Roughly two hours before a helicopter crash-landed in the San Fernando Valley of northern Los Angeles, an SUV collided with the side of a Metro bus, resulting in “numerous injured patients”, as per the Los Angeles Fire Department.

As per an LAFD press release: “Firefighters are extricating the trapped patients and assessing all passengers on the bus.”

Crews added that one person was found dead on the bus. Another person was killed after they were ejected from the bus during the crash. Six others have been rushed to nearby hospitals, fire crews confirmed, with two of those now in a critical condition. At least one person was trapped inside the wreckage, with crews working to rescue that person.

Aerial footage showed that the SUV appears to have almost completely driven through the bus during the crash, which took place at the intersection of Nordhoff and De Soto Avenue.

As emergency crews continued working at the scene of the fatal bus crash, a helicopter then went down nearby, resulting in one death after the aircraft burst into flames.

The Duchess of Sussex’s mobile number is being shared by parents at the school she and Prince Harry‘s children had just started, it was reported last night. 

Screenshots from a WhatsApp group Meghan joined were said to be circulating online. 

The Sussexes refused to comment, but sources close to them said it was disappointing that fellow parents would seek to share such information.

Meghan is understood to have joined the WhatsApp group, titled ‘Year 3’, the night before Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet started at the school. 

An alleged screenshot of the chat showed the duchess introducing herself with a message reading: ‘Hi moms! Thanks for the warm welcome [heart emoji]. So happy to be a part of this community xx’

It emerged after Harry and Meghan decided to ‘reluctantly’ remove their children from the school their children had just started over security fears regarding traffic. 

The family’s bodyguards warned the couple that the busy commute was placing their unit ‘under strain’. 

Rush-hour meant the drive – supposed to take around 35 minutes – lasted as long as an hour, while on one journey a convoy carrying the prince and princess is said to have become separated, leaving the children ‘sitting ducks’ in stationary traffic.

Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, spent two days at a private school before their parents chose to send them to a different school 

Harry wears a Santa Barbara Fire Department cap as he kisses his daughter in pictures shared by Meghan to mark his 42nd birthday

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Friends of the couple stressed that the decision to withdraw the children was not an issue with the school itself. 

Archie and Lilibet will now join another school where they have already attended taster sessions. The Sussexes’ security, meanwhile, are said to be much happier that the new school will be a shorter commute from the family home.  

But the fiasco has sparked questions over why the family’s drivers only tested the route during the summer holidays, amid claims that their return to the UK was ‘rushed’. 

Their private protection team were seemingly unable to properly assess the hour-long journey to the unnamed school after the Sussexes announced the move in late August. 

Former Met Police Chief Superintendent Dal Babu said: ‘It does beggar belief why they haven’t thought this through. I don’t think he [Harry] has helped himself or the situation by not arranging things in good time.’

Former head of royal protection Dai Davies also told LBC radio: ‘If you keep a low profile, most people outside the school wouldn’t know where you are, what they’re doing, and all the rest of it.

‘Do they really need to go in convoy with two little children on the school run? If they only just kept a little quieter, kept a lower profile, they’d be a lot safer in my view.’

A Labour MP suggested that he believes the Sussexes have been left exposed.

Mike Tapp, who represents Dover and Deal in Kent, said: ‘Nearly three weeks after their arrival, the King’s son, Meghan, and their children remain without protection.

‘Whatever the eventual outcome, there are serious questions about how this process has been handled. In the cold light of day, there should be a proper review to ensure decisions of this importance are made swiftly, independently and on the basis of risk.’

One mother with two children at the school said Harry and Meghan’s decision to send their children there had been a coup and had excited many parents. But she added: ‘Parents at the school are completely baffled. You don’t need to be an expert to know how congested that area is. It’s one of the worst places to drive in the UK.’

Another mother said of the slow school run: ‘This was obviously going to happen.’ 

The dramatic schools development came as it emerged that Harry’s demand for taxpayer-funded police protection is being ‘reviewed’ now he is back in Britain.

