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

The King’s Sandringham estate - which is where the royals spend Christmas - has been transformed into a winter wonderland, open to the public

The annual after-dark experience, reimagined for 2024, is nestled deep in the Norfolk parkland and features a tunnel of thousands of fairy lights, interactive play including a light beam game, and a “fire tree”.

Visitors can also take part in its Make a Wish section by writing their Christmas wishes on gift tags to be hung among the lights. Other elements include a Christmas tree maze and a brightly-lit tree house.

There is also a vintage fair on the site, with a helter skelter and a big wheel, along with festive food stalls.

The Duchess of Edinburgh paid tribute to the bravery of the Yazidi genocide survivors as she warned about the devastation of conflict-related sexual violence.

Sophie was pictured with her arm around Awaz Abdi, who was captured and enslaved by so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq a decade ago when she was just 10 years old.

IS, also known as Daesh, brutally targeted the Yazidis, an ancient religious minority from northern Iraq, in 2014, murdering thousands of people, and abducting 7,000 women and children, in the Sinjar region. The terrorist group perpetrated a catalogue of horrific violations, subjecting women and girls to sexual and other forms of slavery, and forcing boys to fight as child soldiers.

In an impassioned speech, Sophie paid tribute to the bravery of Yazidi genocide survivors including Ms Abdi as she stressed that not enough was being done to prevent violence from happening around the world.

“I don’t think it was until voices of the Yazidi community came forward that so many people in the world were suddenly made aware of this terrible atrocity,” Sophie said.

The duchess added: “But the atrocities will continue, as we know, and the devastation, that conflict-related sexual violence has, continues. It doesn’t just stop when the guns fall silent, the devastation continues in the lives of those who have survived.”

The Prince of Wales joked that Prince Louis’ drumming practice has left him taking drastic action.

William told celebrity musicians about his son’s musical aspirations have as he thanked them for supporting a wildlife charity.

He told the group about his youngest son, who is renowned for his cheeky personality that: “My youngest is learning the drums, that’s why I spend my entire life with my fingers in my ears.”

William went on to say “I’m interested in different eras of music” and “music is such an important part of my life”.

Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman is among a host of people set to be honoured by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace today.

Boardman, who was appointed as Active Travel England (ATE) commissioner in June 2022, will be presented with his CBE award for services to active travel at a ceremony on Thursday.

Several former Conservative ministers will be also honoured at the palace, including former Secretary of State for Scotland Sir Alister Jack, Sir Ben Wallace and Sir Liam Fox.

The Olympic medallist is responsible for the Government’s agency for making walking, wheeling and cycling people’s preferred choice for transport in England.

Boardman, who won gold in the men’s individual pursuit cycling at the 1992 Olympics, is also the chair of Sport England and a broadcaster for BBC and ITV.

The cost of King Charles’ coronation has been revealed, with government accounts showing that £72 million in taxpayer money was spent on the event.

An annual report from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) shows that it spent £50.3 million on the coronation. This was alongside the £21.7 million in policing costs for the royal event.

The coronation took place on 6 May 2023, marking the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Around 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the ceremony on the BBC – fewer than the 28 million that watched Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

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Prince Harry’s latest legal claim against the publishers of the Daily Mail could go to trial, a High Court judge has said.

The Duke of Sussex has accused the publisher of allegedly commissioning unlawful activities, including hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, recording private phone conversations “blagging” private records, and even burglaries to order.

At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin said that it was important to progress the case to an eventual trial.

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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.

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