A NEW royal biography has revealed how Her Majesty knew she had "limited time" just days before her death from bone cancer.
The new royal biography, written by author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, illuminates some fascinating details regarding the extraordinary final years of the Queen’s life, including just how much she loved her legendary meeting with Paddington bear.
The piece, titled Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, revealed Her Majesty knew she had limited time left and said on the weekend before her death that she had "no regrets".
Royal writer Brandreth wrote: "Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you'd expect."
The author claimed that he "heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma bone marrow cancer".
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Use of red boxes in governance hasn't changed for over 100 years, says expert
Regarding the history of the famous royal boxes, Barrow Hepburn & Gale said their modern role in the governance process "has not changed for over a century".
It added: "There are two possible reasons why the despatch box became the iconic red colour.
"The widely-accepted reason relates to Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria, who is said to have preferred the colour as it was used prominently in the arms of his family, the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
"However, there is a school of thought with origins dating back to the late 16th century, when Queen Elizabeth I's representative, Francis Throckmorton, presented the Spanish Ambassador, Bernardino de Mendoza, with a specially constructed red briefcase filled with black puddings.
"It was seen as an official communication from the Queen, and so the colour red became the official colour of the state."
King Charles to use same famous red box as mother and grandfather (1/2)
The King is to use the same famous red box as his mother and grandfather after it was carefully restored using techniques handed down through the generations.
It is understood that Charles wanted to repurpose the despatch box owned by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, which itself was first used by her grandfather, King George V, and then her father, King George VI.
The box, which is the first in a series of boxes that will be sent to Charles, has been restored by luxury British leather goods company Barrow Hepburn & Gale.
The famous red boxes made by the firm are used to carry important papers, including those that require a signature, briefing documents and information about forthcoming meetings.
The company, which was first established in 1760, uses specialist techniques to hand clean and condition the existing red leather on any boxes undergoing refurbishment.
In a process known as skiving, the thickness of leather is also carefully reduced by hand using a blade before the leather is carefully applied to the box.
New pieces of leather are also hand burnished to ensure each edge is strengthened and protected.
Photographs of the red box show the lock, which carries a "King George V" stamp.
The box is further embossed with a Coronation crown and also carries King Charles III's cypher, which was applied in gold leaf using a specially-made brass die.
Countess of Wessex visits London Zoo
Yesterday, the Countess of Wessex made a visit to ZSL London Zoo.
During her trip there she joined children supported by the community nursing team for some Christmas festivities.
According to the Firm’s official Twitter: “The activities took place as part of ZSL’s Community Access Scheme, which aims to bring people closer to wildlife and to learn about their conservation work.
Exact date Meghan and Harry’s £88m Netflix documentary will be released
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s highly anticipated docuseries will be available to watch in just a matter of weeks.
The Netflix show, which gives an insight into the couple’s “love story”, will air on December 8, 2022, according to Page Six.
Sources have said the show was set to be called “Chapters”, but the couple is believed to have changed their mind.
The new title has not yet been made public.
Read the full story here.
Where to find Meghan Markle’s podcast
Meghan Markle has ventured into the popular world of podcasting as she hosts Archetypes – her very own show.
Listeners can find Archetypes exclusively on Spotify for free.
Will you be tuning in?
Royal Family relieved Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not coming home for Christmas according to royal biographer.
Royal biographer Angela Levin believes the Royal family will want to have a positive first Christmas without the Queen, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s presence might “dampen” that.
Speaking with the Sun, Levin said: “Harry and Meghan aren’t coming, which I think will be a huge relief for the rest of the family.
“The family will want to make it a very positive day after the Queen’s death and I think the Sussexes’ presence would most certainly dampen that.”
Meghan Markle felt Royal Family ‘needed her more than she needed it’ according to royal author
In her book The Palace Papers, royal author Tina Brown said Meghan Markle felt “the monarchy likely needed her more than she needed them”.
Brown said Meghan came to this startling conclusion after her and Prince Harry’s royal tour of Australia in 2018.
“That was something that puzzled the royal household tremendously. Their tour of Australia was a wild success, more successful than Kate and William’s, in terms of crowds and the adulation,” Brown said.
“[Meghan] wanted to be able to talk about the causes that she cared about, as opposed to being a representative figure in the monarchy,” the author added.
