Author: quyen3

A pregnant Princess Beatrice made a last-minute appearance with the royals at Church on Christmas Day today.

The 36-year-old, who is expecting her second child, made the late decision to join the family at Sandringham after initially planning to spend the festive season with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and his family. It came after it emerged that her father Prince Andrew would not be at Sandringham after deciding to stay away amid the controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy. However, Beatrice received medical advice and had been guided not to travel long distances.

Therefore she decided to make the trip to Sandringham with husband Edo and their daughter Sienna, aged three. For church today, Beatrice wore a camel coat and walked with husband Edo and his son Wolfie, whom her shares with former partner Dara Huang.

Beatrice is pregnant with her second child ( 
Image:
PA)

King Charles led the royals to church ( 
Image:
Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
They were led by King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, as they walked the short distance from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church, past a crowd of well-wishers. They were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six. William walked hand in hand with Charlotte, and Kate who wore a green coat and hat, smiled at the crowds. Also in the walking party was the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Beatrice is pregnant with her second child ( 
Image:
PA)

King Charles led the royals to church ( 
Image:
Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
They were led by King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, as they walked the short distance from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church, past a crowd of well-wishers. They were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six. William walked hand in hand with Charlotte, and Kate who wore a green coat and hat, smiled at the crowds. Also in the walking party was the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Members of the royal family who walked to the service were greeted at the foot of the steps to the church by the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Rhys Williams. They then headed inside and the national anthem was sung before the first hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful. Earlier this year, William described the past year, in which his wife and father were treated for cancer, as ‘brutal’. He said that 2024 has “probably been the hardest year in my life” and a ‘dreadful’ experience.

Two more ‘alien mummies’ have been found in Peru as the mystery into their origins takes a new twist.

Paloma and Antonio are the names given to the two new figures who have been discovered in the Nazca desert, seven years after the first was discovered by ufologist Jaime Maussan.

Intriguingly the two new ‘mummies’ also have the same three fingers as the others but these have small, slanted eyes and are the size of a ‘short adult’.

In January this year forensic experts said that two other of the supposed mummies which had three fingers were in fact made from paper, glue, metal as well as human and animal bones.

The dolls had been seized in a shipment from Pero to Mexico and the analysis appeared to quash theories that they were aliens. Forensic archaeologist Flavio Estrada, who led the analysis said that claims they came from an “alien centre or come from another planet (…) is totally false.”

But this has not put off Dr David Ruiz Vela, former president of Peru’s medical association who believes that the new mummies have human-like organs and a brain structure. After analysing the two figures which he believes are around 1,500 years old, he said that Antonio had a stab wound to the chest while Paloma was the first of the ‘mummies’ to have hair.

The figures were found in the Nazca desert ( 
Image:
Telemundo)
Mr Maussan has presented more than 10 of these ‘mummies’ to Mexico’s Congress in a bid to show that they are an alien life. But at the same time these claims of alien life were also dismissed in 2018 when DNA samples led scientists to conclude that the figures were from modified pre-Colombian mummies.

And in November last year, Mr Maussan returned to Mexico’s congress with a group of Peruvian doctors where he spent more than three hours pressing the case for “non-human beings” that he said were found in Peru. A report by the Peruvian prosecutor’s office that year found that alleged alien bodies were actually “recently manufactured dolls, which have been covered with a mixture of paper and synthetic glue to simulate the presence of skin.”

However, Dr Ruiz Vela explaining how these new supposed mummies are different said of Antonio: “He has a stab that broke his ribs on the left side of his chest, penetrating the chest, abdomen, liver and completely perforating him inside.” The location of the new figures has been kept secret to protect the site.

And another journalist Jois Mantilla, who has tried to prove the mummies are real has caused further intrigue by saying that “more will be revealed in 2025” about the creatures and specifically where these new ‘mummies were found.

A Russian vessel has sunk in the Mediterranean after an “explosion” on board.

The Ursa Major went down in international waters between Spain and Algeria. Spanish reports suggest 14 crew members were rescued from the 466ft ship, with two missing.

The Ursa Major had set off from St Petersburg 12 days ago, sailing via the North Sea and English Channel. The explosion that caused it to sink was in the engine room.

Spanish news outlet La Verdad reported the area of the wreck was declared dangerous for shipping until the arrival of “a Russian military vessel that took charge of the rescue operation”. Later, a Spanish Navy patrol boat joined them. The rescued crew members were taken to the Spanish city of Cartagena.

