RECAP: Prince William listens to concerned residents in Wales as Meghan Markle teases Christmas news

© POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Hello and happy Thursday! Today I'm logged on to bring you the latest royal news. Prince Edward is set to arrive in Toronto for an official visit and overnight we've had some exciting news come in for Prince William. The Prince of Wales' beloved Earthshot Prize awards are set to be streamed on Prime Video for the first time ever.

To mark the awards, a celebratory gala for 5,000 guests will be held in Mumbai on 17 November at it will feature actor Rami Malek, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Sonam Kapoor, and Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley.

This is a major development for the awards, which are a project close to William's heart. The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020 by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough to recognise innovative solutions from people and businesses towards climate change and ecological challenges.

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A royal-inspired drama is in the works about the unique friendship between the late Queen Elizabeth II and personal assistant, Angela Kelly, according to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden. 

While Angela would have no doubt signed a non-disclosure agreement when she became part of the royal circle, if a TV company create a drama rather than a documentary as first thought, they can navigate the legalities of this. 

It is set to be called Trouble and there are fears that it could cause just that for the royal family. So far, Angela has only had positive words to say about her employer and friend, the Queen, but the show could perhaps spell bad news for other family members. 

Angela developed a very close bond with the monarch after starting work for her in 1994. The late Queen went on to make her a Commander of the Victorian Order in her Demise Honours List. 

© Max Mumby/Indigo

Earl Charles Spencer gave a powerful eulogy at his sister Princess Diana's funeral on 6 September 1997 and because of his new book, Swan Song: Diana, my sister, the speech has been pored over once more. In a recent chat, the Earl revealed what Queen Elizabeth II's honest response to his words were.

In a conversation with Tina Brown about his book, Charles revealed that the Queen was "gracious" about his fiery speech, despite the royal family in general reportedly being "incandescent" about his words.

"She was gracious enough to say that it was his sister's funeral, he could say what he wanted, and I thought that was remarkably good of her," Charles remarked.

"The Queen was always very good at saying the right thing, but I mean, obviously the other thing that certainly I found in the Diana Chronicle's reporting was that [the royal family] were absolutely, sort of incandescent really about it."

Read the full story.

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Throwing it back to 2016 when Princess Kate - who was then the Duchess of Cambridge - took to the helm of the tall ship Pacific Grace in Victoria Harbour in Canada. Her husband, Prince William watched on as she appeared to navigate the boat into position. 

Kate looked comfortable taking charge, sporting a practical outfit for the day's events, choosing to wear a beige rain coat and pull her hair back into a low ponytail. 

This exciting moment took place on the couple's final day of their Royal Tour of Canada. Other highlights included a float-plane landing on Vancouver Harbour and a bike trip on a southern Yukon mountain. The couple had two children at the time, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, whom they brought along on the trip. 

© PA Images via Getty Images

© PA Images via Getty Images

© PA Images via Getty Images

The Duchess of Edinburgh as Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), has been pictured attending the REME Memorial Day at the Royal British Legion National Remembrance Gardens in Lichfield, Staffordshire, where the Corps are marking their 84th birthday with the dedication of a new memorial centrepiece made by REME metalsmiths.

The royal looked elegant for the appearance, wearing an all-navy ensemble with gold accessories and light-coloured boots. She kept her blonde locks down for her important visit. 

© As Ever

An exciting new announcement has come from Meghan Markle's brand, As Ever. She will be launching an advent calendar for the first time ever, providing a luxurious way to count down to Christmas.

To break the exciting news, Meghan shared a newsletter update, including a brand-new photo looking as stunning as ever. Getting us geared up for cosy season, the Duchess was pictured wearing a cream knit-jumper and a forest-green skirt. 

The Advent calendar was seen by her side, with the box being in a royal blue, while separate pictures showed off the dark boxes inside that contain sweet treats.

Read more.

Earlier this week, the Duchess of Edinburgh met with international women peacebuilders from regions including Afghanistan, Syria, and Uganda at the Peace Palace in The Hague. This was during this year’s ICAN forum, titled "Security Reimagined". 

Buckingham Palace has today shared a social media post showing Duchess Sophie alongside women as she continues to champion the UN’s Women, Peace and Security initiative, highlighting the essential role women play in establishing lasting peace and advocating against conflict-related sexual violence globally.

© AFP via Getty Images

An update from the Danish royal family has revealed that they will host Vietnamese leader, Tô Lâm and his partner from 19 - 21 October. 

The post read: "At the invitation of Their Majesties the King and Queen, His Excellency the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Tô Lâm, and spouse, Mrs. Ngô Phương Ly, will pay a state visit to Denmark on October 19–21, 2026."

© Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

© Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

© Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Prince William has listened to concerns of local villagers in in Skenfrith, a small South-East Wales area, who are worried about the repeated flooding that this winter could bring. 

In November 2025, Storm Claudia brought flooding issues for the Welsh village and it prompted a formal inquiry into local flood-risk management and future resilience measures. 

At Skenfrith Village Hall, the royal sat down with key leaders to discuss the impact on Skenfrith and Monmouthshire more widely.

