Dear Coleen

My partner and I are both in our 50s and I moved in with her last year. We’re both divorced and have grown-up children from our marriages, which is one of the many things we have in common.

I’m finding it a challenge to live with her sons, who are 26 and 29, and still at home. Before I moved in, she told me they had plans to move out with their girlfriends and were saving up, but it’s been nearly a year and neither of them is showing any inclination to get off their bums and start their lives.

It drives me crazy because they’re both so lazy and let my partner do everything for them, but it’s difficult for me to wade in because they’re grown men. Whenever I tentatively bring up the subject of her doing too much for them and ask when they’re moving out, she gets really defensive.

Luckily, I have work to distract me and see my own kids (who are teenagers) most weekends – even they think it’s weird. I love my partner, but I’m not sure how much longer I can endure this situation.

Coleen says

I understand your frustration. Blending families is hard – I’ve been there – and it takes time and patience, however old the kids are.

Your partner is always going to defend her sons, and it probably doesn’t feel weird to her because it’s how it’s always been. I have older kids in their 20s and 30s and they’ve all moved back in with me at different points.

I think it’s become more common with the cost of living and young people being priced out of the housing market. None of that helps you but what might is a different approach.

Maybe the angle to take with your partner is she should encourage her boys to become more independent and self-sufficient, so they’re ready to move out. Try to help her see that doing everything for them isn’t going to prepare them for life.

Plus, when they do move in with their girlfriends, they need to pull their weight. They need to know how to budget, pay bills, cook meals and contribute to the household.

And, in fact, you might find that if she does stop doing everything for them, they might feel more encouraged to speed up their plans! Help her to see that it’s good to allow them to grow and do things for themselves so, when they do leave, they know what they’re doing. Good luck.

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Amanda Seyfried and husband Thomas Sadoski have split after nine years of marriage. 

Seyfried, 40, and Sadoski, 50, revealed they have been separated ‘for a while’ as they confirmed their split in a joint statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday. 

‘We have been separated for a while, and it’s proven to be the right move for us and our family unit. We’ve got each other forever—and it’s GOOD,’ they said in their statement. 

The Mamma Mia! star shares two children with the actor: daughter Nina, nine, and son Thomas, five. 

The pair were last pictured together at an event on January 9, when Sadoski joined the actress at a party celebrating her Golden Globe nomination for The Testament of Ann Lee at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Seyfried and Sadoski’s representatives for comment. 

The pair were last pictured together at an event at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles on January 9 (pictured) 

Seyfried proved things were still amicable between the pair as she shared a snap of her estranged husband to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday. 

The photo saw him sitting at a table with a bearded dragon perched on his shoulder. ‘@thomassadoski is a #reptiledad,’ she wrote on the snap. 

The actress went on to share a poignant quote about living fully, forgiving others and keeping your heart open.

‘Defend you heart, do whatever it takes to keep it open despite what it has been through. Forgive, not just others, but yourself, as well,’ part of the quote read. ‘Yes yes yes,’ Seyfried wrote underneath.

She also posted a cryptic quote which read: ‘There’s really not a difficult thing unless you decide it’s a difficult thing. Otherwise, it’s just the next thing you’re figuring out.’ 

It’s unclear exactly how long the pair have been separated, but during their last public appearance in January, they appeared close as they posed for photos together. 

In January, Seyfried told Vogue that Sadoski ‘sacrifices a lot for me’ amid her busy career. 

‘He also knows that, in this moment, the opportunities I’m being afforded are insane,’ she added. 

The duo met in 2015 while starring together in the off-Broadway play The Way We Get By. 

The duo revealed they have been separated ‘for a while’ as they confirmed their split in a joint statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday; Seen in 2022

The pair said the separation has ‘proven to be the right move for us and our family unit’ in their statement, adding, ‘We’ve got each other forever—and it’s GOOD’; Pictured in 2023

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Seyfried proved things were still amicable between the pair as she shared a snap of her estranged husband to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday 

The actress followed up with a poignant quote about living life to the fullest, letting go of resentment and keeping your heart open

Seyfried previously shared that they were both in ‘bad relationships’ when they first met. 

The two crossed paths again while filming The Last Word, where they played love interests. Just months later, they were dating in real life. 

They tied the knot during a private ceremony in California back in March 2017, just days before the birth of their daughter. 

