GLADIATOR star Rhino has revealed the cheeky question the Queen asked him after he curtsied to her at a royal reception.
The humble bodybuilder turned Hollywood film star Mark Smith regularly rubs shoulders with A-listers – but his meeting with Her Majesty remains one of his most treasured memories.
After respectfully bowing to the Queen, the then 28-year-old Mark told how she admired his bulging muscles during their brief encounter.
“I curtsied and she said, ‘hello, how long have you been working on your muscles?’ he told the Mirror.
“I said since the age of 16. She asked if I enjoyed it and I said very much so. She said, ‘You look very well’.”
The news comes as Prince Andrew’s siblings decided nine months ago there was “no way back” for the scandal-hit royal, we can reveal.
Charles, Anne and Edward held a summit in January where they ruled the Duke of York should never return to public life.
It has also been reported that Prince William sees his uncle as a threat to the monarchy’s future.
Read our Royal Family live blog for the latest updates…
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Kate Middleton in private talks with TV boss
KATE Middleton is reportedly in early talks with a TV boss over plans to make a documentary on early childhood development.
The mum-of-three had a meeting with a high-powered executive from production company 72 Films earlier this week.
However, no programme has yet been commissioned and well-placed sources say the chat was for “preliminary and research purposes”.
If Kate does decide to sign up for a documentary, she’ll be following in the footsteps of her husband and brother- and sister-in-law.
It’s believed TV bosses want Kate to be part of a programme on how children develop and learn – a subject of huge interest for the duchess.
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Opening up to the Met Police
MET Police has spoken to the woman who claimed she was raped and sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew when she was just 17.
Virginia Roberts has alleged that in 2001 she was trafficked to London from the US by billionaire paedo Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew at his pal Ghislaine Maxwell’s home.
The decision to now speak with Roberts comes after she filed a civil lawsuit in August accusing the duke of “rape in the first degree” after a visit to Tramp nightclub in Mayfair.
The Duke has claimed that he has had “no recollection” of ever meeting her.
Read the article in full here.
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No return for big day
PRINCE Harry will not be returning to the UK for Remembrance Day, instead choosing to fly to New York to honour veterans, it’s reported.
News the duke will stay in the US for the commemoration comes after it was confirmed he and Meghan also won’t make it back for a postponed party celebrating Princess Diana.
Harry – who served in the Army for a decade, completing two tours of Afghanistan – will instead present the inaugural Intrepid Valor Awards in the Big Apple next month.
The ceremony will pay tribute to veterans and military families “living with the invisible wounds of war”, the Telegraph reports.
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Andrew suit affecting Royals ‘really badly’
Angela Levin said the suit is affecting the Royal Family “very badly” – and no matter what the outcome, the damage to Andrew’s reputation will be “permanent”.
“Here’s the prince, the second son of Her Majesty, and he’s just going on and on and pretending in his rather pompous way he’s above all this nonsense,” she said.
Despite a series of PR catastrophes in recent years, Andrew was reportedly so confident the case would collapse that he was plotting a return to the royal frontline.
But he’s now understood to be “worried”.
One source said: “There has been a dramatic shift in mood and the reality that this could not only go on for many months, if not years, as well as costing potentially millions of pounds is very real.”
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Stepping forward
Last month, the BBC aired a documentary on the life of Prince Philip featuring personal recollections from his loved ones.
And Meghan and Harry have given a series of interviews this year – beginning with their bombshell Oprah chat in March.
The couple were also reportedly miked up on a recent visit to New York – sparking rumours they may have been filming for a new series on their lives.
The Sussexes were followed by their own personal videographer during the trip.
The cameraman closely followed the pair around the city and even ran ahead of them for the perfect shot before they toured the 9/11 Memorial on Thursday, according to Page Six.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson for Kate declined to comment.
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Inside Kate Middleton’s bargain wardrobe
She may live in a palace and have access to glittering tiaras, but Kate Middleton often prefers to wear bargain high street items.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, has been known to wear jewellery as cheap as £1.50, so it can be easy for budget-savvy fans to copy her royal style.