Harry drives a quad bike with Lilibet and Archie in the back in a post shared by Meghan… The Sussex convoy was split up due to congestion this week, with their security team raising fears

In another picture, Harry plays archery with Archie… He and Meghan are said to be extremely grateful for the ‘exceptional care’ the children received at their prep school

The duke and duchess are said to have been informed that ‘a decision’ was made at a meeting last week to examine the threat to both of them.

The prince has been at loggerheads with the Home Office for years over its decision to remove his automatic right to security. Harry has long argued that he was born a prince and needs police protection when in the UK.

But he lost a series of legal battles against the Home Office which deemed he had forfeited the right to be able to call at will on taxpayer-funded protection after he quit as a frontline royal in 2020 and moved to a new life in California.

Only last year, after yet another defeat at the Royal Courts of Justice – against his father His Majesty’s government – the prince declared in a petulant BBC interview that he could not imagine a time when he could safely bring his family to his country of birth.

But now that he has had a sudden change of heart, bringing Meghan, Archie and Lilibet to live in the UK, his access to police protection is being reviewed, it was reported on Monday evening.

The decision is said to involve reviewing the risks to Prince Harry and also to his wife.

ITV News said the Home Office committee that decides on security provision for high-profile royals and politicians – known as Ravec – has written to Harry informing him a ‘full review’ will take place.

If true, then this decision defies complaints made by Team Sussex about the meeting held last week by Ravec, the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures. 

Some in Harry’s camp had accused Buckingham Palace of trying to scupper the Ravec meeting with King Charles’s bombshell letter last week which made clear Buckingham Palace’s view that the Sussexes were ‘private citizens’ not working royals.

Harry and Meghan were taken by surprise by the letter and would prefer to be known as ‘public figures’, it was made clear by sources close to them.

They believed the timing of the letter may have been an attempt to influence the Ravec committee on whether to reinstate Harry’s taxpayer-funded security.

At the time, the Daily Mail reported that such claims were incorrect, and the letter was sent out by the palace to offer clarity ahead of a busy programme for the Sussexes, not to interfere with his battles with the Home Office committee. In fact, those close to the King believed the move could make it easier for him to see his son privately.

On Monday, Harry’s fears that the letter could have been designed to block his bid for security appeared unfounded with the news that Ravec is going to fully review his need for protection for him and his family.

ITV News’s royal correspondent Chris Ship said: ‘It was decided that Harry should get a full review of his security now that he is resident in his home country and his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have started classes at a British school.’

It was said the official review carried out by Ravec, called a Risk Management Board, would be conducted for both Harry and Meghan. It would be the first review of the potential risks and threats facing Meghan since the couple left the Monarchy in 2020.

Meghan and Harry are pictured together during a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, in October 2019

In fact, Harry had a new ‘RMB’ completed in July, eight weeks ago, but this was conducted before those assessing his case knew about his plans to relocate his family to the UK.

Currently, said ITV News, the only protection the Sussexes have been given by British police is the phone number of a police liaison officer. The duke has been told to call the phone number should he need police help, but he believes this is essentially zero protection as it would take officers a long time to reach him, were he or his family to be in distress or under attack.

Harry argues he is the son of the British monarch, the fifth in line to the throne and a veteran of the British Army who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. He was criticised by some British officers for his decision to boast in his 2023 memoir Spare about how many people he had killed during his battles against the Taliban. Some suggested this had massively increased his need for protection against those who might seek revenge.

Scotland Yard does not discuss the security arrangements of royals but it is understood that protection is arranged on a case-by-case basis and is constantly under review. During some recent UK events attended by Harry, such as charity evenings, he has clearly been afforded police security.

Harry and Meghan also pay millions for private security. But in America, their bodyguards may be able to shoot people deemed a threat. In Britain, their close protection agents are not allowed to carry guns, explaining why the duke is desperate to reinstate his automatic police protection.

