Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s youngest son, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank, celebrates his milestone first birthday today and the family are thought to be spending quality time together on this joyous occasion.
Over the course of the past year, Princess Eugenie has been selective with the pictures she has chosen to share of her son.
When the royal baby was born on May 30, 2023, he weighed a healthy 7.1lbs. A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are delighted to announce the safe arrival of their son, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank.”
The Princess of York shared two pictures on social media of the royal baby, shortly after his birth, one alone and one with his older brother August.
In the first photo, a cosy Ernest wears a knitted hat with a white blanket covering him and in the second photograph, royal fans could see August leaning over a cot with his hand gently touching a sleeping Ernest.
Ernest Brooksbank was born on May 30, 2023 (Image: INSTAGRAM / @princesseugenie)
August gently touches Ernest’s head while he sleeps (Image: Instagram: Princesseugenie)
At the time, Judi James, a professional body language expert, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to explain how August acted in this “natural” photograph.
She claimed: “Eugenie is very good at producing very natural, down-to-earth and non-royal photos of her family for social media.
“These photographs seem to give a very real insight into her life and her warm, loving family.”
On Princess Eugenie and Jack’s fifth wedding anniversary on October 12, 2023, the social media savvy Princess shared a montage of sweet moments from their married life together.
The video featured lots of gorgeous details from Eugenie and Jack’s 2018 wedding at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle but also ended with a still image from 2023 of Eugenie, Jack and their two children. The four are stood on the sand, with Ernest in his mother’s arms and August holding two handfuls of sand.
Social media savvy Eugenie shared a picture of their fmaily (Image: Instagram: @PRINCESSEUGENIE)
Princess Eugenie hugging August and Ernest (Image: Instagram: @princesseugenie)
To mark August Brookbank’s second birthday in February this year, Eugenie also released a set of photographs on Instagram one of which showed her hugging both her children together.
Eugenie and Jack have been married for five years and the couple tied the knot at St George’s Chapel, Windsor on October 12, 2018.
Only children of the sovereign, children of the sons of the sovereign, and the oldest living son of the Prince of Wales are eligible to receive the HRH status and prince and princess titles.
This means that baby Ernest and his older brother August, being great nephews of King Charles, cannot be granted titles.
Explaining Ernest’s full name, the Princess explained: “He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald. Augie is loving being a big brother already.”
King Charles III and other senior royals have yet to rectify their bond with exiled Prince Harry, but they remain optimistic he will “come to his senses” and return home to the United Kingdom eventually, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.
Harry’s father, Charles, his stepmom, Queen Camilla, as well as his only brother, William, as well as his sister-in-law Kate all “miss” the Duke of Sussex — “or at least the version he was” before he went to war with the royals, palace insiders claimed.
SOURCE: MEGA
“Charles and William would love to speak to Harry more frequently, invite him over to stay and so on,” the insider shared, hinting there is hope for Harry to find his way back into the warm embrace of the royal family.
“But the consensus is as long as Meghan’s in the picture it’s not worth the fallout that would likely ensue.”
SOURCE: MEGA
Harry and Meghan uprooted to California with their family after they stepped down from their senior duties in 2020, having since spoken out about their contentious royal exit in a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey before the couple’s Netflix docuseries topped the most-watched list and his page-turning memoir, Spare, hit shelves.
SOURCE: MEGA
Reports have emerged that Meghan and Harry’s marriage is on the rocks, perhaps impacted by the ongoing backlash as critics have accused them of being spotlight-seeking.
The former Suits actress raised eyebrows when she didn’t attend the Gracie Awards show in Beverly Hills, where she was honored for her Archetypes podcast. Meanwhile, onlookers said that Harry looks like he’s been “carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders” despite his new life.
SOURCE: MEGA
“It’s impossible to ignore all of those swirling rumors of tensions between Harry and Meghan,” a source added. “The royals are watching things play out and ponder the effect it’s having on Harry’s marriage.”
“The preferred scenario is Harry stays married but finds a way to fix his differences with the family,” added the insider. “The trouble is this just doesn’t seem to be plausible.”
King Charles ‘hopes’ Prince Harry and Meghan will renew their Netflix deal. (Image: Getty)
King Charles and the Royal Family reportedly “hope” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will continue their partnership with Netflix to prevent further “exposes of royal life” which have earned the couple “megabucks”, an expert has said.
Since their sensational exit from senior Royal duties in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have embarked on several ventures including a Netflix series and Harry’s memoir, Spare, which was released last year.
In March 2021, the pair participated in a revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey where they shared their struggles within the Royal Family and the reasons behind their relocation to the US, where they currently reside with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Speaking to the Mirror Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says the “exposes on royal life” have meant Prince William and King Charles “no longer trust” Harry and Meghan.
An expert says the King will hope Harry and Meghan secure a new Netflix deal (Image: Getty)
Mr Fitzwilliams also suggested that the royals likely hope the couple’s contract with Netflix, set to expire next year, will be renewed, despite the streaming giant no longer producing The Crown.