The Ursa Major going down ( 
Image:
Social media/east2west news)

Rescued crew members were taken to Cartagena ( 
Image:
AGM/east2west news)

The Ursa Major was carrying mystery cargo. Ukrainian military intelligence and Spanish sources suggested it was heading to Syria to transport Russian military equipment, which is being removed from the country following the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The official Russian version is that it was en route to Vladivostok, carrying huge cranes weighing 380 tons each, intended for the construction of a modern nuclear icebreaker. This was described as a key “state task”.

“To ensure the stability of the vessel when performing cargo operations with oversized cargo, containers were loaded onto the lower deck in advance as additional ballast [in a] complex cargo handling operation,” Russian officials said.

Both versions may be true – and it may have been due to call at Tartus in Syria, a Russian naval base under the Assad regime, to collect cargo bound for Vladivostok. The ship had been due to transit the Suez Canal.

The vessel has frequently carried weapons for Russia’s military and is owned by Oboronlogistics, part of the Russian defence ministry. It has a gross tonnage of 12,679 and a deadweight tonnage of 9,490.

Ukrainian military intelligence agency GUR said: “The cargo ship Sparta, which Russia sent to transport its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down during movement.

“A fuel pipe of the main engine failed. The Russian crew is trying to fix the problem and (the ship) is drifting in the open sea near Portugal.”

An update on Michael Mosley’s cause of death has been shared six months after his body was tragically found.

The TV doctor, who regularly appeared on This Morning, died on a Greek island earlier this summer after he went for a walk in the heat alone. The broadcaster, 67, went missing in Symi and a search was launched by emergency services, with his body found days later on June 9.

Now, a coroner has recorded an open conclusion regarding the cause of his death. Senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, Crispin Butler, said Dr Mosley’s death was classified as ‘indeterminate’ and most likely down to heatstroke or a non-identified pathological cause.

The location where the doctor’s body was found
In written findings, Mr Butler said the doctor’s death was not found to be a result of homicide, suicide, or an accident related to injuries. He wrote: “No medical cause of death could be ascertained, meaning Michael’s death may have been due to a medical event or as a result of a non-traumatic accident.”

The TV doctor, known for popularising the 5:2 diet, was found dead in a rocky area of Agia Marina on the Greek island of Symi. He had arrived on the picturesque island with his wife, Clare Bailey, a day before he went missing. They were staying with friends who lived in the town and had taken a boat out to the coast for the day.

The couple spent some time at Saint Nicholas Beach and at around 1.30pm, Michael chose to go for a 2.2 mile walk back to the house, where he had left his phone. His wife and the other couple returned to the property, however when the 67-year-old author failed to return by 7.30pm, Clare raised the alarm of his disappearance.

After leaving the beach, Dr Mosley headed towards the village of Pedi. CCTV then picked him up walking unimpeded through the village, holding a purple umbrella to help shield himself from the scorching rays amid a heatwave. Footage showed the presenter walking in 37C towards a mountainous path at about 2pm local time.

He had a rucksack and was carrying water and a biscuit ( 
Image:
FACEBOOK/UNPIXS)

The broadcaster was 67 when he sadly died ( 
Image:
John Rogers/BBC/PA)
The last sighting was security camera footage from a house at the end of the bay in Pedi, which showed him striding up a hill towards Agia Marina. The grainy footage is believed to show him in the distance making his way down before he disappears behind the wall.

His remains were found around a 30-minute walk from the village of Pedi, where Dr Mosley was seen on CCTV. The grim discovery came several days after an extensive search by rescue teams, who deployed divers, helicopters, a sniffer dog and drones to find the missing star.

Just a day earlier, search teams, including Clare and their four adult children, had reportedly been within 350ft of his body as they retraced his steps. An emergency helicopter circled the wider Pedi area for several hours and even hovered over the spot where his body was discovered.

It was instead a TV crew that spotted his body, found beneath a fenced perimeter that runs around a bar on Agia Marina beach, which is surrounded by hilly, rocky terrain. Ilias Haskas, deputy mayor of the island, said the TV crew of ERT were filming on the boat when they caught an image of something that looked like clothing.

His body was found between the two concrete posts at Agia Marina, Symi ( 
Image:
Tim Merry/Mirror Express)
He said: “They went back to their work headquarters to analyse the footage and concluded that it needed further investigation so they did, and they found him was 10m away from the shore, not far away from Agia marina.” A local cameraman, known as Antonios, said he spotted “something on the beach near the fence.”

Unable to work out what the figure was, he took two pictures using his long-distance camera lens. Sky News reports that he “took a picture of the photo on the camera screen using an iPhone – zooming in on the phone.” The cameraman said it was just “bad luck” that rescue helicopters had missed his body, which he claimed they had passed “20 times” on Saturday.

