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Public asked to swear allegiance to King out loud during ceremony

Paraluman P. Funtanilla
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Public asked to swear allegiance to King out loud during ceremony

Buckingham Palace has announced new information as we approach 6 May

With less than one week until the coronation of King Charles III, millions of people around the world have been invited to participate in the ceremony next Saturday 6 May.

Members of the public watching the coronation have been asked to cry out and swear allegiance to the new King, marking the first time they have been given an active role in the ancient ceremony.

Lambeth Palace said it hoped the newly introduced Homage of the People will result in a “great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King” from those watching on television at home, in community spaces, or online.

During the ceremony, the Archbishop will ask “all persons of goodwill in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other Realms and the Territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all”.

The order of service will read: “All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together:

“All: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.

As preparations for the coronation continue in full swing, a full list of people taking part in ceremonial roles during the ceremony has also been released.

The moment that the King will be crowned has also been depicted on new commemorative coronation stamps released by Royal Mail. The set, comprising four stamps, is based on newly-commissioned wood engravings by artist Andrew Davidson. (independentco.uk)

Pope open to helping return Ukrainian children in Russia

EDGARDO HERNAL
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Pope open to helping return Ukrainian children in Russia

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE. Pope Francis said Sunday the Vatican was willing to help facilitate the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the war, saying the Holy See had already helped mediate some prisoner exchanges and would do “all that is humanly possible” to reunite families.

“All human gestures help. Gestures of cruelty don’t help,” Francis said during an airborne press conference en route home from Hungary.

Francis also revealed a secret peace “mission” was under way. However, he gave no details when asked whether he spoke about peace initiatives during his talks in Budapest this weekend with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban or the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Hungary.

“I’m available to do anything,” Francis said. “There’s a mission that’s not public that’s underway; when it’s public I’ll talk about it.”

The International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner, accusing them of war crimes for abducting children from Ukraine.

Russia has denied any wrongdoing, contending the children were moved for their safety.

Last week Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Francis at the Vatican and asked him to help return Ukrainian children taken following the Russian invasion.

“I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia,″ Shmyhal told the Foreign Press Association after the audience.

Francis recalled that the Holy See had facilitated some prisoner exchanges, working through embassies, and was open to Ukraine’s request to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.

The prisoner exchanges “went well. I think it could go well also for this. It’s important,” he said of the family reunifications. “The Holy See is available to do it because it’s the right thing,” he added. “We have to do all that is humanly possible.” (AP)

Pope Francis speaks to journalists aboard the papal plane  (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

Tinitingnan ng bagong PNP chief Acroda ang reshuffle ng high ranking PNP officials

Venus L Peñaflor
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Tinitingnan ng bagong PNP chief Acroda ang reshuffle ng high ranking PNP officials

Sinimulan na ni Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. ang pagrerepaso sa performance ng mga key officials na maaaring mauwi sa reshuffle ng mga matataas na posisyon.

Sinabi ni PNP Public Information chief, Col. Redrico Maranan na gusto ni Acorda na makita ang “statistics of the accomplishments” ng mga PNP commanders bago magdesisyon ng susunod na hakbang.

“As of now, there is no major reshuffle that is happening. He wants to see first the performance of field commanders. He said he’s going to look at the numbers,” ayon kay Maranan sa isang radio interview kahapon.

Titingnan muna ang Chief PNP ang mga accomplishments ng lahat ng regional directors, na siyang gagamiting basehan kung isasagawa ba ang organizational movement o hindi.

Ang hinalinhan ni Acorda, ang nagretirong si Gen. Rodolfo Azurin ay nagsagawa ng malaking pagbabago ba kinasasangkutan ng 80 heneral at koronel isang linggo matapos ang kanyang appointment noong Agosto ng nakaraang taon.

Ngunit sinabi ni Maranan na maaaring hindi pa ito mangyari sa kaso ni Acorda sa ngayon.

Kung sakaling magkaroon ng pagbabago sa organisasyon, mangyayari ito dahil ilang matataas na opisyal ang malapit nang mag retiro, ayon kay Maranan.

