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Just weeks before the Keeping Up Appearances icon, sadly passed away in her sleep, surrounded by love, Dame Patricia Routledge made an extremely rare public appearance.

Dame Patricia Routledge made a public appearance in the weeks before her death. The legendary actress became a household name for her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances. Patricia was beloved as the scheming Hyacinth who went to great lengths to shake off her ‘working-class’ roots.

After the final episode of the television series, which aired three decades ago, Dame Patricia returned to do television work, appearing in Hetty Wainthropp, appearing in Talking Heads 2, and starring in a number of documentaries. The Tranmere-born actress then resumed her first love, the stage, despite not having any television work on her plate.

She joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and later joined the University of Liverpool to pursue a degree in English Language and Literature, with her final acting debut seeing her play Lady Markby in 2014’s An Ideal Husband.

In her final years, Dame Patricia made a few public appearances, but her last one was just weeks before she passed away. Dame Patricia and her former co-star Dominic Monaghan joined them for dinner 27 years after the conclusion of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.

While dining out with Dame Patricia, Dominic posted a picture of himself and Dame Patricia. “25 YEARS AGO!” he wrote next to his image. It’s so lovely to see Dame Patricia.

“We always shared a love of acting, of actors, of the natural world and all of the curiosities of life, it was fantastic to spend a couple of hours doing the same! She still tells fantastic stories, loves great food and wine, and as always is sharp as a tack, with fantastic skin and style.

She teaches me a lot, and she continues to do so while maintaining my exemplary class and quality as she ages. Hetty Wainthropinvestigates forever! #becurious”. Dame Patricia and chef and restaurateur Michael Newton-Young posed for photos several months prior to this at Chez Moi, his restaurant in Bognor Regis.

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She was brilliant, lovely, and brilliant as a button. She is “clear as a tack,” Michael claimed in an interview with The Argus. A Dame Patricia spokesperson confirmed her death by saying, “We are deeply saddened by her passing, who peacefully passed away peacefully in her sleep this morning, surrounded by love.”

Dame Patricia’s enthusiasm for her work and her ability to connect with live audiences remained constant even at the age of 96, just as viewers have remained a part of her beloved television roles. She will be dearly missed by her devoted fans and close friends all over the world.

In addition to her roles in Darling Of The Day and the Old Lady in Leonard Bernstein’s opera Candide, Dame Patricia has received numerous awards over the past 60 years for her roles in these roles.

She was born on February 17, 1929, in Birkenhead, Merseyside, where her father, a wealthy gents’ outfitter, said “keeping up appearances” was the name of the game.

She made her professional debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream after graduating from Liverpool University and appearing in student shows there.

Two years later, she made her Broadway debut in London with the play How’s The World Treats You, which she co-starred in.

She rose to fame in Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the mid-1980s, before taking the role of Hyacinth in the BBC’s Keeping Up Appearances, and made her mark on television as well.

In 2017, she was honoured at Buckingham Palace as she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire for her services to the theatre and charity.

Fans are convinced the Princess of Wales, along with King Charles and Princess Anne, have made a subtle swipe at the Duke of Sussex and his recent claims about his meeting with his father

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Many senior royals were out in force this week for various events and engagements, with some eagle-eyed royal fans convinced that the likes of Princess Kate and King Charles were sending a subtle message to Prince Harry.

In the weeks after the Duke of Sussex’s meeting with his estranged father, sources close to Harry say he was left “infuriated” and that he thought senior Palace aides were trying to torpedo his attempts at reconciliation with the Firm , urging “the men in grey suits to stay out of it.”

Now, fans online have noticed the monochrome colour palette of grey suits worn by senior royals this week, and believe their outfit choices could be a subtle yet hilarious dig at Harry’s comments.

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The Princess of Wales travelled to Lincolnshire where she visited RAF Coningsby yesterday, stepping out in a coordinated grey suit, while King Charles also donned a grey suit for an event in Scotland to celebrate the King’s Foundation’s ’35 under 35 network’.

During an engagement in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Princess Anne also opted for a grey suit as she spoke with Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska before talking with children who have lived under occupation in a children’s rights protection centre.

The unified colour palette immediately set tongues wagging among royal fans online, with many suggesting it was more than just a coincidence. Taking to X, royal fans quipped: “Oh well played. Grey suits galore today.”

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“All senior royals in grey. Cough cough! This is the shade of the century,” chimed in a second. A third added: “The senior Royals in grey suits is hilarious. Their humour is great, showing they call the shots.”

During his recent visit to the UK, last month, Harry had a private tea with his father lasting just under an hour – a meeting widely seen as a tentative step towards rebuilding their relationship.

