Latest news with #QueenElizabethII
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
A BnB fit for a King! Holiday home on the Sandringham Estate just yards away from the royal home is available to let - here's a look inside!
A property on King Charles III's Sandringham Estate is available to let for an eye-watering £5,623 a week. The Gardens House - which was the house of the late Queen Elizabeth II's head gardener - is just a stone throw away from Sandringham House. It is nicknamed 'the most comfortable house in England' and holidaymakers can now discover just how cosy this royal home really is with the unique opportunity to stay within the grounds of the Sandringham Estate. The Gardens House is a beautiful four bedroom Edwardian property situated 300 metres from Sandringham House - one of King Charles III most beloved royal households where the family are known to spend their Christmases. However, the privilege of staying on the grounds of the palace comes with the hefty price tag of £5,623 a week. But at that price visitors will be staying in the closest cottage to the estate while also being able to enjoy the home's timeless period features and the expansive grounds which surround it. Indeed, guests - including their pets - are free to roam the gardens as they wish. Oliver's Travels, which is exclusively marketing the rental home, said: 'The Gardens House rests within the heart of Sandringham's royal grounds, where manicured borders give way to woodland stillness. 'Inside, the house unfolds with warmth and character. Botanical wallpapers, timeless furniture and rich textiles echo the rhythms of the gardens beyond. 'Light spills through tall windows into a choice of inviting sitting rooms, while the kitchen offers a rustic heart to the home. French doors open onto the terrace for alfresco breakfasts or evening drinks beneath the Norfolk sky.' The Gardens House is not the only royal property that holidaymakers can rent for a getaway. This includes homes that the King and Queen are known to stay in throughout the year. Including Charles' secluded three-bedroom farmhouse on the Llwynywermod estate in Carmarthenshire. Charles and Camilla are known to spend a couple of weeks a year at the home. They bought the £1.2 million estate in 2007 including two cottages available to rent. The North Range and West Range cottages, which cost between £1,400 to £2,400 a week depending on the time of year, are ideal for walkers due to their short distance from the Breacon Beacons National Park. Outside of the UK, fans of the Royal Family can rent Charles' getaway in Transylvania, Romania. Charles bought the estate in Valea Zalanului, Szeklerland, in the 1990s and now rents it out as a nature retreat to those wanting to explore the Zalán Valley and the surrounding mountains. The guest house is situated near to the village of Viscri, and the 400-year-old cottages have been decorated with traditional antique Transylvanian furniture, and textiles. Prices range from around £100 to £300 a night depending on the size of room and whether or not guests have chosen full or half-board. North of the border, visitors can stay on a royal estate as equally grand as Sandringham - Balmoral. Members of the public can stay on the historic estate in an array of different cottages including - Colt Cottages, Connachat Cottage, Karim Cottage, Knocks Cottage, Rhebreck Lodge. Garbh Allt Shiel, Sterinbeg and Tigh Na Garaidh. The most affordable are the Colt Cottages, near the castle. The pricier Rhebreck Lodge is 'set in a quiet location at Easter Balmoral and enjoys wonderful views across the valley towards Crathie Church.' All self-catering, the cottages range in price from £645 in the smallest cottage during off peak season to £1975 in one of the larger cottages during the Christmas period. The King and Queen Consort spend a couple of weeks a year in the secluded three-bedroom farmhouse on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Two adjoining cottages are available to rent The Royal Family have been in love with Balmoral since the days of Victoria and Albert. Tucked away in the Cairngorms National Park in Crathie, Aberdeenshire, the 50,000-acre estate was bought by Prince Albert in 1852. More recently, It was one of the happiest places for the Queen and Prince Philip, who spent many weeks in the late summer and autumn there. Travellers also have the opportunity to stay in historic royal households. This includes Osborne House on the Isle of Wight which was Queen Victoria's favourite royal palace. Guests can stay in holiday lets, including No 1 Sovereign's Gate and No 2 Sovereign Gate at the formal entrance to the estate. Each two-bedroom property sleeps four people with a private garden. Residents at Sovereign's Gate have access to the beach at all times, even when it is closed to the general public. Pavilion Cottage overlooking the old estate cricket ground is also for hire. The two-bedroom cottage, sleeping four, is a short walk from the stately home and its formal garden. Victoria commissioned an extensive redesign of the estate, which was carried out by leading architect Thomas Cubitt with help from her husband, Prince Albert. And it was at Osborne, now fashioned into an Italianate Palazzo that she chose to live where possible, bringing up her large family there. The sprawling grounds included a private beach, gardens and a full-sized Alpine playhouse for the nine children called Swiss Cottage. Her son Edward VII had her private rooms sealed off when she died in 1901.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The Palace's meeting with Meghan's 'cheerleader' chief of communications who 'loves Wills and Kate' could mark the beginning of a period of reconciliation within the Royal Family, expert claims
