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Prince William is set to be an usher at his friend the Duke of Westminster’s wedding but King Charles won’t attend amid rumours of tension over a past Queen Camilla ‘snub’.

Prince Harry is also expected to miss the event over worries his attendance may cause family awkwardness which could overshadow his friend Hugh Grosvenor, and his bride-to-be, Olivia Henson’s big day on June 7.

The King and Queen will miss the ‘society wedding of the year’, over claims they have not forgotten about what happened at the 2004 wedding of Hugh’s sister.

They turned down their invitations at the time to Lady Tamara Grosvenor and Edward van Cutsem’s wedding, which was held at the same venue as the duke’s upcoming wedding: Chester Cathedral.

Camilla Parker Bowles, as she was then, had been told that she would not be allowed to sit with Prince Charles and would instead be seated several rows back and be made to arrive separately.

This was because of royal protocol since Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the ceremony, along with Princes William and Harry.

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Prince William is set to be an usher at the society wedding of the year when his close friend the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor gets married to Olivia Henson next month. Pictured: The couple’s official photo released to mark their engagement

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Prince William will be among the groom’s party, but the Princess of Wales, who is receiving cancer treatment, is not expected to attend

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Prince Harry is not on the guest list for his friend’s marriage to ‘avoid any royal tensions overshadowing the big day’. Neither he nor his wife Meghan Markle will attend, despite Grosvenor being so close to Harry that he is a godfather to the couple’s five-year-old son Prince Archie

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The wedding of Lady Tamara Grosvenor, and Edward van Cutsem. The King and Queen chose to turn down their invitations to the 2004 wedding

Tensions were heightened by reports that Emilie van Cutsem, the groom’s mother, and Camilla had fallen out after each is alleged to have criticised the behaviour of the other’s children.

Charles ultimately excused himself from the event with just days to go, saying he had to visit Warminster barracks to meet the families of soldiers serving in Iraq. Camilla was described as ‘otherwise engaged’.

According to royal author Sarah Bradford, Camilla was so infuriated that she told Charles the status quo was no longer acceptable. Their own engagement was announced three months later.

The King, who is Grosvenor’s godfather, is still undergoing cancer treatment and will be travelling to France the day before the ceremony next month with the Queen and Prince William to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

Another aspect of the upcoming wedding that has been the talk of the town for months is why Prince Harry may have turned down an invitation from his old friend.

Now friends of the Royal Family think they have solved the mystery, claiming that Prince Harry refused to attend when he discovered his brother William had been given a prominent role.

Tonight the Sunday Times reported that the Prince of Wales will be an usher at the duke’s wedding to Olivia Henson.

The Mail on Sunday understands that his son Prince George is set have a prominent role too, as he is the duke’s godson. The attendance of King Charles, who is the duke’s godfather, is yet to be officially confirmed or denied.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla are not expected to attend the wedding

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Chester Cathedral where the duke’s wedding is set to take place next month

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After the wedding service at Chester Cathedral, guests will then enjoy a grand reception at nearby Eaton Hall (pictured)

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Prince Harry and Prince William at the wedding of Edward van Cutsem and their friend’s sister Lady Tamara Grosvenor at Chester Cathedral in 2004

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Harry and Meghan have already been excluded from next month’s wedding. Hugh is believed to have felt the Sussexes’ appearance could cause tensions with the Royal Family

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The Prince and Princess of Wales and their elder son, Prince George, who is Hugh’s godson, are invited to the wedding. However, Catherine is not expected to attend because she is undergoing cancer treatment

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Olivia and Hugh announced their engagement on April 23, 2023, after two years of dating. Pictured vising charities in Chester earlier this month

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The late Queen is pictured with the late Duke of Westminster Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died suddenly in 2016

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Pictured: Harry and Meghan with Archie in 2019

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The releationship between Harry and William is understood to be under strain in recent years. Pictured: The brothers in 2021 at an unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana

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Prince William, pictured with Grosvenor in 2004, was at one point in the running to be the Duke’s best man

Known as ‘Huey’ to friends, the 33-year-old duke is one of very few to remain close friends with both William and Harry.

Friends have suggested the Prince of Wales was first asked in December to be an usher at the wedding at Chester Cathedral next month. At one stage, he was even said to have been earmarked as a best man.

Harry was said to have been ‘put out’ by the news because he had always regarded himself as being closer to the duke – who is also godfather to the Sussexes’ first-born, Prince Archie.

Last night, a well-informed source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘William was asked to have a prominent role in the wedding and that’s what triggered Harry to decline an invitation. Apparently he [Harry] was put out by the request when he thought it should have been him.’

Referencing the lack of public details about the occasion, the source added: ‘Both the Palace and Hugh’s people decided to hold dear the operational part of the wedding once the leak about Harry not attending made the papers.’

Last year, it was claimed that Prince Harry had been ‘snubbed’ from the wedding, but a source close to the Sussexes was at pains to explain to US publication Page Six that both Meghan and Harry had in fact received invitations, but had jointly decided to decline.

Neither Harry nor his wife Meghan Markle will attend the wedding, which is expected to have 400 guests, despite Grosvenor being so close to Harry that he is a godfather to the couple’s five-year-old son Prince Archie.

Prince William will be among the groom’s party, but the Princess of Wales, who is receiving cancer treatment, is not expected to attend.

Grosvenor, known as ‘Hughie’ to his friends, and Henson, were introduced by mutual friends in 2021.

The couple have insisted on a ‘strictly no-gifts policy’ for their guests, according to The Sunday Times.

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Prince William (R) is greeted by General Timothy Granville-Chapman (2R), Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster (2L) and John Peace (L) as he arrives to attend the official handover of the newly built Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre

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A close friend of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Westminster is godfather to his eldest son Prince George (Grosvenor pictured  in 2018 second from left with then PM Theresa May, far left, Bahrain’s Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, second from right, and Prince William, far right)

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Once dubbed Britain’s most eligible bachelor, Hugh was educated at £6,000-a-term day school Ellesmere College in Shropshire

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The Duke of Westminster and his fiancée had a busy start to the month as they carried out a very regal string of engagements in Chester, where they are due to exchange vows this summer

Images from earlier this month showed the couple (left) being mirror images of William and Kate (pictured right in 2022), who are crowd-favourites when it comes to public engagements

The Duke inherited his £9.3billion fortune when his father Gerald Grosvenor suffered a sudden heart attack while out on a country walk and died aged 64 in 2016.