However, after reports surfaced suggesting their reunion at Clarence House was “distinctly formal” with Harry feeling like an “official visitor,” the narrative of their reunion turned sour.

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The Duke was reportedly furious at what he viewed as a concerted campaign by unnamed Palace officials to sabotage his attempts at reconciliation following their fall out. He was reportedly particularly infuriated by their hostile briefings to newspapers.

A source close to Prince Harry told the Mail On Sunday: “The relationship between the Duke and His Majesty The King is a matter for the two of them and the two of them only. The men in grey suits should stay out of it.”

One comment in particular appeared to hint Harry had overestimated a meeting with Charles, claiming the Duke had “mistaken a brief tea and a slice of cake for the Treaty of Versailles.” The Sun also claimed Harry’s meeting with the King had been “distinctly formal” and that the Duke later described the meeting as “very official, like an official visit.”

The outlet then reported there were no further plans for them to be seen together in public. It also declined to retract the statement with the Duke’s spokesperson issuing a statement, adding: “Recent reporting of the Duke’s view of the tone of the meeting is categorically false.

“The quotes attributed to him are pure invention fed, one can only assume, by sources intent on sabotaging any reconciliation between father and son.”

Noel Gallagher has made it no secret that he’s not a fan of Taylor Swift and once questioned how she ever became so successful, and believes only her parents have said she’s talented

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Noel Gallagher has some blistering views on Taylor Swift. The Oasis legend has never minced his words when it comes to sharing what is really on his mind, and his thoughts on Taylor are no different.

Today, the 35-year-old releases her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which is expected to run straight to the top of the charts across the globe. The album was recorded between shows on her mammoth Eras Tour, which saw Swift travel to Sweden in order to put her vocals on the 12 tracks.

But while Taylor has an army of millions of fans, Noel, 58, isn’t at the top of the list; instead, he has no idea how the singer became one of the most successful female musicians of all time. Speaking in 2015, Noel revealed that he believed only Taylor’s parents had told her she was talented.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift’s most X-rated song yet – dedicated to Travis’ ‘manhood’READ MORE: Taylor Swift looks wildly different on The Graham Norton show as she shows off engagement ring

READ MORE: Taylor Swift Life of a Showgirl LIVE: Album finally released as singer ‘bids farewell to fans’

“Who says that? Her parents? She seems like a nice girl, but no one has ever said those words, and you f***ing know it,” he told Rolling Stone. In another interview, he said: “I don’t know anyone in my life who’s a fan. I’m not sure how she’s gotten to where she’s gotten. How’s that happened?”

Speaking to Stereogum, Noel was asked whether Swift’s “business savvy” nature had helped her achieve such astronomical success. He said: “A lot of these young pop stars are now. They’re more about the brand. They’re very aware of how they put themselves out in the digital age and that kind of thing.

“It’s weird for a 50-year-old guy to see it, but I’ve got a 17-year-old daughter, she can’t believe we lived the way we lived. She’s like, ‘Are you f***ing idiotic?’ And we were like, ‘Well, yeah,’ so, for the young’uns, [Swift] and Ed Sheeran and all that mob, that’s just the way they do things. If we’re going to discuss the musical notes, forget it. It’s not for me, she seems like a nice kid, though, right?”

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But while Noel isn’t a fan, his younger brother, Liam, certainly is. He previously said he didn’t know what “pop music is,” before telling Newsweek: “Taylor Swift makes some good pop songs. You know what I mean? Shake It Off is a f***ing tune.”

Earlier today, Taylor spoke to Hits Radio Breakfast Show hosts Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr about her 12th studio album. She said: “One thing about this album that I think is really exciting is that oftentimes when I make a record there’s like a lag time between when I made it and when it enters the world.

“Like for example, my last album, The Tortured Poets Department, by the time that album came out, I was in a completely different point in my life. With this one I would say that this album is a complete and total snapshot of what my life looks like right now.”

She later told Magic Radio Breakfast that she was aiming for “perfection” with the record. She told hosts Harriet Rose and Gok Wan: “With this album I was very specific about the vision for it being a short, concise, almost in my mind I had the perfect album as an idea. Perfection is unobtainable, we know that conceptually it’s a problematic thing to think about perfect.

“But I meant perfect in the idea that each song has a place, it can’t be swapped out with anything else it fits perfectly together. So that’s when I knew that we had made, in my mind, the perfect album for this moment in my life was when we wrote Wi$h Li$t because it really does get me, it’s really emotional and it’s a very accurate stance of where I am in my life and it was a feeling of we’re done now.”