The Home Office said: ‘The UK Government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.’

Sinead has recovered from a back injury, lost weight and completely changed her relationship with physical activity.

Two years ago Belfast woman Sinead McElmeel was a very different person. Exercise wasn’t on her radar but now it’s part of her daily life.

For Sinead, supported exercise has helped her recover from a back injury, lose weight and completely change her relationship with physical activity.

Sinead, 35 and a nurse, joined Better Gyms in Belfast’s leisure centres in 2024 through the Physical Activity Referral Scheme (PARS) following her back injury.

The scheme supports people living with chronic or health-related conditions to become more physically active with guidance from qualified exercise professionals.

Since joining in October 2024, Sinead, from North Belfast, has made exercise a regular part of her week and now attends Pilates, core fitness, and aqua aerobics classes with her instructor Andrea Adams.

As a result she has now lost an incredible 45kg and also seen a significant improvement in her back.

What began as a way to safely return to physical activity following an injury has become a routine that Sinead now looks forward to every week.

She told Belfast Live: “Previously I had no fitness at all. I was not a very active person. I was a size 24 and weighed 109 kilogrammes. I had a back injury and my GP referred me to Better Gyms where I attended a back clinic and was advised to go to the gym and do things like pilates and yoga.

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“I’m not very good at going to the gym, but I love the classes. I fell in love with the classes and thought I’d try some more and now I’m doing 15 classes a week Better has 16 gyms in Belfast, and I go to several of them. I really enjoy the fitness classes, and whenever I can’t go to a class or I miss one, I really miss it.”

The right support really helped Sinead, who previously felt exercise was out of reach particularly following her injury. Leisure centres also played a key role in helping her become more active at her own pace, with professional guidance.

Sinead’s love of fitness has also led to her wanting to eventually become an instructor in Pilates and aqua aerobics in the future. And she says her family have also embraced fitness too: “My sister is also doing quite a few of the classes with me so I’ve had a good impact on her.

“My parents have started increasing their fitness levels too so I’ve motivated a few of them to look at their fitness and try the classes.”

Sinead added: “When I look back on the person that I was two years ago, I don’t really recognise her. A lot of people would feel intimidated walking into a gym – I definitely did. Fitness doesn’t have to be gym bods, big muscles and skinny diets and all that sort of thing.

“It can be having fun in a class and you don’t actually feel like you’re exercising. There’s so many different types of exercise and classes so find a class that you don’t feel like you’re exercising in.

“Don’t start off trying to go to the gym 15 times a day. Try going once a week and try different classes every time until you find an instructor and a class that you like. Try all the random stuff out there and you’ll find something that you like.”

Sinead is also full of praise for her instructor: “Andrea’s absolutely brilliant. She’s been very helpful. Every time I have questions in the class, she’s always there to help me. She’s supported me in my goals to become a fitness instructor like her.”

“I do weightlifting now and I never thought I’d be a weightlifter or do anything like that. Try things that you never thought you would be interested in, and you might find something that you love.”

Leisure trust GLL took over Belfast City Council ’s 10 leisure centres in January 2015, running them under its ‘Better’ brand.

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Gareth Kirk, Senior Regional Director, GLL, says Sinead’s journey shows the life-changing impact that physical activity can have.

He added: “Losing 45kg is an incredible achievement, but the real success story is the transformation in her health, confidence and wellbeing.

“At Better, we’re passionate about helping people take that first step, regardless of their starting point. Through programmes like the Physical Activity Referral Scheme, we’re supporting people across Belfast to become more active and improve their quality of life.

“National Fitness Day is a great opportunity to remind people that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to being active. Whether it is swimming, Pilates, a group exercise class, walking, or simply finding a way to move more during the day, physical activity can have a significant impact on both physical and mental wellbeing.

“We want people to feel that our leisure centres are welcoming spaces where they can start at their own pace and get the support they need.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Emergency services and members of the public are searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing at a playground.

