Blog

Linda Robson has revealed her children are worried about her as she waits to receive test results after undergoing scans on her pancreas

Linda Robson fears she will have to have her pancreas removed in a heartbreaking health admission.

The Loose Women star opened up on her health scare to Ruth Langsford, Brenda Edwards and Janet Street-Porter on Tuesday. The Birds of a Feather star shared her health woes as the panel discussed how illness can affect your family following Kate Middleton’s brave video announcing she has completed cancer treatment.

Linda shares her son Louis and daughter Roberta with ex-husband Mark Dunford and has an older daughter, Lauren, from a previous relationship. She said: “I have had a bit of health scare – quite a few years ago I had gall stones and they damaged my pancreas and they’ve been keeping an eye on me for a while now.” Linda explained she had undergone scans in recent weeks and is expected to receive the results of her latest scan next week.

She continued: “I had a cyst on my pancreas and it went from one to two cm so the kids have been really worried about me,” before adding that she’s waiting to find out whether the cyst has grown in size. A shocked Ruth remarked: “This is happening right now to you?”

Wagner leader confirms his forces have halted advance toward Moscow

Linda with her two daughters Lauren and Roberta ( 
Image:
REX/Shutterstock)

Linda with her son Louis ( 
Image:
INSTAGRAM)

“Yes,” Linda replied. “If it is [bigger] then they’ll have to remove my pancreas which means I’d then be a diabetic but fingers crossed that won’t happen and the cysts won’t have grown. I feel quite positive about it but the kids are obviously worried about it.”

Ruth asked: “How do you deal with that as a family? Are you talking?” To which Linda replied: “I make jokes about it all the time because I try to diffuse them worrying about me. When I did go to the hospital they came with me and taped everything the doctors said because I would have forgotten everything that they said.”

Earlier this year, Linda revealed her children became her carers during her battle with OCD, alcoholism and depression. She explained: “My children were my carers when I was mentally ill. There was a point when I got so low I couldn’t be left alone. I wasn’t allowed to see my grandchildren until I was better. It was four years ago now and they still say, ‘Mum I’m so glad you are better, we never thought we’d get you back.’”

Recalling the difficult time in her life during a Loose Women episode, Linda explained: “I went through a really tough time, I was depressed and I turned to alcohol and had cleaning OCD. I used to always have a glass of wine or spritzers in the evening, come 10 o’clock at night, but never in the daytime. And then I got put on medication that sent me a bit mad.

“I got put on a certain drug which was supposed to help the depression but it didn’t it just heightened it, so I had to go into three different establishments and it was the worst time in my life, I completely ruined my family’s lives.”

Gino D’Acampo was ‘sexualised’ by TV bosses according to another shamed star

John Barrowman thinks there is no way back for Gino D’Acampo when it comes to TV work – but says some producers in the past encouraged some of his antics by “sexualising” the way he worked.

Gino, 48, once cooked naked on This Morning in 2011 except for an apron and shamed actor Barrowman says things like this which would have been cleared by production likely gave Gino the green light for other behaviour which has now been deemed inappropriate.

Barrowman, who has barely worked on British TV after allegations of his behaviour on the Doctor Who set emerged, was asked by fans in a Q&A where he saw himself when it came to TV this year.

He replied: “At the moment, no. You won’t see me. Nothing lies ahead for me on television because at the moment…. because of all the c**p that was said about me which is not true … they kind of turned their back on me.

“It’s the same thing to do with Gino D’Acampo at the moment which is unfortunate because they’re the ones who…. the TV shows…. and I use this as an example.. like the one where he’s on the TV show and he’s standing there cooking in an apron but he’s naked.

“Now he didn’t decide to do that. Production asked him to do it. So they’re sexualizing him in the same way as when I was on camera and they would do something like ‘You gotta be naked. You’ve got to do this.’ So we then feel that there’s an atmosphere of ‘Let’s have a laugh and let’s have fun’. So then when it comes out that we’ve had a laugh, they all go ‘Oh my God. We’re not on with this!’ This is hypocrisy basically. It’s kind of the same thing that I went through.”

John Barrowman is currently on a theatre tour performing for fans ( 
Image:
Media Wales)
Barrowman added: “Once that all dies out maybe (I will be back on TV) but I figured I’m going to tour more.”

