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Just hours after meeting King Charles, who gave her MBE, Dina Asher-Smith staged a glittery celebration surrounded by her closest friends, including Alex Scott.

Dina Asher-Smith celebrated her MBE in style. Britain’s fastest female sprinter was presented the award by King Charles on Tuesday after jetting in for the ceremony from Texas, where she has been training.

However, the 29-year-old celebrated on Tuesday night with Olympian Denise Lewis and her celebrity pal Alex Scott. In a green dress, Asher-Smith maintained her sophisticated appearance. The Olympian finished her look with a pair of pointy shoes with a patent red leather-like sole.

Her glossy raven tresses were styled onto her shoulder in tight, curly curls elsewhere. In Knightsbridge, west London’s opulent neighborhood, Dina hosted her lavish bash at Sale e Pepe, where she hosted her exclusive bash.

At the glittery event, former Lioness Alex’s ex-girlfriend Jess Glynne joined her at the former Lioness Alex’s glitzy event. With the football pundit opting for a sweater with black and white stripes, Alex kept her look classy and sophisticated. With a striking black leather jacket and an orange-toned pair of sunglasses, knitmaker Jess braved the chilly evenings.

“For me, it is a very powerful emblem of what you do on the track, being inspiring to other people and also having repercussions and positive influence far beyond the world of sport,” Dina said on Wednesday looking at her medal.

She continued, “I just wanted to run faster when I first started to run.” I had no idea where I would be going. I didn’t anticipate that it would transport me to the Olympics, give me records, or anything similar.

It is, in my opinion, a testament to the virtues of sport, hard work, persistence, and dedication. It’s about the power of hard work, just like it’s with everyone who has received this present. It’s nice to be recognized for your outstanding work. It means a lot to be recognized by your country in this way, said Asher-Smith, who is a native of Orpington, Kent.

It was a wonderful day because the King is really funny and charming, and the castle is amazing. Dina told the Monarch, “Of course, you invited me, so I wasn’t going to miss this and this is such an honor,” and Charles was “amazed” that Dina had jetted to Windsor from Texas.

Asher-Smith said she was “really excited” that Austin, Texas will host her outdoor season’s 4x400m relay race on Sunday. We still have a lot of time to wrap up our season, she continued. Next week, I’ll be running in Jamaica. For the World Championships, I am undoubtedly in a fantastic position. The season is really coming to an end. This weekend will kick off my outdoor season.

After failing to reach the 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics, she was left cursing herself. She followed that with strong late-season performance at the Diamond League, where she competed against former US sprint champions Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson. She also set a season-best 10.88 seconds record for winning in Switzerland, just outside of her 10.83 seconds British record. The athlete, who was just 13 years old, set records at a young age by running a 39.16 in the 300-meter race.

She completed her successful Olympic run at the Rio 2016 Games, where she placed fifth in the 200-meter and bronzed as a part of the 4×100-meter relay, after working as a kit-bag carrier at the London 2012 Olympics. Despite breaking her foot five months prior, Dina won 4x100m silver at the 2017 World Championships in London.

She became the first British woman to win the sprint treble at a major championships with victories in the 100, 200, and 4×100 relay at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin. At the 2019 World Championships, she also won silver in the 100-meter race.

Olympian Dina Asher-Smith went all out with a glitzy celebration surrounded by her closest friends, including Alex Scott, just hours after meeting King Charles who presented her MBE

Dina Asher-Smith celebrated her MBE in style. Britain’s fastest female sprinter was presented the award by King Charles on Tuesday after jetting in for the ceremony from Texas, where she has been training.

But on Tuesday night, the 29-year-old celebrated with her celebrity pals including Alex Scott and fellow Olympian, Denise Lewis. Asher-Smith kept her look sophisticated in a green dress. The Olympian looked extremely regal as she completed her look with a pair of patent red leather-look pointy heeled shoes.