In her now notorious response to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 's interview with Oprah the late Queen Elizabeth II said 'recollections may vary'. Now, in the aftermaths of last week's bombshell meeting between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's communications secretary and the King's aide recollections between the two camps are once again varied. On Monday, MailOnline revealed that Harry and Meghan denied leaking details of the rendezvous between Meghan's 'cheerleader' head of comms Meredith Maines and the King's communications secretary Tobyn Andreae in London on Wednesday July 9. Meghan and her current PR guru share some unlikely parallels within both their personal and professional lives. Both of them are working mothers from California who cut their teeth working within Hollywood's entertainment industry. Both are also lovers of horses with Maines having joined the Equestrian Team while studying at Stanford University and Meghan who has taken a keen interest in Polo in recent years. Interestingly, the PR guru is something of a royalist. In 2011 Maines took to X - formerly Twitter - on the day before Prince William and Kate Middleton 's wedding to declare that she planned to watch 'eight hours of Royal Wedding coverage'. After the wedding she also claimed to have 'over-indulged' in the event. It is not known whether it was Charles or Harry who arranged the 'peace talks' between Maines and Andreae but pictures of the two sides enjoying drinks raised hopes of a reconciliation. Both Harry, 40, and his father, 76, are said to be keen to reconcile, especially after the King was diagnosed with cancer last year. But, Harry and Meghan are said to have been frustrated that pictures of the extraordinary meeting were published in The Mail on Sunday and sources close to Prince Harry have insisted the Sussexes were not responsible for passing details of the meeting on to the newspaper. While who approached whom has not been confirmed, The Times reported that Maines did not have instructions from the Sussexes to meet with representatives from Prince William but Buckingham Palace was contacted. From what details are available, it is clear that Harry and Meghan might be trying to heal rifts with the Royal Family that have existed since the couple stepped down as working royals in 2020. Speaking to MailOnline, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: 'Harry and Meghan reportedly initiated this meeting, as it is clear that any contact with the Royal Family which could have positive connotations is pivotal to them as they have nothing else to offer. They want to be associated with 'reconciliation', yet previously have been so destructive. Nevertheless Fitzwilliams pointed out that the leaked meeting was still 'extremely controversial.' He added: 'The motives of both parties, who knew, who leaked it and whether Prince William was aware of it as he obviously should have been, are currently matters which are hotly debated.' Harry and Meghan's pivot back towards the royals became clear earlier this year when the Duke and Duchess dramatically revamped the structure of their staff to make it more like the hierarchical system more closely associated with Buckingham Palace - and one which Harry is more accustom to. This included the hiring of Maines, a seasoned communications strategist whose role has already drawn comparisons with Sir Clive Alderton, the formidable Private Secretary to King Charles and Queen Camilla, was placed at the helm of a team of 11, operating out of Montecito, California, and the UK. She has also taken on the title of 'head of household' which is more traditionally associated with the Palace. Speaking about Maines, Fitzwilliams said: 'Meredith Maines joined the Sussexes earlier this year. She is the most senior aide in the arrangement nicknamed 'the Sussex Royal Household', formed in June, which was reportedly intended to resemble the structure Harry used to work with when he was a senior working royal.' Harry and Meghan hired Maines in February ahead of the launch of her Netflix series - With Love, Meghan - and her lifestyle brand As Ever. Before she worked for the Sussexes, Maines was previously head of communications for the streaming giant Hulu and she worked for Google before that. Her time working with Harry and Meghan got off to a somewhat bumpy start following Harry's interview with the BBC and the launch of Meghan's latest businesses ventures. Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'It has been claimed that Maines was the chief architect of Harry's recent BBC interview after he lost his case over security. It was reportedly going to be relatively short, instead it went on for over half an hour. 