23 September: Princess of Wales' moving message to Southport students during visit with Prince William, Duchess of York updates, more

It appears a seventh charity is preparing to cut ties with the Duchess of York. Tonight, the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals removed any mention of the Duchess from its dedicated ambassadors page as well as a picture of her with a dog.

Looking relaxed, chatting and exchanging smiles, the Princess of Wales and Melania Trump could not have seemed happier to spend time together in the autumn sunshine, proving the strength of their own close bond and the genuine connection within the wider special relationship between the US and the UK, and HELLO's royal correspondent Emily Nash has the inside scoop on how the two ladies' friendship evolved during the Trumps' most recent visit.

As they joined four- and five-year-olds from the Squirrels, the youngest branch of the Scouts, for a series of nature-based activities in the grounds of Frogmore House, they were a world away from the formality and opulence of the lavish state banquet that they had attended the night before. Yet their first official joint engagement had every bit as much significance for the future of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"You could very much see how warm and friendly they were after spending time together," said a Kensington Palace source. Catch up on the full inside story here. 

The Princess of Wales has partaken in a variety of incredible royal tours over the years, and style-wise, always delivers. We were recently reminded of the royal tour of Boston in 2022, when a Boston Police Lieutenant shared a never-before-seen snap of himself with Kate and Prince William. Bret LaBelle shared the picture, in which he stands proudly amongst the royal couple, penning: "In honor of the Royal visit this week, here’s a shot of me greeting Prince William and Princess Catherine. Such an honor to meet them — both super down to earth and easy to talk to. The Prince of Wales was very friendly, and the Princess of Wales is just as stunning in person as she is on TV. Grateful for the experience!"

The mother of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis looked as fabulous as ever in her chocolate brown outfit, which is giving pure autumnal vibes. See the quintessential fall ensemble here.

That's all the royal news we have for you today, but come right back here tomorrow morning to see what else the royals are up to on Tuesday, September 23.

Cheers!

Good morning, welcome to Tuesday. Today we've learned that Prince Harry will appear in an upcoming documentary calling for investment to end Aids. Princess Anne is also out in London visiting the HM Royal Naval Base in Portsmouth and the National Maritime Museum. Princess Charlene has also made an appearance at the Sócrates Award ceremony. 

Keep reading for all the latest royal news.

The Duke of Sussex is set to appear in a documentary which will draw attention to the importance of funding Aids prevention. Prince Harry will advocate that "drastic cuts" could reverse the progress that's been made against HIV and Aids in a new short film that will premiere at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.

Basketballer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, actress Charlize Theron and South African actress Thuso Mbedu, will also appear in the short alongside the Duke.

Princess Charlene of Monaco made a stunning appearance at the 2025 Sócrates Award in Paris, France. She appeared in a sleek white gown as she presented the award where she gave a powerful speech, saying: 

"In Monaco, sports are highly regarded and the principality has been elected as the World Capital of Sports in 2025. As former Olympians, the Prince and I share the vision of the exemplary and educational importance of sports. We hope that by promoting sports, the corresponding values contribute to a more balanced development of the youth."

© UEFA via Getty Images

Despite Meghan and Harry's Netflix ventures attracting widespread criticism, one person is singing the couple's praises and that's Ted Sarandos. Ted, who is co-CEO of Netflix, spoke on the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast, saying: "One thing we learned early with Meghan... she has remarkable influence -remarkable." 

Ted then spoke about Harry and Meghan's eponymous documentary, which launched in two parts in December 2022.

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"And by the way, the documentary itself was also one of the most watched documentaries we've ever had. So it was [...] successful in every measure. 

"Now I don't think that you can have a consumer products business if you don't have a great entertainment business. So that's got to come first."

The Princess Royal is set to visit The Naval Children’s Charity to celebrate the charity’s 200th anniversary, and there's a special link to the Queen.

This is the first visit by Her Royal Highness since becoming Patron after taking over from her mother, the late Queen, who spent 70 years as the previous patron.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to appear in Southport today to meet with the families of the victims - Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe - who tragically lost their lives at a dance class in the town.

Their Royal Highnesses last visited Southport in October of last year where they met with the local community following the incident. During the visit, Their Royal Highnesses met with bereaved families of those killed and the emergency responders who responded to the attack.

Prince William and Princess Kate have arrived in Southport for a moving engagement in memory of the children who lost their lives last year.

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HELLO!'s Royal Editor, Emily Nash in on the ground in Southport for The Prince and Princess of Wales visit. She says:

"The Prince and Princess of Wales have returned to Southport to show their continued support to the community following the July 2024 knife attack on a children's dance class.

William and Kate travelled first to Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School, where seven-year-old Elsie was a pupil and were greeted by 430 children from the infant school where she had been due to start in Year 3 last Autumn. Staff and parents, including Elsie’s parents Jenni and David also joined the group.