Barrowman comments follow on from former Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle who has come to his defence and slammed her former employers.

She said: “I don’t know this man personally, therefore have no reason to stick my neck out in his defence. BUT!!! ITV played that man for all he was worth… cheeky, naughty, foreign, hilarious!!! It all fitted in 10 years ago… now with a new WOKE agenda they crucify him?!?!”

An ITV investigation found accusations of “distressing” and “sexually inappropriate” behaviour by Gino over 12 years. This also included comments some staff said were “disgusting”.

ITV News said on Friday they had now spoken to “more than 40 people” who claimed they had “witnessed or experienced” inappropriate behaviour. They also said they had spoken to people who had had positive experiences with him within the TV industry.

In a statement via his legal team, D’Acampo “firmly denied” the “deeply upsetting” allegations. A statement continued: “I am a father, husband and have worked with well over 1,500 people on around 80 productions in my career, which I have been so proud of. I take such matters extremely seriously,” he said, adding that the suggestion that he acted in an improper way was “deeply upsetting”.

D’Acampo, 48, has been a regular on UK television since the early 2000s. He has primarily worked for ITV, including on a number of cooking and travel shows, as well as making appearances on other entertainment programmes.

Barrowman faced a backlash over historic accusations that he exposed himself on the Doctor Who set.

He made a brief appearance on Channel 4’s Celeb SAS but is no longer on the Dancing On Ice judging panel or involved in Doctor Who.

Robert Rinder appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women to discuss his impressive book series

Robert Rinder left the Loose Women panel and studio stunned on Wednesday with his ‘real voice’.

The criminal barrister and TV star, 46, appeared in the ITV studio to talk about his impressive best-selling book series, which include The Trial, The Suspect and he also has a third book being released later this year.

However, chat got onto his personal life and the upcoming second series of Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour. Rob said of the second season: “We’ve been in India together, just to be clear, I’m in platonic love with him, I love you Rylan!

“It’s all about authenticity, he’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met!” He added, speaking directly to panellist Janet Street-Porter: “One of the things you’ve talked about is that when you first came into the room, years ago, because you sounded a certain way…”

Robert Rinder left the Loose Women panel and studio stunned on Wednesday with his ‘real voice’ ( 
Image:
ITV)

To which Janet, 78, reflected: “People were horrible, they’d make assumptions!” to which Robert reflected on changing his own accent.

He said of his voice: “This is total artifice!”, adding: “When I was three-years-old, I lived round the corner from Amy Winehouse, nobody sounded like me!”

Asking Robert to share a glimpse of his ‘real voice’ and how he used to sound, the presenter said: “You alright everybody, welcome to Loose Women!” to which the panellists and studio started laughing.

It comes as Robert previously revealed the reason he went to great lengths to change his accent before finding fame.

I grew up in Southgate, around the corner from Amy Winehouse…[people there] don’t sound like me. This was a cultivated choice.”

However, chat got onto his personal life and the upcoming second series of Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour ( 
Image:
BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah)
He added on the Great Company with Jamie Laing podcast: “This is not real, my voice is an artifice it’s a complete fiction.

“I grew up, you know, around the corner from Amy Winehouse and my dad was a taxi driver.”

“‘Alright boy, Alright foxy,’” he added in a cockney accent. Robert continued: “That’s how I grew up and then at the age of three – no offence to them, although it sounds like a deliberate one – I sort of rather felt that I’d spiritually, intellectually and culturally outgrown them and had enough.”

“So I invented this,” he added, gesturing to himself. “Being authentic about my early, very early childhood I sort of remember being surrounded by people who I thought ‘I clearly had nothing in common with any of you. I’m not even sure I’m related.’”

Loose Women continues on weekdays at 12:30pm on ITV and ITV X.

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon is back for season five with the titular star returning to help families turn their home lives around

Stacey Solomon has been a household name for 16 years after she was catapulted to stardom thanks to her stint on The X Factor.

Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon will be returning this evening, Tuesday, February 11, at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer with another family in need of decluttering their three-bedroom home in the hope of a more organised future.

As the hit reality series makes a comeback, fans are curious to know more in depth about the presenter’s personal life.

Anxiety

Born in October 1989, in Dageham, Essex, Stacey is the daughter of David Solomon and Fiona Nash who worked as a photographer and a nurse respectively, along with siblings Matthew and Jemma.