Recounting her wedding day, she told Net-A-Porter’s digital magazine PorterEdit in 2018: ‘We got married in Topanga, March last year. Just the two of us. And afterwards, I was like, “Can we just go to Cheebo?” It was awesome.’

For Seyfried, it wasn’t at all a difficult decision to eschew the glitz and glamour of an extravagant wedding – the kind embraced by so many of her contemporaries in Hollywood – as she’s used to playing dress-up so frequently in film.

‘I get married all the time,’ she said. ‘I was in a wedding dress last week! I also go to premieres where people take my picture. I just don’t care about all that stuff.’

The star, who was nine months pregnant at the time she tied the knot, had very practical reasons for wanting to get married ahead of giving birth. 

She explained: ‘I really wanted to have rings on in the hospital, you know? And what if something goes wrong, and he’s not legally my husband?’ 

The Mamma Mia! actress shares two children with Sadoski: daughter Nina, nine, and son Thomas, five

Throughout their marriage, Seyfried and Sadoski kept their family life mostly out of the spotlight, embracing a quiet life on their farm in upstate New York

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In January, Seyfried told Vogue that Sadoski ‘sacrifices a lot for me’ amid her busy career; The two seen in 2018

Seyfried, who has previously dated her Mamma Mia! co-star Dominic Cooper and actor Justin Long, also revealed that she was impressed when she first met Sadoski, because they were both in ‘bad relationships’ but he didn’t flirt with her.

She said of the timing of their first meeting: ‘We were both in bad relationships…[Thomas] never flirted, never disrespected his wife. That was another reason why I thought, later on, that I could marry him.’

And once Sadoski ended his eight-year marriage to casting director Kimberly Hope, Seyfried shared that it made things ‘healthy’ and ‘freeing’ when they started dating in early 2016.

‘It was amazing,’ she said. ‘It felt healthy and freeing and clean. We can tell the story without any guilt.’

At the time Seyfried also admitted that her husband’s age is exactly what drew her to him, telling PorterEdit: ‘I told my husband: “If you were any younger, I wouldn’t have married you.”‘

Sadoski also spoke about their wedding and his ‘love’ and ‘respect’ for Seyfried while appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017.

‘We eloped. We just took off into the country with an officiant and, just the two of us, and we did our thing,’ he said.

‘Listen, she’s the person that I love, admire, respect most in the world,’ he added.

He added that the ceremony ‘was beautiful. It was everything that it should be.’

The duo met in 2015 while starring together in the off-Broadway play The Way We Get By. They tied the knot during a private ceremony in California back in March 2017; Seen in 2015

He also said that the two wrote their own vows. ‘It was just the two of us talking to each other. Then we went out to dinner. We had a great day. It was perfect.’

Throughout their marriage, Seyfried and Sadoski kept their family life mostly out of the spotlight, embracing a quiet life on their farm in upstate New York.

Seyfried has occasionally given fans glimpses into their private life via her social media, sharing photos of their farm and animals.

The actress was recently pictured attending the premiere of her latest film, The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, solo at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13. 

The movie follows a teacher in an abusive relationship who ‘takes a job at a maximum security prison, where she falls for a charismatic inmate.’ 

She also has four upcoming projects in the works, including Octet, a musical drama directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

The scheme applies to baby losses before the end of week 24 of pregnancy, or before week 28 for losses before 1992.

A Stormont minister says nearly 8,000 Baby Loss Certificates have been issued to parents in Northern Ireland in the first four months of the scheme.

The Baby Loss Certificate scheme officially launched in June and is designed as an act of recognition for parents who lose a baby in early pregnancy. The scheme applies to baby losses before the end of week 24 of pregnancy, or before week 28 for losses before 1992.

Some 1,800 applications were made for baby-loss certificates within the first 24 hours of the initiative’s launch. At the time, Sands NI, a charity that supports those who experience pregnancy or baby loss, welcomed the move as “wonderful news.”

Since launching three months ago, the scheme has issued nearly 8,000 certificates, it has emerged.

Finance Minister John O’Dowd says this demonstrates just how important this recognition is for parents and families who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby.

Mr O’Dowd said: “We have heard the impact of the certificates from bereaved parents, the comfort they feel in seeing their baby’s name formally recognised, and what it means to have something tangible that acknowledges their child and their place within the family.

