By CONNIE RUSK, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 20:21 BST, 14 August 2026 | Updated: 07:44 BST, 15 August 2026

The One Show’s 20th anniversary special was interrupted on Friday night by the government’s emergency wildfire alert. 

The alert was sent to mobile phones across the country at 7pm warning against lighting anything that could spark a wildfire, including barbecues, campfires and fireworks. 

As phones began to ring throughout the studio, host Alex Jones, 49, who clearly did not know the alarm would be issued, said: ‘You couldn’t make that up could you.

‘I think that’s the fire alarm…I’m doing my best to keep a straight face. But we continue’, while her co-host Roman Kemp, 33, looked equally as confused.

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It is the largest ever use of the technology since the emergency alert system was introduced in 2023. 

The alert said: ‘There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally.

The One Show’s 20th anniversary special was interrupted on Friday night by the government’s emergency wildfire alert

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‘Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, fire pits, garden incinerators or fireworks.

‘Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.’

Roman later clarified: ‘As you will probably be aware that was actually a wildfire alert on everyone’s phones.

‘You would have heard it on the opening of our show, but as always we hope everyone is staying safe, of course.’

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Andy Burnham wrote on X:  ‘This evening, an Emergency Alert has been sent to people across England and Wales as the wildfire risk remains very high. The request came directly from Fire and Rescue Services. 

‘I was in Stourbridge today and saw first-hand the devastating impact these fires have had on people’s homes and lives. Our priority now is to keep everyone safe and prevent more fires from starting. 

‘Our firefighters and emergency responders are working around the clock in incredibly difficult conditions. We can all help them. Please take the Emergency Alert seriously and follow the guidance in place.’

The emergency alert warned that even small flames could ‘rapidly develop into a major wildfire’. 

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The Government called in the army and banned disposable barbecues to help tackle wildfires as ‘tinderbox’ Britain continued to swelter in a heatwave today. 

As phones began to ring throughout the studio, host Alex Jones, who clearly did not know the alarm would be issued, said: ‘You couldn’t make that up could you’

The alert was sent to mobile phones across the country at 7pm warning against lighting anything that could spark a wildfire, including barbecues, campfires, and fireworks

Despite the setback, the show continued without a hitch 

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During the show, Christine Lampard, Matt Baker and Tom Grennan joined Alex and Roman to celebrate the biggest names, favourite stories and greatest moments from the two decades

Around 100 firefighters tackled the inferno which broke out near Stourbridge golf course

Smoke continues to rise from Stourbridge this morning after the devastating wildfires

Paramedics treated 54 people in the West Midlands, with 19 admitted to hospital, after several wildfires broke out yesterday during Britain’s fifth warmest day on record.

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Some 19 homes were fully destroyed and 18 damaged by a major wildfire which spread across 500 acres in Stourbridge, injuring six people including three firefighters.

During the show, Christine Lampard, Matt Baker and Tom Grennan joined Alex and Roman to celebrate the biggest names, favourite stories and greatest moments from the last two decades. 

TeeClub owners have assured residents there will be strict management of the outdoor area.

Salford’s first indoor golf venue has been given the greenlight to expand its drinks offerings – despite worries that it could ‘turn into a sports bar’. TeeClub at Sovereign Point can now open a small drinks terrace on the Quays, after a licensing committee approved the expansion.

The venue’s main source of business is a digital driving range for golf enthusiasts, using state-of-the-art Trackman simulators that can recreate more than 450 world-famous golf courses.

The indoor sports centre, which opened in 2025, also has a bar and café, where it serves up pints, stonebaked pizzas, and paninis at tables overlooking the canal.

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Now, golfers will be able to enjoy their drinks in the summer weather, after councillors approved an application for ‘a licence to permit the sale by retail of alcohol for consumption on the external seating area immediately outside the premises’.

Business owner Nick Holmes told the panel: “We have a beautiful outdoor space right outside the club with a really nice outlook. It will be really beneficial for us throughout the warmer months to receive income from that space. We’re an indoor golf club so our income is seasonal. We thrive in the winter months and then it drops off in the summer.

“If people stay and have a glass of wine and a pizza, that makes a really big difference for us.”

But Jack Traynor, speaking on behalf of tenants at Sovereign Point, shared he was worried about the impact on local residents.

Mr Traynor said: “We were told the business was going to be an indoor golf club, but when it opened, it had adverts for beer and pitchers on the walls and you can’t see the golf element from the street. It looks like a sports bar.

