Tag: PRINCE HARRY

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry and Meghan to visit Colombia

Per Márquez, “The Archewell Foundation, founded by The Duke and Duchess, is renowned for its global leadership in fostering a safer online environment…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are headed to Colombia. “As the Vice President of Colombia and Minister of Equality and Equity, I am pleased to announce that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have kindly accepted my invitation to visit our beautiful country,” the Vice President of Colombia, Francia Márquez, said in a statement this morning.

During their time in Colombia, Harry and Meghan will visit Bogotá, Cartagena, and Cali with Márquez. “In these vibrant locations, they will have the exceptional opportunity to engage with leaders, youth, and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians committed to progress,” she wrote. “In addition to these meaningful interactions, The Duke and Duchess will experience the rich heritage of Colombia.”

While no specific date has been shared yet, Prince Harry and Meghan’s visit will come before the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which will be held in Colombia this November. Therefore, their trip could take place anytime in the next three months.

Per Márquez, “The Archewell Foundation, founded by The Duke and Duchess, is renowned for its global leadership in fostering a safer online environment. The forthcoming conference will unveil a comprehensive framework for creating safer physical and digital spaces, tackling issues such as cyberbullying, online exploitation, and the mental health impacts of these threats. It will offer actionable solutions and commitments for countries around the world. During their visit, The Duke and Duchess, as well as The Archewell Foundation, will engage in several activities related to this important topic.”

She concluded, “We are confident that their visit will further illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”

This would mark Harry and Meghan’s third major international trip in 2024, after visiting British Columbia in February and Nigeria in May.

ALSO READ-Prince Harry wins bid to appeal security ruling

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry wins bid to appeal security ruling

Harry, 39, the younger son of King Charles III, has bucked royal family convention to challenge the government in court and sue the tabloid press…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Harry has been given permission to appeal the British government’s rejection to provide him with publicly funded police protection in the UK.

The Court of Appeal gave the Duke of Sussex the go-ahead to challenge a ruling earlier this year in the High Court. The permission was granted in May but only reported Thursday.

Judge Peter Lane ruled in February that a government panel’s decision to provide “bespoke” security on an as-needed basis after Harry quit as a working member of the royal family was not unlawful, irrational or unjustified.

“Insofar as the case-by-case approach may otherwise have caused difficulties, they have not been shown to be such as to overcome the high hurdle so as to render the decision-making irrational,” Lane wrote.

The long-running fight began more than four years ago when Harry first challenged the panel’s decision, arguing that he and his family need an armed security detail because of hostility directed toward him and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on social media and relentless hounding by the news media.

Harry, 39, the younger son of King Charles III, has bucked royal family convention to challenge the government in court and sue the tabloid press.

He won a big victory in December after a judge found phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers was “widespread and habitual.” He has two similar cases remaining against the publishers of The Sun and Daily Mail.

The security case appeared to be dead after the High Court in April rejected his first request to appeal Lane’s decision. But Justice David Bean on the Court of Appeal said on May 23 that he could challenge the lower court decision.

ALSO READ-Israeli Bombing Kills 35 at Gaza School

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry renounces British residency

This legal move comes amidst ongoing discussions about the couple’s status within the royal family and their future plans…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Harry has officially declared the United States as his primary residence, marking a significant step in his separation from the British royal family.

According to documents obtained by Page Six, the Duke of Sussex listed the US as his “new country/state usually resident,” a notable change from his previous ties to the UK.

The paperwork, filed by Companies House for Harry’s eco-travel venture, Travalyst, indicates that this residency shift occurred on June 29, 2023, following Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from their UK home, Frogmore Cottage, the day prior.

This legal move comes amidst ongoing discussions about the couple’s status within the royal family and their future plans.

While the impact of renouncing his British residency on Harry’s royal titles remains uncertain, there’s speculation that he may address this issue during an upcoming visit to London, as per Page Six.

Despite this change, Harry has expressed conflicting sentiments about his connection to the UK, acknowledging it as his “home” but citing safety concerns that prompted their move to the US.

In December 2023, Harry emphasized the importance of his children’s heritage and safety while on UK soil, despite their current residence in the US.

However, the prince has also shown interest in obtaining American citizenship, although he views it as a secondary priority at present.

Yet, Harry’s past admissions of drug use, detailed in his memoir ‘Spare,’ raise questions about the ease of his immigration process.