Elsewhere, her glossy raven tresses were styled into tight curls which rested on her shoulder. Dina hosted her exclusive bash at Sale e Pepe in the lavish area of Knightsbridge, west London.

Meanwhile, former Lioness Alex was joined by her pop star girlfriend, Jess Glynne at the glitzy event. Alex kept her look casual but sophisticated with the football pundit choosing a black and white striped sweater. Hitmaker Jess braved the colder evening weather with a striking black leather jacket, accessorised with a pair of orange tinted sunglasses.

“For me, it is a very powerful emblem of what you do on the track, being inspiring to other people and also having repercussions and positive influence far beyond the world of sport,” Dina said on Wednesday looking at her medal.

She added: “When I started running, I just wanted to run faster. I did not imagine it would take me here. I didn’t imagine it would take me to the Olympic Games or get me records or anything like that.

“I think it is just testament to the power of sport, the power of working hard, staying focused and dedicated. As with all of the recipients here today, it is about the power of hard work and it is nice to be celebrated for your great work.” Asher-Smith, who is originally from Orpington, Kent, added: “It means a lot to be recognised by your country in this way.

“It is a great setting, a stunning castle and the King is really funny and really charming, so it has been a great day.” Charles was “amazed” that Dina had jetted to Windsor from Texas, with her telling the Monarch: “Of course, you invited me, so I wasn’t going to miss this and this is such an honour.”

Asher-Smith said she was “really excited” to be opening her outdoor season with a 4x400m relay race on Sunday in Austin, Texas. She added: “We have quite a lot of time to build into our season. I am in Jamaica next week to run there. I am definitely in a great place (for the World Championships). I’m really excited for the season. I am excited to kickstart my outdoor season this weekend.”

She was left cursing herself after failing to reach the 100m final at the Olympics in Paris but followed it with strong late-season form at the Diamond League where she took the fight to new sprint queens including Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson of the US. It included clocking a season’s best 10.88 seconds to triumph in Switzerland, just shy of her 10.83secs British record. The athlete started breaking records at a young age, running a world-best 39.16 in the 300m aged just 13.

From working as a kit-bag carrier at the London 2012 Olympics, she enjoyed a successful appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she finished fifth in the 200m and won bronze as part of the 4x100m relay. Dina won 4x100m silver in the London Stadium at the 2017 World Championships, despite breaking her foot five months earlier.

Victory in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin made her the first British woman to achieve this sprint treble at a major championships. She won the 200m at the 2019 World Championships, along with a silver in the 100m.

James Arthur has endured a rocky career following his X Factor win after controversial comments saw the star’s fans and radio stations turn against him

Former X Factor star James Arthur’s career has been rocky to say the least, but the singer has climbed his way back to the top.

The 37-year-old star is ready to take to the Royal Albert Hall stage for tonight’s Teenage Cancer Trust gig. But it was almost so very different for the musician from Middlesbrough. In 2013, he admitted he had been an “idiot” following a homophobia row. It came a year after he won the ninth season of ITV talent contest The X Factor.

After his debut single, a cover of Shontelle’s Impossible, was released by Syco Music and went straight in at number one on the UK Singles Chart, the future looked bright for James. However, he almost lost it all following the controversial comments.

James had been forced to cancel tour dates at the time due to being diagnosed with “acute exhaustion”. However, he provoked huge antagonism when he responded to jibes from underground rapper Micky Worthless, by calling him a “f***ing queer” in a rap. James also used the words “scrubber”, “peasant” and “motherf**ker” to insult the up and coming musician, with Lucy Spraggan later sharing a bitter text exchange between the pair.

Critics immediately launched an online petition to demand the singer was removed from an upcoming X Factor line-up. The petition gathered more than 9,000 signatures, and some fans even requested refunds on his album – which all served to send James into depression at the time.

He also quickly apologised, saying: “I’m extremely disappointed in myself for being so naïve with the diss track I made. I assure you homophobia is something I do not believe in.”

