Royal news live: Prince William and Kate suffer security scare as masked men raid Windsor estate at night
The thieves smashed through a security gate and stole farming equipment while the Wales family slept nearby, reports say
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Your support makes all the difference.Two masked thieves smashed into the Windsor Castle estate and stole farm vehicles while the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children slept in their home nearby.
The raiders scaled a 6ft fence at night and used a stolen truck to break through a gate on the royal grounds before stealing a pick-up truck and quad bike, the police said.
William and Kate are understood to have been sleeping at Adelaide Cottage with their children George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, at the time of the incident last month.
The wrecked gate is minutes away from the cottage and the family are regularly seen using it as it is the nearest exit to their home.
King Charles was in Scotland during the raid and it is believed that the Queen was at a spa in India before the couple’s tour of Australia and Samoa.
Thames Valley Police said: “At around 11.45pm on Sunday October 13, we received a report of burglary at a property on Crown Estate land near to the A308 in Windsor.
“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike. They then made off towards the Old Windsor/Datchet area.
“No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”
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Gun salutes will be fired in Green Park by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company as part of the military’s traditional celebrations
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The last time someone tried to break in to Windsor Castle
On Christmas Day 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, climbed into the castle grounds with a crossbow and later declared “I’m here to kill the Queen”.
He was jailed for nine years.
On the day he got into the castle grounds, Star Wars fanatic Chail sent a homemade video to family and friends on WhatsApp in which he apologised for what he was about to do and called himself “Darth Chailus”.
He wore dark clothes and a metal mask as he adopted the persona of a Star Wars villain for the video.
In the clip, the defendant, who has Sikh Indian heritage, said he was seeking revenge for the Amritsar massacre in 1919, when British troops opened fire on thousands of Indians and left up to 1,500 dead.
Watch: King Richard III given Yorkshire accent using state-of-the-art technology
Prince William and Kate suffer security scare as masked men raid Windsor estate at night
Masked thieves have mashed through a security gate at the Windsor Castle estate and stole farm vehicles, according to reports.
Two men scaled a 6ft fence at night and used a stolen truck to break through a gate at the royal venue, according to The Sun.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children were sleeping in their home nearby, the publication added.
The men reportedly fled with a pick-up and a quad bike stored in a barn.
The burglary is said to have happened on 13 October.
The King was not in residence but William and Kate were believed to be at Adelaide Cottage with George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Louis.
It is five minutes away and the family are regularly seen using the wrecked gate — the nearest exit to their home.
In a statement to the newspaper, Thames Valley Police said: “At around 11.45pm on Sunday October 13, we received a report of burglary at a property on Crown Estate land near to the A308 in Windsor.
“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike. They then made off towards the Old Windsor/Datchet area.
“No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”
Battersea Dog’s home reacts to death of Queen’s terrier
Peter Laurie, Battersea’s chief executive, said; “We’re very sad to hear that Beth, HM The Queen’s rescue dog, has sadly passed away. Her Majesty, our Patron, rehomed Beth from Battersea in 2011 and we have many fond memories of Beth visiting our centres over the years. Our thoughts are with Their Majesties at this time, we know how difficult it is to lose a beloved pet and Beth was very special indeed.”
Kate Middleton: A timeline of the princess’s year so far
The Princess of Wales is making a steady return to royal duties following what has been one of the most tumultuous years of her life.
In March, Kate confirmed she had been diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer. What followed was a nine-month battle as she underwent “preventative chemotherapy”.
She endured intense online speculation in the weeks leading up to the public announcement and has largely stayed out of the spotlight since.
Athena Stavrou has more.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton are like ‘two teenagers in love’
Prince William and Kate Middleton are still “very into each other” despite all odds, according to Roya Nikkhah, the royals editor of The Sunday Times.
“When you see them on engagements, they’re obviously still very into each other,” Ms Nikkhah told Fox News.
“One’s always looking out for the other. Recently, when they were in Southport together, you could see that… she was a bit more vulnerable. I think they’ve got each other’s backs.”
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich said that when the Princess of Wales returns to royal duties, Prince William will be by her side.
“A picture tells a thousand words and there have been several times when their affection is reminiscent of two teenagers in love, which of course they initially were, well in their early 20s.”
Horses misbehave at King Charles’ 76th birthday gun salute
The King’s Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute next to Buckingham Palace to mark King Charles’ 76th birthday.
Some of the artillery horses refused to behave themselves for the big occasion with at least one ditching its rider for a solo canter around Green Park.
With the horses under control the King’s Artillery proceeded to fire off 41 blank rounds at 10-second intervals, while the Irish Guards provided musical accompaniment.
Watch here:
Horses misbehave at King Charles’ 76th birthday gun salute
The King’s Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute next to Buckingham Palace at noon on Thursday 14 November to mark King Charles’ 76th birthday. Some of the artillery horses refused to behave themselves for the big occasion with at least one ditching its rider for a solo canter around Green Park. With the horses under control the King’s Artillery proceeded to fire off 41 blank rounds at 10-second intervals, while the Irish Guards provided musical accompaniment. Twenty-one is the most common number of gun salutes, with 20 rounds added if the salute is fired from a Royal Park, adding up to a total of 41.
Prince Harry and Tom Watson only people continuing case against The Sun publisher
The Duke of Sussex “is one of two claimants whose claims are still live” against the publisher of The Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering, his barrister has told the High Court.
A hearing on Friday was told that Harry, 40, and former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson are now the only people continuing their claims against News Group Newspapers (NGN) after several others settled their cases.
The court was told 39 cases have been settled since a previous hearing in July.
The two remaining cases are expected to go to trial in January 2025, with Harry alleging he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for NGN, which also published the now-defunct News Of The World.
The publisher has previously denied unlawful activity took place at The Sun.
Many others have settled their claims in recent years including actor Hugh Grant, actress Sienna Miller, ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne, comic Catherine Tate and Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm.
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