He inherited 300 acres across the affluent London areas of Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as estates in Oxford, Scotland and properties around the globe. This includes his current residence at Eaton Hall, the 10,872-acre family estate.

After the wedding service at Chester Cathedral, guests will then enjoy a grand reception at nearby Eaton Hall.

The following day they will host a second, smaller reception at Eaton Hall for close family and friends, but further details of both receptions are being kept secret.

Sustainability will be a key feature of the wedding, with all food, flowers and products used for the wedding locally sourced where possible.

The following day they will host a second, smaller reception at Eaton Hall for close family and friends, but further details of both receptions are being kept secret.

The city of Chester is also bracing itself for the celebrations, with thousands of people expected to line the streets.

Some shops, restaurants and cafés near the cathedral will be closed on the day for access and security.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace said the Prince of Wales is attending the wedding in a private capacity, and said it does not comment on events during his private time.

A representative for Prince Harry was also contacted for comment.

Earlier this month, the engaged couple visited several local charities in Chester helped by the Westminster Foundation – showcasing their charisma and drawing comparisons from the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Grosvenor, who is known to be publicity-shy and has always maintained a low profile despite his extreme wealth, is known to be ‘incredibly excited’ but ‘nervous’ about the wedding.

Olivia and Hugh announced their engagement on April 23, 2023, after two years of dating.

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Hugh Grosvenor attends the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle with Charlie van Straubenzee at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018

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A life-long friend for each of the brothers, Hugh Grosvenor is thought to be the only pal both chose to mentor their children. Pictured: At the wedding of Harry’s school friend Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks in 2018

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Grosvenor, who is thought to own more land than the King, has an estimated net worth of £9.42 billion and has a long history with the royal family – with his late father Gerald acting as King Charles’ own godfather. Pictured: With his mother in 2018

Raised at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, Hugh Grosvenor was privately educated at Ellesmere College before obtaining a BSc in Countryside Management from Newcastle University.

After his graduation, Grosvenor worked in estate management at the food and agriculture company Wheatsheaf Group, an investment business based in the Eaton estate and owned by the Grosvenor Group.

Afterwards, he held an account manager position at sustainability company bio-bean, which turns coffee-related waste into bioproducts such as biofuels and logs.

The future Duchess of Westminster also comes from a wealthy background. Olivia descends from the Hoare banking family as well as the Marquesses of Bristol and the Dukes of Rutland, according to the Telegraph.

The outlet also says her uncle is the Grand Master of Scottish freemasons and her father is stockbroker Rupert Henson.

Olivia reportedly also has a 29-year-old brother who works in asset management and a 26-year-old sister who’s in a brand relationships role.

She is also said to speak Spanish and Italian after completing a Hispanic Studies and Italian degree at Trinity College in Dublin.

Much like the Princess of Wales, Olivia is understood to have attended the elite Marlborough College, and before that was at the equally revered Dragon School in Oxford along with fellow alum Emma Watson.

She worked at Daily Dose LDN and No1 Rosemary Water before landing a role at Belazu – a B Corp ingredients brand – where she is currently a Key Account Manager, in 2019.

Close friends with the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke is the youngest of Prince George’s godparents.

He has previously represented the country at Olympic Skeet Shooting competitions both internationally and in the UK.

Hugh previously dated property and recruitment consultant Harriet Tomlinson, but the couple, who met at £6,000-a-term day school Ellesmere College in Shropshire, split in 2020.

The Duke also supports the rehabilitation of wounded or injured members of the Armed Forces and donated £2.5million to the Health Service when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, but said he was so ‘humbled’ by the work of doctors and nurses he wanted to give another £10million.

Kate Middleton photo that hid gut-wrenching truth

Kate Middleton looked blissful as she made her way to church last year. What none of us knew, was that the pics hid a painful truth

Britain’s Prince William says wife Kate is ‘doing well’

Britain’s Prince William said on Friday (May 10) his wife Kate was “doing well” in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

The royal family has quite the flare for making waves and trouble and headlines by doing nothing but walking.

Notable outings for my forthcoming coffee table book of important royal walks will be the 2020 Westminster Abbey one for Commonwealth Day, the final turn on the royal stage for Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex: She smiled like a seasoned pro, he looked like a thunder cloud.

There will be the 2021 post-funeral walk that saw Harry make noise shaped air in the vicinity of Prince William after their grandfather’s death and with the Sussexes’ Oprah claims still ringing in the world’s ears.

And how could I miss the 2022 Abbey dash that saw Prince Andrew escort the late Queen into Prince Philip’s memorial service in a pathetic and painfully transparent attempt to rehabilitate his image?

This year, thanks to the hurly-burly, bizarre, loop-de-loops of 2024, I think we also need to add Kate, the Princess of Wales’ 2023 walk to church on Christmas Day to our list.

None of us knew that these photos of Kate Middleton’s last official engagement hid a deeply painful truth. Picture: Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

The Princess of Wales looked blissfully happy as she walked to church with husband William and their three children (along with Mia Tindall, far right). Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage
What none of us knew at the time, and not even Kate herself, was that the photos of that outing hid a deeply painful truth.

Oh, it was textbook royalling on the actual day. Her bespoke Alexander McQueen look -flawless. The three Wales children – impeccably turned out and giving us Victorian-dolls-come-to-life vibes. William – successfully separated from the Aston Villa almanack he had found in his stocking that morning.

Really, if ever there was ever an engagement that courtiers should cut out and stick on a nice bit of cardboard for instructional purposes for future HRHs, this should be it.