Sadly when Stacey was little, she suffered from terrible anxiety where she would spend up to six hours a day worrying about death.

Writing in her column for The Sun, she shared: “I remember being scared of dying at a very young age, maybe even five or six. I had no traumatic childhood experiences.

Stacey Solomon shot to fame when she auditioned for The X Factor in 2009. ( 
Image:
ITV)
“There’s not a point in my childhood where my mortality was questioned, but the fear was always there.”

Thankfully after seeing a therapist and her GP, Stacey was able to start managing her anxiety, recognising her triggers and what to do to stop the intrusive thoughts.

“Before bed I try and read the most brain-hurty, intelligent book I can,” she explained.

“One that’s so hard to read no other thoughts can creep into my mind. After 10 pages I’m usually exhausted and fall asleep.”

Teen pregnancy

Stacey became pregnant when she was just 17-years-old with her first son Zachary, who she had with her ex-partner Dean Cox, breaking up before he was born.

Four years ago, the star opened up on the “shame” that she felt at the time, sharing that she felt “totally out of control”.

Speaking on Loose Women, she said: “I just remember feeling so ashamed.

“I know that sounds awful but when I was pregnant with Zach, all I felt the whole way through was shame.

“I looked like a baby as well. I looked about six. I think people just looked and were like, ‘Ugh, why is she pregnant?’ Maybe it’s a bit of trauma I just haven’t addressed.”

The X Factor

Stacey became famous overnight in 2009 when she auditioned for The X Factor in front of the likes of Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh and came in third place.

However, her audition nearly didn’t happen as the 35-year-old explained: “I don’t know if it was one in the morning or whenever it was, it was really late at night, I was the last person to be seen and the judges were so tired, they had seen thousands of people all day.

“I think what they were saying was that they wanted to end the night, that was it and go home and London was done.

“But one of the producers really pushed for them to see me and just wait to see me which changed my life.”

Stacey Solomon has been married to actor and presenter Joe Swash since 2022. ( 
Image:
GETTY)

Joe Swash

Stacey went on to have another son, Leighton, with her ex-fiancé Aaron Barham but their relationship came to an end in 2014.

She then went on to date former EastEnders star Joe Swash who she initially met while working on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, with Stacey winning the show in 2010.

Stacey and Joe tied the knot in 2022 and now have three children together, Rex, Rose and Belle but the initial proposal didn’t exactly go as planned.

Opening up on BBC’s Would I Lie To You, Stacey laughed: “I nearly broke up with my husband while he was trying to propose to me.”

Explaining that it was during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020, she continued: “It was that special time of year, but we were all confined to our homes due to the restrictions.

“Every day, we would take a long walk through the nearby woods to escape the daily grind and find a bit of normalcy.

“This one Christmas Eve day while I was in the thick of being really busy. He wanted to go for a wood walk, and I asked if this could wait. it’s Christmas Eve, but anyway, we went on a walk, and all these flowers were laid out.

“So I said, ‘I think someone has passed’. He said, ‘Let’s go and have a look’.

“I said, ‘What the hell is wrong with you? I’m not walking through that’. I said, ‘I don’t know if I can be with a person like you who gets off on someone else’s misfortune.

“I was expecting a shrine, but Joe had put the flowers out to propose to me.”

Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon season five premieres on Tuesday, February 11, at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Judge Rinder star Rob Rinder has declared his love for Rylan Clark during an appearance on Loose Women as the pair continue to be asked about their friendship.

TV personality Rob Rinder has clarified his ‘love’ for fellow star Rylan Clark as fans continue to adore their on-screen partnership.

In November, the duo returned from their latest joint adventure, a trip to India in October to film their upcoming BBC Two show. This follows their initial collaboration earlier this year on Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, which led to fans demanding more.

The first three-part series took viewers on a journey through some of Italy’s most significant art treasures in locations such as Venice, Florence, and Rome, following in the footsteps of 19th-century romantic poet Lord Byron and other Grand Tourists.

Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder often share their friendship online with fans ( 
Image:
Rylan Clark Instagram)
However, during their first series, Rob decided to play a prank on his co-star by announcing on Twitter that they were engaged. TV star turned criminal barrister Rob posted a beautiful photo of the two standing in what seemed to be the Italian countryside.

