King Charles officially kicks off Balmoral summer holiday with cheeky pony

The King received a formal welcome at his Balmoral royal residence, which features the castle’s adorable mascot, as well as an official official welcome to the King’s summer break.

As is tradition for the royal family, King Charles has travelled to Scotland for his summer holiday(Image: PA)

King Charles has arrived at Balmoral for the start of his summer holiday – and was treated to an official welcome.

Dressed in a tweed jacket and a kilt in keeping with Scottish tradition, the King inspected a Guard of Honour formed of Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland during a small ceremony outside the Balmoral Castle Gates.

He was also greeted by their mascot, Shetland pony Corporal Cruachan IV, who has been in the role since October 2012, and is known for his cheeky antics at high-profile ceremonial events. Despite his previous stunts, the pony was on his best behaviour for the King today. It came as it emerged Prince Harry placed a secret letter at royal event in major attempt to heal the bitter feud.

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King Charles in Balmoral
King Charles has kicked off his summer break in Balmoral with a welcome from their mascot(Image: PA)

The savage pony once bit into one of the late Queen’s flower bouquet’s gloves while trying to pet him with his wife Meghan and then bit Prince Harry’s fingers.

After the official ceremony, Charles met with royal supporters who had gathered outside the castle gates and shook hands with visitors in the sunshine.

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Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to remain in Balmoral until mid-September, when they will return to Windsor for Donald Trump ’s US state visit. Until royal duties resume in several weeks, the King and Queen will spend quality time with their families in Scotland. The King is expected to attend the Braemar Games at the start of September.

Balmoral Castle, located near Aberdeen, has long been the destination of choice for the royal family to spend their summer breaks. The late Queen made the annual trip up north to enjoy a multi-week getaway. It is also where she passed away on September 8, 2022, and her coffin departed the estate on September 11, as it began its final journey back to London and then to Windsor Castle.

King Charles in Balmoral
The King then spoke to royal fans who have gathered at the castle gates(Image: PA)

Balmoral is widely believed to be the late Queen’s favorite residence, according to Princess Eugenie, the granddaughter of the late Queen. She reportedly adores the Highlands a lot.

“Walks, picnics, dogs —a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs—and people coming in and out all the time,” Eugenie continued. “It’s a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there, where you just have room to breathe and run.”

While at Balmoral, the royals “act as normal people—to a point,” Lord Lichfield, a former photographer for the family, said in 1972. “Lunch is always outdoors and they are outside every day going on expeditions.”

The first home at Balmoral was reportedly built in 1390, but the property didn’t come into the British royal family’s possession until 1852, when Prince Albert purchased the estate as a gift for his wife, Queen Victoria, who loved the Scottish countryside.

However, the royal couple added a second castle to accommodate their growing family when the house was determined to be too small. The other building was torn down in 1856, and the new structure was finished. The estate’s 50, 000-acre estate currently has 150 buildings total.

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Isak not expected to attend PFA awards gala

Images courtesy of Getty

Alexander Isak, a Newcastle striker, is not expected to attend the Professional Footballers’ Association’s awards gala on Tuesday night.

The international from Sweden has been chosen for the main award, but he may not be able to attend because of the uncertainty surrounding his future at St. James’ Park.

Isak’s ambitions to join Liverpool before the transfer deadline are currently at the forefront of a dispute with Newcastle.

Isak’s attendance at the Manchester Opera House, which will be confirmed just over 24 hours before the awards show, has been revealed by BBC Sport, casting doubt on his ability to attend.

As it stands, other sources have suggested that Isak does not intend to attend the event.

It’s still to be seen whether Isak makes a late decision as to whether any former PFA award nominees and players from their respective division’s teams of the year will be confirmed their attendance inside the final 24 hours before the ceremony.

It’s possible that the PFA would welcome Isak’s presence even so close to the gala.

The 25-year-old is currently not participating in Eddie Howe’s first team’s training, and there hasn’t been any word of a return to the fold.

For Isak-analysis, a lot has changed.

Ciaran Kelly, a reporter for Newcastle United,

“Isak, Ice Cold.”

Newcastle stated this when it was revealed that the Swede would be receiving the award less than two months prior.