The royal couple were welcomed by Peter Oliver, deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, June Burns, Mayor of Sefton, Marion Atkinson, leader of Sefton council and its CEO Phillip Porter. 

Jennie Sephton, head of the infant school, where Elsie was a pupil, and Adrian Antell, head of the junior school, then introduced the royal couple to members of the school council - 16 from the junior school and 16 from the infant school. 

They also met privately with Elsie’s parents Jenni and David in the headteacher’s office. Along with Alice's father Sergio Aguiar, David ran the London Marathon in April in memory of their daughters and the Prince and Princess donated to their fundraising efforts."

Princess Kate has met with schoolchildren from Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School. She said to the pupils: "Well I am very impressed with all of you, all the hard work you’ve done. What a fantastic thing to learn how to raise money to help other people. Fantastic, so keep up your hard work and thank you."

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I'm Rachel and I'm heading up the royal blog this afternoon to bring you all the latest news as it happens.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared their own social media post after meeting with children in Southport today. The heartfelt photos show little ones clutching their Union Jacks as Kate gave them a wave. How sweet! 

King Charles' team have given a disappointing update on the status of Balmoral Castle. Find out all of the details here. 

The Queen of Spain has been pictured at the Cancer Research Centre at Miguel de Unamuno campus on World Cancer Research Day. Queen Letizia looked elegant in a grey belted blazer as she shook hands and gave a speech. 

© Europa Press via Getty Images

© Europa Press via Getty Images

Emily Nash reports that the Prince and Princess spent around 20 minutes in an "emotional" private meeting with Jenni and David Stancombe, who then introduced them to some of the teachers and teaching assistants who had known Elsie.

Kate was given a posy of pink and white flowers – made by the same florist who created the school’s wreath for the little girl and which contained a silver fabric butterfly, just as the wreath had.

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Jennie Sephton said afterwards: "I was able to say to the Princess before she left that there’s a butterfly in there and that Elsie was part of the day as well."

The royal couple had also spent time chatting to Jennie, who is head of the Infants School, and Junior School headteacher Adrian Antell and heard how both had taken part in a skydive to raise funds for Elsie’s story.

"You went skydivng?!" asked William, clearly impressed. "Oh no! First time for both of you, I take it?" Asked if he had ever done one, he said: "I've parachuted, I've not skydived. I've parachuted into the sea. "Would you do it again?" he asked, laughing when Jennie revealed she had already done so. "I could see your eyes there, you’re looking like, 'Oh I quite liked the adrenaline rush'," he told her.

The headteachers explained that pupils had paid £5 to Elsie’s Story to break 15 rules and they in turn had pledged to jump out of a plane at 15,000ft if they reached a £15,000 target.

HELLO!'s Royal Editor, Emily Nash has listened to Prince William's speech in Southport today, at a playground opening in honour of the victims of the Southport attack.

The Prince of Wales said: "Thank you Jinnie - or should I say Mrs Payne, I don’t want to get into trouble! Good afternoon, everyone. Catherine and I were sadly not able to join you last week when this wonderful new playground had its grand opening. We are so happy to be with you today to celebrate this project and to say how proud we are of the community of Southport.

"The tragic events that unfolded in this town last year still remain difficult to comprehend. Last year, Alex and Sergio, you told us you wanted to create a special playground in memory of the girls and here we are. Your vision and your determination, supported by Jinnie, the Trust and people’s generosity, has made this hope a reality. This playground is a symbol of how the community have come together to create such a positive space for the pupils of this school - a symbol of remembrance and resilience, a testament that love will always overcome tragedy.

"Many lives were changed on that terrible day – including countless members of this school community. Bebe, Alice and Elsie’s friends and classmates have come together to support each other and remember the girls in their own way. To the teaching community here at Churchtown Primary and Farnborough Road, where we visited this morning – each and every one of you has gone above and beyond to help heal this incredible group of young people. Thank you.

"To Alex and Sergio, Lauren and Ben, Jenni and David – you are parents united in grief. You have faced such horror - but from that you move forward with grace and fortitude – creating the most remarkable legacies for your girls. We will always be here to support you. To everyone impacted on that day you will never be forgotten. Enjoy this playground. Be brave, be joyful and be kind. Thank you."

Emily reports that the children had been told who their VIP visitors would be only 10 minutes before they arrived, having been told they needed to look smart for photographs.

Head of the Infants School, Jennie said of the royal visit, "It's made such a big difference. It was something that Jenni and David wanted them to do right from the beginning. It was around the recognition of what staff have done, how they have supported the family, how they have supported the children going forward. And it's just real recognition that they value Jenni and David but they have also listened. It's just so special."

