Prince Harry issues warning to parents as Kate ramps up return to duties – live

One of Queen Elizabeth’s most trusted aides has revealed the late monarch was a “gutsy” driver who loved speed behind the wheel.

In her first interview about her 18 years as one of the royal’s most trusted confidantes, former communications secretary Samantha Cohen recalled spending summers with the Queen at her Scottish estate Balmoral.

She told The Sunday Times: “She loved hosting everybody for summer, allocating the rooms and checking them herself.”

The aide said her children, who would stay with her in a lodge near the castle for the summer, would often look up at breakfast and see the Queen riding by on her horse.

She also revealed the monarch had a taste for speed behind the wheel as she drove around the remote Scottish estate.

“She was gutsy,” Ms Cohen said. “She would drive her cars fast around Balmoral.”

Unlike MPs, members of the royal family are not required to declare gifts, donations and hospitality on a public register of interests.

Nevertheless, they began publishing an annual list of official gifts received by the royal household following scrutiny of jewellery given to Queen Camilla by a Saudi royal in 2007.

However, it has emerged King Charles and his family have not shared such a list since 2019.

It included a 24 carat gold-plated horse comb from President Borut Pahor of the Republic of Slovenia and three gifts the late Queen Elizabeth II received from Donald Trump during his presidential visit.

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, has insisted: “It is vital that the public knows about any possible conflicts of interest or attempts to curry favour with royals, as they have direct access to the highest levels of government.”

Under rules reviewed in 2003, gifts received during official duties such as state banquets or royal tours are classed as an official gifts. Those given by someone a royal knows in a personal capacity are considered private.

Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic has called for “full disclosure” of gifts handed to King Charles and other royals after annual lists have not been published for four years.

Responding to the news, first reported in the Observer, Republic’s Graham Smith said: “If politicians are being lambasted for failing to declare gifts, the same should apply to the royals.

“It is vital that the public knows about any possible conflicts of interest or attempts to curry favour with royals, as they have direct access to the highest levels of government. And we need to know if official gifts are being handed over to the state or surreptitiously kept for personal use.

“Charles and senior royals have access to government papers, can have secretive meetings with ministers and the prime minister and they have leverage to pressure government to do favours for them and their friends. So it’s vital we know what gifts they’re receiving.

“The royals have form when it comes to blurring the lines between what’s theirs to keep and what’s an official gift. So full disclosure is needed on what’s been received and where those gifts are now.

“There’s usually a good reason why billionaires and Saudi businessmen give gifts, because something is expected in return. So we need full disclosure, not just of royal gifts but also royal lobbying.

“If we demand high standards from politicians, we must demand those same standards from the royals.”

Buckingham Palace has said the list will be published in due course.

Campaigners have called for “full disclosure” of gifts received by the royal family after it emerged King Charles has failed to publish an annual list for four years.

Unlike MPs, members of the royal family are not required to declare gifts, donations and hospitality on a public register of interests.

Nevertheless they began publishing an annual list of official gifts received by the royal household following scrutiny of jewellery given to Queen Camilla by a Saudi royal in 2007.

However it has emerged King Charles and his family have not shared such a list since 2019.

Recent delays in sharing details of presents received by royals have been attributed a challenging few years for the family, including the pandemic, the change of reign and high profile state occasions such as the coronation, The Independent understands.

Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic has hit out at the delays, insisting: “If we demand high standards from politicians, we must demand those same standards from the royals.”

Buckingham Palace has said the list will be published in due course. Read the full story:

As part of the palace’s reservicing programme, work is taking place in the basement, replacing old electrical cabling with brand new cables under the floors and throughout the iconic palace.

In a new video, released by the royal family this week, workers can be seen pulling some of the 25,000 metres of cable through the basement.

The vast amount is equivalent to the weight of 12 elephants and runns the length of 250 football pitches.

The Duchess of York called the Princess “brave and courageous” as she made her first public appearance on Thursday (10 October), after finishing her chemotherapy treatment.

Kate joined the Prince of Wales to meet with families of victims of the Southport Taylor Swift dance class tragedy.

The Duchess told Channel 5 News on Friday: “It’s such a brave and courageous move and it is so wonderful to see.

“It will inspire and help those poor families. That’s what we should be looking at, courage and courage and courage.”