Meghan Markle's '£6k gift from Victoria Beckham' had 'zero effect'

King Charles's Private Secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, was strategically seated next to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during tonight's State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. It was held in honour of the visiting Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was seated next to British computer scientist, Dame Wendy Hall. Sir Clive is the principal private secretary to the King and Queen, and the former diplomat is the couple's most important aide.

According to polls, Mr Starmer has a strong likelihood of becoming the next prime minister, ahead of the General Election on July 4.

King Charles made a sweet nod to his royal grandchildren as he delivered a speech at the state banquet thrown in honour of Emperor Nahurito and Empress Masako of Japan.

Paying tribute to his important guests, who are on a three-day official visit to the UK, the monarch referred to Japanese cultural icons including the fictional character Hello Kitty and the video game Pokemon while addressing the Emperor.

Referring to the four-decade-long friendship he shares with the Japanese emperor, King Charles reminisced about the times they went fly fishing together, cracking a self-deprecating joke.

The Duchess of Edinburgh appeared to give a subtle nod to the Princess of Wales tonight as she attended the state banquet held at Buckingham Palace in honour of the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

At the major engagement, Sophie dazzled in a green short-sleeved dress by Suzannah, which she paired with glittering jewels including the Lotus Flower Tiara and a diamond necklace, lent to her by Queen Camilla.

Eagle-eyed royal fans noticed that one major detail in the Duchess' stunning outfit linked her to the Princess of Wales - her tiara.

Queen Camilla looked sensational tonight as she arrived at Buckingham Palace to host the glittering state banquet for the Emperor and Empress of Japan alongside King Charles.

The Queen stunned in a cream silk crepe embroidered dress by Fiona Clare, one of her signature designers, which she paired with silver heels and a silver clutch.

She accessorised the beautiful ensemble with a diamond necklace and a matching set of ruby and diamond earrings and bracelet.

But it was Camilla's striking and highly controversial tiara which stole the show - the Burmese Ruby and diamond tiara, famously worn by the late Queen Elizabeth and estimated to be worth around £7million.

The King’s Family Order was worn for the first time at tonight's state banquet, with Camilla wearing both Charles's and the late Queen’s badge.

It features a new portrait of the King - painted by miniaturist Elizabeth Meek MBE this year and based on a photograph of the monarch wearing the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet and his array of decorations taken by Hugo Bernard in 2023 - surrounded by diamonds weighing 10.41 carat and suspended from a pale blue silk bow.

The diamonds are used from the existing collection of loose stones in Royal possession. His Majesty personally selected the colour of the ribbon, which is based on the Family Order of his great-grandfather, King George V, and marks a change from the yellow that decorated the late Queen’s.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are hosting a lavish state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the Emperor and Empress of Japan as they complete day one of their visit to the UK.

Tonight's glittering event will see the Japanese visitors mingle with the British royalty, including the King and Queen themselves, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

It features a three-course menu which includes langoustines (Norway lobsters), turbot and peach sorbet, according to Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry may use a potential second memoir to explain why he and Meghan Markle no longer speak to her father, Thomas Markle.

Mr Markle, who is fast approaching his 80th birthday, is no longer on speaking terms with his youngest daughter, Meghan.

The 79-year-old, who last spoke to Meghan in 2018, admits that the fact he has never met Harry also makes "no sense" to him.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were brutally savaged by a royal commentator over contradicting themselves regarding their possible future unofficial royal tours.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria for three days back in May with the couple hinting at more tours to come in the future.

But now a royal commentator based in Australia has blasted the couple's plans and called them out for "contradicting themselves" after highlighting their need for privacy on several occasions.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have received a welcome boost to their social media accounts after Prince William attended Taylor Swift’s concert, a new study reveals. The Eras Tour show at Wembley Arena took place on his birthday last Friday.

Prince William, who turned 42 on Friday, took his two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to the popstar's concert and the next day posted a selfie from their encounter backstage.

Following the adorable snap, William and Princess Kate's Instagram account saw its followers skyrocket by more than 200,000 in just two days.

Zara Tindall has made a visit to hospital in Bristol to see her mother Princess Anne, as she recovers from a minor head injury following an accident involving a horse at the weekend.

Zara looked casual and chic in all denim and trainers as she headed to the hospital in the warm weather.

The royal donned a pair of denim shorts, a denim shirt with its sleeves rolled up, a beige handbag and a pair of grey Adidas trainers. She completed the look with a pair of brown sunglasses and her hair pulled into a ponytail.

Princess Anne was given special "home treats" during lunch at hospital today from her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. The royal has been recovering from concussion, after sustaining minor head injuries when she was kicked in the head by a horse.

Anne's husband was spotted visiting his wife in hospital today, giving a major update about her recovery and confirming she is doing fine.

He was wearing an open-collar shirt and blazer, and carrying what appeared to be a blue cool bag as much of the nation swelters in the first heatwave of the year.

Princess Anne is "doing fine", according to her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, who confirmed her condition as he left the hospital in which she is receiving treatment. The Princess Royal was kicked in the head by a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate on Sunday night.

As a result, she was admitted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with concussion and minor injuries, where she remains. Buckingham Palace confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Vice Admiral Tim Laurence told reporters today: “She’s doing fine - slow but sure.”

Empress Masako of Japan has provoked a reaction on social media with her decision to wear a face mask while accompanying Queen Camilla on a carriage ride in the Semi-State Landau.