The Royal commentator stated: “After the Oprah interview, the Harry and Meghan Netflix documentary and the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare, as well as the interviews he gave promoting it, the popularity of the royal family suffered and the Sussexes were considered to have gone rogue.
“The biggest casualty was trust. It is unsurprising that King Charles and Prince William no longer trust Harry and Meghan.”
Discussing the Sussexes’ contract with Netflix, Mr Fitzwilliams commented: “It runs out next year and Netflix are no longer producing the series of The Crown, as they previously were. They might therefore have less interest in the Sussexes.”
Prince Harry released his memoir Spare after quitting as a senior royal (Image: Getty)
“If they lost this contract, with Archewell, their business and charitable foundation, having so few donors, they might well be in financial trouble. Since their exposes of royal life has made megabucks, but little else has made money, the Royal Family better hope that this unpredictable and ruthlessly ambitious couple stays with Netflix.”
Mr Fitzwilliams also suggested that Harry and Meghan “need more A-List endorsements” for their upcoming projects to be successful.
He added: “Meghan’s programme for Netflix on cookery and entertaining and her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard and Harry’s series for Netflix on polo, show some much-needed activity. They clearly need more A-list endorsements, however.”
A Royal expert has suggested that the King is likely to extend an invitation to Harry and Meghan to join him at Balmoral this summer, but he is confident they will decline. The monarch traditionally spends his summers in Scotland and invites members of the Royal Family to join him.
King Charles and Prince Harry (Image: PA Wire)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously visited Balmoral before stepping down as senior working royals.
Royal author Tom Quinn believes that while the King will issue the customary invitation, he is certain that the couple will not accept.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said: “King Charles will issue the traditional invitation to Harry and Meghan to spend part of the summer at Balmoral, but safe in the knowledge that Harry and Meghan will make their excuses and decline.”
Quinn suggests that a stay at the 50,000-acre private estate could be the perfect opportunity for the family to mend fences, but he also notes that Camilla may be apprehensive about anything that could disrupt the tranquillity her husband needs for his ongoing recovery from cancer.
He further speculated that Harry’s ongoing feud with Prince William might deter him from accepting the invitation.
He elaborated: “Harry would love to see Kate and his expressions of concern for her are deeply felt but he knows that he can’t see Kate without seeing his brother so it’s not going to happen.”
The Princess of Wales was hailed by a royal photographer for having three very important traits which make her the Royal Family’s “biggest star”.
The Princess of Wales was hailed as the Royal Family’s “biggest star” who cannot be compared to anyone and it’s all down to three key traits, according to a royal photographer.
Princess Kate has largely kept herself away from the spotlight throughout this year as she currently undergoes preventative chemotherapy for a type of cancer, after being diagnosed earlier this year.
There is currently no set date for her return with Palace aides saying she will only return to public duties once she has been cleared by her medical team.
Now the Sun’s royal photographer, Arthur Edwards, has praised the princess for being “an incredible woman” and speculated it “won’t be long” before the future Queen back in action again.
He told the outlet: “She’s just a huge star in the royal family. I mean, it’s no secret that she is the biggest star of them all. I think she’s just an incredible woman in my view.”
Princess Kate has three traits that make her the Royal Family’s ‘biggest star’ says photographer (Image: Getty)
The royal photographer added that the Princess of Wales shares three unique traits which make her a big star – them being an incredible mother, a hard-working member of the Royal Family and a great photographer.
Mr Edwards explained: “She is not only a mother and rearing three beautiful children, she’s a great member of the Royal Family.
“She’s a hardworking member of the Royal Family.
“She’s a great photographer, I have to say that, I must say her pictures get better and better and she shares them with us all.”
The royal photographer, with over 45 years of experience, added that even while in recovery, the Princess of Wales has been “pretty busy” working behind closed doors.
Princess Kate has largely kept herself away from the spotlight throughout this year (Image: Getty)
Recently, it was reported that Princess Kate was “excited” after her business taskforce released a report which claimed that the UK could reap £45.5 billion in economic benefits if firms prioritise early childhood.
The news sparked hope about whether Princess Kate could return to public duties in the near future, which prompted Kensington Palace sources to make a clarification.
The Palace said that while Kate had been “kept fully up to date throughout the process” of producing the report, it “should not be seen as the Princess of Wales returning to work”.
Now Mr Edward said: “Even though we’re not seeing her, she’s not making public appearances, I imagine she’s still pretty busy doing that.”
He claimed that he believes it “won’t be long” before the public gets to see Kate out and about.
The royal photographer explained: “The thing is, they can’t engage with the public because of infection, that’s the problem.
