Harry and Meghan’s American dream has died — and with it, a nightmare for the UK is born.

Sympathies.

Knowing what we know, there’s really only one question here: What are they really up to?

The bombshell announcement late Wednesday afternoon in America that the Sussexes are moving back to England — and that Archie and Lilibet will begin school there this September — is believed to have blindsided King Charles.

Sources tell the Daily Mail that no mention of a move back was made by either Harry or Meghan during their meeting with the King in July.

And that trip was notable for several reasons:

Meghan never showed her face publicly.

She was reported to have enraged Prince William by posting a photo of Harry and the children on what looked like a procession to Diana’s grave.

This attempted reconciliation came as so many of the Sussexes’ commercial projects seem to have failed, money is surely tighter, and all their old Hollywood friends — Oprah, Ted Sarandos, Kris Jenner — appear to have made themselves scarce.

Netflix, Spotify, Lemonada — all done. As Ever reportedly has $10 million in unsold jams and other sundries on the books. Harry is said to be increasingly isolated and at loose ends.

It’s an epic humiliation, to be sure.

But there’s reason to suspect Harry and Meghan see this as a win.

The stated reason for their ignominious return, sources tell Page Six, is to be closer to King Charles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, these sources say, want their children to have a relationship with Harry’s family.

Code for: Returning to England, after Harry and Meghan have banged on about their lives being in mortal danger there, has absolutely nothing to do with needing the halo effect of proximity to the royals.

Truly, that explanation makes no sense to me.

The children could have had a relationship with their family had Harry and Meghan not, as they did to Oprah, made wild claims about race or accused the royals of not caring about her mental health.

They could have preserved their relationship had they not disrespected the late Queen Elizabeth II by announcing Megxit without her sign-off.

Had Meghan not compared the British Royal Family to the American theme park franchise Medieval Times in their Netflix documentary.

Had she not mocked meeting the Queen, in that same documentary, with an exaggerated curtsy and a smirk on her face, as her hapless husband looked on in disbelief.

Had Harry not sold out his father and brother’s private moments or printed private text messages sent by Kate in his memoir Spare.

I could go on and on, but we all get the gist.

It surprises no one that People magazine, the preferred outlet of the Sussexes and one that has historically been very friendly to them, broke the exclusive here in America.

And their version of this narrative is a very positive one.

The magazine reports that ‘those close to the Sussexes believe they have successfully executed the ‘half in, half out’ model Harry and Meghan proposed to the royal family in 2019.’

A model that was thoroughly rejected by Queen Elizabeth at the Sandringham Summit in January 2020.

Yet here Harry and Meghan are, with sources telling People that they’ve pulled off the very thing that has been forbidden.

These two, in my estimation, are dangerous. They didn’t just ‘flee’, in their version of events, to the US for a new life.

They attempted to destroy the British royal family, levelling sensational claims as Prince Philip lay on his deathbed.

It was convenient for them to leave then, just as it’s convenient for them to return now.

The best part, the most Markle-a-vellian, is what People reports as their primary reason for leaving America:

‘While the couple appeared to have an idyllic life in Montecito, they have made no secret of their disillusionment with the current White House. With the midterm elections fast approaching, concerns about the direction of the US loom large for many.’

In other words: Trump!

President Trump, who warmly greeted King Charles and Queen Camilla during their state visit to the US this summer. Trump, who invited King Charles to address a joint meeting of Congress during that visit!

Harry and Meghan make an absolute mess of everything.

Many questions have yet to be answered: Where will the Sussexes be living? Who will be paying for this new residence and the accompanying expenses — including security?

How will these two also be maintaining their properties in Montecito and Portugal, which they say they intend to keep?

The British taxpayers will surely not abide that expense.

And what of Prince William?

It’s an epic humiliation, to be sure. But there’s reason to suspect Harry and Meghan see this as a win.

Are Harry and Meghan hoping that, as they mend their relationship with the cancer-stricken King, they can paint William as heartless for refusing to forgive?

If that’s a strategy they’re considering, they’d do well to abandon it. No sane person thinks William is overreacting to the traitorousness of his brother and his ghastly (my opinion) wife.