The Empress and Emperor Naruhito of Japan are beginning a three-day state official state visit, and following a ceremonial welcome at the Horse Guards Parade travelled to Buckingham Palace for a private lunch.

The Queen travelled with the Empress, both dressed in stylish yet classic white, although the face mask worn by the Japanese royal led some to ask questions.

Good afternoon from Manchester, I'm Sophia Papamavroudi and I'll be bringing you all the latest royal updates into this evening.

Feel free to get in touch with me as I work at sophia.papamavroudi@reachplc.com

Sir Timothy Laurence has travelled to Southmead Hospital in Bristol to be reunited with his wife Princess Anne, who has so far spent two nights there.

It is believed the two had lunch together, following her admission on Sunday evening for minor injuries and concussion.

Her injuries are thought to be connected to an incident with a horse.

As a result the Princess Royal will be unable to attend the Japanese State Banquet tonight.

Queen Camilla and King Charles have officially welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan to the UK.

A ceremonial welcome typical of the royals was held at Horse Guards Parade, before the group travelled on to Buckingham Palace.

The Queen wore a white dress with black piping by Anna Valentine, a matching hat by royal favourite Philip Treacy and a diamond flower brooch.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry live in a stunning mansion in Montecito, California, with their two young children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The house is said to be worth £12 million and features nine bedrooms and 5.4 acres of land.

The luxurious property features a library, office, spa, gym, game room, wine cellar, and playground in the impressive back garden.

Other features in the garden include a tennis court, tea house, children’s cottage, pool, and five-car garage.

Princess Anne has been struggling to recall exactly what happened to her as she recovers in hospital from concussion.

The Princess Royal has been in Southmead Hospital in Bristol since Sunday evening after suffering minor injuries at her home in Gloucestershire.

Although there has been speculation that she may have been kicked by a horse, it is unknown exactly what happened as Anne cannot remember the details.

She is expected to make a full recovery.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are losing power and popularity, despite being one of the most public couples in the world.

The Daily Beast's Royal Power List has ranked Harry and Meghan as having 34 percent and 26 percent popularity respectively.

Prince William appears to have a popularity ranking of 67 percent - and 97 percent for 'fame'. Showing higher than her husband for popularity, Princess Kate - who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year - stands at 71 percent.

Kate's 'fame' ranking currently stands at 95 percent - two percent lower than William.

EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle has struggled to adjust to the level of fame that Prince Harry is used to, according to a royal expert.

Press Box PR’s Lynn Carratt told Daily Express US: "Meghan wasn’t known in the UK, Suits wasn’t all that popular.

"Even now, I think it’s all a little bit new to her, that she’s worldwide famous because if she had never married Harry, she never would have had this level of fame."

Meghan Markle's father Thomas Markle has given an interview ahead of his 80th birthday in which he expressed regret over his relationship with his daughter.

In 2018 the pair fell out after he staged paparazzi photos and they have not spoken since.

Mr Markle spoke of his sadness that he has never met his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

He also said he had questioned why Prince Harry had never reached out to him.

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Prince Harry is missing one thing about his former royal life in the UK, a royal expert has claimed.

Richard Fitzwilliams has said that Harry likely misses large grand events such as Trooping the Colour, particularly with his military background.

He told The Sun: "The military has been a very important part of [Harry's] life, and I would have thought [it's] only natural he would have had a feeling of some regret [not being at Trooping the Colour].

"I think Meghan would be indifferent to a ceremony like Trooping the Colour... I don't think it would mean a great deal to her.

"If it had done, she would have managed to carve a position within the Royal Family where she could have been of use."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are becoming "increasingly irrelevant" when competing with the Royal Family in the news cycle, according to an expert.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! magazine: "I can't honestly imagine that they are sitting there scheming to make announcements on the same day as a royal event. Surely they are bigger than that?

"It's true that there have been some rather strange coincidences in the past about the timing of some of their announcements.

But I think they are becoming less and less relevant to the news over here, and the Royal Family will command the attention every time."

Queen Camilla has offered her best tip for keeping entertained on long car journeys.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Queen's Reading Room podcast, she revealed that amid her jam-packed schedule of royal engagements, she enjoys listening to audiobooks when undertaking long car rides.

The Queen said: "I think audiobooks, long drives are absolutely wonderful for, because you can lose yourself."

Princess Anne is continuing to recover well after her concussion, with her favourite snack possibly helping her through.

Former royal chef Darren McGrady has previously revealed that Anne likes bananas so ripe they would almost be considered inedible.

He mentioned to TODAY about her unusual preference: "Princess Anne almost always preferred the bananas almost black - over ripe - because they digested easier."

EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle's fanbase plays a key role in her PR moves, meaning she feels confident in her decisions as she knows they will support her whatever happens.

Sara Fruman, Hollywood publicist and founder of Soul Evolution Media, told Daily Express US: "Princess Kate has a more traditional loyal following of Royal Family fans, where Meghan's following is primarily people who are just interested to see what she will do at this point.

"Respect should be first and foremost. This should continue whether your business is new or not.

"People can see through her and don't connect with her."

Good morning, I am Catherine Meyer-Funnell and I'll be bringing you all the very latest royal updates into this afternoon. Feel free to get in touch at cathey.meyerfunnell@reachplc.com