“Our worry if they add an outdoor area is that it’s moving more and more in that direction. If we’d known that’s what the business would be, we would have opposed the original alcohol license. We’re just worried about people drinking and smoking and congregating in front of our residential building.”

But business manager Isla Kirkham said the business is ‘constantly monitoring’ behaviour because of the ‘really expensive tech in the club’.

She said: “We can’t run as a sports bar. We’re constantly monitoring what’s going on – if a ball’s been hit the wrong way, we know about it.”

The committee granted the extension of the license on two conditions – that there are clear no smoking signs on the outdoor tables and no standing drinking.

Selling coins on eBay can be a great way to gain a little profit. Now one rare coin had flogged for hundreds so it’s worth checking your change immediately to see if you have one

Making a profit on your coins is the dream, whether it’s the rarest penny in UK history or this ‘super rare’ 50p with millions out there in circulation. In recent months, rare coins have been hot topic so keeping an eye on your change has never been more important.

There are plenty of coins which are desirable to collectors, like the Atlantic Salmon or the ‘holy grail’ 20p, which can sell for plenty on eBay. Now we previously spotted this 50p coin on eBay which sold for an eye-watering £115 on August 11. It’s quite popular in the coin world – and the fact it sold for 230 times face value.

Spotting the Kew Gardens 50p coin which sold for £115, one collector previously revealed how it’s considered the scarcest in UK circulation. The @CoinCollectingWizard even said it’s known to “sell for big money”.

In the eBay listing, it stated: “The product is a genuine and rare 2009 Kew Gardens 50p coin from the United Kingdom. This collectible coin features a specific design related to the Kew Gardens theme, making it a unique addition to any coin collection.

“With no certification but originating from Great Britain, this circulated coin holds historical and monetary value for collectors interested in British decimal coins from the era of Queen Elizabeth II.”

Rare 2009 Kew Gardens 50p Coin Value & Royal Mint History

Released to mark the 250th anniversary of the London gardens, the coin was designed by Christopher Le Brun. It showcases the iconic Chinese Pagoda at the site with an ornamental leafy vine weaving around the structure.

According to the Royal Mint, the Kew Gardens 50p has served as many people’s gateway into coin collecting.

The Royal Mint explained: “Demand for 50p coins was not high when the coin was released into circulation, which explains the low mintage of the piece.

“There have been reports of circulating and commemorative editions of this coin selling for much more than its face value, which has only increased its appeal to collectors.”

The Kew Gardens 50p has just 210,000 minted, which is quite low for a coin in circulation.

Atlantic Salmon 50p Rarest UK Coin & How to Preserve Coin Value

Before 2023, it was considered the rarest 50p coin in the UK until the Atlantic Salmon 50p turned up. This new design was launched to showcase His Majesty King Charles III’s commitment to conservation and the natural environment.

In November 2023, the Atlantic Salmon became the first of eight new designs to reach public circulation. If you believe you possess a rare coin, the most important rule is to never attempt to clean it.

Simply handling the coin can rapidly diminish its worth, so it’s essential to consult an expert before taking any drastic action.

Myanmar’s military-backed government said Saturday that more than 300,000 Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh are former residents of western Rakhine state and that it will accept their return once security conditions improve.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement comes as the Rohingya refugee crisis enters its ninth year, with hundreds of thousands of refugees still living in camps in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar in August 2017 when the military launched a crackdown following attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group on guard posts in Rakhine.

The operation drove more than 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands of others already living there for decades in the wake of waves of previous violence perpetrated by Myanmar’s military.

The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide from the international community, including the U.N.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, does not recognize the Rohingya as one of the country’s 135 lawful ethnic minorities, instead referring to them as Bengalis to imply they are natives from Bangladesh and are illegally settled in Myanmar.

Myanmar said it had verified 426,545 of the 828,824 refugees on a list provided by Bangladesh as of the end of July, and determined that 308,797 of those verified were former residents of Rakhine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 113,507 people could not be verified and that 4,241 people were found to have been involved in what it called terrorist activities.

The statement said it will continue working with Bangladesh to receive verified former residents when the security situation in Rakhine becomes more stable.

The ministry also rejected claims that more than 1 million people were displaced from Rakhine, saying that more than 540,000 people crossed into Bangladesh after the violence in 2017 while more than 200,000 remained in northern Rakhine.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to a two-year repatriation process in 2018. However, security in Myanmar worsened following an army takeover in 2021 that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread armed resistance. Plans to repatriate the refugees have not succeeded.

