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Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
The wry comment the Queen made when she saw newborn Prince William - and why he was known as 'baby Wales'
The birth of an heir is a time for national celebration. Street parties were held, commemorative plates were made and broadcasting was paused for the royal announcement. Baby Wales, as he was known for his first few days, was born at around 9pm on June 21, 1982, weighing 7lb 1oz. The most dedicated members of the press and public gathered outside St. Mary's Hospital and Buckingham Palace, where a notice announcing the birth was placed. Everyone was desperate to catch a glimpse of the future king before anyone else. But the late Queen, known for her wry sense of humour, had one concern on her mind. Andrew Morton wrote in his book Diana: Her True Story: 'When the Queen came to visit her grandchild the following day her comment was atypical. 'As she looked at the tiny bundle she said drily: "Thank goodness he hasn't got ears like his father."' Prince Charles was born with large ears compared to his head, which have become one of his most well-known and ridiculed features. The late Duke of Edinburgh reportedly said baby Charles looked like a 'plum pudding' when he was a baby. Diana had been a difficult pregnancy - and an even more challenging delivery. Morton wrote: 'During her labour Diana's temperature soared dramatically, which in turn gave rise to concern for the baby's health.' She was in labour for 16 hours and she was attended to by the Queen's own surgeon, George Pinker, who also oversaw her pregnancy. Morton wrote that Diana was continually sick and at one point Mr Pinker and his fellow doctors considered performing an emergency Caesarean operation. But in the end Diana was given an epidural and gave birth naturally. Charles was by her side during the delivery and she gave birth standing up with her husband holding her, as advised by natural childbirth activist Sheila Kitzinger. The news of the royal birth made the front page of the national papers Diana's birth would be a complete contrast to the Queen's reflection that, with modern anaesthesia, birth had become 'a sleep and a forgetting'. While Diana enjoyed the experience of having her husband by her side, she later recounted the 'disappointment' Charles felt when Harry was born and not a daughter. And then came choosing a name. Morton wrote: 'Charles wanted to call his first son Arthur and his second Albert, after Queen Victoria's consort. 'William and Harry were Diana's choices while her husband's preferences were used in their children's middle names.' Baby Wales' name was chosen after William the Conqueror, victor of the famed Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was christened William Arthur Philip Louis. His second name came from the legendary King of the Round Table, his grandfather inspired third name and the name Louis rounds out the mix - a name he has since passed down to his second son. But not everyone shared the good news. Prince Charles (pictured right in 1949) was born with large ears compared to his head, which have become one of his most well-known features Morton wrote: 'William and Harry were Diana's choices while her husband's preferences were used in their children's middle names' Despite now being thought of as Charles's right-hand woman, Princess Anne and Charles went through a challenging period in their relationship. According to the book Battle of Brothers by Robert Lacey, Anne's 'notorious frostiness seemed to grow a couple of degrees chillier whether the subject of Diana came up'. Anne appears to have been unreceptive when told that Diana had given birth to Prince William in June 1982. The princess had been touring Indian reservations in New Mexico for Save the Children when a reporter asked for her reaction to the good news. 'I didn't know she had one,' the princess snapped. Another reporter tried with: 'Do you think everyone is making too much fuss of the baby?' 'Yes,' came the curt response. At the time, says Lacey, Anne was undertaking more than 200 engagements a year compared with Diana's 50 and only 90-plus for Charles. Anne and Charles got on well as children and are pictured in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in September 1952 According to Lacey, a Palace insider explained as follows: 'Anne works very hard and sees her sister-in-law picking up the glory. She's sick to the back teeth with it all.' The depth of the ill-feeling was exposed soon afterward when, although Anne had asked Charles to be a Godparent to her first child, Peter Phillips, the compliment was not reciprocated. Anne was not invited to be William's Godmother and was not on the list when it came to Prince Harry's turn to be baptised in 1984. William's godparents instead included King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Alexandra of Kent. His christening took place in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace on August 4, 1982, on the 82nd Birthday of his great-grandmother the Queen Mother. William reportedly cried through the entire photoshoot as he was only a month old. Diana gave an emotional account of the day to Morton a decade later in 1992, remembering the event in the context of the breakdown in her marriage. 'Nobody asked me when it was suitable for William,' she said. '11 o'clock couldn't have been worse. Endless pictures of the queen, queen mother, Charles and William. I was excluded totally that day.' As Harry was carried to the font at St George's chapel, Windsor, Anne was out with her husband in the Gloucestershire countryside - shooting rabbits. Charles and Diana are pictured at home with William in December 1982 For as long as possible William was allowed to grow up not knowing that his future was already mapped out for life. He was a boisterous child, briefly known as 'Basher Billy' at nursery school. But it could not have been long before a sensitive child such as William came to understand there was something different about his own life. As he teaches his own children, George, Charlotte and Louis, about their roles within the Firm, he will be all too aware of the pressure they will face. But even the most senior royals are able to crack a joke when the time comes. The late Queen made a similar quip when she was asked about Prince George's impending arrival back in 2013. While visiting the Lake District days before her great-grandson arrived, the monarch met a group of students who eagerly asked her what gender she hoped the new baby would be.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aboriginal singer Miss Kaninna disturbs with appalling act aimed at the King outside Buckingham Palace - as Lidia Thorpe stages her own stunt
