The royal standard

Prince Philip likely wanted son Charles to visit him in hospital to discuss the future of the Royal Family, according to an ex-Palace official. The Queen's former press officer Dickie Arbiter said the visit at London's private King Edward VII Hospital last Saturday would have been at Philip's "request". Speaking on True Royalty TV's weekly The Royal Beat programme earlier today, Mr Arbiter said the Duke of Edinburgh will have been looking to the future when he is no longer around. "He was just saying to Charles, 'one day you are going to be the leading man of the family'," he continued. Mr Arbiter, 81, served the Queen from 1988 until 2000. What are your thoughts on the future of the Royal Family? Let us know in the comments He was speaking following reports the Duke, 99, would be spending a second weekend in hospital while receiving treatment for an infection. The Prince of Wales, 72, who is next in line to the throne, appeared in sombre mood after the … [Read more...] about Prince Philip ‘asked Charles to visit hospital to talk of Royal Family’s future’

Prince Harry has spoken honestly about his decision to quit the royal family with Meghan Markle , saying he "needed to get his family out of there". However he insists he's never walked away from his duties, saying he simply "stepped back". He gave the interview during an open top bus tour around LA with James Corden for The Late Late Show. He said: "My life is always going to be about public service and Meghan signed up for that. "The two of us enjoy doing that and trying to bring compassion and try to make people happy, and try to change the world in any small way we can." Love celebrity and soap gossip? Sign up for a daily newsletter for all the juiciest news here When James asked him why he decided to walk away, Harry is quick to corrects him. He replies: "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. "It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like. "It … [Read more...] about Prince Harry says he ‘never walked away from royal family’ but ‘needed to get family out’

Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard were in stitches on Good Morning Britain on Friday, over some fun clips of Prince Harry with TV host James Corden. Prince Harry appeared in an interview with James over in LA, with his wife Meghan Markle also making an appearance via video call. It was during this exchange, that Meghan confirmed her nickname for her husband. Meghan calls the prince Haz, short for his name, and she did this during the televised interview. Host James was heard repeating: "Haz? I didn't know we were calling you Haz now," with Harry quipping back: "No, well you're not my wife, so..." As the camera panned back to the GMB studio, hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard were in hysterics over the clips. They found them brilliant and funny, loving seeing Harry and Meghan's chats as well as Harry rapping to the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air theme song, outside the famous house. But something that left them very amused was Meghan's nickname for Harry, with them … [Read more...] about Kate Garraway in hysterics as she discovers Meghan Markle’s nickname for Prince Harry

Prince Philip has begun his second weekend in hospital in what is now his longest ever stay as he battles an infection. The Duke of Edinburgh , 99, was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London last Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell, and walked into the building unaided. Buckingham Palace said last Tuesday that Philip was 'comfortable' and 'responding' to medical help. His son Prince Edward also said this week Philip was 'a lot better' but 'looking forward to getting out' with the Royal Family were keeping their 'fingers crossed'. Today, the Duke passed his longest hospital stay as he continues to get treated for the infection for a 12th day. He previously spent 11 days in hospital in 2013 after an operation on his abdomen. Prince Philip, pictured in 2018 at Harry and Meghan's wedding, begun his 12th day in hospital today It is now his longest stay in hospital. Pictured is Philip in 2013 after leaving hospital … [Read more...] about Prince Philip, 99, begins his second weekend in hospital in his longest ever stay as he continues being treated for infection

U K-style plans for a unilateral digital services tax on big tech companies are doomed to fail, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai has claimed. In an interview at the tech giant’s California headquarters, Mr Pichai said plans by individual nations to act alone by setting unilateral taxes on Google and other technology firms were “not sustainable” and would unravel. He said only a multilateral approach would work through the OECD, which is discussing new proposals to fairly tax big technology companies. Little progress has been made by the organisation. “If there are unilateral actions… I just think it’s not sustainable. We are strong believers in the OECD process.” Britain and France are pressing ahead with their own digital services taxes (DST) in the face of pressure from the US, which has called the plans ‘unfair’. … [Read more...] about UK-style plans for unilateral digital services tax on big tech companies are doomed to fail, Google chief claims