Author: bang5

A government source has claimed that when Keir Starmer travels to the US this week, he might invite Donald Trump to the UK – and the US president could stay at Balmoral Castle

Donald Trump will be invited to stay with King Charles at Balmoral when Keir Starmer travels to the US this week, according to reports.

The US president has already been hosted at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle in the past – and a stay at Balmoral could be “the obvious choice” due to Trump’s Scottish heritage and the fact he has a golf course nearby, a government source has claimed. The castle, in Aberdeenshire, is where the monarch usually spends the summer, often joined by the extended Royal Family.

The PM also typically visits the residence. Only one previous US president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, visited the Scottish castle in the past, when he stopped in to see Queen Elizabeth II alongside former Prime Minister Harold MacMillan in August 1959.

The monarch usually stays at Balmoral Castle over the summer ( 
Image:
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
The claim that Trump may be invited to Balmoral was reported by The Sun this evening, with the newspaper mentioning political and royal sources who said the unique offer could be made in days. A Downing Street source said an invitation to a state visit would be communicated by the PM once he arrives at the Oval Office on Thursday to hold talks with Trump.

A Whitehall insider claimed: “He’s already been to Windsor and Buckingham Palace, so Balmoral is being talked about. Everyone knows he loves Scotland and it’s near his golf course.” The Mirror has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

It comes after the Mirror reported that the King and Queen are to be deployed on their biggest royal tour yet – a “charm offensive” in the USA. Charles and Camilla are expected to head to America and Canada, in a jaunt our government hopes will help diplomatic relations with Trump. The royals will first be deployed to Canada, Charles’ first visit to the British realm as monarch, before being welcomed to the US by President Trump.

Next year is also the 250th anniversary of American Independence, which will be celebrated across the nation on July 4, 2026. Sources close to the planning say discussions between governments have already begun, with an official invitation from Washington expected imminently.

The Mirror understands both North American tours will be agreed for the first half of next year, most likely the Spring. In line with the King’s continued cancer treatment, a US visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales has been earmarked as a contingency, although it is the preference to host Their Majesties, sources said.

It will be the first time a British monarch has visited the United States since 2007, the last of five royal tours the late Queen Elizabeth undertook. As Prince of Wales, Charles undertook more than 20 official visits to the US. The King’s most senior aides will be key to developing the framework for the highly anticipated trip.

Buckingham Palace is understood to be “overwhelmingly keen” on the tour and is committed to working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for the plans, sources suggest. A government source said: “This will undoubtedly be the biggest tour of the King’s reign so far, a huge undertaking for a British monarch to be hosted in the United States.

“Americans love the British Royal Family and it is a great opportunity for both sides to reaffirm the special relationship in such an important and historic year for the US. The King has been especially keen to travel to Canada, a country and people he holds so much affection for, it will be a charm offensive on both sides.”

However, the Palace remained tight-lipped over the royal tour plans, with one palace source remarking: “There are no current dates in the diary for Their Majesties to tour either Canada or the USA, or active Palace planning taking place for either option.”

Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney was once incredibly close to Meghan Markle – and now she has been praised after sharing an important message about her children

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent time away from their two children earlier this month when they travelled to Canada as part of the Invictus Games.

The couple made a number of joint, loved-up appearances during the event, before Meghan flew home early to reunite with Archie, five, and Lilibet, three. Both Harry and Meghan attended the welcome reception on 7 February, before she headed home to Montecito alone as part of what was described as a “pre-planned arrangement” on 12 February.

And now the Duchess’s former best friend Jessica Mulroney has shared a new post on Instagram about the importance of spending time with her children at home. It’s unclear whether the remark was subtly aimed at Meghan, but some fans are speculating whether that’s the case.

Jessica shares three kids with her husband Ben Mulroney, identical twins John and Brian, 14, and Isabel, known as Ivy, 11. All three were included in Meghan’s wedding party.

Alongside a glam photo of herself, the Canadian fashion stylist wrote: “Doing this thing today for work with a brand I truly love. As I get older, I’ve gotten over the travel of it all. Nothing compares to spending time with my kids at home. Absolutely nothing.”

