Royal

• A National Audit Office (NAO) report has revealed that Prince Andrew was sub-letting cottages at Royal Lodge. • The watchdog examined the property arrangements of various royals to determine the impact on public spending. • A Palace source stated that rent paid by non-working royals covers all publicly funded expenditures, ensuring no additional cost to the taxpayer.

MPs urged to push for ‘radical reform’ after NAO finds former prince made income from Royal Lodge propertiesCampaigners have called for radical reform and a public inquiry into “all royal finances” after revelations that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received an undisclosed private income from subletting three cottages on his Royal Lodge estate while paying a “peppercorn rent”.A report from the public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), found the rental income went to the former Duke of York, but said: “We do not know what rent was charged.” Continue reading...

King footing bill for Beatrice and Eugenie, and Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh subletting among findingsA report that revealed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received undisclosed private income from subletting three cottages on his Royal Lodge estate in Windsor while paying a peppercorn rent to the crown estate also shines a spotlight on the property arrangements of other members of the royal family.The National Audit Office findings include the revelation that King Charles foots the bill for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s accommodation in royal palaces, despite both being “non-working royals” (in that they don’t carry out royal duties), and that the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also benefited from subletting their crown estate property. Continue reading...

Emergency services at scene of incident at Sourton Down, near OkehamptonA Royal Navy helicopter has crashed into a field in Devon, police have confirmed.Emergency services are at the scene of the incident at Sourton Down, near Okehampton. Continue reading...

Ofcom figures show the company’s delivery performance has worsened compared with the previous yearBusiness live – latest updatesThe postal regulator has launched an investigation into Royal Mail for once again missing its annual delivery targets, with almost a quarter of first-class mail arriving late.The company, which has been fined £37m since 2023 for routinely failing to meet delivery targets set by Ofcom, revealed on Friday that 24.3% of first-class mail failed to arrive on time in the year to the end of March. Continue reading...

Charles and Camilla to attend the Classic on 6 JuneRace attendance has suffered major recent declineThe king and queen will attend the 247th running of the Derby on 6 June, reviving what was a traditional engagement in the calendar for Queen Elizabeth II for most of her 70-year reign.The late Queen missed just two renewals of the Classic at Epsom Downs between 1953 – when her colt Aureole finished second, four days after her coronation – and the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Continue reading...

Officers were ‘placed at significant risk, being in a gunfight armed with 9mm Glocks against long-arms’, NSW police deputy commissioner saysPolice were outgunned at the Bondi massacre on 14 December, armed with 9mm Glock pistols in a gun battle against rifles, the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.New South Wales police deputy commissioner David Hudson gave evidence to the commission that police officers put themselves in danger to shoot and neutralise the attackers. Continue reading...

Commissioner says a number of witnesses reported ‘a dramatic increase in online hate messages’Jewish Australians have reported a dramatic increase in harassment and intimidation online after giving evidence at the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.Before starting hearings on Tuesday morning the commissioner, Virginia Bell, said at least one instance had been referred to the Australian federal police. Continue reading...

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 34th match of the 2026 Indian Premier League, scoring 206/5 in 18.5 overs. • GT posted a competitive total of 205/3, featuring contributions from Krunal Pandya (23 off 12) and Tim David (10 off 9). • RCB's victory was driven by strong batting performances from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, complemented by disciplined death bowling.

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans are facing off in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League 2026. • The match is being broadcast and tracked via Cricbuzz, providing live scores, ball-by-ball commentary, and video highlights for viewers in the USA and Canada. • This high-stakes playoff game is critical as it determines which team secures a direct path toward the tournament final.