An Aboriginal artist has pretended to be strung up with a noose in front of Buckingham Palace while singing a song about killing the King - as Australian senator Lidia Thorpe performed her own one-woman stunt in the same spot. Miss Kaninna, whose real name is Kaninna Langford, staged an impromptu performance of her song 'Pinnacle B****' outside the royal residence in the heart of London this week. 'And I'm running down these streets / Screaming, f*** the police,' she sung as a British police officer walked past in the background, oblivious. While miming a nose around her neck, she added: 'If I ever met the king/ Break his neck with a string'. The short clip ended with Miss Kaninna giving both fingers to the King's administrative headquarters. 'Flew all the way to the UK to play my song in front of Buckingham Palace,' she captioned the post. 'YOUR NOT MY KING !! #Alwayswasalwayswillbe #Aboriginal #Landback #thecolonywillfall.' Miss Kaninnna, a Yorta Yorta, Djadja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman who grew up on Bruny Island off Tasmania's south coast, released her self-titled debut EP in September 2024. She became the first independent Aboriginal woman to ever be nominated for a debut single at the ARIA awards that same year. Daily Mail Australia approached Miss Kaninna's management company for comment. This publication reported on Wednesday that fellow King-protester Senator Lidia Thorpe is also in London this week. Senator Thorpe also staged her own mini-protest outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. Holding an Aboriginal flag and wearing a 'Blak Sovereign Movement' t-shirt, she also swore at the royal residence. 'Dropped by to collect all the stuff this lot stole, but Charlie wasn't in,' she captioned the pictures. The independent senator made global headlines last year when she heckled the King and Queen during their state visit Down Under. 'Give us what you stole from us! Our bones, our skulls our babies, our people!' she screamed at the bemused monarchs. 'You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty! We want a treaty in this country! You are a genocidialist [sic]!' Thorpe said. A spokesperson for the former Greens Senator said she was in the UK attending a conference. Thorpe's antipathy for the King certainly has not diminished. Last week, on the King's Birthday long weekend, she posted this cheerful message: 'I would normally give presents to someone on their birthday but I think you owe us enough. 'It's time for you to start giving land back and everything else you stole from us.' 'So I'm not wishing you a happy birthday. Can you get it, like, we celebrate a public holiday because of some King that lives on the other side of the world.' 'You are not sovereign. You are not our King - and f*** the colony.' Thorpe's protest sparked a heated debate. 'All hail Queen Senator Thorpe. Thanks for always being the ultimate baddie. We love you,' someone wrote. Another said: 'Yas, show Charles how's is done Sen Thorpe.' But there were several comments telling the senator to 'grow up'.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why Lyse Doucet ditched EastEnders: EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE
The King may have suspended his bid to remove brother Andrew from Royal Lodge but the Crown Estate, which owns the property, is losing patience with the disgraced prince. It appears that Andrew, who paid upwards of £7.5million on renovations when given a 75-year lease in 2003, has maintained the interior but there is a rumbling dispute about who is responsible for extensive external repairs to the 30-room mansion. Andrew should be safe until 2028. He is entitled to a partial rebate on his outgoings if given the order of the boot at the end of his first 25 years of his lease. Donald Trump reveals that as a child he was 'brilliant' at music, with his mother sending him for lessons. 'I do have an ear for music. I play great music,' he says modestly. 'I could have been a flautist.' Might he be persuaded to display his talent during his September state visit? The Princess of Wales and her sister Pippa are both accomplished flautists and played in a group called the Tootie-Flooties. Couldn't the roof of Buckingham Palace be made available for a one off concert with Donald and the Tootie-Flooties? David Beckham has finally picked up his long-coveted K, although it was the lowest grade on offer – a Knight Bachelor. The King is notoriously parsimonious when handing out his own higher grade Ks. At the weekend he announced just one Royal Victorian K and Garter Day yesterday saw no new knights appointed despite there being four vacancies in the elite 24-member body. Beckham in ostrich plumes and velvet robes would have been quite the sight. Alas, it wasn't to be. BBC Chief International Correspondent and veteran of countless war zones Lyse Doucet, pictured, waves the white flag over a conflict closer to home. Asked on Radio 4 what she watched on TV to de-stress she replied: ' EastEnders. But I had to stop because Albert Square was more dangerous than anywhere else. They were killing each other and threatening to kill each other and it stressed me out.' Maybe she should try The Archers. No killings there since 1957 when Tom Forrest accidentally shot a poacher. With no new silk top hats currently manufactured, Royal Ascot devotees have benefited from Lock & Co's free topper-polishing service. One very big-headed Royal Enclosure attendee was intrigued by the For Sale sign on an extra large silk hat. With prices at £15,000, he will require a big bet on a winning outsider to buy the jumbo titfer. Ozzy Osbourne, clearing his throat for his farewell gig at Birmingham 's Villa Park, tells Mojo he grew up nearby. 