“We need to fill up the vacancies that will be caused by these retirements. Many third-level officers are retiring this year and because of that, we cannot avoid minor reassignments,” ayon sa kanya.

Samantala, ang mga nakatataas na opisyal ay kailangang maghintay pa para sa pag-apruba ng kanilang mga promosyon habang ang kanilang performance ay maingat na sinusuri.

Nais ng pamunuan ng PNP na matiyak na ang mga opisyal na mapo-promote ay malinis at hindi sangkot sa mga iligal na aktibidad, partikular sa droga, ayon pa rin kay Maranan.

Shuttle van sumalpok sa puno: 4 patay, 2 kritikal

Arman B. Cambe
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Shuttle van sumalpok sa puno: 4 patay, 2 kritikal

Puerto Princesa City. Apat ang nasawi at da­lawa ang nasa kritikal na kalagayan matapos maaksidente ang sinasakyan nilang shuttle van sa south national highway sa Brgy. Sta. Lucia, sa lungsod na ito sa Pa­lawan kahapon ng umaga.

Kinikilala pa ng pulisya ang mga biktima.

Ayon sa salaysay ng driver ng shuttle na si Joe­zer Lontes, 39 anyos na residente ng Brgy. Quinlogan, Quezon, Palawan, patungo sila sa Puerto Princesa City nang mangyari ang aksidente.

Binabagtas nila ang  national highway sa Brgy. Sta. Lucia nang sa pakur­bang kalsada ay dumulas ang harapang bahagi ng sasakyan bandang 7:40 ng umaga.

Sinubukan ni Lontes na bawiin ang manibela ngunit  dumiretso na ang van sa gilid ng kalsada saka sumalpok sa isang puno.

Dahil sa lakas ng pagkakabangga,nasawi ang apat sa kanyang pasahero habang kasalukuyang pang ginagamot sa ospital ang dalawang iba pa.

Napag alaman na 11 ang  sa­kay ng nasabing shuttle van nang maganap ang trahedya.

Nasa pangangalaga na ng pulisya ang driver ng van at nakatakdang humarap sa kasong reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and serious physical injury and damage to property.

2 lider ng NPA nahuli sa Oriental Mindoro

Arman B. Cambe
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2 lider ng NPA nahuli sa Oriental Mindoro

Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro. Nahuli ng mga militar ang dalawang lider ng New People’s Army (NPA) sa isinagawang operasyon sa isang liblib na lugar sa bayang ito sa Oriental Mindoro, ayon sa report ng Philippine Army (PA) noong Sabado.

Kinilala ni Lt. Col. Hector Estolas, spokesman ng 2nd Infantry Division (ID) ng PA ang mga nahuling lider ng NPA sa mga alyas na “Ka Aryo”, second deputy secretary ng Kilusang Larangan Guerillla ng Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee Sub-Regional Military Area 4D at “Ka Louise”, supply officer ng KLG MAV Platun Serna at dating Liaison ng Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee’s Regional Staff ng NPA.

Ayon kay Estolas, sina Ka Aryo at Ka Louise ay nasakote kamakailan sa combat operation sa liblib na barangay sa nabanggit na bayan bunga ng pinaigting na opensiba ng militar.

Nakumpiska sa da­lawa ang isang UZI sub-machine gun, isang M1 Carbine rifle, mga bala, isang improvised hand grenade, 2 blasting caps, 8 mobile phones, isang mobile tablet, 2 power banks, 6 cell phone chargers, pocket wifi, 2 memory cards, 7 USB flash drives, 4 sim cards, medical supplies, mga subersibong dokumento at mga personal na kagamitan.

Ayon kay Estolas, matapos masakote ay isinailalim sa medical examination at ginamot ang dalawang opisyal ng NPA at kasalukuyan silang nasa pangangalaga ng Army’s 4th Infantry Battalion habang sumasailalim sa tactical interrogation.

Ayon sa record, ang grupo nina Ka Aryo at Ka Louise ay pinaniniwalaang sangkot sa pagpatay sa isang sundalo ng 4th IB nitong Abril 25 at dinukot din noong Pebrero 10 ang dalawang CAFGU sa Mindoro noong Abril 25 at walang awang pinatay ng mga NPA.

 ang isang sundalo na nakatalaga sa 4th IB habang dinukot naman noong Enero 26 at Pebrero 

Isa pang CAFGU ang diumano ay pinatay ng mga NPA sa kanyang bahay nito lamang Abril 3.