The doctor’s body was found alongside his umbrella, while his backpack was spotted 20ft away, but it is unclear why it wasn’t next to him. Max Stephens, a reporter for The Telegraph, described the moments after his remains were spotted. He said he watched forensics search through the contents of the backpack.

He wrote: “For 40 minutes, forensic experts examined the scene and searched through the contents of Dr Mosley’s black backpack bag which lay around 20ft away.” Just moments away from the sea, it is believed Dr Mosley was looking to cool down by the water but tragically collapsed in the heat after going the wrong way home.

A map of the Greek island of Symi ( 
Image:
Press Association Images)
Confirming her husband had died, Clare released a statement that said: “It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together. I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days.

“My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world. It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you. We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it. He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team.”

She added: “Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special. We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him. Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked. We’re also very grateful to the press who have dealt with us with great respect. I feel so lucky to have our children and my amazing friends. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have had this life with Michael. Thank you all.”

An American citizen has been sentenced to prison in Russia for “espionage”.

Gene Spektor, a businessman who was born and raised in Russia before moving to the US and becoming a citizen, was already serving a prison sentence on a bribery conviction when he was arrested on an espionage charge last year.

RIA Novosti reports Moscow City Court has now sentenced him to 15 years behind bars. Giving the verdict, the judge said: “To sentence Spektor to 13 years’ imprisonment… together (with the previous sentence) to finally sentence him to 15 years’ imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony.”

The court also upheld a fine of 14million rubles (£111,000) from the previous verdict. All of the hearings, apart from the verdict, were held behind closed doors.

Moscow City Court (file) ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

In 2021, Spektor pleaded guilty to mediating a bribe for an aide to a Russian deputy prime minister while he was chairman of the board of the Medpolimerprom group of companies in Russia. Spektor was accused of mediating a bribe in the form of two holiday packages to Thailand and the Dominican Republic worth 4million rubles (£32,000) in 2015 and 2016

He was initially sentenced to four years in prison, but was retried on a technicality and received a new sentence of three-and-a-half years behind bars in September 2022.

Spektor was bon in Leningrad. He is reportedly married to a Russian woman and had lived in St Petersburg for five years prior to his initial arrest.

RIA Novosti previously reported he had complained to a human rights activist about being held in cold conditions at a pre-trial detention centre following his arrest. But Alexey Melnikov, executive secretary of the public monitoring commission of Moscow, refuted this at the time.

He said: “He has board games, a TV, a refrigerator, a kettle. He prefers financial literature and books about new technologies.”

Spektor told his lawyer that he considered his arrest politically motivated and illegal.

A man dressed in military uniform with a ginger beard and smile on his face stood out to royal family fans as he arrived at the Princess of Wales’ Christmas carol concert.

Many viewers would be forgiven for thinking Prince William and Prince Harry reunited for the occasion at Westminster Abbey. Kate hosted the festive event earlier this month and invited 1,600 people to the celebration. Her annual Together At Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey followed her difficult year of health battles and preventative chemotherapy treatment.

She was joined by her husband Prince William as well as their three children – George, Charlotte and Louis. The Princess has been slowly returning to royal duties and made sure to carry on her Christmas tradition. Ahead of the concert airing on TV, a trailer showed a doppelganger of Prince Harry.

The man, who was dressed in a RAF ceremonial uniform of the British Army, looked uncannily like the Prince as he appeared 35 seconds into the clip. However, it wasn’t the real Prince Harry as he has chosen to spend the festive period in California with wife Meghan Markle and their two children – Archie and Lilibet.

King Charles has reportedly shared his sad wish about not seeing his grandchildren over Christmas. He has only seen Archie in person a handful of times and Lilibet just once after she was born. A source recently told the Mirror US: “King Charles has expressed his wishes to see his grandchildren – and there’s no better time than the festive period to bring families together.

The lookalike confused some viewers

Prince Harry is spending Christmas in California ( 
Image:
AFP/Getty Images)
“There is no feeling like being a grandparent and it is a role King Charles relishes. It is his hope for his family to be reunited and there’s no better way than spending quality time with his grandchildren at Christmas. It would be truly special. There’s nothing King Charles wants more than to see see his family united, and for his sons to put the past behind them and move forward. These are his twilight years and he wants to enjoy them with his grandchildren making special memories.”

Ahead of the concert airing on TV, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new clip from the evening. Kate also included a personal message from herself as she said: “Across the United Kingdom, there are so many inspiring people embracing those in need. This carol service is a heartfelt celebration of everyone of you and a reminder that at Christmas, and throughout the year, we must all shine for each other. Because in times of joy and sadness, we are all each other’s light. I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas.”

