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TV star charged over making indecent images of children

<p>Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children. </p> <p>The 62-year-old, who left the UK public broadcaster in April after 40 years, faces three charges over alleged activity between December 2020 and April 2022.</p> <p>Police claim the offences are claimed to be linked to images shared on WhatsApp.</p> <p>After being arrested in November last year by London's Metropolitan Police, he was charged with the offences on June 26th.</p> <p>A Metropolitan Police spokesman said of the arrest, “Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children following a Met Police investigation."</p> <p>“The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat. Edwards was arrested on 8 November 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service."</p> <p>“He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 31 July."</p> <p>Married dad-of-five Edwards resigned from the BBC three months ago after a stellar career spanning almost 40 years.</p> <p>The BBC revealed their star presenter’s resignation in a short statement on April 22nd, writing, “Huw Edwards has resigned and left the BBC."</p> <p>“After 40 years of service, Huw explained that his decision was made on the basis of advice. The BBC has accepted his resignation.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: BBC</em></p>

Legal

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Suspended BBC presenter named by his wife

<p>The BBC presenter at the centre of the explicit images scandal has been named as Huw Edwards, one of the public broadcaster's most notable news presenters.</p> <p>Huw was named as the man who allegedly paid tens of thousands of pounds for explicit images from a teenager over a number of years, after a media storm around the previously anonymous presenter saw him be suspended from his high-profile role.</p> <p>Vicky Flind confirmed her husband was the man in question after rumours swirled on social media for five days, as her statement came shortly after police forces said there was no evidence Edwards committed a criminal offence.</p> <p>Flind said she was issuing a statement on his behalf after days of speculation "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children".</p> <p>Her statement said that Edwards has been suffering serious mental health issues since the allegations arose, and was currently in hospital. </p> <p>The statement reads, "In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter', I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children."</p> <div id="piano-inline1"></div> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years."</p> </div> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>"The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future."</p> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>Minutes before the family statement was published, a separate update was issued by the Metropolitan Police, which has been assessing the allegations in recent days after discussions with BBC executives. </p> </div> <div id="piano-inline2"></div> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>It said, "Detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed."</p> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>The BBC said it would continue its "fact finding investigations" into the allegations, which has been put on hold at the Met's request while it carried out its own enquiries. </p> </div> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>A spokesperson for the corporation said: "We will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved."</p> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>Huw Edwards has worked for the BBC since the mid-1980s, rising from a trainee position to becoming one of BBC News' most recognisable presenters.</p> </div> <div data-component="text-block"> <p>As well as hosting the Ten O'Clock News for many years, he has led coverage of major news events, such as elections and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.</p> </div> </div> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> </div> </div>

Legal

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“Love doesn’t know math”: Cher defends 40-year age gap

<p dir="ltr">Cher has defended the massive 40-year age gap between her and her new and much younger beau. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 76-year-old singer is currently in a relationship with 36-year-old music producer Alexander Edwards.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the 40-year age gap, Cher is not shying away from the “blossoming romance” and answered fans’ questions about the relationship along with a cheeky photo of Alex in his boxers.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s 36 and in end he came after me. I’m the skittish one. We love each other …. LADIES NEVER GIVE UP. Must say he was different for me,” she wrote. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">A.E.Hanging Ot <a href="https://t.co/TB5XXJqlxk">pic.twitter.com/TB5XXJqlxk</a></p> <p>— Cher (@cher) <a href="https://twitter.com/cher/status/1595612020325240832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">On paper This Looks<br />strange (Even 2 ME)<br />A.E Says ♥️Doesn’t<br />Know Math</p> <p>— Cher (@cher) <a href="https://twitter.com/cher/status/1595690505576161281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">BABE,SOME MARCH 2 A DIFFERENT DRUMMER,I Dance 2 One</p> <p>— Cher (@cher) <a href="https://twitter.com/cher/status/1595695842584731648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“He’s kind, smart, hilarious … and we (kiss emoji) like teenagers,” she responded to a question asking about her favourite quality about Alex.</p> <p dir="ltr">“On paper this looks strange (even to ME) AE says love ️doesn’t know math,” Cher tweeted shortly after.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair sparked rumours earlier this month when they were seen holding hands outside the West Hollywood restaurant Craig's where they met with rapper Tyga for dinner.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the night, Alex was seen kissing Cher’s hand as they drove off together. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was only days after the dinner that Cher confirmed the relationship on Twitter.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Relationships

