Queen Elizabeth news: The Queen’s son, Prince Andrew, has been rocked by claims that he could be stripped of his Duke of York title if he loses sex abuse lawsuit.
It has been reported that this decision would send him to “internal exile” – which aside from stopping him using his title and other options, would also mean him giving up all his charity links.
A source told The Sunday Times: “If he loses the case, the question is what do you do with him? You can’t make him resign like you would a normal person but he would be asked to put his dukedom into abeyance.”
Alongside this, a top lawyer has said that Prince Andrew should be quizzed by the Met Police about his knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking.
According to former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, anything linking them to the UK must be fully investigated.
The Express reported that ex-Chief Crown Prosecutor for the north west of England, Mr Afzal, said that cops to go one step further and review all alleged offences “without fear or favour” – including questioning Andrew if necessary.
Read our Royal Family live blog for the latest news and updates…
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New year honours features Covid experts
Among 1,122 people receiving awards are tennis player Emma Raducanu, Olympians and Paralympians, and actor Daniel Craig.
Leading figures of science and medicine during the coronavirus pandemic have been feted in the Queen’s new year honours list. This also includes chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, who is to receive a knighthood.
The teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu – praised for her “remarkable achievement at such a young age” by the Queen and is to be awarded an MBE.
Other sports personnel include Olympians and Paralympians cyclist Jody Cundy, who gets a CBE, and sprinter and cyclist Kadeena Cox, who receives an OBE.
Actors Joanna Lumley and Vanessa Redgrave become dames for their services to drama, entertainment and charity.
Alongside them, actor Daniel Craig receives the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) for outstanding contribution to film.
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The key milestones the Sussexes made in 2021
The royal couple have dropped bombshell after bombshell in the last 12 months, providing enough jaw-dropping moments to last a lifetime.
So from outrageous TV moments to becoming parents for the second time, here are 10 of the Sussexes massive milestones for 2021.
- Megxit becomes official
- Bombshell Oprah interview
- Messing around with Ellen
- Meghan the ‘bully’
- Harry lands first ‘job’
- Meg’s debut book
- Lilibet is born
- Big birthday celebrations
- Privacy case victory
- Harry comes home
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Kate’s 40th birthday plan
It is claimed that Kate Middleton will most likely have a “low-key” 40th birthday celebration next month which will avoid comparisons with Meghan Markle.
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe told OK! he believes the Duchess of Cambridge’s birthday will instead be an affair that is “deliberately modest.
He claims the palace is keen to avoid “this awful continuation of one-upmanship” with the Duchess of Sussex.
Mr Larcombe said: “It will be low key and it will be focused entirely on the family.”
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Start of the Royal Family calendar
The Queen will be joined by the nation in celebrating the Platinum Jubilee in the summer of 2022, but there are also other key events in the New Year that the Queen is due to attend.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said to Express.co.uk: “there’s so much we don’t know” the royals’ calendar in the coming year.
He said: “Trips abroad, for example, royal engagements, how many will be in person? The pandemic has and will continue to affect a great deal of events.”
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Kate and William’s Christmas card choice questioned
A royal expert has questioned Kate Middleton and Prince William’s choice of photo for their family’s Christmas card.
The expert has pointed out the summery shot was “not very festive”.
Royal expert Zoe Forsey, who is the Pod Save the Queen host noted that the decision to wear t-shirts, shorts and summer dresses was not the most festive to put on a Christmas card.
She said: “It wasn’t the most festive of shots, was it, in terms of nice and summery and, as you say, shorts and t-shirts.”
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Will we see Harry and Meghan at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?
A royal expert has claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are keeping their schedules free for the Queen’s invite to her Platinum Jubilee celebrations later this year.
Royal commentator Neil Sean said on his YouTube channel: “According to very good sources and palace courtiers, they tell me that they’ve received word get this from Harry and Meghan that they are going to keep their diaries free should, of course, they be called upon now.”
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‘Met Police must interview Prince Andrew’ (Continued…)
Mr Afzal, ex-Chief Crown Prosecutor for the north west of England continued to say: “The Met has previously said there is not enough evidence but that is because it has not been investigated.