A year later, as he was trying to rebuild his career, his single Get Down failed to enter the UK’s top 40. He went on to have a massive go at his PR team before taking aim at Simon Cowell. In a shocking final fall from grace, James was the fired by a seething Simon.

He decided to keep his head down and, in 2016, James admitted he had a “humongous breakdown.” Looking back, James explained: “I was lost. I look back on the character that I was then and I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed about how I behaved and how negative my perspective was and how I handled the pressure.

“Looking back now it’s clear to see it was a mental illness issue that I had and again I just dealt with everything in completely the wrong way. It’s great to be in my mind and be conscious again and be looking forward to just focusing on music and all the positive stuff that’s going on.”

Slowly, James has been rebuilding his career and now is riding the wave of success once again. He returned with a new chart topping album in 2024 and his arena tour won the plaudits.

His recent single titled ADHD is part of his determination to destigmatise mental health issues. He has also been involved in a series of impressive collaborations with the likes of Kelly Clarkson.

READ MORE: Ninja’s ‘powerhouse’ air fryer is now £130 off in the Amazon Spring Sale

James Arthur has endured a rocky career following his X Factor win after controversial comments saw the star’s fans and radio stations turn against him

Former X Factor star James Arthur’s career has been rocky to say the least, but the singer has climbed his way back to the top.

The 37-year-old star is ready to take to the Royal Albert Hall stage for tonight’s Teenage Cancer Trust gig. But it was almost so very different for the musician from Middlesbrough. In 2013, he admitted he had been an “idiot” following a homophobia row. It came a year after he won the ninth season of ITV talent contest The X Factor.

After his debut single, a cover of Shontelle’s Impossible, was released by Syco Music and went straight in at number one on the UK Singles Chart, the future looked bright for James. However, he almost lost it all following the controversial comments.

James had been forced to cancel tour dates at the time due to being diagnosed with “acute exhaustion”. However, he provoked huge antagonism when he responded to jibes from underground rapper Micky Worthless, by calling him a “f***ing queer” in a rap. James also used the words “scrubber”, “peasant” and “motherf**ker” to insult the up and coming musician, with Lucy Spraggan later sharing a bitter text exchange between the pair.

Critics immediately launched an online petition to demand the singer was removed from an upcoming X Factor line-up. The petition gathered more than 9,000 signatures, and some fans even requested refunds on his album – which all served to send James into depression at the time.

He also quickly apologised, saying: “I’m extremely disappointed in myself for being so naïve with the diss track I made. I assure you homophobia is something I do not believe in.”

A year later, as he was trying to rebuild his career, his single Get Down failed to enter the UK’s top 40. He went on to have a massive go at his PR team before taking aim at Simon Cowell. In a shocking final fall from grace, James was the fired by a seething Simon.

He decided to keep his head down and, in 2016, James admitted he had a “humongous breakdown.” Looking back, James explained: “I was lost. I look back on the character that I was then and I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed about how I behaved and how negative my perspective was and how I handled the pressure.

“Looking back now it’s clear to see it was a mental illness issue that I had and again I just dealt with everything in completely the wrong way. It’s great to be in my mind and be conscious again and be looking forward to just focusing on music and all the positive stuff that’s going on.”

Slowly, James has been rebuilding his career and now is riding the wave of success once again. He returned with a new chart topping album in 2024 and his arena tour won the plaudits.

His recent single titled ADHD is part of his determination to destigmatise mental health issues. He has also been involved in a series of impressive collaborations with the likes of Kelly Clarkson.

READ MORE: Ninja’s ‘powerhouse’ air fryer is now £130 off in the Amazon Spring Sale

The Duchess of Edinburgh addressed politicians at a summit in Brussels today to describe the “corrosive impact” of web-based exploitation and sent a message to tech companies demanding urgent action

The Duchess of Edinburgh last night called for tougher action to combat online child sexual abuse. Sophie, 60, described the “corrosive impact” of web-based exploitation and the need for tech companies to act “urgently” to curb the risk.