“So it’s not like you wouldn’t want to, it’s just she’s ordered not to.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s plans to visit other African nations such as Ghana may struggle to come to fruition if they have no “excuse” to be there, according to a commentator.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent three days travelling around Nigeria earlier this month, and while they came under fire from some for appearing to mimic a royal tour the trip garnered international coverage and they are rumoured to be planning more.
Esther Krakue told Sky News Australia: “The country that we hear are trying to court them is Ghana, but Ghana doesn’t send veterans to the Invictus Games.
“So what would be the excuse of having Harry and Meghan there – Is Meghan going to say that she’s now 50 per cent Ghanian?”
She also noted that any country that does invite them risks “offending” the Royal Family, who are said to be unhappy with how the Sussexes conducted themselves in Nigeria.
THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSED.
KEY EVENTS
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Sarah – who was previously married to Prince Andrew – said that “forgiveness” is the most important part of maintaining family relationships.
Sarah Ferguson appeared to send a signal to the Sussexes (Image: GETTY)
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Queen Camilla ‘first saw her step-grandson Prince Archie on royal photographer’s phone’
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Royal photographer Arthur Edwards claims that he was the first person to show Queen Camilla a picture of her step-grandson in 2019.
Prince Archie was born in May 2019 (Image: GETTY)
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Would you read Meghan’s memoir? (Image: GETTY)
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to only trust one person to care for their children, a royal expert has claimed.
Doria Ragland is Meghan’s mum (Image: GETTY)
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Prince Harry has ‘permanent look of bitterness’ as he awaits apology from Royal Family
Prince Harry has a “permanent look of bitterness” which was obvious on his and Meghan Markle’s Nigeria trip, an expert has claimed, as he reportedly still wants his an apology from his family.
Harry and Meghan were in Nigeria earlier this month (Image: GETTY)
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King Charles is likely to make four major changes at this year’s Trooping the Colour, which will take place in central London on Saturday June 15.
Despite some speculation about it happening due to the General Election, it has been confirmed that the monarch’s official birthday will be celebrated as it usually is every June.
Princess Kate’s attendance is in doubt (Image: GETTY)
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Prince William and Prince George had a sporty Saturday this past weekend, and the mini-royal was seen acting like a mini-adult, greeting everyone with a firm handshake.
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Prince George was seen publicly last week (Image: GETTY)
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Princess Kate labelled the royal’s ‘biggest star’ (Image: GETTY)
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face cannabis hell as nearby farm creates ‘ungodly stink’
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Meghan and Harry live in California with their children (Image: GETTY)
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Trooping the Colour 2024: Everything you need to know about King Charles’s birthday parade
Trooping the Colour 2024 is just over two weeks away with the preparations for King Charles’s official birthday celebrations in full swing.
The year’s event will be taking place next month amid the General Election campaign and is set to see the monarch, who is currently undergoing treatment for a undisclosed form of cancer, break away from a beloved royal tradition.
Trooping the Colour is held every year as an official birthday event for the monarch, even though Charles’s actual birthday is on November 14. It dates back centuries and became an annual event from 1760.
It is one of the biggest military ceremonies of the year, featuring around 1,600 parading soldiers, 400 musicians and more than 200 horses and is usually wrapped up with a RAF flypast over Buckingham Palace, watched by the Royal Family from the Palace balcony.
Trooping the Colour will take place on June 15 (Image: GETTY)
Lauren Welch
Good afternoon
Good afternoon from London. I’m Lauren Welch and I’ll be bringing you all the latest royal news into this evening. Please feel free to get in touch via email [email protected].
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Prince Harry snubs royal tradition as Meghan Markle’s mum Doria Ragland takes role instead
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be employing a Norland nanny to look after their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Instead Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, will help take care of her grandchildren after moving in with the family.
“There is sometimes additional help, but Doria is working closely with Meghan to ensure that the children are brought up in a close-knit and loving family environment.”
Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland is helping to look after their children (Image: Getty)
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King Charles set to make four changes at Trooping the Colour as Kate’s attendance in doubt
Due to his health the King is unlikely to travel on horseback at the ceremony and may instead opt for a carriage.
He may also invite other members of the Royal Family onto the balcony to boost numbers.
Princess Kate’s presence has not been officially confirmed or denied, although it seems unlikely she will attend as there has been no word from her medical term signing off on her returning to work.
King Charles may make some changes to Trooping this year (Image: Getty)
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Prince Harry has ‘permanent look of bitterness’ as he awaits apology from Royal Family
Prince Harry is still holding out for an apology from the Royal Family as he has a “permanent look of bitterness”, according to a royal expert.
Harry and Meghan’s tour of Nigeria may have appeared to be a success, but the response from the Royal Family was less than favourable.
Royal author Tom Quinn explained to The Mirror: “Harry and Megan see their recent trip to Nigeria as a huge success, but for Harry every success is another kind of failure while his family refuse to acknowledge his efforts and steadfastly refuse to apologise for everything that had happened in the past.