Alongside the video, the post read: “Join us on @ITVand @ITVX for the Together at Christmas Carol Service at 7.30pm this evening. This service reflects upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this year’s celebrations.”

Kensington Palace said Kate wanted the theme of this year’s carol service to celebrate those supporting others in need, with a focus on the importance of love and empathy.

Among the nation’s favourite Christmas films are classics such as Home Alone, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf and A Christmas Carol – but it would seem that Queen Elizabeth’s favourite festive flick was far from traditional.

It was revealed by one of the lead actors himself that the monarch used to sit down every year with her grandchildren to watch the film. You may have assumed that the late Queen’s Christmas movie of choice would have been something incredibly traditional, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. And while the monarch had an unconventional favourite, her grandson, Prince William, has a soft spot for a Christmas classic.

According to a very well-placed source, the late Queen’s favourite festive film was… Flash Gordon. And while the movie wouldn’t typically fall into the category of Christmas films that the nation return to year in, year out, the Prince of Wales’ choice is far more traditional.

The 1980s sci-fi adventure film which stars Sam Jones and Brian Blessed is about football player Flash and his friends who travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting against Ming the Merciless to save Earth.

The Queen’s favourite was certainly an unconventional choice ( 
Image:
Getty Images)

The surprising revelation came directly from 88-year-old Brian Blessed who took on the role of Prince Vultan in the movie. Speaking a few years ago, Blessed said: “The Queen, it’s her favourite film, she watches it with her grandchildren every Christmas.”

He then added, impersonating the late monarch, saying: “You know, we watch Flash Gordon all the time, me and the grandchildren. And if you don’t mind, I’ve got the grandchildren here, would you mind saying ‘Gordon’s alive’?”

Unlike his grandmother, Prince William’s top Christmas movie is the 2003 hit Elf starring Will Ferrell.

During a Christmas interview with young children for the Royal Marsden Hospital radio station, William revealed: “I would have to say, probably Elf. It’s very funny and I keep watching it every Christmas and it still makes me laugh.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the Prince – who has been the President of The Royal Marsden since 2007 – was asked what his favourite Christmas song is.

Speaking to host Barry Alston, Prince William said: “For this particular chat with you Barry, I’m gonna say ‘Feliz Navidad’ is my favourite Christmas song because it’s a bit different. I could say Mariah Carey, who I love dearly as well. That’s a good one and obviously there are many others, but I think I’ll probably go with ‘Feliz Navidad.’ It’s a bit more jolly.”

Former US president Bill Clinton is now on the road to recovery after a health scare landed him in hospital with a severe fever earlier this week. The political heavyweight was whisked off to Georgetown University Medical Center on Monday afternoon for tests and observation following the onset of a fever, as his ex-deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, broke the concerning news across social media platforms.

An anonymous insider informed NBC News at the time that the situation was “not urgent” and that Clinton was recuperating in the Washington D. C. hospital, adding: “The former president will be fine. He developed a fever and wanted to be checked out. He is awake and alert.”

In a turn for the better, it seems their prognosis was spot on, with Clinton being released from hospital just in time to enjoy the festive season at home.

Former US President Bill Clinton has now been released from hospital ( 
Image:
(Image: Getty))
Ureña once again took to the digital sphere to spread the positive update, stating: “President Clinton was discharged earlier today after being treated for the flu,” and expressing gratitude for the top-notch care received at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, as well as the outpouring of supportive messages and well wishes. He conveyed Clinton’s heartfelt wishes for a merry and healthy holiday period to everyone.

The 78 year old, a veteran political heavyweight who threw his weight behind Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency last November, has weathered a spate of health issues since his tenure. He’s had quite the medical journey with a quadruple bypass in 2004 following persistent chest pains and breathlessness, a battle with a partially collapsed lung in 2005, and even had two stents fitted into a coronary artery in 2010.

The veteran US politician served two terms between 1993 and 2001 ( 
Image:
(Image: Getty))
Most recently, Clinton raised eyebrows with his frail appearance and feeble tone at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer, leaving pundits to remark that “his voice [has] weakened” and he “does not sound good”. Post-presidency, the ex-POTUS has turned to veganism, shedding pounds and reportedly feeling better for it.

In 2021, he was back in the hospital—this time in California for an infection, though it was said to be unrelated to COVID-19. An insider to the 42nd President explained that while he faced a urological infection that swept through his bloodstream, he avoided septic shock and didn’t need intensive care.

