp, was selfish, self-indulgent, thoughtless, unsympathetic, uncaring and cruel. 'He was weak yet wilful, pathetic yet petulant. He behaved like a spoilt child. 'Above all, he was jealous of his wife's popularity with the public. Gyles Brandreth wrote in his 2021 book, Philip The Final Portrait, that he has heard both sides of the divorce story, having friends who were also good friends with both Diana and Charles 'Diana, according to Charles' friends, was a sad case, almost from the start. She was in love with the position, but not the prince. 'She was never close to understanding her man – or trying to. She was self-regarding, self-absorbed, self-obsessed.' The sources for Diana's authorised biography, written by journalist Andrew Morton, were acknowledged to be Diana's friend. But at Buckingham Palace, they suspected that Diana was the source – and they were right. While Diana didn't meet Morton directly, she recorded tapes answering his questions which became the basis of his book. But even when Prince Philip challenged her directly on her input to the book, saying many feared she'd cooperated in some way, she told him that she hadn't. That June, the Queen and Prince Philip sat down with Charles and Diana at Windsor Castle. It was reported that Charles said little, but Diana insisted that the time had come for a trial separation. 'The Queen and Prince Philip were totally as one,' wrote Brandreth. 'They counselled the unhappy couple to search for a compromise, to think less of themselves and more of others, to try to work together to revive their marriage for their own sakes, for the sake of their boys, for the sake of Crown and country.' The Queen proposed a second meeting the following day but Diana failed to turn up, prompting Prince Philip to react. Brandreth noted that 'I try to keep out of these things as much as possible' was the prince's line – unless he thought he had something useful to contribute. He started writing the first in a series of letters to Diana. Brandreth wrote: 'He certainly didn't condone his son's on-going relationship with Camilla – not for a moment – but he did want Diana at least to try to see the situation from Charles's point of view.' Diana was upset by the letters and shared them with her closest girlfriends, Rosa Monckton, then managing director of Tiffany's in London (Diana was godmother to her daughter, Domenica), and Lucia Flecha de Lima, the wife of the Brazilian ambassador. Brandreth had lunch with the women in the aftermath, who noted that they helped craft replies to Prince Philip's letters. The correspondence between Philip and his daughter-in-law continued for more than a year. 'They were good letters,' said Lucia, emphatically, 'He's a good man.' Rosa Monckton agreed. 'Actually, he was pretty wonderful,' she said. 'All he was trying to do was help. And Diana knew that.' But according to the Princess's former butler, Paul Burrell, Diana found many of Philip's letters 'brutal,' and that he'd plainly never understood her. 'To be fair,' acknowledges Burrell, 'Prince Philip did more to save the marriage than Prince Charles.' Diana and Charles separated in 1992, although they continued to carry out their royal duties. Biographer Andrew Morton wrote in his 2011 book, William And Catherine, that shortly before the formal separation announcement, Diana drove to Ludgrove, the prep school in Berkshire where William and Harry were boarders, to break the news to them first. 'The boys' responses are instructive – Harry seemed bewildered and almost indifferent, while his older brother burst into tears.' After 15 years of marriage, Charles and Diana divorced on August 28, 1996. On April 9, 2005, Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles married in a civil ceremony in Windsor, followed by a Church of England Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George's Chapel. The wedding, which was 35 years in the making, was described by the media as a 'fairytale for grown-ups'. This year they, celebrated 20 years of marriage and in recent years, they have navigated the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the King's ill-health. Royal correspondent Michael Cole once described Charles and Camilla as 'bookends' to one another as they 'hold each other up' and are 'very devoted to one another'. It seems that after all, King Charles did get his 'happily ever after'.