Isak’s nomination for the prize for the first time was a big win for all parties.

Since then, a lot has changed.

Isak once held the title of this team’s frontman, but what about the idea of the striker representing the club at a glittering awards ceremony?

That was going to always be uncertain.

Isak continues to train away from his team-mates, is unapologetically, and was not a part of Newcastle’s goalless draw at Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the Premier League.

Isak’s absence from the team roster was not surprising, but his teammates showed commitment without him.

After the game, the away end turned their talisman on.

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Frankie Bridge uses ‘best concealer’ as fans hail her ‘goddess of beauty’

Frankie Bridge, the star of Loose Women, has been sharing her go-to beauty products on social media, including a £28 concealer that “covers all imperfections.”

Frankie Bridge is known for sharing her favourite fashion and beauty products(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Bvlgari Hotel London)

Fans of Frankie Bridge have been searching for information on the products the ITV star used in a recent video that she shared on social media. The Loose Women panellist shared a makeup tutorial with her followers earlier this month on Instagram showing them what items she enjoys using on vacation.

The Double Wear Concealer from Estée Lauder costs from £28 and is used to catch Frankie. This beauty product has received a 4 rating on the average, and it has been hailed as the “best concealer” by several reviewers. Five out of ten stars

The oil-free concealer is available in eight shades, with a matte finish and transfer-resistant coverage. In a post on the LTK shopping app, Frankie listed every makeup item she used.

The former Saturdays singer also purchased the £34 Airy Setting Mist from Cult Beauty, which costs the same as the KOSAS Cloud Set. This top-rated item claims to hold makeup in place for up to 12 hours.

The 32 Vieve Modern Radiance Cream Bronzer, available in light tones, was also featured in Frankie. Skin-supplementing ingredients are added to the lightweight formula to make it light and moisturized.

Shop the concealer from Frankie.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer

£28.00

Sephora’s “Buy Now”

I recommend the £26 Huda Beauty #FAUXFILTER Concealer for those who want to imitate Frankie’s appearance with other concealers. Amazing, perfect shade match, and very hydrating, according to one reviewer. “

The £28 LookFantastic NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is also adored by our beauty team. It has medium to full coverage and is described as long-wearing. Customers can choose a color that works for all skintones with the selection of 30 shades.

After Frankie posted her tutorial to Instagram, one user declared, “You are like the goddess of beauty! ” Beauty fans were swooning over Frankie’s holiday makeup look. Another applicant urged Frankie to link all of the products she used, asking: “Frankie, please, please. “

Frankie Bridge using a concealer
Frankie used the concealer in a makeup tutorial(Image: Frankie Bridge/Instagram)

Customers have raved about how long the Estée Lauder concealer has been in people’s reviews of the ITV star’s concealer. One person said, “A little goes a long way.” Great coverage all day long. “

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I’ve used this product for the past five years, according to another user. The concealer I have used is the best. I’m happy and satisfied with it. Another user expressed disappointment, saying that the product was “great, but I found it a little thin and coverage doesn’t last all day.” “

Inside former Brookside actor’s £13.6m criminal empire that funded luxury lifestyle

Phillip Foster exploited families across the nation by using a complex web of organized crime.

Former Brookside actor Philip Foster has been handed a jail sentence(Image: NTS/PA Wire )

Phillip Foster, a former Brooklyn resident, appeared on the beloved 90s soap and averted a life of crime.

Despite years of avoiding police while residing in Spain, his criminal empire collapsed. The former actor avoided action for eight years over a multi-million dollar fraud empire that he co-founded by Philip Dowd while playing Christian Wright on the show.

He escaped a cell despite being found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and receiving an eight-and-a-half-year jail term in February of that year. Foster, 49, resides in Spain right now.

Foster’s criminal enterprise earned a fortune of £13.6 million, and employees who worked there were also sentenced in his absence. In connection with his crimes, seven associates were all found guilty.

Foster’s scheme aimed to connagle young victims into thinking they would work as models for a living. In the hope that it would be successful, they and their families would give up large sums of money.

Foster’s employees planned to set up a photography studio before using social media to reach potential “clients.” They would assume that anyone who responded to messages had a modeling agency interest in them.

