Meghan Markle and Netflix have ended their partnership on her brand, As ever (Picture: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix)
The Duchess of Sussex’s partnership with Netflix has come to an end amid reports she feared her jam brand was being ‘held back’.
The streaming firm had initially partnered with Meghan’s business venture As ever when it launched last year with offerings that also included rose wine and flower sprinkles.
But figures showed earlier this year that the Duchess’s Netflix show – which was branded ‘toe-curlingly unlovable’ by The Guardian – failed to crack the top 1,000 most-watched programmes on the platform.
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The second instalment of With Love, Meghan was the 1,124th most-watched show between July and December 2025, with two million views, according to data released by Netflix.
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Insiders claimed to The Sun that the duchess, 44, was relieved to be able to ‘go it alone’ now with As ever and launching it as a global brand after fearing it was being ‘held back’ by the ‘cautious’ streamer.
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The Duchess of Sussex also did two seasons of her show With Love, Meghan for Netflix, but if failed to attract solid viewing figures (Picture: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix)
Regarding the ‘mutual’ split, they added to the publication: ‘Meghan is still on good terms with the Netflix team and close personal friends with Ted (Sarandos, Netflix CEO) so hasn’t wanted to upset him, but is very happy to have full control of the company.
‘It’s a good time for Meghan to have complete control, given recent successes.’
A spokesperson for As ever said: ‘As ever is grateful for Netflix’s partnership through launch and our first year.
‘We have experienced meaningful and rapid growth and As ever is now ready to stand on its own. We have an exciting year ahead and can’t wait to share more.’
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Netflix’s statement read: ‘Meghan’s passion for elevating everyday moments in beautiful yet simple ways inspired the creation of the As ever brand, and we are glad to have played a role in bringing that vision to life.
She reportedly felt that her brand was being ‘held back’ from a global launch by the more ‘cautious’ streamer (Picture: Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock)
‘As it was always intended, Meghan will continue growing the brand and take it into its next chapter independently, and we look forward to celebrating how she continues to bring joy to households around the world.’
They also inked a first-look deal for film and television projects, which is said to remain in place, meaning that Netflix has the first option on Harry and Meghan’s projects with their Archewell production company.
The first series of With Love, Meghan launched on Netflix in March 2025 and coincided with the unveiling of As ever; her first products, including her raspberry jam (which sold for $14/£10.44 a pop), were repeatedly promoted throughout the show.
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Meghan and Harry initially signed an extremely lucrative contract with Netflix in 2020, when they first stepped back as senior royals (Picture: Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
As ever’s Golden Hour set contains teas, jams, honey and a leather bookmark for $137 (£102) (Picture: As ever)
Metro senior TV reporter Asyia Iftikhar was more positive towards the programme, calling it the duo’s ‘strongest offering’ from their Netflix partnership after their 2020 docuseries.
‘The Netflix series is a natural next career move for the star who ran the successful lifestyle blog, The Tig, up until 2017 before she was forced to shut it down (alongside her social media presence) as the royal spotlight heated up.
‘In many ways, watching her effortlessly coast through easy at-home recipes and happy-go-lucky conversations with her guests, it feels like this is what she should have been doing all along,’ she observed in her review.
‘Meghan may not be re-inventing the wheel with her show, but she is re-inventing the image she wants to put out there. Goodbye exiled royal, hello lifestyle guru.’
Among the other products on As ever’s website are honey and tea sets, jam sets and a candle for $64 (£48).
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The Soham murderer was attacked in prison with a makeshift weapon last month
Ian Huntley, the former school caretaker who murdered two 10-year-old girls, has died following an attack in prison. The 52-year-old suffered significant head trauma after being attacked with a makeshift weapon, understood to be a metal bar, by another inmate at HMP Frankland on February 26 and had been on life support in hospital.
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He had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for murdering best friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in 2002 in Soham, east Cambridgeshire.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said their thoughts were with Holly and Jessica’s families.
It is reported that Huntley’s life support was switched off at lunchtime on Friday, March 6, after brain tests showed he was in a vegetative state. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here
The attack left Huntley blind, according to the Sun, and it quoted a source saying: “Huntley never recovered from the battering and never stood much of a chance of doing so.”
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Murderer and rapist Anthony Russell, 43, reportedly shouted, “I’ve done it, I’ve done it” after Huntley was attacked in the recycling area of the prison.
Durham Constabulary has not identified the suspect but it said on the day of the attack that a man in his mid-40s had been detained.
The brutality of Huntley’s crimes made him a target in prison and he had been attacked several times previously.
After his death in hospital was confirmed, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman remain one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families.”
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Bemoaning the poor attention spans of cinemagoers these days, McConaughey suggested that many studios seemed to be cutting the first act of their films to get to the ‘conflict’ faster.
He went on to say how he understood both sides of the debate but ‘[didn’t] want to be working in ballet or opera where it’s like, “Hey! Keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.”‘
Needless to say, those from the opera and ballet industries didn’t take too kindly to catching strays from the one-time Willy Wonka.
Chalamet sat down for a chat with Matthew McConaughey (Picture: Variety/CNN)
Chalamet sparked controversy after positing that ‘no-one cares’ about ballet or opera (Picture: Variety/CNN)
Perhaps anticipating the controversy to come, Chalamet quickly backtracked, laughing: ‘All respect to the ballet and opera people out there.’