The renewed chaos brought about by fighting between the Rakhine-based ethnic Arakan Army group and the military over control of the region in 2023 forced more refugees to flee toward Bangladesh and elsewhere in a desperate move to save their lives. The Arakan Army controls much of Rakhine after capturing territory from the military in recent years.

In recent years, poor conditions in refugee camps, steep cuts to foreign aid and the lack of safe prospects for returning to Myanmar have led to an increasing number of Rohingya refugees attempting to make the dangerous ocean crossing to Malaysia and Indonesia on rickety boats.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in late July that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Malaysia as part of a repatriation program.

However, an official from Myanmar’s foreign ministry, Han Win Aung, told The Associated Press at the time that the repatriation program was focused solely on verified Myanmar nationals currently held in detention centers in Malaysia and rejected reports that the government would accept Rohingya.

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There’s something about summer that makes traditional tailoring feel…ambitious.

If you’ve ever broken a sweat before you’ve made it to the venue, you’ll know that summer tailoring comes with its own set of challenges. 

Between rising temperatures, packed calendars, and the inevitable scramble for an outfit that looks polished without feeling restrictive or suffocating is easier said than done.

Enter the linen suit: the breathable, effortless, and chic answer to warm-weather dressing that’s equal parts laid-back as it is sophisticated.

Yes, it does crease, but that’s all part of the fabric’s charm. And, in 2026, thankfully the traditional suit has been modernised by relaxed cuts, punchy colours, and modern separates that look just as good together as they do apart, making it one of the hardest-working pieces in your summer wardrobe.

So sit back and get ready to shop as we’ve rounded up the best linen suits to shop right now, whatever your style and budget.

Shop the best linen suits:

Next Red Linen Rich Single Breasted Blazer

Red is one of the hottest colours for summer 2026, so it’s only right that Next have released a statement linen suit that ticks all of the right boxes.

Not only is it an easy way to inject colour into your wardrobe, but the breathable fabric keeps things cool when the temperatures climb.

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This is the perfect companion for weddings, garden parties, nights out, and even holidays.

Buy Now for £49

Shop the matching Red Linen Rich Wide Leg Trousers for £32 here.

M&S Linen Blend Sheen Pinstripe Waistcoat

Pinstripes are another popular design circulating the high street, and it’s no wonder why they’re equal parts classy yet cool.

The subtle sheen on the brown fabric gives it a more premium finish whilst the matching trousers create a head-to-toe polished ensemble for a variety of occasions.

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Keep with casual summer vibes by wearing the waistcoat on its own, or with a white tee underneath.

Buy Now for £40

Shop the matching Linen Blend Pinstripe Relaxed Straight Trousers for £46 here.

New Look Light Yellow Linen Rich Button Through Peplum Waistcoat

Butter yellow is still reigning supreme and dominating clothing, making this peplum waistcoat an easy way to tap into the trend.

The linen fabric makes it lightweight and flattering, whilst the high-waisted trousers elongate your natural silhouette.

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This will look great with court heels as well as sandals, and even a white tennis trainer.

Buy Now for £17 (was £29.99)

Shop the matching Light Yellow Linen Rich Tailored Trousers for £15, down from £29.99 here.

F&F Edit Linen Rich Halterneck Co-ord Waistcoat in Red

Supermarkets are providing the goods this season with the likes of this stunning linen tailored co-ord from F&F.

Whilst it’s not a suit, the tailored details and cut make it a worthwhile investment.

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The halterneck neckline draws the eyes upwards to open up the neck and shoulders, whilst the belted shorts create a polished, put-together look.

Buy Now for £19.50

Shop the matching The F&F Edit Linen Rich Pleated Co-ord Shorts in Red for £19.50 here.

FatFace Lyla Ivory Regular Linen Blazer

If you’re looking for a linen suit that will stay with you for years to come, then this is it.

The ivory blazer has a more relaxed silhouette, whilst the linen fabric provides structure, providing the perfect balance between smart and effortless.

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Complete the look with gold accessories and heeled mule sandals. 

Buy Now for £115

Shop the matching Aya Ivory Linen Trouser for £92 here.

La Redoute Linen Long Straight Short Sleeve Blazer

Short sleeve tailoring is an excellent way to blur the lines of smart and casual, and one we’re totally on board with. The jacket has a relaxed, straight-cut silhouette giving it a more modern, easy-to-wear edge, whilst the matching trousers create a breezy finishing touch. Wear these together or separately to instantly elevate whatever you pair them with.

Buy Now for £39.99 (was £79.99)

Shop the matching La Redoute Linen Pleat Front Wide Leg Trousers for £49.29, down from £57.99 here.