Fans were quick to compliment Jessica on her appearance – and praise her ethic. “Great attitude. Family comes first. Kids grow up soooo fast. Enjoy every precious moment.” one wrote. A second added: “Lovely and stunning! Keep shining and being a beautiful mom, woman.”

Among those to like the post was Michael Buble – who coincidentally spent time with Harry and Meghan during the Invictus Games.

Meghan and Jessica, daughter-in-law of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, were once inseparable. From curating Meghan’s royal wardrobe to planning her baby shower, Jessica quickly became the Duchess’s right hand-woman and confidante after they met in 2011, and it came as no surprise that the Canadian stylist’s children played an important role in Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding.

But the BFFs were rumoured to have drifted apart after Jessica was called out for her ‘white privilege’ by influencer Sasha Exeter in 2020. In an 11-minute video posted on Instagram, Sasha alleged Jessica had threatened her connections with brands and sponsors after the women sent each other messages regarding a misunderstanding over a Black Lives Matter post.

Jessica and Meghan have reportedly fallen out ( 
Image:
Instagram)
“If you go to the press over this nonsense and threaten to go to your followers, I won’t be afraid to go to brands and tell them what you are doing to me,” Jessica said in a text message to Sasha, which promptly marked the beginning of her downfall.

Despite issuing three public apologies, and releasing all of her text messages and emails to Sasha, Jessica was dropped by Good Morning America and Canadian TV network CTV, where she hosted her wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo.

At the time, it was reported Meghan had cut ties with Jessica, but just a few months later, the mother-of-three posted an update on her friendship with the Duchess on her Instagram Story. “I’m going to tell this once and for all. Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend and has checked up on me everyday,” Jessica wrote. And six months later, she posted a snap of the flowers she had received from Meghan on her 41st birthday, with a sweet card that read: “LUCKIEST FRIEND XXXX, THX MM.”

But less than a year later, Jessica hinted that her friendship with the former actress had soured, as she shared a cryptic quote on Instagram about losing important people from her life. “Life changes. You lose love. You lose friends. You lose pieces of yourself that you never imagined would be gone. And then, without even realizing it, those pieces come back. New love enters. Better friends come along. And a stronger, wiser you, is staring back in the mirror,” it read.

Tellingly, Jessica has also chosen not to support Meghan’s new Instagram page, which she launched at the start of the year.

The Canadian stylist does not appear amongst the 2.1million people following the Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram, @meghan – which many see as confirmation that their once-close friendship has completely come to an end.

Meghan’s new company As Ever is reportedly facing another delay – so her offerings from her new product range might not be available to purchase for some time

Meghan Markle appears to have faced another setback with her lifestyle brand, after days of controversy.

The Duchess has been gearing up for her highly anticipated cooking show to launch on Netflix next week, but it seems fans will have to wait a while longer to actually purchase any of the products from her lifestyle brand, which Netflix has partnered with her on.

With Love, Meghan is an eight-part series which will see the former actress explore hosting and entertaining tips that her audience can try to implement in their own lives – with the assistance of some A-list pals like actress Mindy Kaling, 45.

Alongisde promotion for her new show, the Duchess recently announced that her lifestyle brand America Riviera Orchard has been officially renamed to As Ever. Meghan explained in an Instagram video that there were some issues with the initial name for the company, which would have limited her to selling products that were made in the ‘American Riviera’ – a nickname for her home of Montecito, in Santa Barbara county, California.

With Love, Meghan is an eight-part series which will see the former actress explore hosting and entertaining tips that her audience can try to implement in their own lives – with the assistance of some A-list pals like actress Mindy Kaling, 45.

Alongisde promotion for her new show, the Duchess recently announced that her lifestyle brand America Riviera Orchard has been officially renamed to As Ever. Meghan explained in an Instagram video that there were some issues with the initial name for the company, which would have limited her to selling products that were made in the ‘American Riviera’ – a nickname for her home of Montecito, in Santa Barbara county, California.