Ayon kay 2nd Infantry “Jungle Fighter” Division commander Maj Gen. Roberto Capulong, kasalukuyan na silang nakikipag-ugnayan sa mga kaagapay sa lokal na pamahalaan, mga sangay ng gobyerno at pangunahing mga stakeholders sa pagpapatupad ng batas.

Life-size sculpture of euthanized walrus unveiled in Norway

Venus L Peñaflor
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Life-size sculpture of euthanized walrus unveiled in Norway

Helsinki. A walrus that became a global celebrity last year after it was seen frolicking and basking in an Oslo fjord before it was euthanized by the authorities has been honored with a bronze sculpture in Norway.

The life-size sculpture by Norwegian artist Astri Tonoian was unveiled Saturday at the Oslo marina not far from the place where the actual 600-kilogram (1,300-pound) mammal was seen resting and relaxing during the summer of 2022.

The walrus, named Freya, quickly became a popular attraction among Oslo residents but Norwegian authorities later made a decision to euthanize it — causing public outrage — because they said people hadn’t followed recommendations to keep a safe distance away from the massive animal.

Norwegian news agency NTB said a crowdfunding campaign was kicked off last fall to finance the sculpture. The private initiative managed to gather about 270,000 Norwegian kroner ($25,000) by October, NTB said.

Texas man kills 5 neighbors after they complained of gunfire

EDGARDO HERNAL
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Texas man kills 5 neighbors after they complained of gunfire

Cleveland, Texas. A Texas man went next door with a rifle and fatally shot five of his neighbors, including an 8-year-old boy, after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said Saturday.

The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, remained at large more than 18 hours after the shooting and authorities warned that he might still be armed. The attack happened just before midnight Friday near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston, on a street where some residents say it is not uncommon to hear neighbors unwind by firing off guns.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Oropeza used an AR-style rifle, and as the search for him dragged into Saturday evening, authorities had widened their efforts to as far as “10 to 20 miles” from the murder scene. He said Oropeza may still have a weapon but that he believes authorities have the rifle used in the shooting.

Capers said they found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area that includes dense layers of forest but that tracking dogs had lost the scent.

“He could be anywhere now,” Capers said.

Capers said the victims were between the ages of 8 and 31 years old and that all were believed to be from Honduras. All were shot “from the neck up,” he said.

The attack was the latest act of gun violence in what has been a record pace of mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, some of which have also involved semi automatic rifles.

The mass killings have played out in a variety of places — a Nashville school, a Kentucky bank, a Southern California dance hall, and now a rural Texas neighborhood inside a single-story home.

Capers said there were 10 people in the house — some of whom had just moved there earlier in the week — but that no one else was injured. He said two of the victims were found in a bedroom laying over two children in an apparent attempt to shield them.

A total of three children found covered in blood in the home were taken to a hospital but found to be uninjured, Capers said.

FBI spokesperson Christina Garza said investigators do not believe everyone at the home were members of a single family. The victims were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8.

The confrontation followed the neighbors walking up to the fence and asking the suspect to stop shooting rounds, Capers said. The suspect responded by telling them that it was his property, Capers said, and one person in the house got a video of the suspect walking up to the front door with the rifle.

The shooting took place on a rural pothole-riddled street where single-story homes sit on wide 1-acre lots and are surrounded by a thick canopy of trees. A horse could be seen behind the victim’s home, while in the front yard of Oropeza’s house a dog and chickens wandered.

Rene Arevalo Sr., who lives a few houses down, said he heard gunshots around midnight but didn’t think anything of it.

“It’s a normal thing people do around here, especially on Fridays after work,” Arevalo said. “They get home and start drinking in their backyards and shooting out there.”

Capers said his deputies had been to Oropeza’s home at least once before and spoken with him about “shooting his gun in the yard.” It was not clear whether any action was taken at the time. At a news conference Saturday evening, the sheriff said firing a gun on your own property can be illegal, but he did not say whether Oropeza had previously broken the law.