However, that simple walk to church would also turn out to be the princess’ final official engagement to date.

The Kate-in-blue images represent just how fragile and how vulnerable the royal family was. Picture: Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Today, from this distance five months on, those Kate photos take on a whole new layer of meaning, especially when you consider that this coming week will mark 150 days since then.

Now, those Kate-in-blue images stand for something much darker. To me, they represent just how fragile and how vulnerable the royal family was, except we had no idea at the time.

In some ways, the Christmas church outing with the extended royal family is a deceptive visual.

Not consciously, mind you, but the meaning we were meant to draw it – of a family that had weathered years of storms and come out the other side as game as ever to visit a Welsh community centre – has now turned out to be largely illusory.

There was nothing then – nor even discernable now with a gimlet eye- to suggest what would lie ahead for the princess, no hint that barely three weeks later she would be tucked up in a hospital bed in London for planned abdominal surgery. And there was certainly no clue that lurking somewhere were malignant cancer cells, whose presence would later be found by her medical team.

After months of speculation, Kate Middleton revealed in March she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy in a stunning announcement. Picture: Kensington Palace/Instagram

The Princess of Wales sparked a string of ugly conspiracies after sharing a photoshopped family photo on Mother’s Day. She later apologised and admitted she had “experimented with editing”. Picture: Kensington Palace/Instagram
Not only, in late December 2023, did the Princess of Wales look as hale and as hearty as ever, but the coming year looked like it would be a big and bright one for the House of Windsor.

The Sussexes seemed to have blown themselves out and were done litigating all the ways that Crown Inc had failed them.

In 2024, there would be no more books or TV shows or podcasts of them making the not-unsuccessful case that the institution was broken and that Harry’s family were so emotionally inhibited and bound up they should get their own entry in the DSM, the psychiatrists’ handbook.

Everything, in December 2023, should have been about to come up Windsor!

This year was meant to be the first proper full one of the King’s reign, when Charles, having really gotten his feet under the throne and worked out how to pose for a nice new stamp, could really get on with showing the UK what he was made of.

The same went for the Prince and Princess of Wales. They had a couple of big, shiny international tours planned, including one to Rome where Kate could really have proven she was still a dab hand at sundress choice.

But oh no. What have we gotten this year? Madness, sadness, hand-wringing, navel-gazing, conspiracy theories so wild they should only be discussed while wearing tinfoil helmets, noxious social media goings on, sniping, and a level of toxicity not seen since someone last tested the ground water near Chernobyl.

The truth that that Kate photo from Christmas 2023 concealed was just how close to the wind Crown Inc was sailing.

A ruthless ex-IRA commander has sensationally confessed to The Mail on Sunday that he was behind the assassination of King Charles’s beloved great-uncle.

In an astonishing admission set to cause huge pain to Charles, Michael Hayes callously boasted that he designed the explosive device that killed Lord Mountbatten, and masterminded the atrocity.

Lord Mountbatten – a mentor to both Prince Philip and the then Prince Charles – was murdered aged 79 when the IRA blew up his pleasure boat during a holiday at his summer home in Co Sligo, on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland, in August 1979.

Only one member of the IRA was ever convicted of the atrocity. Thomas McMahon was arrested on the day of the blast and jailed for life but later released under the Good Friday Agreement.

But now, after being approached by a MoS reporter, Hayes has bragged: ‘I blew up Earl Mountbatten.’

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Michael Hayes (pictured) callously boasted that he designed the explosive device that killed Lord Mountbatten, and masterminded the atrocity

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Hayes (pictured) said that he did not regret killing Lord Mountbatten and coldly described the two teenage boys who died as ‘casualties of war’

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Lord Mountbatten – a mentor to both Prince Philip and the then Prince Charles – who was murdered aged 79

Killed alongside the earl were his grandson Nicholas, 14; Doreen Brabourne, 83, Nicholas’s grandmother; and crewman Paul Maxwell, 15, of Enniskillen.

Legal experts this weekend told the MoS that Hayes’s admission made him liable for prosecution for the murders, if the Irish police and Director of Public Prosecution decided to pursue him.

Hayes said that he did not regret killing Lord Mountbatten and coldly described the two teenage boys who died as ‘casualties of war’.

As Buckingham Palace last night declined to comment, Ian Paisley Jr, the Democratic Unionist Party MP for North Antrim in Ulster, called for the Garda Síochána, the police service in the Republic of Ireland, to ‘immediately’ investigate Hayes.

‘The sensational, shocking and blood-curdling statement by a self-confessed, cold-blooded murderer ought to be immediately investigated by the police and the man brought to justice,’ he said.

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Queen Elizabeth II pictured chatting with Lord Louis Mountbatten at the Guards Polo Club on June 1 1975

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The IRA blew up Mountbatten’s pleasure boat during a holiday at his summer home in Co Sligo, on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland. Pictured: The wreckage after the explosion

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Legal experts this weekend told the MoS that Hayes’s admission made him liable for prosecution for the murders. Pictured: Part of the wreakage of Lord Mountbattens boat the Shadow V, circa August 1979

The brutal killing of Lord Mountbatten, who was affectionately known as ‘Uncle Dickie’ by the Royal Family, affected Charles deeply. In his diary, the 31-year old Prince of Wales wrote of ‘agony, disbelief, a kind of wretched numbness’. But in 2015 Charles showed forgiveness, shaking hands with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams after travelling to Ireland to see where Mountbatten died.

Hayes, a grandfather who lives alone in Dublin, was previously named as one of four men behind the 1974 IRA Birmingham bombings and has taken what he called ‘collective responsibility’ for all of the IRA’s actions in England.

But he has never before linked himself to the murder of Lord Mountbatten and the other victims who died when a remote-controlled 50lb bomb ripped through the hull of the Shadow V. Speaking to a MoS reporter, Hayes revealed that he was McMahon’s ‘commanding officer’. He said: ‘Tom McMahon, he was only a participant. I am an explosives expert, I am renowned. I was trained in Libya. I trained there as an explosives expert.’

