Royal Family LIVE: King Charles makes 'declaration of war' on Harry and Meghan

Princess Lilibet has been given an adorable new nickname after her recent trip to Disney. Meghan Markle took to Instagram yesterday to share photographs from a recent family trip to the theme park with Prince Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, alongside her own mum Doria Ragland.

The photographs showed the family enjoying Disney to the full, meeting characters and having fun on the rides. However, there was one photograph that seemed to get the attention of royal fans online.

This was a picture of Princess Lilibet hugging Cinderella.

For years, the world has watched the boundary between respect for the monarchy and hunger for drama blur into an indistinguishable line. And, with shows like Netflix’s The Crown, the days of quiet deference are gone, with years of shifting politics and fading empires to tackle, drama will always prevail.

With the update that new episodes of the show, which will examine the years following Queen Victoria's death in 1901 and Princess Elizabeth's wedding in 1947, have been greenlit, there is a chance for further scrutiny when every event from the two World Wars to Edward VIII’s abdication crisis and the uneasy accession of George VI will be looked at with fresh eyes.

While many fans of the Royal Family will be delighted by the news, one of Britain's leading historians has issued a stark warning.

Flora Vesterberg has shared some behind-the-scenes pictures from her London-based baby shower. The 31-year-old, who tied the knot with Timothy Vesterberg in 2021, announced her pregnancy back in January.

The royal, who is one of Princess Alexandra's granddaughters, shared some pictures from the special day on Instagram to her 73 thousand followers. The caption read: "A heavenly baby shower! Thank you to all of my wonderful girlfriends for equipping me for motherhood. "I’m very grateful for your wisdom. And to my husband and parents for the garden flowers and endless Swedish buns and blackberries."

Over the last 10 years, the British monarchy has changed considerably. Not only do we have King Charles on the throne now, rather than his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, but we also have a different number of working royals too.

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle having quit royal life in 2020, and Andrew having had to step away from royal duty just before that, the pool of working royals does seem significantly smaller. However, it is still working for now.

This is because King Charles and Queen Camilla, the head of the family, are supported by some very loyal working royals.

There is no denying that the monarchy has fewer working royals than it once did, which some may see as a concern. However, it seems that this is not something Express readers are worried about.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been accused of kicking his dog in the head by a royal biographer. Andrew Lownie’s upcoming book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, alleges the incident happened at Sandringham.

According to the book, a friend of the Royal Family joined the former prince at the monarch’s Norfolk estate for a pheasant shoot. Lownie writes: "Mid-morning, everyone gathered for hot soup and sausage rolls. The guest was standing next to Andrew, who had his Labrador by his side. Suddenly, the dog leapt and snatched the guest’s sausage roll from his hand, causing him to laugh.” Lownie alleges that Andrew then "kicked the dog in the head, leaving her whimpering on the ground." According to the author, the guest told Andrew: "That is the most disgusting thing that you have just done to your beautiful dog. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Royal fans have been sent into a frenzy after one of Princess Catherine’s relatives were spotted with Queen Camilla this week. The Princess of Wales’ brother, James Middleton, was all smiles on Tuesday as he attended a reception at Clarence House hosted by Queen Camilla.

The reception was in honour of cancer-detecting dogs trained by Medical Detection Dogs. The dogs are trained to sniff out signs of cancer in humans.

James was present at the event as his company, Ella & Co, donates treats for the dogs, who carry out life-saving work.

King Charles has made a telling five-word comment about his health this week at the latest Buckingham Palace garden party. The King and Queen Camilla hosted the party on Tuesday, which was the third garden party of 2026, and were joined by The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

The royals spent time talking to as many of the thousands of guests as possible. The party was held to honour frontline workers across the country.

As well as learning about the vital work the guests carry out, the King also chatted to one lady about health and ageing.

The Princess of Wales’s two-day trip to Italy has been described as a “significant moment” for the future Queen as she seeks to expand her early childhood campaign on the global stage. Catherine, who will arrive in the red-roofed Renaissance city of Bologna on Wednesday afternoon, is feeling “energised and enthused” for her first overseas trip since her cancer diagnosis in early 2024.

Eighteen months after Catherine announced she was in remission, the trip is seen as an “important step” in the Princess’ recovery as she throws herself into her early years' work with renewed vigour and plans to “take it up a gear”. Though her team are mindful to find the right balance as she manages her return to work alongside her ongoing recovery.

“This is a huge moment for the princess,” an aide to the princess said. “There will be many highlights of 2026 but this being her first international visit post her recovery… this is a really significant moment for her.”

Prince William is determined to watch his favourite football team compete in the Europa League final, a Palace source has revealed.

The Prince of Wales attended the semi-final of the Europa League on May 7, where his beloved team beat out Nottingham Forest for a place in the final. A lifelong Villa supporter, Prince William was gripped by the drama unfolding at Villa Park. A brace from John McGinn capped off a momentous evening following earlier strikes from Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia, with the future king barely containing his excitement. He was seen punching the air and singing along to "Sweet Caroline" as fans celebrated the victory, their first major European final since 1982. Now, Aston Villa is set to face the German team Freiburg in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 20, and the prince looks set to hopefully take part in the celebrations. A win would be the club’s first major trophy in 30 years.

A former butler to King Charles has spoken about the many cars the monarch has driven in his lifetime, and some have special features or additions. This includes a Jaguar on which a small, but pertinent, message about the King’s stance on nature is displayed. Speaking on behalf of Select Car Leasing, Grant claimed: “He also has a Jaguar which has a big sticker on the back saying ‘Save the Red Squirrel’.”

The endangered native animal has seen a severe population decline due to the introduction of American grey squirrels. For over 50 years, Charles has been a prominent advocate for environmental sustainability, focusing on organic farming, climate change action, and biodiversity conservation. He established organic practices at his Highgrove estate and is a passionate champion for conserving natural landscapes.

Princess Catherine will travel overseas this week with a solo visit to Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy. The visit will be the 44-year-old's first overseas trip since 2023, and her first since her cancer diagnosis in early 2024.

Travelling on behalf of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, Catherine will be studying the "Reggio Emilia Approach," an educational philosophy focusing on community-based, early-years education that emphasizes nature, creativity, and the role of the child. The trip follows her previous work on early childhood development and aligns with her efforts to promote outdoor learning and human connection over excessive screen time for children.

Here, the Daily Express looks at everything we need to know about Catherine's upcoming Italian visit.

Good morning. Royal reporter Jasmine Carey here and I will be bringing you royal updates today.

You can contact me at jasmine.carey@reachplc.com.

Prince Harry has been branded a "spoiled brat" after it was reported he is "very sad" that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are "missing out on life with the rest of their family". Describing his heartache, a source close to the Duke of Sussex, 41, said he was saddened that his two children are missing out on the "extensive family network that their cousins are enjoying," referring to Prince William's children.

"I don't know what this spoiled brat expects," raged Sky News Australia host Danica De Giorgio. "What did he expect when he uprooted his family and went to live in Montecito and constantly slammed the Royal Family?"

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Royal Family. We'll bring you the latest throughout the day.