Kate Middleton opted for a re-wear of her polka dot Alessandra Rich dress for this year’s VE Day Service, and her My Fair Lady look gave a subtle sweet nod to the late Princess Diana
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Kate Middleton re-wears her Alessandra Rich polka dot dress for the VE Day Ceremony(Image: Getty Images)
After stepping back from public events last year, Kate Middleton has been steadily returning to her public duties since the start of the year. Although her recent looks have been more understated and outdoorsy – such as her Claudia Winkleman-inspired countryside outfits during a visit to Scotland in April – Princess Kate has demonstrated she still knows how to put together a classic, elegant outfit for formal occasions with her most recent look.
The Princess of Wales opted for a re-wear of one of her favourite Alessandra Rich dresses as she attended the Thanksgiving Service to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey. The white midi dress with polka dot print is a classic example of Kate’s ability to nail a current trend (in this case polka dot prints) whilst still re-wearing her wardrobe and looking timeless and elegant.
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Princess Kate re-wore the dress for the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Image: Getty Images)
Princess Kate most recently wore the Alessandra Rich dress during The Order of The Garter service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on June 19 2023, with fans pointing out the similarity between her outfit and Audrey Hepburn’s look in My Fair Lady. The midi dress features long sleeves and a high neckline, with subtle pleating details around the waist and neck for a flattering and modest look.
The Princess of Wales’ look is also very reminiscent of one of Princess Diana ’s best-loved looks, which was her polka dot white midi dress that she wore to Royal Ascot in 1988. Just like Kate’s Alessandra Rich dress, Diana’s had subtle pleating across the waist for a form fitting silhouette, with long sleeves and a midi hemline.
This isn’t the first time Princess Kate has made a subtle gesture of remembrance to Princess Diana’s outfits, with Kate also opting for a white and brown polka dot dress during the 2022 Royal Ascot, which was a clear nod to her late mother-in-law’s iconic look.
Kate wore the dress at The Order of The Garter in 2023, mirroring Princess Diana’s 1988 Royal Ascot dress(Image: Getty Images)
Whilst we’re coveting Kate’s exact dress, the hefty price tag is well beyond most of our budgets, not to mention unavailable to buy anywhere. Whilst you can pick up a similar sleeveless Alessandra Rich midi dress on FarFetch for £1070, we managed to find some more affordable options that let you copy Princess Kate’s look for less.
Shop Kate’s polka dot look for less
The Kooples Collar Polka-dot Woven Maxi Dress – £415
The Kooples Collar Polka-dot Woven Maxi Dress (Image: Selfridges)
Hobbs Larina Dress – £169
Hobbs Larina Dress(Image: Hobbs)
Sister Jane Birds Of A Feather Dove Hearts Maxi Dress – £120
Sister Jane Birds Of A Feather Dove Hearts Maxi Dress(Image: Sister Jane)
Fiji sevens Olympic silver medallist Josaia Raisuqe has died after being involved in a road accident in France, his club Castres Olympique have confirmed.
“Castres Olympique is in mourning,” the Top 14 club said on Thursday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we learned of the death this morning in a road accident of our player Josaia Raisuqe. He was a wonderful team-mate who was much appreciated by everyone.”
According to French media reports, Raisuqe’s car was struck by a train at a level crossing near Castres’ Levezou training centre in Saix.
Raisuqe, 30, who was part of the Fiji team that finished as runners-up to hosts France at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was a winger in XV-a-side rugby.
“He was a radiant young man both on and off the pitch who was a pillar of the Fijian community that we have at the club and to which we are very attached,” Castres president Pierre-Yves Revol said.
Raisuqe played seven times this season for Castres – his last appearance came in the 52-6 defeat by Toulouse on 27 April – and was set to play for tier-two side Brive for the next two seasons.
Saturday’s Top 14 match between Castres and Clermont Auvergne has been postponed, France’s National Rugby League said.
The LNR expressed its “extreme sadness” at the “tragic death”, adding that tributes would be paid to Raisuqe at all Top 14 and second-tier matches this weekend.
Raisuqe joined Castres in 2021 after playing for Stade Francais and Nevers.
In 2017 he was fired by Stade Francais for gross misconduct after being accused of sexual assault.
David Beckham and Gary Neville have completed a takeover of Salford City as part of a new consortium, buying out the rest of the Class of ’92.
Their former Manchester United team-mates Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville are no longer shareholders as part of the new ownership group, which includes former banker Lord Mervyn Davies and businessman Declan Kelly.
However, the quartet will remain involved with the club in roles “across technical, football, commercial, recruitment and the SCFC foundation”.