Noah Woods was with a relative at the small park at Merriam Close in Brantham, but “became separated” from them as they left at about 15:00 BST, Suffolk Police said.

The toddler, who is partially deaf, autistic and non-verbal, was reported to have run down a nearby alleyway towards a newbuild housing estate.

“We ask local residents to please check their outbuildings, gardens and sheds, and report any sightings to police on 999,” Supt Pete Partridge said.

A helicopter has been pictured flying over the scene, which is near the estuary of the River Stour and close to the Essex border.

Police described Noah as white, with curly ginger hair, and said he would not respond to his name being called.

In a statements released overnight, police said efforts to find him were still ongoing.

“We are grateful for the support from the public, however ask people not to undertake independent searches overnight. It’s important that any public searches are coordinated with police.”

A 38-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, both from Scarborough, have been arrested in connection with the act in Scarborough Town Centre on Monday (September 14) shortly after 7pm. 

The pair remain in custody, North Yorkshire Police said. 

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A force spokesperson said: “We are aware of images circulating on social media and we would like to speak to anyone who has witnessed the act, in particular, the person who took the original image. 

“CCTV enquiries have been ongoing throughout the day.

“We are asking for assistance from our community.” 

If you have any information about this, please contact police on 101, quoting reference number 12260180837. 

Anonymous information can also be given to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

This year, greyhound racing in Britain turns 100 years old. The first race ran on July 24 1926 in Manchester, where six dogs chased a mechanical hare around a track.

Recently, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) published its 2025 welfare figures, under a reassuring headline: licensed racing “maintains high welfare standards”.

Look closely, and those same welfare figures show that a dog in 2025 was 77% more likely to die at the racetrack (from fatal injury or being put down following an injury) than when the industry’s welfare strategy was introduced in 2022, even accounting for the fact there have been fewer races and fewer racetracks operating.

In terms of a percentage of race starts, that increase in likelihood of death seems small – from 0.03% to 0.05%. But behind that percentage are 161 dogs who died at the track in 2025: more than three dogs a week.

The GBGB is responsible for both promoting and running greyhound racing, and for regulating it. This means the same entity that works to keep the sport thriving is also the one that reports on how its dogs cope.

The numbers that guide approval

Most of the public seem to believe that people have a moral responsibility to prevent, or at least minimise, poor welfare in animals that they use for any purpose. If an industry using animals loses public approval, the activity is probably operating on borrowed time. The case for greyhound racing continuing rests largely on the industry’s own records.

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The UK government said in October 2025 that it has no plans to ban greyhound racing in England, pointing to improvements made by the GBGB, such as its 2022 welfare strategy, and the laws already in place, which require a vet at every race meeting and set standards for record keeping.

UK law recognises dogs as sentient beings – that they have feelings like joy or frustration. Once you accept that (as animal welfare scientists do), our responsibility when caring for animals doesn’t stop at minimising suffering. It extends to enabling the good experiences a life worth living requires.

What the industry figures leave out

The GBGB publishes annual figures on injuries, deaths and where dogs go when they leave racing, and presents them to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Few animal-reliant industries are this forthcoming.

A combined total can be accurate in reporting the national injuries dogs sustained while racing, but not tell the whole story. When we built a more complete picture using AI agents (under human supervision) and public websites, more details became visible.

Our research used five public-facing websites that together contained information about 31,028 dogs and 1.27 million races between 01 January 2022 and March 31 2026.

It is a new use for this technology, one that makes the data fully visible.

The data from these websites gave us a fuller picture of the greyhounds that race. Our findings showed us that equal numbers of male and female dogs race, most dogs are black, and they typically start racing before turning two years old. We can also pull out the story of individual dogs, to better understand their experiences.

For example, the 12,999th dog (selected at random and anonymised) in our dataset was a black male, bred in Ireland. He raced at Kinsley stadium (West Yorkshire) 15 times from March 2023, winning four times in early races. The records then show he experienced a succession of rough races from May, jostled by the pack and constantly checking his stride to avoid crashing into the dogs around him. This resulted in him finishing at or near the back of the pack, until his final race in August 2023, when his racing and public record stop, just five months after starting.