It is understood that it was important for the Stancombes for the Prince and Princess to visit and they both very much wanted to be there.

Junior School headteacher, Adrian, added: "I would like to thank the royal couple for coming today and for coming to our school and for coming to Farnborough Road and recognising what we did. They spoke so wonderfully about what this community has done together, and they thanked this community for the work they have done, I think that's really important we get that out."

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Asked how the school had coped with the tragedy, he said: "Every day is different and every child is different. Sadly Elsie didn’t arrive with her class in September, when she should have come. So we’ve had to change support around the class that she’s sadly no longer part of, as well as other children in the school who’ve been impacted by the tragedy."

Both schools have received extra funding from the local authority to pay for play therapy, counselling and training for staff in trauma approaches. The school has also received donations, including a new garden created by the Southport Flower Show.

“Out of a terrible tragedy, people have been kind to us as a school community and have looked after us,” said Adrian. "We knew it wasn’t going to be solved in a year," adds Jennie. "Children need support and adults will need support for a long time. This is something that’s deeply affected not only our staff, children and families, but the wider community.” 

"Children are missing their friends," said Adrian. "How do you explain that to an eight-year-old?"

During the visit, Prince William also recommended Child Bereavement UK, of which he is patron, and whose northern lead, Sophie Cartwright, is coincidentally a former pupil of Farnborough Primary School.

Jennie said afterwards: "We just couldn't believe it. I thought, wow, this is just fate, when someone's there to support you at a time when you're struggling through."

See the most moving photos from Prince William and Princess Kate's poignant visit to Southport today. 

Kate made a beeline for the younger pupils, crouching down to speak to them, while William chatted to the older children, reveals Royal Editor, Emily Nash. 

"He talked about what our favourite lessons were and our favourite lunch menus," said Jessica Hazelhurst, 10.

"And he really wanted brownies on the menu. He loves Brownies, so we’re on the same team," added Ellis Paynter, also 10.

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Speaking after the visit, Adrian said: "We talked really about support and how the class had been and so on. But you can see they're tremendously supportive, because at the end of the day, this is a mum and a dad of children who are very similar age, and every human being has huge empathy for what's happened in Southport and they'll be no different than that, but they're in a position, perhaps, that they can influence and lead and thank people for what they've done."

Jennie added that she had asked for all the pupils to be able to greet the royal visitors when they arrived and departed, saying: "We're about building memories for them and positive memories."

Netflix CEO defends Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's eponymously named documentary after the show faced criticism. Discover the glowing words of praise he had for the Duchess.

© Photo: Netflix

Sarah, Duchess of York, sent an apology email to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein after he threatened to "destroy" her family in a "chilling call", it has been reported. The Duchess, 65, has been dropped by several of her charities after it emerged she sent a message to Epstein.

Read here for what we know about the email, and what Sarah's spokesperson at the time had to say. 

Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands and Princess Amalia of The Netherlands were seen seated together during the opening session of the 80th General Assembly at United Nations.

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The Princess and Princess of Wales shared a post on Instagram reiterating their support for the families of the three young girls killed in the Southport attack that targeted a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.

A number of charities have distanced themselves from Sarah, Duchess of York after an apology email to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, in which she described him as a "supreme friend," was unearthed by The Sun. The message was sent to the sex offender in April 2011, just weeks after she gave an interview in which she publicly disowned him.

The ex-wife of the Duke of York has faced many ups and downs since her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996. While she is no longer a member of the royal family, she is still known as Sarah, Duchess of York, which is the customary styling for former wives of peers. A divorced royal wife can keep her courtesy title by placing her first name before it, like in the case of Princess Diana, who became Diana, Princess of Wales, after her divorce from Prince Charles.

HELLO!'s royal correspondent Danielle Stacey explains more here. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh has been styling up a storm during her trip to Japan, which concluded on Monday, but it is a certain look that flew under the radar until now that tops the lot. Duchess Sophie, 60, swapped her usual floral floaty dresses for ultimate workwear chic – and looked so youthful. The wife of Prince Edward, who was spotted attending a Women, Peace and Security Dinner and a meeting with Japanese stakeholders on 20 September, channeled business Barbie in a soft pink blazer.

See the look here.

The Prince and Princess of Wales each sported a sentimental accessory for their visit to the Southport community on Tuesday. Prince William and Kate, both 43, continued their support for the grieving families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July last year.

William and Kate had private meetings with Bebe's parents, Lauren King, 42, and her husband Ben, 43, as well as Alice's parents, Sergio and Alexandra Aguiar, when they arrived at the school. For the rest of the visit, the Prince and Princess wore friendship bracelets given to them by the Kings, which said Bebe's Hive, the name of the charity set up in her memory.

That's all the royal news we have for you for today, folks. Come back tomorrow for more all things royals from us at HELLO!

Cheers!