William shares touching Kate update following her cancer treatment – latest

The Queen is set to attend the glitzy global premiere of Gladiator II next week despite falling ill with a chest infection.

Buckingham Palace announced the King and Camilla will meet the stars of the blockbuster, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Pedro Pascal, and director Sir Ridley Scott.

The royal couple will settle down to watch the screening of the highly-anticipated sequel at the Royal Film Performance in London’s Leicester Square next Wednesday evening.

Camilla, 77, who this week was forced to pull out of engagements after catching a seasonal illness, will also join Charles as they host a special reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the UK’s television and film industry earlier in the day.

The King and Queen will welcome guests including directors, actors, TV presenters, stunt performers and costume designers.

The Queen has withdrawn from official engagements this week due to a chest infection in the latest of royal health concerns this year.

Camilla has had her own hare of hospital stays and setbacks over the years. She has suffered a broken leg, back pain, had a hysterectomy, and contracted Covid twice.

The former Mrs Parker Bowles took on the role of Queen Consort when she was 75 – an age at which many people are already well into retirement.

After one well-wisher in Cardiff remarked she must be absolutely exhausted, Camilla replied: “Yes, we are, but we have to carry on, stopping would be worse.”

The Queen used to be a heavy smoker – a habit Charles loathes – but she gave up many years ago. In 2019, she pulled out of a gala dinner on medical advice after contracting a chest infection.

The Prince of Wales has announced a potentially game-changing new life insurance cover for rangers who safeguard Africa’s wildlife.

William described the workers as “guardians of our planet’s most precious resources” as he outlined the five-year Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative, providing 10,000 rangers working across Africa access to the financial scheme.

The death toll among rangers was significant during the period from June 2023 to May 2024, with 140 losing their lives to a range of factors from animal attacks and occupational accidents to targeting by poachers.

Giving the keynote speech at the start of a two-day summit for his United for Wildlife organisation, which combats the illegal trafficking of animals, the prince said: “Rangers are fundamental if we are to meet our global conservation targets for 2030 and prevent the dangerous tipping points that threaten our planet.

“These people do far more than protect wildlife. They are educators. They are community supporters. And they help regulate the sustainable use of natural resources.”

A slice of cake from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding has sold at auction for £2,200.

The fruit cake was found under a bed in a suitcase in the original box, along with a presentation card postmarked April 21 1948, auctioneers Reeman Dansie said.

The fully packaged cake in its original state is “very rare” and was expected to gather £500, but was sold over the phone on Tuesday to a Chinese buyer for £2,200.

“It’s incredibly rare because normally, of course, people would have eaten it,” said Jonathan Benson, auctioneer at Reeman Dansie.

It was put up for sale by the family of Marion Polson, an ex-member of the Royal Household who worked at Holyroodhouse from 1931 to 1969 and who later died in the 1980s.

Slices of the cake were gifted to royal staff to mark the wedding of then-Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Prince Philip of Greece R.N. on November 20 1947.

The royal family have been accused in Parliament of levying charges on land that “doesn’t really belong to them”.

The criticism came after a Sunday Times and Channel 4 expose was published on the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, which fund the King and the Prince of Wales.

The report revealed that the royals are making millions of pounds a year by charging government departments, councils, businesses, mining companies and the general public via a series of commercial rents and feudal levies on land seized by medieval monarchs.

Lord Berkeley, who questioned the legitimacy of this ownership, said he has seen the effects of this where he lives on the Isles of Scilly, where most the land and nearly a third of the residential buildings are owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

He said: “We’ve got one example of farmers on the Isles of Scilly, [who] want to see an abattoir built so they don’t have to transport animals to the mainland, which I think is a very good idea.

“The Duchy said, ‘well you can have the land’ – well, many of us think that they don’t own the land anyway, but leaving that to one side – they allocate land to an abattoir, they are then going to charge the farmer for using it.

“Is that right when the land probably doesn’t really belong to them and they’re not contributing to the cost?”

The Prince of Wales has told his Earthshot Prize finalists “we are here for you” as he geared up for the awards ceremony being staged in Cape Town.

William chatted to the 15 environmental entrepreneurs in the picturesque setting of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in the shadow of Table Mountain.

He told the group: “You are all amazing. You should be immensely proud of yourselves. The whole Earthshot team loved hearing about your ideas, the solutions you are all coming up with, and I hope you’ve found it beneficial to be here together and creating such a great vibe.

“We are here for you for the next 12 months and I want to get around to see as many of you as possible, but good luck tonight.”

The Prince of Wales described Kate as “amazing” as he spoke to reporters in South Africa ahead of tonight’s Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town.

She’s doing really well thanks. Hopefully she’s watching tonight and cheering me on,” he said. “She’s been amazing this whole year and I know she’ll be really keen to see tonight be a success.”

Kate has been largely out of the public eye as she underwent preventative chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

In September, she revealed she had completed her treatment and was focusing on “staying cancer free” in a heartfelt video featuring herself, William and their three children.

In exciting news for royal fans, Buckingham Palace has announced it is set to open up its East Wing outside the traditional summer tourist season.

The expanded programme follows the success of this year’s annual summer opening, when it welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors and allowed access to the wing – which includes the famous central balcony – for the first time since it was built 175 years ago.

The 90-minute guided tours, from January to May and costing £90, will offer a more in-depth look at the history of the rooms in the East Wing at a time when the palace is not usually open to the public.

Early in the King’s reign, it was reported Charles planned to give people greater access to the palace all year round.

For the first time, visitors will be able to enter through the palace’s front gates and proceed across the forecourt, just as guests do for official royal events.