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Vandals of the UK’s Edward Colston statue learn their fate in court

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, that were sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a US police officer, protestors all around the world took it upon themselves to remove commemorative statues of slave traders. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the UK city of Bristol, four people removed a monument of Edward Colston from a town square, before pushing the statue into the nearby harbour. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many protestors joined the four in spray-painting and destroying the statue, with many onlookers filming the destruction on their phones. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edward Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, and was responsible for transporting thousands of slaves from Africa during the mid 17th century. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The four protestors - </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rhian Graham, Jake Skuse, Sage Willoughby, and Milo Ponsford - were all charged with criminal damage when they removed the statue without permission. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/05/four-cleared-of-toppling-edward-colston-statute"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guardian</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the protestors did not deny that they had toppled the monument, but maintained their innocence over the charges. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite admitting their involvement, the four protestors were found not guilty and set free. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The graffitied monument of Colston has since gone back on view in view in Bristol in a museum, with historian David Olusoga saying that it is “the most important artifact you could select in Britain if you wanted to tell the story of Britain’s tortuous relationship with its role in the Atlantic slave trade.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images </span></em></p>

Art

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Prince Charles aims to change Prince Edward's title

<p>Prince Charles has a title change planned for his younger brother Prince Edward, but it won't happen for almost a decade.</p> <p>When Prince Philip died in April, his Duke of Edinburgh title was passed onto Prince Charles as per tradition, but Prince Charles won't need it when he becomes King.</p> <p>Royal fans are curious as to who will receive the title, as it'll either be bestowed upon Edward, 57, or another member of his family. He can also leave it in abeyance.</p> <p>Arbiter, former palace press secretary, said that the title will be given to Prince Edward, but in around eight years' time.</p> <p>"That Prince Edward will become The Duke of Edinburgh in the next reign was his father's and is his mother's wishes and Prince Charles won't go against those," Arbiter<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/RoyalDickie/status/1415538495553146882" target="_blank">wrote on Twitter.</a></p> <p>"It won't happen immediately, but by 2029, when Edward turns 65, it will.</p> <p>"Time for speculation, without substance, to cease."</p> <p><em>9Honey's<span> </span></em>royal commentator, Victoria Arbiter, tweeted her thoughts on it as well.</p> <p>"Finding the Prince Charles/Duke of Edinburgh title debate highly speculative," Victoria<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/victoriaarbiter/status/1415386375810125829" target="_blank">wrote on Twitter</a>.</p> <p>"So far there's very little evidence to support the claim. Charles wouldn't go against the wishes of his parents, nor would he be discussing the topic while his mother is still alive."</p> <p><em>The Times</em><span> </span>quoted a source that's close to Prince Charles said that the decision is "up to him".</p> <p>"The prince is the Duke of Edinburgh as it stands, and it is up to him what happens to the title. It will not go to Edward."</p> <p>Prince Edward is well aware that the title should've gone to his elder brother Prince Andrew, but the Queen had already given him the dukedom of York.</p> <p>"It's a very bittersweet role to take on because the only way the title can come to me is after both my parents have actually passed away," Edward said.</p> <p>"My father was very keen that the title should continue, but he didn't quite move quickly enough with Andrew, so it was us who he eventually had the conversation with. It was a lovely idea; a lovely thought."</p>

News

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Prince Edward's wife breaks down mid-interview

