Prince Harry takes on tabloids in documentary tonight as ‘intimate’ Diana letters emerge – Royal family news

Prince William has removed Queen Camilla’s sister from the Duchy of Cornwall payroll after taking over from his father.

Annabel Elliot, 75, served as Charles and Camilla’s chief designer of their estates following their 2005 marriage and has been paid several hundred thousands of pounds since.

The 2023 annual report detailed how the Duchy paid Mrs Elliot over £30,000 for her work “in the normal course of business and on an arm’s length basis”.

However, the King’s sister-in-law is noticeably absent from 2024’s report, now that William has taken over the estates.

As he breaks his silence on his successful High Court case in an explosive documentary tonight, Prince Harry will open up about his mother’s own experience of phone hacking.

Harry won a legal battle against the tabloid press last December as it was ruled he had been a victim of phone hacking.

Speaking in a new ITV documentary about whether the hacking made him paranoid he said: “I think paranoia is a very interesting word because yes, then it could be paranoia, but then when you’re vindicated it proves that you weren’t being paranoid. You know, same with my mother.

“You know, there is evidence to suggest that she was being hacked in the mid-nineties, probably one of the first people to be hacked and yet still today, the press, the tabloid press very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid.

But she wasn’t paranoid, she was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she’s not around today to find out the truth.”

More than a dozen “intimate” letters and cards from Princess Diana to her family’s former housekeeper are coming to auction later this month.

Diana sent the personal notes to Violet Collison, who she affectionately called Collie, the head housekeeper at Park House on Sandrigham Estate.

Collie witnessed the births of four Spencer children, including Diana, and remained close with the family until her death in 2013 at the age of 89.

The collection, being auctioned at Sworders, reveals snippets of the princess’ internal thoughts at crucial stages of her life. The correspondence spans from before her marriage to Charles, through to the early years of Prince William and Harry’s lives.

One notable item is a double-sided letter written on Buckingham Palace notepaper, dated 8 July 8 1981, just three weeks before the Royal Wedding.

In it, Lady Diana Spencer remarks: “everyone frantically busy here doing last minute decorations … the bride to be has remained quite calm!” This letter, in its original envelope addressed in Diana’s hand, is expected to fetch £800-1,200.

The Princess Royal has met Team GB athletes in Paris in her first official overseas trip since being hit by a horse.

Anne spoke to Olympians Tom Daley and Helen Glover as they were named as the team’s joint flag bearers ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony.

She was the first member of the royal family to compete in the Olympic Games when she rode the late Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

The visit by the 73-year-old is the latest in her phased return to public duties after being rushed to Southmead Hospital in Bristol on June 23, staying for five nights after being injured while out walking on her Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire.

Anne’s medical team said her concussion and head injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs but her concussion meant precise details of how the incident came about are not clear.

The decision marked a stark contrast with his father King Charles III, who would publish a full breakdown of household costs and his tax, which for the year ending 2022 was £5.89m.

My colleague Alexander Butler has the full report:

It has been a difficult year for the royal family, with both Charles and Kate having to step back from public-facing duties as they continue treatment.

The pair supported each other through the difficult news but have also had plenty of support from outside palace walls, with the palace having received a staggering 27,000 written messages wishing them good health.

Charles was pictured reading some of the 27,000 cards in June and was reportedly “brought to tears” by the messages sent from across the country.

Many people were said to have written to tell him of their own experiences of the disease or offering advice. One person told him: “Chin up, chest out, remain positive and don’t let it get you down. Trust me, it works, but the main thing is family.”

In the annual Sovereign Grant report, released on Wednesday, the palace said support teams “adapted swiftly” to the changing health circumstances in ways which included dealing with far more mail.

The Sovereign Grant report revealed travel expenditure went up by £300,000 at a bill of £4.2m despite there being around 400 fewer visits and less foreign travel than the year before.

My colleague Alexander Butler has the full story:

The announcement that Prince Harry’s Invictus Games is returning to the UK in 2027 has come at a crucial time for the event.

The former chief executive of the games announced his departure recently after a decade at the helm and six games across three continents.

Dominic Reid, who has been credited with helping the foundation’s growth globally, said the organisation was a “great place” but now needed a “fresh look”.

“It’s without question the community that has been built,” he said. “It’s a fantastic closed community and it’s growing 40 per cent a year, which is phenomenal, internationally it’s grown to include friends and families and that’s a vitally important part as well.

“The community is what we have achieved. It has had a healing effect.”

Prince Harry said he was “immensely grateful” to his “friend” Mr Reid for transforming the Paralympic-style sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans from an ambitious idea into a global movement.

He praised his tireless efforts and spoke of the journey they shared together.

Prince Harry has spoken out about how his decision to bring his privacy case against the tabloid press impacted the rift between himself and his family.

The duke won his privacy battle against Mirror Group newspapers in December 2023 as a judge ruled he had been the target of phone hacking.

Breaking his silence on the case, he told ITV in a new documentary that his determination to fight the tabloids had been a “central piece” in the rift between him and his family.

He said: “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done. It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family.”