Asked if he was saying that he was the man who designed the bomb, he boasted: ‘Yes, I blew him up. McMahon put it on his boat … I planned everything, I am commander in chief. ‘

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Hayes has never before linked himself to the murder of Lord Mountbatten and the other victims who died when a remote-controlled 50lb bomb ripped through the hull of the Shadow V. Pictured: Debris of the boat following the blast

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The brutal killing of Lord Mountbatten (pictured), who was affectionately known as ‘Uncle Dickie’ by the Royal Family, affected Charles deeply

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Prince Charles is pictured with Lord Louis Mountbatten at a polo match holding pint of beer

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Earl Mountbatten’s coffin is carried during his funeral following his death at the age of 79

An alleged IRA accomplice, Francis McGirl, was also arrested on the day of the attack but he was later acquitted. He died in a farming accident in 1995.

Hayes confirmed to the MoS that he was also in County Sligo at the time of the bombing, adding: ‘Francis McGirl made a b******s of it. I blew up Earl Mountbatten in Sligo, but I had a justification, he’d come to my country… Look at the Famine … are we to forget that? The Black and Tans? He came to my country and murdered my people and I fought back. I hit them back.’

There is no bar to prosecution of Troubles-era offences and any immunity as part of the Good Friday Agreement only applies to convictions handed down for crimes that have been prosecuted before the courts. A legal source said: ‘This person [Hayes] could very reasonably be prosecuted…’

Asked if detectives would investigate Hayes, a Garda spokesman said: ‘As a matter of public record, two persons were prosecuted in respect of the murder of Lord Mountbatten. One individual was acquitted and a second individual served a sentence of imprisonment and was subsequently released pursuant to the Good Friday Agreement.’ But when asked if he feared prosecution, Hayes said: ‘No, I fought a war, I was justified.’ Asked if he regretted the explosion he said: ‘Blowing up Mountbatten? No.’

But asked about the two boys murdered that day, he replied: ‘Them children were not supposed to be on the boat in the first place.

Although, sickeningly, he called the youngsters ‘casualties of war’, he conceded: ‘Yes, I regret that, that wasn’t meant to happen. I’m a father. I’m not made of stone. I was sickened, I cried.’

Last night Mary Hornsey, 84, mother of young victim Paul Maxwell, said she would welcome a police probe into Hayes’ claims ‘to see whether or not he was involved, whether he really was the commander who did give the order’.

She added: ‘I think we would require justice, not revenge.’ Speaking of the loss of her son, she explained: ‘It’s something that never goes away.’

Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who served in Northern Ireland with the Scots Guards, also urged the Garda to investigate Hayes’s claim, adding: ‘It’s important to get to the truth.’

The 2018 royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was watched by almost 30million people on television around the world. 

The anticipation in the days leading up to the iconic nuptials six years ago today was high and rumours were rife regarding who Meghan would wear down the aisle at St George’s Chapel.

In the end, Meghan chose to work with French fashion house Givenchy and Clare Waight Keller, their first first female artistic director.

The Duchess praised the designer’s elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour.

The understated dress was floor-length and featured long sleeves with a bateau neckline, reflective of Meghan’s own classic personal style.

Costing £100,000, it perfectly embodied her ‘effortless American style,’ said Waight Keller, who described the finished dress as ‘not overly feminine, but not really minimal either.’

The late Queen Elizabeth II allegedly believed the the dress was ‘too white’ for a divorcee to wear in a church. Royal commentator Ingrid Seward said in her recent book My Mother and I: ‘In the monarch’s view, it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal.’

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The 2018 royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was watched by almost 30million people on television around the world. Meghan wore a Claire White, the first female artistic director of fashion house Givenchy

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Meghan’s bateau neckline was inspired by the royal’s affinity for Audrey Hepburn, the off-the-shoulder neckline was a nod to the iconic Givenchy dress in the 1957 movie Funny Face

Inspired by the royal’s affinity for Audrey Hepburn, the off-the-shoulder neckline was a nod to the iconic Givenchy dress in the 1957 movie Funny Face, together with the demure aesthetic of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s wedding gown in 1996.

Epitomising a timeless minimal elegance, the gown referenced the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy, showcasing the expert craftsmanship of its world-renowned Parisian couture atelier which was founded in 1952.

True to the heritage of the house, the pure lines of the dress were achieved using six meticulously placed seams, focusing on the graphic open bateau neckline that gracefully frames the shoulders and emphasises the slender sculpted waist.

Meghan added a personal touch, stitching a piece of blue gingham fabric from the dress she wore on their first date in the hem.

The creation of the royal look took 3,900 hours and involved a team of 50 people. Meghan had eight dress fittings over the course of four months.

Waight Keller crafted double-bonded silk cady material in a pure-white hue that gave the dress that modern matte appearance.

‘We wanted to create a timeless piece that would emphasise the iconic codes of Givenchy throughout its history, as well as convey modernity through sleek lines and sharp cuts,’ she said.

‘In contrast, the delicate floral beauty of the veil was a vision Meghan and I shared, a special gesture embracing the commonwealth flora, ascending the circumference of the silk tulle.’

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Audrey Hepburn with an almost identical neckline wearing a Givenchy dress in the film Funny Face 1957 directed by Stanley Donen

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Meghan also wanted the demure aesthetic of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s wedding gown in 1996. Above: Carole Bessette-Kennedy seen on the cover of Gold Collector Series Magazine on the day she married John F. Kennedy Jr

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Sketches of the Duchess’s dress were released on Kensington Palace’s Twitter

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The cathedral-length, five-metre-long veil was trimmed with lace depicting flora from each of the 53 Commonwealth countries

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Meghan added a personal touch, stitching a piece of blue gingham fabric from the dress she wore on her first date with Harry in the hem

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Clare Waight Keller at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards in 2018

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Meghan’s veil was held in place by the Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, which was originally made in 1932 and lent to Meghan by the late Queen Elizabeth

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A pregnant Duchess of Sussex presented British Designer of the Year to Clare for Givenchy during the fashion Awards in October 2018

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Waight Keller crafted double-bonded silk cady material in a pure-white hue that gave the dress that modern matte appearance

The cathedral-length, five-metre-long veil was trimmed with lace depicting flora from each of the 53 Commonwealth countries.