<p>Prince Edward's wife Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, revealed that Prince Philip's death has left a "giant-sized hole" in the royal family.</p> <p>She also spoke about the pandemic has "slightly skewed things", which means that the royal family haven't been able to grieve properly.</p> <p>Despite the Duke of Edinburgh passing away "peacefully" at Windsor Castle on April 9th, the family aren't coping properly two months on from his death.</p> <p>She spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live and said that Prince Philip's death left a "giant-sized hole in our lives".</p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qrc-By4JnSY"></iframe></div> <p>“Well he has left a giant-sized hole in our lives," she began.</p> <p>“I think the pandemic has unfortunately slightly skewed things in as much as it’s hard to spend as much time with the Queen as we would like to.</p> <p>“We’ve been trying to, but of course it’s still not that easy.</p> <p>“And of course the normal way of things isn’t normal yet so we’re not necessarily doing the things that we would normally have done with him.</p> <p>“So I think the whole grieving process is probably likely for us to take a lot longer. It may be the same for many other families out there.</p> <p>“Because if you’re not living with somebody, 24/7, the immediate loss isn’t necessarily felt in the same way, as if somebody was in the house with you all the time.”</p> <p>Interviewer Naga Munchetty saw that Sophie's eyes began to fill with tears and asked her if she was okay.</p> <p>Sophie responded: “It’s only when you would do the normal things that you would have done with them, and you suddenly realise that they are not there, that you really start to have an ‘oh my goodness’ moment.</p> <p>“Just talking to you now, it’s a bit of an ‘oh my goodness’ moment. I think they’ll come and go. But you have to let them come and go.”</p>

Caring

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Queen Elizabeth honours Prince Edward’s 56th birthday with sweet throwback pic​

<p>Queen Elizabeth has shared a sweet photograph for Prince Edward’s 56th birthday.</p> <p>The image is a throwback one with her youngest child in 1972 – taken when he was just eight years old.</p> <p>The Earl of Wessex is listening carefully as Her Majesty speaks to him in the photograph and was snapped during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Happy birthday to The Earl of Wessex, who celebrates his 56th birthday today. 🎈🎉<br /><br />📸 The Earl of Wessex (then Prince Edward) with The Queen during Trooping of the Colour in 1972. <a href="https://t.co/r9kzhBnYsK">pic.twitter.com/r9kzhBnYsK</a></p> — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1237278653286924288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>The Queen paid tribute to her son on all of the royal family social media accounts, with the caption: “Happy birthday to the Earl of Wessex, who celebrates his 56th birthday today.</p> <p>“The Earl of Wessex (then Prince Edward) with the Queen during the Trooping of the Colour in 1972.”</p> <p>Another post snapped of the royal showed him cutting a birthday cake as his wife, Sophie watched on in delight.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9i3sMAH7Sm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9i3sMAH7Sm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)</a> on Mar 10, 2020 at 12:32am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Later in the day, the Duke and Countess of Wessex travelled to Essex where they meet with locals and schoolchildren as well as members of the community at the Mersea Island Community Centre.</p> <p>Prince Edward has been a busy-working royal since 2017, when he took on more public engagements as his father Prince Philip retired.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9kJnFuHFoZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B9kJnFuHFoZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited Essex today, where they met schoolchildren and members of the community at the Mersea Island Community Centre. Thank you to the children from Mersea Island Primary School for coming out to say hello! 👋 . At Wilkin and Sons, @tiptreephotos, The Earl and Countess learned about farm to factory production. 🚜🍊Wilkins have farmed in Tiptree for almost 300 years: the estate produces unusual fruits such as medlars, mulberries and quince – as well as strawberries, raspberries, cherries and plums. These fruits are then made into preserves and jams in the factory.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/theroyalfamily/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> The Royal Family</a> (@theroyalfamily) on Mar 10, 2020 at 12:27pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Duke has succeeded Prince Philip as president of the Commonwealth Games Federation and has been vice-patron since 2006. He has also taken over his father's role in the Duke of Edinburgh Award.</p>

Beauty & Style

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“Despair and devastation”: John Edward's gut feeling about 9/11 weeks before it happened