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Helen Mirren says she is ‘ageing with fun' as she marks 80th birthday
British actress Helen Mirren has said she is 'ageing with fun' rather than 'gracefully' as she marks her 80th birthday. The Academy Award-winning actress from London, who turned 80 on Saturday, is best known for playing the late Queen Elizabeth and detective Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. Advertisement Speaking to OK! Magazine, Mirren said she feels 'insulted' when people tell her she looks good for her age, adding that she finds it 'patronising'. Helen Mirren attending a dinner at Britain's King Charles's Highgrove House estate (Finnbarr Webster/PA) Mirren said: 'I am not ageing gracefully at all! I hate that term – it sounds like you have to be elegant and accepting, and, no, I am not. 'I am ageing with fun, with commitment, but not gracefully. Who cares about graceful? 'We just do grow older, there's no way you can escape that. You have to grow up with your own body, your own face and the way it changes. Advertisement 'It's not always easy but it is inevitable. You have to learn to accept it.' As she marks her milestone birthday, she also shared her tops tips to keeping healthy and feeling good. Helen Mirren praised the vitamins in her beauty bag (Doug Peters/PA) She said: 'It's as important to make the inside of you as healthy as the outside of you. I always go everywhere with my vitamins. That is probably the most important thing in my beauty bag, actually. 'What you eat, what you drink, what you don't smoke, really makes a massive difference to your skin, especially as you progress through life. Advertisement 'It's incredibly important to feed the inside of your skin, as much as the outside of your skin.' Mirren plays the Harrigan family matriarch Maeve Harrigan alongside Pierce Brosnan in Guy Ritchie's MobLand. She also stars in the upcoming Netflix film adaptation of Thursday Murder Club, based on the book series by game show host and author Richard Osman where Dame Helen plays one of four retirees alongside Brosnan, Celia Imrie and Sir Ben Kingsley, who spend their time solving cold case murders.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The change in royal protocol Sophie is 'relieved' about since becoming a Duchess
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is known for her down-to-earth nature and was reportedly viewed by the Queen as The Firm's safest pair of hands. Patron of more than 70 charities and organisations, including Childline and the London College of Fashion, she undertakes over 200 engagements each year, including visits to schools, hospitals and military bases. For this reason, it was an incredibly poignant moment when the former Countess of Wessex became a Duchess in 2023 to mark Prince Edward 's 59th birthday. This was in keeping with his parents' wishes and in recognition of Edward's commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award youth scheme. Sophie said in a recent interview that the change in title 'felt like quite a big moment' because of its connection to the late queen. But according to friends of Sophie, she was also 'relieved' that her move up the royal ranks means she no longer needs to curtsey to Meghan Markle. The relationship between the two women has been tenuous since the beginning. A friend of the couple said: 'Sophie is relieved. She no longer has to curtsey to someone in the family who has not only left Royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support.' When Meghan entered the Royal Family fresh from her role in Suits, the late Queen enlisted Sophie to teach her the ropes. When Meghan entered the Royal Family fresh from her role in Suits, the late Queen enlisted Sophie to teach her the ropes But according to royal author Gyles Brandreth, Meghan 'wasn't interested' in receiving advice from her new mentor. This led Sophie to make a cutting remark when asked about ' stepping in' for Meghan and Harry after they stepped down as senior royals. According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Sophie said: 'What did people think we were doing beforehand?' This wasn't the only time Sophie addressed Harry and Meghan's exit from the family. Following the Sussexes' explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Sophie and Edward made a cheeky remark. When asked about the much-discussed interview by The Telegraph, the Prince simply said, 'Oprah, who?' while Sophie added with a laugh, 'What interview?' Speaking about Harry and Meghan's exit from the Firm, Sophie added: 'I just hope they will be happy.' More pointedly, she then stated that the royals do all they can to try to assist new members to adjust, adding: 'We all try to help any new members of the family'. Speaking about Harry and Meghan's exit from the Firm, Sophie added: 'I just hope they will be happy'. Sophie and Meghan are pictured at Ascot in 2018 Sophie and Meghan travelled together in a car down The Mall ahead of the Queen's State Funeral in September 2022. After travelling together, Sophie was described as a 'savvy peacemaker' who may be tasked with 'soothing tensions between the Sussexes and the rest of the Firm.' According to royal expert Camilla Tominey, writing in the Telegraph, the job of making sure the 'Sussexes are made to feel part of the sombre proceedings' appeared to have fallen to Sophie. The royal expert cited reports of previous times the former Countess is believed to have 'stepped in to soothe tensions,' including after the funeral of Philip, when she is said to have sought out Harry and spoken with him for some 30 minutes. And a former aide of Sophie told the Telegraph that she 'is made for the role of mediator.' They said: 'That's why she's the Queen's favourite daughter-in-law - she's down to earth and just gets on with it.' Speaking during her visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina last week, Sophie said in an interview with The Mirror: 'First of all it was quite large shoes to fill because not as many of the population alive today will remember but the Queen was Duchess of Edinburgh for the first few years when she and my father-in-law first married. 'For me, it was quite an emotional thing to sort of step into her shoes [as being Duchess of Edinburgh], it felt like quite a big moment.' The Duchess of Edinburgh visits Sarajevo's Old Town during her visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina She explained, however, that in practical terms her and her husband's role is to support the King as it was to support the Queen. In her interview, Sophie also opened up on what it is like being seen as the Royal Family's 'secret weapon'. She explained that she doesn't see herself as being in a 'front and centre' role, which allows her more time to pursue her own interests. Sophie said: 'I like to fly under the radar. It's all very well being a secret weapon but if no one knows, maybe it's too secret.' 