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King Charles, who is now the armed foreces Commander in Chief, held a special private reception at Buckingham Palace today for his old shipmates who he served with in the Royal Navy

The King has welcomed to Buckingham Palace his old shipmates to celebrate their time in the Royal Navy. The special private reception for 400 guests organised by the King included previous shipmates and their partners from H.M. Ships Bronington, Jupiter, Norfolk, Hermione, Minerva, Hermes, Dryad, Fox, and Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Charles also invited fellow aviators drawn from 845 Naval Air Squadron and across the Fleet Air Arm and a contingent of from H.M.Y. Britannia and representatives from HMK’s patronages The White Ensign Association, The Royal Navy Club of 1765 and 1785, The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and the Association of Royal Naval Officers. This event was a personal request from the King and unusually funded by himself privately, with no media present.

The King served in both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force in the 1970s and since leaving active service has maintained a close relationship with the armed forces. As monarch he is now its Commander in Chief. He served in the Royal Navy between 1971 and 1976 – rising from rookie sub-lieutenant fresh out of Britannia to command of a minesweeper.

On the eve of the King’s Coronation in 2023, those who served with the then (Sub) Lieutenant Wales shared their memories, calling him: “A fine leader filled with humanity, humour and a keen sense of duty.” The then Prince of Wales also tried his hand at submarine escape, qualified as a helicopter pilot, took on some of the Royal Marines’ commando training and earned his spurs as a ship handler.

He also represented the late Queen Elizabeth II abroad on official duties while still serving. Former clearance diver Petty Officer John Friar served in seven ships, five of them small Ton-class minesweepers, including HMS Bronington which the future monarch commanded for most of 1976.

Before the King’s Coronation, he told Forces News how the former Lieutenant Wales was “without doubt, the best ship handler by far. Believe me, if he had been rubbish, I would say so. He was not a good sailor in that he got very seasick, but then again, so did Nelson.”

Lieutenant Roy Clare, the future captain of HMS Invincible and rear admiral, served as Bronington’s second-in-command, and the then Prince Charles’ right-hand man. He also described the King as “a model of leadership”. He told the newspaper: “He was apt to go around the ship, talk to people, hear their stories, share moments with them – as a good commanding officer should.

“He was a good leader, really good at understanding that it’s not about ‘top down and telling’, but listening, helping people to be the strongest they can.”

Before the party, an aide to The King said: “His Majesty was greatly looking forward to seeing his old shipmates and no doubt sharing a few salty tales on the trip down memory sea-lane.

“He is most grateful for their continued loyalty, laughter and support over the decades, and looked forward to hearing where life’s journeys had taken them all.

“As we approach the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust, which was initially funded with His Majesty’s £7,400 severance pay from the Navy, it was a timely opportunity to reflect on what great things have sprung from those formative years – including lifelong friendships and a continued commitment to public service.”

Comedian Peter Kay has announced a very different new project after being hit with bullying claims on his UK tour when he decided to boot hecklers out of his show

Peter Kay is ready to take on a new challenge as he has revealed his new project away from his mammoth tour. The comedian, 51, recently returned to the spotlight and has been performing his act in arenas up and down the country.

Earlier this year, Peter hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons as he was filmed kicking a heckler out of his show. He halted his performance and had security remove a number of fans after claiming they were spoiling the show for the rest of the attendees.

However, after he labelled one ejected fan “Lisa Riley” and the remark caused a scandal, with the heckler claiming Peter was a “bully”. Now, it seems Peter is ready to turn the page on the drama as he sets his sights on a very different career.

Peter has revealed he has put pen to paper and promises to detail his life in his most personal book yet. In true Peter style, the book hilariously nods to Bridget Jones’ Diary, as the comedian’s face sits on top of the iconic character.

Announcing the news, he said: “Introducing… Peter Kay’s Diary: The Monthly Memoir of a Boy from Bolton, Peter’s most personal and hilarious book yet. Join Peter for a laugh-out-loud journey through his life, month by month.”

A teaser for the book added: “Think of this autobiography as a twelve-month subscription to my memories and meanderings across the calendar year. With each month reflecting a different phase of my life, complete with dodgy decisions, bizarre plot twists and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.”

Back in February, Peter dealt with hecklers at his Better Late Than Never… Again! gig at Manchester’s AO Arena – but things didn’t quite go as he’d planned. While he said it wasn’t an insult, and Lisa herself acknowledged there was no ill-meaning, the woman in question fumed that the star had humiliated her.

“Go on, off you go, Lisa Riley,” Peter had jibed, making a comparison to the former Emmerdale actress. Shortly after his remark on his decision to eject the fan in Manchester, Peter opened up on the incident on Good Morning Britain.

“I didn’t realise it was an insult,” he said. “She did look remarkably like Lisa Riley, I didn’t realise that was an insult.” But despite his insistence there was no dig meant, the woman in question revealed she was mortified.

Myar Curran accused the star of being a “bully”. Speaking herself on the ITV show, Myar said: “I didn’t mean to cause any harm, I was just showing my love as he kicked someone out, but he obviously didn’t like it.”

She added: “I feel like what I said was not abusive or aggressive – it wasn’t anti-social and I wasn’t drunk. I was just standing u,p chanting ‘we love you Peter, we do’. It’s just been a bit over the top, his reaction.”

A month later, Peter threatened to kick even more audience members out of his show at London’s O2 Arena. Brushing off the previous backlash, he poked fun at the criticism he faced as he once again halted his show to make an example of one of his fans.

Addressing the crowds, he asked: “Is it them in that box? Is that them? Who is it? Eh, it’s you monkeys there. Now then, what are we going to do with you now? These people in this area now, do any of you look like Lisa Riley? No, alright,” he joked as the crowd erupted into laughter.

Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, an audience member said: “Peter waded in as the crowd was audibly kicking off due to some disagreement in the crowd. He poked fun at the idea of kicking them out, then dished out the issue to his security.

“But he did reference it again twice in the show as they kept shouting, comparing it to a ‘boot sale’ at one point. It seemed like the audience in the area wanted him to kick the person out due to all the drama.”

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