Royal family RECAP: Harry, Meghan & kids hosted by King & Queen, Albanian royals welcome son, and more

The Duchess of Edinburgh has made a surprise cameo appearance on the longrunning BBC Radio 4 show, The Archers.

Sophie, who has been a fan of the series for years, joined the cast for the Thursday July 9 episode.

The Duchess recorded her segment at the BBC Mailbox in Birmingham in May, with her scenes featuring Tim Bentnick, who plays David Archer, David Troughton, who stars as Tony Archer, and Susie Riddell, who appears as Tracy Horrobin.

Sophie played herself, appearing at the fictional Borchester Show as the honorary president of the real-world organization Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf).

Have you read our VIP exclusive this week, taking you inside the world of Renae Plant, who has made it her lifelong mission to collect and reunite Princess Diana's treasured items?

© Jonas Mohr

From gala dresses to honeymoon hats, and from baby shoes to trinkets given to Diana’s beloved friends, Renae, 55, has scoured the globe in the hope of bringing them back together, spending an undisclosed amount in the process. 

"My job is to bring them all back into one resting place so that people can actually see them together one day. It's never been about the money or how much things cost," she tells HELLO!

Read the full story here.

HELLO! can confirm that the Duchess of Sussex will not be attending any public UK events amid speculation that she will join Prince Harry in the country this week.

It's been a tough week for Prince Harry.

Our royal poll this week asked if the royals should do more to reconcile with Prince Harry, to which 50% of you said no, with the remaining votes split evenly between the affirmative and the equivocal. 

But should Harry's children be given the chance to meet their cousins?

Take our new poll here.

Meghan's decision to visit the UK has been under strict speculation, with reports swirling that Meghan would also bring their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

On July 4 HELLO! was informed that Meghan and the children would not join him in London, with Meghan pulling out of a public appearance at Royal Chelsea Hospital.

However, the Telegraph is now reporting that Meghan will be visiting the UK, and the children will also be joining their parents.

Lilibet has never visited the UK, and Archie has not been in the country since the family left in 2020.

Prince Harry, 41, is carrying out a five-day visit from 7 to 11 July, and he was trying to find a way to safely bring Meghan and the children to the UK despite concerns over how they will be protected and confusion over where they will stay.

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Prince William has paid tribute to the late singer Bonnie Tyler, who has died at the age od 75.

The Prince of Wales, who honored Bonnie with her MBE in 2023, wrote: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bonnie Tyler. A proud Welsh icon, her extraordinary voice and unforgettable music touched millions around the world and will continue to inspire generations to come.

"Our thoughts are with her husband, family, friends and all who loved her. Diolch am y gerddoriaeth. W."

The English translation reads: "Thank you for the music."

I love this look into the relationship between the late Prince Philip and the Princess of Wales, who doesn't waver from one key royal rule she learnt from the late Duke.

Because of his unwavering duty to his role, Philip was in a position to offer advice to new members of the royal family, including Princess Kate, and according to royal author Gyles Brandreth, the Prince once shared a golden rule of royalty with Kate.

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Find out more here.

Good morning! Welcome to another busy day for royals across the globe. I'll be keeping you up to speed on all the latest updates this morning, so stay tuned!

What's on today's agenda? 

Prince Harry will watch and take part in a series of exhibition events today at the Invictus one-year-to-go event at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. The NEC is the main venue for the 2027 Invictus Games.

Prince William will take part in a charity polo match today, which has become an improtant fundraiser for his charities. Funds raised by the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 at Guards Polo Club will be distributed across ten charities and causes supported by William and his wife, the Princess of Wales.

Good morning, I’ve just arrived in sunny Birmingham where Prince Harry is set to join an Invictus one-year-to-go event at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

His outing comes less than 24 hours after reports that his wife, Duchess of Sussex, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will still travel to the UK this week. However, HELLO! understands that Meghan will not be attending any public events. The Duchess had been scheduled to join the Duke at the Invictus event today.

I’ll be bringing you pictures and video as Harry watches and takes part in a series of events alongside past Invictus competitors.

Prince Harry, who served in the Army for a decade, was inspired to set up the Invictus Games after attending the US Warrior Games in 2013. 

The aim of the Invictus Games Foundation is to support the recovery of wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans through the power of sport.

The inaugural Games took place in London in 2014, and since then there have been tournaments in in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022, Düsseldorf in 2023, and Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025.