<p>John Edward, well known psychic medium, had a gut feeling he just couldn’t shake as he was in a ballroom back in 2001.</p> <p>He shared with <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/john-edward-medium/?utm_source=Mamamia.com.au%20-%20All%20Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=b6079f2877-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_22_05_54&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9dc62997a2-b6079f2877-211561537&amp;mc_cid=b6079f2877&amp;mc_eid=c10f87c072" target="_blank">Mamamia’s No Filter Podcast</a></em> about the weird sensation he felt as he ducked into a nearby lobby to take a phone call from a friend.</p> <p>“It was the most eerie, ominous, evil feeling. I can’t even tell you,” he said. “I get goose bumps as I tell you this. I looked around and I looked at the security guard, and then I remember looking everywhere around, and I just was like, ‘Oh’.</p> <p>“I walked out of the building, and I went to my wife. I go, ‘I need to talk to you… You have to find a new place [for the competition]; you can’t do it here next year.’ And she’s like, ‘What?’ I go, ‘I don’t want you to come down here. Go talk to your boss. You’ve got to get it moved’.”</p> <p>His wife was surprised at his sudden panic and kept pressing for an answer.</p> <p>“I go, ‘Death, despair and devastation’.”</p> <p>The nearby lobby he was standing in happened to be the World Trade Center.</p> <p>The feelings Edward felt that day in mid-August, 2001 – just weeks before tragedy struck on September 11 – sat with him for a long time. They reappeared when he was dining with friends and his wife, Sandra, suggested brunch at the World Trade Center restaurant, View of the World.</p> <p>It was here that Edward erupted.</p> <p>“I turned to her and snapped. I bit her head off, like a lunatic. She like looked at me, like, ‘I’m gonna be polite because we’re in front of other people right now, but I want to push your arse in front of an oncoming bus for the way you just spoke to me.’</p> <p>“But I just really erupted. [I said] ‘There’s no way you’re getting me in that building! There’s no way I’m going up there.’ I can’t even convey to you how it came out. It was like a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde moment. It was really weird.”</p> <p>Edward then spend the next days in a deep depression. It was so noticeable that even strangers, who recognised him from his show <em>Crossing Over,</em> asked him if he was OK.</p> <p>“I was really struggling. It was a debilitating doom-and-gloom feeling, like I didn’t want to get out of bed if I didn’t have to,” he said.</p> <p>It was only when Edward recorded an episode of CNN interview program <em>Larry King Live</em> that the fog within him lifted. The pair had spoken about loss, grief and how to cope.</p> <p>However, the following day was one that plunged the world into a state of shock and unease as two planes that were hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists flew into the World Trade Center twin towers on September 11. The attack killed 2,977 people and reduced the buildings to toxic dust that still claims victims to this day.</p> <p>After the attack, Edward was contacted by several New Yorkers as well as people from the surrounding areas.</p> <p>“They literally said to me, ‘You were the last thing we watched, my husband and I. You were the last thing that we watched, us together. We had a conversation about grief. We had a conversation about the afterlife because of you. It was the last thing that we did.’" </p>

Mind

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How Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary

<div> <div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>On June 19, 1999, Prince Edward – who is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – married Sophie Rhys-Jones.</p> <p>The Earl and Countess of Wessex married in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in a particularly unique service where guests were informed not to wear hats.</p> <p>The televised ceremony attracted an estimated 200 million viewers around the world.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">The Earl and Countess of Wessex at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoyalAscot?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoyalAscot</a> - the day before their 20th wedding anniversary 📷 Chris Jackson &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamDavyPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamDavyPA</a> <a href="https://t.co/mxwp4ZoCX0">pic.twitter.com/mxwp4ZoCX0</a></p> — PA Royal Reporters (@PARoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PARoyal/status/1141031255888355328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>The unlikely pair met at a tennis event in the early 1990s, where Sophie was a public relations professional.</p> <p>It has been two decades since the royal couple tied the knot, and since the royal couple have welcomed two children – 14-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and James, viscount Severn who is 10.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see the last two decades the Earl and Countess of Wessex have spent together.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Relationships