Taylor Swift will reveal more details about fiancé Travis Kelce’s romantic proposal when she appears on tonight’s Graham Norton Show

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Taylor Swift is set to appear on The Graham Norton Show later tonight – and will dish on fiancé Travis Kelce’s romantic proposal as she flashes her huge engagement ring.

The 35-year-old is on the BBC chat show to promote her new album The Life of a Showgirl, which is out today. But as well as talking about her new music – which heavily references her love for her husband-to-be – the Shake It off singer gave fans further details of how the American football star popped the question.

She shared: “He really crushed it in surprising me. While we were talking on his podcast, he had a complete garden built out the back of his house to propose in. He went all out – 10 out of 10.”

Asked when the wedding is happening, she said: “You’ll know,” adding: “I want to do the album stuff first, and the wedding is what happens after in terms of planning. I think it will be fun to plan.”

READ MORE: Taylor Swift’s most X-rated song yet – dedicated to Travis’ ‘manhood’

Showing off a different look to when she last appeared on Graham’s show in 2024 and 2019, Taylor also spoke of how exhausted she got on her last tour – and how making new music got her through.

Taylor’s style is vastly different to her last Graham Norton Show appearance, with her blonde locks looking much darker and styled into a sleek, long down hairstyle. While she sported a sophisticated black halter-neck dress, in contrast to her bright pink number previously sported on the chat show. However, one thing that remained a staple is her blushing red lipstick.

She said: “Last year on the tour I was physically exhausted – sick and worn down – so to spark me up I had the album as a secret passion project behind the scenes. It stopped me hitting a wall.”

Asked if all the songs are inspired by her life, which she is known for, Taylor revealed: “I am open about things, but in recent years I have a different perspective and like storytelling at a little bit of a distance, so it isn’t like doing a complete autopsy of myself.”

Taylor, who bought back the rights to her first six albums earlier this year after a long-running battle over the ownership of her music, also spoke of how owning her whole back catalogue was a “lifelong dream come true”.

The star, who is said to be the world’s richest female musician with a fortune of £1.1 billion, said: “I was able to buy my entire back catalogue. I don’t respond to stuff generally, but not owning it really p***ed me off.

“I didn’t think I should be given it – I was happy to pay and at a premium. I am glad I spoke publicly about it and my fans got behind it and championed it. I couldn’t believe it happened. Travis and I were in tears when it did. Every time it is mentioned, I get a wave of euphoria still.”

And as well as getting married, it seems Taylor and Travis are planning babies, too. Dropping her biggest hint yet that she wants to start a family, she sings in new song Wi$h List: “I just want you. Have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you. We tell the world to leave us the f*** alone, and they do.” In a further nod to NFL star Travis, also 35, the song continues: “Got me dreaming about a driveway with a basketball hoop. Boss up, settle down, got a wish list (Wish list). I just want you.”

*Watch The Graham Norton Show on BBC One or iPlayer on Friday, October 3 at 10.40pm

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When Taylor Swift appears on tonight’s Graham Norton Show, she will reveal more details about Travis Kelce’s romantic proposal.

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Taylor Swift is set to appear on The Graham Norton Show later tonight – and will dish on fiancé Travis Kelce’s romantic proposal as she flashes her huge engagement ring.

The 35-year-old is on the BBC chat show to promote her new album The Life of a Showgirl, which is out today. But as well as talking about her new music – which heavily references her love for her husband-to-be – the Shake It off singer gave fans further details of how the American football star popped the question.

She said, “He really surprised me by overstepping it.” He had a complete garden built out of his house for us to propose in while we were talking on his podcast. He went all out – 10 out of 10″.

When asked when the wedding will take place, she responded, “You’ll know,” adding that the wedding will be the planning stage. It will be enjoyable to plan, in my opinion.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift’s most X-rated song yet – dedicated to Travis’ ‘manhood’

Taylor also described how worn out she was on her last tour and how finding new music helped her get through. She last appeared on Graham’s show in 2024 and 2019.

Taylor’s hairstyle is significantly different from her most recent Graham Norton Show appearance, with her blonde locks appearing much darker and having a sleek, long-diverse hairstyle. Despite sporting a sophisticated black halter-neck dress, she did so in contrast to the chat show’s bright pink number. Her blushing red lipstick, however, has remained a staple.

She continued, “Last year on the tour, I was physically exhausted, sick, and worn down, so I had the album as a hidden passion project behind the scenes to sputter.” I didn’t have to hit the wall, either.

When asked if all of her songs were inspired by her life, which she is known for, Taylor responded, “I am open about things, but in recent years I have a different perspective and like storytelling at a little bit of a distance, so it isn’t like doing a complete autopsy of myself.”