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Then, victims would be ejected from the “free” test photo shoot. They would visit the studio, go on the shoot, get to know other people had been successful in the past, get brochures, and be informed that they had passed the test.

a slew of phony studios are spread across the nation.

(left to right top row) Michael Foster, Jamie Peters, Lisa Foster, Emily Newall, (left to right bottom row Atif Qadar, Paul Fleury, Aslihan Foster and Paul Evans
Foster’s accomplices (top row, left to right): Michael Foster, Jamie Peters, Lisa Foster, Emily Newall. Bottom row: Atif Qadar, Paul Fleury, Aslihan Foster and Paul Evans.(Image: National Trading Standards/PA Wire)

is there a criminal network in Nottingham, Liverpool, London, Bristol, Leeds, Coventry, and Manchester? Despite National Trading Standards’ best efforts, each city had several studios, despite the fact that Foster’s influence was limited.

The victims were informed by staff that agencies were interested in purchasing the photos in order to work as a model professionally. Some managed to escape it, but many were defrauded and given their hard-earned cash. When the scam agencies were being looked into, it was discovered that they would only exchange for a short while before quickly disbanding after having filed no returns and been the target of numerous complaints.

Another company, which was connected to the criminal network’s second layer, would inform the victim of how their potential model had been received and charge them a fee each year to ensure that their work would continue in the future. However, this never actually occurred, and investigators ended up discovering 23 businesses and 59 modeling firms with complex financial transactions.

While Foster was still living in Marbella, Spain, he employed a number of people to manage the day-to-day operations.

In London, victims were asked to pay up to £1,350 for a digital portfolio, with prices fluctuating depending on how much the seller believed they could persuade the victim. One, a mother of two, spent £700 on online profiles and a list of agencies, half of which were fictional. She then paid another £650 for an online profile.

Philip Foster enjoyed a luxury life in Marbella while profiting off unknowing families
Foster enjoyed a luxury life in Marbella while profiting off unwitting families(Image: Echo)

Philip Foster bragged about paying £67,000 on a Porsche for his daughter
Philip Foster bragged about buying his daughter a £67,000 Porsche(Image: Echo)

Victims of Foster

Pete Price, a victim of Foster’s scam, described him as “brazen,” saying that he had lost thousands of dollars after being conned for an appearance at a Liverpool show. Following a county court ruling against the criminal, Pete eventually took Foster to court and won, forcibly requiring him to pay £422.50, including court costs.

Pete’s money was never returned, as Foster’s arrest was not followed by bailiffs. Later, Pete bumped into Foster at a party, where he claims Foster allegedly fanned a number of notes in front of Pete, gave him a glass of champagne, and then allegedly gave him compliments.

After receiving his sentencing, Pete said, “Seeing it brought back all the memories I had forgotten about.” How dare he rip me off, it wasn’t even the money that irritated me.

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“I can recall that I received numerous calls when I spoke about it on my radio show.” God is aware of how much money he has made and spent throughout his lifetime. The fact that he would always wave money in my face really aggravated me. It’s brazen. “

The demise of a criminal empire

Philip Foster, of Marbella’s Edificio Marina, was given an eight-and-a-half-year jail term for defrauding conspiracy.

Russia pounds Ukraine, kills more civilians before White House meeting

As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travels to Washington, DC with the support of European leaders for high-stakes peace talks with US President Donald Trump that could decide Ukraine’s future and its fate in the ongoing war, which is now in its fourth year, at least 12 people have been killed in Russian attacks on major Ukrainian cities.

Authorities in the northeastern city of Kharkiv reported on Monday that an entire family, including a toddler and a 16-year-old, were among the seven people killed in an overnight drone strike on a residential neighborhood. Six children were also hurt in the attack, which also left 20 people injured.

In attacks carried out by Russian forces in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region, where some of the fiercest fighting is ongoing and where Russian President Vladimir Putin feels more comfortable, wants Ukraine to leave Kyiv’s third-department.

According to Governor Ivan Fedorov, 17 people were hurt in an attack in Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast. The southeast of Sumy and the southeast of Odesa were also targeted by Russian air raids.

Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight, according to the air force of Ukraine, with 140 drones and four missiles downed.