The image showed Rylan and Rob facing each other under the bright sun, both dressed in crisp white shirts and trousers. “Elton’s set at Glastonbury has inspired us to tie the knot. I [heart] @Rylan,” Rob wrote alongside the photo on Twitter.

The Manchester Evening News reports this resulted in fans rushing to congratulate them, with some believing the wedding news was real.

The duo have travelled together for this TV show ( 
Image:
Rob Rinder X/Twitter)
Fans hoping for a romantic update were left deflated when Rylan, 34, took to social media to debunk the rumours, stating: “Fake news he’s had a wine.”

The TV personality later recounted an amusing incident where he had to explain to an enthusiastic stranger that he and Rob weren’t getting hitched, despite being congratulated on the street. Despite this, the duo’s chemistry continues to win hearts, with fans expressing their admiration for their partnership.

Rob Rinder says ‘just to be clear’ as he sets record straight on Rylan ‘romance’During interviews, both Rylan and Rob often face questions about each other. On Wednesday (February 12), while on Loose Women, Rob couldn’t resist expressing his fondness for Rylan to host Christine Lampard and the panel.

He said: “We’ve been in India together, just to be clear, I’m in platonic love with him, I love you Rylan!”

He also praised the BBC Radio 2 presenter, adding: “It’s all about authenticity, he’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met!”

Kensington Palace has taken the rare step of issuing a fresh statement clarifying one of its policies regarding Princess Kate after facing a backlash from her fans

Kensington Palace issued a statement clarifying the official policy for sharing information about Princess Kate after a backlash over new guidance.

At the start of the month, the Sunday Times published an article titled “Princess of Wales: Focus on my work, not my wardrobe,” which quoted a royal source as saying that Kate “wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting”.

The report further stated she found it “frustrating and difficult” when the spotlight is instead on what she looks like rather than her work. On Tuesday, a Kensington Palace spokesperson responded with a rare statement where they insisted there was “no change in our approach to sharing information”.

They told the Mirror: “Over the last week, I have received numerous questions about a story regarding The Princess of Wales’s clothing and how Kensington Palace shares information about her outfits.

“To clarify, the comments that appeared in the article were from me, not The Princess of Wales. The comments that were reported should not be directly attributed to The Princess of Wales. To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing.”

Royal fans had been left disappointed by the possibility that the Palace would no longer share details of Kate’s clothing, with one expert admitting that his heart ‘sank’ when he heard the news. The Princess is considered a global style icon, with fashionistas rushing to buy whatever the Princess wears in record time.

As such, fans argued that Kate plays a key role in shining a spotlight on British designers and boosting the British fashion industry. Her endorsement was recently estimated to be worth £1bn annually to the fashion industry, according to Newsweek.

Kate has undergone a style shift in recent years. When she first embarked on royal life, the Princess relied heavily on floral dresses that were fitted and flared. But she now has a new fashion formula, and it’s boosted her style credentials even further.

The mum-of-three’s go-to outfit now typically consists of a beautiful tailored trouser suit, a T-shirt or blouse and pointed court shoes. It’s seen as an ideal choice for a modern-day Princess; polished and formal but also relaxed and understated with the addition of a more casual top.

According to a number of experts, the change in Kate’s style sends a clear message. “I think it marks a new era in her royal life,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at the Daily Telegraph told People magazine. “It shows her confidence is growing and that she’s willing to take more risks and do something that might not have come naturally to her.”

Bethan continued: “She’s transforming before our eyes. She might not be able to say to us, ‘Look, my life is now completely different, me and my husband are one step closer to the biggest job of his life,’ but she is saying that through her fashion choices.”

Her comments have been echoed by royal style expert Miranda Holder. ” Princess Kate ‘s image has definitely taken on a more business-like feel ever since she became the Princess of Wales; her more serious wardrobe reflecting the gravitas of her heavyweight role within the Firm,” she told HELLO! . “She has literally been rebranded in line with her new level of authority as the Princess of Wales and her position as our future Queen.”

Notably, Princess Kate is not the only royal to undergo a major style shift at a pivotal time in her life — so too did her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. “Diana had her own trouser suit moment in the late 1980s at a time when she wanted to be taken more seriously,” Holt further added. “She said to designers, ‘I’m sick of the frothy ball gowns — I want to wear menswear.’ And she had these fabulous power suit moments!”