Karen Millen Polished Linen Blend Single Breasted Tailored Blazer

You can’t go wrong with Karen Millen, and this suit proves just why.

The linen blazer provides a refined take on the look, whilst the tailored knee-length shorts keep it smart, yet practical in the heat.

An ensemble like this can be easily dressed up for weddings with strappy heels and a clutch, or sandals and a crossbody for brunches and date nights.

Buy Now for £88 (was £219)

Shop the matching Polished Linen Blend Tailored Knee Short for £36, down from £89 here.

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MORE: Best linen shirts, trousers and shorts for men from M&S, Uniqlo and Charles Tyrwhitt

MORE: M&S shoppers are snapping up these smart linen trousers for summer office days

MORE: Stay cool in style with the best linen pieces from the UK high street

At least 20 people were killed after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian coast early on Saturday.

The powerful tremor brought down homes and buildings, triggering widespread panic across a region frequently hit by deadly seismic activity.

An initial tsunami alert was lifted when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency confirmed that sea-level monitoring showed no dangerous changes threatening coastal areas.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck the Flores region at 5:58am local time at a depth of 10km. Located 68km north-northwest of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province, the primary quake was followed by several aftershocks.

Rescuers around the port town of Maumere found 20 people dead, six injured and two trapped under the rubble, said Fathur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue agency.

⁠Maumere is the main town in Sikka regency on Flores Island ​in ⁠the east of Indonesia’s vast archipelago.

Footage on local television showed patients at several hospitals being evacuated from buildings as a precaution following the quake. Hospital staff moved equipment outdoors, including beds, IV stands and oxygen cylinders, and set up temporary treatment areas to adapt to emergency conditions.

Quake felt on Flores Island

The quake was felt across much of Flores Island, with initial reports indicating heavy damage.

Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka, said that a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground.

“Many buildings here were damaged,” she said. “I saw the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed.”

Students at St Peter Major Seminary in Sikka who were attending morning Mass fled in panic when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, said Rev Guidelbertus Tanga, rector of the seminary, which is known locally as Ritapiret Seminary on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores.

“Our students and nuns ran out in panic beneath a collapsing roof,” Tanga said. “At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of a building during the quake.”

Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, and urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks, and residents on the coastline to move to higher ground. The agency located the shallow undersea quake near Flores.

Indonesia prone to earthquakes

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In December of 1992, a powerful earthquake caused a tsunami that killed around 2,500 people on the southeastern island of Flores, part of a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia.

NIZI, Congo (AP) — Every day, community health worker Gédéon Banga Ngbape and his team fan out across communities in eastern Congo looking for people who may have crossed paths with the country’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.

The workers investigate dozens of alerts, search for those exposed to suspected or confirmed cases and try to get anyone showing symptoms into care before the virus spreads further.

But the surveillance system is increasingly failing to keep pace with the virus. Between 60% and 70% of new Ebola cases are being detected among people who were not already being monitored as contacts, meaning health workers may only discover infections after patients become sick and have had opportunities to expose others.

“If surveillance does not work well, the entire response suffers,” Ngbape said. “Surveillance is the engine of a response.”

The outbreak has killed over 2,200 people out of more than 4,700 cases, according to the latest government figures. This death toll has been reached almost three times faster than in the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa — the worst in history. That outbreak claimed over 11,000 lives.

“We are chasing the virus; the virus is ahead of us,” said WHO regional director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, this week.

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Friday announced an additional $30.5 million in emergency funding to help tackle the Ebola outbreak.

Response teams work long hours, often without pay

In Nizi, Ngbape’s surveillance teams say they receive an average of 60 to 70 alerts a day. They move through communities to investigate suspected infections, follow people who have been in contact with suspected or confirmed cases and direct those showing possible symptoms to health facilities.

The work can stretch deep into the night.

“I leave in the morning at 8 and return around 11 p.m., sometimes midnight,” Ngbape said. “I still have to follow up and plan the next activities. I feel really tired, but what matters to me is always being of service to the community.”

He did not say how many days a week he works or how often he is able to take time off.

Community health workers who go door to door face risks of their own. Ana Ndroy Kasime, a community health worker in Nizi, said she visits homes to educate residents about Ebola and reports suspected cases to health officials. But she said workers like her lack basic protective supplies.

The current outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus, is unfolding in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, though trials are underway. Strikes by some unpaid health workers, threats by rebel groups, anger from long-traumatized communities and misinformation asserting that Ebola isn’t real have significantly hindered the response.

