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Prince Charles’ ‘black spider’ letters due to be released


Britain's Prince Charles' "black spider" letters will be published today (13.05.15).
The Prince of Wales had been engaged in a 10-year legal battle with The Guardian newspaper journalist Rob Evans about the secret memos, which were exchanged between the 66-year-old prince and government ministers between September 2004 and March 2005, but a high court ruling means they will be made available today.
The journalist asked to see the documents by using a Freedom of Information request a decade ago, although the Supreme Court judges only approved the letters' publication in March.
Some edits have been made to the letters following the Upper Tribunal's ruling it "has accepted Mr Evans's submission that what is described in the decision as 'the open material' is to be supplied to other parties without restriction on their ability to publish that material".
The tribunal's decision insisted the material - which is believed to hold Charles' "most deeply held personal views and beliefs" - could be published as long as changes were made to protect personal data of people other than the future monarch.
The documents - which are expected to be published at 15:00 BST - are known as the "black spider" memos due to the prince's scrawling handwriting and excessive use of exclamation marks and underlining.
However sources close to the prince claim the 27 letters - of which fewer than 10 were written by Charles - contain "no bombshells" and are "much more boring than people think they are".

Man accused of plotting to kill Britain’s Prince Charles


A man has been accused of planning to kill Britain's Prince Charles.
The man from Southampton - named as Mark Colborne - reportedly plotted to kill the 66-year-old royal in a bid to ensure the future monarch was not "dark haired," hoping instead for Prince Harry to become king.
In a notebook ceased from the man, he wrote: "Take down a silent rifle, take up a good stalker position and put a bullet in Prince Charles's head. He is protected but not too protected. I would sacrifice my life for that one-shot. Kill Charles and William and Harry become king. Kill the tyrants."
The 37-year-old man was reported to police by his mother and half-brother last June after they found chemicals and notes detailing racial hatred in his house, with police later discovering he had been researching how to create poisons and explosives.
Writing in his notebook, he admitted he hoped he would no longer be a "red-headed victimised minority" if he committed the crime.
It read: "I want them to see my transition from poor red-haired victimised minority that is constantly walked over to a fully transformed military terrorist."
Prosecutor Darlow told the Old Bailey court: "He clearly had experienced a troubled childhood and perceived himself as marginalised and belittled by society because he was a white, ginger-haired male."
The man denies preparing terrorist acts.

Britain’s Prince Harry learns haka


Britain's Prince Harry learnt the Maori haka in New Zealand on Tuesday (12.05.15).
The 30-year-old prince spent 20 minutes learning the traditional military war cry before performing along with several others in front of the world's press.
Although he didn't have long to learn the routine, the young royal mustered a deep concentration to pull off the historic routine before being applauded by the rest of the group.
The ceremony was the latest in a long line of activities Harry has undertaken in the last few days as he continues his tour around New Zealand, with this royal engagement being held at the country's largest army base, Linton Military Camp.
After arriving by helicopter, Harry was given the opportunity to drive a number of vehicles around the base and enjoyed a traditional hangi meal.
He also got the opportunity to speak to Corporal Jason Storley - who had his leg amputated in 2009 after an incident in the Solomon Islands - who took part in Harry's multi-sport Paralympic-style event for wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel, the Invictus Games, last year.
Speaking about the encounter, Corporal Jason Storley said: "He remembered me and wanted to know how I was doing.
"He wanted to know how we were and it's amazing he remembered some of us.
"Meeting him definitely boosts your spirits, it gives you a sense of achievement and self-worth.
"There's often times when you have to put a brave face on and it can be hard when you're alone but it's moments like this that pick you up."

Cressida Bonas is bookies favourite to marry Prince Harry


Cressida Bonas is the bookmakers' favourite to marry Britain's Prince Harry.
The 26-year-old actress split from the royal last year, although Harry's recent comments about finding someone to "share the pressure" of being a prince with have spurred some to believe they could reconnect.
In an interview with Sky News, he said: "Of course I would love to have kids right now but there's a process that one has to go through and tours like this are great fun, hopefully I'm doing all right by myself, it would be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure, but you know, time will come and whatever happens, happens."
Ladbrokes are now offering odds of 12/1 on the pair getting married while odds for former flame Chelsy Davy stand at 33/1.
And as well as his ex-girlfriends, odds are being offered on more unlikely matches, including his sister-in-law's sister, Pippa Middleton (66/1), and former glamour model and 'Celebrity Big Brother' winner, Katie Price (500/1).
However, the 30-year-old royal has had no shortage of marriage proposals during his recent royal engagements, with one fan brandishing a placard reading, "Marry Me Prince Harry, Last Chance" during a recent meeting in Sydney.
Although the prince insisted he needed time to "think about" the proposal, the daring woman, Victoria McRae, did receive a kiss, much to the envy of other female fans around the world.