Harry still feels bitter about his row with the royals (Image: Getty)
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face cannabis hell as nearby farm creates ‘ungodly stink’
This is coming from a legal cannabis farm nearby, with the area said to be in need of a “scrubber” machine after residents complained about a “skunk-like” odour, a “jaw-clamping stench” and an “ungodly stink” in the air.
One resident told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden how he thought “something [had] died in the basement’ — until, that is, he remembered he didn’t have a basement.”
One of these nearby farms is reportedly where Meghan will be filming her new cooking show for Netflix.
There are legal cannabis farms near Harry and Meghan’s home (Image: Getty)
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King Charles’s incredible £18k gift to Prince George that’s hidden in his garden
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A Victorian-style ‘Shepherd’s hut’, gifted by Dorset-based company Plankbridge, was presented to the young prince, reports OK!.
George and his younger siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are said to love playing there.
King Charles is a doting grandfather (Image: Getty)
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Daniel Walker was heard calling out to Charles asking him if he was going for a beer.
The King has a great sense of humour (Image: Getty)
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Prince Harry had two words to say to Prince William when he requested a meeting with him nearly five years ago.
In 2019 an interview betyween the Sussexes and ITV’s Tom Bradby aired during their tour of southern Africa, with the couple appearing to struggle with royal life.
Royal author Valentine Low wrote in his book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown: “The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him. Initially, Harry was in favour. Then he spoke to his brother again and asked him whom he would tell.
“William explained that he’d have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary. At that point, Harry told him: Don’t come.
“He was so concerned that William’s team would leak the visit to the press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers.”
Harry and William have had a strained relationship for years (Image: Getty)
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ‘could do the unthinkable’ with more Royal Family attacks
A royal expert has claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could share more about their time in the Firm, despite appearing to start afresh in 2024.
Speaking to the Mirror, Richard Fitzwilliams said: “It also remains the case that, although it would be unthinkable for the Sussexes to resume their attacks whilst both King Charles and Catherine are seriously ill, there is always the possibility that they might in the future.”
In the past the couple faced criticism for their revelations in their Netflix documentary and Harry’s memoir Spare.
However they have announced a string of new projects this year, including two new Netflix shows and Meghan’s lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
The Sussexes have launched new projects this year (Image: Getty)
Catherine Meyer-Funnell
King Charles hosts European royal for dinner at Windsor as he continues royal duties
King Charles was joined by the head of the Royal Family of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Henri, for dinner at Windsor Castle.
Henri and Charles are distant cousins related through King George II and Queen Caroline, who ruled Britain in the mid-1700s.
The Grand Duke and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Teresa also attended the Coronation in May 2023.
The King had dinner with one of his Coronation guests (Image: Getty)
Natalie Crookham
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Catherine Meyer-Funnell
Prince Harry furious at Royal Family for ‘not recognising his efforts’ on Nigeria trip
Royal author Tom Quinn told The Mirror: ” Harry and Meghan see their recent trip to Nigeria as a huge success, but for Harry, every success is another kind of failure while his family refuse to acknowledge his efforts and steadfastly refuse to apologise for everything that has happened in the past.
“In Nigeria and even with Meghan at his side and regularly holding his hand, he still has a permanent look of bitterness on his face.”
Harry still craves the approval of the Royal Family (Image: Getty)
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King Charles’s Trooping the Colour set to go ahead despite General Election
The Army said the monarch’s official birthday celebrations will take place, even though the royals are prohibited from certain engagements during an election campaign in order that they remain apolitical.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be there, and Prince William likely will be too, however Princess Kate will be absent as she continues her cancer treatment.
King Charles will attend Trooping the Colour (Image: Getty)
Catherine Meyer-Funnell
Princess Kate has a royal lookalike and the resemblance is ‘quite uncanny’
Princess Kate has a suprising lookalike connected to her husband Prince William.
William will be an usher at the ceremony at Chester Cathedral, and there had been speculation over whether Prince Harry would attend.
However it seems the Duke of Sussex is set to stay home.
Princess Kate looks similar to Olivia Henson (Image: Getty)
Catherine Meyer-Funnell
Prince George’s uncanny resemblance to Prince William in cute unearthed photos
William was born in June 1982 and was christened on August 4, six weeks after his birth.
George, Kate and William’s first child, arrived in July 2013 and was christened four months later that October.
A new royal christening gown was commissioned a few years before George’s birth as the one worn by William was deemed too fragile.
The Wales father and son are sweetly similar (Image: Getty)
Catherine Meyer-Funnell
Meghan Markle ‘would have new royal title’ if she was not Duchess of Sussex
Meghan Markle still retains her title as Duchess of Sussex even though she is no longer a working member of the Royal Family.
Even if she and Prince Harry were to officially lose their titles, one royal commentator believes this would not change much, reported The Mirror.
“That really would [confuse the Americans]. I think [it’s] probably best just to leave it because it looks unkind, it looks unnecessary.”
