Bets on royal baby name

Over the last ten years Britain has seen some of the greatest changes in its history, with a  surging music industry and renewed interest in politics. But there have also been times of deep despair, when the country has had to drag itself to its feet following horrific terror attacks such as two on London Bridge and one at the Manchester Arena. Throughout the highs and lows the Royal Family has remained a constant, but even it has gone through transitions, with a string of weddings, a shake-up of the royal succession rules topped off by poorly shielded private spats. As 2019 comes to a close, MailOnline looks back on a decade marked by political turmoil, extreme weather and the Queen's acting debut at the Olympics. Terrorism grips the streets of London, Manchester and West Yorkshire: It has been a turbulent 10 years packed with plenty of turmoil. Dozens of lives were lost in the Manchester Arena bombing, the Grenfell Tower blaze and a series of violent attacks … [Read more...] about Brexit, the Beast from the East and plenty of bouncing Royal babies: As the decade draws to a close, MailOnline looks back on ten years marked by political turmoil, extreme weather and the Queen’s acting debut at the Olympics

Ongoing Royal drama, foreign diplomacy rows and Extinction Rebellion protests dominated the headlines in 2019 before Boris Johnson's dominating election victory revealed light at the end of the Brexit tunnel. Britain's exit from the EU continued to be the biggest political story of the year, as continuing divisions took the public to the polls for a snap election held in the depths of winter. Boris Johnson secured a crushing victory over Jeremy Corbyn when a string of former Labour strongholds fell to the Tories, giving him the largest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. The country rejoiced at the birth of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor in May and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on a highly successful tour of Africa, just months after their son was born. Prince Andrew attempted to distance himself from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal by taking part in a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview, and was later forced to step down from royal duties in November. The … [Read more...] about How Royal drama, foreign diplomacy rows and Extinction Rebellion protests dominated the headlines in 2019 before Boris Johnson’s election win finally revealed a light at the end of the Brexit tunnel

Michael Boyd’s production of The Cherry Orchard, the last play Chekhov wrote, is an exquisitely wrought timepiece. It is a play the former RSC artistic director and Russianist has waited half a lifetime to direct. The sound of trees being felled at the end of the evening doubles as the ticking of a clock. And as the play evolves the costumes become subtly more contemporary as though to hint that this is a Chekhov for all time. When Madame Ranyevskaya leaves her beloved house en route for Paris and likely destitution, she steps away in modern high-heeled boots and flared coat. She could, almost, be one of us. And when she leaves, it is not a house nor a beloved cherry orchard from which she parts. The set is the theatre itself – in its indestructible scarlet and gold – stunningly extended by designer Tom Piper and his team down to the last 18th-century gilded moulding. The nearest we get to an actual orchard are the outsize pieces of cherry blossom that float down from … [Read more...] about The week in theatre: The Cherry Orchard; Frankenstein; Buggy Baby – review

A horrific crash killed a young mother and left her baby son injured after their car hit a tow car lying in the middle of the road. The tow bar, believe to have fallen from a truck, smashed through the victim's windscreen, causing her car to veer off the road and hit a tree.   The 37-year-old woman has not yet been named. It is understood her 10-month-old baby suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital. Volunteers from the County Fire Authority help to inspect the scene of the crash (pictured), which happened on a notoriously dangerous stretch of road The crash happened on a notorious stretch of road outside of Melbourne along the Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Road. A child's stroller was seen among the debris after the crash.  Her Hyundai sedan hit the tree just after 2.15pm on Friday.  Police believe a green and white B-double travelling on the other side of the road could have hit the 10kg tow bar, causing it to flick into the woman's … [Read more...] about Mum, 37, is killed and her baby son injured after a TOW BAR smashes through her windscreen

Ballet, like the novel, has been pronounced dead – or terminally exhausted – at regular intervals throughout its history, and now, as the art form squares up to the challenges of the 21st-century box office, companies are competitively scenting out fresh blood and fresh ideas. However, the institutionalised nature of ballet and the conservatism of some of its traditions can make it difficult for young talent to flourish, let alone find recognition. So it’s hats off to Birmingham Royal Ballet and Sadler’s Wells for their scheme to commission 10 new works over a five year period, bringing together choreographers, composers and designers who are new or relatively new to the mainstream of British ballet. No one could quarrel with the fine, hopeful principles of the Ballet Now programme. Yet the detail is critical. Nurturing talent is a sensitive business, and the new ballet with which BRB have chosen to launch their scheme illustrates both how tricky, and how … [Read more...] about Birmingham Royal Ballet review – gods, queens and dancing kangaroo rats