'He came across as angry, fearful as he saw plots against him and his family, especially from courtiers and he was contradictory about his father's role in denying him and his family automatic police security.' He added: 'It has been claimed that after she joined Team Sussex in February, she was behind the unveiling of Meghan's much panned cookery programme With Love, Meghan, the second series of which is yet to be released, and her attempt to be an influencer, As Ever, her lifestyle brand, which is of the utmost significance as Netflix are partners and the Sussexes need their contract with the streaming giant to be renewed.' The bad publicity from these ventures coupled with several damaging blows to their popularity in a poll rating in part underpins why Harry and Meghan are said to be keen to rehabilitate their reputations. Attempts to heal rifts with both the Royal Family and the British public could not come at a better time for Harry with the 2027 Invictus Games set to take place in Birmingham. The Daily Telegraph reported last week that the Royal Family would be 'very much welcome' at the event and that Prince Harry is expected to invite King Charles III and other family members to the games. With this in mind, last week's meeting could be the start of a period of reconciliation between both camps after five years of bitterness between the Palace and the Sussexes.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Inside the misunderstood relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher
Claims that the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the late Queen had a strained relationship were 'nonsense,' a royal insider has revealed. On paper, Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher should have had one of the best working relationships of any monarch and Prime Minister. They were both a similar age - with Thatcher just months older than Elizabeth - and both grew up during the Second World War where they did their part to help the war effort. And, perhaps crucially, they were also both powerful women in a world that was still very much dominated by men. However, despite this, their relationship during Thatcher's 11 years as prime minister was instead defined by rumours that the pair did not get along. This burst on to the front pages of the papers in 1986 when it was revealed that Elizabeth was said to be 'dismayed' by the 'uncaring' PM's refusal to impose sanctions on apartheid South Africa, fearing that Mrs Thatcher's decision would split the Commonwealth. It was the most apparent public falling out between the Queen and her prime minister of her reign. And the rift was even a prominent plotline in the hit Netflix series The Crown. However, royal author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has claimed that their relationship was not as icy as the press at the time claimed but instead was misunderstood. Writing in his royal biography Elizabeth, An Intimate Portrait, Brandreth said that Thatcher told him that talk of the pair having a strained relationship was 'a lot of nonsense' and the Queen described the late Tory Prime Minister as 'simply marvellous' highlighting her commitment to the Commonwealth and the Armed Forces. Brandreth claims that while the Queen and Thatcher might not have seen eye-to-eye on policies - with the Queen having been known to be a small-c conservative compared to Thatchers more right-wing views - there is no evidence to suggest Elizabeth actively disliked Thatcher. The broadcaster highlights that the Queen showed the first female PM 'considerable respect' during her long period in office. For example, she dined at No.10 in 1985, appointed Thatcher the Order of Merit within a fortnight of her resignation in 1990 and honoured her with the Order of the Garter five years later. On top of this, Elizabeth was a guest at both Thatcher's 70th and 80th birthday celebrations and she attended Thatcher's funeral in 2013. The only other funeral that she attended was Winston Churchill. This however does not mean there is no evidence that their personalities clashed on more than one occasion. According to former royal butler Paul Burrell, Elizabeth II started washing up once in front of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher after a picnic. Thatcher was adamant that the monarch should not be cleaning kitchenware. But Paul claims a compromise was found when Elizabeth told Thatcher: "Well I'll wash, will you dry?"' The Queen and Baroness Thatcher at her 80th birthday party. Brandreth claims that while the Queen and Thatcher might not have seen eye-to-eye on policies there is no evidence to suggest Elizabeth actively disliked Thatcher In another instance at Balmoral in the eighties, Susannah Constantine claimed that Thatcher once 'booted the Queen out for the way' in order to make tea for herself. The fashion guru, who dated the Queen's nephew David Linley for eight years, said that the former Prime Minister 'just wanted control' and was 'incredibly bossy'. Susannah said that the royal party were in a fishing hut on the grounds of the Scottish castle when Her Majesty was trying to serve her guests tea. 