Meghan could have had a different title (Image: Getty)
It might be King Charles’s favourite but the classic sweet treat did not do too well in a poll of pudding fans.
King Charles’s favourite cake has split opinion. (Image: Getty Images)
King Charles’s favourite cake has been revealed – but it appears it is one that splits opinion it kitchens across the nation.
According to Fiona Cairns’ website, the King’s “absolute favourite” cake is a traditional fruit cake, although not everyone is a fan of the classic.
Indeed, the humble fruit cake often finds itself at the bottom of the dessert hierarchy, with many Brits turning their noses up at this time-honoured treat.
A survey by cake connoisseurs at Jackandbeyond.com, which polled 1,788 people across the UK, placed fruit cake near the rock bottom of baked delights. The survey also found mince pies, Christmas puddings, and angel cakes languishing in the unpopularity stakes.
King Charles III cuts a cake during a reception to celebrate four decades of the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund at Clarence House (Image: Getty Images)
On the flip side, the nation’s sweet tooth is best satisfied by sticky toffee puddings, red velvet cakes, profiteroles, and tiramisu, according to the survey’s findings, reports the Mirror.
Fiona Cairns had the honour of baking a fruit cake for the King, who turned 75, for his 70th birthday celebration at Ascot Racecourse.
Her website proudly states: “We were asked to include features into the cake that reflected [the-then] Prince Charles’s love of the countryside and everything he does to support it, through his charity The Prince’s Countryside Fund.
Our traditional fruit cake was requested Prince Charles’s absolute favourite.
“Fiona and her team got to work designing and decorating the two-tier cake with delicate sugar craft shapes including rare breed animals, hens, a little basket with eggs, and things that reflect the Prince’s country pursuits hedge laying, dry stone walling, water colour painting, gardening, his racing colours, salmon fishing and polo. The cake was also painted beautifully with meadow flowers and wild grasses.”
King Charles III poses with his cake as he attends his 75th birthday party (Image: Getty Images)
Recently, the King and Queen Camilla made a public appearance and chose to watch a play about family betrayal during their joint outing on May 29.
They attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) to mark its 120th anniversary, following the King’s patronage announcement earlier this month, continuing his late mother’s legacy.
The Royal pair interacted with students over the academy’s present production before they watched an excerpt from ‘The House of Ife’, performed by third-year acting students at the Gielgud Theatre.
Under the direction of Beru Tessema, the play, as described on the RADA website, is about a family who are “forced to confront the traumas they have long tried to bury”. It further details: “As the sun beats down on their North London flat, and the authoritarian head of the family arrives from Ethiopia for the funeral, tensions rise, cultures clash and past betrayals are unearthed.”
Their Majesties picked this production from three ongoing plays, which according to the Academy’s president, embodies the “modern RADA”.
The year’s event will be taking place next month amid the General Election campaign and is set to see the monarch, who is currently undergoing treatment for a undisclosed form of cancer, break away from a beloved royal tradition.
Trooping the Colour is held every year as an official birthday event for the monarch, even though Charles’s actual birthday is on November 14. It dates back centuries and became an annual event from 1760.
It is one of the biggest military ceremonies of the year, featuring around 1,600 parading soldiers, 400 musicians and more than 200 horses and is usually wrapped up with a RAF flypast over Buckingham Palace, watched by the Royal Family from the Palace balcony.
Here, Express.co.uk takes a look at all the key details of this year’s Trooping the Colour, rehearsal times and official timing of the ceremony as well as which royals are set to attend this year.
Trooping the Colour is a major event in the royal calendar (Image: Getty)
When is Trooping the Colour?
Trooping the Colour has traditionally been held on a Saturday in June since 1959.
Even though the date is not fixed, from 1979 to 2017, as well as 2023, it was always held on a Saturday from June 11 to 17.
In 2018, it was held on June 9 and in 2019 on June 8, while during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the ceremonies were modified and scaled back, taking place at Windsor Castle instead.
In 2022, the Trooping the Colour ceremony was held on Thursday, June 2 as it coincided with the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Last year, Charles marked his first Trooping as King on Saturday, June 17, riding onto Horse Guards in Whitehall as the nation’s head of state six weeks after his coronation.
Rehearsals will start taking place soon in the lead up to the big ceremony (Image: Getty)
Will there be any rehearsals for Trooping this year?
On Tuesday, the British Army announced that almost 1,000 soldiers and around 240 horses from the Household Division will perform a “khaki rehearsal” of the Trooping parade in London this Thursday.
The rehearsal will take place on the Horse Guards Parade in front of an audience of more than 1,000 people as a test for soldiers and horses who have yet to rehearse publicly.
Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, the Brigade Major of the Household Division, will confirm the troops are of the required standard before they perform at The Major General’s Review on Saturday, The Colonel’s Review on June 8 and Trooping the Colour on June 15.
The Army said the Number 9 Company, Irish Guards, has been chosen to troop their colour, which means the regiment will march its ceremonial flag through the ranks at the King’s official birthday event.