A passenger plane thought to be carrying more than 100 people has crashed on Christmas Day.

The doomed Azerbaijan Airlines jet hit the ground and burst into a fireball in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The Embraer E190AR with registration number 4K-AZ65 had sent a distress signal following a collision with a bird as it had intended to reach Grozny in Russia.

Several people are feared dead, Kazakhstan Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova said. There are at least 28 survivors, though seven of these are said to be in critical conditions. Two of these are children, believed to be girls aged 11 and 16. Mr Alnazarova said 23 ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

Kazaeronavigatsiya, the Kazakhstan air navigation service, said: “An Embraer 190 AHY8243 aircraft travelling on the Baku-Grozny route declared an emergency situation due to collision with a bird and violation of steering control. The aircraft was carrying 105 passengers and five crew members.” Aktau residents have been asked to donate blood for the survivors.

The plane declared the emergency situation at an altitude of 2,125 feet over the Caspian Sea. It hit a bird – or several birds – and then came plummeting down, smashing to the ground at speed. An oxygen tank exploded onboard, it is reported.

The plane crashed in Kazakhstan ( 
Image:
X)
It is understood heavy fog further impacted the plane’s emergency landing. Of those on board the plane, around 60 are believed to be Russians. The nationalities of the other tourists remain unclear at this stage. Aktau airport is open and operating normally, authorities said. The Mirror has contacted Azerbaijan Airlines for comment.

Grozny – the planned destination – is the capital of the Chechnya republic, a Russian region controlled by Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov which regularly sends troops to fight in the war against Ukraine.

The tragedy follows the death of a man in his 50s this week after a light aircraft in which he was travelling crashed near Fife Airport in Scotland. Emergency services srambled to the crash at about 11.40am on Monday, after the plane plummeted shortly after taking off from the airport’s runway. Members of the public were urged to avoid the area as police locked the site down to carry out their enquiries.

Police Scotland later confirmed a man, thought to have been the pilot, died at the scene. Fife Airport is located three miles west of Glenrothes and offers light aircraft travel and skydives. The airfield is also used by Tayside Aviation to train pilots. Its runway sits just under 30 miles north of Edinburgh.

Through the ages, the Royal Family has been responsible for setting many festive trends that have captured the public’s imagination. The Christmas tree is one iconic tradition that reportedly found its roots in the UK thanks to Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III.

While it did not become the iconic sensation it is today until Queen Victoria’s reign, the Royal Family are often credited with making it an accessible trend. Even though the practice of bringing trees into the house and decorating them with candles and sweets is believed to date back to the 16th century, it was only because of the Royal Family’s German links that it became mainstream.

Despite not being updated since King Charles’ accession, The Royal Family website explains: “Queen Charlotte, consort of George III, is thought to have introduced the Christmas tree to the Royal Family.

“The later enthusiasm of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for the custom helped spread the popularity throughout the country. Today, The Queen and Members of her family, will usually put the final touches on their Christmas tree.”

Reflecting on her childhood, Queen Charlotte cherished memories of adorning single yew branches and exchanging gifts laid beneath them. This was a personal tradition she gladly transported over to England upon her marriage to King George III back in 1761.

Queen Charlotte is thought to have introduced the tradition from Germany ( 
Image:
Getty)
It wasn’t until the Christmas of 1800 that Queen Charlotte is believed to have fully adorned a tree, setting up a yew at Queen’s Lodge for a children’s party at Windsor Castle. Initially, it was just the aristocracy who emulated the courtly Christmas display for their offspring, with the wider British populace remaining largely in the dark about the festive tree.

However, as fascination with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s family life grew, so did media coverage on Christmas trees, culminating in an 1848 Illustrated London News feature showing the Royal couple with their children around a tree. This spurred the middle classes to follow suit, and by the late 1850s, the Christmas tree had become a staple of seasonal celebrations.

The Royal pair were passionate about Christmas and actively promoted their holiday customs across the nation. Prince Albert made it a tradition to donate trees from Royal lands to schools and military barracks each year.

Royal commentator Robert Jobson told The Express in 2021 how this Germanic tradition persists, noting: “On Christmas Eve when all the clan are together, the Queen’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren put the finishing touches to the 20ft Christmas tree in the White Drawing Room.”

“Presents will be opened that day at tea time as the royals still keep to the German practice of opening their gifts on Christmas Eve. Gifts are laid out in the Red Drawing Room on a white linen-covered trestle table, with cards marking exactly where the piles of gifts should be put.”

“Once everyone has arrived, the Royal guests enjoy a traditional Christmas that includes putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree and the giving of cheap and humorous gifts.”