At the 2027 tournament, Birmingham will welcome more than 550 wounded, injured and sick service personnel, veterans, and their families, from 26 nations, and the athletes will take part in 12 adaptive sports to support their recovery and inspire others.

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The Prince of Wales will take part in the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 at Guards PoloClub today. 

The funds raised by the match will be distributed across ten charities and causes supported by William and his wife, the Princess of Wales.  

Kensington Palace has confirmed that the charities chosen by the couple are the Wales Air Ambulance (25th Anniversary), The Royal College of Paramedics (25th Anniversary), Shout, Ty Hafan, Forward Trust, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Maternal Mental Health Alliance, We Are Farming Minds, The Passage, Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.

Today marks the 15th time that Prince William will play in this polo match. The event is expected to take the total amount raised to more than £15,000,000 for causes that William and Kate are passionate about. 

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First up is pickleball! And he's been reunited with friend and Invictus competitor, Dave Henson.

One of the fastest-growing sports in the world, Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis to create a fast-paced, highly accessible sport.

Played on a compact court with lightweightpaddles and a perforated ball, rallies develop quickly and demand sharp reactions and tacticalawareness.

Pickleball is one of three new sports introduced for the Birmingham 2027 Games programme.

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The One Year to Go celebrations for the 2027 Invictus Games continue today. Prince Harry will head to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, the main location for the 2027 Games, to watch and take part in a series of exhibition events alongside past competitors.

The city will welcome more than 550 wounded, injured and sick service personnel, veterans, and their families, from 26 nations. The athletes will participate in 12 adaptive sports to support their recovery.

Harry's wife, the Duchess of Sussex, was scheduled to join her husband at the event. However, it has been confirmed that while Meghan Markle and children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will travel to the UK this week, Meghan will not accompany Harry on any of his UK visits.

It comes after long discussions about the lack of state-funded security for the couple during their visit to the UK.

It's been reported that last minute conversations have been taking place over a meeting between Prince Harry and his father, King Charles.

Our Online Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey is on the ground in Birmingham, so stay tuned for updates!

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Dave is a former Captain in the Royal Engineers who lost his right leg above the knee and left leg through the knee in Afghanistan in 2011. He captained Team UK at the inaugural Invictus Games London 2014, winning gold in the 200m sprint and sitting volleyball.

He went on to compete in elite parasport athletics, winning Paralympic bronze in the 200m (T42) at Rio 2016.

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The Prince of Wales said he and his wife, the Princess of Wales, said they are "deeply saddened" by the death of Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler.

The future King, 44, penned an emotional message, alongside a photo of himself with Bonnie when she received her MBE from William at Windsor Castle in 2023.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bonnie Tyler. A proud Welsh icon, her extraordinary voice and unforgettable music touched millions around the world and will continue to inspire generations to come.

"Our thoughts are with her husband, family, friends and all who loved her," William's words concluded with: "Diolch am y gerddoriaeth," which means 'thank you for the music' in Welsh. 

Moving on to laser run, which involves alternate  running with pistol laser shooting. And Harry showed off his sporting prowess as he dashed around the circuit right in front of me. 

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It’s too early to say at this stage, but as well as being as Harry's "baby," the Invictus Games holds significant memories for the couple.

Harry and Meghan famously appeared in public together for the first time at the Toronto Invictus Games in 2017.

The Duchess has notably joined her husband at every consecutive tournament since. In Whistler last year, the pair tried their hand at snow tubing with Meghan nervously asking the instructor for tips, before squealing: “No, no, I really don't want to do it!"

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Harry’s now having a go at wheelchair rugyby, where he’s been joined by TV presenter Ade Adepitan.

And fellow Brummie Alison Hammond is in the house!

Harry’s recreation of Alison’s iconic Bake Off moment on The Stephen Colbert show went viral last year.

Watch it here…

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Hybrid Athletics challenges competitors to test their speed, skill and determination in a dynamic, highly accessible competition environment.

Competitors move through a series of activity stations - representing explosive starts, jumping, throwing, agility and coordination - interspersed with run or push sections.

In other news, the Spanish royal family attended the delivery of Royal Employment Offices at the General Academy of Air and Space in Santiago de la Rivera, Murcia, Spain, today in celebration of Princess Leonor completing her military training. 