The Band of the Irish Guards with the Pipes and Drums will march the troops onto the parade ground, led by regimental mascot Turlough Mor, an Irish Wolfhound also known as Seamus.
The music is set to have a “distinctly Irish theme”, including Celtic folk tunes and new music composed for the parade.
Monarchs typically have two birthdays, with one marked by Trooping the Colour (Image: Getty)
Is Trooping the Colour King Charles’s actual birthday?
While Trooping the Colour marks the Sovereign’s official birthday, it is not the actual date they were born.
King Charles was born on November 14 1948 and not on June 15, when the celebrations will take place this year but like many monarchs before him, he celebrates two birthdays in a year.
However, while many would assume monarchs celebrate two birthdays due to royal tradition, the answer is much simpler – and it’s all down to the weather.
Summer in England, especially June, is the optimal time for a parade – rather than the more unpredictable weather in November.
It’s reported the two-birthday tradition was first performed during the reign of King Charles II.
The late Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday was in April, but she also held Trooping the Colour in the summer as her official birthday parade.
Trooping the Colour route (Image: Express)
What happens at Trooping the Colour?
More than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will come together to take part in a grand display of pomp and military pageantry on June 15.
Each year a different regimental colour (flag) is trooped and members of the five Foot Guards regiments take turns with it to lead the parade.
This year, the Irish Guards have been chosen to troop their colour, which means the regiment will march its ceremonial flag through the ranks at the King’s official birthday event.
At the start of the ceremony, Charles will be greeted by a royal salute on Horse Guards Parade and a 41-gun salute fired by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the Green Park.
His Majesty will then inspect his troops before the Massed Bands of the Foot Guards perform a musical “troop” and the trooped flag is carried through the ranks of the Foot Guards.
The regiment will then march past Charles before the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry ride past.
Charles will then head back to Buckingham Palace where he will join other members of the Royal Family on the balcony to watch a fly-past performed by the Royal Air Force.
Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a fly-past performed by the Royal Air Force.
Each year, the full parade is actually conducted three times on consecutive weekends.
This includes the Major General’s Review, which usually takes place two weeks before Trooping; the Colonel’s Review, which takes place a week before the King’s birthday parade and the official Trooping the Colour parade on June 15.
The glorious event typically lasts two hours with the RAF flypast signalling its end (Image: Express )
What are the timings of Trooping the Colour? How long does it last?
The glorious event typically lasts two hours with the parade usually starting at around 10.00 am and finishing by 12.25pm, when the royals head to the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
The RAF flypast is scheduled for approximately 1pm.
The Trooping the Colour parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, and back again.
King Charles on horseback during Trooping the Colour 2023 (Image: Getty)
Will King Charles appear on horseback this year?
The King is set to attend this year’s celebrations on June 15, however, he will most likely break a beloved royal tradition.
Charles, who is currently undergoing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer, is expected to travel by carriage instead of riding on horseback.
Even though he was given the clear to return to public duties in April after a short break, the Palace said that any future engagements involving the King “will be adapted where necessary” to accommodate his recovery.
It has also been reported that Charles may watch the military parade from a podium instead, having travelled there by carriage like his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Last year, Charles became the first monarch in more than 30 years to take part in Trooping the Colour on horseback.
The late Queen last rode out for the parade in 1986.
Prince William’s birthday is on June 21 (Image: Getty)
Will Prince William have his own Trooping?
When Prince William is next on the throne, he might only get one celebration, unlike his predecessors.
William’s birthday is on June 21 – close to the “official” birthday celebration date – so he will decide himself whether he wants to continue the tradition or celebrate just one birthday.
The next in line to the throne, Prince George, was also born in the summer (July 22) so there is a chance after Charles the tradition will not be seen for many years.
The Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony in 2023 (Image: Getty)
Will Princess Kate attend Trooping the Colour?
No decision has yet been made on whether the Princess of Wales will attend Trooping the Colour this year.
The future Queen announced in March that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Kensington Palace have said she will only return to duties if her medics give her the go-ahead.
If Kate is unable to attend, her three children may also skip the staple royal event.
It is unclear whether Princess Kate will attend the year’s Trooping the Colour (Image: Getty)
Who will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony?
The King will be joined by other working members of the Royal Family once the parade is over to spectate the RAF flypast.
Last year, Charles was joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
The Queen Royal was also in attendance joined by her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
It is unclear whether Princess Kate, who is undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, will attend.
Who was who during last year’s Trooping the Colour balcony moment (Image: Express)
When will the RAF flypast take place?
The RAF flypast will enter London at approximately 12.40pm on Saturday, June 15, before having previously flown over several counties around the UK.
At 11am, they will amass off the coast of Suffolk and will head onto land, where they will travel through Suffolk heading heading across Ipswich after 12:30pm and then entering Essex around 12.35pm.