'The Queen would want to pour everyone's tea and I remember Margaret Thatcher almost booting her out of the way to pour the tea herself for everyone,' she said. As a staunch royalist, Thatcher had huge admiration for the Queen and - according to Brandreth - 'never failed to show her respect for the Queen'. This included arriving on time for her weekly meetings with Her Majesty but in some cases the Iron Lady would take her punctuality to the extreme. 'Whenever it [her weekly meeting] was scheduled to take place at Windsor Castle, she would get her driver to arrive on the outskirts of Windsor at least half an hour early for the appointment and they would sit in a lay-by,' Brandreth wrote. During their very first meeting in 1979, a nervous Thatcher reportedly went into the 'deepest curtsy the equerry had ever seen'. Brandreth wrote that the newly elected Thatcher was very nervous ahead of the meeting and the equerry guiding her to the Queen in the palace sensed her nervousness and reminded her to curtsy. Once in the room, Thatcher's curtsied so far down that she couldn't get back up. The equerry told Brandreth: 'We had to help her up. I took one side and the Queen took the other. We brought her to her feet and said no more about it. 'After the audience, when I collected Thatcher to take her back to her car, I said "Shall we just pause in this anteroom for a little curtsy practice?" We did.' Over 25 years later, at her 80th birthday party Thatcher performed another noticeably deep curtsy when greeting the Queen and Prince Philip at her 80th birthday party. Daily Mail columnist Andrew Pierce witnessed the curtsy firsthand and recalled the moment on an episode of the Mail's Reaction podcast. Pierce said Her Majesty's presence at the glitzy party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge betrayed the 'nonsense' that the Queen did not like Britain's first female PM. 'The helicopter landed in Hyde Park, the Queen and Prince Philip arrived,' he added. 'Mrs. Thatcher did the deepest curtsy you've ever seen... at the age of 80. I didn't think she was ever gonna get up again.' It came a decade after Mrs Thatcher appeared to curtsey even lower to the Queen at her 70th birthday party. And on several occasions while in Downing Street between 1979 and 1990, Mrs Thatcher was pictured curtseying to the monarch - who she saw regularly at their weekly audiences. On the episode of The Reaction, Mr Pierce also described the touching moment when the Queen held Baroness Thatcher's hand at her 80th. The former PM was then both physically frail and had a failing memory. 'It was so lovely,' he told co-presenter and fellow Mail writer Sarah Vine.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prince William Reportedly Feared Meghan Markle Would Use Royal Marriage As 'Stepping Stone' To 'Fame'
Prince William was reportedly skeptical of Meghan Markle's intentions from the start of her relationship with Prince Harry. According to a royal biographer, the Prince of Wales suspected that the former actress saw royal life as a stepping stone to fame. Prince William's alleged concerns echo those of Queen Elizabeth II's cousin and confidante, Lady Elizabeth Anson, who described Meghan Markle as "nothing but trouble" and said the queen was dismayed by protocol breaches before the 2018 wedding. Royal biographer Phil Dampier has shared that Prince William had early doubts about Meghan Markle's intentions before she officially joined the royal family. The future king, 43, is said to have been wary of the Duchess of Sussex's motives, suspecting that she may have viewed her marriage to Prince Harry as a path to greater fame rather than a long-term commitment to royal duties. Speaking to The Sun, Dampier said, "This really reinforces what I've believed for a long time: Meghan never truly intended to stay in the royal family. Marrying Harry seemed more like a launchpad than a lifelong role. William picked up on that early, and it created tension between the brothers." He continued: "I think, unfortunately, that confirms what I've been saying or thought for the last few years that, sadly, Meghan never really had any intention of staying in the royal family. She saw as a stepping stone getting married to Harry to new fame and fortune. And I think that's what initially Prince William was concerned about." The biographer added: "That's why they fell out. And now we are where we are. But to have this confirmed by somebody so close to the queen is really dynamite." Dampier's remarks follow resurfaced comments from Lady Elizabeth Anson, Queen Elizabeth II's late cousin and trusted confidante, who reportedly shared similar concerns about Meghan's entry into the royal fold. Dampier described Anson's remarks as coming "right from the horse's mouth," calling them "very, very telling." He emphasized that her insights, given her close relationship with the queen, carried considerable weight. Anson, who passed away in 2020 at age 79, had long believed Meghan was "nothing but trouble" and claimed the queen was quietly uneasy about Meghan from the beginning. Royal broadcaster Esther Krakue echoed Dampier's view, pointing out a strong "thread of