King Charles to spend Christmas at Sandringham
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will return to Sandringham this year, and are expected to be joined by their wider family.
The Queen hosted 32 Christmases from the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, but the pandemic caused her to spend her final two festive periods at Windsor Castle.
Locals and royal watchers are delighted the Royal Family will be spending their first Christmas in the area for years.
Fans are waiting in anticipation to listen to Meghan’s next podcast
Fans of Meghan Markle’s Archetypes podcast are eager to tune in after her latest guest Amanda Gorman, revealed she would be on the next show.
After the Poet revealed she ”had the honour of speaking with The Duchess on her podcast”, Amanda’s followers rushed to show their support.
One fan wrote: ”Can’t wait to listen!”
A second said: ”beautiful!!! cannot wait to listen.”
The Archetypes guest revealed her segment focused on the power that women possess as changemakers.
Meghan’s latest podcast episode is set to air next week.
Countess of Wessex visits London Zoo
Yesterday, the Countess of Wessex made a visit to ZSL London Zoo.
During her trip there she joined children supported by the community nursing team for some Christmas festivities.
According to the Firm’s official Twitter: “The activities took place as part of ZSL’s Community Access Scheme, which aims to bring people closer to wildlife and to learn about their conservation work.
Expert says Mike Tindall to be given significant royal role by King Charles following I’m A Celeb
King Charles could offer Mike Tindall, who is one of the favourites to win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, an important royal role, according to the creative director of MHP group Greg Double.
Double told OK!: "Not since the 2003 World Cup has Mike Tindall performed so well in Australia. He may be off limits to commercial brands, but his popularity could be hugely helpful to the royal brand.
"King Charles has often spoken about a 'slimmed down' royal operation, but could his burly nephew-in-law be providing a compelling case for a slightly broader royal family?"
He added: "He is distant enough that any misstep wouldn’t hurt the firm, but close enough that he - and indeed the likeable Zara - could fill ‘the normal ones' role that was so spectacularly abandoned by Harry and Meghan.”
According to royal expert Prince Harry & Prince Andrew didn’t want titles removed as it was ‘embarrassing’
Princes Harry and Andrew were against having their titles removed according to Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers.
Myers said: “The fact is, they didn’t want to remove them completely, because that would have been terribly embarrassing, and Charles is all about unity within the family.
"[But] he does understand that there is public feeling towards those two in particular... I think some people are aggrieved at how Harry had gone about treating his family.”
He added: "There was obviously an awful lot of support for the way he did leave the family and chose his own destiny, but I don’t think people agree with the fact that if you leave, you should then be able to deputise for the monarch.”
Exact date Meghan and Harry’s £88m Netflix documentary will be released
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s highly anticipated docuseries will be available to watch in just a matter of weeks.
The Netflix show, which gives an insight into the couple's “love story”, will air on December 8, 2022, according to Page Six.
Sources have said the show was set to be called “Chapters”, but the couple is believed to have changed their mind.
The new title has not yet been made public.
Read the full story here.
Where to find Meghan Markle’s podcast
Meghan Markle has ventured into the popular world of podcasting as she hosts Archetypes – her very own show.
Listeners can find Archetypes exclusively on Spotify for free.
Will you be tuning in?
Royal Family relieved Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not coming home for Christmas according to royal biographer.
Royal biographer Angela Levin believes the Royal family will want to have a positive first Christmas without the Queen, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s presence might “dampen” that.
Speaking with the Sun, Levin said: “Harry and Meghan aren't coming, which I think will be a huge relief for the rest of the family.
“The family will want to make it a very positive day after the Queen’s death and I think the Sussexes' presence would most certainly dampen that.”
Inside look at traditional royal Christmas amid Prince Harry and Megan Markle snub
King Charles extended an olive branch by inviting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for Christmas, but royal experts believe it will be snubbed.
Royal Biographer Angela Levin told The Sun: "The Queen’s death means that there won’t be as much pressure to have all of the family together - which is good because it seems Harry and Meghan won’t be present.
“I’m sure Catherine and William will be there by the King and Queen’s side for part of the holiday.
“Harry and Meghan aren't coming which I think will be a huge relief for the rest of the family.
Please click here to read the full story.
Meghan Markle felt Royal Family ‘needed her more than she needed it’ according to royal author
In her book The Palace Papers, royal author Tina Brown said Meghan Markle felt "the monarchy likely needed her more than she needed them".