'I suppose I should take it as a backhanded compliment,' she added. Royal expert Russell Myers previously claimed that Sophie 'undoubtedly benefited' from Harry and Meghan stepping back from royal life because it has 'raised her profile'. Speaking on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, he explained: 'Are the Instagram generation going to be as obsessed with Sophie and Edward Wessex as they are with the Sussexes? Obviously not. 'However, when you're dealing with them… Sophie's really across her subject matter. It's not just for show and she has really grown into that. With the Sussexes not here, the Wessexes will undoubtedly benefit.' Meanwhile he also pointed to how similar Meghan and Sophie's interests are, saying: 'The similarities between Sophie and Meghan are there to be seen. 'Sophie's working with girls' education, she's done a lot of stuff about violence against females in Africa.' Most recently royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that Sophie's hard-hitting advocacy work could have allowed Meghan to flourish in the Royal Family. In recent years the King's sister-in-law, who is married to his brother, Prince Edward, has travelled to current and former war zones including Chad, the Congo, Kosovo, South Chad, Lebanon and Sierra Leone. She has devoted much of her latter working life as a royal to supporting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and is passionate about championing gender equality. Fitzwilliams said: 'Meghan is struggling to be an influencer, Sophie has influence in ways that really matter, which Meghan could have been. 'Meghan has always boasted about how she promotes feminism. 'Yet contrast the occasional speech she makes in comfortable surroundings with the remarkable work of Sophie who actually visits areas of the world such as Sudan and Chad which have been devastated by war and attempts to comfort the women who are victims of rape and exploitation.' He added that Meghan's departure from frontline royal duties is a case of 'wasted potential', while Sophie has ' proved she's the Royal Family's champion of women's rights'. In the most recent YouGov opinion poll, 51 per cent of Brits said they felt positively about Sophie, compared to just 20 per cent for Meghan. Just 12 per cent of people had a negative view of Sophie compared to 65 for Meghan. Sophie is currently ranked as the sixth most popular royal, compared to Meghan who falters in 19th place. In 2019 Meghan was the sixth most popular royal and Sophie was in 11th place. stepped down as senior working royals.
Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
HMS Queen Elizabeth returns to Rosyth
HMS Queen Elizabeth returned to Babcock at Rosyth on Thursday after sailing from Portsmouth. The £3.2 billion aircraft carrier – part of the Queen Elizabeth class along with HMS Prince of Wales – sailed under the three bridges on the Forth yesterday evening heading for the dry dock. Although HMS Queen Elizabeth was always due for some maintenance there appear to have been some mechanical issues which now require attention. On social media the ship announced: 'A beautiful evening to sail past our affiliated city of Edinburgh. Hundreds of our sailors came onto the flight deck to witness the transit under the iconic Forth Bridges.' 24/7/2025 HMS Queen Elizabeth returning to Babcock Rosyth on the River Forth Picture Alan Simpson 24/7/2025 HMS Queen Elizabeth returning to Babcock Rosyth on the River Forth Picture Alan Simpson Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rare 5 cent coin worth 25,000 times its value due to 'double headed' detail
A rare 5 cent coin has sold for thousands more than its face value due to a key 'accident' made during the minting process. Error coins can be very valuable because they are an 'exceptionally rare' occurrence in Australia compared to other countries. The 2007 5 cent coin has a double obverse error, meaning it has the head of Queen Elizabeth on both sides of the coin. The coin went to auction today and was sold by Roxbury's Auction House for $1,250. Roxbury's director Scott Waterman told Yahoo Finance the double header coin was popular among collectors and this is what led to its 'strong price'. RELATED Rare $2 coloured coins Aussies can find in their change Centrelink's 'balancing' move could provide cash boost or expose debt Commonwealth Bank's fresh alert for millions over mass text message 'campaign' 'The fact that it is double heads is really what makes it desirable and valuable,' he said. The error coin was due to an accident by the Royal Australian Mint at the time, with the coins mistakenly released into circulation. The Royal Australian Mint made 59 million 5 cent coins in 2007. While the exact number of double header coins is not unknown, Waterman said, as a guess, there could be 1,500 to 3,000 out there. The 2007 5 cent coins are the most popular example of a double-headed coin. 'You get single coins, occasionally double heads or double tails. But very rarely do you get that many that are released into circulation,' Waterman said. The coin went up for auction along with 2,500 other items, including the Holey Dollar, which is the first coin struck in Australia. It is expected to sell for between $90,000 and $100,000 over the coming days. The Rainbow Pound, which was created during note shortages in World War I, is also up for sale and expected to sell for between $16,000 and $20,000. A total of 32 notes are known to have survived. Error coins can be valuable Waterman said most of the classic rarities were accidents. 'The 1930 Penny, for instance, was an accident. So it's quite often not by design and they're not even aware of it until sometimes 20 years later. In the case of the 1930 Penny, no one knew they existed until the 50s, so that's kind of what makes the legend of it,' he told Yahoo Finance. The 1930 Penny is known as 'the King of Australian Coins' and there are thought to be 1,500 of them in existence. The coin was not meant to be struck as the Melbourne Mint received no orders from the government for new coins during the depression. Waterman said error coins were a rare occurrence since decimal currency was introduced. 'Since decimal currency, they're obviously really good at catching errors but it does happen,' he said. 'Relatively speaking, they're exceptionally rare in Australia compared to other countries and they're very well supported. We see really high prices for good error coins in Australia relative to other countries.'Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