Certainly not the British people. William is regularly ranked as the most popular member of the royal family, with a 71 percent approval rating, according to a recent YouGov poll.

Kate follows closely.

The danger here is surely that Harry begins making quasi-royal appearances — perhaps not technically as a working royal, but with the optics and messaging of one.

And that would be an absolute insult to William and Kate.

If Charles wants to reconcile with Harry privately, almost everyone could understand that. But this is not just any family, and it should be made clear that there is no public, official role left for Harry and Meghan.

That is, after all, the way they wanted it.

If you are looking for somewhere “magical” to enjoy a meal, you might want to check out The Treehouse.

Found in the Alnwick Garden, The Treehouse allows guests to experience “unique dining” surrounded by the treetops and “twinkling lights.”

You can visit The Treehouse for either a luxurious lunch or a special dinner.

What is The Treehouse in Alnwick like?

The Treehouse’s website reads: “With hand-crafted furniture, excellent service, and notoriously good food, there is no better place to visit.”

The restaurant has a rustic interior with exposed timber beams, log fires, and branches decorated with fairy lights wrapped around the beams.

The lunch and evening menu features lots of different small plates from a seasonal soup of the day and smoked mackerel, fennel and orange salad to haggis wontons served with a whisky peppercorn sauce.

The lunch menu has plenty of mains to choose from, including the Treehouse double smash beef burger and a homemade pie of the day with creamy mash, smashed peas, and a rich jus.

The à la carte dinner menu has alternative choices for main meals such as roasted cod loin served with sweet chilli tiger prawns, jasmine rice, and Asian slaw, and lamb rump with Bombay-style potatoes, roast cauliflower, madras curry sauce, and a mint yoghurt.

You can add a few sides to your meal with options ranging from hand cut chips and parmesan truffle fries to a simple garden salad.

What do reviews say about The Treehouse?

The Treehouse has a score of 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor with 2,898 reviews.

One reviewer said: “Fabulous food, setting, and atmosphere, Ben was a very friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable waiter and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience.

“Would definitely recommend and would love to come back.”

The restaurant can be found in the Alnwick Garden. (Image: Tripadvisor)

Another reviewer said: “Incredible setting which was beautifully lit.

“We had three courses and all were amazing – particularly the smoked mackerel I had as a starter.

“We ordered Mocktails and these were also very reasonably priced and tasty!

“Service was quick and the meal was surprisingly cheap given the setting.

“Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting the gardens!”

Would you love to have a meal at The Treehouse in Alnwick? Let us know in the comments.

The all-female herd is now grazing in newly sown meadows on the Castle Howard Estate as part of the Bog Hall Habitat Bank project, a 30-year nature restoration scheme delivered in partnership with Environment Bank.

Located in the Howardian Hills National Landscape, the project aims to turn low-yielding agricultural land into a thriving ecosystem.

Guy Thallon, head of natural environment at Castle Howard, said: “Welcoming the White Park herd is a wonderful moment for the Bog Hall project – it was really exciting for us to see them happily exploring their new home.

“We’re now working towards releasing beavers into the project area this autumn, which will be a truly amazing moment.

“The Conservation Volunteers have been preparing the site by creating ponds and planting willow.

“We can’t wait to see the positive impact of nature’s engineers in the coming years.”

White Park cattle are listed as a priority breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, which describes them as “likely the most ancient native cattle in the British Isles.”

Their traditional grazing patterns will help create more diverse habitats on the estate, supporting wider conservation goals.

The cattle are well adapted to year-round outdoor living and are particularly suited to wetter grassland environments.

Nature restoration efforts on the site were announced in autumn 2024.

In the first two years, the Castle Howard Natural Environment team, with the support of a team of award-winning Conservation Volunteers, has restored meadows now rich in yellow rattle, created scrub banks to protect young saplings, and installed ponds and leaky dams to begin holding more water across the site.

In preparation for the introduction of beavers, five kilometres of fencing has been put up, with badger tunnels and otter passes included to ensure safe passage for other wildlife.

Mr Thallon said: “Reintroducing animals to this area has been inspiring for the whole Castle Howard team and beyond, with local schools also getting involved.