The aircrafts will then pass over Colchester and Chelmsford at about 12:40pm before entering London from the North East, typically flying over the Hainault before making their way into the capital’s centre via Stratford.
This is expected at the earliest at 12.40pm with the flyover at Buckingham Palace scheduled for 1pm.
After travelling over the royal residence the planes will exit the city through the North West, heading towards the east of Oxford, before landing in Reading.
Where to watch Trooping the Colour
Members of the public without tickets are advised to stand on The Mall or on the edge of St James’s Park overlooking Horse Guards Parade from 9.00am.
The nearest tube and train stations are: Charing Cross – About 6 minutes walk. Bakerloo, & Northern line. Mainline train links. Embankment – 10 minutes walk Bakerloo, Northern, District & Circle line
Tickets for seating in the grandstand surrounding Horse Guards Parade for the King’s Birthday Parade are allocated by ballot.
Tickets for the Colonel’s Review and the Major General’s Review are on sale now and cost £30.00 for the King’s Birthday Parade, £15.00 for the Colonel’s Review and £10.00 for the Major General’s Review.
Anyone wishing to purchase tickets or enter the ballot can do so by visiting www.kbp.army.mod.uk.
For those wanting to stay at home and avoid the crowds, Trooping the Colour will be broadcast live on the BBC in the UK.
King Charles and Queen Camilla toured the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in central London today, which has trained leading actors from Sir Anthony Hopkins to Imelda Staunton and Tom Hiddleston.
King Charles and Queen Camilla watch a play about family betrayal. (Image: Getty)
King Charles and Queen Camilla enjoyed a performance of a play about family betrayal on a visit to a world-famous drama school on Wednesday.
Charles and Camilla toured the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in central London, which has trained leading actors from Sir Anthony Hopkins to Imelda Staunton and Tom Hiddleston.
It marked the couple’s first major public event since Rishi Sunak called a snap General Election last week, as the Royal Family postponed any engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign”.
During the visit to celebrate RADA’s 120th anniversary, the King and Queen watched students perform an extract of The House of Ife, performed by third-year acting students in the Gielgud theatre.
Directed by Beru Tessema, the play is described on the RADA website as a “tense, simmering story” about one family “forced to confront the traumas they have long tried to bury” after the sudden death of their eldest son and brother, Ife.
It adds: “As the sun beats down on their North London flat, and the authoritarian head of the family arrives from Ethiopia for the funeral, tensions rise, cultures clash and past betrayals are unearthed.”
It comes as family tensions continue to plague the Firm, as earlier this month Prince Harry briefed that his father had been “too busy” to meet him while he was in the UK.
But this version of events was soon thrown into doubt when friends of the King claimed that the Duke neither requested to see his father nor invited him to attend a special Invictus Games service at St Paul’s.
They added that Harry also turned down an invitation to stay at a royal residence during his brief trip.
Their Majesties personally selected the production, having been given three options, and Charles appeared to enjoy the play.
Former RADA student and actor David Harewood, now president of the Academy, said the King “really seemed to enjoy” the play, adding: “I saw him giggle at one point.
King Charles and Queen Camilla personally chose the play. (Image: Getty)
“Forty percent of our student intake now are from black or mixed race backgrounds and that’s again wonderful to see that we’re embracing that and they chose that play.”
Mr Harewood added: “In the way that he is reframing the monarchy, we’re doing the very same here with RADA – taking what was a very established legacy and trying to project that into the future, giving our modern students a taste of a much more modern industry.”
Misheck Albert Freeman, a third-year student performing in the House of Ife, said the King told him “that he enjoyed it very much and thought that we did well”.
Charles and Camilla broke out into laughter at several points during the performance, especially when Mr Freeman started playing Amazing Grace on a keyboard that suddenly broke.
“Was that supposed to happen?” The King asked him afterwards, to which the 28-year-old responded: “No, but we went along with it!”
“It was fantastic, very amusing I must say,” Charles added.
Their Majesties also toured around the Scenic Art Studio. (Image: Getty)
The production is currently open to the public and will run until June 8 in the Gielgud Theatre in RADA.
As part of the visit, Their Majesties also toured around the Scenic Art Studio, where they met with technical theatre arts students and heard about the set design and build process.
Speaking about that part of the tour, Mr Harewood, who accompanied the King and Queen throughout with fellow actress Cynthia Erivo, said: ”He’s very into sustainability and most of the sets that we build here, we try and use at least 40-50 percent of the sets for other productions instead of throwing them away – we’re trying to make sustainability an underpinning factor of the Academy.”
A group of RADA students and graduates also got the opportunity to meet with the King and Queen in the Burnt Cafe at the Academy before they left.
Part of this cohort was actor Daniel Mays, who spoke with Camilla about a recent performance of his in Guys & Dolls that she had gone to watch in the West End in January with her grandchildren.
He said: “She came to see Guys & Dolls towards the end of my run with all of her grandkids. We were only told on the day that there was going to be a really important royal visit…she loved it and they said they had the most incredible night.”
