News about Elizabeth II

Prince William looked delighted as he took his place in one of the executive boxes at Villa Park on Thursday evening for Aston Villa's Europa Conference League semi-final clash against Greek visitors Olympiacos. The royal was seen actively engaging in conversations with those around him and pointed out various things happening inside the ground prior to kick-off before taking his seat.

As Kensington Palace release a new portrait of Princess Charlotte to mark her ninth birthday, the young royal's resemblance to her mother is clear as day. It's often thought that the young royal bears physical similarities to her 'Gan-Gan', the late Queen Elizabeth II or her father, Prince William. However, when putting childhood images of Kate at the same age as her daughter side by side, the similarities are also unmistakable. (Pictured from L to R, T and B, Kate and Charlotte age three, four, and five)

Princess Charlotte is celebrating her ninth birthday today with a special image taken by her mother, the Princess of Wales. In the photo released this morning, Charlotte displays her cheeky grin and flowing blonde hair, looking every inch the perfect Princess. The young royal was snapped by her mother leaning on a fence alongside pale pink flowers. 

Her mother, the Princess of Wales, was back behind the camera again to snap an image of her daughter to mark her special day on Thursday. With flowing blonde hair and her cheeky grin, the young royal is every inch the perfect Princess. Wearing a £42 raspberry wool cardigan from Parisian brand Cyrillus teamed with a denim skirt from the same brand, the youngster grinned happily for the picture. And it would appear Charlotte marked a sweet homage to Queen Elizabeth II , as she posed alongside pale pink flowers named in her honour.

The Treetops - an elaborate three-bedroom shack on a tree at the edge of a watering hole in Aberdar National Park - was where the monarch famously 'went up the tree a Princess and came down a Queen' after King George VI died on February 6, 1952. Prince Philip told Elizabeth - who didn't know she had become the Queen - about the death of her father later in their tour of Kenya when they were staying in the nearby Sagana Lodge. The Mau Mau rebellion, which started in the same year as Elizabeth's fateful visit, saw the tree house being used as a British snipers' nest before it was burnt down by the rebels, who had a stronghold in a nearby forest, in 1954. It was rebuilt into a 36-room hotel on stilts that included a Princess Elizabeth suite and had royal memorabilia on its walls.

The pair became friends at St Andrew's University (left) - with the early days of their romance recently dramatised in the final season of The Crown - and that connection blossomed into romance. Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in October 2010 and the couple now share three children George, Charlotte and Louis (inset).

It was one of the feel-good moments of the decade - the union of Prince William, handsome heir to the throne, and elegant commoner Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011. Even the British weather agreed, with the clouds parting has the new husband and wife emerged from Westminster Abbey to greet the public - and found themselves bathed in golden spring sunshine. Many of us still have fond memories of those moments. And today, on the anniversary of the Waleses' wedding, we hope to jog a few of those with this A-Z of a glorious occasion.

Nobody outside the Royal Household really knows the luxurious extent of the lifestyle of the Royal Family. Outwardly, they give the impression of being frugal and parsimonious - which they are, even though Princess Anne prefers to call it 'Good old-fashioned Hanoverian Housekeeping' - but it does not apply to what they eat, drink, wear, drive and ride. Every one of them enjoys the best that money can buy, even if they instruct their staff to negotiate the best deals when ordering on their behalf. The Royal Household is notorious for asking for discounts - and for waiting until the last minute before paying the bills.

Today's announcement about the health of the King feels like a huge relief, a chink of clear blue sky in an otherwise rather gloomy horizon. After months of games through no fault or desire of his own, King Charles is slowly returning to his duties - just in time to celebrate the first anniversary of his Coronation, on May 6th. I must confess that when the Palace first announced that the King was suffering from cancer , I - like many - had a sense of deep foreboding. And when the news subsequently broke that the Princess of Wales was also battling the disease, it really felt as though the Royal Family was being pushed to breaking point.

Channel 4 's The Paiano is set to return to screens after a heartwarming first series last year . The talent show puts a camera on amateur musicians, invited to perform on public street pianos. Though the competitive element is kept a secret from contestants, judges line the best performers up for a finale at the Royal Festival Hall. Its debut was Channel 4's best-rated new format since 2017, boasting 2.7 million viewers on average, with blind and autistic child Lucy getting 'performance of the night' in an inspiring finale. So, when is it back? Who are the presenters? And who will be judging the unknowing contestants?

It was an emotional day for Queen Camilla (right), who earlier today visited The Royal Lancers - the regiment her later father served with - in North Yorkshire for the first time since being appointed as their Colonel-in-Chief. Despite winning a Military Cross for valour, Major Bruce Shand (pictured left in 1946) was a modest and self-effacing man who chose not to speak about his wartime exploits until his grandchildren were born.

Queen Camilla looked effortlessly chic today as she undertook her first visit as Colonel-in-Cheif of the Royal Lancers. Camilla, 76,  inspected the troop at in Catterick, North Yorkshire. She became Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers last June, it was a role last held by the late Queen Elizabeth II. It is a deeply personal appointment for Camilla. Her late father, Major Bruce Shand, was a member of the unit during World War II. Today, the Queen consort met with those serving Royal Lancers and veterans at their barracks.

Queen Mary of Denmark (pictured with Isabella in 2022, right) shared snaps on the official royal family account of her daughter, Princess Isabella, to mark her 17th birthday (right). Isabella, also the daughter of King Frederik X, beamed as she posed alongside their Border Collie named Cocoa. The caption said that Isabella will be celebrating her birthday with family and friends.