While some legal experts suggest minimal impact unless he faces further legal issues, concerns linger regarding potential repercussions, including the need to renounce his royal titles to fulfil US citizenship requirements, as per a report by Page Six. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Prince Harry settles case against tabloid publisher

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry settles case against tabloid publisher

Judge Timothy Fancourt found that Harry’s phone was hacked “to a modest extent.” The settlement avoids new trials over 115 more tabloid articles that Harry says were the product of hacking or other intrusions...reports Asian Lite News

Prince Harry said Friday that his “mission” to rein in the British media continues, after he accepted costs and damages from a tabloid publisher that invaded his privacy with phone hacking and other illegal snooping.

Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, said at a court hearing that Mirror Group Newspapers had agreed to pay all of the prince’s legal costs, plus “substantial” damages, and would make an interim payment of 400,000 pounds ($505,000) within 14 days. The final tab will be assessed later. Harry said he had been vindicated, and vowed: “Our mission continues.” “We have uncovered and proved the shockingly dishonest way in which the Mirror acted for so many years, and then sought to conceal the truth,” the 39-year-old royal said in a statement read outside the High Court in London by his lawyer. Harry was awarded 140,000 pounds ($177,000) in damages in December, after a judge found that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror Group Newspapers in the late 1990s, went on for more than a decade and that executives at the papers covered it up.

Judge Timothy Fancourt found that Harry’s phone was hacked “to a modest extent.” The settlement avoids new trials over 115 more tabloid articles that Harry says were the product of hacking or other intrusions. Mirror Group said in a statement that it was “pleased to have reached this agreement, which gives our business further clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago and for which we have apologized.”

Harry’s case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror is one of several that he has launched in a campaign against the British media, which he blames for blighting his life and hounding both his late mother Princess Diana and his wife Meghan. In June, he became the first senior member of the royal family in more than a century to testify in court during the trial of his case against the Mirror.

ALSO READ-Prince Harry returns to be at King Charles’ side

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry returns to be at King Charles’ side

Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Harry has flown back to the UK to see his father King Charles III following news of his cancer diagnosis, as per media reports, CNN said.

Harry, who arrived in London on Tuesday from California, has been involved in a long-running, public falling out with his family in the years since he and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped back from royal duties, though the duke did make a brief visit to the UK for Charles’ coronation last year, as per CNN.

Prince Harry was photographed being driven into the gates of Clarence House, the King’s London residence, at around 2:45 pm (9.45 am ET).

Harry was seen in the photograph seated in the back of a black SUV. Harry flew from Los Angeles to London overnight, landing at about 12:30 pm, British media reported.

Harry’s return has sparked speculation of reconciliation with his family after years of estrangement. However, a royal source said there were no plans for Harry to meet his brother Prince William while he’s in London, according to CNN.

Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday.

The King of Britain has been advised by his doctors to postpone public-facing duties. He has already begun the schedule of regular treatments after the diagnosis.

However, he will continue to handle official documentation and state business as usual throughout this time.

“During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” the statement from Buckingham Palace read. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Blinken Meets Saudi Crown Prince

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry opens up on claims that King Charles isn’t his father

Prince Harry. (Photo: IANS)

In the witness statement, Prince Harry reiterated the false nature of the rumours , citing the fact that his mother’s affair with James Hewitt didn’t start until years after he was born…reports Asian Lite News

Prince Harry recently addressed the longstanding rumour that King Charles III is not his real father, adding that the claim caused him great pain over the years. In a court testimony on June 6, The Duke of Sussex said he feared British tabloid journalists wanted to prove his father was Major James Hewitt so he could be ”ousted” from the royal family, Newsweek reported.

Notably, the Duke of Sussex is suing Mirror Group Newspapers for allegedly using unethical methods, such as phone hacking, to obtain information to produce dozens of news articles on him. One of these was an article published in 2002 in The People headlined: ”Plot to Rob the DNA of Harry.”

Prince Harry noted that several newspapers had reported a rumour that his biological father was James Hewitt after his mother admitted to having an affair with him.

In the witness statement, Prince Harry reiterated the false nature of the rumours , citing the fact that his mother’s affair with James Hewitt didn’t start until years after he was born.

“Never mind that my mother didn’t meet Major Hewitt until long after I was born, the story was simply too good to drop,” he said in the written statement.

”At the time, when I was 18 years old and had lost my mother [Princess Diana] just six years earlier, stories such as this felt very damaging and very real to me,” Harry said.

”They were hurtful, mean, and cruel. I was always left questioning the motives behind the stories. Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so that I might be ousted from the Royal Family?”, he added.