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Inside King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's $11 million French country manor

<p>It was where King Edward VIII spent his weekends with wife Wallis Simpson after abdicating the British throne. Now, the French former country home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor has been listed on the market for £5.6 million, or about $10.8 million.</p> <p>The couple bought Le Moulin de la Tuilerie in 1952, about 15 years after Edward abdicated the throne to marry Simpson and become the Duke of Windsor. Located by the Chevreuse Forest half an hour away from Paris, the estate spans 26 acres and includes six separate properties, a polo pitch and landscaped grounds.</p> <p>The Duchess once described the house as “our only real home”, where they entertained guests such as Maria Callas, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Sir Cecil Beaton.</p> <p>During the 20 years of their ownership, the estate also underwent major renovations led by French interior designer Stéphane Boudin, who went on to restore and redecorate the White House in the US for the Kennedys.</p> <p>After the Duke’s death in 1972, the ownership went to a Lebanese doctor. According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tatler.com/article/former-parisian-exile-estate-of-the-duke-of-windsor-and-wallis-simpson-for-sale" target="_blank"><em>Tatler</em></a>, the buildings were also made available for holiday through the Landmark Trust.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the Duke and Duchess’s imprint in the residence still remains. The <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/a27320197/duke-of-windsor-wallis-simpson-paris-house/" target="_blank">Times</a></em> reported that the estate still houses a piece of art commissioned by the Duchess, which reads: “I am not the miller’s daughter. But I have been through the mill.”</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see inside King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's French country manor. </p>

International Travel

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King Edward's affair with "sweetheart" before marrying Wallis Simpson

<p>As the only British monarch to abdicate voluntarily, the story of King Edward VIII is not to be missed.</p> <p>In 1936, King Edward VIII – who was the brother of Queen Elizabeth's father – rocked the British monarchy after he expressed his wish of marrying twice-divorced American woman Wallis Simpson. As head of the Church of England, Edward was advised against tying the knot with a divorcee, and his proposal was met with opposition from the religious institution and most politicians in the Commonwealth.</p> <p>After failing to find a solution, Edward finally abdicated his throne in December – making Queen Elizabeth's father King George VI of England – and left for Europe to marry Simpson the following year. The couple, who became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, stayed together until Edward’s death in 1972.</p> <p>However, before the marriage, Edward also had a series of affairs with married women. One of them was English socialite and textile heiress Freda Dudley Ward, who Simpson once described as “my husband’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/18/obituaries/marquesa-first-true-love-of-edward-viii-is-dead-at-88.html">first true love</a>”.</p> <p>Dudley Ward first met Edward, then the Prince of Wales, in 1918 during an air raid in London, when she had been married for five years to Liberal politician William Dudley Ward. The two soon became smitten with each other and began their relationship.</p> <p>In the letters to Dudley Ward, which were later sold at Sotheby’s New York, the prince repeatedly avowed his love. “'I love you love you so so madly &amp; desperately,” he wrote in one of the correspondences. “I worship &amp; adore you my sweetheart &amp; cant bear being away from you.”</p> <p>He called her his “Sweetheart &amp; Tormentor” and “my little Fredie” while signing himself as her “little slave” and “little parpee” (puppy). He would also phone her four to five times a night, and would reportedly become bereft when the line was busy or she was out of the house.</p> <p>Soon the affair became well-known among the high society, with Winston Churchill <a href="https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/churchill-bulletin/bulletin-082-apr-2015/winston-the-windsors/">once commenting</a>, “It is quite pathetic to see the Prince and Freda. His love is so obvious and undisguisable.”</p> <p>Dudley Ward’s marriage with her politician husband was dissolved in 1932. She enjoyed the prince’s company for a couple more years until their relationship was abruptly ended.</p> <p>In 1934, she called the St James’s Palace after a few weeks of not hearing from the prince. However, the operator informed her, “I have orders not to put you through.”</p> <p>Sotheby’s expert Marsha Malinowski said even though Dudley Ward was “admired by almost everyone in the prince’s circle”, she knew “their relationship wasn’t going anywhere and never would.”</p> <p>Since then, the two never spoke or wrote to each other again. According to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/08/style/fractured-fairy-tale-an-archive-of-a-royal-romance.html" target="_blank"><em>New York Times</em></a>, the prince had become attached to Simpson, who did not favour any contact with old girlfriends.</p> <p>Dudley Ward went on to marry Pedro José Isidro Manuel Ricardo Monés in 1937, but they ultimately split up in 1954. She died in London in 1983 at the age of 88.</p>

