Oct 20-21: Pressure on Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre's family's appeal, Sarah Ferguson's awkward social media moment and more

Good morning and welcome to another day of royal news. Princess Anne is stepping out in Derby today, where she will visit the Leylands Estate on the occasion of the Trust's 70th Anniversary. The royal will also visit Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited and a new motoring plant.

Stay tuned for more as the day goes on. 

On Friday, Prince Andrew issued a statement in which he said he was relinquishing his Duke of York title and honours.

Children and families minister Josh MacAlister has since said that Buckingham Palace was "absolutely right" to make the decision. "You'll understand why a Government minister isn't going to get into second guessing what Buckingham Palace and the King may decide. I imagine over the course of this week there may be lots of questions about arrangements for Prince Andrew," he told Times Radio. 

"I think it was right on Friday and we very much agree with the decision the King made and the royal family to remove titles from Prince Andrew. That is absolutely right and we welcome it, but we're not going to provide commentary on decisions by the Palace on this."

The Duchess of Sussex stepped out with her husband, Prince Harry, on Saturday to support their friends, Kelly McKee Zajfen and Julian Zajfen as they honoured the memory of their late son, George. 

Meghan was visibly moved to tears as she listened to her friend speak at the annual George Zajfen Tennis Tournament, which set up by Kelly, Meghan's friend of almost two decades.

Read the full story here. 

Did you know that actress Cate Blanchett recently teamed up with King Charles for a podcast? The pair sat down to discuss the Millennium Seed Bank and its vital role in preserving nature. The appearance marks the monarch's second podcast feature this year. 

Get all the details. 

The King and Queen posted a message on their official social media pages in celebration of Diwali, which is also known as the festival of lights and is observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.

Lady Helen Taylor, the daughter of the late Duchess of Kent, has opened up for the first time since her mother's passing. The 61-year-old wrote about her friendship with the late Italian designer, Giorgio Armani, in a piece for British Vogue's November issue. Lady Helen shared how Giorgio Armani played a role in significant moments of her life.

Sharing more details about the day her mother died, Lady Helen wrote: "It is to that day in Milan that my mind has returned of late, beginning in the early hours of 4 September, when I received news that Mr Armani had passed away, at 91 years old. Then, before the clock struck midnight that very same day, by some strange heavenly design: my beloved mother had joined him. She was 92 years old."

Read the full story here. 

On Friday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Andrew would be giving up his royal titles, including that of the Duke of York, following a discussion with King Charles. It comes amid growing pressure faced by Prince Andrew over his relations with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

It's been reported that there had been increasing frustration in Buckingham Palace at the scandals surrounding the prince.

Join HELLO! as we look into the relationship between Charles and Andrew, from their early relationship to now. 

Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, the late Princess Diana's nieces, looked spectacular during a recent outing in London. The pair were matching in pink ball gowns as they attended the inaugural British Museum Ball, which was held at the British Museum on Great Russell Street in London. 

Lady Amelia looked incredible in an asymmetrical hot pink gown featuring a dramatic bow, while Lady Eliza wowed in a slinky salmon pink evening gown, with a halter neckline. 

Click here for more details.

Monday afternoon saw King Charles make his first appearance since it was announced on Friday that his brother, Prince Andrew  had given up his royal title. The 77-year-old monarch was pictured arriving at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, showing his support for the Jewish community and those affected by the attack on 2 October.

Charles was greeted by Rabbi Daniel Walker on arrival, just a few metres from where Jihad Al-Shamie launched his terror attack outside the place of worship on 2 October.

For more on this story, check out Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey's full report here.

HELLO! has taken a look back at the best royal style photos of October 2025. From the Princess of Wales's stylish suit to Zara Tindall's classy peplum wool coat, there have been some incredible looks this month so far. 

Read our round-up here. 

We've unearthed a gorgeous fashion throwback of the Princess of Wales' sister, Pippa Middleton, rocking a delightful mermaid-hemmed dress! The mother-of-three wore the hip hugging style back in 2016 to Wimbledon, which she attended that year alongside her younger brother, James. Pippa's fabulous dress was by Suzannah London - a brand adored by the royal ladies.

For more pictures and how to style this fabulous dress, check out the full article here.

The King has expressed his sadness to survivors of the Manchester synagogue this afternoon as he sought to pay his respects to the Jewish community.

Earlier this month, two Jewish people were killed and three left in a serious condition after a car ramming and stabbing attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar.

Mr Levy, who is a Chair of the Trustees of Heaton Park, said that the King's visit today "means everything".