Here, Fabulous takes a look at the mum-of-three’s high-street staples…
- £16 Zara dress
- £1.50 Accessorize earrings
- £20 M&S trainers
- £35 Asos dress
- £39 Warehouse jumper
- £59.99 Zara blazer
- £75 Topshop dress
Read the article in full here.
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Lack of energy
Biographer Andrew Morton claimed that Kate was exhausted in the run up to the Sussexes’ royal wedding due to her being pregnant with third child, Prince Louis.
In his unauthorised biography, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew claims Kate being pregnant for the majority of Meghan’s wedding preparations got in the way of a friendship developing.
He said: “Kate and Meghan were neither sisters nor, unlike Fergie and Diana, friends before they joined the Royal Family.
“What is more, during the build-up to Meghan’s wedding, Kate was experiencing her third difficult pregnancy and was focused on her own welfare. She did not have much energy to bond with her new neighbour.
“When they sat together in the royal box to watch the Ladies’ Singles Final at Wimbledon in July 2018, the two women were still getting to know one another.”
Read more here.
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Andrew’s siblings rule he must not return – as William sees him as ‘threat to monarchy’
Prince Andrew’s siblings decided nine months ago there was “no way back” for the scandal-hit royal, we can reveal.
Charles, Anne and Edward held a summit in January where they ruled the Duke of York should never return to public life.
It was reported last night that Prince William sees his uncle as a threat to the monarchy’s future.
Andrew, 61, harbours a return to royal life despite facing a sex abuse lawsuit in the US.
A source said: “Nine months ago Charles, Anne and Edward had a meeting, a summit, and agreed there was no way back for him.”
Meanwhile, sources close to future king Wills revealed to The Sunday Times how he thinks Andrew has an “ungracious and ungrateful” attitude to his position.
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Out of touch
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of being “out of touch” by royal experts who say that in five years time “no one will be listening to them.”
Katie Nicholl, Royal Correspondent at Vanity Fair appeared on True Royalty TV’s programme The Royal Beat where she discussed the Sussex’s recent visit to a New York City School.
Speaking on the show she said: “Turning up at an underprivileged school in Harlem in a couture coat that costs more than the combined incomes of most of those parents at the school – it doesn’t make any sense. It just shows them to not be in touch.”
Author and royal expert Robert Jobson agrees, telling the programme: “If they’d been shielded by the ‘royal umbrella’, they wouldn’t be falling into so many of these traps, and they’d probably still have a degree of popularity, and a chance to have a voice.
“I don’t think that in five years’ time people will be listening.”
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The ‘magic touch’
The Duke, 37, has the “magic touch” when it comes to his daughter Lilibet, and he has a handy little hack to rock her off to sleep, according to US royal sources.
“Harry adores Lili and loves reading her bedtime stories and rocking her to sleep,” a US source reportedly told Us Weekly.
“He has a real magic touch. There’s just so much love and gratitude and they couldn’t ask for more.”
Royal watchers are yet to see young Lilibet, but proud mum Meghan recently described her as “beautiful” during the couple’s work trip to New York.
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‘It could be a disaster’ (Continued…)
Attorney Andrew B. Brettler says the accuser had entered into a “settlement agreement” that would end her current claim against the prince.
But Ms Levin said: “That’s a dead end as well.
“It’s just not going to go away.”
She said the suit is affecting the Royal Family “very badly” – and no matter what the outcome, the damage to Andrew’s reputation will be “permanent”.
“Here’s the prince, the second son of Her Majesty, and he’s just going on and on and pretending in his rather pompous way he’s above all this nonsense,” she said.
Despite a series of PR catastrophes in recent years, Andrew was reportedly so confident the case would collapse that he was plotting a return to the royal frontline.
One source said: “There has been a dramatic shift in mood and the reality that this could not only go on for many months, if not years, as well as costing potentially millions of pounds is very real.”
Read the article in full here.
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Prince Andrew faces ‘disaster’
The Duke of York’s “car crash” Newsnight interview – in which he bizarrely claimed he doesn’t sweat – should warn him off giving evidence, Angela Levin says.
Writer Ms Levin, who has penned an authorised biography of Prince Harry, says Andrew had just three options to explore ahead of the civil case.
Speaking on talkRADIO this morning, Ms Levin said: “One was to ignore it, pretend it didn’t happen, he didn’t know anything about it.