Addressing European politicians at a summit in Brussels, Belgium, she added: “Today, children everywhere in the world are not only falling victim to adults wishing to groom them but are exposed to an enormous amount of dangerous, harmful and inappropriate content including material on suicide, self harm, eating disorders, violence and pornography — all with consequences that can prove devastating. In the UK, the introduction of the Online Safety Act in 2023 placed new duties on social media companies to protect users, particularly children, against harmful content. But neither the UK’s government nor that of any one country can do it alone.

“Technology companies are in a uniquely powerful position to promote positive change in developing services that are safe by design and proactive in addressing online harm [with] safety features built in at the outset.“It will take a collective effort by all, including governments, technology companies, regulators, legislators, civil society and law enforcement to make it happen.“We must also listen to the young people themselves who I know are keen to be the architects of their futures. By understanding how and why they interact online and amongst their community, it will help shape our responses.”Directly addressing the audience, she continued: “It is in your hands, as the task of the utmost and urgent importance, because the lives and future of millions of children around the world will be affected by what you decide or what you decide not to do. “Therefore I implore you now, on behalf of the children of today and tomorrow, to redouble your efforts so that they are empowered to learn, to play, to grow and to thrive in our world.” Sophie attended the event, held by the European Parliament, in her role as patron for children’s charities the NSPCC and Plan International UK.

She was joined by Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, who told a panel of abuse victims and representatives from the European Commission: “I’m very very sad to say that in the last 20 years, I have seen the situation with child abuse worsen.

“In the UK, it is estimated that up to 840,000 adults pose a sexual risk to children and 7.5 per cent of children will have been sexually abused by the time they are 16 years old.“These statistics are very important for us to understand the scale and nature of child sexual exploitation and abuse. And as the Duchess of Edinburgh pointed out – we forget every single report is a child – these are real children’s lives and they are being abused in the most horrific ways.”The joint visit comes after an alarming probe by the Internet Watch Foundation found over 300,000 web pages containing X-rated images and videos of minors in 2024 – the worst year on record. Category A images – considered the most serious abuse material – rocketed by 22 per cent in the same period.Victims of child sexual exploitation are typically targeted in their own homes by offenders across the globe. Many are blackmailed into sending images of themselves, tragically resulting in some taking their own lives. More than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded by police last year alone – up 89 per cent since 2017.

The NSPCC’s CEO Chris Sherwood, who also attended the gathering, said: “There has never been a more important time for international leaders to be working in tandem to tackle online child sexual abuse and exploitation.“We desperately need this unity of purpose and action to take place on a global scale, as we know offenders can be causing harm from anywhere in the world. Every single day our Childline service hears from children and young people across the UK about the devastating impact grooming, sharing of sexual abuse material, harmful content and blackmail can have on their lives.

“And we know the problem is only growing, particularly with the rapid expansion of generative AI which is giving offender communities new way to abuse large numbers of victims with ease. Robust enforcement of the UK’s Online Safety Act is vital, but to tackle the scale of the challenge we face we also need political leadership on the global stage.

“At the same time there must be collective scrutiny of the platforms and sites who, for too long, have let children be harmed under their watch and evaded accountability. We all – governments, regulators and civil society – have a role to play in keeping children safe online and we must work together to make it a reality.”

The Online Safety Act’s illegal codes of conduct came into effect last week, requiring platforms to proactively tackle illegal content including extreme pornography, child sexual abuse and terror-related material. At the start of the year, the government vowed to make new laws to tackle AI-generated child sexual abuse online images – a growing crime. If green-lit, we will become the first country in the world to make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse and to possess AI ‘paedophile manuals’ which teach people how to use the tech to sexually abuse youngsters.