William also used the opportunity to speak with local residents to hear directly about the ongoing impact on their daily lives, the challenges they continue to face, and their needs heading into the upcoming winter.

© PA Images via Getty Images

The Duchess of Edinburgh was overcome with emotion at the REME Memorial Day at the Royal British Legion National Remembrance Gardens in Lichfield.

The 61-year-old, who was wearing a smart navy outfit for the occasion, looked sombre as she appeared to wipe a tear from her eye at the service. 

Sophie was visibly moved by the proceedings, which were in honour of the Corps, who marked their 84th birthday with the dedication of a new memorial centrepiece made by REME metalsmiths.

See the moment here.

© WireImage

After news broke of her brand-new advent calendar, Meghan Markle swiftly took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes video from a time when the product was in its planning stages. 

The Duchess filmed herself alongside the owner of Compartes, the chocolate brand collaborating on the calendar. They enjoyed an energetic golf cart ride together as they got in the festive spirit despite it being June at the time. 

The clips were taken from sunny California, seemingly at Meghan's sprawling estate, a place she has now left behind to reside in the UK with her husband Prince Harry and two children. 

Check out the video. 

The time has come for me to depart (i'm going to log off and enjoy the autumn sunshine). I will leave you in the capable hands of Eleanor Dye, who will be bringing you the latest from Prince William's Welsh day out as well as more royal news! Until next time, cheerio. 

Hello everyone, and thank you to Rachel for keeping things running this morning!

I'll be taking over now - we're all set for a busy afternoon, with more details of Prince William's visit to Wales coming in shortly, while Prince Edward is in Canada. 

Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie are also busy, while Meghan Markle has launched a very exciting new Christmas product, and Prince Harry has given a remote speech via video link for his Invictus Games.

Stay with us!

This is so sweet!

Princess Charlene was in her element during her last engagement, as she held a tiny baby during a visit to Monaco's city hall. 

The royal was seen holding Anna in the air, while also holding and kissing the tot's hands.

In other images, Charlene couldn't hide her joy at meeting the youngster, flashing the biggest smile at her.

A caption from the Palace said: "Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended, this Wednesday, September 30, the reception organised in honor of the 10,000th Monégasque, which was held at Monaco City Hall. 

This figure, highly symbolic, testifies to the remarkable evolution of the national community, which, despite the size of the territory, tripled in a few decades. The Monégasques have been thus, for several years, the first community of the Principality.

"This reception took place in the presence of the family of the young Monégasque named Anna, born last June, whose birth allowed the Principality to reach this historic milestone."

Earlier this week, Charlene exercised a rare royal privilege as she wore all white to meet the Pope. Find out why here. 

Want even more royal insight? HELLO! VIP members enjoy full digital access to every issue of HELLO!, including exclusive royal features, special editions and our complete magazine archive.

Join for only £4.25 / $6.00 per month and unlock all member benefits. 

© Getty Images

The Prince of Wales has said a "holistic" approach to tackle extreme flooding is needed as he met villagers living with the threat of the upcoming storm season.

Prince William sympathised with residents in the rural settlement of Skenfrith who might be "anxious" about extreme weather events he said were no longer “one in 50-year” occurrences but seemed to be happening every year.

He chatted to Rod and Helen Wyatt at their garden gate. 

William said: "It must be so demoralising for you now, the worry each year you’ve got to go through that again, potentially, is becoming more frequent.

"They keep talking about a one-in-50-year event; it doesn’t make sense anymore.

"It might be in the researching and scientific point of view – it’s happening every year now, it’s mad.

"So, it’s trying to understand how we can do a better holistic view of the whole catchment area, so we’re dealing with the whole problem."

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Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's tragic death in a car accident in Paris.

HELLO!'s royal editor, Emily Nash, underlines how her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry will likely take different approaches to the milestone.

The Duke of Sussex has shared the story of his grief with the world and is believed to be working on a documentary.

However, friends say that the Prince of Wales wants to honour his mother's memory in a more private way.

So, how will they honour her memory next year? Read our VIP article about Harry and William's different approaches to find out.

© X / @CMC_NATO

Prince Harry has made an emotional confession about leaving the British Army.

The Duke of Sussex was addressing NATO’s military committee in Brussels via video link on Thursday. Harry spent a decade in the forces before ending his military career in 2015. 

In his address, former soldier Harry added he was "fortunate” and "had another way to serve".

The Duke, who stepped down as a working royal in 2020, staged the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014 to help wounded, injured and sick former and current service personnel.

"When I hung up my uniform, I felt as though I had lost not simply a profession, but part of my purpose and identity. I was fortunate. I had another way to serve." 

Read Harry's full speech and watch the video of his address to NATO.

It's goodbye from us on Royal News for today.

And if you're anything like me, you'll be looking forward to the first episode of Celebrity Traitors tonight!

But we will be back sharp tomorrow morning for another day of royal updates.

Here's some of what you can expect, including the Italian state visit to Monaco, Norway's state opening of parliament, as well as outings from Duchess Sophie and Princess Anne.