Remarking on the monarch's kind nature,  Mr Levy added. "He was so nice, so humble. He said to me 'if I can help your community in a small way, then it makes me happy'. And I said, you don’t realise Your Majesty, how big it is for us and how much you’re helping us."

Halloween is fast approaching and a great way to honor the season through fashion is wearing orange-hued clothes, which the Princess of Wales has managed to pull off! In 2023, the royal stepped out in a tangerine ensemble for a visit to Foxcubs Nursery in Luton, rocking a pumpkin-hued ribbed turtleneck sweater by Gabriela Hearst. She teamed the slim-fit knitwear with a ribbed midi skirt by the same high end designer, and a croc print leather belt by Ralph Lauren to break up the orange ensemble. For her accessories, Kate added Gianvito Rossi heeled boots, and upon arrival, was seen wearing a camel Massimo Dutti longline coat. 

For more on this look, check out lifestyle writer Katie Daly's feature, here.

The King left the synagogue he paid a visit to in Manchester to loud cheers and applause from the hundreds of people who had gathered along the main road. 

The monarch headed over to greet the wellwishers, most of whom were Jewish school children. The excited youngsters were delighted to see the King, and after several minutes of shaking hands he was ushered into his vehicle to head to the next engagement.

Queen Camilla headed to Champions' Day at Ascot over the weekend, accompanied by her niece, Zara Tindall. Looking gorgeous in a blue ensemble, the wife of King Charles added a coordinating brooch that caught the eyes of many. 

 UK retailer Steven Stone said of the style: "The dazzling brooch features diamonds surrounding a central blue cabochon gemstone, believed to be moonstone. This gem has long been cherished by royalty and jewellery enthusiasts alike, prized for its symbolic meanings of feminine energy, new beginnings, calmness, intuition, and safe travel."

The Duchess of Sussex took to her hugely popular Instagram account on Sunday evening to share the most stunning new video of her garden. The dazzling scene showed the most incredible, manicured lawns, alongside ripe and full trees, as well as sunshine drenched sky. 

The scene is thought to be the garden of her $29m Montecito mansion, that she resides with her husband Prince Harry, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

It's been wonderful chatting all things royal as they happen today, but now I leave you with my fabulous colleague Beatriz, who will be with you this evening.

On Friday 17 October, Sarah Ferguson lost her title of 'Duchess of York' after her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, relinquished the official moniker of Duke of York – a title that was bestowed upon him by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Sarah has been known as the Duchess of York for almost forty years since her 1986 wedding to Andrew, continuing to use the title following their 1996 divorce. However, as of Friday, both she and her ex-husband will no longer use the title of Duke and Duchess of York.

Sarah's loss of her title comes after Prince Andrew voluntarily relinquished his own title on Friday 17 October following weeks of unearthed emails between himself and convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein being reported by the media.

HELLO!'s Georgia Weir breaks down what the shift means for Sarah here. 

Princess Madeleine of Sweden shared a new photo on Instagram of her son Prince Nicolas and their family dog Teddy. On October 19, the mom of three posted a picture of her 10-year-old sitting on the ground, surrounded by yellow leaves, with Teddy on his lap. "Happy Fall day!" Madeleine simply captioned the image. 

The Prince was bundled up for the autumn day, sporting a puffer jacket, blue jeans and a baseball cap worn backwards. "Cute Prince Nicolas. Happy Autumn," one Instagram user reacted to the post. Another commented, "Very beautiful boy!" See the sweet moment here.

That's all we have for you today, folks, but make sure to come back tomorrow for more all things royal from us at HELLO!

Cheers!

Good morning! The royal news has been coming thick and fast since Prince Andrew's shock announcement on Friday night he would no longer use his titles and honours. Today, Virginia Giuffre's posthumous book, Nobody's Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, will be released, although many shocking revelations have been revealed due to segments of the memoir being published in a British newspaper.

Ms Giuffre, who settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew, died at the age of 41 in April. She was a central figure in the downfall of Epstein, who was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

In the memoir, Virginia revealed she was hired as a masseuse for Epstein and was flown around the world for meetings with men at his orders, while she was 17 and 18. She alleged that she was forced to have sex three times with Prince Andrew, saying that she was introduced to Andrew in March 2001 while staying at Maxwell's house near Hyde Park, London.

The extract, reported by The Guardian, states: "Maxwell woke me up that morning by announcing in a sing-songy voice: 'Get out of bed, sleepyhead!' It was going to be a special day, she said. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince!" Read more details in our explainer piece by HELLO!'s Online Royal Correspondent, Danielle Stacey, here.

