Royal news live: Kate Middleton quietly shares new photo as King Charles expresses sadness after tragic death

James Middleton has said that his older sister the Princess of Wales was an “exemplary” student in his new memoir, Meet Ella: The Dog Who Saved My Life.

The memoir, which recounts the 37-year-old’s struggles with his mental health, touches upon his radically different school experience.

He wrote: “Naturally, Catherine and Pippa, being exemplary students, managed to get through their entire school lives without a single demerit, but I amassed a handful of them every term.

“So while the female Middletons would be applauded for being helpful to teachers – opening doors and carrying books for them – I’d undo all their kind deeds by scampering along the corridor instead of walking because I was late for a lesson.”

Royal doctors gave Charles, 75, permission to briefly halt the weekly cycle in order to fly around the world for his key visit Down Under, followed by a state visit to Samoa in the South Pacific.

The monarch, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in February, will receive treatment up until his departure, and resume the outpatient appointments when he returns to the UK, the Daily Mail reported.

He will be away for 11 days, with the tour covering nine days with two days of travel either side, and his entourage will include, as is usual for Charles’s official overseas visits, his doctor.

The long-haul trip with the Queen is a major milestone for the King.

It will be his most significant overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis and his first to Australia as the nation’s head of state, looking set to prompt debate about the future of the monarchy in the country and whether it should become a republic.

King Charles is reported to have finally started eating lunch and his meal of choice is a millennial staple – the humble avocado.

The monarch, 75, has reportedly acted upon the advice of his wife, Queen Camilla, and doctors, who have urged him to stop skipping lunch as he continues to battle an undisclosed form of cancer.

A source told the MailOnline: “With some reluctance, he now has something to eat at lunchtime – a snack, really. He now eats half an avocado to sustain him through the day. It’s important, particularly if you have got an illness.”

Hollywood star Idris Elba’s foundation has joined forces with The Prince’s Trust to support young people who want to get into creative careers.

The new project, titled Creative Futures – which launched in Manchester on Wednesday, will provide free courses over the year which help build the skills and confidence needed to find a job, train or start a business in the creative industries.

Luther star Elba was supported by The Prince’s Trust as a teenager and has continued to work closely with the charity during his career.

The 52-year-old, who founded The Elba Hope Foundation with his wife Sabrina, said: “Many of us working in the arts today, myself included, only made it because of programmes like this when we were young.

“Today’s youth deserve at least the same chance, and more. ‘Creative Futures’ exists to give the same hope, support and success I’ve found to the next generation.”

Meghan Markle’s former Suits co-stars have extended an invitation to their former colleague, to appear on their new podcast in which they rewatch the show.

Before the 43-year-old married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex, she was known for her role as paralegal Rachel Zane on the legal drama.

Last year the popular series made its debut on Netflix, and gained a new onslaught of fans along with a record 26.5 billion minutes watched in just eight weeks.

Markle starred on the show for seven seasons, before her exit shortly after her engagement announcement. Her final episode saw her character finally tie the knot with Mike Ross, played by Patrick J Adams.

My colleague Maira Butt has the full story:

Melania Trump has revealed in her new memoir that she is pen pals with King Charles.

The former first lady, 54, claims that the pair, who first met in New York in 2005, bonded on a 2019 state visit over their shared passion for environmental protection.

She described the meeting as an “absolute pleasure” and said the pair now have an “ongoing correspondence”.

“This time we engaged in an interesting conversation about his deep-rooted commitment to environmental conservation,” Ms Trump explained.

Melania: A Memoir is being released later this month.

King Charles was reportedly unfamiliar with the common kitchen staple that is cling film and is said to have “shrieked” when he first came across it.

Thankfully, the queen consort, Camilla, was nearby to inform him that it was nothing to be afraid of.

Writing in his biography of the late Prince Philip, Rebel Prince, royal author Tom Bower claimed that the late Duke of Edinburgh frequently grew frustrated at how disconnected his son was from the real world.

He wrote: “He walked into the dining room and shrieked. Fearing the worst, Camilla dashed in after him. ‘What’s this?’ asked her husband, pointing at the food.

“‘It’s cling film, darling,’ she replied.”

The King will not attend the Cop29 climate summit being hosted by Azerbaijan next month, it is understood.

Charles has long campaigned on environmental issues but will be absent from the United Nations gathering being held in the oil-rich state from November 11 to 22.

The head of state has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer since early in the year and the global climate change conference will begin just over two weeks after the King and Queen Camilla’s long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa ends.

Charles missed Cop27 in 2022, the first climate change summit of his reign, after a “unanimous agreement” was reached that the King should not attend the gathering in Egypt after advice was sought by his office from Liz Truss’s government.

But the following year the head of state delivered an address on the opening day of Cop28 in Dubai, warning delegates that the world remains “dreadfully far off track” in key climate targets and called for meaningful change.

The Duchess of Sussex made a surprise solo appearance at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2024 Gala on Saturday (3 October).

Meghan, 43, wore a red dress on the solo visit and is said to have spoken to everyone who stopped her at the high-profile event attended by other big names, including Jamie Lee Curtis.

Praising the work of the hospital, she said: “Oh my goodness, the work they do at Children’s Hospital LA is otherworldly.

“I think from my standpoint as a mother, no one wants to be in a position where you need to go to a place like this, but if you have to, the best place in the world you could go would be Children’s Hospital LA.”

She also revealed that the hospital was assisting some of her close friends from high school.

The palace has revealed the latest work that has been done in Buckingham Palace’s extensive reservicing programme.

The refurbishment is expected to cost £369m and began five years ago.

In a clip shared to social media, the palace offered a glimpse into the replacement of 3.5km of electric cabling, which had previously not been updated since the 1950s.

It wrote on X: “The Reservicing Programme has been continuing work in the Basement of Buckingham Palace, replacing old electrical cabling under the floors and throughout the historic building.”