“We’ve seen that hasn’t worked – it hasn’t gone away. He thought it would all disappear into the night. It hasn’t.
“The second one was to go to America and answer all the questions and nit-pick apart the accusations, which is quite dangerous.
“Remember how he was on Newsnight and then think of him on the stand, giving evidence.
“I think it would be a disaster for him.
“The third one is to try to worm out the fact that his accuser doesn’t have a case.”
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Prince Charles ‘will live in “flat above the shop” when he is king’
Prince Charles is set to “live in a ‘flat above the shop’” after Buckingham Palace is allegedly thrown open to the public when he is King.
In a bid to radically overhaul the Royal estate, the monarch will be left in less-than lavish living arrangements as the Palace is opened up to the public, it’s been suggested.
Prince Charles is also planning to move the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Windsor Castle, because its position in the Heathrow flight path makes it “too noisy” for him.
It will be a property move that the Cambridges are said to want, according to a friend of the royals.
And there are talks that Balmoral could turn into a “museum” dedicated to the Queen as part of the property reshuffle.
As well as slimming down the monarchy, the “property question” is also on the “to do list,” a source told the Mail on Sunday.
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Style it out
MEGHAN Markle was seen making visits to the estate of a beauty marketing firm executive in a hint she may be about to launch her own cosmetic line.
Meghan, 40, reportedly made visits to Guthy-Renker co-founder Bill Guthy’s home in Carpinteria, California, with husband Prince Harry, 37, and her mum Doria several times between February and March.
Harry and Meghan had also flown on a private jet owned by the cosmetics firm during a tour of New York City, the Daily Mail reported
There has since been speculation that Meghan could be about to launch her own cosmetics line – following in the footsteps of supermodel Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Lopez and Heidi Klum.
The Sussexes were seen driving from Mr Guthy’s estate with Meghan beside him and her mum Doria Ragland in the backseat on March 1.
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Third wheeling
Diana is the third wheel in Harry and Meghan’s marriage, claims a royal biographer.
Andrew Morton, author of the bombshell biography Diana: In Her Own Words, has said that for both Harry and Meghan, “all roads lead back to Diana” and “every camera click and whirr” reminds them of their “terrible fate”.
He continued to say that: “As the Sussexes embarked on their own journey together through Royal life, not a day went by without a reference, a memory or a decision that related in some way to Harry’s late mother. Diana was the third wheel in their marriage.”
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How Meghan’s royal comeback shows she’s ‘resilient’ following Megxit
Since stepping back from the royal family, Meghan Markle appears to have adopted a “steely determination that wasn’t there before”, says a body language expert.
The Duchess of Sussex stepped down as a senior royal in 2020 and is now making a “resilient” comeback following the end of her parental leave, claims Judi James.
Judi told Fabulous: “New York Meghan and Time mag cover’s Meghan reveal a woman with a much more steely look in both her eye expression and her body posing and movement.
“She is also seen looking more independently powerful and much more like a leader.
“Now she has the profile but without the restrictions we can see the much steelier version of Meghan, who looks determined to change the world for the better and sooner rather than later.”
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Andrew banned from lavish banquet with Charles & senior royals in fresh snub
Prince Andrew was banned from a lavish banquet with Charles and senior royals in a fresh snub.
The duke secretly attended a conference with Army colonels but was banished from dinner.
Palace insiders confirmed Andrew was not allowed to represent the Grenadier Guards and asked to leave before the dinner and attended the conference privately.
A source told us: “He sat at the back of the room. And was not allowed to dine with his brother.
“It is quite a fall from grace.”
A Clarence House spokesman said: “The Grenadier Guards were represented by the Regional Lieutenant-Colonel, who is Lieutenant-General Roland Walker.”
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Met Police drops Prince Andrew investigation
The Met Police has dropped its investigation into Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein.
The force said it had carried out two reviews into claims made by women that they had been allegedly abused by Andrew and Epstein but would take “no further action”.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “The Metropolitan Police Service continues to liaise with other law enforcement agencies who lead the investigation into matters related to Jeffrey Epstein.
“As a matter of procedure MPS officers reviewed a document released in August 2021 as part of a US civil action. This review has concluded and we are taking no further action.
