Category Entertainment News

It is exactly six years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dropped the bombshell that they were quitting their royal roles – and things look very different now

It was the bombshell statement that rocked the Royal Family and sent shockwaves around the world. Exactly six years ago today, Prince Harry and Meghan sensationally announced that they were quitting as working royals in order to “carve out a progressive new role” in the institution and become financially independent.

The move reportedly left the royals, including the late Queen, ‘blindsided’, forcing the monarch to issue an unprecedented statement confirming the pair would no longer carry out official duties. But nobody could have foresaw what would happen next, with the Sussexes moving to California, giving a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey where they railed against the Royal Family before levelling more criticism against their treatment in a controversial Netflix documentary.

READ MORE: King Charles ‘strategic reason’ for staying clear of Prince Harry on his UK returnREAD MORE: Princess Kate could be deployed for landmark overseas trip with William with key role

Fast-forward to today, Harry is all but estranged from both his father, King Charles and brother Prince William as he continues his charity work, while Meghan focuses on her lifestyle brand, As Ever.

And given the sorry state of affairs when it comes to his family bonds, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes the Sussexes may feel a tinge of regret of how their exit from the royal fold played out.

She told the Mirror : “If you think back to when they left, it was all incredibly melodramatic. In a breathless video filmed on board the plane leaving the UK, Harry gave the impression they were almost fleeing for their lives.

“There had clearly been many hot-headed moments and, with the benefit of hindsight, they may well feel they could have done things differently. I’m sure Harry would never have wanted to hurt his grandmother, but he put her in the most invidious position, and she took a firm stand.

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“We now know that he feels that life is precious and short, and, in an ideal world, he would very much like a reconciliation with his father and his brother.

“He says he doesn’t want to fight any longer. But, when there has been so much anger and hurt, the path to a reunion was never going to be easy.”

The anniversary of ‘Megxit’ also coincides with another milestone that is fast-approaching for Harry. Saturday marks exactly three years since the publication of his explosive memoir, Spare.

From details about a physical altercation between Harry and Prince William at Kensington Palace to a tense showdown at Prince Philip’s funeral, and tension between the brothers and their wives, Kate and Meghan, Harry took aim at the entire family, seemingly not holding anything back.

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It is believed that Harry has not spoken to his brother William since before the publication of the book – with no signs of their feud thawing.

In recent months, Harry has indicated he would like a reconciliation with his family – and last year had a face-to-face meeting with his father, the first for 19 months, while on a trip to the UK.

But with another visit to the UK on the cards in a few weeks, it has been reported that another meet-up with his father in unlikely. And Jennie added: “Everything was obviously made so much worse by all the revelations, accusations and betrayals of confidence in Harry‘s book. He has squandered his family’s trust in him, and that is a notoriously hard thing to regain.

“He seems ready now to forgive and forget, but life just isn’t that easy. It’s all very well for him to feel he has aired all his grievances, so now he feels better and it’s time to move on. That’s not how it always works.

“He and Meghan are, however, pretty settled in California it would seem. They wanted freedom, independence and the ability to earn their living. They got all of that plus two lovely kids, a huge house, a celebrity lifestyle and a warm climate. What’s not to like?”

The Marks & Spencer January sale has just seen the prices of its coveted Bella Freud collection slashed by almost £100 with pieces selling out fast – and Claudia Winkleman is a fan

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When Marks & Spencer launched its latest collaboration with Bella Freud last year it went down a storm with fashion lovers. But if you were holding off on picking up a piece from the collection, now is the time to take the plunge.

The M&S January sale is in full effect, and it’s seen the iconic slogan knitwear slashed from £130 to as low as £38.99, but you’ll need to be quick. Many pieces have already sold out, with just a couple of items – like the pink Wham Bam jumper – still in stock.

READ MORE: Get Millie Mackintosh’s Bella Freud dog jumper for just £7.50 in big sale

READ MORE: Claudia Winkleman just unveiled another must-have cosy wool coat on The Traitors

The Merino Wool Rich ‘Wham Bam’ Relaxed Jumper is now £38.99, down from £130 but is selling out super quickly, with only sizes extra small and small still in stock. It’s made from 90% merino wool and 10% cashmere which makes it luxuriously soft and super warm for the winter, and has a relaxed fit and a crew neckline for that easy, effortless styling.

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For those unfamiliar with Bella Freud, the brand is a major go-to for some of our favourite stylish celebrities. Claudia Winkleman is a known fan of its knitwear, and wore a coat from the brand during an episode of The Traitors.

It’s also been spotted on the likes of Kate Middleton, Alexa Chung, Kate Moss and Zoe Ball, who wore the brand’s most recognisable 1970 jumper during her final Radio 2 show. Apart from cosy and colourful knitwear, Bella Freud is also known for its impeccable tailoring and timeless appeal, making the discounted M&S collaboration the perfect way to snap up some serious style on a budget.

