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Order of service from Richard III’s reburial sold on eBay


Church leaders have been left disappointed after order of service booklets from the reinterment of Richard III went on sale on eBay.
According to MailOnline, dozens of copies of the booklets - which were printed for the reburial of the Plantagenet king last Thursday - have already gone up for sale on the online marketplace with bids reaching a huge £225.
The Dean of Leicester, the Very Rev David Monteith, has shared his sadness over people cashing in on the event.
He added that the cathedral had been planning to print a full set of three service booklets itself - marking the coffins arrival, the reburial and the revealing of the tomb - costing £12.50, with some of the profits going towards the £2.5 million needed to hold the event.
He said: "We've noticed that service booklets from the cathedral's services are being sold for extortionate prices on eBay, presumably by those who attended the services.
"This is very sad - many would have welcomed being there and keeping this as a souvenir.
"We have had extra copies printed and we are selling a set of all three for £12.50 to cover costs from Christian Resources in St Martin's House, next door to the cathedral."
Meanwhile, actor Benedict Cumberbatch - who is the king's third cousin, 16 times removed - has described the reburial of his distant relative as "extraordinary".
The 38-year-old star read a poem by Carol Ann Duffy during the service last week and added he was honoured to be witnessing the reinterment after the remains of the king were found under a car park, 527 years after the Battle of Bosworth, in 2012.
He said: "It's an extraordinary moment to be witnessing a monarch who has been found after hundreds of years in a car park being reinterred in a cathedral hundreds of yards away. It is a very special thing to witness, let alone be asked to perform at."

Staff at Queen Elizabeth’s residence plan industrial action


Staff at Windsor Castle are planning to take industrial action over missing pay.
It is reported approximately 120 out of 200 visitor staff - who are members of the Public and Commercial Service Union - at Queen Elizabeth's residence are taking action over unpaid extra duties, including providing first aid, giving tours and acting as interpreters for foreign visitors.
The employees are to be balloted an action over the unpaid duties and if it is successful, the union members have declared they will stop providing the extra services for free.
If the ballot, which closes on April 14, confirms that workers are required to perform the extra services, action just short of a strike has been planned to start from the end of April, reports the Daily Express newspaper.
However, a spokeswoman for the Royal Collection Trust, which manages the castle, has argued the extra duties asked of workers are "voluntary" and "not compulsory".
She said: "Warden staff are offered voluntary opportunities to receive training and develop skills to lead guided tours for visitors as part of their working day and to administer first aid, as well as to use their language skills.
"These are not compulsory aspects of their role, and it is the choice of the individual whether they wish to take part. "
Adding that if industrial action were to go ahead, it would not interfere with the running of the castle.
She said: "We don't anticipate any interruption to the running of tours for visitors to the castle."

Britain’s Prince Charles takes lengthy helicopter journey after energy saving speech


Britain's Prince Charles has come under fire after taking an 80-mile trip in a private helicopter just days after he spoke passionately about saving energy.
The 66-year-old royal - who is known to have travelled with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, in his mother Queen Elizabeth's helicopter from Highgrove, Gloucestershire to Ascot, Berkshire - will have burned 1.3 tons of carbon during the journey just two days after urging the public to conserve energy.
In a video recorded for annual Earth Hour, he said: "Ladies and gentlemen, Earth Hour is exactly what it says it is.
"One hour for the whole world to think about this extraordinary planet that sustains us all.
"At 8.30pm on Saturday the 28th March hundreds of millions of people from across the world will come together and switch off their lights in a spectacular display.
"It is a symbolic and powerful reminder that together we have the power to change things.
"It should also remind us that we do not have much time in which to make those changes."
However, a royal aide has since admitted there was "nothing unusual" about the way the couple had travelled and added they were desperate to attend the Prince's Countryside Fund race day, which was held at Ascot on Sunday (29.03.15).

Britain’s Prince William begins air ambulance training


Britain's Prince William has begun his training to become an East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot.
The 32-year-old royal will work with Bond Air Services over the next few months in preparation for his first missions which are set to begin in summer.
The training will involve simulator, aircraft and inflight exercises before he is qualified to attend to emergencies across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: "Over the coming months he will undertake job-specific training before he begins piloting missions for East Anglian Air Ambulance during the summer.
"The mandatory training will involve simulator, aircraft and in-flight skills training."
As a former RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot, Prince William had already carried out 150 missions and completed 1,300 hours flying when he quit the post in September 2013.
The second in line to the throne - who is expecting his second child with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge - is still expected to take time out from his training for paternity leave when the baby is born next month.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth to visit the Bishop of Sheffield


Britain's Queen Elizabeth will visit the Bishop of Sheffield this week for the Maundy Thursday service (02.04.15).
According to the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, the 88-year-old monarch is set to arrive at the city's cathedral where she will hand out Maundy money to 89 men and 89 women.
Maundy Thursday was first celebrated in England in the 12th century to mark Jesus washing his disciples' feet.
Today it serves to recognise the work of deserving senior citizens in the community.
Bishop Croft is thrilled to be welcoming Queen Elizabeth to the cathedral and stressed the amount of work that had gone into preparing for the royal's visit.
He told BBC News: "[It has been a] huge amount of work for several months - in secret.
"There's a real sense of anticipation now, and joy that this is happening in Sheffield this year.
"It's a profound Christian reflection of the command to love one another, at the heart of the city.
"Sheffield Cathedral will become a Chapel Royal for the day, and platters from the Crown Jewels will be brought to carry the Maundy Money."
To date the royal Maundy Thursday service has been held in almost every cathedral throughout England and is occasionally put on in Wales and Scotland.