This dataset found that some racetracks recorded serious incidents while racing (such as a dog striking a rail or being knocked over by another dog) up to five times as often as others. This is something the annual, nationally aggregated data release does not illuminate, although government committees have been asking for it.

Of individual dogs racing, 85% were bred and reared in the Republic of Ireland, beyond the reach of the GBGB, which regulates racing but has no oversight of their breeding and early lives. Most dogs only race for around one year, and the rate at which they leave racing has not changed since 2022 when the GBGB’s A Good Life for Every Greyhound welfare strategy was introduced. Welfare charities have raised concerns about oversupply and “wastage” (dogs bred in large numbers and then discarded), with animal shelters often shouldering the role of rehoming.

Once dogs exit racing, most vanish from public view. Over 95% of dogs that have left racing cannot be checked, as they are no longer subject to public reporting requirements.

What are the most likely causes of poor welfare?

A report released in July 2026 from Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, Hope Rescue and the RSPCA outlines the systemic welfare challenges they believe that greyhounds in the UK face.

The report suggests that poor welfare can arise at every life stage. The charities say they are concerned about breeding practices that are harmful such as surgical artificial insemination (banned in Britain but still used in the Republic of Ireland where most racing dogs are bred) and inbreeding; estimates some dogs spend 95% of their time in kennels; and health issues (such as teeth and limb problems) that follow dogs once they exit racing.

Britain isn’t deciding the future of animal-reliant industries like greyhound racing in isolation. In the past year, New Zealand, Wales, Scotland, and a second state in Australia have all decided to end greyhound racing on animal welfare grounds.

Public acceptance and government policy should not rest on figures provided by the industry, but on independent data assemblies which are available for deeper interrogation.

Before trusting any welfare claim, consider these three things:

• Can you see the data behind it?
• Who collected it, and do they profit?
• Does it really show you the animals’ lives?

A hundred years of industry record keeping has not answered whether the welfare of these dogs is acceptable in 2026. Independent scrutiny might.

Editor’s note: A spokesperson for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) said:
“As the sport’s regulator, GBGB is the only organisation with access to the full, verified dataset relating to injuries and fatalities across licensed greyhound racing in Great Britain. GBGB publishes an independently verified summary of this dataset annually, providing a level of transparency and detail that exceeds the reporting requirements set by Defra.”

Adding an extra ingredient enhances the flavour and texture of the tuna filling

Tuna sandwiches are a classic favourite, loved for their simple ingredients and satisfying taste. Tuna, a creamy dressing and soft bread come together to make a comforting sandwich that works all year round.

They’re also quick and easy to put together, making them a great choice for a light lunch or a picnic.

Tuna works well with a wide range of ingredients, allowing for plenty of variety in flavour and texture. According to Princes, adding one extra ingredient to a tuna mayo sandwich makes all the difference.

That ingredient is crème fraîche, a thick, rich cultured cream that adds freshness, lightness and a gentle tang. The mayo provides a smooth base, while the crème fraîche loosens the texture and lifts the flavour. Together they create a filling that feels rich but not heavy.

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Ingredients:

• Your bread of choice
• One tin of tuna chunks or steak
• 65g mayonnaise
• 25g crème fraîche
• 15g spring onions, sliced
• 15g diced gherkins
• 10g diced capers
• Half a lemon, juice only
• 2g chopped dill
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

Begin by weighing all your ingredients and finely chopping the spring onions, gherkins, capers and dill.

In a bowl, mix together the chopped ingredients with the mayonnaise, crème fraîche, lemon zest and tuna.

Season with salt and pepper, spread the mixture onto your bread of choice and squeeze the lemon juice over the top.

The crème fraîche adds a light, velvety texture and a gentle tang that cuts through the richness of the mayo, resulting in a fresher, more balanced filling. It works especially well with the spring onions, gherkins and capers.