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What Queen Elizabeth forgot about her youngest son Prince Edward

<p>Prince Edward is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, however despite being the baby of the family reports say the Earl of Wessex’s birthday was forgotten while in his 20s by his mother.</p> <p>Now 54 years old, Prince Edward had a rather sobering experience in his younger life that the public took to social media to extend their sympathies.</p> <p>Jeremy Paxman’s new Channel 5 documentary is delving into the early life of the Queen’s children, and his biographer Ingrid Seward described him as a young lonely royal who found it difficult to find his place in Buckingham Palace.</p> <p>Seward, the editor-in-chief of<span> </span><em>Majesty</em><span> </span>magazine, said he was the “overlooked” third son.</p> <p>“At Buckingham Palace, he was lonely.</p> <p>“One year on his birthday he went to have breakfast with the Queen, and nothing was said. No card, no present. She didn’t know it was his birthday,” Seward recounted.</p> <p>Previously she had mentioned the same experience in her 2005 book<span> </span><em>Prince Edward: A Biography</em>, where she described the Q<span>ueen eating her toast and marmalade and sipping her special blend of homemade tea.</span></p> <p>The Prince’s demeanour hadn’t changed throughout breakfast, however, when a royal aide was made aware of the situation, the Queen was alerted, a “hasty” phone call was made, and presents were delivered to him a few hours later.</p> <p>"If it had been Prince Edward’s 20th or his 30th, his mother would not have forgotten,'" Steward wrote.</p> <p>She also noted the Queen’s second “heroic” son Andrew, who fought in the war, was her favourite son.</p> <p><em>Daily Mail</em>’s Richard Kay told Jeremy Paxman that Prince Edward never really knew where he fit in.</p> <p>“His royal aides once told me that the trouble with Prince Edward is that he can never decide whether he is His Royal Highness or Edward Windsor.</p> <p>“He couldn't tell whether he was one of us or a member of the royal family,” Kay said.</p> <p>This news comes days after the surprising revelation that <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/prince-charles-surprising-admission-prince-andrew-wants-to-be-me" target="_blank">Prince Charles claimed his younger brother, Prince Andrew, wanted to be him.</a></p> <p>The dynamic that existed between Prince Charles and his youngest brother, Edward, was extremely separate.</p> <p>“Charles is 16 years older than Edward and they weren't close,” Stewart admitted.</p> <p>She also confirmed their was a time where Prince Charles was the ‘leading’ son of the family.</p> <p>“On one of those occasions Prince Edward went upstairs and found some of the Duke of Windsor's old kilts which of course were all the tartans that the Prince of Wales is entitled to wear, and he thought, 'Ooh those look rather fun.' So, he put one on, and it fitted.</p> <p>“He went down to dinner in a tartan which was that of the Duke of Rothesay, and as he went into the dining room Charles went apoplectic and said, ‘What are you doing wearing that? I am the only one entitled to wear that kilt. It is a kilt for the Prince of Wales. Go upstairs and take it off.’”</p> <p>“Edward being such a calm person just went, 'OK', went upstairs and took it off and never mentioned it again.”</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Prince Edward through the years.</p> <p>Are you surprised by the Queen forgetting Prince Edward’s birthday? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

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