Notably, Prince Harry had also addressed the rumour in his memoir ‘Spare’. He mentioned that King Charles would often make cruel and unfunny jokes about not being his biological father.

“Pa liked telling stories, and this was one of the best in his repertoire. He’d always end with a burst of philosophizing … Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I’m even your real father?” Harry wrote in an excerpt of his memoir released on January 10.

He continued, ”He’d laugh and laugh, though it was a remarkably unfunny joke, given the rumor circulating just then that my actual father was one of Mummy’s former lovers: Major James Hewitt. One cause of this rumor was Major Hewitt’s flaming ginger hair, but another cause was sadism. Tabloid readers were delighted by the idea that the younger child of Prince Charles wasn’t the child of Prince Charles.”

According to the Independent, Hewitt, a former cavalry officer in the British Army, famously had an affair with Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, in the mid-nineties. The affair lasted five years, from 1986 to 1991, and took place while she was still married to King Charles. Prince Harry was born in 1984, 2 years before she met Hewitt.

ALSO READ-Prince Harry tells court press has blood on its hands

Categories
-Top News UK News

Prince Harry feels car chase made him understand mother’s death

Prince Harry. (Photo: IANS)

Prince Harry reportedly told his friends the incident was the “closest I have ever felt” to understanding what happened on the tragic night his mother died…reports Asian Lite News

Days after being involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with paparazzi photographers in New York City, Prince Harry has been thinking of his mother Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 that also involved photographers pursuing her vehicle.

According to People Magazine, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were “shaken” after the car chase incident. It occurred on May 16 in New York City after the couple left the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards where Meghan was honoured for her work.

Following the incident, Prince Harry reportedly told his friends the incident was the “closest I have ever felt” to understanding what happened on the tragic night his mother died.

“It was a disturbing situation, and they were shaken, but they are glad everyone’s okay,” the outlet’s source said. They added that the photographers were attempting to pursue the couple after were seen leaving the award function in order to find where they were staying while visiting the city.

According to a previous statement, after the chase, a spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said that the couple and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland were in a “near catastrophic car chase” as they were pursued by “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi”.

“Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” the couple’s spokesperson said in a statement, adding, “This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers.”

Earlier this week, the New York Police Department also confirmed the situation in a statement, saying that the couple’s travel was made “challenging” by paparazzi.

“The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” the statement said, as per People.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard,” the department added.

Meanwhile, Sukhcharn Singh, an Indian-origin cab driver who transported the couple during a “near catastrophic car chase”, said that the couple were clearly nervous during the short journey. However, he also added that the paparazzi were not being aggressive.

ALSO READ-Abu Dhabi Crown Prince begins Malaysia visit

Categories
Lite Blogs London News UK News

All about Prince Harry’s Dior custom-designed suit

Prince Harry

Taking to Twitter, Dior expressed the honour of designing the outfit for the Duke of Sussex.

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, on Saturday, attended King Charles III’s coronation in a historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London.

For the coronation, Prince Harry opted for a custom-made black suit by Dior, a white shirt and a grey silk tie. Taking to Twitter, Dior expressed the honour of designing the outfit for the Duke of Sussex.

They tweeted, “Tailoring fit for royalty. Dior is honored to have dressed Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, for the coronation of King Charles III in a custom design by Kim Jones. Seen arriving at Westminster Abbey, gain an insight into the savoir-faire of his three-piece suit next.”

According to People Magazine, he also wore his Afghanistan service medal along with the Golden Jubilee, Diamond Jubilee and Platinum Jubilee medals. Harry also sported his KCVO neck decoration and star.

Several pictures of Prince Harry from the coronation went viral on social media.

Prince Harry, the King’s younger son, travelled to the UK from the US, and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stayed home with their two young children.

Harry stepped down as a working member of the royals in 2021, and the coronation marks the first time he’s been seen publicly with family members since the release of his memoir, “Spare.”

Prince Harry also did not appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after King Charles III’s coronation.

After the congregational portion of the ceremony concluded, Prince Harry appeared to leave. Harry, unlike his family, was not allowed to appear on the balcony with his relatives since only working royals are permitted to do so, reported People Magazine. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Princes Harry, Andrew Pushed to third row

Categories
-Top News London News UK News

Princes Harry, Andrew Pushed to third row

Both Harry, 38, the Duke of Sussex, and 63-year-old Andrew, the Duke of York, were in the royal ranks for the coronation at London’s Westminster Abbey, albeit without a formal role.