The Sussexes raised eyebrows with their very tactile displays during the Invictus Games, so fans were surprised to discover they will be spending the most romantic day of the year apart

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines with their highly tactile and loved-up appearances at the Invictus Games.

So, it has come as a surprise to their fans to learn that the couple will be spending Valentine’s Day apart this year – and it’s a date in the calendar that the Duchess of Sussex previously said is ‘special’ to her. After packing on the PDA and gushing about each other at the tournament, Meghan left her husband in Canada on Tuesday in order to fly home to get back to their children, Archie and Lilbet.

Meghan, 43, spent five days at the competition after arriving in Vancouver alongside Harry, 40, on Friday afternoon. Aides kept her travel plans under wraps for security reasons, but it is understood she had always planned to leave the event early.

Harry and Meghan have been incredibly tactile during their stay in Canada ( 
Image:
Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Meghan cut her trip short as the Games continue ( 
Image:
Humphrey Nemar/staff Photographer.)
Before Meghan’s departure, the couple made a point of putting on an affectionate display with Meghan expressing her overwhelming pride in her husband. They enjoyed the show from the stands, danced away to pop hits and cosied up with champagne.

A passionate on-stage kiss was shared by the affectionate duo, and they also made rare comments about their young children. While returning to Archie and Lilibet is clearly at the centre of Meghan’s decision to leave, she will be disappointed not to be spending Valentine’s Day with her husband.

Meghan previously spoke of her love for the celebration on her blog The Tig, writing: “Hook, line and sinker, I am such a sucker for Valentine’s Day. Without fail, every February 14th, I wake up feeling like I’m immersed in a Robert Doisneau photo, waiting with bated breath to be dipped into a kiss.

“This is all happening in black and white, of course. And in Paris, if I had my way. But delusions of francophile grandeur aside, Valentine’s Day is special wherever you happen to find yourself.”

Harry and Meghan’s loved-up display in Canada was a marked difference from their tour of Colombia in September 2024, when experts suggested Harry seemed “distant” and “hesitant” in contrast to his wife, who seemed to be “running the show”.

Following their return from South America, the Duke and Duchess then embarked on a series of solo engagements and outings – perceived as a ‘professional split’ by some experts – and as a result, were plagued by divorce rumours, something Harry later addressed.

Body language expert Judi James has examined the change in Harry and Meghan’s dynamic, and told the Mirror that the public have been presented with a “state of eternal honeymoon re-boot through a deluge of romantic statements, both verbal and non-verbal, from Meghan”.

Judi said: “Meghan’s romance signals with her husband on this trip look like deliberate and emphatic ‘statement’ displays. They don’t veer from their normal signals of love but they do appear to suggest something of a re-brand, as though they’ve left both fans and critics to wait for too long and that she now wants to show that the Harry and Meghan romance narrative is still firmly on track.”

The expert continued: “Her introduction of Harry on stage in Canada involved the kind of coy, eye-rolling, knowing asides to the audience of your average newlywed. Meghan’s coyness over a marriage of six years suggests she is still in a state of blushing swoon over her wonderful ‘husband and father to my two children’.”

She further noted that Meghan’s ‘touch rituals’ have only intensified during their time in Canada. “The couple have tended to retain their signature hand clasp over the past couple of years but now Meghan is using ‘limpet’ behaviours, clinging to Harry’s arm with one hand and holding his free hand with her other.

“She has been resting her head on his shoulder as though on a date night and her ‘seal clapping’ at him and even her filming or photographing him suggests a born-again adoration of the man she’s already made it pretty clear that she loves.

“There is now facial touch and back of the neck strokes. When Harry stood to take his turn onstage during the opening ceremony, Meghan cupped his face in her hands to bestow a kiss on him, making him look like her own hero in a stadium full of actual war heroes.”

The plane was forced to make a priority landing at Juan Santamaría International Airport after a malfunction appeared in the cockpit – Queen Mathilde was on board

A plane carrying the Queen of Belgium was forced to make an emergency landing after the aircraft malfunctioned.