“Some have described the certificate as providing enduring recognition that their babies remain an important and treasured part of their family story. Others have talked about how the certificates have provided acknowledgement not just from government but from society more broadly. This has helped grieving families feel supported and seen as they navigate an exceptionally difficult loss.

“Whilst no certificate could ease or diminish the grief that parents who have experienced the loss of their baby carry, the recognition of that loss is making a meaningful difference. This has been made possible thanks to the parents, advocates, and organisations who bravely shared their stories and campaigned for this scheme.”

Baby Loss Certificates are now available to anyone who has experienced a loss prior to the end of the 24th week of pregnancy. Parents who wish to apply for a Baby Loss Certificate can do so on the nidirect website here.

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

Three people were killed after an NBC news helicopter crashed between two buildings near the scene of a deadly bus collision in Los Angeles.

The aircraft came down in a parking lot between two warehouses at the intersection of Northoff Street and DeSoto Avenue in Chatsworth just before 7pm on Tuesday, near where an SUV crashed into a bus earlier in the night. 

Two people had been killed in the bus crash, while six others were left injured.

The chopper appears to have landed on top of two shipping containers and several vehicles that were parked in the area.

The helicopter crash caused a massive blaze, with the Los Angeles Fire Department saying the flames threatened four vehicles nearby.

When firefighters finished extinguishing the fire, they were seen erecting a canopy over at least one body.

Authorities have since determined that three people were killed at the scene, including the two people onboard the helicopter and a pedestrian on the ground, while another was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition.

The impact sparked a massive blaze and killed the two people onboard as well as one person on the ground

A helicopter has crashed near the scene of a bus collision in Los Angeles, sparking a massive blaze that threatened four vehicles nearby

Four vehicles and two storage containers were also damaged in the blaze, the Fire Department confirmed. 

Following the crash, a longtime NBC 4 Los Angeles anchor confirmed that the chopper was a ‘television news helicopter,’ noting: ‘We are not in contact with our television news helicopter.’

‘We have lost contact with our people,’ Colleen Williams said through tears. 

She later confirmed that the news helicopter was from NBC Los Angeles, before the news station took a break to process the information.  

LA Fire Department Captain Branden Silverman had earlier told reporters on the scene that the helicopter is ‘pretty well destroyed.’

The crash came as local media outlets rushed to get aerial footage of the fatal bus crash, showing people running away from the scene as police cruisers sped toward the fiery explosion.

The helicopter came down near the intersection of Northoff Street and DeSoto Avenue in Chatsworth just before 7pm on Tuesday 

The news helicopter was apparently reporting on a fatal Metro bus crash nearby

It appeared the bus was crossing the intersection at around 5pm when the SUV T-boned it, sending both vehicles onto the curb, ABC 7 reports. 

Authorities are now looking into the possibility that one of the vehicles ran a red light.

Three people were killed at the scene, while others were rushed to local hospitals. The extent of the victims’ injuries remains unclear.

One of those killed was reportedly ejected from the bus, while the others were said to have been onboard the city bus. 

An LA Urban Search and Rescue Team was also seen extricating multiple people from the bus, with at least one person found stuck underneath the vehicle, KTLA reports.  

She was eventually freed and quickly loaded into an ambulance in unknown condition with what crews on the scene described as ‘crushing’ injuries.’ 

A Los Angeles firefighter is pictured responding to the scene of the helicopter crash

Firefighters are pictured responding to the helicopter crash on Tuesday evening 

Four vehicles and two storage containers were damaged in the blaze 

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Soon after the bus crash, images emerged showing the front half of the Ford SUV embedded in the side of the Metro bus.

When the vehicle was then removed, a gaping hole was visible in the bus’s side, according to the Los Angeles Times.

At the height of the response, there were 56 Fire Department personnel on scene, spokesperson Jennifer Middleton told the LA Times.

The intersection where the two fatal crashes occurred will now be closed for ‘quite some time,’ she noted. 

In a brief statement, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she is ‘absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight.

‘My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash,’ she posted on social media. ‘My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.

‘I’m grateful to the city teams who responded so quickly,’ she added, as she urged the public to ‘please stay clear of the are as public safety officials remain on scene.’ 