Russia has been putting more pressure on Ukraine. More than 300 civilians have been killed and 2,600 drone attacks have been reported in Ukraine, according to the UN monitoring mission’s report on the country. This is the highest rate since the start of the war.

20 people, six of whom were children, were also hurt in the Russian drone strike on a Kharkiv residential neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military announced on Monday that its drones had struck an oil-pumping station in the Tambov region, which is 1,923 kilometers (1, 195 miles) away from Ukraine, forcing the Druzhba pipeline to be closed for business.

“The facility caught fire as a result of the strike,” the statement read. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military stated in a statement that oil flowed completely through the Druzhba main oil pipeline.

Four people were hurt in a Ukrainian drone attack in Belgorod, Russia, despite Russian authorities reporting shooting down hundreds of drones and munitions.

negotiating the end of the conflict

Zelenskyy described the most recent attacks on Ukraine as “demonstrative and cynical.” Putin will carry out demonstrative killings in order to pressure Ukraine and Europe and to degrade diplomatic efforts, he wrote on X.

According to Charles Stratford, a journalist from Kyiv, Zelenskyy saw the killing of civilians as a means of imposing more restrictions on Ukraine by compulsion to accept an unfavorable peace deal.

This demonstrates how much pressure Zelenskyy is currently facing as he prepares for what might be the most crucial diplomatic effort to end this conflict, according to Stratford.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Zelenskyy were scheduled to meet with Trump for talks on Monday at the White House. Possible land concessions and NATO-like security guarantees, which Ukraine needs in order to reach a peace agreement with Russia, are on the table for discussion.

Zelenskyy has so far refused to take into account the possibility of ceding Ukrainian territory in order to bring about peace. Additionally, the Ukrainian Constitution forbids it.

Following the summit between Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday, which had no concrete resolution to the Ukraine war, the meeting comes at a later time.

Sean Bell, a military analyst, said he had no hope that the Washington, DC talks would lead to a peace agreement either. According to Bell, “Potr has no appetite for negotiations unless he has met his goals,” is the harsh reality.

“Facebook has declared that if President Zelenskyy is giving everything, that is a surrender.” He continued, “Zelenskyy can’t do that.” Bell also stated that he did not anticipate Russia to sign a deal involving security guarantees akin to those offered by NATO for Ukraine.

Bell claimed that Trump’s stringent tariffs on Russian oil and gas buyers like India were the only way to bring the conflict to a head. The US president threatened to impose these secondary sanctions, but he has so far stopped putting additional strain on Russia’s export earnings from fossil fuels.

The killing will continue, Bell said, citing Trump’s decision to avoid doing so.

By-Elections: Polls Won By Might Shouldn’t Be Condoned — Ex-PDP Legal Adviser

Mark Jacob, a former leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticised the manner of the by-elections and reruns on August 16, 2025, and compared them to a setback for Nigeria’s democratic process.

Jacob lamented that the country had reverted to “old days,” when elections were decided by the strength of the people in power and how much security agencies were under their control. He made the remarks on Monday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

He said, “We are back to the days of the stronger person in government and control of government agencies winning the election, no matter what.”

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A candidate and about 25 of her supporters were allegedly abducted during a strategy meeting in Kaduna State, according to Jacob.

“We witnessed a situation where the candidate and her main supporters, who were strategising, were prevented from participating in the election or from voting until later in the day. And because government agencies held them captive, elections were being held without the candidate’s consent, he claimed.

He added that just before the elections, PDP candidates in other states were purposefully targeted for arrest.

These actions, in his opinion, violate democratic principles.

“The electoral gains made by INEC and Nigeria have all been slowed down. We are now in a place where there was peace.

You are bound to win elections if you have political will and control over the government’s agencies. And that has no impact on the nation. No one should be hysterical when we use our power to win elections. Nobody should condone it because it is not appropriate.

He also expressed disappointment with the judiciary’s role, claiming that electoral law swore to be “a ruling party” in the courts.

He said, “It is a terrible testimony to those of us in the legal profession to declare the court the ruling party in the election.”

Given that the legislature’s ability to regulate its own internal affairs has been weakened, Jacob argued that Nigerians should not anticipate proper checks and balances from the arm.