Thursday, February 26, 2026

‘My body had been through hell’: Barry Manilow postpones tour amid cancer battle

Barry Manilow has postponed the start of his upcoming arena tour after a “very depressing visit” with his surgeon.
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Duchess Camilla to judge writing competition


Duchess Camilla has been named as judge for 500 WORDS.
The writing competition for children between the ages of five and 13 has added the royal to the judging panel this year, Chris Evans announced on his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
He said: " Myself and the whole 500 WORDS team at BBC Radio 2 are hugely proud and honoured to welcome The Duchess of Cornwall as an Honorary Judge for the competition. Does this mean Radio 2 is now 'By Royal Appointment'? How exciting! And with the final taking place in the amazing surroundings of Shakespeare's Globe, this will be a truly special year for the competition. So come on kids, what are you waiting for? Get inspired, get writing and make sure you send your entry to us by 25 February for the chance to join us there!"
Camilla joins Malorie Blackman, Charlie Higson, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Francesca Simon on the judging panel.
To tie in with the BBC's celebration of Shakespeare, the final will take place in a spectacular live broadcast from Shakespeare's Globe in London.
Last year, The Duchess of Cornwall hosted the live final at St James's Palace and presented the Gold medal winners with their prizes.

Princess Eugenie enjoys eight holidays in 15 months


Britain's Princess Eugenie has enjoyed eight holidays in just 15 months.
The 25-year-old daughter of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew recently returned from a jaunt to Burma where she rang in 2016 with pals, according to The Sun.
She has also taken trips to New York, Los Angeles and Beijing over the past 15 months.
Last year the royal was reportedly banned from taking any more holidays in 2015 after she took 25 holiday days during her first 10 weeks of work at the Hauser & Wirth gallery in London.
Eugenie is working as an associate art director at the company and they have warned her that she could not have any more time off until after Christmas.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: "Because she is a royal, the company does expect Eugenie to take more time off than most. But it has been made clear to her that the summer is over and it's time to knuckle down.
'She will be working incredibly hard over the coming weeks and she won't be holidaying again until Christmas."
While Eugenie has enjoyed a number of getaways, her older sister Beatrice, 27, has taken 18 holidays in the past 18 months.

Pippa Middleton living with boyfriend?


Pippa Middleton has reportedly moved in with her boyfriend.
The sister of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge rekindled her romance with hotel heir James Matthews two months ago following the end of her three-year relationship with hedge fund manager Nico Jackson and things are believed to be so serious that they are now living together.
An insider told the Sun on Sunday: "It's all moved very quickly. They've been friends for a long time, but James has always been keen.
'They've tested living there and all seems to have gone well. As she was spending so much time at James's it made sense to keep stuff there."
James, 40, whose brother is 'Made in Chelsea' star Spencer Matthews, owns a £17 million townhouse in Chelsea, West London.
A source previously told MailOnline: "James is behaving like a peacock, he is showing her his feathers and wants her to be impressed. James is really into Pippa and she is falling into step. There is affection between them."
Meanwhile, Pippa and James were most recently spotted enjoying a holiday with Pippa's brother James and his girlfriend Donna Air in St Barts over the festive period.
Despite his family's hotel - the luxurious Eden Hotel - being nearby, Matthews opted to stay with Pippa and James Middleton at a villa overlooking the island's capital of Gustavia.
The couple were seen topping up their tans as they enjoyed a number of activities including tennis whilst also sampling various dishes as they dined out and about on the beautiful island.

Britain’s Prince Charles commissions D-Day veterans’ portraits


Britain's Prince Charles has commissioned portraits of D-Day veterans.
The paintings have been displayed at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of an exhibition titled 'The Last of the Tide'.
In a brochure available to visitors, the heir to the throne writes: "I am delighted to introduce this exhibition of portraits of veterans of the D-Day landings and very much hope that all who see it will share my belief that this wonderful collection of paintings captures the spirit, resolve, warmth and humanity of these remarkable men.
"It seemed to me a tragedy that there were no portraits of D-Day veterans, hence this collection of remarkable old soldiers from the regiments of which my wife and I are Colonel or Colonel-in-Chief."
Meanwhile, veteran Eric Johnstone, who was part of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, was pleased that history was being "remembered".
He shared: "I am proud to have served in a victorious British Army and am very conscious of the sacrifice of many of my comrades.
"History should be remembered and I am grateful to The Prince of Wales for commissioning this exhibition."
The 'Last of the Tide' exhibition will run from today (15.01.16) until late March.

Britain’s Prince William and Harry caused ‘mayhem’ during their childhood


Britain's Prince William and Harry caused "quite a bit of mayhem and chaos" when they were growing up.
The eldest grandson of Queen Elizabeth, Peter Phillips, has revealed he and his cousins were troublemakers in their childhood.
He said: "We had a lot of fun and there was a lot of space for kids to run around in and it wasn't just us, it was the Wales' [William and Harry] Freddie and Ella Windsor and the Gloucesters.
"So there was quite a gang of us growing up in that age and it was a lot of fun. We caused quite a bit of mayhem and chaos but fortunately I don't think we broke too much."
The 38-year-old royal admits it was a "little strange" growing up with his grandmother being such a public figure but admitted she has always been and still is a huge "inspiration" in his life.
He added to ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I guess it's a little strange but if you're growing up with that sort of thing, there's never really that moment when you go, 'Oh wow'. We had great fun growing up on our holidays, going to stay with her at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor and we were incredibly lucky to be able to share a lot of our childhood time with her.
"She's such an inspiration, not only to the country but to us as a family. You know, her work ethic and her dedication is something that I think the whole family has always inspired to, at least get somewhere near."

