The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not received personal contact from the Royal family following their recent car chase in New York; the lack of personal contact is said to have frustrated the couple. They released a statement relating to the alleged “relentless pursuit” that could have been fatal; however, New York authorities and witnesses have raised concerns about their version of events, particularly the alleged level of danger. The Royal couple's security team has said the "chase was frightening", with their safety put "in danger".
Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour could have a bigger impact on fashion trends this summer than even the catwalk, according to a report in The Telegraph. After the first show of the tour, Google data showed that searches for “metallic cowboy boots” had skyrocketed by 488%, while “silver bodysuit” was up 426%, a huge increase on the previous day. These figures reflect the impact of Beyoncé’s choice of fashion in popular culture. The star is wearing at least nine specially-designed outfits, with contributions from a large number of high-profile designers. The tour will run throughout Europe until 31 July.
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral cost taxpayers £162m, which has encouraged a discussion over whether the Royal Family is worth the cost. The British government funds the King’s official business through an annual payment from the “Sovereign Grant”. Additionally, the monarch receives approximately 15% of the profits from the Crown Estates, including London's Regent Street. The Royal Family is invaluable for attracting tourism to the UK, pumping hundreds of millions of pounds into the country, generating almost £10m in income to supplement the Sovereign Grant. The Royal Family is a connection to a rich history and heritage that millions of people globally travel to see.
Violence against women and girls accounts for at least 15.8% of all UK recorded crime, contributing significantly to the demand on law enforcement resources, according to the first national threat assessment of VAWG crimes shared with all National Police Chiefs by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The estimates include data on domestic abuse, sexual offences, voice crimes and human trafficking. The assessment aims to provide police forces with the knowledge to better understand the complex levers responsible for VAWG, effectively utilising the finite resources of the police to tackle the soaring rates of these violent and sexual offences.
According to the head of Wales' biggest high school, while this year's A-level and GCSE exams are back to normal, Covid-19 anxiety is still having an impact on some students. The exams are being carried out for the second year running after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021, with some measures still in place to reflect disruption to learning. Most students have had advance information of topics they need to revise, to help them focus. Additionally, grades will be more generous than before the pandemic. Special provisions requests have surged, putting a massive pressure on schools to find extra space and invigilators.
Matt Hancock, former Conservative Party MP, has criticised a comment made by Conservative MP Danny Kruger defining a ‘normative family’ structure as the “only basis for a safe and functioning society.” Hancock stated that the king’s family did not fit this model but provide a basis for a strong and functioning society. Hancock accused Kruger of being offensive and having fringe views within the Conservative Party.
Plans for Great British Railways, the governmental body aimed at unifying the UK’s rail network, could be delayed due to a lack of legislative powers. The new agency would be responsible for organising timetables and setting fares across the network, potentially leading to the biggest change to the system since the 1990s. However, it’s thought that the entity will not be a part of the parliamentary agenda and will not receive the powers needed to sign off on contracts and tenders until potentially 2023, if not later.
London flats are so undesirable following the Grenfell Tower cladding crisis and leaden leasehold policies that they have gone down in value since 2017 while house prices have risen 17%, according to an FT analysis. It found around 95% of flat owners in England and Wales don't wholly own their homes and can struggle with arbitrary, rapidly rising service charges which can take years to dispute. Owners of flats in Scotland and condos in the US and Canada have similar rights to anyone owning a house. The UK is also the only developed country using the leasehold system. Meanwhile, the use of flammable cladding on high-rise developments is rife in England and Wales, while none were found in the Republic of Ireland. Opposition leader Keir Stamer pledged to abolish the leasehold system for new homes last week.
Prince Harry will reportedly attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III, in Westminster Abbey on May 6 without his wife, Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex's decision to remain in Montecito, California, is potentially due to the couple's unpopularity in the United Kingdom and the US. Both have faced criticism since the release of their memoir "Spare" and debut Netflix documentary, while the Duke and Duchess's attacks against the British monarchy have reportedly resulted in their isolation from the larger royal family and led calls for the pair to be stripped of their royal titles.
The couple’s popularity reached an all-time low after their revelations in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and accusations of racism in the royal household, resulting in growing acrimony with Prince William and the Princess of Wales. Their engagement in vocal political activism has similarly alienated many Americans. Although Harry will attend his father’s coronation, there are no signs of any reconciliation with his brother.
Despite their royal titles, it appears unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have any role in the future of the royal family. Reports suggest that the couple’s sole focus is attaining personal wealth through media deals and production ventures.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has said that people who have suffered from a stroke caused by a blood clot should be genetically tested to discover whether they are eligible for a drug that will prevent further attacks. While medication is recommended to reduce stroke risks, the standard anti-clotting drug clopidogrel is only suitable for those with particular genes. Roughly one out of every three people, and even more in Asian families, do not have the necessary enzymes to process the drug. Recurrent or repeat strokes account for half of the UK’s 100,000 annual occurrences.