The dressmakers involved had to regularly wash their hands to avoid discolouring the material.

The veil was held in place by Queen Mary’s beautiful diamond bandeau tiara, which was originally made in 1932 and lent to Meghan by the late Queen.

Complementing the simplicity of her gown, Meghan wore a pair of Givenchy heels which we caught a glimpse of when she stepped out of St George’s Chapel.

Based on a Givenchy refined pointed couture design, they were crafted from silk duchess satin and in the same shade of white as her dress.

The ceremony itself was remembered for its break with tradition. Harry and Meghan chose American bishop Reverend Michael Curry to deliver a rousing sermon which captivated audiences around the world.

Meghan’s father Thomas Markle pulled out at the last minute after it emerged he had staged paparazzi photos of himself.

Instead, King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, walked Meghan down the aisle.

And although a deep rift now separates the Sussexes from the Prince and Princess of Wales, on that special day all of Harry’s family were present.

Prince William, Princess Kate, Prince George and Princess Charlotte all had front-and-centre placing. Charlotte, then aged just three, was a bridesmaid.

Harry and William, now so far apart, looked closer than ever as they walked into St George’s Chapel, before the older Windsor fulfilled his duties as his brother’s best man.

The day marked the moment that the royals accepted an American actress into the fold – and the dress was the talk of millions.

Taking the microphone, Prince Harry gestured towards the Nigerian royals ranged before him, playfully calling them his ‘in-laws’.

It brought laughter from his audience. ‘I’ll skip the protocol because at this point we’re all family,’ the duke added, to more guffaws.

On reflection, though, maybe it wasn’t such a big joke after all.

The House of Windsor may have cut the Sussexes adrift but in Lagos last Sunday wealthy rulers bearing gifts and titles were effectively competing to claim Meghan for their own royal families.

But as the duke and duchess would do well to note, not everyone who came paying homage was all they seemed.

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Prince Harry shaking hands with conman Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi in Lagos, Nigeria

The Mail on Sunday reveals today that one of the kings is a convicted fraudster who was twice kicked out of the United States.

The venue for what one guest described as Meghan’s ‘unofficial crowning’ was a flashy fifth floor restaurant in the coastal mega-city’s latest boutique hotel. Hardly the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace but there was a red carpet, fanfare trumpets –and no shortage of ceremony.

Monarchs journeyed from all corners of Africa’s most populous nation to honour the 42-year-old former Suits actress. In Nigeria different regions continue to have monarchies, now with ceremonial roles rather than constitutional powers, representing the groups that existed before colonisation.

From the oil-rich Niger Delta region, representing the Itsekiri people, came a dashing figure in red robes, Ogiame Atuwatse III, also known as the Olu of Warri kingdom. Married to a billionaire’s daughter, he drives a Bentley and, much respected, is one of the country’s richest kings.

Like 40-year-old Ogiame, another king – the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe – had travelled far to meet the duke and duchess.

Known for his wisdom, benevolence and humility, the 83-year-old conferred on Meghan the chieftaincy title ‘Ada Mazi’ which means ‘the daughter of the Igbo ancestral palace’.

Maybe this was chancing it a bit. Meghan has revealed only that she is 43 per cent Nigerian. She hasn’t specified to which ethnic group she belongs, presumably because she doesn’t know.

When asked during an episode of her Archetypes podcast if she was Igbo or of the Yoruba people, she didn’t reply.

Not to be outdone, meanwhile, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, the 56-year-old Oluwo of Iwoland in Western Nigeria, then took centre stage.

Microphone in hand, he turned to Meghan – who was walked down the aisle on her wedding day by King Charles – and said: ‘Thank God you are one of us.’

As the Sussexes stood before the seated guests, Akanbi made a show of presenting them a series of gifts including necklaces and bracelets and robes fashioned from handwoven fabric.

And staking his own people’s claim on the duchess, he bestowed on her the Yoruba name Adetokunbo meaning ‘royalty from across the seas’.

Flamboyant even for Nigerian royalty, Akanbi drives a canary yellow McLaren supercar and is known as the Funky King.

His wife Queen Firdaus has described him as playful and jovial and says she fell in love with him at first sight. As her husband joked with Harry, she chatted to Meghan and at one point the two women posed for a picture which Queen Firdaus later posted on her Instagram account.

While it is tempting to imagine Firdaus making a glamorous addition to Meghan’s inner circle, the Sussexes might wish to think twice before inviting the royal couple to their Californian mansion – not least because Akanbi is barred for life from entering the US.

Akanbi, who while born a prince hasn’t always lived in splendour, is a convicted conman whose own people have called for his dethronement.

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Akanbi, the 56-year-old Oluwo of Iwoland in Western Nigeria, is a convicted conman whose own people have called for his dethronement

Four years ago, a letter from a lawyer representing the Association of Iwoland Indigenes in Diaspora (AIID) accused him of ‘conducting himself in manners which are antithetical to that of a monarch in any clime and very unbecoming of a Yoruba Oba’.

It said he assaulted another monarch Dhikrulahi Akinropo of Ogbagba during a ‘peace meeting’ to settle a land dispute. But Akanbi said that Akinropo had interrupted his speech and tried to attack him with his golden staff of office.

‘He started calling me unprintable names, pointing his staff of office at me while attempting to stick the staff into my eyes,’ said Akanbi. ‘I heavily rejected it with a force he could not withstand.’

Much worse was to come from others, though, including his ex-wife Chanel Chin, the daughter of a Jamaican reggae star, who has called him a ‘devil’ and publicly accused him of sexual assault.

