London, United Kingdom | AFP | Like his mother Princess Diana before him, Prince Harry has had a complicated relationship with the media, which has tracked his every move as part of Britain’s most famous family. But after increasingly outspoken complaints about press coverage, he and wife Meghan now want …
Read More »THAT’S IT: Britain’s Prince Harry, Meghan to step back as ‘senior’ royals
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will step back as senior members of the royal family and spend more time in North America, the couple said in a shock announcement on Wednesday. The surprise news follows a turbulent year for the monarchy, with …
Read More »Britain’s Prince Andrew sparks backlash after ‘disastrous’ TV interview
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s Prince Andrew provoked a backlash Sunday following an extraordinary TV interview branded “disastrous” by public relations experts in which he denied having sex with an alleged victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The royal was lambasted from all quarters for his lack …
Read More »King Mswati III ‘marriage’ order is fake
eSwatini says fake polygamy story ‘insult’ to king and country Mbabane, eSwatini | AFP | The government of eSwatini on Tuesday angrily denied viral online reports that King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch who has 14 wives, had ordered men to have at least two marriages or face jail. …
Read More »The enthronement of Japan’s Emperor Akihito
Paris, France | AFP | Emperor Akihito ascended to the Japanese throne on November 12, 1990 in a tightly choreographed ceremony steeped in tradition but with hints of modernity. Akihito, aged 56, had already succeeded his father, Emperor Hirohito, immediately on his death the previous year after the longest reign …
Read More »Queen warns of ‘tribalism’ in Christmas address
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Queen Elizabeth II warned of religious “tribalism” in a Christmas message on Tuesday delivered against a backdrop of Britain bickering over its impending exit from the EU. The 92-year-old monarch’s tone reflected a sombre mood sweeping the island nation as it ponders the perils …
Read More »Saudi King Salman praises judiciary amid Khashoggi fallout
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi King Salman heaped praise on the kingdom’s judiciary Monday, in his first public remarks since critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder tipped the country into one of its worst international crises. The public prosecutor last week exonerated powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement …
Read More »Prince Charles urges The Gambia to work with UK to promote democracy
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Prince of Wales on Thursday called on The Gambia to work with Britain to promote democracy nearly two years after the small West African nation emerged from decades of authoritarian rule. Prince Charles’s arrival in The Gambia was the first royal visit since the …
Read More »Prince Charles, Camilla start African tour in Gambia
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla landed Wednesday in The Gambia for the first leg of a week-long African tour aimed at strengthening ties with Commonwealth nations. The Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, took over as head of the 53-member Commonwealth of …
Read More »Prince Harry goes solo on royal tour as pregnant Meghan rests
Fraser Island, Australia | AFP | Prince Harry greeted an Aboriginal community on the stunning World Heritage-listed Fraser Island Monday as his pregnant wife Meghan took a break from official duties during the royal couple’s Australian tour. The pair have already travelled to Sydney, Melbourne and the regional town of …
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