The snap that features on Meghan’s new website featuring Princess Lilibet ( 
Image:
As Ever)

Meghan’s new brand name allows her more flexibility on the products she can sell, and she also announced she has a high-profile “business partner” for the venture – Netflix. The streaming giant is set to open brick-and-mortar stores called Netflix House in the US, where they will sell merchandise relating to a selection of their hit TV shows, and their partnership with Meghan is said to be part of this new venture. But according to US site Page Six, the products from As Ever – including Meghan’s iconic jam – won’t be available to buy until “months” after her Netflix show airs.

In her announcement, Meghan explained how close to her heart the new project is, writing: “I’m thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into. ‘As ever’ means ‘as it’s always been’ or some even say ‘in the same way as always’. If you’ve followed along since my days of creating The Tig, you’ll know this couldn’t be truer for me. This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving together everything I cherish — food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the everyday.”

The Tig was a popular lifestyle blog that Meghan ran for many years before she got serious with Prince Harry and shut the website down, as she was poised to become a full-time working royal in the UK. Meghan is expected to sell products like dog biscuits, jams, candles, jewellery, tablecloths, and napkins, according to patent applications submitted back in 2022.

It has been reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children are on holiday on an exclusive island in the Caribbean

The Prince and Princess of Wales will miss tonight’s BAFTAs as they are on holiday 4,000 miles away.

As the president of BAFTA, Prince William has attended the annual film awards in London for several years running – and has been joined in the past by wife Kate on the red carpet. However, earlier this week, Kensington Palace revealed that neither of them would be at the glitzy event tonight at the Royal Festival Hall.

The awards fall at the start of their children’s half-term holiday from school, with both William and Kate often taking time away from royal duties to spend time with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when on their breaks from class.

The Wales family have reportedly headed off to Mustique ( 
Image:
PA)
According to the Mail On Sunday, the family is using the school holiday to enjoy a sun-drenched getaway on the exclusive luxury Caribbean island of Mustique. The publication reports that the family flew business class on a commercial British Airways flight to St Lucia before then heading on to Mustique, where Kate’s mum, Carole, is also believed to be on holiday.

The island is a favourite among A-list celebrities and was a particular favourite destination of William’s great aunt, Princess Margaret. The Wales family has been to Mustique several times before, including in 2019, when George spent his sixth birthday on the island. It is owned by a private company and has no hotels, meaning visitors must own a villa there or be invited to stay in one.

The royals will also be able to enjoy their privacy on the trip as Mustique enforces a no-fly zone, preventing paparazzi from getting any photographs from the air.

The exclusive Caribbean island of Mustique ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
The trip is believed to have been their second holiday in as many months after it was reported the family enjoyed a New Year skiing break. The getaway also comes just weeks after Kate revealed she is now in remission from cancer and has been gradually returning to royal duties.

However, despite missing the BAFTAs tonight, William did drop in on budding moviemakers during a special visit last week. The Prince of Wales operated a camera while sitting on the dolly and track as he took shots for part of a film scene at the London Screen Academy (LSA) in Highbury, north London, on Wednesday.

The free-to-attend academy provides students skills and training with courses in film production, costume, editing and animation – and was created to address the skills shortage and lack of diversity in the UK screen and creative industries.

Among the academy’s co-founders are David Heyman, producer of all eight Harry Potter films, and Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who oversee the James Bond franchise.

William has been the president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) since 2010, when he succeeded the actor and director Richard Attenborough.

Kensington Palace has been contacted by The Mirror for comment.

The Princess of Wales spent many happy years studying at Marlborough College in Wiltshire – but the exclusive school had a bit of a raucous past, according to one former pupil

It won’t be long before Prince George finishes his time at Lambrook and heads off to secondary school. And while Princess Kate and Prince William have not yet confirmed where their son will head next, according to numerous reports, their top choice for their eldest child is Marlborough College, which the Princess herself attended between 1996 and 2000.

The co-educational boarding school is one of the country’s most prestigious facilities, where fees reportedly come in at an eye-watering £19,714.20 each term / £59.142.60 a year. And while it has attracted some notable alumni – including Kate – it once had a very wild side, according to one former pupil.