The letter from the AIID to a state governor accuses Akanbi of shamefully ‘misrepresenting the interests of Iwoland’ and causing so many ‘controversies’ that it is hard to ‘imagine he ascended the throne’. It says: ‘Our clients have several reported cases of intimidation, harassments and acts of subjecting the poor indigenes of Iwoland to all sort of threats.’

It adds that the king made false allegations against Ms Chin, claiming she was ‘sleeping around with all sort of palace men’ – which she denied in a TV interview.

In fact, adds the letter, ‘the unassailable evidence at the disposal of our clients was to the effect that…Akanbi has been the one defiling Iwoland with various shameless reports of defilements of young girls and ladies in the community’.

Court records in the US reveal an extensive criminal record. He once tried to cash a forged cheque for £247,000, an ‘aggravated

felony’ to which he pleaded guilty – and ultimately left him facing the prospect of 20 years in jail and a £197,000 fine.

While the Sussexes had no inkling they were being feted by a fraudster, Akanbi’s lengthy criminal record stretches over scores of legal documents. Akanbi, then using the name Segun Adewale Adeonigbagbe, was first arrested in Boston in 1998 after he walked into BankBoston posing as a Joseph Pigott and attempted to cash the stolen £247,000 cheque from aviation company Boeing.

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Meghan with Queen Firdaus, wife of fraudster Akanbi. The queen has described her husband as playful and jovial and says she fell in love with him at first sight

In a statement, Neil Hegarty of the Financial Organised Crime Task Force said he was alerted by a suspicious bank teller.

Agent Hegarty contacted the real Joseph Pigott, a successful businessman who said his mail had been stolen and that the thief had used his identity to apply for credit cards, write bogus cheques and attempt to cash real ones.The £247,000 cheque had been sent to Mr Pigott by Boeing, which immediately stopped it when the businessman rang to say he had not received it.

Surveillance footage was used to identify and arrest Akanbi, who was later charged with a second count of forging a cheque for £59,000 using the name Thomas Eyring.

These days, back in his homeland, Akanbi sits in lavish robes on a giant throne. Visitors to his palace are required to fall at his Gucci loafers. Once he boasted in an interview that a former Nigerian president ‘prostrated before me’.

In 1998, though, he claimed he was too broke to afford a lawyer. He pleaded guilty to both charges and wrote to the judge begging for leniency.

‘Please temper justice with mercy,’ he said. ‘I am not a career criminal, it was a situation beyond my control which I will never let it (sic) happen to me again. I am really sorry for doing it.’

He was jailed for 15 months in July 1998. His £1,500 fine was waived ‘because of an inability to pay’.

Deported to Nigeria in April 1999, he was banned from re-entering the US ‘without lawful authority of the government,’ specifically the Department of Homeland Security which is in charge of securing America’s borders.

While details of Akanbi’s past are murky, at some point he settled in Canada and married.

In March 2011 – just a few months before a young Meghan Markle moved to Canada and began filming Suits – he was caught attempting to cross the border into America with his wife and young son using a passport in the name of Prince Adeale Akanbi.

At first he told border agents they were heading to New York to go shopping but later changed his story saying they were going to a wedding. When the guards checked his fingerprints they ­discovered his prior criminal ­convictions and deportation.

Considered a flight risk, he was held in custody and later taken to New York where he faced a grand jury in April 2011 on one charge of ‘attempting to re-enter the United States after having been deported subsequent to a conviction for an aggravated felony’.

At this point, Akanbi was facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of £197,000.

He pleaded guilty and in a five-page statement before sentencing he again begged a judge for mercy, saying his ‘formative years spent in Africa were very difficult’.

He claimed his father whipped him on a weekly basis, he was

living on the streets by the age of 12 and, at 17, was sent to an institution ‘where he was chained, beaten and forced to learn Arabic’. Akanbi blamed his wife saying she had convinced him he could re-enter the US because more than a decade had passed since his deportation.

His then-wife Rakiya Saidu, who he married in 2009, wrote to the judge describing her husband as ‘a loving and caring person.’

Akanbi was sentenced to time served, deported and banned from the US for life for a second time – but it evidently didn’t stop him becoming king.

Neither has his promise to reign for more than six decades been blown off course by the various allegations against him.

If the Sussexes were seeking to expand their money-making ventures in oil-rich Nigeria, privately educated Ogiame Atuwatse, the Olu of Warri, would be a valuable contact – and a welcome addition to their social circle.

He earned a degree in international studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2006, followed by a masters in management.

In 2014 he married the daughter of late billionaire Hosa Wells Okunbo in Chelsea, London, with the bride wearing a stunning couture dress by Italian-Argentine designer Ines Di Santo, whose bespoke gowns start at £10,000.

Their reception was held at the Victoria and Albert museum, Kensington. Avid Anglophiles – Atuwatse worked for Shell in London – the couple attended King Charles’ first Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey last year.

His reign has not been without incident, however.

A few days before his coronation, the Warri crown was stolen from his private chambers.

Two rival clan chiefs who opposed his ascension were later accused of the theft. Atuwatse, who has been lauded as a ‘fresh, young blood’ by Nigerian media and has promised to improve the rights of women in a country where girls are still married off as young as 12, laughed off the theft.

He ended up using a silver crown for his coronation and now wears one of gold, replacing the stolen original which was made of coral.

The Obi of Onitsha, meanwhile, one of the oldest reigning tribal rulers in Nigeria, might also prove a valuable social and business conduit for the Sussexes.

A distinguished career as head of the Shell in Nigeria was followed by a number of directorships on various boards.

He is chairman of chemical giant Unilever‘s board of directors in Nigeria and spent many years in London, where he enjoyed a spell as Shell’s ‘ambassador at large’ based in the UK.

The Sussexes, meanwhile, who fell in love with Nigeria, have promised to return at the earliest opportunity.

‘From now on they would do well to be take heed of the Igbo’s equivalent of the ‘once bitten twice shy’ saying,’ said a guest at last week’s function.

‘It is that one who has been bitten by a snake lives in fear of worms.’

Both Archewell and the Oluwo of Iwoland were approached for comment.

