Harry ‘questions former aides about his return from US’ as Charles welcomes Starmer on first visit to Balmoral – Royal Family News

King Charles has issued a statement offering his condolences to the people of Aotearoa following the passing of Kiingi Tuheitia.

Buckingham Palace issued the following statement: “My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Kiingi Tuheitia.

“I had the great pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. He was deeply committed to creating a strong future for Māori and Aotearoa New Zealand based on culture, tradition and healing, something he did with wisdom and compassion.

“I remember with immense fondness meeting Kiingi Tuheitia on many occasions, including when Her Majesty and I were welcomed so warmly and graciously at the Tuurangawaewae Marae in 2015, and then again during our meeting at Buckingham Palace last year. Her death comes as a particular shock in view of the fact that I had only spoken to Kiingi on the phone in early August.

“Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne. (A powerful Cattail tree has fallen.)

“My wife and I send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kiingi Tuheitia and to all those who will mourn his loss. Our special thoughts and prayers will be with you at this difficult and heartbreaking time.”

It was signed 'Charles R'.

Kiingi Tuheitia was elected to the Māori throne on 21 August 2006 and played a number of important roles including being the patron of Te Matatini, the largest Māori cultural festival. He also represented the Māori people at the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.

Following tradition, the next Maori monarch will be chosen through elections.

One of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists who set up camp in Windsor said she thought the King would “probably be here” and “willing to camp” if he were not head of state.

Tents, stages and speakers were set up at Windsor Home Park on Friday morning ahead of an “action-packed” weekend of activities.

Activist Marijn van de Geer, 41, said of Charles: “I think if he wasn't the king he would probably be here. I think he would probably be quite good at giving talks and training. He's a very outdoorsy person, he would probably be up for a bit of camping. It's a shame he's the king because he obviously can't be here.

“As an individual, he has spoken a lot about the environment. He was way ahead of his time when he spoke about it and everyone laughed at him.

“This is in no way an attack on the King. Extinction Rebellion UK has no plans to storm Windsor Castle or any hotels, or cause public unrest.”

A schoolboy put on his prize-winning cardboard crown in front of the King as the monarch visited a flower exhibition.

The King laughed as Oliver Keith tried out the homemade creation of silver cardboard, purple tissue paper and gold tinsel at the Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen's 200th anniversary show in the city's Duthie Park.

She asked the eight-year-old about the fit and how long it took him to make the third-prize winning design before asking if he would like to try it on.

The now heir to the throne, 42, met his future wife while studying at St Andrew's University in Scotland and the pair began as friends.

My colleague Emma Guinness information:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly “keen” to undertake more unofficial tours after successfully visiting Nigeria and Colombia this year.

Although carried out in their capacity as private citizens, the visits have many of the characteristics of official royal trips and have been used to promote various charitable causes.

A source said OK! Magazine: “Both Meghan and Harry are looking forward to doing more of these tours, as it is what they love to do and what they enjoyed most about royal life.”

A royal expert has speculated that Prince Harry's decision not to add any new material to Replacement It is not “an olive branch.”

The book will be published for the first time in paperback on October 22.

Royal historian Tessa Dunlop told Mirror:“Those who suggest that this paperback edition, without additional material, is an olive branch are sadly mistaken.

“The new material may be conciliatory; Harry could have taken the initiative and started with a different prologue, expressing his regret at how things turned out and reiterating his good wishes for Kate and the King.”

The memoirs were first published in January 2023, ahead of King Charles' coronation and the royal family's recent health problems.

The future direction of the monarchy hangs in the balance, amid the death of the late Queen, strained relations and a shrinking inner circle bolstered by an unprecedented health crisis.

The number of working royals has been steadily shrinking since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped down in 2020, and Prince Andrew was stripped of his titles and patronages following a US civil action over sexual assault allegations.

In this exclusive event for The Independent, Assistant editor Vicki Harper and a panel of royal experts will discuss the current state of the dwindling Royal Family, look back at how we got here and explore possible next moves to keep “the firm” relevant.

The Queen was followed for a year for a documentary looking at her work raising awareness about domestic violence.

ITV has announced that it has commissioned Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, which will air in late 2024.

Film crews were given exclusive access to Camilla, who has worked for many years to highlight the issue of domestic abuse, and will appear in never-before-seen private meetings with survivors.