Journalist Lebby Eyres joined the school in 1988 and she has now lifted the lid on what went on behind the scenes. According to Lebby, at the time she attended, female pupils who attended Marlborough were ‘howled’ at by boys in their shared houses when we first walked into house assembly. And “marks out of 10 were given to the girls eating in the dreaded Norwood Hall dining room”.

Weekends, meanwhile, were usually spent ‘oating’ – the pupils’ code word for ‘snogging’ – and drinking in the local pubs while trying to avoid getting ‘gated’, the equivalent to being grounded. “If you had snogged someone (or worse), the Hall would erupt to the sound of 800 trays being bashed on the tables,” she said.

Lebby, who attended the school alongside Samantha Cameron, told for The Sun that pupils would usually head to a local pub on a Saturday evening, “escaping into the car park at the back if we caught sight of a beak [teacher] coming in to ‘bust’ us”.

Sundays, meanwhile, allegedly saw students drink home brew in house bars, in addition to the allotted two glasses of beer or wine (for sixth form students only). “In reality, two turned into several glasses of disgusting red wine or beer, which often led to our loos being redecorated in a fetching shade of scarlet,” she confessed.

Much has changed for Marlborough since then, however, and it is now one of the country’s leading schools, with a progressive female Master, Louise Moelwyn-Hughes, at its head.

Prince William’s future wife Kate joined the prestigious co-ed boarding school in 1996, having moved after enduring bullying at her previous school, Downe House. Kate is believed to have felt at home from the start of her time at Marlborough, where she joined the school’s cosy all-girls boarding house, Elmhurst.

Contemporaries recalled her as the perfect pupil to the Daily Mail, remembering her as listening to her Walkman, watching Friends and indulging in Marmite sandwiches.

She also made a very close group of friends – but there was one thing that set her apart. According to the publication, Kate remained a responsible role model and was never caught with illicit alcohol – unlike her friends, one of whom once confided: “A group of us used to sneak off to Reading to go drinking but she would never join us.”

Another pal, Gemma, revealed that it was when 16-year-old Kate returned to the school for sixth form after the holidays, she had transformed into “an absolute beauty”.

But despite the fact she turned heads, the future royal didn’t have many romantic entanglements. Her first kiss was reportedly with a boy named Woody, who was the older brother of Alice St John Webster, one of Kate’s closest friends.

She is also said to have had a brief romance with Harry Blakelock, captain of the rugby team, which fizzled out after he left school, reportedly leaving Kate ‘heartbroken’.

By the time Kate was ready to leave Marlborough College, she had made a big impact and was voted ‘Person most likely to be loved by everybody’ in her yearbook.

Kate gained 11 GCSEs at the College before going on to achieve As in Maths and Art and a B in English for her A-levels. Just like William, she took a gap year before going to university – and actually did a surprisingly similar trip, undertaking a Raleigh International programme in Chile.

Then in 2001, she headed to St Andrews University in Scotland to study History of Art – and met her future husband, who was enrolled on the same course.

Kate is not Marlborough’s only famous alma mater. Other notable former pupils include Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, wartime poet Siegfried Sassoon, writer Dick King-Smith, singer Chris de Burgh and comedian Jack Whitehall.

Kate’s younger sister Pippa Middleton and Princess Eugenie are also Old Marlburians, as is Olivia Grosvenor, the Duchess of Westminster.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has shared a sweet clip that included Prince Archie’s voice, and royal fans have all been gushing about just how grown up the little boy sounds

Since Meghan Markle returned to social media, royal fans have been treated to more and more glimpses of her children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.

For the most part, Meghan and Prince Harry work hard to keep their two youngsters out of the public eye, but every so often they provide a much-welcomed look into how the Sussex children are growing up, leaving royal fans thrilled.

Meghan shared a video on her Instagram stories showing the stunning garden attached to her Montecito mansion – and Prince Archie’s sweet voice could be heard in the background.

The Duchess was watering some of the luscious plants in her garden when Archie could be heard piping up and offering to help out with the gardening chore. “Mummy I can do it if you want to,” he said.