“Our project partners Environment Bank invited local schoolchildren from Welburn Community Primary School, Slingsby Community Primary School and Terrington C of E Primary School to draw the animals they would like to see in the Bog Hall Habitat Bank project area in the future, and their drawings have been added to the signage on the fencing.”

Children’s artwork now appears on signage along the new fencing.

Fraser Rutherford, head of marketing at Environment Bank, said: “The project gives local children a rare opportunity to follow nature restoration throughout their school years and see first-hand how native wildlife returns to a landscape.

“We invited pupils from Welburn and Slingsby Community Primary Schools and Foston and Terrington C of E Primary Schools to draw the animals they hope to see at Bog Hall Habitat Bank in years to come, and their drawings now appear on signage along the new fencing.”

The arrival of the White Park herd marks a key step in the long-term plan to restore biodiversity across the site.

Beavers are expected to be introduced this autumn as the next phase of the scheme.

By turning unproductive farmland into a rich, varied habitat, the project aims to support a wide range of plant and animal species.

Sarah Tyrer, prosecuting, said a roadside breath test showed that Paul Wright, 62, was more than twice the drink drive limit the following morning.

He was driving a Polo too fast along a narrow country lane and when he saw a lorry coming towards him blocking the way, he tried to squeeze past him on the verge rather than use a passing place just behind him.

The driver of a second lorry travelling immediately behind the first decided after getting out and going up to Wright that he was “hammered” and both lorry drivers agreed he had been drinking because of the way he was slurring his words and other behaviour, said Ms Tyrer.

They took his car keys off him and kept him at the scene until police arrived.

Officers found three empty alcohol containers in the car, and after he failed the roadside breath test, arrested him and took him to Fulford Road Police Station when he refused to take a breath test that could be used as evidence against him in court, said Ms Tyrer.

Wright, of King Rudding Lane, Riccall, pleaded guilty to failure to provide a breath test at the police station.

For him, Lee-Anne Robins-Hicks said Wright had been watching a World Cup quarter-final the previous evening with friends in a local pub.

He had thought he was fit to drive the following morning when his daughter rang him asking him to pick her and two bags up from a bus stop some distance down the road.

He had medical problems which meant he had felt physically “very uncomfortable” when he was asked to take the breath test in the police station but he hadn’t explained this properly to the police.

Magistrates banned Wright from driving for 12 months, fined him £120 and ordered him to pay a £48 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

Ms Tyrer said the two lorry drivers were working for a waste management company as they drove along King Rudding Lane, a single track road with passing places, at 9.10am on July 3.

The roadside breath test gave a reading of 84 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.

Ms Robins-Hicks said Wright thought the first lorry had been driving too fast and that he had gone onto the verge in response.  He had then been blocked in.

In 2023, Jon Ronson, the journalist and filmmaker, woke up to a barrage of texts from his son, Joel. He read the final message first: “We left. Completely f***ed. All good now.” Joel had gone to a party in Connecticut, held in a faux-gothic castle. The owner of this sub-Disney monstrosity was Chris Mark, the great-grandson of a Gilded Age steel tycoon. There was, it turned out, no party. Instead, Mark asked his guests if they wanted to take part in a “reality show” which involved the women putting on princess dresses and competing for his affection.

A driver has been slapped with a £110 fine after he left his car unattended for one minute while he tried to pay for parking.

Zhangyu Wu, 55, said he was reading the payment instructions just metres away from his Toyota in Enfield when an officer fined him for being parked without paying.

The penalty charge notice (PCN) revealed the warden had only observed the car unattended for one minute before handing out the punishment.

Despite explaining the situation in person, Zhangyu was told he had to appeal the fine, which was then rejected by the council.

The business owner told Metro: ‘It is awful and not fair. They do not have any common sense.

‘Drivers should be given a reasonable amount of time to read the payment instructions.’

Zhangyu parked in an Enfield Council parking back on Green Lanes just before 9am on June 9 this year.

He says he had just stepped out of his vehicle and walked across to a parking sign when an enforcement officer walked over to his Toyota and fined it.