Britain’s Prince Charles cracks up at Lamb National


Britain's Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were in hysterics as they watched the 'Lamb National' at Ascot racecourse yesterday (29.03.15).
The 66-year-old royal fell into a fit of laughter as he watched the annual race - which sees young sheep run down the racecourse with fake riders on their backs - during the Prince's Countryside Fund race day in Berkshire.
The couple were clearly in high spirits as they giggled together by the track as the lambs darted over fences and gates towards the finish line.
Ascot describes the race as a "unique" family event, noting "Horses are not the only star turn during the day as sheep take to the track for the prestigious Lamb National."
Charles and the Duchess, 66, were joined at the event by Sir Nicholas Soames and TV personalities Ant and Dec, who are the patrons of Ascot's Colts and Fillies Club.
The 'Britain's Got Talent' duo took part in a live chat in the Parade Ring to fulfil their duties to the association which aims at making horse racing more accessible to children under the age of 17, reports the Daily Express newspaper.
Dec took to his Twitter account to share his excitement ahead of the day.
He wrote: "Morning! Getting ready for a gr8 day at @Ascot as patrons of Colts & Fillies. Hope the sunshine comes too! D."

Duchess of Cambridge craving sweets


Britain's Duchess of Cambridge is craving sweet treats.
The 33-year-old royal - who is expecting her second child with her husband Prince William next month - reportedly can't get enough of cakes, chocolate and biscuits, which according to an old saying, could be a sign that she is having a girl.
A source told MailOnline: "Prince William has always had a sweet tooth, but Kate has really had sweet cravings during this pregnancy.
"She could barely keep anything down in the first months of her pregnancy but recently she just cannot get enough of naughty treats."
The Duchess - who already has a 20-month-old son, Prince George, with William - has reportedly become a regular at the Humble Pie bakery, which is a 40 minute drive from her Norfolk home, Amner Hall.
A local source said: "Kate has popped into the store on her own and with William. She loves the cakes and says they are delicious."
The brunette beauty has also been enjoying baking the treats herself and is said to have become a "domestic goddess" after cooking up goodies with her son.
The insider said: "She's has become a domestic goddess. She loves baking with George."

Benedict Cumberbatch: Richard III burial was extraordinary


Benedict Cumberbatch says the reburial of Richard III was "extraordinary".
The 38-year-old actor - who is the king's third cousin, 16 times removed - has admitted he was honoured to have taken part in the service of reinterment which took place at Leicester Cathedral last week after the king's remains were found under a car park, 527 years after the Battle of Bosworth.
According to the Daily Express newspaper, Benedict - who plays his distant relative in the new BBC series 'The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses' - read a poem by Carol Ann Duffy during the service.
He said of the event: "Having just played his very different Shakespearean characterisation I was intrigued to see what the real historical event would be like and to be a part of this extraordinary moment of remembrance. Then what really sealed the deal was this beautiful poem.
"It's an extraordinary moment to be witnessing a monarch who has been found after hundreds of years in a car park being reinterred in a cathedral hundreds of yards away. It is a very special thing to witness, let alone be asked to perform at."
The 'The Imitation Game' star added he was fascinated by the Channel 4 documentary 'The King In The Car Park' in 2012, which saw historian Phillippa Langley lead the excavation to recover the skeleton.
He said: "As it unfolded you realised the discovery was real, the drama was unheard of in a documentary like that. It wasn't a high profile programme but it became so because of what they discovered. There was a glorious romanticism about that."

Prince William: Second royal baby will be a game-changer


Britain's Prince William thinks his second child will be a "game-changer".
The 32-year-old royal - who already has a 20-month-old son, George, with his wife the Duchess of Cambridge - believes their new addition will completely alter their family and confessed he can't wait a minute longer for the birth.
He told Claudia French as the couple visited the XLP in Gipsy Hill, London: "The first time is a learning experience, the second time is a game-changer."
Onlooker Paul Reardon, who also spoke to the Prince, told the Daily Express newspaper: "William said he couldn't wait for the baby to be born. He said he wanted it now, he couldn't wait another minute."
The couple visited the XLP - a charity that aspires to create positive futures for young people - as well as the XLP community bus and the XLP mobile recording studio as part of their final day of public appearances before the baby's birth.
Meanwhile, it was revealed last week that bookmakers in Britain have taken a flurry of bets on the couple's second child, who is due on April 25.
Bookmakers slashed the odds on the baby being named Alice, following a surge of bets on the moniker.
Speaking earlier this week, Cormac Dowling, novelties and politics trader for Betfair, said: "Elizabeth had been the clear favourite until an unexpected rush of support for Alice over the last 24 hours and we've been forced to slash the price from 8/1 to 3/1."

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