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is ‘fiesty’


Britain's Queen Elizabeth is "feisty", according to Annie Leibovitz.
The acclaimed photographer - who was snapping shots of the 89-year-old royal during the infamous photoshoot in 2007 when it was claimed that she stormed out - insists the reports are completely untrue and that the Queen has a "great sense of duty".
She said: "Oh my god, she's feisty. That was the session that had so much controversy over it. And I said, 'what are you talking about?' I mean, she was just incredible to work with.
"The reality is, she is a woman with a great sense of duty. I mean she not only stayed the entire 25 minutes, 30 minutes, but she waited for me to say I was done. And then I said thank you. And she didn't get up and leave. She's feisty. I mean, it's like photographing your great-aunt or something like that. She has so much energy and so much drive. And she definitely has opinions."
But the thing that Annie, 66, loved most about the Queen was that she did her own hair and make-up on the day.
Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, she said: "You know what I loved about her most? She does her own hair and make-up."

Britain’s Prince William is ‘humble’


Britain's Prince William is very "humble".
Declan Linnane was one of the lucky people to chat to the 33-year-old royal when the helicopter he was piloting for the East Anglian Air Ambulance landed at John Henry Newman Catholic School in Stevenage, Hertfordshire earlier this week.
He shared: "Prince William is a very unassuming and humble person. It is the first time I have met a royal, and I found him to be dedicated to his work and family and he is very passionate about young people.
"For the young people who were sitting with him yesterday, they had an opportunity to meet Prince William - it will be a moment in time they will always remember, as it's not every day you meet a future king."
Meanwhile, Declan - who is the headmaster of a nearby school and works closely with Clive Mathew, who leads the school where the Duke of Cambridge visited - recalled the Prince's arrival.
He told the Herts Advertiser: "I was in Stevenage as I work closely with Clive, because we support each other within our sixth form, so I went there for a meeting, and then I went into the dining room for lunch. Three gentlemen, who were wearing high-visibility jackets and fleeces with the words 'pilot' or 'crew' on them, came in.
"They were going to stay for about half an hour, because they were waiting to pick up a doctor and paramedic from previous incidents - there were car accidents around Beds and Herts. I recognised Prince William straight away. He came in, shook hands and then queued up for lunch; he wasn't given any preferential treatment ... I didn't get starstruck to be honest, as we all breathe the same air."

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth to host street party for 10,000


Britain's Queen Elizabeth will host a street party for 10,000 people.
The 89-year-old royal is set to celebrate her 90th birthday this year and will welcome the thousands of guests to The Mall near Buckingham Palace, London for The Patron's Lunch.
Peter Phillips, who is organising the event and also happens to be the Queen's grandson, told the Daily Mail newspaper: "I was very conscious to make sure we did this properly, so we went through the normal channels of approaching the Palace.
"We had to show that this wasn't a case of trying to cut corners because the Queen happens to be my grandmother. I said [to the Queen], 'Oh, by the way you may or may not have heard that we are having conversations with your office about this' ... She said, 'I've heard you're up to something.'"
The Mall is set to be filled with a thousand tables, which seats ten people each, whilst ten thousand chairs will have to be placed down the iconic road individually.
Guests - which will include charities and their guests as well as some lucky members of the public - will dine on refreshments from Marks & Spencer, Pimm's, PG Tips and Wall's whilst they watch on as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive in their Range Rover.
Organisers have promised a "carnival" style atmosphere, with lots of performances spreading out across the Mall and into the nearby Royal Parks.

Britain’s Prince George prompts sales of navy coat


Britain's Prince George has caused a sales flurry of a navy quilted coat.
The two-year-old royal was photographed by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, as he arrived for his first day at the Westacre Montessori School in King's Lynn, Norfolk, wearing the jacket made by high-street chain John Lewis, and whilst the particular coat has been off the shelves since 2013, parents flocked to the company's website to buy their children something similar.
A spokesperson said: "Within the first two days we saw a 447 per cent increase in enquiries for our Children's Quilted Hooded Jacket in Navy. And that's increased 100 per cent again this week."
And even at just eight-months-old, George's sibling, Princess Charlotte is already a fashion icon. After she was photographed wearing a pink cardigan, children's clothing company Alex and Alexa saw searches for a similar product spike.
Jenny Slungaard, PR Manager for Alex and Alexa, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "When it comes to toddlerwear, children are developing a sense of style and often outfit choices will be a combination of the parents and the child's choice.
"With the rise of social media, particularly Instagram, parents are becoming a lot more conscious about what their children wear - as are the kids themselves."

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