Meghan has been showing more glimpses of her kids since returning to social media ( 
Image:
Meghan Markle/Instagram)

Meghan has been sharing candid snippets of her life in the lead up to her new show ( 
Image:
meghan/Instagram)

“Only if you want to,” Meghan replied, before handing over the hose to the youngster so Archie could get to work.

Meghan showed off the bounty of amazing plants that she has been growing in the video – including an orange tree that is bearing fruit, one of which she later filmed herself squeezing the juice into her glass of what seemed to be sparkling wine.

Royal fans were quick to praise the young prince for offering to help out his mum with the gardening task, and for how grown up he sounded. “Prince Archie is all grown up and helping his mama,” one wrote. Another commented: “ARCHIES’ VOICE! HE’S NO LONGER A BABY”.

Many noted just how well-mannered the sixth-in-line to the throne sounded, something that Meghan has previously revealed is of the utmost importance to herself and Harry when it comes to raising their eldest child.

Meghan shared an adorable snippet of Prince Archie’s voice on social media ( 
Image:
Meghan Markle/Instagram)In a sit-down interview with The Cut magazine back in 2022 – to promote her podcast series Archetypes – Meghan admitted that they worked hard to ensure Archie – who was then three years old – learned to keep up good manners. “We always tell him: ‘Manners make the man. Manners, manners, manners, manners, manners’”.

Royal fans were also treated to another glimpse of Archie just a couple of weeks ago on Valentine’s Day. Meghan posted a sweet clip of her kids making some love-themed sweet treats, which included a picture of the back of Archie’s head.

Meghan and Harry also opted to share a photo of their kids from behind in their Christmas card last December, sharing a sweet moment where their two youngsters ran toward the couple for a cuddle, but whilst keeping their faces out of view – in line with a trend many celebrity parents have followed in recent years to afford their kids more privacy.

Prince William, who is Patron of the Football Association, welcomed new England manager Thomas Tuchel to Windsor Castle today ahead of his first matches in charge of the Three Lions

Prince William met new England manager Thomas Tuchel for the first time today ahead of his first matches in charge of the Three Lions.

Tuchel officially took charge of England at the start of the year after Sir Gareth Southgate stepped down after the Euros in the summer, with his first match coming next month against Albania. This afternoon, William, who is Patron of the Football Association, welcomed Tuchel to WIndsor Castle as well as Mark Bullingham, the CEO of the FA.

A snap posted to social media showed William and the new England boss shaking hands. It was captioned: “Great to meet new @England men’s manager Thomas Tuchel for the first time today, and hear about plans for the team” and included a strong arm emoji.

William and Tuchel were joined by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham ( 
Image:
Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)
It is believed their meeting lasted over an hour with new manager sharing his views on the team and his hopes for the future with the prince. A royal source said they also discussed the ongoing success of Aston Villa in their Champions League campaign.

William previously backed Tuchel as the Three Lions’ new boss after his appointment telling him: “We’re all behind you!” In a personal message posted by Kensington Palace’s social media, the prince wrote: “Exciting times for @England, with a generation of talented players and a new manager taking the reins. “Thomas, wishing you the best of luck, we’re all behind you! W.”

Tuchel, who is German, has been tasked with leading England to World Cup glory in the 2026 tournament. The Three Lions will face Albania, Latvia, Andorra and Serbia in the qualifiers. However, he is expecting a tough qualification campaign, with Albania first up at Wembley on March 21. Tuchel has insisted that reaching the World Cup will not be easy despite the lack of another top level side in their group.

“It’s a difficult group,” said former Chelsea boss Tuchel. “Serbia and Albania have some good individual players, top coaches and some very famous ex-players, so it will be very tough. We’ll have to be very respectful of that. “We have to be at our top level to make it to the World Cup – it’s the most important task at the moment to not get distracted. We also don’t want to get distracted by the role of favourites.”

Tuchel’s visit to Windsor Castle comes after the Prince of Wales sent a highly personal message to his predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate, who quit as England manager last July – just days after his side lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain.