Capers said the new arrivals in the home had moved from Houston earlier in the week, but he said he did not know whether they were planning to stay there.Across the U.S. since Jan. 1, there have been at least 18 shootings that left four or more people dead, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today, in partnership with Northeastern University. The violence is sparked by a range of motives: murder-suicides and domestic violence; gang retaliation; school shootings; and workplace vendettas. (with reports from Juan A. Lozano and Paul J. Webber, AP)

Solante: Arcturus subvariant posibleng sanhi ng muling paglobo ng COVID

Carlo Juancho Funtanilla
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Solante: Arcturus subvariant posibleng sanhi ng muling paglobo ng COVID

Posibleng dahilan ng muling pagtaas ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas ang Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 o Arcturus, ayon sa isang health expert noong Biyernes.

Ang ganito ring trend ay dati ng nangyari noong pumasok ang iba pang variants sa bansa–ang BA 2 noong 2022 at BA.4 at BA.5 noong 2023, ayon kay disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante ng San Lazaro Hospital sa Maynila.

Inaasahan niyang ang bahagyang pagtaas ng mga kaso ay dulot ng XBB sublineage ng Omicron, ayon sa kanya.

“Whether it’s the XBB.1.5 or the XBB.1.16 or the other one is the XBB.1.9.1 – these are all variants of interest that there is always a possibility that they can cause increase in the cases among our population,” dagdag niya.

Nabanggit ni Solante na ang Arcturus subvariant ay “may growth advantage” kumpara sa iba pang Omicron subvariant.

Nangangahulugan na mas mabilis na dumapo sa katawan dahil sa mutations sa  spike protein, kaya mas mataas ang hawaan, paliwanag i Solante.

Gayunpaman, ang Arcturus subvariant ay hindi nakikitang magdulot ng mas matinding mga sintomas Covid-19, batay sa mga karanasan ng ibang mga bansa, ayon sa kanya.

Batay sa pinakahuling Covid-19 biosurveillance report ng Department of Health (DOH) may kabuuang 130 bagong kaso ng Omicron sub variants ang nakita sa Pilipinas. Ito ang resulta ng pinakabagong genome sequencing na sumasaklaw sa panahon ng Abril 12 hanggang 19.

Kabilang sa ulat ang nag-iisang XBB.1.16 mula sa Iloilo at gumaling na ang pasyente na ‘asymptomatic’ ayon sa DOH.

“From March 2023 onwards, XBB and its sub lineages were the most detected variant, comprising 63.06 percent of samples sequenced with assigned lineages, followed by the BA.2.3.20 and its sublineages,” ayon sa DOH .

Mula sa  130 kaso, 82 ang nauri bilang  XBB (kabilang ang 33 XBB.1.9.1 kaso, 24 kaso ng XBB.1.5 , at isang  kaso ng XBB.1.16 ), 30 bilang  BA.2.3.20, 12 na BA.5 (kabilang ang dalawang kaso ng BQ.1 ), tatlo bilang  XBC, at tatlo pang ibang  Omicron sublineages, ang pagtatapos ng DOH.

First batch ng Pinoy evacuees mula sa Sudan dumating na sa Maynila

Venus L Peñaflor
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First batch ng Pinoy evacuees mula sa Sudan dumating na sa Maynila

Maynila. Dumating na sa Pilipinas ang 17 Pinoy na inilikas mula sa Sudan, nitong Sabado, Abril 29. Sa liham, sinabi ng Department of Foreign Affairs na ang unang batch ng evacuees ay lumipad pabalik ng bansa mula sa Athens, Greece at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Dumating ang grupo pasado alas-6:30 ng gabi  sa Terminal 3 sa Pasay City sa pamamagitan ng Qatar Airways Flight No. QR 204.

Kabilang sa mga evacuees mula sa Sudan ang walong hotel workers.

Sa ulat ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) kinilala silang sina Myra Castro, Sherly Arciga, Arnel Nacion, Johnny Mariano, Humphrey Manipis, Jomel Mallari, Marben Prila at Vilma Loba.