After the Class of 92’s arrival at the club in 2014, Salford won four promotions in five seasons to reach the English Football League in 2019, but have remained in League Two since.
A huge turnout of royals, including the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales, are at Westminster Abbey for a national service of thanksgiving marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day
William and Kate at Westminster Abbey today(Image: AP)
A huge turnout of royals have attended a special service to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey today. The King and Queen were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, veterans and others at Westminster Abbey to recognise the milestone.
First to arrive were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh who were followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Also present were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. William and Kate then arrived with the princess wearing a white polkadot dress by Alessandra Rich, she wore on Garter Day in 2023, and hat by Juliette Botterill, and earrings which belonged to William’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
READ MORE: VE day UPDATES: King leads UK in marking 80th anniversary of WW2’s end in Europe
Kate with Queen Camilla at the service today at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Image: PA)
The prince was dressed in a lounge suit with Household Division tie and his Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath Neck Order.
The King and Queen then arrived at the abbey to the sound of a trumpeters’ royal fanfare. Charles was wearing a lounge suit with medals and neck order. Camilla was dressed in a white crepe silk dress and white coat with black stitching by Anna Valentine, with a black and white hat by Philip Treacy.
The service today comes 80 years to the day that the nation celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day with church bells ringing out across the country and people gathering to revel in the end of hostilities, with crowds famously gathering outside Buckingham Palace calling for King George VI. After almost six years of fighting against Hitler’s Nazi regime peace was declared, with only the conflict against Japan to be concluded.
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William and Kate wait for the service to start(Image: AP)
At today’s service, 10-year-old Alexander Churchill, the great-great-grandson of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, will light a candle of peace as young members of the congregation hand out white roses to Second World War veterans. After a national two-minute silence was observed, Charles and William lay wreaths of seasonal flowers, which would have been in bloom in May 1945, at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
The King did so on behalf of the nation and the Commonwealth, and William for the veterans and the wartime generation, with 99-year-old Ken Hay, who served in the 4th Dorset infantry regiment, at their side. At the end of the service, the tune of We’ll Meet Again made famous by forces’ sweetheart, the late Dame Vera Lynn, will be heard.
Outside the abbey, Kate will join Camilla and other royals in laying flowers at the Innocent Victims’ Memorial in tribute to all victims of war and oppression as the proceedings draw to a close.
Four days of events commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day will culminate on Thursday evening with a concert in London’s Horse Guards Parade attended by the King and Queen, with performances by The Darkness, Toploader, and classical singer Sir Willard White.
The King and Prince William observe the two-minute silence (Image: PA)
The royals were also at the heart of VE Day commemorations earlier in the week. On Monday royals, including the Waleses and their children, sat with veterans as the current crop of servicemen and women, including Nato allies, marched past in recognition of those who served to defeat Hitler’s Nazi regime and bring peace to Europe.
Afterwards, they all appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the incredible RAF flypast. Prince Louis, who in past public appearances has stolen the show, did not disappoint royal fans, pulling faces as jets thundered overhead, and during the parade stuck out his tongue and playfully tried to get his father’s attention.
Later that day, Prince George carried out his biggest royal duty to date when he joined his parents and the King and Queen at a tea party for veterans inside the palace. During the tea reception, William told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield his son George was “interested” in learning about veterans.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Camilla visited the Tower of London, where she described a special poppy display as ‘beautiful’. Camilla visited the historic fortress on Tuesday to launch The Tower Remembers, marking VE Day and the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The new installation features 30,000 ceramic poppies from the 2014 Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red artwork, now redesigned to flow from the White Tower.
A huge turnout of royals, including the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales, are at Westminster Abbey for a national service of thanksgiving marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day
William and Kate at Westminster Abbey today(Image: AP)
A huge turnout of royals have attended a special service to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey today. The King and Queen were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, veterans and others at Westminster Abbey to recognise the milestone.
First to arrive were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh who were followed by the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Also present were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. William and Kate then arrived with the princess wearing a white polkadot dress by Alessandra Rich, she wore on Garter Day in 2023, and hat by Juliette Botterill, and earrings which belonged to William’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
READ MORE: VE day UPDATES: King leads UK in marking 80th anniversary of WW2’s end in Europe
Kate with Queen Camilla at the service today at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Image: PA)
The prince was dressed in a lounge suit with Household Division tie and his Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath Neck Order.
The King and Queen then arrived at the abbey to the sound of a trumpeters’ royal fanfare. Charles was wearing a lounge suit with medals and neck order. Camilla was dressed in a white crepe silk dress and white coat with black stitching by Anna Valentine, with a black and white hat by Philip Treacy.