The gaps are especially consequential in Nizi, one of the most affected health zones in Ituri province, which accounts for about 90% of Congo’s Ebola cases and 80% of its deaths.

“We started surveillance with fewer workers,” Ngbape said. “The challenges are enormous,” he added.

On Thursday, health workers at the Nizi Treatment Center went on strike and the facility temporarily closed. Ngbape said the health workers have not been paid in over three months.

The head of Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, on Thursday called on Congo’s government to pay the outstanding salaries, saying money was available and that paying workers was the government’s responsibility.

The government says payments are delayed because it’s verifying worker payroll lists after finding unrelated names had been added and while it shifts payments from cash to mobile money.

Kasime said community health workers like her have received their payments, but at about $50 a month, she considers the amount inadequate for the work and risks involved. She said other Ebola response workers should be paid quickly.

“They are making sacrifices and taking risks,” Kasime said. “If these workers decide to stop working, the epidemic will spread further into the population.”

Insecurity and displacement put contacts out of reach

Surveillance workers in Nizi often struggle to get around, making it harder to investigate alerts and follow contacts across the health zone, Ngbape said. Frequent population movements linked to mining and people fleeing armed conflict add another complication, as people can move before surveillance teams are able to follow up with them.

Poor and sometimes impassable roads can also make remote areas difficult to reach, while insecurity restricts where health workers can safely operate. It remains unclear how many communities in the province are currently inaccessible to surveillance teams.

Dozens of rebel and militia groups operate across eastern Congo. The Allied Democratic Forces, which is tied to the Islamic State group, is among those active in Ituri. The insecurity has forced some health and aid workers to leave remote Ebola hot spots for the relative safety of the provincial capital, Bunia.

Violence affecting the Ebola response has also come from residents. At least a dozen attacks on health facilities and workers were recorded as of mid-July, according to local health authorities. In one incident, residents attacked a hospital in Nyakunde and entered a nearby Ebola treatment center, forcing patients and staff to flee before operations resumed the following day.

Many residents’ anger is caused by misinformation about the virus and bans on traditional burials — when families prepare the bodies and people gather for a funeral, which can lead to further infections.

Ngbape, however, said his surveillance teams in Nizi have not been attacked.

He said cooperation has improved as residents have become more familiar with the surveillance teams and their work. Ngbape also said he does not believe people in Nizi are widely concealing suspected infections, though population movements and limited transportation can still make contacts difficult to follow.

For Ngbape, maintaining that surveillance is critical to preventing individual infections from developing into wider chains of transmission. The long hours and limited resources have left him exhausted, he said, but not ready to stop.

“I am here to save the lives of the population,” he said.

————-

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Princess Anne, who is celebrating her 76th birthday on Saturday, has never publicly spoken about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but her comments on the ‘slimmed-down’ monarchy appear to suggest how she really feels

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Princess Anne appeared to make a subtle reference to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when questioned about the idea of a “slimmed down” monarchy.

The Princess Royal, who is celebrating her 76th birthday on Saturday (August 14), has never commented directly on the couple since their departure from the Royal Family in 2020.

But, during an interview with CBC in 2024, Anne did seem to make a subtle references to the Sussexes with a cutting remark. responsibilities.

She said at the time: “Well, I think the ‘slimmed-down’ (monarchy) was said in a day when there were a few more people around to make that seem like a justifiable comment.

“I mean, it doesn’t sound like a good idea from where I’m standing, I have to say.

“I’m not quite sure what else, you know, we can do.”

While seldom photographed together in public, Princess Anne is believed to have predicted that Meghan would have a “short shelf-life” in the monarchy after she disregarded the experienced royal’s valuable guidance, reports the Express.

Royal expert Neil Sean said of the incident: “According to a very good source Meghan Markle failed to warm to Princess Anne.

“And Princess Anne always knew that Meghan would have a very short shelf-life in the world of the British monarchy.

“Apparently, when Meghan Markle joined the Royal Family, she sought out Princess Anne. According to a very good source, Princess Anne gave very sage advice to the new royal.

“Princess Anne reiterated this mantra, she pointed out that it wasn’t a working monarchy, it was a job, you turn up on time, you do your research, and do the duty.

“It’s all about the project at hand. She also pointed out that whatever charities you are involved in you, you needed to get involved and get immersed.”

The Princess Royal holds the distinction of being amongst the most dedicated members of the Royal Family, despite also being one of its elder statespeople.

Even after sustaining concussion from a horse accident in 2024, Anne took only a short period of absence to recuperate before resuming her royal engagements.

Will there be a season 2 of Alley Cats on Netflix?