Sa pagtatasa, ang DSWD, sa pamamagitan ng National Capital Region Field Office at mga social worker nito, binigyan ng psychosocial intervention ang mga repatriated Filipinos bilang paunang tulong.

Ang walo ay tumakas mula sa Khartoum, Sudan at dumating sa Greece sakay ng isang Greek military aircraft.

Noong Biyernes, lumipad palabas ng Athens, Greece at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ang 17 repatriates, kasama ang walong hotel workers, matapos ang mga representasyon sa gobyerno ng Greece sa pamamagitan ng Philippine Embassy sa Athens.

Tinanggap ng embahada ang grupo sa Athens noong umaga ng Biyernes at inayos ang kanilang paglipad pabalik ng Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng DFA Assistance-to-Nationals Fund.

Ang iba pang siyam, kabilang ang isang sanggol, ay lumikas sa kabisera ng Khartoum sa pamamagitan ng Port Sudan kung saan sila ay sumakay sa isang C130 na eroplano ng Saudi Royal Air Force patungo sa Jeddah.

Ang Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) ang nagbigay ng repatriation ticket para sa walong manggagawa habang inayos naman ng konsulado ang paglipad ng isa pang estudyanteng evacuee.

Nag-isyu ang Philippine Consulate General sa Jeddah ng travel documents sa mga walang orihinal na pasaporte.

“The Philippine government is working round-the-clock to assist our kababayans who have left Sudan,” ayon kay DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo saidsa isang statement noong Sabado.

Sinabi ng DFA na nagtalaga na rin ng mga tauhan mula sa Department of Migrant Workers, OWWA at Department of National Defense upang palakasin ang mga pagsisikap sa paglikas.

Pinasalamatan ni Manalo ang mga dayuhang pamahalaan na nagpaabot ng tulong sa mga Pilipinong tumakas sa giyera.

Sa oras ng isinusulat ang balitang ito, 610 Filipino ang lumikas sa Khartoum, kung saan 391 ang tumatawid sa Egyptian side ng border sakay ng mga bus na charter ng Philippine Embassy sa Cairo at ng Philippine Honorary Consulate sa Sudan.

Kasalukuyang inaayos ng Embahada ang kanilang pansamantalang visa at repatriation flights sa Pilipinas, habang ang DMW at OWWA ay naghahanda para sa shelter at iba pang welfare assistance sa panahon ng transit.

“The Embassy and our DMW teams will make sure they will all be treated well onboard buses and in Cairo,” ayon kay DMW Secretary Susan Ople.

Royal Drama: King’s fractious family on stage at coronation

Paraluman P. Funtanilla
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Royal Drama: King’s fractious family on stage at coronation

London. King Charles III lives in a palace, travels in a chauffeur-driven Bentley and is one of Britain’s richest men, but he’s similar to many of his subjects in one very basic way: His family life is complicated — very complicated.

There’s a second wife, an embarrassing brother, and an angry son and daughter-in-law, all with allies who aren’t shy about whispering family secrets in the ears of friendly reporters.

The new king will hope to keep a lid on those tensions when his royally blended family joins as many as 2,800 guests for Charles’ coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. All except Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are attending.

How Charles manages his family drama over the coming weeks and years is crucial to the king’s efforts to preserve and protect the 1,000-year-old hereditary monarchy he now embodies. Without the respect of the public, the House of Windsor risks being lumped together with pop stars, social media influencers and reality TV contestants as fodder for the British tabloids, undermining the cachet that underpins its role in public life.

Royal historian Hugo Vickers says people should look past the sensational headlines and focus on what Charles accomplishes now that he is king.

“In a sense, he sort of becomes a new man when he becomes king,” said Vickers, author of “Coronation: The Crowning of Elizabeth II.”

“Look at him as he is now, look at him the way he is approaching everything, look at his positivity and look at how right he’s been on so many issues,” he added. “Unfortunately, he had those difficult times with his marriages and some of the other issues, but we live in a very tricky era.”

The horror show came back to haunt Charles last week, when the king’s estranged younger son, Prince Harry, dropped a new round of allegations Tuesday about the royal family into the middle of the coronation buildup.