The service today comes 80 years to the day that the nation celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day with church bells ringing out across the country and people gathering to revel in the end of hostilities, with crowds famously gathering outside Buckingham Palace calling for King George VI. After almost six years of fighting against Hitler’s Nazi regime peace was declared, with only the conflict against Japan to be concluded.
Article continues below
William and Kate wait for the service to start(Image: AP)
At today’s service, 10-year-old Alexander Churchill, the great-great-grandson of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, will light a candle of peace as young members of the congregation hand out white roses to Second World War veterans. After a national two-minute silence was observed, Charles and William lay wreaths of seasonal flowers, which would have been in bloom in May 1945, at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
The King did so on behalf of the nation and the Commonwealth, and William for the veterans and the wartime generation, with 99-year-old Ken Hay, who served in the 4th Dorset infantry regiment, at their side. At the end of the service, the tune of We’ll Meet Again made famous by forces’ sweetheart, the late Dame Vera Lynn, will be heard.
Outside the abbey, Kate will join Camilla and other royals in laying flowers at the Innocent Victims’ Memorial in tribute to all victims of war and oppression as the proceedings draw to a close.
Four days of events commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day will culminate on Thursday evening with a concert in London’s Horse Guards Parade attended by the King and Queen, with performances by The Darkness, Toploader, and classical singer Sir Willard White.
The King and Prince William observe the two-minute silence (Image: PA)
The royals were also at the heart of VE Day commemorations earlier in the week. On Monday royals, including the Waleses and their children, sat with veterans as the current crop of servicemen and women, including Nato allies, marched past in recognition of those who served to defeat Hitler’s Nazi regime and bring peace to Europe.
Afterwards, they all appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the incredible RAF flypast. Prince Louis, who in past public appearances has stolen the show, did not disappoint royal fans, pulling faces as jets thundered overhead, and during the parade stuck out his tongue and playfully tried to get his father’s attention.
Later that day, Prince George carried out his biggest royal duty to date when he joined his parents and the King and Queen at a tea party for veterans inside the palace. During the tea reception, William told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield his son George was “interested” in learning about veterans.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Camilla visited the Tower of London, where she described a special poppy display as ‘beautiful’. Camilla visited the historic fortress on Tuesday to launch The Tower Remembers, marking VE Day and the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The new installation features 30,000 ceramic poppies from the 2014 Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red artwork, now redesigned to flow from the White Tower.
Bargain Hunt star Ogheneochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri has been charged following a terrorist financing investigation by the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit
Bargain Hunt’s Ogheneochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri has been charged by police(Image: BBC)
The Metropolitan Police have issued a statement after they charged a Bargain Hunt star following a terrorist financing investigation. Offices from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU) launched a probe into Ogheneochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri.
According to the Met, the 53-year-old was the first person to be charged with a specific offence under section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. He faces eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector.
The charges relate to a period from October 2020 until December 2021. Ojiri is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 9 May.
He has been charged following an investigation into terrorist financing (Image: OchuckoOjiri/X)
In a statement, the Met said: “Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53 (05.05.72), of west London, has been charged following an investigation into terrorist financing by officers from the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU), part of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“Following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, he has been charged with eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business within the regulated sector, contrary to section 21A of the Terrorism Act 2000. The charges relate to a period from October 2020 to December 2021.”
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They added: “The investigation has been carried out in partnership with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) in HM Treasury, HMRC (the organisation that regulates the art sector), and the Met’s Arts & Antiques Unit.”
The art dealer, who is known for appearing on BBC show Bargain Hunt since 2021, founded the Ramp Gallery in London, which specialises in emerging and contemporary artists.
He grew up with a love for the arts and eventually started a career in antiques. Ojiri said: “No other industry would accept my rare mixture of sarcasm, cynicism and passion. Ha-ha!”
The antique expert opened his own vintage shop and art gallery called Pelicans & Parrots with Juliet Da Silva on Stoke Newington Road in Dalston, London. It sold contemporary furniture, houseware and gifts.
They were able to get the right to serve alcohol on the premises to support pop-up events. Ojiri told the local council about his business’s success in 2019: “We’ve been trading since 2010, and have been integral to the regeneration of the area.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve achieved in those nine years. We’ve taken risks and we’re proudly part of the community.”
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However, the shop closed down in October 2021. It didn’t deter him from urging others to get into the antique business, however, as he said: “Forget all the rules and buy what you love. The chances are someone else will love it too.”
Ojiri’s Ramp Gallery in London later evolved into the contemporary art gallery Ojiri Gallery in the capital. He previousky told the BBC: “Contemporary art, paintings, prints, sculpture and drawings. I’m absolutely obsessed, in love and infatuated.”