Brown said Meghan came to this startling conclusion after her and Prince Harry's royal tour of Australia in 2018.
“That was something that puzzled the royal household tremendously. Their tour of Australia was a wild success, more successful than Kate and William's, in terms of crowds and the adulation," Brown said.
"[Meghan] wanted to be able to talk about the causes that she cared about, as opposed to being a representative figure in the monarchy,” the author added.
King Charles to spend Christmas at Sandringham
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will return to Sandringham this year, and are expected to be joined by their wider family.
The Queen hosted 32 Christmases from the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, but the pandemic caused her to spend her final two festive periods at Windsor Castle.
Locals and royal watchers are delighted the Royal Family will be spending their first Christmas in the area for years.
Fans are waiting in anticipation to listen to Meghan’s next podcast
Fans of Meghan Markle’s Archetypes podcast are eager to tune in after her latest guest Amanda Gorman, revealed she would be on the next show.
After the Poet revealed she ”had the honour of speaking with The Duchess on her podcast”, Amanda’s followers rushed to show their support.
One fan wrote: ”Can’t wait to listen!”
A second said: ”beautiful!!! cannot wait to listen.”
The Archetypes guest revealed her segment focused on the power that women possess as changemakers.
Meghan’s latest podcast episode is set to air next week.
Countess of Wessex visits London Zoo
Today, the Countess of Wessex made a visit to ZSL London Zoo.
During her trip there she joined children supported by the community nursing team for some Christmas festivities.
According to the Firm's official Twitter: "The activities took place as part of ZSL’s Community Access Scheme, which aims to bring people closer to wildlife and to learn about their conservation work."
🐒 At @zsllondonzoo, The Countess of Wessex joined children supported by the community nursing team for some festive fun.
The activities took place as part of ZSL’s Community Access Scheme, which aims to bring people closer to wildlife and to learn about their conservation work.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 25, 2022Her Majesty's response to Prince Andrew's disastrous Epstein interview revealed in new biography.
A new royal biography written by author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth illuminates the extraordinary final years of the Queen’s life.
One such detail is how the monarch responded to Prince Andrew's disastrous Jeffrey Epstein interview in 2019.
According to the piece: "The Queen took a firm grip of things. To use the military jargon, there were only few days between flash and bang. Action was called for it and she took it."
Harry and Meg bin royal Christmas as fears grow of reaction to Netflix doc
Harry & Meghan are avoiding Christmas with the royals as they're "afraid" of the family's reaction to their Netflix show, an expert claims.
According to royal experts, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry won’t be joining the royal family as they celebrate Christmas this year.
The Firm will still gather at Sandringham to celebrate their first Christmas without the late Queen – but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain in the US.
But royal biographer and Sussexes critic Angela Levin believes the couple will stay away due to being afraid of the reaction to their Netflix docuseries - which is due for release just before Christmas.
Ms Levin said: “Harry and Meghan aren’t coming which I think will be a huge relief for the rest of the family. The family will want to make it a very positive day after the Queen’s death and I think the Sussexes presence would most certainly dampen that.”
Her Majesty saw it as her 'Christian duty' to carry on after Phillip's death
A new royal biography written by author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth illuminates the extraordinary final years of the Queen's life.
An excerpt shared by the Mail Online examined how the Queen saw it as her "Christian duty" to carry on after Prince Phillip's death.
"Life goes on. It has too," she reportedly said.
Don't miss this week's royal roundup
It has been another busy week for the Firm filled with important meetings and, adorably, Paddington bear.
Britain welcomed the South African President in the first State Visit since King Charles became monarch.
Meanwhile, the Queen Consort gave away hundreds of the Paddington bear toys left in the Her Majesty's honour to children in need.
👇 Tap below to read more about the highlights of this week’s Royal activities, events and engagements:
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 25, 2022Prince William reveals how his children influence what he eats
During his first official visit to Duchy as Duke of Cornwall, Prince William told a nutritionist how his three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — affect his daily diet.
When William was questioned about how healthily he eats by nutritionist Monique Hyland, he told of eating a nutritious breakfast, but then admitted to eating “a rubbish sandwich” and drinking a few cups of tea.
According to Cornwall Live, William told Hyland and her students he needed the caffeine because “the kids keep me up at night”.