In written evidence for his invasion of privacy claim against a British newspaper, Harry claimed his father prevented him from filing the lawsuit a decade ago. The prince said Charles didn’t want to dredge up graphic testimony about his extramarital affair with the former Camilla Parker-Bowles when he was married to the late Princess Diana.

Diana was the mother of Harry and his elder brother and heir to the throne, William, the Prince of Wales. Camilla, now the queen consort, went on to marry Charles in 2005 and will be crowned alongside her husband at Westminster Abbey.

If the past is any indication, attention will now shift to body language, seating plans and even wardrobe choices during the coronation, as royal watchers look for any signs of a thaw in the family tensions.

But Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, doesn’t expect Harry to have a lot of contact with the rest of his family. In any case, Harry won’t be in the U.K. for long, so there’s not much time for fence mending.

“The stuff that we discovered (Tuesday) is really not going to help his cause,” Little said. “But, you know, will there be time to go over all that with the king and the Prince of Wales? Unlikely.”

The royal soap opera didn’t begin with the current generation of royals. After all, Edward VIII sparked a constitutional crisis in 1936 when he abdicated the throne to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson.

Charles’ grandfather, George VI, is credited with saving the monarchy with a life of low-key public service after he replaced his flamboyant elder brother. The late Queen Elizabeth II burnished the family’s reputation during a 70-year reign, in which she became a symbol of stability who cheered the nation’s victories and comforted it during darker times.

But Charles grew up in a different era, under the glare of media attention as deference to the monarchy faded.

He has been a controversial figure ever since the very public breakdown of his marriage to Diana, who was revered by many people for her looks and her compassion.

Diana alleged that there had been “three people” in the marriage, pointing the finger at Charles’ longtime love Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Camilla, initially reviled by Diana’s fans, has worked hard to rehabilitate her image. Her ex-husband and their children are expected to attend the coronation, with her grandsons serving as pages of honor.

She supports a raft of causes, ranging from adult literacy to protecting the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. But even that effort has sparked tensions.

Harry claimed in his memoir “Spare” that the senior royals leaked unflattering stories about him to the news media in return for more favorable coverage, particularly to improve Camilla’s image.

At the time of their marriage in 2018, Harry and Meghan were celebrated as the new face of the monarchy. Meghan, a biracial American actress, brought a touch of Hollywood glamour to the royal family and many observers hoped she would help the Windsors connect with younger people in an increasingly multicultural nation.

Those hopes quickly crumbled amid allegations that palace officials were insensitive to Meghan’s mental health struggles as she adjusted to royal life.

Harry and Meghan walked away from frontline royal duties three years ago and moved to California, from which they have lobbed repeated critiques at the House of Windsor.

In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey they hinted at racism in the palace, alleging that one unidentified member of the royal family had inquired about the color of their unborn son’s skin before his birth.

Harry, i n a Netflix series broadcast last year, said the episode was an example of unconscious bias and that the royal family needed to “learn and grow” so it could be “part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”

The repeated attacks led to months of speculation about whether the couple would be invited to the coronation. The palace finally answered that question two weeks ago when it announced that Harry would attend but Meghan would remain in California with their two children.

And then there is Charles’ brother Prince Andrew, who became a toxic time bomb inside the royal family when the world learned about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the financier’s long-time girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Epstein, who was convicted of sex crimes in 2008, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on a second set of charges. Maxwell was convicted last year of helping procure young girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Florida.

Andrew gave up his royal duties in 2019 after a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he tried to explain away his links to Epstein and Maxwell. He was stripped of his honorary military titles and patronages as he prepared to defend a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who said she was forced to have sex with the prince when she was a teenager.

Andrew denied the allegations but settled the suit last year before it came to trial. While terms of the agreement weren’t released, The Sun newspaper reported that Charles and the late queen paid the bulk of the estimated 7 million pound ($8.7 million) settlement.

“I think it was inevitable that when Charles became king, a lot of the personal stuff would come back to haunt him,″ Little said. “I think as far as the king is concerned, he just has to shrug his shoulders and get on with the job in hand.” (AP)

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