Other great pieces you can still snap up in the M&S X Bella Freud collection include the pure cashmere Dance jumper in both bright green and black, plus the grey Pure Cashmere ‘Kind’ Jumper which still has sizes XS to medium in stock. There’s also kidswear and even a jumper for your dog that you can still shop, making now the perfect time to fill your basket.

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Slogan jumpers are a great way to bring a little joy and playfulness to your outfit, and you can get some other great buys elsewhere too. At Nobody’s Child, the Pink Merci Graphic Sweatshirt is down to £36 from £60, and you can use the code EXTRA15 to nab an additional 15% off it.

Meanwhile at ASOS, the Noisy May Crew Neck Boxy Knit in burgundy with red writing is giving Bella Freud vibes for just £14 (down from £35). At Tu, this Mini Me Valentines Cream Love Club Knitted Jumper is £24 and perfect for any upcoming Valentine’s Day celebrations you might have – or just as a cosy graphic knit year round.

However if the Bella Freud X M&S collection has caught your eye, now is definitely the time to snap it up before it goes out of stock. We’re adding them to our basket right now.

Reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who rose to fame on The Hills, has launched his campaign to run for Mayor of LA as he vows to ‘expose the system’ and is backed by his celebrity pals

Spencer Pratt has announced the launch of his campaign to run for LA mayor on the one year anniversary of the California wildfires, who lost his home in the disaster.

The reality TV star, 42, made the announcement while speaking at a They Let Us Burn rally, which was organised by residents who lost their homes in the Pacific Palisades disaster last year. In the speech, which has been shared on Spencer’s Instagram page, the TV star said: “Oh my gosh got more water coming out my eyes than LADWP had in both our reservoirs. Oh my gosh.”

After taking a deep breath and hearing supportive cheers from the crowd he continued: “I don’t have this part in my speech but just seeing everybody here and, you know… Ugh you want me to be louder? Ok I’ll just… here we go, here we go.

“Okay well I just wanna thank everyone for being here. It’s the first time I’ve been somewhere where I know everyone feels what I feel because you go around everyday and people go: ‘Oh how are you? Oh yeah the fire…’ but it’s like I know everyone standing here feels me so I just wanna thank God for giving us all the strength because, honestly, I’d have more faith in this because you have to, because you think, ‘Why did this happen? Why is this happening?’ You’ve gotta believe there’s a bigger reason, you know, I got it. Otherwise, we’re all f**ked.”

He then continued: “I’m here today to commemorate the one year anniversary of the worst day of my life. On January 7 2025, Heidi and I lost our home, we lost every material possession we owned. My parents lost their home, too and, with it, decades of memories made inside those walls.”

Fighting tears, he continued: “I grew up in the Palisades, I moved through these streets thinking my two boys would grow up here just like I did – with that same hometown feeling. But then, right before my eyes, the future I envisioned for my family burned to the ground. Standing here one year later, I have to tell you the most heartbreaking part of the past year wasn’t being displaced or losing everything I own, it was the realisation that all of this was preventable.

“We are standing here amongst the ashes of our once beautiful town because the state and local leaders let us burn.” He continued later in the speech: “Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles and I’m done waiting for someone to take action.

“That’s why I am an running for mayor and…” his speech was interrupted with cheers from the crowd before he continued: “And let me be clear this just isn’t a campaign, this is a mission and we are gonna expose the system, we are going into every dark corner of LA politics and disinfecting this city with our light. And, when we are done, LA is going to be camera ready again.”

Sharing the clip on his social media, he wrote in the caption: “It’s official. I’m running for Mayor of LA. I’ve waited a whole year for someone to step up and challenge Karen Bass, but I saw no fighters. Guess I’m gonna have to do this myself. Let’s make LA camera ready again!”

Spencer also shared photos of himself signing paperwork on his Instagram and wrote: “Yes, it’s official. Papers are filed and campaign is open: mayorpratt.com”.

The TV star and his wife Heidi Pratt, who also appeared on The Hills, lost their home in the Pacific Palisades wildfire last year. Since the disaster, Spencer has been vocal in his criticism of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom over their handling of the disaster.

Sir Tom Jones’ story about meeting Elvis Presley in 1965 has resurfaced, leaving fans in stitches over the awkward moment when he appeared to “mess up” in a pretty big way

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It’s safe to say that Sir Tom Jones is a national treasure, with his legendary Welsh vocals winning over hearts time and time again. Yet, it’s not just his singing prowess that has made him a household name, but also his fascinating tales from the world of showbiz, thanks to rubbing shoulders with countless celebrities on his journey to fame.