‘I was just understanding how I was supposed to pay. The sign has lots of small letters,’ Zhangyu said.

He added: ‘I was not trying to avoid paying, I was trying to follow the rules. The officer thought I was not a driver.’

The PCN shows the parking warden had observed his vehicle ‘parked without payment of the parking charge’ for just one minute, from 8.55am to 8.56am.

The council say their officer did not see anyone at the nearby parking restriction sign.

But it is clear Zhangyu was very close by to his Toyota when he was fined, because he was recorded protesting to the warden at 8.57am, just seconds after the penalty was issued.

Zhangyu went over to the officer and explained he had only just arrived and was still working out how to pay.

The parking inspector told him the PCN had already been issued and the only option he had was to appeal.

Zhangyu wrote to the council with the same explanation but was told there was ‘no grounds… to wave the PCN’.

The driver said: ‘I don’t understand. Is the council using this as a way to generate money? It is not fair.

‘Anybody with a reasonable understanding should see this is not correct and should be cancelled.’

While the fine had a discount rate of £55, Zhangyu refused to pay, so his sister-in-law – who is the owner of the Toyota – has now been formally sent a Notice to Owner to pay the full £110 fine.

But Zhangyu has now vowed to formally challenge the punishment.

He said: ‘My point is not that people should park without paying. But my question is whether it is fair to issue a £110 penalty when someone has just arrived.’

Enfield Council defended their decision to issue a Penalty Charge Notice.

A spokesperson said: ‘A council Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) followed procedure in this case, by remaining with the vehicle in question the whole time.

‘No one was seen in the vicinity of the vehicle or at the nearby parking restriction sign, so the CEO issued a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) correctly.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile barrage overnight Thursday killed at least six people in Kyiv as explosions echoed across the capital throughout the night, local authorities said.

At least 33 people were wounded in the attack, according to Ukraine’s Emergency Service. The air raid alert remained active into the early morning hours Thursday.

The strikes hit 12 locations across Kyiv’s Darnytskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts, damaging residential buildings, a medical facility and an educational institution. Emergency crews pulled people trapped under the rubble.

Russia has intensified ballistic missile attacks on the capital to constrain Kyiv’s air defense stocks. Kyiv has limited systems capable of intercepting ballistic threats, while supplies of missiles for its U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems remain chronically constrained.

U.S. President Donald Trump had authorized Ukraine to obtain licenses to produce Patriot air-defense systems, but later reversed that decision.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has intensified its own campaign of long-range strikes against weapons depots, military facilities and other strategic targets deep inside Russian territory, seeking to degrade Moscow’s ability to sustain its attacks on Ukrainian cities.

In Solomianskyi district, the top two floors of a 9-story residential building were destroyed and fires broke out on other floors. People were also trapped in two residential buildings and a school shelter.

By JAMES COHEN, SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 00:22 BST, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 05:20 BST, 20 August 2026

A 16-year-old girl in Tennessee is facing criminal charges after storming onto the field and tackling a middle school football player during a game on Tuesday night.

The wild incident unfolded during a contest between South Middle School and Cornersville Middle School, played at Franklin County High School in Winchester.

Tensions boiled over after South scored a touchdown and extra point, sparking a brief scuffle between players on the field.

Video footage showed the teenage girl suddenly sprinting onto the field and charging toward a South player involved in the altercations.

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She leveled the player with a hard tackle, knocking him straight to the turf and sending herself falling to the ground alongside him during the chaotic moment.

As the stunned football player attempted to stand back up, the girl shoved him back down to the turf a second time.

A 16-year-old girl in Tennessee is facing criminal charges after storming onto the field and tackling a middle school football player during a game on Tuesday night

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Video footage showed the teenage girl suddenly sprinting onto the field and charging toward a South player involved in the altercations

A man who appeared to be a coach quickly rushed over and stepped between the two to prevent any further physical attack.

According to WSMV, a school resource officer met the teenager as she was led off the gridiron, and she was later released into the custody of her parents.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has reportedly charged the 16-year-old with assault and disorderly conduct.

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School district officials and state sports authorities acted swiftly following the incident to issue strict bans against the teenager.