Speaking to Mays in the cafe, Camilla told him that it had been “fantastic”, adding: “I liked the idea that it was very intimate.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are face with ‘cannabis hell’ in their neighbourhood (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are faced with a difficult situation after their Montecito neighbourhood in California was found to be plagued with a “jaw-clamping stench” due to legally grown cannabis farms nearby.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in a £12 million mansion in Montecito along with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The lavish home boasts 16 bathrooms, nine bedrooms, a games room, a home theatre, spa facilities, an elevator, a gym, a swimming pool and a tennis court.
Harry and Meghan moved into the luxurious spot back in 2020, after they quit their royal duties and left Britain earlier that year.
But now the entire neighbourhood is said to be in need of a “scrubber” machine after residents complained about a “skunk-like” odour, a “jaw-clamping stench” and an “ungodly stink”, emitting in the air.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to the US in 2020 (Image: Getty)
According to the Mail, the pungent smell is caused by cannabis farms – the plants of which are legally grown in California – including the farm where the duchess will be filming her cookery Netflix show, which is only 10 minutes away from the couple’s home.
One resident told the Mail’s Richard Eden how he thought “something [had] died in the basement’ — until, that is, he remembered he didn’t have a basement.”
The resident had to call pest control experts to install traps which yielded no results until they realised the smell was circulating in the air and was caused by the cannabis plants.
According to the report, the homeowner brought two lawsuits against two cannabis farms, excluding the one used for Meghan’s Netflix show.
It also claimed that to successfully get rid of the cannabis smell, residents would have to use air scrubbers, which are air-filtering machines aimed to remove contaminants from the air such as dust, odours, smoke, mould spores and others.
Around 10 of these machines would be needed per acre to effectively eliminate the stench, with one reportedly costing at least £17,000.
Prince Harry has previously spoken about using drugs including cannabis, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms in his memoir Spare, which was released last January.
He described how in 2015, while living in Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, he smoked marijuana.
Last year and while promoting his book, the duke spoke to Dr Gabor Mate, author of The Myth Of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing In A Toxic Culture, about his drug use.
He said: “(Cocaine) didn’t do anything for me, it was more a social thing and gave me a sense of belonging for sure, I think it probably also made me feel different to the way I was feeling, which was kind of the point.
“Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.”
The Princess of Wales was hailed by many for her bravery in describing her struggle to tell her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis about her diagnosis.
Some, including actress Blake Lively, have apologized for joining in a viral trend that for weeks suggested Kate was “missing.”
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry pose in support of mental health campaign Heads Together at Kensington Palace on April 21, 2016. Some on social media have noticed that the sweater Kate was wearing…NICKY J SIMS/GETTY IMAGES FOR ROYAL FOUNDATION
However, people are saying that artificial intelligence was used to produce the lengthy video message, despite it having been recorded by BBC Studios and not by royal aides.
Some pointed out, for example, that she is wearing a similar sweater in a 2016 video for mental health campaign Heads Together.
In reality though, the two sweaters are different, as the sleeves were shorter in the charity video. Some pointed out the blue and white top seen on Friday in fact looked closer to another she wore in November 2023, though it remains unclear why wearing the same sweater twice would make the video a fake.
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The saga serves as a grim warning of what may be to come in an AI future in which people simply choose not to believe what they see online and it becomes increasingly difficult to produce evidence in support of factual material.
One Twitter user wrote: “Two different AI detecting softwares from two separate sources. It is AI. Birdsong on a loop. Grass and flowers never move. Looks warm and green in England for this time of year. lol.”
The post was viewed 1.2 million times and liked 4.6k times. Only those who bothered to click through to the poster’s profile will have seen that it reads: “OFFICIAL TWITTER PAGE OF THE ILLUMINATI WHISTLEBLOWER, EXPOSING THE NWO, SECRET CLONING, VRILL LIZARDS & THEIR HUMAN HOSTS LIVING AMONG US.”
And in fact, a scan of the footage of Kate by deepware, an AI and deep fake detector, found “no deepfake detected.”
It is also worth noting that February was the warmest on record in Britain and the past week has been sunny in the south east of England, while the yellow flowers visible in the background also match reality as daffodils are currently out in the U.K.
Some also suggested the ring Kate was wearing disappears part way through the video for a couple of seconds, though her hands were moving at the time, meaning they simply blurred.
One Twitter user noted: “Many posts are now saying that Kate’s latest video is AI & that her ring briefly disappears @ mark 1:18. I took a look… It doesn’t. See 1st clip below. Learn what motion blur is to understand what’s going on.”
Pop culture commentators Tom and Lorenzo wrote on Twitter: “I’m reading tweets that the royal comms team, who couldn’t even run a family snap through a filter without causing an international incident, produced an AI video more advanced than anyone has ever seen, that has fooled every single media outlet in the world. Go outside, everyone.”
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