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice tipped to be royal godparents


Britain's Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice are the bookies' favourites to be godparents to Princess Charlotte.
Although Charlotte's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, waited three months to reveal the godparents of Prince George at his christening in October 2013, an official announcement is expected this week with the top suggestions being the two princesses.
Joe Crilly, a spokesman for British bookmaker William Hill said: "There will no doubt a number of godparents but at the moment it is Beatrice and Eugenie who head the queue."
The sisters, Beatrice, 26, and Eugenie, 25, both have odds of 1/5, while Catherine's sister Pippa Middleton has odds of 1/1 and William's brother Prince Harry's chances stand at 2/1.
As well as their royal relations and close friends, odds are also being offered on David and Victoria Beckham being named godparents (25/1), while British Prime Minister David Cameron looks to be an outsider at 100/1.
However, the youngster - who was born at St Mary's Hospital in London on 2 May 2015 - is expected to have multiple godparents, as her 21-month-old brother Prince George was given seven including Zara Tindall and Lord Grosvenor.

Prince Charles hopes Princess Charlotte will ‘look after’ him


Britain's Prince Charles hopes Princess Charlotte will care for him when he's "very old".
The Prince of Wales - who is first in line for the throne - has admitted he was thrilled at the news he had become a grandfather to a baby girl, Princess Charlotte, earlier this month (02.05.15), because she will be able to look after him when he is frail.
Speaking to a crowd in Dorset, south-west England, at his first public event since the birth, he joked: "I was hoping for a grand-daughter - someone to look after me when I am very old."
However, the 66-year-old prince isn't showing any signs of old age as he continues to follow a hectic schedule of royal engagements.
On Wednesday (13.05.15), Charles is expected to attend the 'Our Young People, Our Future' conference to support his charity The Prince's Trust, while it was also recently announced he will travel to Ireland and Northern Ireland later this month with his wife, Duchess Camilla.
The pair will spend four days recognising "the warm friendship and close cooperation that exists between the UK and Ireland" from 19 to 22 May.
During the trip, the couple are expected to meet with Irish President Michael D Higgins, attend the Sligo Races, and visit Mullaghmore, where Charles' great-uncle Lord Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bombing in 1979.

Mike Tindall hopes daughter will be ‘good friends’ with George and Charlotte


Mike Tindall hopes his daughter will be "good friends" with Britain's Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The former rugby player has 15-month-old daughter Mia with his wife, Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter Zara Phillips, and revealed he is hoping the youngster will get to grow up with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children because they are similar in age.
He said: "They're all quite close in age and hopefully they'll grow up as good friends."
However, the 36-year-old retired sportsman admitted they won't be taking a trip to the family's new home of Anmer Hall on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for a while, as they want to give them time to "settle in".
He explained: "I'm sure the children will bump heads at some point but I think it will be a little while yet. We'll let them get settled into their new home - and the baby settle into the world - before everyone jumps on them."
And although the couple haven't seen Zara's cousin Prince William and his wife Duchess Catherine in a while, Mike said they are "pleased" everything went well and Princess Charlotte is healthy.
He told HELLO! magazine: "We last saw them a couple of months ago and are so pleased that the baby is healthy and everything has gone well. Kate suffers a bit when she's pregnant because she gets really bad morning sickness, but now it's all come good."

Prince Harry wants a wage to stay ‘sane’


Britain's Prince Harry needs a job with a wage to keep him "sane".
The 30-year-old royal recently announced he would be ending his military career, but insists he wants to move into a job which other "normal people" do in order to make a "valid contribution" to society.
He said: "I and William, both of us, we feel like we need to have a wage as well to work within normal people, to keep us sane, to keep us ticking along. And also surely in the future, from our point of view, if we want to make a valid contribution and to be taken seriously, then we need to work alongside other people."
Despite having already finished his decade of service in the military with a month-long secondment in Australia, the prince - who is fifth in line for the throne - admitted he hasn't yet decided on what he wants to do next.
He confessed: "There's a few things on the short list, but I don't want to speculate because I know what people are like."
However, the younger brother of Prince William said he is searching for a role which will allow him an "even balance" between working and completing his royal engagements.
He told Sky News: "If people can genuinely trust that I'm going to make the right decision, and that whatever it is hopefully I'll make them proud and make other people proud, then so be it. I've got to a stage now in my life where I'm very happy that I've done 10 years in the services, there is part of me of course, especially post-Australia, that I'd love to keep doing that. But there needs to come a decision of more responsibilities in this role so I need to find something with an even balance."

Britain’s Prince George ‘fascinated’ by Princess Charlotte


Britain's Prince George is "fascinated" by his sister, Princess Charlotte.
The 21-month-old tot was introduced to his younger sibling earlier this month (02.05.15) after Duchess Catherine gave birth to her at St Mary's Hospital in London and is now feeling "pretty pleased" to have another youngster in the family.
A royal insider revealed to HollywoodLife.com: "They have been continuing to introduce Prince George to Charlotte and he's absolutely fascinated by his sister."
"He smiles and points at her whenever he sees her and seems pretty pleased with her."
"There hasn't been any real doting on her yet from George, as he's still obviously getting used to her. But, in time, he will of course think the world of her. Or at least that's what one would hope for."
The news comes after the duchess and Prince William took their two children back to their country retreat, Anmer Hall on the Queen's Sandringham Estate, where they are expected to live for the foreseeable future.
However, the parents won't be alone to care for their two children, as Catherine's mother, Carole Middleton, is staying with them for a few weeks until they readjust.
A source said: "She will be there for the first month to help out.
"Kate feels like she owes so much to her mom for helping out during George's birth. Nothing feels better than having your mum around during a time like this."

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