After a long-running dispute over the ownership of her music, Taylor, who earlier this year reclaimed the rights to her first six albums, also referred to owning her entire back catalogue as a “lifelong dream come true.”

The actress, who is rumored to have the richest female musician in the world and has a $1.1 billion fortune, claimed: “I was able to purchase my entire back catalogue. I generally don’t like to react to things, but not knowing about them really p***ed me off.

I was pleased to pay it and get it, even though I didn’t think I should have. I’m glad I made it known and that my supporters supported and supported it. I had no idea what had happened. When it did, Travis and I broke down. I still experience euphoria whenever it is mentioned.

And as well as getting married, it seems Taylor and Travis are planning babies, too. Dropping her biggest hint yet that she wants to start a family, she sings in new song Wi$h List: “I just want you. Have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you. We tell the world to leave us the f*** alone, and they do.” In a further nod to NFL star Travis, also 35, the song continues: “Got me dreaming about a driveway with a basketball hoop. Boss up, settle down, got a wish list (Wish list). I just want you.”

*On Friday, October 3 at 10:40 pm, watch The Graham Norton Show on BBC One or iPlayer.

READ MORE: Kate Middleton’s suede jacket is autumn’s new trending colour – here’s where to shop the look

Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs is set to be sentenced in New York today, after he was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution earlier this year

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is set to be sentenced today by a federal judge in New York following his conviction earlier this year on prostitution-related charges. The disgraced music producer was convicted following a trial earlier this year.

Before he faces the judge, here is everything you might need to know about the final part of his criminal case, from what time the sentencing is happening to how long he might be facing in prison.

What was he found guilty of?

In July, following a two month trial, a jury found Combs to be not guilty of of the most serious charge, racketeering conspiracy and the sex trafficking of Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura and ‘Jane’, an unnamed woman.

However, Combs was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution relating to Ventura and ‘Jane’. The verdict was delivered after 13 hours of deliberation by the jury. As the verdict came down, Combs was seen kneeling in front of his chair and praying. He then turned to the gallery and clapped.

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Later, the judge denied his requests to be released on bail while awaiting sentencing and said Combs demonstrated a “disregard for the rule of law and a propensity for violence”. As such, he has been incarcerated since September 2024. The judge also rejected a motion to overturn the convictions.

When is the sentencing?

The sentencing will happen at 10:00 Eastern Time in New York, which is 15:00 UK time.

How much time could he serve?

The two counts he has been convicted of each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years. The maximum time Combs could be in prison is therefore 20 years, if the judge decides to use the maximum penalty and insisted they be served consecutively rather than concurrently.

Combs’ lawyers have asked for a sentence no longer than 14 months and with the time he has already served, which totals 13 months, to be included. This would see the rapper released before the end of the year. The lawyers said he has been “adequately punished by serving 13 months in the terrible conditions”.

Federal prosecutors, however, have requested at least 135 months, which is 11 years and 3 months, alongside a $500k (£370,000) fine. They said Combs was “unrepentant” and that “his history and characteristics demonstrate years of abuse and violence”.

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What did he say in his letter to the judge?

Only hours before the sentencing is supposed to start, Combs sent his own letter to the judge. In it, he admitted to “past wrongs” and apologised for “all of the hurt and pain” he caused.

“First and foremost, I want to apologise and say how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others by my conduct,” he wrote. “I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs.”

Combs added that the past two years since Ventura first filed a civil lawsuit against him were the “hardest” of his life. He also admitted that he has “no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself”.

Combs also addressed CCTV footage from 2016 that showed him attacking Ventura. “The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily.

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“I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I’m sorry for that and always will be. My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry. The remorse, the sorrow, the regret, the disappointment, the shame.”

He also spoke about ‘Jane’, who was another of his ex girlfriends. “I thought I was providing for Jane concerning her and her child, but after hearing her testimony, I realised that I hurt her,” he wrote. “For this I am deeply sorry. I lost my way … Lost in the drugs and the excess.”

He added that the “old me died in jail” and was “working diligently” to become the “best version” of himself. He asked the judge for mercy.

“Today, I humbly ask you for another chance – another chance to be a better father, another chance to be a better son, another chance to be a better leader in my community, and another chance to live a better life.”

What did Cassie Ventura’s impact statement say?

The prosecution submitted several victim impact statements to the court ahead of sentencing. Ventura’s statement said: “While the jury did not seem to understand or believe that I engaged in freak-offs because of the force and coercion the defendant used against me, I know that is the truth, and his sentence should reflect the reality of the evidence and my lived experience as a victim.

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“I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse, at trial. If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be safe. I hope that your decision considers the truths at hand that the jury failed to see.”

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk

If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999