In other royal news,  Princess Anne will visit the New Scotland Yard Crime Museum, open the Birkbeck Central Building and attend a Civic Luncheon at Trinity House.

Amid the scandal, pressure is mounting on Prince Andrew to give up his 30-bedroom mansion after it emerged he has paid a “peppercorn rent” on the property for more than 20 years.

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was “about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private” as “the public are sick of him”. Parliamentary committees could also look into the Crown Estate’s handling of Andrew’s Royal Lodge residence in Windsor. A copy of the leasehold agreement, shared with the PA news agency by the Crown Estate, which oversees the royal family’s land and property holdings, shows Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the property in 2003.

This October half-term, visitors to Windsor Castle can see a display of books drawn from the Royal Library each afternoon as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary this year of Jane Austen’s birth. 

On public display for the first time will be a copy of Pride and Prejudice, which came from Prince Albert’s private library and was the very copy from which he read aloud to Queen Victoria. Alongside it, George IV’s specially bound copy of Emma, which was personally dedicated by Jane Austen to the king (then Prince Regent), will be on display for visitors.

 Pride and Prejudice was one of many books that Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert read together; she recorded in her journal how in July 1853, while she was recovering from measles, Albert 'in the evening began reading to me Miss Austen's Pride & Prejudice'. He continued to read it over several days, and the Queen was evidently hooked, describing it as ‘very amusing’, 'admirably written' and 'interesting & entertaining'.

Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, have appealed to President Trump to "release the Epstein files" in an exclusive interview with Channel 4.

In the wide-ranging podcast interview for 'The Fourcast' to be released on Tuesday, Jackie Long spoke to the couple about the woman behind the headlines, the legacy she leaves, and the campaigning she wanted to be remembered for. They condemn the inaction of the US and UK governments and the Metropolitan Police, calling the Epstein scandal "one of the biggest international cover ups in the history of the world", whilst demanding The Epstein Files be released in full, with names of victims redacted, and names of those involved unredacted.

"Every document leak, every email leak, it stinks of a cover up and I think it's time that we get back and use our voices for good and our government needs to remind themselves they work for us", they say. Appealing directly to the US President, they call on Trump to act in the interest of survivors, arguing that any failure to act would contradict his campaign promises to "drain the swamp".

"Remember that you were elected for this position, that your constituents who voted for you, your constituents, who didn't vote for you serve every single one of them. This is not a party issue. It's not a political toy that you or your administration can dangle," they say. "I think we've all reached a point across every single aisle where we are asking this of you. You promised from the very beginning of your campaign and even your last presidency that you would be a president that was going to drain the swamp, that was gonna uncover corruption. This is one of the biggest cases of corruption. And we are asking you to do the right thing. Will you hold to your promise," they conclude.

King Charles has just acquired an impressive 221-acre site in Oxfordshire. Planning permission has been sought to transform the now-farmland into 400 new homes as well as an office, laboratory and factory. It's positioned next to the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire and it's part of the Crown Estate's plans to assist in the UK's science sector. 

Dan Labbad, chief executive of the Crown Estate, has spoken out about the proposed plans: "The UK's science, innovation and technology community is pushing the boundaries of progress in areas from AI (artificial intelligence) to advanced manufacturing. But they need the specialised lab facilities and housing to realise potential. The ambition of Harwell East is to create the space for great science to flourish, and to fuel growth and success not just in the region but for the benefit of the whole country." 

The Crown Estate has pledged to fork out £1.5 billion in investments for science, technology and innovation sectors across the UK over the next 15 years, and this seems like a massive stride for that initiative. 

Hi, I'm Rachel and I'll be manning the royal blog this afternoon, keeping you up to date with the engagements and news from the royal family. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla have made a third undisclosed donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal supporting those in Gaza, a report has revealed. Charities are increasing aid following the ceasefire agreement. The monarch was among the first to donate to the appeal following its launch last October with a second contribution coming in February this year.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium has been pictured looking pretty in pink at Le Bois du Cazier industrial heritage site and former coal mine, in Marcinelle, Brussels, as she and her husband, King Philippe, host the Italian President. The royal chose a head-to-toe dusky pink look complete with matching gloves, bag and hat.

Princess Diana's nieces, Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer are our current style icons. We love swooning over their outfits and accessories and now we've got hair envy too! Eliza has debuted mermaid waves - and we adore the new look. Check it out here.

King Charles' beloved Highgrove House property has never looked better in fresh pictures of the gorgeous grounds. Showcasing the seasonal changes, the images capture the rust-coloured leaves around the iconic sanctuary. Stunning!