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the helicopter crash. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

Mayors and other local political leaders could be given powers to oversee water companies under plans being considered by the government.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plan is to create nine new regional bodies responsible for planning, setting objectives, and holding water companies to account.

The idea was a key recommendation of Sir John Cunliffe’s Independent Water Commission published in June last year.

Improving the water industry has been a focus for Burnham since he took to power, as water customers in England and Wales continue to face steep bill hikes.

But there has been little detail of what that could look like, short of full nationalisation – until now.

Some ideas in the Cunliffe report were adopted by Sir Keir Starmer’s government, however the recommendation for regional bodies was not.

While no final decision has been made, and the timings for any announcement have not been finalised, officials in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs are understood to be keen on the idea.

The regional bodies would be given powers to oversee elements of water companies’ spending and hold bosses to account over bills and sewage discharges.

The Cunliffe review said: “This would represent a significant change, and ensure that local voices, customers and experts have stronger authority over companies’ boards’ decisions on investment priorities.”

As well as a mayor, or local government figure, the regional bodies could consist of an independent chair, experts, and representatives to cover affected sectors like transport and agriculture.

A Whitehall source said it was just one among a number of ideas being explored to bring greater public control of water companies.

A government spokesperson said: “Our water industry has not been working for people for far too long. We’re bringing in tougher regulation, stronger enforcement and greater accountability, so water companies deliver for customers and the environment.”

It comes as the number of complaints made by households about water companies to the industry watchdog rose by a record 84% in a year, driven by customer concern and confusion over rising bills.

The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) said the year-on-year increase was the highest in its 20-year history and showed “just how dissatisfied” many people were.

In recent years there has been growing public concern about sewage spills and rising bills, as well as decades of under-investment in the sector, with climate change and population growth straining it further.

Manchester United are back in action at Old Trafford tonight as they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third round

Manchester United return to action in the Carabao Cup as they face Brighton & Hove Albion. The Reds are looking to bounce back after a disappointing derby day defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. Michael Carrick’s group of players to select from could be exactly the same for the clash with Fabian Hurzeler’s side.

Luke Shaw is the most likely to return, with Carrick set to observe the full-back before making his decision. Amad has been ruled out and Matthijs de Ligt is also expected to miss the game as he recovers from a long-term back injury.

Carlos Baleba is not fit enough to face his old club, but should make his debut after the international break. With rotation possible, Carrick could give chances to some young players, including JJ Gabriel, Tynan Thompson and Harry Amass.

With this in mind, our United writers have picked their teams for the game.

Tyrone Marshall

There will be changes for this game but perhaps not to the extent that Carrick would have been planning for a month ago. The pressure is building and he needs a result, so the chances of youngsters playing are reduced.

But in a way, this game means far less than Fulham on Sunday and that trip is a must-win, so it’s worth ringing the changes here. That means a debut for Darlow, Yoro and Heaven at the back and I would start Amass as well so that Mazraoui can play at right-back.

Santos needs to come back in for a start and Mount is due one as well. They combined to good effect in the summer in midfield. I think Fernandes is in need of a rest and would actually start Cunha as the No. 10.

That allows Sesko to lead the line and I’d go with youth on the wings, with Lacey and Thompson starting. There will be experience on the bench to come on if needed.

Steven Railston

Carrick will rotate for this game, but he will be aware that he needs a win after the Manchester derby defeat. The Premier League is the priority, but a bad start could threaten to turn into a disastrous one if United crash out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle for a second successive season.

Brighton have won four times at Old Trafford from their previous five visits and deserve respect, so I’d pick a reasonably strong team, with Lammens, Maguire, Fernandes, Mbeumo and Rashford keeping their places after last weekend’s game.

Sesko must start this game and maintain his place against Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

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Jack Flintham

Carrick needs to skirt the line between rotation and competing to win tonight. I would give Darlow a run out. He is a stronger keeper than Altay Bayindir was last season, and deserves an opportunity to gain some minutes.

I would also take another look at Yoro in the centre-back role alongside Martinez, while Mazraoui replaces Dalot at right-back. Shaw could be fit for tonight but United may as well give him a few extra days to get over this niggle.

Santos did well in pre-season and deserves a run-out before Baleba returns. Lacey would be my sole academy player in the starting line-up. He has a point to prove after his red card against the Seagulls last season.

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.”

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