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Greek yoghurt can also work as a substitute for mayo in a tuna filling. It is lighter in texture, with a mild tang that brings out the tuna’s savoury flavour. It pairs particularly well with celery and red onion, and needs nothing more than a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of seasoning to finish.

Its considerably lighter texture and subtle tanginess enhance the savoury qualities of the tuna while simultaneously bringing out the flavours of any vegetables within the sandwich.

The Yorkshire Shepherdess became a household name with former husband Clive Owen and their nine children on Channel 5’s Our Yorkshire Farm.

Although the programme ended in 2022, Amanda has continued sharing life in the Yorkshire Dales while farming and appearing on television with her family.

The 51-year-old revealed how she is spending her time as sheep are gathered from the moors for what she calls the “harvest of the Hills”.

(Image: CHANNEL4)

Posting photographs from the farm, Amanda said: “This is what we are on with at the moment.

“Gathering sheep in from the moors and picking up strays that other farmers have brought in.

“Trying to catch up with all the woolly wanderers and sorting out who is who. Who stays, who goes and where they go.”

The work will continue for months as the sheep are sorted for breeding, sale to other farms or the food chain.

Amanda added: “Over the next couple of months, there will be what is sometimes referred to as ‘The harvest of the Hills’.”

Breeding animals would be sold to farmers to replenish their flocks, while store animals would be reared for future sale.

Prime fatstock would go straight into the food chain. Amanda published the post on September 10.

Amanda Owen’s life now

Amanda remains closely associated with Ravenseat, the remote Swaledale farm where viewers first got to know the Owen family.

Amanda and Clive announced their separation in June 2022 after 22 years of marriage but have continued working together and raising their family.

Their nine children are Raven, Reuben, Miles, Edith, Violet, Sidney, Annas, Clementine and Nancy.

Amanda and Clive have also reunited on screen for More4’s Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids.

The programme follows the family as they restore the derelict farmhouse known as Anty John’s while continuing their everyday farming lives in the Yorkshire Dales.

Channel 4 commissioned another two series in 2025, covering both series three and four, as work moved from the exterior of Anty John’s to the enormous job of transforming its interior.

The fourth series is now on its way.

Amanda is due to appear at a special Our Farm Next Door event at Everyman Northallerton on September 30, where fans will get an exclusive preview before the show returns to More4.

Robert Chinchen, 37, climbed into a residential property in Queen Street, Scarborough, through a window at 3.20am, returned to the house at 7.30am four days later and seven days earlier he had been seen at a house in Elders Street, Scarborough, said Laura Peto, prosecuting.

York Crown Court heard he was forbidden to go to both properties under a slavery and trafficking risk order made by Scarborough magistrates in October last year after police convinced them he had been using violence and intimidation to get accommodation and vulnerable people needed protecting from him, the court heard.

Hours after police attended the Queen Street property, Chinchen was seen on the railway tracks at Scarborough Railway Station, claimed he had poured acetone over himself and threatened to set himself on fire.

Police persuaded him to leave the railway without carrying out his threat and arrested him, said Ms Peto.

Defence barrister Nick Peacock said: “He is homeless. He is attending properties where his friends live and trying to secure somewhere to live. Until this man gets somewhere to live these problems are going to persist.”

Chinchen, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to three breaches of the order.

He has previous convictions for breaching the order, one committed on the day it was made, the court heard.

He was jailed for 32 months.

Mr Peacock said Chinchen had mental health problems, probably linked to his drug use.

“It is for this man to sort himself out,” he said.

“He has behaved himself while in custody. He has not taken drugs in prison.”

Chinchen was taking steps to improve himself while in custody.

Ms Peto said Chinchen was arrested on June 30 following a disturbance at the Elder Street house and released on bail.

On July 3, CCTV filmed him and another man outside the Queen Street house at 3.20am.

One man was on the shoulders of the other, opening a window and climbing in.