The Duchess of Edinburgh addressed politicians at a summit in Brussels today to describe the “corrosive impact” of web-based exploitation and sent a message to tech companies demanding urgent action

The Duchess of Edinburgh last night called for tougher action to combat online child sexual abuse. Sophie, 60, described the “corrosive impact” of web-based exploitation and the need for tech companies to act “urgently” to curb the risk.

Addressing European politicians at a summit in Brussels, Belgium, she added: “Today, children everywhere in the world are not only falling victim to adults wishing to groom them but are exposed to an enormous amount of dangerous, harmful and inappropriate content including material on suicide, self harm, eating disorders, violence and pornography — all with consequences that can prove devastating. In the UK, the introduction of the Online Safety Act in 2023 placed new duties on social media companies to protect users, particularly children, against harmful content. But neither the UK’s government nor that of any one country can do it alone.

“Technology companies are in a uniquely powerful position to promote positive change in developing services that are safe by design and proactive in addressing online harm [with] safety features built in at the outset.“It will take a collective effort by all, including governments, technology companies, regulators, legislators, civil society and law enforcement to make it happen.“We must also listen to the young people themselves who I know are keen to be the architects of their futures. By understanding how and why they interact online and amongst their community, it will help shape our responses.”Directly addressing the audience, she continued: “It is in your hands, as the task of the utmost and urgent importance, because the lives and future of millions of children around the world will be affected by what you decide or what you decide not to do. “Therefore I implore you now, on behalf of the children of today and tomorrow, to redouble your efforts so that they are empowered to learn, to play, to grow and to thrive in our world.” Sophie attended the event, held by the European Parliament, in her role as patron for children’s charities the NSPCC and Plan International UK.

She was joined by Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, who told a panel of abuse victims and representatives from the European Commission: “I’m very very sad to say that in the last 20 years, I have seen the situation with child abuse worsen.

“In the UK, it is estimated that up to 840,000 adults pose a sexual risk to children and 7.5 per cent of children will have been sexually abused by the time they are 16 years old.“These statistics are very important for us to understand the scale and nature of child sexual exploitation and abuse. And as the Duchess of Edinburgh pointed out – we forget every single report is a child – these are real children’s lives and they are being abused in the most horrific ways.”The joint visit comes after an alarming probe by the Internet Watch Foundation found over 300,000 web pages containing X-rated images and videos of minors in 2024 – the worst year on record. Category A images – considered the most serious abuse material – rocketed by 22 per cent in the same period.Victims of child sexual exploitation are typically targeted in their own homes by offenders across the globe. Many are blackmailed into sending images of themselves, tragically resulting in some taking their own lives. More than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded by police last year alone – up 89 per cent since 2017.

The NSPCC’s CEO Chris Sherwood, who also attended the gathering, said: “There has never been a more important time for international leaders to be working in tandem to tackle online child sexual abuse and exploitation.“We desperately need this unity of purpose and action to take place on a global scale, as we know offenders can be causing harm from anywhere in the world. Every single day our Childline service hears from children and young people across the UK about the devastating impact grooming, sharing of sexual abuse material, harmful content and blackmail can have on their lives.

“And we know the problem is only growing, particularly with the rapid expansion of generative AI which is giving offender communities new way to abuse large numbers of victims with ease. Robust enforcement of the UK’s Online Safety Act is vital, but to tackle the scale of the challenge we face we also need political leadership on the global stage.

“At the same time there must be collective scrutiny of the platforms and sites who, for too long, have let children be harmed under their watch and evaded accountability. We all – governments, regulators and civil society – have a role to play in keeping children safe online and we must work together to make it a reality.”

The Online Safety Act’s illegal codes of conduct came into effect last week, requiring platforms to proactively tackle illegal content including extreme pornography, child sexual abuse and terror-related material. At the start of the year, the government vowed to make new laws to tackle AI-generated child sexual abuse online images – a growing crime. If green-lit, we will become the first country in the world to make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse and to possess AI ‘paedophile manuals’ which teach people how to use the tech to sexually abuse youngsters.