Taking to social media minutes after the news was announced, William said: “Gareth, I want to thank you – not as the President of the @FA, but as an @England fan. Thank you for creating a team that stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s finest in 2024.”Thank you for showing humility, compassion, and true leadership under the most intense pressure and scrutiny.

“And thank you for being an all-round class act. You should be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved. W.” The Prince of Wales also shared a sweet photo of himself sharing a joke with Southgate during a previous visit to the England training ground.

Southgate announced he was standing down as England manager, saying it is time for a “new chapter” for the national team. “As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me and I have given it my all,” he said in a statement.

Samantha Rathling was left devastated when she received her breast cancer diagnosis, saying that telling her three children she was undergoing treatment was the “hardest conversation” she’s ever had

A single-mum-of-three has revealed her difficult decision to wait five weeks to tell her children about her breast cancer diagnosis, undergoing the same treatment as the Princess of Wales. Samantha Rathling, from Derby, East Mids, found a lump in her breast in 2023 and went to the GP straight away.

After being referred to the breast clinic for a mammogram and ultrasound, as well as a biopsy, Samantha, 47, soon received the news that she had been diagnosed with grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma – a high grade breast cancer that’s aggressive and more likely to spread.

“Telling my children I had cancer was really hard,” she says. “The toughest conversation I’ve ever had was with my 11-year-old, who has ADHD and other neurodiverse challenges. I used metaphors, calling my tumour ‘Larry the Lump’, and using phrases like: ‘Larry’s going to exit the building’ about my surgery. The older two children I told earlier in the process, as they were better able to understand.”

Samantha opened up on the difficulty in revealing her cancer diagnosis to her three children

Samantha’s daughters shaved their heads in support of their mother
One person who understands this all too well is the Princess of Wales, who has gone through the same preventative cancer treatment as Samantha. Kate revealed her cancer diagnosis to the public on March 22, 2024.

It’s understood she wanted to tell her children before the news broke online, giving them time to process it and reassuring them that she would be okay. A plethora of conspiracy theories surrounded Kate’s health at the time, with the Princess absent from numerous public appearances.

In a new interview with 60 Minutes Australia (via GB News), Prince William and Kate’s former royal aide Jason Knauf revealed why Kate and William waited to announce the difficult news. “They didn’t want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn’t told the children and they were still working through how to tell the children,” Knauf explained.

Telling children about cancer diagnosis’ can be tough, with Samantha, owner of a marketing business, revealing she waited five weeks to process the news before telling her youngsters. Her three children, aged 12, 15, and 18, were told in stages about her diagnosis and treatment plan.

She says: “I knew I would need to speak separately to my youngest daughter and in a different way. I waited until I knew what I was dealing with, full diagnosis, what stage, what the plan was and how the surgeons and consultants were going to help me before I sat her down and spoke to her.

“This was about five weeks after I found my lump, it was her birthday in November, so I waited until after her birthday so that she didn’t have a negative association with her birthday.”

Samantha also received support from a Breast Cancer Support Nurse in telling her children the news. “I am their whole world,” she says.

She adds it was the “hardest conversation of my life”, explaining to her children that she had a treatment plan in place and that she was going to get sick before she gets better. “We all cried together,” she adds.

Samantha’s daughters chose to shave their hair in support of their mother, raising more than £3,000 for Cancer Research UK. Since her diagnosis, Samantha has had a lumpectomy and preventative chemotherapy.

Kate and William’s former royal aide also discussed the Prince of Wales’s reaction to the news. “It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”

Kate has now completed her chemotherapy treatment, saying she is “focused on staying cancer free”. Meanwhile, Samantha has also completed six rounds of chemotherapy, and 10 radiotherapy treatments to keep the cancer at bay.

She is now on medication to stop cancer cells growing, hoping to raise more money for Cancer Research UK who helped her with her journey. Samantha is supporting Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in partnership with Standard Life. Visit raceforlife.org.

An interview by Jason Knauf, who worked at Kensington Palace, for both the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has been condemned

An interview given by a former royal aide who was at the centre of the Meghan Markle bullying allegations has been described as a “clear dig” at Prince Harry.