Meghan Markle will take plunging popularity in the UK with ‘a pinch of salt’, and will focus on success in her ‘own country’ instead, claims expert

According to a recent survey, Meghan Markle’s popularity in the UK is on the decline – but she’s likely to take the news with a ‘pinch of salt’, claims an expert.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been named the fourth most disliked celebrities of 2024 in a new Ranker poll released at the start of the week. Ranker compiles surveys based on public opinion, reports the Mirror.

The Sussexes – who are facing fresh reports they were welcomed to Nigeria last week by a fugitive who allegedly orchestrated a $20million money laundering and bank fraud scheme – join James Corden and Amber Heard on the ‘most hated celebrities’ list.

However, according to Press Box PR spokesperson, Lynn Carratt, Meghan, 42, is likely to be unworried by the low ranking as she would rather focus on success in her native US.

She told the publication: ‘I believe Meghan will take the survey data with a pinch of salt. I’m not sure how interested she is anymore in getting the British public back on her side.

‘She is American and that is were her family life is now, so she will be more concerned in raising her popularity in her own country and focusing on building her brand American Rivera Orchard and making it a huge success’.

According to the publication, out of 31,400 Brits a whopping 65 per cent disliked the Duchess, while 45 per cent expressed negative views about her.

Conversely Meghan attracted only 4 per cent of positive votes.It appears the expert is suggesting Meghan would rather pour her efforts into growing her lifestyle cooking brand American Riviera Orchard, which is likely to keep her in good favour across the pond.

The mother-of-two launched the luxury lifestyle brand – which has so far produced a special strawberry jam – with a glitzy Instagram video back in March.

The Duchess’s project is said to have been in the works for more than a year – and will feature ‘all the things that are close to her heart’.

The flash company is set to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show featuring Meghan on Netflix – where she will be making and selling her own products. It will lead onto a book and blog to go alongside her cookery displays.

It is ununderstood that a trademark application has been made covering cutlery – knives forks spoons – cookbooks and electronic cookbooks, coffee, jams jellies and butters.

It also extends to a physical shop from which tableware, mugs, jams, tablecloths and recipe books could be sold.

In the video, Meghan is seen whisking in a stunning rustic kitchen, while a woman’s hands are seen arranging pink and white flowers.

The Duchess launched the first product from the new business a month later, sending influencers and friends a jar of strawberry jam.

Fashion designer Tracy Robbins and Argentine socialite Delfina Balquier are among those who have posted an image of the product on their Instagram Stories.

Mrs Robbins and her husband Paramount boss Brian Robbins are friends with the Sussexes and invited them to the Bob Marley film premiere in Jamaica in January.

The couple are also friends with Ms Balquier, who is married to Prince Harry’s friend Nacho Figueras – with the four together at a charity polo match in Florida in April.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are likely to brush off news that they’re disliked as they did back in 2022 when they topped the list of most annoying celebrities.

Two years ago the couple were branded celebrities people were most likely to get sick of – just weeks after the release of their splashy, multimillion-dollar Netflix special that criticized the royal family.

The couple – whose high-profile split from the royal family dominated headlines in 2020 – each snagged a spot on Ranker’s ‘Celebrities You’re Sick of in 2022′, with the Duchess of Sussex leading the list of figures readers had reportedly grown weary of.

The dubious distinctions for the duo is markedly more pronounced than where they placed earlier in the year, when Meghan was booked as low as the 20th spot, while her husband, faring slightly better, was pegged at no. 23.

Names to round out the top top ten included Oprah Winfrey – whose interview of the couple in 2021 saw Meghan claim royals had ‘concern’ over her sons’ skin color – as well as Amber Heard, James Corden, Kim Kardashian and several other polarizing personalities.

That said, in a list that, unlike the Sussexes, also included stars who saw their reputations come into question this year – such as Kanye West and Ellen DeGeneres – the Sussex squad was still featured the most prominently.

the Ranker article indicated that Meghan – an actress who starred on USA’s Suits – received a total of 24,201 votes out of the more than 416,000 votes cast. Voting is tabulated in real time.

Harry, on the other hand, received an almost stark 21,492 votes – both serving as more than five percent of the nearly half a million votes received.

“David was by Victoria’s side the whole night,” a source tells PEOPLE of Victoria Beckham’s party celebrating her Reebok collection

Victoria Beckham had a special person by her side while celebrating this week — her husband David Beckham!

The two stepped out to tout her Reebok x Victoria Beckham collaboration at a party in New York City on Tuesday night, which the couple’s oldest child Brooklyn, 19, also attended with his girlfriend Hana Cross.

According to a source, David, 43, was an attentive and supportive husband at the party while Victoria, 44, celebrated her collection.

“David was by Victoria’s side the whole night,” the sources tells PEOPLE. “They were very touchy and flirty with one another.”

The Beckhams will be celebrating their 20th anniversary this summer after tying the knot at a sprawling castle in Ireland on July 4, 1999.

DAVID X PRUTTING/BFA

David previously opened up about their marriage and why being married for so long can be challenging.

“To have been married for the amount of time that we have, it’s always hard work,” David, 43, said on the Australian TV show The Sunday Project. “It becomes a little bit more complicated.”

 David Beckham Talks About His Marriage to Victoria Beckham: ‘It’s Always Hard Work’

David also mentioned the couple’s children: daughter Harper Seven, 7, and sons Cruz David, 13, Romeo James, 16, and Brooklyn Joseph, 19.

“Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference, and I’ve noticed that with my children,” he said. Reflecting on media attention, he added, “The thing we have to do is protect our children.”

Meghan Markle ‘didn’t like Britain’ and shouldn’t ‘gaslight the nation’ into ‘thinking we’ve behaved appallingly towards her’, Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine has told this week’s The Reaction.

Hosts Sarah and Andrew Pierce discussed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s ‘semi-royal’ tour of Nigeria last weekend on the latest episode of the Mail’s YouTube show, which you can watch here.