'When the Villa were playing, me and my mates would go down and mind people's cars for a shilling. Eventually, we thought to offer to wash cars for more money. The first car I washed was with a Brillo pad – so you can imagine the outcome.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: the hilarious quip the Queen Mother made towards King George VI on their silver wedding anniversary
A royal insider has revealed the hilarious quip the Queen Mother made towards King George VI after the public continuously cheered for the royals to wave from the palace. The then-king and queen were celebrating their silver wedding when hundreds of well-wishers packed out the Mall to catch a glimpse of the happy couple. However, the royal fans were somewhat over-enthusiastic and kept asking the Royal Family to make their traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. But they didn't ask the family to appear just once - rather, a whopping nine times. Writing in his biography of the Queen Mother, royal author Hugo Vickers revealed that after the eighth appearance King George VI complained: 'Why can't they leave us alone?' To which the Queen Mother cheekily responded: 'One day they might not want us,' before they once again ventured out to greet the onlookers. The then-Queen Elizabeth and King George VI appearances on the balcony capped off an eventful day of celebrations to mark their 25th wedding anniversary. In the morning of April 26, 1948, the Royal Family first travelled to St Paul's Cathedral for a thanksgiving service from the Archbishop of Canterbury. During the sermon the Archbishop made reference the family's 'own share of domestic griefs and burdens' - perhaps a subtle reference to the drama that engulfed the royals during the abdication crisis when King Edward VIII stood down to marry twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. George and Elizabeth were joined in the church by all the leading members of the Royal Family, including Princess Elizabeth with her husband Philip, Princess Margaret and Queen Mary. Afterwards, the family were driven in an open carriage through the streets of London so that the king and queen could wave at onlookers, before they returned to Buckingham Palace to continue the festivities. Here, the family enjoyed a decorative cake emblazoned with the coat of arms. Their actual wedding in 1923 was ironically a somewhat quieter affair. This was because George did not at this moment expect to inherit the Crown and so his wedding was more low-key than if he had been heir to the throne. Even so, royals from around Europe gathered for the event. Among them were King Alfonso XIII and Queen Ena of Spain, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway and Queen Marie of Romania. Nevertheless, it was a memorable matrimony which broke a lot of conventions. Elizabeth - while still a member of aristocracy - was not what the Windsors would have considered marriage material at a time when British princes traditionally married princesses from continental Europe. But the wedding was allowed to go ahead in the spirit of political modernisation and because the then-Prince Albert was only the spare. The soon-to-be princess then took the 1,800 guests at Westminster Abbey by surprise when she unexpectedly laid her bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a tribute to her brother, Fergus, who died in the First World War. Her dress was very much in the fashion of the 1920s, made from silk and embroidered with pearls and beads. Dressmaker Elizabeth Handley-Seymour, designed the piece, which boasted a train from both the waist and shoulders. Elizabeth, like Queen Victoria, wore a coronet of orange blossom instead of her tiara. In keeping with the theme of modernity, the newly formed BBC asked for permission to broadcast the ceremony over the radio. However, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall Davidson, objected to the proposal out of concern that 'men might listen to it in public houses'. It was, however, filmed on silent newsreel which gives a glimpse into the day of the wedding. In the footage, Elizabeth can be seen leaving Bruton Street, in Mayfair, on her way to the Abbey and getting into a horse-drawn carriage. Later on, the newly married couple can be seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace - surrounded by the Royal Family - as they wave to their well-wishers. The future King and Queen's journey down the aisle was far from a straightforward. When George first proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, she turned him down due to her misgivings about royal life. In response, Elizabeth told him afterwards in a letter: 'It makes me so miserable to think of it - you have been so very nice about it all - please do forgive me.' His second proposal came in March 1922, but again he was rebuffed. Telling him he was one of her 'best & most faithful friends', she said she was 'so terribly sorry about what happened yesterday'. The Duke was now in despair, fearful that the only woman he wanted to marry may never agree. However, the pair continued seeing each other, including at successive shooting weekends at Glamis and Elizabeth's English family home, St Paul's Walden Bury in Hertfordshire. Friends and acquaintances were now aware that the Prince was in love with Elizabeth. In January 1923, he took her to dinner and again proposed, having told his friend the Duchess of Devonshire that it would be 'the last time' that he would do so. This time, she said she needed time to think about it. It was during another shooting weekend at St Paul's Walden Bury that she finally said yes. Writing to a friend, she said: 'I feel terrified now that I've done it - in fact no one is more surprised than me.' On the day that news of their engagement appeared in the Press, a member of the household at St Paul's told the Daily Mail: 'The engagement was a great surprise to everybody here. 