“It must now properly investigate and see where it takes them and if that involves interviewing His Royal Highness then it must do that, as what it is meant to do is investigate without fear or favour.”
He added: “I do not believe in conspiracy theories but the Met keeps saying there is not enough evidence but that is because it has not investigated.
“It cannot sustain this any more.”
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‘Met Police must interview Prince Andrew’
A top lawyer has said that Prince Andrew should be quizzed by police about his knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s child sex trafficking.
According to former chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, anything linking them to the UK must be fully investigated.
Mr Afzal, ex-Chief Crown Prosecutor for the north west of England, last night urged cops to go one step further and review all alleged offences “without fear or favour” – including questioning Andrew if necessary, The Express reports.
Mr Afzal, who overturned a CPS decision not to charge several of the Rochdale child grooming suspects in 2012, said: “The Met said in 2015, then in 2019 and again in 2021 that it had reviewed the allegations and came to the conclusion that there were no offences.
“But it left the door open to investigate further if more information came forward.
“I cannot see anything more significant than Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction for her part in this paedophile ring – so it must now investigate this properly to restore public confidence.”
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Prince Andrew’s security needs an urgent review, warns expert
A ROYAL protection expert has warned Prince Andrew’s security needs an urgent review after his pal Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction.
Dai Davies, ex-head of protection for the Queen and Royal Family, said the verdict could lead to people becoming fixated on the duke.
He said: “Prince Andrew has not been convicted of anything — but the Maxwell verdict is a game-changer.
“That opens the floodgates to criticism of him – which in turn means more people will become fixated upon him and increases the threat.”
It comes after Jaswant Singh Chail, 19, was sectioned after allegedly being stopped in the grounds at Windsor armed with a crossbow.
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Prince Andrew backed by family
It appears that the Duke of York has his family’s backing – with Sarah Ferguson insisting she “completely stands by Andrew 100 per cent”.
She told Italian talk show Porta a Porta this month: “I completely stand by Andrew 100 per cent.
“He is such a kind, great man, he is a brilliant father and now a fantastic grandfather…
“I feel very strongly that in this day and age that we must stand by our hearts, what we think is right with integrity and honour and loyalty.”
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Sarah Ferguson, Beatrice & Eugenie walk arm in arm in ski resort
Fergie, 62, was joined by Princesses Beatrice, 33, and Eugenie, 31 – and their husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank – for a winter break in Verbier.
The mum and her daughters linked arms as they headed down a hillside road towards the family’s £17.5million chalet.
The group jetted off to the Swiss ski resort on Boxing Day.
But – despite the blue sky and perfect snow conditions – they have not taken to the slopes yet, with Fergie keeping in constant contact with her ex-husband Andrew, sources claim.
Sarah Ferguson walked arm-in-arm with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at a Swiss ski resort todayCredit: Louis Wood News Group Newspapers Ltd -
Ian Maxwell’s comments come as:
- Prince Andrew has been rocked by claims he could be stripped of his Duke of York title if he loses a sex abuse lawsuit;
- A royal protection expert has warned Prince Andrew’s security needs an urgent review after Maxwell’s conviction;
- Legal experts believe Bill Clinton should face investigation over his ties to Epstein and Maxwell.
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Ghislaine Maxwell ‘will NOT name names or cut deals’
GHISLAINE Maxwell will NOT name names or cut a deal to reduce her 65-year jail term for sex trafficking, her brother has claimed.
Ian Maxwell, 65, believes no deals will be put on the table ahead of his predator sister’s sentencing for procuring young girls for her paedo ex-lover Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Maxwell’s comments will come as a relief for lawyers of Prince Andrew – who have reportedly been locked in emergency talks over whether Epstein’s madam could “name names” to get a lighter sentence.
Mr Maxwell told the Sunday Times: “Prosecution confirmed no plea bargain offers were made or received [before the trial].
“I expect that position to be maintained.”
Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell pictured together at Royal Ascot Credit: BBC One -
Meghan & Harry ‘looking to sell’ £11m home
It has been claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “thinking of selling” their California mansion after just 18 months – as they are not “over the moon” about the property.
A source told the Sunday People: “They are thinking of selling their house there. However, it won’t be on the market because of who they are. It’s only being shown to people who are confirmed with funds and are serious buyers.”