Commission also told NSW police declined to provide static police presence at Hanukah by the Sea but four officers at event when attack beganWithin 30 seconds of opening fire at Bondi beach on 14 December, two gunmen targeting Jewish Australians had shot 11 people, killing 10 of them, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion has heard.The second block of public hearings opened in Sydney on Monday morning, taking evidence about what was known about the two shooters.The Jewish organisation, the Community Security Group, asked NSW police to provide a static police presence at the Hanukah by the Sea event for the entirety of the celebration;NSW police declined to provide a static police presence for the entire event, instead allocating a “mobile tasking, that is police officers were instructed to attend the event from time to time during the evening”;At the time the two gunmen opened fire on Jewish community members, there were four police at Archer Park;Within 29 seconds of the start of the shooting, eleven people had been shot, 10 of them fatally;Three police officers were shot and injured in the court of the attack;Within five minutes, there were 11 police officers on the scene;The first shooter was shot and killed and the second shooter was shot and apprehended within seven minutes and 41 seconds after the start of the shooting. Continue reading...

Alleged incident said to have happened at racing event in 2002, the year of the queen’s Golden Jubilee, according to the Sunday TimesPolice investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are looking into an allegation that he behaved inappropriately towards a woman at Royal Ascot, according to a report.The alleged incident is said to have happened at the annual five-day racing event in Berkshire in 2002, according to the Sunday Times. Continue reading...

• The SBS romantic comedy "My Royal Nemesis" has become a global hit, driven by viral momentum on short-form video platforms. • The series saw domestic growth from a 5.4% viewership rating in its second episode to 6% by the fourth, according to Nielsen Korea. • Internationally, the show reached No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 (Non-English TV) list and ranked in the Top 10 across 84 countries, including the U.S. and Japan.

SBS also declines to adopt International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, which some claim conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitismFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereThe ABC has chosen not to adopt the definition of antisemitism used by the Bondi royal commission and will use its internal editorial guidance on hate speech instead, in order to maintain its independence.The royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion announced in February that the inquiry would apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Continue reading...

Ministry of Defence names soldier who fell from her horse as Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan, 24, part of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse ArtilleryA soldier who died after falling from her horse at the Royal Windsor Horse Show was named as Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan, 24 – an “exceptional jockey” with an “infectious energy”, her commanding officer said.Sullivan, part of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, fell at around 7pm on Friday after exiting the arena. Continue reading...

Unspecified number of officers from royalty and specialist protection team being investigated, force confirmsPolice officers accused of being asleep when they were supposed to be protecting the royal family at Windsor castle have been placed under investigation.An unspecified number of officers from the Metropolitan police’s royalty and specialist protection team are being investigated after concerns were raised, the force confirmed. The Sun, which first reported the story, said up to 30 officers were involved. Continue reading...

Member of King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery received medical treatment but died at scene after sustaining serious injuriesA service person has died after falling from their horse after a display at the Royal Windsor Horse show, police said.The soldier, part of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, fell at about 7pm on Friday after exiting the arena. Continue reading...

UK expert tells Australian inquiry how antisemitism developed and that governments must define it in order to develop policies against itFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOld tropes about Jewish people – such as those found in the fraudulent and debunked Protocols of the Elders of Zion – have morphed and been melded into modern-day antisemitism, the royal commission has heard.On Thursday morning, the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion heard from Dr Dave Rich, the Community Security Trust’s policy director. Continue reading...

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network says criticism of Israel is routinely misrepresented as antisemitic – and that Palestinian voices are being excluded from debateGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPalestinian voices are being excluded from the debate on social cohesion, the peak body for Palestinians in Australia has said after it was refused leave to appear before the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion.The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) made detailed submissions on the issues of antisemitism – including how it is defined – as well as on racism and social cohesion, but was told it did not have a “direct and substantial” interest in the public hearings, which are under way in Sydney. Continue reading...

Casting director urges Keir Starmer to intervene in case of Paata Burchuladze, 71, jailed for seven years after singing at anti-regime demonstrationsThe Royal Opera House in London has urged Keir Starmer to intervene in the case of Paata Burchuladze, a world-renowned bass singer who has been imprisoned in Georgia since October on a charge of leading a coup against the country’s authoritarian leader.The 71-year-old has performed at the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and collaborated with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras. He was arrested after joining a protest outside the presidential palace in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Last week he was given a seven-year jail sentence which Burchuladze suggested to the court was equivalent to a life sentence given his age. Continue reading...