'It was pretty well known that the Duke was very, very fond of Lady Elizabeth, but as to her feelings towards him little was known. 'Last weekend, though, after the proposal, she was all smiles and it was easy to see that she was very happy indeed. 'Everybody in the neighbourhood is tremendously glad, for Lady Elizabeth is such a sweet girl and everybody loves her.' By 1930 they had two daughters, Princess Margaret, born that year, and Princess Elizabeth, born in 1926. They had largely settled into life as the spare, assuming the Crown would never be placed atop of the duke's head. But destiny had other plans when, following King George V's death, King Edward VIII's desire to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson sparked the biggest constitutional crisis in centuries. Bertie found himself thrust on to the throne when Edward abdicated for the union. The Duke and Duchess of York then became King George VI and and Queen Elizabeth and their daughters became heir and spare. King George's reign was one that saw the brutal upheaval of the Second World War - and by his side throughout was Elizabeth. At the outbreak of war in 1939, there were suggestions that the Queen and her daughters could be evacuated to Canada. But a defiant Elizabeth shut this rumour down by saying: 'The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave.' The Royal Family therefore lived through the Blitz alongside the rest of London. After the war, the King and Queen faced the challenge of uplifting a population that had been battered and bruised. While King Edward had been regarded by figures such as Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Gordon Lang as desperately unsuited to be King - which he demonstrated during his ten tumultuous months on the throne - George emerged as a successful and much-loved monarch. Integral to this success was the deep bond he shared with his wife, a woman who became a loyal lieutenant to her daughter when she inherited the throne after George's death in 1952. Despite the sadness of his loss aged 56, the Queen Mother would commit herself to royal duties for much of the rest of her own life - demonstrating how the initial doubts she had about entering royal service were misplaced.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: King Charles has suspended his bid to remove Prince Andrew from Royal Lodge - but is the Crown losing patience with the disgraced duke?
The King may have suspended his bid to remove brother Andrew from Royal Lodge but the Crown Estate, which owns the property, is losing patience with the disgraced prince. It appears that Andrew, who paid upwards of £7.5million on renovations when given a 75-year lease in 2003, has maintained the interior but there is a rumbling dispute about who is responsible for extensive external repairs to the 30-room mansion. Andrew should be safe until 2028. He is entitled to a partial rebate on his outgoings if given the order of the boot at the end of his first 25 years of his lease. Donald Trump reveals that as a child he was 'brilliant' at music, with his mother sending him for lessons. 'I do have an ear for music. I play great music,' he says modestly. 'I could have been a flautist.' Might he be persuaded to display his talent during his September state visit? The Princess of Wales and her sister Pippa are both accomplished flautists and played in a group called the Tootie-Flooties. Couldn't the roof of Buckingham Palace be made available for a one off concert with Donald and the Tootie-Flooties? David Beckham has finally picked up his long-coveted K, although it was the lowest grade on offer – a Knight Bachelor. The King is notoriously parsimonious when handing out his own higher grade Ks. At the weekend he announced just one Royal Victorian K and Garter Day yesterday saw no new knights appointed despite there being four vacancies in the elite 24-member body. Beckham in ostrich plumes and velvet robes would have been quite the sight. Alas, it wasn't to be. BBC Chief International Correspondent and veteran of countless war zones Lyse Doucet, waves the white flag over a conflict closer to home. Asked on Radio 4 what she watched on TV to de-stress she replied: 'EastEnders. But I had to stop because Albert Square was more dangerous than anywhere else. They were killing each other and threatening to kill each other and it stressed me out.' Maybe she should try The Archers. No killings there since 1957 when Tom Forrest accidentally shot a poacher. Ozzy Osbourne, clearing his throat for his farewell gig at Birmingham's Villa Park, tells Mojo he grew up nearby. 'When the Villa were playing, me and my mates would go down and mind people's cars for a shilling. Eventually, we thought to offer to wash cars for more money. The first car I washed was with a Brillo pad – so you can imagine the outcome.' With no new silk top hats currently manufactured, Royal Ascot devotees have benefited from Lock & Co's free topper-polishing service. One very big-headed Royal Enclosure attendee was intrigued by the For Sale sign on an extra large silk hat. With prices at £15,000, he will require a big bet on a winning outsider to buy the jumbo titfer.