She was served with a lifetime trespass ban from all Franklin County Schools properties.

Additionally, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association issued a ban prohibiting her from attending any Cornersville Middle School athletic events, both home and away.

The shocking incident comes after police confirmed they are investigating a shocking soccer fight that marred a high school game in South Dakota and sparked calls for a player to be given a lifetime ban.

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The vicious attack occurred just minutes before halftime in last week’s clash between the Brookings High School Bobcats and Rapid City Central Cobblers.

The shocking incident comes after police confirmed they are investigating a shocking soccer fight that marred a high school game in South Dakota

Following a collision, Rapid City Central’s Jaxson Bergman confronted Kyler Soost of Brookings, shoving him to the turf before kicking him on the back of the head and then unleashing a barrage of punches to his rival’s head.

The referee and coaches sprinted over to stop Bergman, while one of Soost’s teammates confronted Bergman, who was shown a red card. The game eventually resumed after a 10-minute delay.

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The incident, which was streamed live on YouTube, quickly flooded social media, with many fans calling for Bergman to be banned for life.

Now the authorities are looking into the incident, with Brookings Police telling KELOLAND that officers will interview more than 100 witnesses and review extensive footage of the fight.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams accused Nigel Farage of using Christianity to channel anti-Muslim feeling and said he would like to ask ‘some awkward questions’ of Tommy Robinson, who declares himself a Christian

A former Archbishop of Canterbury has accused Nigel Farage of invoking Britain’s Christian identity as a means to “channel anti-Muslim feeling”.

Rowan Williams, who served as the Church of England’s most senior bishop for a decade until 2012, also stated he would like to pose “some awkward questions” to activist Tommy Robinson, who professes to be a Christian.

Speaking in an interview for New Humanist magazine Mr Williams acknowledged there is an “inevitable scepticism these days about some claims to religious conviction”. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

The former archbishop, who was born in Ystradgynlais, remarked: “I suspect really that [Nigel] Farage and others want to channel anti-Muslim feeling and it helps to have: ‘We’re a Christian society’ to fling back. It gives a sort of ballast.”

At Easter Reform UK leader Mr Farage published a post online declaring: “The Christian values on which our country is built are something to be proud of.”

In 2024 he prompted criticism after suggesting there were “a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, in fact loathe much of what we stand for”, confirming when asked that he was referring to Muslims.

Earlier this year Mr Farage also attacked an Iftar celebration in Trafalgar Square, describing the religious fast-breaking gathering in London as an “attempt to overtake, intimidate, and dominate our way of life”.

In the magazine interview, published this week, Mr Williams was asked what he believed was fuelling Christian nationalism across the UK. He said: “There are lots of possible causes. Anxiety about migration; anti-Islamism.

“In France that anxiety has a secular aspect but the St George’s Cross still means something in the English imagination, which still has a Christian aspect.

“The second thing is the globalising of all political discourse. The message given at international Christian conservative gatherings is that self-respecting nationalist movements need a bit of theology injected into them.

“Ironically, for someone like Nigel Farage, it’s about trying to find a presentational strategy that allows him to be taken seriously outside England. He’s often not here, after all.”

Reform UK announced last year the appointment of theologian James Orr – an academic who has influenced Donald Trump’s US administration – as a senior adviser to Mr Farage.

Mr Williams stated: “Although Nigel Farage thought it was worth getting. a theologian on board for Reform UK I don’t think he lies awake at night thinking about his soul.. I may be doing the man an injustice but I don’t believe he cares about profound theological questions.”

Reform UK has been contacted in relation to the comments.

Mr Williams further suggested that while he would be “very glad” if “Tommy Robinson is doing his best to lead a life of Christian discipleship” he would want to pose “some awkward questions” to him.

He said: “I would ask him how attempting to lead a life of Christian discipleship squares with public rhetoric designed to produce hostility and violence.”

Mr Robinson has spoken about doing Bible studies while in jail and has said he is now a Christian having grown up Catholic but not practised.

In December he led a carol concert to “put the Christ back into Christmas” and his Unite the Kingdom march in London earlier this year saw some participants carry wooden crosses and chant: “Christ is king”.