Royal news live: Kate Middleton channels Princess Diana with powerful message ahead of Addiction Awareness Week

Prince Harry could reportedly cite the decision to provide Taylor Swift with a police escort as she performed in London in his own security case against the Government.

The singer was provided with an escort to Wembley Stadium in August after a foiled terror plot forced her to cancel her shows in Vienna earlier that month.

The duke is currently embroiled in his own legal battle against the home office over their decision to remove police protection for him after he stepped down from official duties. Though he lost the case this year, he is due to challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal.

The Telegraph has now reported that the duke could use the decision to provide Swift with police protection to bolster his own case.

The Duke’s spokesman declined to comment but a source close to the situation told the newspaper: “The decision to provide a police escort for Taylor Swift has exposed troubling inconsistencies in how protection decisions are reached.”

They added: “The dangers to Taylor Swift were and are real, but so are those faced by Prince Harry and his family.

“There may well be no imminent threat, but there is always risk, risk that can be mitigated by the tactics used by the Met Police on the day.”

It looks as though Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand may be still be months away from launching, as lawyers for the duchess request an extension for her trademark application.

Meghan originally soft-launched her brand American Riviera Orchard back in March with prospective customers told to join a waiting list to keep them updated on products, thought to include jams and other lifestyle goods.

However, the brand, has suffered a series of setbacks in the months since, meaning they are yet to begin trading.

Her inititial trademark application was refused by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in September, noting that American Riviera was a “common nickname” for Santa Barbara.

She was given three-months to address the issue, with lawyers now filing a request for another three month extension.

A top former aide to the late Queen has revealed the crisis talks that took place as Boris Johnson was diagnosed with Covid.

Lord Young of Old Windsor lifted the lid on how he had intervened at the last minute ot stop a face-to-face meeting between the then 94-year-old monarch and the former prime minister, averting potential disaster.

He recounted events from early April 2020 that saw Mr Johnson admitted to hospital with Covid-19, shortly after the imposition of the first lockdown.

He told peers: “I stopped at a bus shelter to take a call from the excellent Martin Reynolds, the principal private secretary to Boris Johnson. We knew that the prime minister had gone into hospital the night before.

“But his protection officers had overheard some consultants discussing how they were going to tell Carrie (his now wife) that he might have to go into ICU and on to a ventilator. Clearly, I had to update the Queen on this.”

Lord Young added: “We had our suspicions, because, just the previous Wednesday, the final face-to-face audience at Buckingham Palace had been scheduled.

“The prime minister considered it his duty to be there to do it face to face and the late Queen considered it her duty too – in a sort of Blitz spirit, ‘Well, I’ve got to die sometime’ attitude – but it really was not the moment for taking unnecessary risks.

“In the end, both participants were so keen to go ahead with it that Martin and I arranged for him to tell the prime minister that the Palace wanted to cancel and for me to tell the Queen that Number 10 had got cold feet, which was very lucky, because, by the end of the telephone call… the prime minister had started coughing.”

The next day he received a call from the then cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, now Lord Sedwill, that Mr Johnson had tested positive for Covid.

The Princess of Wales has urged the public to change its attitude towards those dependent on drink or drugs – saying “addiction is not a choice”.

Kate highlighted how every addict is a “human being, with a story of their own” and “it is not our place to judge or criticise” in a written message to mark Addiction Awareness Week.

Kate is patron of the Forward Trust, an addiction charity, and her involvement in the awareness week comes a few months after the princess announced she was returning to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy treatment.

Kate said in her message: “Everyone suffering from addiction is another human being, with a story of their own, which many of us don’t understand or see.

“It is not our place to judge or criticise, we must take the time to sit by someone’s side, learning the values of love and empathy. Being a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen, these simple acts of kindness are crucial in breaking down the misunderstandings that so many face.

“Addiction is not a choice. It is a serious mental health condition that could affect any one of us.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales have expressed their sadness at the death of teenage photographer Liz Hatton, saying it was “an honour to have met such a brave and humble young woman”.

The 17-year-old, who died on Wednesday, pursued a photography bucket list after being diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of cancer at the start of the year.

Liz, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, hit the headlines when she was pictured being hugged by Kate at Windsor Castle in October after being invited to take pictures of William at an investiture.

William and Kate, who herself was treated for cancer this year, said in a personal message shared on their Kensington Palace social media accounts: “We are so sorry to hear that Liz Hatton has sadly passed away.

“It was an honour to have met such a brave and humble young woman.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Liz’s parents Vicky and Aaron and her brother Mateo at this unimaginably difficult time.”

The message was signed “W & C”.

Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles has revealed that King Charles has made a significant change to his diet in the wake of his cancer diagnosis.

The food critic told Saga magazine that he has reduced his intake of red meat, with the Queen also cutting back on lamb, beef and pork.

He noted that King Charles was “looking again at what, and when, he eats” following “what he’s been through recently”.

He added: “I’m no nutritionist, but I know that food is part of a body’s “medicine”. It knows when it’s having the right stuff.”

On their website, Cancer Research UK states: “Red meat is classed as a probable cause of cancer. This means there is lots of good evidence of a link between eating red meat and some types of cancer, but we need a few more of the best quality studies to be certain.”

With both King Charles and the Princess of Wales stepping back from royal duties this year due to their cancer diagnoses, one supportive family member has become a regular feature in royal news.

Despite not being a working member of the monarchy, Princess Beatrice’s public profile has risen in recent months as she helps support Charles by carrying out royal duties.

In November, she took up an invitation from the King’s Foundation to visit the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea to visit the Future Textiles exhibition, where she tried her hand at embroidery and spoke about the importance of preserving traditional skills.

She also remains one of the four Counsellors of State, meaning she can deputise for the monarch should he be absent. While her popularity ratings have been boosted, palace insiders have insisted she is not due to become a working member of the royal family.

Princess Beatrice is currently expecting her second child with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Meghan Markle is embracing the magic of the holidays, thanks to her children with Prince Harry.

In an interview with Marie Claire, the 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex reflected on how her children — son Archie, five, and daughter Lilibet, three — are reaching the age when the festive season feels even more special.

“I love the holidays,” Meghan shared enthusiastically. “Archie and Lilibet are now three and five, so every year it gets better.”

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Buckingham Palace will be undergoing huge upheavals in the coming months as the £369m refurbishment closes some of its grandest rooms.

The palace’s grandest rooms will undergo “phased closures” for renovation, beginning with the White Drawing Room, the Music Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the State Dining Room.

This will be followed by the Ballroom, where state banquets are held, and state rooms including the Throne Room and the Green Drawing Room.

Work will be paused during the summer months as the state rooms open to the public as usual.

A town council in Canada is said to be at a standstill because of newly elected members refusing to pledge an oath of allegiance to the King.

Stephen Johnson, the mayor-elect of Dawson City, in the territory of Yukon, said he and others refused to take the oath because of the Crown’s history with indigenous populations, the Canadian Press news agency reported.

He told the news outlet that the council has not been able to govern and is waiting for the territory’s Department of Community Services to respond to its request to take an alternative oath.

The Canadian Press said the oath of allegiance requires newly elected councillors to swear or affirm they “will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III” and his “heirs and successors according to law”.

Mr Johnson said they are currently unable to do anything legally required of them under the Municipal Act.

“It’s a bit of a sticky situation,” he told the Canadian Press.

The territory is reviewing the council’s request to swear a different oath, a Community Services spokesperson said in an email to the Canadian Press.