Princes Harry and Andrew attended the coronation of King Charles III but were relegated to the third row of the royal family seating — and did not join them later Saturday on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Charles’s younger son Harry and his American wife Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and have since unleashed a string of barbed attacks on the monarchy.

Andrew, the king’s eldest brother, has been frozen out over his past association with the disgraced late US financier Jeffrey Epstein and a related sexual abuse allegation which was settled out of court.

But both Harry, 38, the Duke of Sussex, and 63-year-old Andrew, the Duke of York, were in the royal ranks for the coronation at London’s Westminster Abbey, albeit without a formal role. Andrew was driven in a state car from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey and part of the crowd in a grandstand in front of the palace booed as he went past.

Harry and Andrew walked into the abbey with other members of the Windsor family. It was the first time Harry has joined his family since subjecting them to a torrent of stinging criticism in his recent memoir “Spare” and in a series of television interviews.

Meghan has remained in California with the couple’s young children, thereby avoiding potentially awkward interactions with her in-laws.

Smiles in the abbey

Former British Army captain Harry, who served in Afghanistan, was wearing a morning suit with his medals, while Andrew — who flew Royal Navy helicopters in the 1982 Falklands War — wore his robes as a knight of the garter.

Harry was seen chatting with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, husband of his cousin Princess Beatrice, Andrew’s elder daughter. He also had a quick word with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, after entering the Great West Door.

Welby married Harry and Meghan at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Both Harry and Andrew were seen smiling as they walked through the abbey to their seats.

They were both seated on the third row — out of keeping with their places in the line of succession to the throne.

Harry is fifth in line, following his brother Prince William, and William’s three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Wales.

Andrew is eighth in line, coming after Harry and his children — Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. Andrew sat at the end of the row next to Beatrice. Harry sat next to Jack Brooksbank, the husband of Andrew’s younger daughter Princess Eugenie, the cousin who is perhaps Harry’s closest ally in the family.

Balcony no-show

The pair were absent from the horse-drawn procession through central London back to Buckingham Palace, with Harry seen getting into a car to leave the abbey.

Saturday marks Archie’s fourth birthday, so Harry seemed to have made a swift exit back to his home in California. Neither he or Andrew appeared with the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the ceremony.

Andrew’s links with Epstein — boyfriend of the prince’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell — came back to haunt him. A US woman, Virginia Giuffre, said she was pressured to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 after being delivered by Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution.

Andrew denied the allegations in a November 2019 BBC interview that nonetheless went down badly. Within days, he stepped back from his patronages and in May 2020 he permanently resigned from all public roles.

The case was settled out of court in February 2022, with Giuffre accepting a donation to her charity and no admission of liability from Andrew. He took part in events surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral but, beyond mourning his mother, Charles has shown no sign of allowing Andrew a return to public life.

ALSO READ: King Charles III crowned with regal pomp

Categories
-Top News UK News

Despite eviction notice, Prince Harry holds onto Frogmore Cottage

At the start of this year, King Charles asked the Sussexes to vacate the property, which left the duo “stunned”…reports Asian Lite News

An eviction notice from King Charles himself did not stop Prince Harry from heading to his former UK residence when he appeared in a London court on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of last week over a phone-hacking case against Associated Newspapers Limited, which owns the Daily Mail, Mail Online and Mail.

According to The Telegraph, the Duke of Sussex stayed at Frogmore Cottage during his visit to the United Kingdom last week, possibly to manage his belongings and decide the items that need to be shipped to the Montecito residence he shares with his wife Meghan Markle in the United States.

His stay at the royal cottage marks the first time that he has visited the five-bedroom property since his father requested him to vacate it. The eviction notice, which came sometime at the beginning of the year, came on the heels of the release of ‘Spare’, an explosive memoir by the prince.

According to royal commentator RS Locke, Prince Harry and Meghan were asked to give up their final foothold in the UK “within days of the book’s release”. “Evicting the Sussex family from Frogmore Cottage is transparently punitive and King Charles wanted the couple and the public to know it,” Locke added.

Located in Windsor’s Home Park, Frogmore Cottage was presented to Prince Harry and Meghan as a gift by deceased Queen Elizabeth II shortly after the duo tied the knot in 2018. At the start of this year, King Charles asked the Sussexes to vacate the property, which left the duo “stunned”.

“We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” a spokesperson for the pair said. As a result, the property was offered to Prince Andrew, the disgraced Duke of York, after he was asked to vacate his Royal Lodge home. It is unclear if he has accepted the offer yet.

ALSO READ-Prince Harry, Elton John appear at court in privacy lawsuit