commonality" in how Meghan was perceived early on by royal insiders. She also noted that Prince Harry appeared to be heavily influenced by Meghan, stating, "We know that King Charles said something about him being whipped. We keep hearing things consistently coming out from courtiers and people that are close to the royal family." Krakue also reflected on Queen Elizabeth II's alleged evolving opinion of Meghan. "Initially, the Queen saw Meghan as a breath of fresh air—bright, articulate, and charismatic," she said. "She was welcomed warmly, just like much of the country welcomed her at first." The royal broadcaster continued: "The Queen's opinion of Meghan evolved, and it's much like how the country's opinion evolved. And much like the public, I think the queen thought Meghan was a breath of fresh air. Very intelligent, very well-spoken, obviously from her acting background." According to Krakue, the queen's early optimism began to wane due to an evident cultural clash. "I think where things went wrong was clearly the cultural clash," she speculated. The claims about a cultural clash align with posthumously published comments from Lady Anson, who opened up in an interview for the Times of London with royal author Sally Bedell Smith. During the interview, Anson recalled a key moment of tension ahead of the Sussexes' 2018 wedding. She said Harry had written to her claiming the queen approved of the couple's decision to have the Archbishop of Canterbury officiate the ceremony at St George's Chapel, without first obtaining permission from the Dean of Windsor. "[Prince] Harry wrote to me and said they were going another way. He said, 'I am close to my grandmother, and she is content with this,'" Anson recounted to Bedell Smith. "When I spoke with the queen, she said she is not at all content. Meghan could turn into nothing but trouble. She sees things in a different way." Anson went on to explain that the queen was "dismayed" by Harry's assumption that she could override long-standing protocol. "Harry seems to think the queen can do what she wants, but she can't. On the religious side, it is the Dean of Windsor's jurisdiction," she reportedly said. The queen was said to be deeply hurt by the incident. "She said she was really upset. I was shocked when the queen told me this, how she was so saddened," Anson revealed. After the wedding, Anson claimed that Harry and Meghan began to slowly distance themselves from William and Kate Middleton. Tensions, she noted, were particularly evident between Meghan and Kate. "Meghan and William, and Kate are not working well," Anson told Bedell Smith. "That is what the queen said, particularly about the two girls. It's worrying that so many people are questioning whether Meghan is right for Harry." She added: "The problem, bless his heart, is that Harry is neither bright nor strong, and she is both."
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Duchess of Edinburgh was ‘emotional' to assume title once used by late Queen
The Duchess of Edinburgh said it was 'emotional' to assume her new title, as it had previously been held by her mother-in-law, the late Queen Elizabeth II. During a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, Sophie discussed both her work and the personal significance of becoming the Duchess of Edinburgh in an interview with the Mirror. She was formerly the Countess of Wessex, but became the Duchess of Edinburgh after the King handed her husband Edward, Charles' youngest brother, their late father's Duke of Edinburgh title on his 59th birthday in 2023. This was in keeping with his parents' wishes and in recognition of Edward's commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award youth scheme. The duchess told the paper that her change in title 'felt like quite a big moment' as the late Queen had previously held the same one. She said: '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. 'But of course being practical my role and my husband's role is to support the King as it was to support the Queen and we are fortunate because we are able to not be in front and centre role, so it allows us the flexibility to explore our own interests and then also be available to do things like this where the King asked if I would represent him here, it so happens it also covering an area of interest personally for me too. But yes, we are there to support and that will continue.' On being described as the royal family's secret weapon, 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. 'I don't see myself in a frontline position per se, that said, admittedly, there are fewer working members of the family these days, so I suppose more and more I'm becoming less secretive. 'I just wonder what they are going to describe me as next.' During the visit, Sophie met mothers of victims of the genocide and delivered a message from the King in which he said he was 'greatly saddened' not to be there in person, adding that he is 'most touched and grateful to be able to share these words as we pay our respects'. More than 8,000 men and boys were killed on July 11 1995, by Bosnian Serb forces amid the break-up of the former Yugoslavia – Europe's worst atrocity since the Second World War.