Queen Mathilde, the 52-year-old wife of Belgian monarch King Philippe, was flying to Costa Rica for a three-day royal visit on Sunday when the KLM-operated Boeing 787-9 had to make an early landing shortly before arrival. The flight PH-BHD took off from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and was on its way to Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José when a crack suddenly appeared in the cockpit window. The crew continued the flight but requested priority landing at the Costa Rican airport, which was granted. KLM later confirmed the incident, and stated that the safety of the passengers and crew was never at risk.

Pictures shared online showed cracked glass at the front of the cockpit ( 
Image:
fl360aero/X)

Queen Mathilde of Belgium visited Costa Rice for a three-day royal trip ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Images shared online showed shattered glass at the front of the cockpit. One man on board said passengers were not informed of the issue during the flight. Belgian royal commentator Wim Dehandschutter wrote on X: “The aeroplane with Belgian Queen Mathilde landed in Costa Rica with a cracked windshield, according to this account and local media. I was on that flight. As passengers, we didn’t notice anything, and we didn’t receive any notification during the flight or upon landing.”

“Our KLM flight did leave Schiphol 20 minutes late, there was turbulence – as on many flights – and the landing was quite hard, but nothing seemed to be alarming. So I was a bit surprised when I read reports in the local media and on X about the ’emergency landing’.”

Queen Mathilde, who was heading to the South American country as part of a Unicef mission, was not harmed. Later in the day she was officially welcomed to the country by children waving national and Unicef flags, and met Costa Rica’s president, Rodrigo Chaves and first lady Signe Zeikate. No military honours were given, as Costa Rica has no army. She also visited a coffee plantation supporting children of seasonal workers, and stopped at a community programme for vulnerable children.

The damaged Boeing 787-9 was taken out of the regular flight schedule after landing, reported Aviation Direct, and is now in Costa Rica awaiting repairs. Passengers due to use the plane for the return leg were rebooked on alternative connections.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is poised to drop her new lifestyle show for Netflix – but reports have claimed that since its initial release was postponed a major change has been made

When Meghan, Duchess of Sussex returned to Instagram over the New Year, it caused something of a frenzy amongst royal fans – and shortly afterward she dropped the first trailer for her brand new Netflix show on her profile.

Meghan – who alongside Prince Harry signed a multi-year deal with the streaming giant back in 2020 – is returning to the lifestyle space with a new eight-part series that will see her explore hosting and entertaining tips with the help of some celebrity pals

With Love, Meghan was set to drop in January, but after terrifying wildfires devastated the LA area – where Meghan herself grew up – she and Netflix decided that postponing the release was the most appropriate choice.

“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement.

Meghan’s decision to postpone her new show was ‘easy’ given ‘catastrophe’ of wildfires ( 
Image:
(Image: Netflix))

Where the Duchess would likely have been focussed on promoting her new offering, which sees her return to familiar territory that she worked in before her marriage to Harry – for many years she ran a popular lifestyle blog called The Tig that covered everything from wellness and food to travel – she instead threw herself into supporting those who had been evacuated and even lost their homes in the devastating blazes.

A new report has claimed that these efforts to help displaced communities will now be included in the series, marking a major change from the aspirational content originally planned, which is said to aim to elevate the every day to the extraordinary.

“It is understood the show is being edited ‘to include Meghan’s philanthropic work around the fires’ which included visiting victims in Altadena, California,” the Daily Mail reported.

However, in some quarters Meghan faced some criticism for her efforts in wildfire relief, leaving one royal expert to point out that in some ways she and Harry are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t”.

After Prince Harry and Meghan’s volunteering efforts were reported, actor Justine Bateman accused the couple of being “disaster tourists” and said they were only there for a “repulsive photo op” – despite the fact that LA is Meghan’s hometown, and other locals were full of praise for her efforts to help.

Harry and Meghan chat to a volunteer
Mayor of Pasadena Victor Gordo was seriously impressed when Harry went above and beyond to help a bedridden elderly man who had been evacuated from his home – and had no idea it was a royal that was giving him a hand – and even went as far as to say that if the Duke were to ever run for office, Harry would have his vote.

For her part, Meghan has also tried her best to make a difference to those affected by the fires. When one 15-year-old girl was left devastated by the loss of her prized possession – a t-shirt from a recent Billie Eilish gig – Meghan tried her hardest through her network of celebrity pals to get the young woman a replacement, and she came good.