The father of a man who was stabbed to death in south-east London has said the pain of losing his son is 'never ending'. His comments coincided with Operation Sceptre, an annual week tackling knife crime in England and Wales. As part of Operation Sceptre, Mr Marcus joined six uniformed and 12 plain-clothed Met Police officers on patrol in Croydon on Thursday. Croydon was branded London's knife crime capital in 2021 after recording five teenage murders - the most of any borough in the city.
The Women's Shed group at the Summit Good community farm in Swansea has seen a surge in demand as people come together for outdoor activities. The group, created by Elizabeth Walshaw, aims to provide a social space for people of all ages to meet and support each other. Members range from people in their 20s to women in their 60s and one woman said it had provided her with something to look forward to after her husband died. The idea has been so successful, the team is supporting others to start their own version and hopes to create a blueprint for new groups in the UK.
Jake Gordon, the New South Wales (NSW) Waratahs halfback, has been praised for his exceptional performances and efforts as captain, contributing significantly to the team’s impressive turnaround following a slow start to the season. Gordon was dropped from the Australian team, but advice from coach Eddie Jones about playing more aggressively reportedly led to his improvement. He leads a core group of senior Waratahs players stepping up to guarantee regularity at the selection table and contribute to team results.
New Zealand has ruled itself out of winning games in blowouts in rugby league’s endangered World Cup but emerged as the best hope to shoulder a large number of fixtures, including the potential for matches to be played in the Pacific islands. International Rugby League officials want to limit the teams in the men’s tournament. Last year’s World Cup had 16 teams in the round-robin stage but officials have flagged reducing that number to 12 for the 2025 World Cup.
Labour's policy in the Starmer era seems to be a "sequel to a rerun" of previous ideas and there does not appear to be an overarching strategy behind the projects and proposals, writes Matthew Lynn in The Telegraph. He suggests the Tories outflanked Labour by imploding before their first healthy majority since 1987 had even run its course, giving Labour presidential-style politics and has hinted at a return to Clause IV, but with nothing definite put forward, it looks more and more like a lost decade.
John Edmunds, a former BBC newsreader, has died at 94. Edmunds was also a university academic and an expert on Shakespeare and French classical drama. He became a television newsreader at the BBC in the 1960s, having previously taught French at Battersea Grammar School. Edmunds was also one of the question masters on the BBC’s quiz show Top of the Form in the 1960s. He was head of drama at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1979 and a professor of drama at the University of the Americas and the University of California from 1985. Following his return to the UK, he acted in stage productions and wrote and read poetry.
Sheik Jassim has made a fourth bid to purchase Manchester United, with reports suggesting chemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also in the running. Nasser Mohamed, an LGBTQ+ activist and advocate across the Middle East has suggested that the Qatar bid is part of a wider “pattern” by funds linked to the state. Mohamed has criticised Qatar for its human rights stance and says people must be “worried” about surrendering power to the country while it remains authoritarian. It has been suggested by PA that most United fans prefer the Qatar bid over that of Ratcliffe.
Private prosecutions have become a burgeoning industry in England and Wales, filling a gap left by a retreating state. While once little-known, the concept of private prosecutions was given a significant boost in 1985 with the creation of the Crown Prosecution Service. Today, people and companies can bring private prosecutions for offences including shoplifting and counterfeiting, and the government will pay at least some of the expenses afterwards. Private prosecutions do have critics, however, who say that most shoplifters are drug addicts and need help that will deal with the root cause of their behaviour.
David McKelvey, a retired police officer and CEO of TM Eye, is enjoying his second career in law enforcement, this time in private practice. McKelvey’s company, which initially specialised in corporate investigations, now prosecutes counterfeit cases for big brands, and focuses heavily on private prosecutions for prolific crimes. The company’s clients have included Apple, Louis Vuitton and Fortnum & Mason, with its targets ranging from organised crime operatives to young women on benefits hawking fake designer jewellery and tracksuits on Facebook.
TM Eye is at the forefront of a growing wave of private prosecutions in England and Wales. The company’s move into prosecuting counterfeit cases came after the authorities became less interested in the types of crime uncovered by McKelvey’s investigations. At the same time, austerity measures in the UK have meant that the wheels of justice have ground almost to a halt for a broad swathe of crimes, allowing people with money to buy their day in court.
Legislation introduced by the UK government, creating a statutory right for carers to take up to a week of unpaid leave per year to look after dependents, has cleared parliament. The legislation will be a “day one right”, meaning that it will be available to workers regardless of length of service. It will also provide protection against dismissal or discrimination as a result of taking carers leave. Carers are estimated to contribute £20bn ($26bn) to the UK economy annually and the bill has won support from employers, as well as legislators.
The personal fortune of King Charles III is greater than that formerly held by Elizabeth II, according to The Sunday Times Rich List. Charles’ wealth is estimated at £600m ($762m), compared to the late queen’s £370m. The assets include 130,000 acres and 260 farms, as well as the Oval cricket ground in south London, on which the Duchy of Cornwall holds a lease. The king also personally owns Sandringham and Balmoral and has previously overseen a Duchy of Cornwall worth £1.04bn.