The presenters suggested it was more of a ‘presidential tour’ for the likes of Meghan, 42, who was ‘never going to accept the royal life because she was always going to have to be one step behind Prince Harry‘, according to Andrew.

‘She needs to be a leading actor in her life. But I mean, that’s OK, but just be honest about it,’ said Sarah. ‘Don’t put everybody through this whole thing. Don’t gaslight an entire nation.

‘Don’t gaslight the whole of Britain into thinking that we’ve behaved appallingly towards her because that wasn’t the case. People liked her. It’s just that she didn’t like us. She didn’t want the assignment,’ insisted the columnist.

Noting how fans appeared to delight in seeing Meghan, more so than Harry, and how the mother-of-two seemed to take the lead throughout the three-day visit, Sarah referred to the Prince as a ‘beta male’.

She added: ‘It was very much [Meghan] showcasing herself and he was just sort of coming along for the ride.

‘I mean, maybe that’s what he wants in his life and it’s perfectly possible that he just wants to be a beta male.’

Sarah said that the Duchess ‘needs to be a leading actor in her life’, adding that with the tour of Nigeria, ‘she’s very much the protagonist, she’s very much the star of the show and that’s how she likes it’.

Andrew, meanwhile, agreed. He suggested the visit ‘felt more like a presidential tour’, noting that Meghan ‘thinks she’s got a potential career in democratic politics because that story broke a couple of years ago. And it felt like she was on campaign mode.’

Harry and Meghan’s tour of Nigeria, which saw them visit Lagos and Abuja at the military’s invitation, was intended to promote mental health for soldiers and empower young people.

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Prince Harry and Meghan at the Dream Big Basketball Clinic in Lagos, Nigeria, last Sunday

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Meghan helps take a selfie as Harry watches at the Wuse Lightway Academy in Abuja last week

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Meghan smiles as she receives flowers during a sitting volleyball match in Abuja last Saturday

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Lagos State Governor’s House in Nigeria last Sunday

The couple attended events related to Harry’s Invictus Games, which Nigeria is seeking to host in the future.

The Sussexes were also welcomed at the Lagos State Government House and met military officials at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

“Check out my little gym partner on the cable machine!!!” the proud mom said

PHOTO: VICTORIA BECKHAM INSTAGRAM

Harper Beckham is mom Victoria Beckham’s “little gym partner.”

The fashion designer, 49, applauded her 12-year-old daughter — whom she shares with husband David Beckham — as she joined her for a remote workout session this week.

“Remote work out with @mrbobbyrich,” Victoria captioned the sweet video, which was shared on her Instagram Story.

“Check out my little gym partner on the cable machine!!! #harperseven,” the proud mom added, highlighting her little one’s fitness routine.

VICTORIA BECKHAM INSTAGRAM

David Beckham Lets Daughter Harper, 12, Do His Makeup: ‘Needed a Little Powder and Contouring’

In the video, a split screen on a laptop showed the Spice Girls alum moving side to side and downward with the equipment from the cable machine, while Harper swung from left to right with another cable machine in a separate location.

In the top corner of the screen, the gym trainer sat and coached the mother-daughter duo.

Victoria wore a black sports bra and matching training gloves for the workout session, while Harper wore black shorts and a light-colored top.

VICTORIA BECKHAM INSTAGRAM

Victoria and David Beckham Celebrate Daughter Harper’s 12th Birthday with Disney World Trip

Late last month, Harper stepped into another role with her parents as David’s “little makeup artist.”

The former English football player, 48, posted an adorable photo on Instagram showing Harper carefully applying makeup on his face.

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“Daddy apparently needed a little powder & contouring (not sure what that means but I looked better what ever it was) 🩷 my little makeup artist 🩷 @victoriabeckham,” he captioned the photo.

Alongside Harper, the Beckhams are also parents to sons Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 20, and Cruz, 18.

Victoria Beckham seems to approve of son Brooklyn’s new ink, showing off the artwork on her Instagram

By
Stephanie Petit

Stephanie Petit

Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE.

PEOPLE EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

Published on February 18, 2018 02:29PM EST

Mum approves!

Brooklyn Beckham recently debuted the latest addition to his rapidly growing collection of body art, a tattoo dedicated to fashionista mom Victoria Beckham. The classic ink, done by tattoo artist Dr. Woo, is a heart with a scroll inscribed with the word “Mum” on his upper arm.

While some parents may not love their kids inking their bodies, the former Spice Girl certainly seems to approve. She shared an Instagram on Saturday in which she posed next to her son and the art done in her honor, pointing at the ink job.

“Big tattoo! X kisses from NYC!!” Victoria, 43, captioned the pic, tagging her son and adding “x #loveyou.”

RELATED PHOTOS: A Guide to All of Brooklyn Beckham’s Tattoos

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfEmV5ID_9o/?taken-by=brooklynbeckham

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPAXhQNAh3J/?utm_source=ig_embed

Brooklyn, 18, has become a big fan of tattoos since getting his first, a Native American wearing a traditional headdress “just like dads,” only 10 months ago.

While some are dedicated to his personal interests, like the camera on his arm (he’s studying photography at college in New York City), many more have a familial meaning. Brooklyn has “1975,” dad David Beckham‘s birth year, inked on his hand as well as a series of numbers celebrating the birth years of his younger brothers and sister – Romeo, 15, Cruz, 12, and Harper, 6.

His latest body art isn’t even the first dedication to Victoria – he also has a tribute to his mother inscribed over his heart that reads, “Mama’s Boy.”

RELATED VIDEO: Brooklyn Beckham Gets New Large & Painful Tattoo Following in Dad David’s Inked Up Footsteps

David, 42, also has some love for his family on his skin, sporting ink for each of his four children.

“Apparently Harper is allowed to scribble on daddy,” the athlete wrote on Instagram debuting his palm tattoo, a doodle by his daughter of a stick figure wearing a dress, standing next to a heart.

He also tattooed “We Love You Daddy” on his left ribcage.

“The boys expressing how they feel about daddy,” he explained.