The source added: “They want to stay in the neighbourhood or nearby but they aren’t over the moon about the house and the location.”
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Embarrassing ‘discovery’
On Friday, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan denied Prince Andrew’s bid to halt the potentially embarrassing “discovery” process in the lawsuit against him.
It has already seen his lawyers forced to reveal there were no witnesses to corroborate his mocked claim that he was at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, on a night he allegedly slept with Virginia.
They also said he had no documents regarding the “peculiar medical condition” that prevented him from sweating, which he stated in his “car crash” BBC Newsnight interview in November 2019.
His lawyers argued the discovery process should be stopped while they quiz Virginia under oath to examine if the mum of three – who lives in Australia – was “domiciled” in the US as she claimed.
They argued that if they could prove she was not, a New York court would not be the correct jurisdiction for the case.
Their bid was halted two days after Andrew’s university pal Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five of six charges.
The English heiress is now facing up to 65 years in jail.
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‘If the case succeeds Andrew must go’
Andrew is currently colonel-in-chief of nine military units, regiments and corps – but top brass think his roles have become “untenable”.
One insider said: “If the case succeeds he must go and that is the correct decision.”
Another added: “Even if Andrew is completely exonerated from any wrongdoing he is now regarded as toxic. It is expected he will do the decent thing and resign.”
The claims come as the Duke, 61, faced a “critical” 48 hours to get his accuser’s case against him thrown out.
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Prince Andrew rocked by claims he could be stripped of his title
PRINCE Andrew was last night rocked by claims he could be stripped of his Duke of York title if he loses a lawsuit brought by sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre.
Royal courtiers were reported to have discussed plans to send him into “internal exile” — including stopping him using his title and other options, such as giving up all his charity links.
One source told The Sunday Times: “If he loses the case, the question is what do you do with him? You can’t make him resign like you would a normal person but he would be asked to put his dukedom into abeyance.”
They reported that royal insiders said it would be difficult to persuade the Queen to take away the title of Duke of York as “it was held by her father, George VI, before he became king and she bestowed it on her favourite son. But he has disgraced that title”.
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The most anticipated Royal birth of all time
Research conducted by childcare experts Little Ones London, analysed Google trends data for major Royal births over the past eight years, to discover which Royal birth had the biggest influence of all.
The birth of Archie Harrison, the first child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, caused more online interest than any other Royal baby, new research can reveal.
- Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor had the most talked-about Royal birth in the UK, with searches for ‘royal baby’ skyrocketing 2700% at the time of his birth
- Princess Charlotte had the second most influential Royal birth, causing searches for ‘royal baby’ to explode 1000% the month that she was born
- Prince Louis, Prince George and Lilibet Diana also had some of the most talked about Royal births
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Piers Morgan: ‘powerful men could be sweating… and not sweating’
PIERS Morgan says “a lot of powerful people could be sweating… and not sweating” in a jibe at Prince Andrew following Ghislaine Maxwell’s guilty verdict.
TV host Piers has questioned whether Maxwell will “name names” to in a bid to dodge a lengthy sentence as she faces the prospect of dying in jail.
He wrote on Twitter: “Will vile sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell now sing like a canary to avoid spending the rest of her life in prison?
“If she does, there could be a lot of rich, powerful & famous people sweating tonight… and not sweating.”
His remark about “not sweating” came as a dig at the Duke of York after he claimed in his disastrous BBC interview that he “couldn’t sweat”.
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The reason Harry & Meghan ‘constantly hold hands’ REVEALED
An astrologer and body language expert has commented about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s public displays of affection.
Expert Inbaal Honigman said: “Looking at Harry and Meghan, they are certainly in love.
“They haven’t been married for that many years, and are still having babies, which is a very loving stage of a relationship.
“So their constant hand holding, cuddling, leaning on each other, are displays of affection, which are definitely genuine and not for the cameras.”
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2022 to be a monumental year for the Queen
The Queen is due to reach her historic Platinum Jubilee in 2022, becoming the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years on the throne.
The national Jubilee festivities are taking place in June over a four-day holiday weekend.
But the Queen is actually set to pass the milestone on February 6 – the anniversary of the death of her father King George VI in 1952.