“We also reviewed information passed to us by a media organisation in June 2021. This review is complete and no further action will be taken.”
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Harry and Meghan to miss COP26
“ECO-WARRIORS” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will miss this year’s COP26 climate change conference in November.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will skip the highly anticipated Glasgow climate event, while the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, William and Kate are all set to attend.
The Royal announcement comes weeks after Harry and Meghan attended the star-studded Global Citizen Live concert in New York — dubbed “Wokestock” — which demanded tough new eco laws to halve US emissions by 2030.
It also pressed the “wealthiest nations” to deliver on a £70billion-a-year pledge to help developing countries go green.
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How Meghan’s royal comeback shows she’s ‘resilient’ following Megxit
Since stepping back from the royal family, Meghan Markle appears to have adopted a “steely determination that wasn’t there before”, says a body language expert.
The Duchess of Sussex stepped down as a senior royal in 2020 and is now making a “resilient” comeback following the end of her parental leave, claims Judi James.
Judi told Fabulous: “New York Meghan and Time mag cover’s Meghan reveal a woman with a much more steely look in both her eye expression and her body posing and movement.
“She is also seen looking more independently powerful and much more like a leader.
“Now she has the profile but without the restrictions we can see the much steelier version of Meghan, who looks determined to change the world for the better and sooner rather than later.”
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Kate’s meeting (Continued…)
She visited University College London and met scientists behind the Children of the 2020s project.
The initiative tracks the lives of babies born in 2021 over five years and looks into how their childhoods are influenced by factors including where they grow up.
Kate is known to be shy – and was first heard speaking publicly when she and William officially announced their engagement.
However, in the past few years, she has stepped forward into the spotlight more frequently.
She recently stunned on the red carpet at the premier of James Bond film No Time to Die – and bravely held a giant tarantula as she met students in Northern Ireland.
The royals have taken part in a series of programmes across a range of different channels this year.
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Kate Middleton in private talks with TV boss
KATE Middleton is reportedly in early talks with a TV boss over plans to make a documentary on early childhood development.
The mum-of-three had a meeting with a high-powered executive from production company 72 Films earlier this week.
However, no programme has yet been commissioned and well-placed sources say the chat was for “preliminary and research purposes”.
If Kate does decide to sign up for a documentary, she’ll be following in the footsteps of her husband and brother- and sister-in-law.
It’s believed TV bosses want Kate to be part of a programme on how children develop and learn – a subject of huge interest for the duchess.
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Will George ever be King?
The Royal Family “may never see Prince George become King”.
Royal commentator Daniela Elser has pinpointed how the turmoil facing the Firm didn’t make a “pretty picture” for its future.
Speaking about the change that will happen in the coming years as the Queen’s reign ends, she said: “When that mournful day comes, we might not be only saying goodbye to a truly iconic figure but farewelling the last and final Queen of the UK.
“It will be up to her son, grandson and great-grandson what comes next; they will be fighting for nothing short of survival.”
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‘No fan of Uncle Andrew’
Wills, 39, and dad Charles held separate talks with the Queen when Andrew stepped down from royal duty after his Newsnight interview almost two years ago.
A pal of William claimed: “He is no fan of Uncle Andrew.”
And The Sunday Times’ royal source claimed one of the “triggers” that “really gets” William is his uncle’s attitude.
They added: “Any suggestion that there isn’t gratitude for the institution, anything that could lead anyone in the public to think that senior members of the family aren’t grateful for their position, (William thinks) is really dangerous.”
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will NOT fly back to UK
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be making a return to the UK for a postponed party to celebrate Princess Diana.
The Sussexes had been weighing up whether to join his brother William and 100 guests, including Sir Elton John, at the rearranged bash later this month.
Harry, 37, flew back for the scaled-down unveiling of the Diana statue in July, without Meghan, 40, who had just given birth, but a reception was shelved due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The party to honour Di with her friends and family will now take place at Kensington Palace a week on Tuesday.
It was always thought Harry wanted to return for the hour-long celebration of his mother’s life when it was rearranged.
But now it has been confirmed by a spokesperson for the Sussexes that the couple will not be returning for the bash, reports The Telegraph.