In a video she excitedly posted on Instagram, Meghan explained that mutual contacts had gotten her message to the singer-songwriter, who promptly sent over a haul of merchandise for the teenager who had been left homeless after the fire – including a signed copy of her new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.

Whilst many royal fans were impressed with Meghan’s efforts to brighten the young girl’s day and praised her, other reviews were pretty brutal, with some criticising her video heavily. One social media user called it “disaster marching” and another said they felt it was “tone deaf”.

Meghan Markle spotted bringing donations to the Altadena Girls Fire Recovery Fund ( 
Image:
altadenagirls/Instagram)“Someone’s lost their home and she is gushing about how amazing she is,” another posted.

Despite criticism on social media for her work, those directly impacted by Meghan’s helping hand are altogether more positive. Avery Colvert, 14, who founded the Altedena Girls charity in response to the devastating fires said to Marie Claire she “just started to break down crying,” upon finding out Archewell – Meghan and Harry’s foundation – wanted to help them.

Avery added, “Meghan is so incredibly kind…She was so excited to help.” The 14-year-old also said she thought the idea Meghan was looking for a photo opportunity was “ridiculous” and said no one accusing the Duchess of this saw just how hands-on Meghan was when she came to help and added that the royal even styled girls with donations and “was there for multiple hours in a day”.

The Duke of Sussex was likened to a hapless character from Blackadder by some of his former staff members, according to an explosive new book by royal author Tom Quinn

Prince Harry was given a savage nickname by royal staffers which likened him to a hapless character from the Blackadder series, an explosive new book has revealed.

Speaking anonymously to Yes, Ma’am – The Secret Life of Royal Servants by Tom Quinn, which will be released later this month, one insider opened up about what it was like to work for the Duke.

“I remember once in his private apartments I’d muddled something – some of his papers on his desk or something,” they revealed, in an extract obtained by the Daily Mail. “He was immediately angry and it was out of proportion to the problem, or at least I thought it was.”

The source further added that other staff had “experienced similar incidents” – and would make jokes about Harry’s temperament.

Harry was likened to Blackadder’s Prince Regent character, according to a former staffer

“We thought it was a bit rich complaining about me being muddled given that Harry was probably the most muddled of all the royals of his generation,” the insider continued.

“The joke used to be that Harry was very much like the Prince Regent in the Blackadder television series. People used to say that without a servant, Harry would take two weeks to put his own trousers on.”

The Prince Regent character was played in the series by Hugh Laurie – and in one episode does take a whole week to put on his own pair of trousers.

Elsewhere in the new book, it is asserted that Harry’s wife Meghan felt that he was being ‘belittled’ by the fact he lived in Nottingham Cottage – the couple’s first home together.

“‘Meghan felt it was so small that it must be a reflection on how the Royal Family were belittling her husband. She just didn’t understand that real royals don’t care much about houses and material possessions because, having always had them, they take them for granted, said one member of staff who helped out regularly at Nottingham Cottage.”

Quinn continued: “A rather beautiful house in the grounds of a famous palace hardly seemed to Harry the equivalent to being forced to live in a shed at the end of the garden. But for Meghan things were more complex. She saw Kate and William living just a few yards away in Kensington Palace itself with teams of live-in servants.

“She also undoubtedly felt constrained by protocol. ‘Meghan quite rightly hated the fact that when she was in Nottingham Cottage, she had to agree well in advance what time she might leave for an appointment or an event and she had to make sure she didn’t leave at the same time as, or clash in any way with, a more senior royal leaving the palace,’ a former Kensington Palace staffer said.”

Harry and Meghan moved out of Nottingham Cottage in 2019, setting up home in Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle – a wedding gift from the late Queen – ahead of the birth of their first child, Archie.

But Meghan was again said to be unhappy with their living arrangements and made a request that the monarch deemed entirely “inappropriate”.

According to The Times , Harry and Meghan wanted to live within the Castle itself and reportedly asked if “living quarters could be made available after their marriage”.

At the time, only the Queen and Prince Philip had private apartments within the actual castle, with everyone else living elsewhere on the estate.

The monarch deemed their request ‘inappropriate’ and “politely but firmly suggested” that they live in Frogmore Cottage instead.