Jason Knauf, who previously worked at Kensington Palace for Harry and Meghan, lauded the couple and their “lovely family” in the new interview. It comes, though, after he had said Meghan “bullied” two PAs out of the royal household in the past.

The former aide’s contrasting opinions in the chat, broadcast on Australian TV, has divided opinion among royal experts this week, particularly as Mr Knauf also praised Prince William. He used to work for Prince William and Princess Kate as their communications secretary.

Alluding to the interview, journalist Amanda Platell wrote: “Was this a clear dig at Harry who went on the make millions out of his alleged grievances against the royals and the appalling way they had treated his ‘suicidal’ wife? A wife who pleaded ‘not just to survive but thrive’?”

The journalist, who was press secretary to William Hague, the then leader of the British Conservative Party between 1999 and 2001, offered her scathing critique in Wednesday’s Daily Mail.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were praised in the interview ( 
Image:
PA)

Today’s piece questions whether the interview was a ‘clear dig’ aimed at Harry ( 
Image:
PA)
It explores Mr Knauf’s complimentary remarks about William, for whom Mr Knauf worked until 2021, saying of the terrible breakdown of his relationship with Harry that William was both “hard and sad”.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle series With Love, Meghan is out on Netflix next week. It barely mentions Prince Harry, whose recent programme POLO received poor reviews.

Sources who’ve been given a preview of With Love, Meghan – likely to be the final project in Meghan and Harry’s $100million (£80million) deal with Netflix – say it continues with what is seen as the couple’s “brand separation”.

Meghan and Harry admitted in November they are at a “crossroads” with their work and insiders say With Love, Meghan – a “how-to” guide to entertain – further reinforces this. Harry, nor either of the couple’s children Archie and Lilibet, are hardly mentioned or seen in Meghan’s latest series. A source said: “Harry isn’t in it. It’s all her, and all about her. It’s very watchable.”

Things took an emotional turn during the latest episode of BBC’s hit programme, Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon, as host Stacey comforted a guest on the show

Presenter Stacey Solomon offered her support during the latest episode of Sort Your Life Out as the show took an emotional turn.

Stacey, along with her husband Joe Swash and her team of declutterers, were back for another episode on Tuesday night (February 25). Assisting the Aphabhai-Heer family from Coventry to reduce their record-breaking collection of clothes, the team had their work cut for them.

But while connecting with mum Sheeney, Stacey discovered why her house was filled to the brim with clothes. Sharing further insight into her past, Sheeney told her that after becoming pregnant at 17 her first partner left.

Talking about the relationship with her ex-boyfriend before she met her current partner Sohan, Sheeney said: “The relationship wasn’t very nice and I’d be completely honest, he would say I looked like a man. So to make myself feel better and more feminie, I’d go out and buy things.”

Stacey Solomon comforted Sheeney as she shared her story ( 
Image:
BBC)

Feeling upset by her admission, Stacey said: “Sheeney! Oh my God stop it, I’m gonna have to climb over your 100 pairs of jeans to give you a hug.”

But despite the tears, Stacey and her team had plenty of work to do as they aimed to shift the family’s clutter. With Sheeney’s love for clothes and kitchen appliances, the team were busy getting things done.

Sheeney was in tears during the BBC episode ( 
Image:
BBC)
However, some viewers were not too convinced that the Aphabhai-Heer family needed help from the team and thought they could have perhaps shifted some of the clutter themselves. Heading over to X, viewers who were clearly unsure about the episode shared their thoughts.

One fan of the show wrote: “I’m sorry but I’m not liking this episode. Normally it features a family who are suffering due to physical or mental health issues.”

Fans shared their thoughts online regarding the episode ( 
Image:
BBC)

Another shared: “Normally there’s a route course for the families on #sortyourlifeout This lot just seem like materialistic hoarders. Go back in a year & it’s gonna be just as bad.”

However others seemed to defend Sheeney and her family’s former untidy home, with one writing: “Most people criticising Sheeny have no idea of the psychological aspect of hoarding. Her ex-partner told this beautiful woman she looked like a man, and destroyed her self-confidence. So she bought things to enhance her femininity. Cut her some slack.”

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon airs Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One.