Deborah Conway describes anti-Zionism as a ‘genocidal impulse’ as inquiry hears how Jews are targeted with Nazi comparisonsJewish musicians have told a royal commission hearing that their views on Zionism made them the targets of vilification and boycotting.The royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion heard from Deborah Conway and Joshua Moshe on Monday: both were members of a Whatsapp group for Jewish creatives and academics, the contents of which was leaked by the media and some of the members’ personal information made public. Continue reading...

Moscow steps up maritime presence in North Sea after UK threats to seize shadow fleet oil tankersBritain’s Royal Navy tracked and followed a Russian frigate every day last month as it sailed from the Atlantic to the North Sea as Moscow steps up its maritime presence after UK threats to seize shadow fleet oil tankers.The Russian navy’s Admiral Grigorovich escorted six Russia-linked vessels during April, including at least three under economic sanction passing east through the Dover strait, while being watched continuously by four UK ships and helicopters. Continue reading...

On its fourth day of public hearings, royal commission into antisemitism also hears Jewish Australians have been pressured to resign and verbally abusedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJewish Australians have been told to use “less obviously Jewish” names, felt pressure to resign and been verbally abused by colleagues in the wake of 7 October 2023.On its fourth day of public hearings, the antisemitism royal commission also heard evidence from Australia’s antisemitism envoy, who said hatred towards Jews had become “almost fashionable”, while a Sydney nurse said New South Wales Health was “not safe for Jewish people”. Continue reading...

Al Nahyans’ control over farmland in Europe has meant they receive proportion of payments to farmsThe United Arab Emirates’ ruling royal family is benefiting from tens of millions in EU subsidies to grow crops destined for the Gulf, it can be revealed.A cross-border investigation by DeSmog and shared with the Guardian found subsidiaries controlled by the Al Nahyans collected more than €71m (£61m) in six years for farmland it controls in Romania, Italy and Spain. Continue reading...

The third day of hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion heard further evidence from Jewish AustraliansFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastViolent antisemitic abuse was allowed to proliferate across a Jewish political candidate’s social media as part of a broader trend designed to intimidate Jewish Australians from public life, a royal commission has heard.Joshua Kirsh launched a campaign as an independent candidate for the New South Wales upper house in late 2025 but found his advertisements online bombarded by antisemitic tropes, abuse and threats. Continue reading...

Jewish children face antisemitic abuse, swastikas etched on school walls and other students performing Nazi salutes, hearing toldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJewish children in Australia face antisemitic abuse at school, see swastikas daubed on walls and witness classmates perform Nazi salutes: they live with antisemitism “all day, every day”, a Sydney Jewish mother has told a royal commission hearing.The woman, known as Dina before the commission, said Australia had become a more hostile, more dangerous place for Jews, most horrifically demonstrated by the Bondi massacre in December in which 15 people were shot and killed. Continue reading...

Treasurer says next week’s budget will save more than it spends. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government is boasting of making bigger than usual savings in next week’s budget, with Jim Chalmers saying his fourth budget will have “more restraint”.The treasurer said:Responsible economic management has been a hallmark of this Albanese Government and the May Budget will be our most responsible yet.We’re getting the budget in better nick because that helps to fund the things that Australians need and deserve like Medicare, aged care and cost-of-living relief.In this Budget you’ll see more responsible economic management and more restraint from the Albanese Government. Continue reading...

Interim report contains 14 recommendations, after inquiry examined agencies’ actions before the attack in which 15 people were killedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney’s Jewish community told police of a “high” threat of an attack at December’s Chanukah by the Sea festival at Bondi beach, but NSW police appeared not to have completed a comprehensive risk assessment for the event, an interim royal commission report has found.The interim report of the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, established in the wake of December’s terror attack, found no gap in current laws that could have prevented the shooting. But it did call for greater better coordination of policing at Jewish festivals and events. Continue reading...