On July 7, CCTV caught Chinchen and two other men at the same house.

The slavery and trafficking risk order remains in force until the end of October 2030.

 Inspector Craig Regan, of the Scarborough neighbourhood policing team, said: “We welcome the prison sentence that has been handed to Robert Chinchen.

“It is the result of excellent police work and outstanding community partnership that we have built in Scarborough.

“This outcome sends a warning to others who target, manipulate, intimidate, and exploit vulnerable people. We will work with our partners and use every available power to rid you from our communities.”

By MARK HOOKHAM, ASSISTANT EDITOR (INVESTIGATIONS)

Published: 21:47 BST, 15 September 2026 | Updated: 01:36 BST, 16 September 2026

Copies of Earl Spencer‘s sensational book about Princess Diana have been stolen from a lorry – just before its exclusive serialisation in the Daily Mail.

The memoir – Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – includes revelations about Diana’s deeply unhappy marriage with the then Prince of Wales.

It also describes the crisis that engulfed the Royal Family after her death in a car crash almost 30 years ago.

Last night a publishing insider said: ‘Earl Spencer has kept his silence for nearly 30 years and what he has to say about the King’s reaction when Diana died is utterly devastating.’ 

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But, in an astonishing development, the Mail can reveal that a truck packed with thousands of copies of the book was broken into after it was parked overnight in a lay-by in the Netherlands earlier this week.

Just four copies, which had been wrapped in black plastic to hide their contents, were stolen in what publishing sources believe could have been an audacious plot to steal the highly anticipated book of the year before it hits the shelves.

Dutch police are investigating the mysterious break-in, with theories among industry insiders about who was responsible ranging from a gang of opportunistic thieves to a misguided, but highly informed, supporter of the Royal Family.

‘It’s extremely suspicious,’ one publishing source said last night. ‘Nothing like this has ever happened before. This is probably the biggest book of the year and the security surrounding it has been incredibly tight.

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Earl Spencer’s bombshell new book about his sister Princess Diana has been stolen (he is pictured in March)

The front cover of the memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is pictured. The book is set to be exclusively serialised in the Daily Mail 

The memoir includes revelations about Princess Diana’s deeply unhappy marriage with the then Prince of Wales (Charles and Diana are pictured in 1985)

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‘Every possible precaution has been taken to prevent it from being leaked ahead of its serialisation. Therefore this unprecedented incident is being taken extremely seriously.’ 

Swan Song is due to be published worldwide next Tuesday – in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House – with the Mail publishing an exclusive serialisation before the memoir is available in bookshops.

Described as ‘historic’ and ‘extraordinarily moving’, the memoir is a deeply personal account of Earl Spencer’s relationship with his older sibling and of her failed marriage. 

It also provides unprecedented insight into the seismic week following Diana’s death in August 1997, during which the House of Windsor was engulfed by a global wave of public grief and anger.

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Buckingham Palace is understood to be braced for a string of shocking revelations that threaten to reopen the wounds of the former Prince and Princess of Wales’s highly acrimonious split and eventual divorce.

The Mail understands that a lorry with the books left a printing plant in central Europe on Monday on its way to a warehouse in the Netherlands before copies were distributed to Dutch bookshops.

At some point that evening the driver parked in a lay-by deep in the Dutch countryside to sleep. At around 8am he found the lorry had been broken into but, mysteriously, only a handful of wrapped copies of Swan Song were missing.

Shocked Penguin bosses in London were only told about the break-in at 3.30pm yesterday. 

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It would not be the first time that a major book has been stolen just before publication. In 2003, a lorry with more than 7,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth in the fantasy series, was stolen from a warehouse on Merseyside.

Ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death, Earl Spencer has vowed that his book, which will be published around the world and translated into 12 languages, will correct ‘untruths’ that have been told about his sister.

The Earl, 62, delivered a raw and defiant eulogy during Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, which was broadcast to a worldwide audience of 2.5billion.