The 20-year-old was joined by her parents, King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia, and her sister,  Princess Sofia for her big day. 

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“Keep going, well done!” he shouted and clapped his hands.

On another note, you’ll be pleased to hear that while there is an ongoing heatwave in the UK right now, the NEC has lovely aircon - phew!

Prince Harry revealed that his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, love watching the baking competition programme, Junior Bake Off, during an interview with This Morning's Alison Hammond. 

When asked if his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and two children were proud of him, Harry shared: "I'm proud of them, they're proud of me. I love my family."

Harry also revealed that he was "excited" to hold the Invictus "One Year To Go" event in Birmingham. "Birmingham is the centre point where so may of the wounded soldiers came back through from Afghanistan," he explained. "This is a real homecoming for so many of them. It's quite a moving return for these guys."

The dad-of-two also revealed that their are "thousands" of stories from veterans that resonate with him, particularly those from Ukrainian veterans. "I am so grateful that we managed to get Ukraine as part of the Invictus community before this war started," he said. 

"So now you go to Ukraine and instead of wounded people being pushed to one side, they are treated as absolute gods and heroes."

On why Invictus Games is so special, Harry said: "It is about overcoming adversity. No matter who you are, where you are, what you're coming up against, you can see those guys...there's a huge amount of respect, hope, admiration and inspiration."

Watch as Prince Harry celebrates during his wheelchair rugby game below. 

Prince Harry proved he's a natural wheelchair rugby player as he led his team to victory at the Invictus one-year-to-go event.

At one point, Harry threw a blind pass over his head straight into the arms of a teammate, who crossed the try-line. The move was praised by TV presenter Ade Adepitan, who won a bronze with the GB basketball team at the 2004 Paralympics.

"He did a no look pass. Did you see it? A no look pass over his head," said the broadcaster (via PA).  

"I mean, he said to me at the end 'it was just a throw and hope' but I said 'style it out, style it out,' that was done on purpose."

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Presenter and former Invictus Games competitor JJ Chalmers shared his gratitude for the Invictus Games.

He said: "The power of this event needs to be felt all around the country and all around the world," as he added that the Games had changed the "trajectory" of his life.

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After a jam-packed day of demonstration matches, Prince Harry gave a moving speech as he marked the one-year countdown to the 2027 Invictus Games. 

He said, in part: "To bring the Games back to the UK – thirteen years after London 2014 – feels incredibly special. Not just because this is where the Invictus journey first began, but because Britain has always understood the importance of service, resilience, and standing together when it matters most."

He added: "What has struck me walking around the arena today is just how many faces I recognise from those different groups that were part of that original journey back in 2014," before cracking a joke about "some of us have lost our hair."

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Afternoon! We're expecting another busy few hours for the royals with Prince William's polo match fast approaching. 

In the meantime, if you want an all-access pass to exclusive royal stories and iconic archives, sign up to become a HELLO! VIP.

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla will officially attend the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on 23 July at The Hydro, marking the event's return to the city after 12 years.  

The King will read aloud his personal message sealed inside the King's Baton on Commonwealth Day last year, officially declaring the Games open. Joining Their Majesties is six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, who described participating as an "absolute honour."  

Over a historic 500-day journey, the relay saw all 74 competing nations and territories design unique batons reflecting their local cultures. They will finally reunite in Glasgow, where Scotland's baton, handmade from sustainably sourced ash, will be presented to the monarch.

Running from 23 July to 2 August, the Games will welcome over 3,000 athletes competing across 10 sports and six Para sports.

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Thames Valley police detectives are preparing to travel to the United States to speak with the family of the late Virginia Giuffre, according to The Times.

The visit forms part of an active investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office during his former role as a trade envoy in February. However, detectives reportedly began widening their investigation into other potential offences, including a corruption probe and sex trafficking offences in March.

This comes as Virginia's brother, Sky Roberts, has announced the family is "actively working" to bring the royal before a formal parliamentary hearing. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

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Prince Michael of Kent and the Earl of Snowdon led a distinguished turnout in the Royal Box on day 12 of Wimbledon 2026. 

Crowds descended on the All England Club in the blazing British sunshine for the highly anticipated men's semi-finals. 

While Britain's Arthur Fery is taking on Alexander Zverev on Centre Court, reigning champion Jannik Sinner will be trying to defend his title against seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.