The Queen usually spends her accession day privately at Sandringham, but it is possible she may be seen at church, or carry out a local engagement in Norfolk as she has done in the past on milestone jubilees.
The royal extravaganza from June 2-5 – with an extra Bank Holiday – includes Trooping the Colour, a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, a visit to the Epsom Derby, a live concert at Buckingham Palace, and street parties and picnics.
A Platinum Jubilee Pageant will also be staged on June 5 against the backdrop of the Palace and along The Mall in central London, and combine street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival and costume.
But how much the public will see of the Queen during the celebrations has not yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
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Queen Elizabeth enjoys celebrating New Year’s Eve by playing ‘lucky dip’ game
PLAYING games is a surefire way to have fun with friends while seeing in the New Year.
And even the Queen likes to get involved in such festivities, with her favourite activity for New Year’s Eve a game called Lucky Dip.
According to author Brian Hoey, who wrote the book At Home with The Queen, Her Majesty is given a tub of sawdust by a footman – with pieces of folded paper hidden inside.
On each piece of paper is a message or prediction for the year ahead, with the Queen and her guests taking it in turns to pick a piece of paper out of the tub and read its contents aloud.
“Each member of the Royal Family takes a lucky dip and if their particular forecast is not very favourable the poor footman gets the blame,” Brian writes in his book.
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Knighthood for Tony Blair and Covid scientists
The medical chiefs leading the UK’s battle against coronavirus have been recognised in the New Year Honours list while the Queen has knighted former prime minister Tony Blair.
The longest-serving Labour PM said it was an “immense honour” to have been made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry, to which appointments are in the Queen’s gift without advice from the Government.
England’s chief medical officer (CMO), Professor Chris Whitty, deputy CMO, Jonathan Van-Tam, and Wales’ and Scotland’s CMOs, Frank Atherton and Dr Gregor Smith, have been given knighthoods.
There are also damehoods for UK Health Security Agency chief, Dr Jenny Harries, and Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), after a year in which the threat of new variants arose and more than 130 million vaccinations were administered.
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Prince Andrew ‘guilty by association’ and needs urgent security review, says expert
A ROYAL protection expert has warned Prince Andrew’s security needs an urgent review after his pal Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction.
Dai Davies, ex-head of protection for the Queen and Royal Family, said the verdict could lead to people becoming fixated on the duke.
He said the Christmas Day arrest of an armed intruder at Windsor Castle had heightened safety concerns over the royals.
He said: “Prince Andrew has not been convicted of anything — but the Maxwell verdict is a game-changer.
“That’s because he is now guilty by association of being linked to two convicted paedophiles in her and Jeffrey Epstein.
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Prince Andrew rocked by claims he could be stripped of his Duke of York
PRINCE Andrew was last night rocked by claims he could be stripped of his Duke of York title if he loses a lawsuit brought by sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre.
Royal courtiers were reported to have discussed plans to send him into “internal exile” — including stopping him using his title and other options, such as giving up all his charity links.
Ms Giuffre alleges that he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17, which the Prince denies, and is suing for unspecified damages.
One source told The Sunday Times: “If he loses the case, the question is what do you do with him? You can’t make him resign like you would a normal person but he would be asked to put his dukedom into abeyance.”
They reported that royal insiders said it would be difficult to persuade the Queen to take away the title of Duke of York as “it was held by her father, George VI, before he became king and she bestowed it on her favourite son. But he has disgraced that title”.
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EastEnders legend June Brown awarded OBE in Honours list
Actress June Brown, best known as chain-smoking Albert Square stalwart Dot Cotton in EastEnders, has been made an OBE in the New Year Honours.
She has been recognised for services to drama and to charity.
The veteran actress said: “Thank you for the award. It is a great honour and I would like to thank Her Majesty, and all those involved in my recommendation.”
Brown, 94, was previously made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2008 for services to drama and charity.
She served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service at the end of the Second World War, and then left to train at London’s Old Vic Theatre School in Lambeth.
Before joining EastEnders in 1985, Brown appeared in a spate of TV shows including Coronation Street (1970-71), where she played Mrs Parsons, and The Duchess Of Duke Street (1976), where she starred as Mrs Leyton.