Hailing from Pontypridd, the 85-year-old crooner has a wealth of anecdotes about his famous friends, one of which has previously had fans in stitches. This particular story resurfaced recently on TikTok, courtesy of a clip from The Graham Norton Show, and it involves none other than Elvis Presley.

The two singers, it seems, shared numerous unforgettable moments together, including one rather peculiar incident where they found themselves in the buff. With today (January 8) marking what would have been Elvis Presley’s birthday, it feels like the perfect occasion to revisit Tom Jones’s hilarious tale.

Sir Tom recounted how he first met Elvis back in 1965 during a trip to Hawaii, sparking a friendship that he described as “wonderful”.

He recalled: “And Gene Autry was there and I thought, God, this is unbelievable. My first year in show business, and then I had to go to Paramount Studios for a song for something, and they said ‘Elvis Presley is going to be there tomorrow, and he would like to meet you’.

“I thought, Elvis Presley wants to meet me? It was unbelievable, and I went there to go and see about this song, and they said ‘Elvis is filming, and once they’d stopped the filming, you go in’.

“So, I did, and they closed the doors again and I’m standing in the back there with the Memphis Mafia, these guys that work for him, and he’s in this mock helicopter with this girl.

“They did the scene, and I’m looking like, my God, it’s Elvis Presley, and then they said ‘cut’ and he looked across and went (waved). I was looking at these fellas who were with me, [and they said] ‘Elvis is waving at you, wave back’.”

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He continued: “[And I thought] me? So anyways, he gets out of this helicopter and he starts walking towards me. Well, I had a record out at the [time] called With These Hands, it was a ballad, it was a beautiful song, and Elvis is walking towards me going ‘with these hands, I will cling to you’, and I thought if the boys back home could see me now.”

Naturally, despite Tom’s awkward waving moment, he developed a strong friendship with Elvis. The pair became incredibly close mates and frequently sang together, sometimes for hours on end.

However, they never formally recorded a duet for commercial release. Their musical sessions remained private affairs, typically taking place at home or in Las Vegas hotel suites.

After the video emerged online, it racked up thousands of views, with people rushing to share their reactions. Hundreds flooded the comments section with their opinions.

One individual remarked: “Tom Jones is a big star in his own right, but still remains humble when he meets other stars.” Another chimed in with: “Goes to show how great Elvis was among all the world’s biggest stars.”

Claudia Winkleman was back on our screens with the latest episode of The Traitors, and this time it was her check wool coat that had fans clamouring to know where to buy it

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Last night another episode of The Traitors hit our screens, which of course meant we got another array of stellar outfits from Claudia Winkleman. Between her ruffled tulle skirt and sharp tailored suit, this Wednesday night episode may have been some of her strongest looks yet – no mean feat considering how high the bar has been set by stylist Sinead McKeefry.

But one piece that stood out to us was her stunning check wool coat, which she wore with her Needle & Thread tulle midi skirt and a pair of Hunter wellies . A practical outfit for the countryside? Maybe not. But utterly chic and one we’re racing to copy immediately? Absolutely.

READ MORE: Claudia Winkleman’s cosy wool coat from The Traitors is still in stock in all sizes

READ MORE: Claudia Winkleman rewears iconic fingerless gloves in ‘already amazing’ Traitors looks

Her Harris Tweed Check Coat hails from Brora, making it her second big hitting wool coat from the brand that she’s worn this series. The first was her chocolate brown Merino Wool Coat which she wore in last Saturday’s (January 3) episode, which immediately became a fan favourite.

And now, her Harris Tweed Check Coat has joined its ranks as an item we simply cannot wait to get into our wardrobes. The coat is the epitome of heritage dressing, coming in a forest-green check print and woven from 100% virgin wool in the Scottish Outer Hebrides.

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It features a rounded neckline with a shirt-style collar, and raglan sleeves, welt pockets and a button fastening to give it the classic country look. Claudia may have worn hers with tulle and cashmere, but you could just as easily throw this on over your trusty jeans and a cardigan for a cosy winter look, or pair it with trousers and a blouse to wear to work.

The Harris Tweed Check Coat is, however, an investment. It comes with a price tag of £745 which might be a little pricey for those on a budget, which is why we’ve also tracked down some great alternatives that give you a similar look without breaking the bank.

This dark grey checked Single-Breasted Coat from H&M is a fab lookalike, and it’s currently on sale down from £74.99 to £52. Freemans also has a great saving on its Grey Check Coat, which is now £85 down from £125, and is still available in all sizes from an eight to an 18.

For something a little more relaxed, we also love this Noisy May Curve Brushed Wool Look Maxi Overcoat in dark green check which is also £85. The coat hails from the curve range, which means its available in sizes 16 to 26, and has a more relaxed, laid back cut.