Anne’s injuries could be ‘worse than concussion’ as new portraits released – live

Prince Harry has been ordered to explain why messages between him and his Spare ghostwriter were deleted as part of his case against the publisher of The Sun.

Mr Justice Fancourt told the High Court today that the messages, sent on the social media app Signal, “were destroyed sometime between 2021 and 2023, well after this claim [against News Group Newspapers] was underway”.

“The position is not transparently clear about what exactly happened and needs to be made so by a witness statement from the claimant himself explaining what happened,” he said.

The Duke of Sussex has allegedly been left in the dark when it comes to the progress of King Charles’s and Kate Middleton’s cancer treatment.

A royal expert has speculated that this is because the family fears that Prince Harry, 39, could put this information into the public domain.

Phil Dampier told Fabulous: “There’s no way that The King or Prince William would share details of the cancer treatment with Harry.

“They simply don’t trust him and would fear that anything they told him about Charles or Catherine would end up in the public domain, either in the press or on a podcast or social media.

“We all know how bad relations have got in the last couple of years and I’m afraid it’s going to take a very long time before there’s any chance of a reconciliation.”

He added: “If Harry feels left out and sidelined I’m afraid that’s his own fault.

“Harry might be heartbroken not to hear from his family but he only has himself to blame.”

Following the news that the Princess Royal has spent a fifth night in hospital, a royal expert has speculated that she is suffering from something “worse than concussion.”

Princess Anne, 73, was hospitalised on Sunday night after being kicked by a horse at her Gloucestershire estate.

Buckingham Palace then confirmed that she had sustained a concussion and minor injuries.

Former Royal Editor Duncan Larcombe told GB News of the princess’s extended hospital stay: “It certainly suggests that perhaps whatever had happened to her, it’s worse than concussion, because I don’t think you’d be kept that long in hospital for a simple concussion.

“It’s more bad health news for a family that, as we know this year, has had a bit of a horrific start.”

The Duke of Sussex, 39, founded the games in 2014 to celebrate the sporting achievements of wounded, sick or injured service people.

He is now set to be presented with the Pat Tillman Award for Service, which is for individuals who are changing the world for the better through sport.

The award is sponsored by the sporting channel ESPN and the channel’s president said it was a “privilege” to be able to recognise the honourees.

ESPN vice-president of production Kate Jackson said: “It’s our privilege to recognise three incredible individuals – Steve Gleason, Dawn Staley and Prince Harry.

“These honourees have used their platforms to change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalised and suffering communities, demonstrating incredible resilience, positivity and perseverance, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them at the 2024 ESPYs.”

The Duke of Sussex was “dragged kicking and screaming” by the publisher of The Sun to hand over his personal messages, the High Court heard today.

Harry, 39, was accused by News Group Newspapers (NGN) of deleting messages between himself and the ghostwriter of his 2023 memoir Spare after starting legal proceedings against the publisher.

He was also accused of “creating an obstacle” course for NGN to access his existing messages.

Harry’s lawyers accused NGN of going on a “classic fishing expedition” and hypocrisy as they deleted “millions of emails” to hide “incriminating evidence”.

The publisher is accused of using illegal information-gathering methods including phone hacking.

NGN, who owned the now-defunct News of the World, denies all wrongdoing at The Sun.

A ruling is expected later this afternoon ahead of a full trial in January.

The Duke of Sussex was accused by Attorney Anthony Hudson at the High Court of the “shocking” and “extraordinary” act of deleting text messages with the ghostwriter of his 2023 memoir Spare.

Hudson said the documentation they were seeking from Harry’s time in the royal family and former staff was being kept deliberately behind an “obstacle course”.

But Harry’s defence has since called out the accusation and said that News Group Newspapers was participating in a “classic fishing expedition” to obtain information they should have already asked for.

“NGN’s tactical and sluggish approach to disclosure wholly undermines the deliberately sensational assertion that the claimant (Harry) has not properly carried out the disclosure exercise,” attorney David Sherborne said in court papers.

“This is untrue. In fact, the claimant has already made clear that he has conducted extensive searches, going above and beyond his obligations.”

A collection of letters written by the late Princess Diana during her early marriage to the then Prince Charles could sell for up to £23,000 at auction today.

Reflecting on her honeymoon, she said the pair had a “glorious time” and described it as a “tremendous success.”

The letters will go under the hammer at Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles with an estimated sale price of up to $28,000 (£23,000).

In a new interview as the ambassador for the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, he explained that any other children who find themselves bereaved shouldn’t suppress their emotions.

“That’s the hardest thing, especially for kids, which is, ‘I don’t want to talk about it because it will make me sad,’” he told the charity, which supports children who have lost parents in the military.

“But once realising that if I do talk about it, and I’m celebrating their life, then actually, things become easier, as opposed to this, ‘I am just not going to talk about it and that’s the best form of coping,’ when in fact it’s not.”

He added: “If you suppress this for too long, you cannot suppress it forever, it is not sustainable and it will eat away at you inside.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been immortalised in new paintings by an artist who reimagined them as influential royals from the past.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle, 42, was reimagined as Dame Elizabeth Grey in a portrait called the Returning White Queen.

The paintings have not gone down well with many viewers on social media.

One wrote: “Those pics have made my day, on the floor laughing with the tears rolling down my back.”

A second said they were worse than the new, red portrait of the King, adding: “Worse than Charles portrait and that’s saying something.” [sic]

Explaining the thinking behind the portraits, the artist said: “In Harry’s case, I have entered the story before he met Meghan the young party-goer with his future very much in the balance, a bit like the Bonnie Prince I have likened him to.

“I thought putting Meghan in the role of the White Queen, who was a Queen Consort and possibly the most influential ‘outsider’ in Royal history, might have a fine irony to it and not necessarily beyond the realms of reality.”

The two couples said a fond goodbye after the successful visit, which saw them undertake several engagements including a state banquet.