The Duchess of York, who was married to Queen Elizabeth II's son Prince Andrew between 1986 and 1996, was a good friend of the late monarch, who died in September 2022. Fergie shared a smiling picture of the late Queen in an Instagram post, but fans were quick to point out a simple mistake that she made in her accompanying tribute. The duchess, 64, wrote: 'Today we are remembering Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been her 97th birthday. Thank you for all that you have taught us, for being a steadfast leader and dear friend. You are sorely missed.'

The Australian-born Queen (left), 52, skipped formalities and greeted the wife of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Olena Zelenska (right), with a warm hug. Proving her fashion prowess, Mary sported a stylish off-white suit paired with a ruffled cream blouse. She completed her look with snake-print heels. The Ukrainian First Lady, meanwhile, looked equally elegant in white blouse with statement balloon sleeves and a pair of wide leg trousers with a chic leather belt.

There will be much to reflect upon for Queen Margrethe of Denmark as she celebrates her 84th birthday today. It has, after all, been quite a year. The Danish nation is still getting used to the fact that the long-reigning queen is now an ex-monarch, following her shock New Year's Eve announcement that she would step aside. Her formal abdication - Denmark's first - in favour of her eldest son Fredrik came a little over two weeks later on January 14. This was by no means the first time that Margrethe, a friend and distant cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, had been at odds with convention. Given to laughter and straight-talking, not to mention smoking, the queen is also known as a skilled artist and illustrator with a well-established love of colour - and very colourful dressing…

Ms Truss visited Britain's longest-serving monarch at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland (main) just two days before her death in September 2022. In her new memoir, which was serialised in the Mail, Britain's shortest serving prime minister revealed how she was advised by the Queen to 'pace' herself. Ms Truss (inset) - the last of the 15 prime ministers to serve the Queen - has now revealed the final six words that the monarch told her when their meeting came to an end on September 6, 2022. On September 8, just two days after the pair were pictured shaking hands, the world was plunged into mourning as Queen Elizabeth's death was announced by Buckingham Palace.

The late Queen's cousin, 88, was pictured at the remembrance event in London after it was announced he would step down in favour of King Charles's brother, Prince Edward. The Duke of Edinburgh, 60, who famously quit the Royal Marines after just four months, will today be named as the new Colonel after being chosen by the King. (Pictured: The Duke of Kent attends the Scots Guards Black Sunday today; inset: pictured with Queen Elizabeth ll before her death)

After a professional lifetime of watching the British Royal Family, first as a professional photographer and now as a historian, I've got a pretty good grasp of how the media coverage works, the incessant nature of it, and so on. That, at least, is what I thought - until the health struggles of King Charles and, more particularly, Catherine, the Princess of Wales. The world-wide attention is on a scale I've never seen before, with the possible exception of the coverage devoted to Diana amid the dramatic collapse of her marriage to Charles. In the wake  of Kate's moving video message, in which she revealed her cancer diagnosis, I looked at the coverage in overseas newspapers - and the results surprised even me.

A positively deranged black comedy, behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing over Prince Andrew's bombshell interview and a beautifully appointed British historical drama... there's so much for avid royal watchers to stream right now. We've selected the 20 best royal dramas to watch On Demand - sifting through thousands of options to save you having to lift a regal finger. Looking for a new series or film to stream? Read on to find out the shows worth investing your time in...

Grant Harrold (pictured inset) has recalled touching memories from King Charles and Queen Camilla's wedding day as they celebrate 19 years of marriage. Charles and Camilla, who had both been married previously and first dated back in the 1970s, opted for a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall followed by a religious blessing at St George's Chapel. As the royal couple celebrate 19 years of matrimony on Tuesday, Grant recalled the ceremony and shared how Queen Elizabeth (pictured right, after the blessing in 2005) was actually heavily involved in the wedding planning.

For all the portraits, buses, and fine furniture, I have no doubt that it will be the personal stuff that has lingers longest in the public's memory. It is usually the tell-tale signs of family life - a wedding photo, perhaps, or even a trampoline in a ducal garden - which always grab the attention. Balmoral Castle is, above all, a family retreat, as the first busload of tourists arrives for the first time when the King opens its doors to the paying public for the first time. This is without a doubt the country's most famous castle, with its position as the home of our country's longest-serving monarch departed this life for the next (still doing her duties to the end). It has been revived in a number of dramas and films, and it has appeared in several popular memoirs. However, to the Royal Family, it is synonymous with escape, peace, secrecy, and happy memories.

The gold-dust briefs, which ranged from £100 to £150, with the latter including afternoon tea, were in short supply, with just 40 released each day from July 1 to August 4, the late Queen's (left) preferred retreat. Balmoral's ticket booking system was frozen down under pressure of demand (inset), with a note that reads: 'As we are now experiencing a lot of demand for reservations, we have been put into a line.' The monarch (right) has raked in around £140,000 from the new tours, which have been launched in an attempt to make royal palaces more available to the public.

During a 'Literally Healing' session at the hospital on March 21, the former Suits actress demonstrated her acting skills when speaking to children. The Princess of Wales revealed on March 22 that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. It has been speculated that Meghan may have postponed the photos from her royal-style trip because they were not published several days after the event on April 2. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a short statement after Kate announced her shock cancer diagnosis.'