King trades bee tips with Beckham as Andrew ‘refuses’ to leave royal home – live

Gareth Russell, a royal author, told GB News that it is good to see King Charles back meeting the public after his shock cancer diagnosis.

“Broadly speaking, all the opinion polls that we have, indicated there’s a huge amount of goodwill and support for him and for his candour with his battle with cancer.

“We’ve heard him talking to some people during the meet and greets about shared experiences of battling cancer.

“I think it’s been very well received and certainly the King has said he feels as if he’s come out of his cage and he’s very keen to get back to his public-facing duties.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s popularity stretches across age groups and regions, at a time when the public has grown sceptical about the monarchy in general, a new poll has revealed.

“The next few years will see him thinking through what kind of monarch he wants to be and what kind of monarch the country will need to have in the mid-21st Century,” historian Sir Anthony Seldon told the BBC.

“He has been defining his own agenda, much of it overlapping with his father’s interests and passions.”

A revealing survey from YouGov showed Prince William and Catherine as having approval ratings of over 70%, while support for the monarchy as an institution was at 56%.

David Beckham had swapped tips with King Charles about the pair’s hobby – beekeeping.

In a post uploaded an Instagram video on World Bee Day last year shows the former England Captain working on a beehive and in another post he is pictured next to a hive with the words “Be kind & they will be calm”.

Beckham said: “Having developed a love for the countryside I’m also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the foundation’s work.”

The former footballer joins other foundation ambassadors like The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades, who represents building crafts, Alan Titchmarsh, horticulture, and Sarah Beeny, buildings and heritage.

Married to former Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham since 1999, the ex-midfield player has gone on to co-own the US team Inter Miami, which signed Lionel Messi last summer.

Royal historian Kelly Swaby says the Royal Family stands at a defining moment with an increased reliance on fewer, older members.

She told Metro: “The Queen’s Coronation was indicative of a time when deference to the monarchy was high; people doffed their caps and curtsied and bowed to royalty.”

“But last year’s Coronation faced a lot more questions and resistance than the Queen’s did, which is a sign of how much the UK has changed.

“King Charles has wanted for many years to slim down the monarchy, but in effect he has been left with no choice because it has happened naturally.

“Many of the senior royals, such as Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent, are getting older and are not able to do as much.

“The late Queen understood that she couldn’t do everything herself and while she was the main attraction she remained incredibly humble and had lots of other members of the royal family deputising for her.

“I fear that the slimmed-down monarchy will backfire quite significantly in years to come as the older members step back from public life.”

In photographs released to mark the announcement of becoming a King’s Foundation ambassador, David Beckham is shown trying out his carpentry skills with foundation students taking part in woodworking courses at the Snowdon School of Furniture.

The foundation is the custodian of the Highgrove gardens and offers workshops, programmes and short courses focused on heritage and craft skills at its Barley Court education centre on the estate.

Alongside its education programmes to protect traditional skills, the foundation, based at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire, aims to revitalise communities through urban regeneration and planning, and support sustainable food production and teach rural skills.

Beckham, who is the first ambassador to be named by the charity since Charles was crowned, said: “I’m excited to be working with the King’s Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity’s work. I’ve always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I’m particularly looking forward to supporting the foundation’s education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature.”

The former footballer joins other foundation ambassadors like The Repair Shop presenter Jay Blades, who represents building crafts, Alan Titchmarsh, horticulture, and Sarah Beeny, buildings and heritage.

David Beckham and the King compared “beekeeping tips” when they met ahead of the ex-England football captain being named a King’s Foundation ambassador.

The former sporting star was confirmed as an official supporter of Charles’s charitable organisation a few weeks after he reportedly met the monarch privately to learn more about its work.

In photographs released to mark the announcement, Beckham is pictured with the King on the doorstep of Highgrove, Charles’s Gloucestershire retreat, and shown trying out his carpentry skills with foundation students taking part in woodworking courses at the Snowdon School of Furniture.

Beckham said: “Having developed a love for the countryside I’m also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the foundation’s work.

“It was inspiring to hear from the King about the work of His Majesty’s foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens – and compare beekeeping tips!”

Since reportedly buying a converted barn in the Cotswolds, Beckham has posted on social media about his bee keeping.

He uploaded an Instagram video on World Bee Day last year showing him working on a beehive and in another post he is pictured next to a hive with the words “Be kind & they will be calm”.

Prince Andrew “ain’t going anywhere” in his battle with the King over his royal residence, a source has claimed, as the royal row between the siblings deepens.

According to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List, Hugh Grosvenor, 33, has a net worth of £10.127 billion – a substantial increase from the £9.878 billion he had in 2023.

However, he is soon set to lose his bachelor status when he ties the knot in the society wedding of the year next month.

Prince Andrew has to lick the Royal Lodge “with two coats of paint” every five years under the terms of his lease, and he is already a year behind, according to reports.

The Duke’s 75-year lease agreement with the Crown Estate, which was signed in 2003 and has now been seen by The Times, states that he must “repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair and where necessary rebuild” the home.

It adds that he must repaint the external walls “with two coats of paint” every five years from 2008 onwards – work that was due to have been completed last year.

King Charles has been urged to “shake up the Royal Family” by a PR expert after “losing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle”.

Publicist Haddy Folivi spoke exclusively to GB News, arguing that the Royal Family needs to make some drastic changes.

He claimed: “The Royal Family definitely needs a shake-up.

“With King Charles somewhat limited in what he can do work-wise, there is only so much that Prince William and the Queen can do.

“So the royals will have to draw on the reserves and enlist some more working royals so us, the taxpayers, feel like we are getting our money’s worth.”