He added: ‘I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I’m taking shots for no reason.’
After the clip was posted online by Variety, stars of both ballet and opera united to condemn the Dune star for his atttude.
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This included American opera singer Isabel Leonard, who described herself asshocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art while considering himself as [an] artist as I would only imagine one would as an actor…
As per The Independent, she continued: ‘Only a weak person/artist feels the need to diminish in fact the VERY arts that would inspire those who are interested in slowing down, to do exactly that.’
Meanwhile, artist Franz Szony dismissed Chalamet’s opinion, highlighting ballet and opera as arts which ‘take a massive amount of talent and discipline this man will never possess.’
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‘I hope he finds his way into a theatre,’ commented choreographer Martin Chaix, who also described ballet as ‘very much alive.’
New York City ballet dancer Megan Fairchild echoed the sentiment, adding: ‘artists supporting artists matters.’
‘He’s gonna be singing a different tune when the live arts are all that’s left after AI takes over. Oh wait. He’s above singing a tune,’ joked actress and singer Laura Benati in the comments section – to which Jordan Fisher and Sarah Hyland responded with clapping emoji.
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Calling Chalamet out personally, the Royal Ballet and Opera’s Instagram account shared a video with the caption: ‘Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera.
‘For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance. If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open.’
And it wasn’t just professionals who were fuming at what the Call Me By Your Name star had said, with commenters on YouTube and X also adding to the backlash.
YouTube commenter adasusaatci described his words as ‘uneducated’ and ‘disrespectful,’ while deemaria123 asserted that he’d ‘spent too much time with the Kardashians’ – in reference to his high-profile romance with socialite Kylie Jenner.
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‘As an artist he should be more aware of what he says about other artists who work so hard to keep their own kind of art alive,’ agreed isabellecastro1898.
However, others were quick to come to his defence, pointing out that what Chalamet had said was his waving the flag for the film industry, however poorly worded.
Slackstarfish8133 suggested that he may have been ‘so passionate about acting that he stutters translating it into words sometimes.’
Chalamet has been nominated Best Actor at this year’s Oscars (Picture: Getty Images)
The film, directed by Josh Safdie, has already scored nine nominations, including Chalamet for Best Actor.
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This comes after Chalamet lost out to Adrien Brody at last year’s Oscars for his performance as Bob Dylan in Call Me By Your Name.
Talking to Vogue about his visible disappointment at not winning the trophy, Chalamet said: ‘If there’s five people at an awards show, and four people go home losing, you don’t think those four people are at the restaurant like, ‘Damn, we didn’t win?’”
He added: ‘People can call me a try-hard, and they can say whatever the f**k, But I’m the one actually doing it here.’
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From Friday March 6, selected fixed rates for first-time buyers, home movers, remortgages, switchers, and additional borrowing products will rise by up to 0.25%.
Brokers warn this is “more bad news for borrowers,” with other lenders expected to follow in the coming days.
Energy bills add to the squeeze
The news comes as energy supplier Octopus Energy has introduced temporary exit fees for customers leaving fixed tariffs. An Octopus spokesperson said: “Wholesale energy prices have risen considerably this week, and we can no longer absorb the full cost of the energy we buy in advance for new fixed‑tariff customers if they choose to leave us during the period of the fix.
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“We’ve had to introduce exit fees temporarily.”
The move highlights how geopolitical tensions are affecting household budgets beyond mortgages, with rising oil and gas costs expected to feed into inflation.
Why rates are rising
Mortgage rates are closely linked to swap rates, which determine the pricing of fixed mortgages. Swap rates have climbed in recent days as markets price in potential inflation from the conflict.
On Thursday, the 2-year swap rate rose 7.5 basis points to 3.56%, and the 5-year swap rate increased 7.9 basis points to 3.70%. Brokers warn that continued volatility could push more lenders to raise rates.
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Babek Ismayil, CEO at homebuying platform OneDome, said: “Seeing three big lenders increase rates in a day is not the news borrowers want.
“The conflict in the Middle East could prove inflationary, meaning the Bank of England rate cuts many expected may not materialise for now.”
Adam Stiles, Managing Director of Helix Financial Partners, added: “The events of the past week have spooked the markets, driving swap rates higher.
“More lenders are likely to increase rates until things settle, though the timeline is uncertain.”
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Unlike most co’s, Octopus rarely has exit fees.
We are introducing now only for *new* fixed tariffs
This is because when you buy a fixed tariff now we are buying a year’s worth of energy for you, in a very challenging market. Other co’s aren’t offering fixed tariffs at all. 1/n https://t.co/AHXzQN03ZD
Experts stress that rates, while rising, remain competitive. Justin Moy, MD of EHF Mortgages, said: “Shop around and use a broker — your rate isn’t secured until your full application is submitted. Acting quickly is key in this volatile market.”
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Katy Eatenton, mortgage and protection specialist at Lifetime Wealth Management, added: “Other lenders are likely to follow suit. Just as the market was gaining momentum, the outlook has changed dramatically. Borrowers need to be aware and prepared.”
Richard Davidson, mortgage advisor at onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk, noted: “This is likely cautious repricing in the face of uncertainty rather than a definitive shift.
“Rates are still lower than the peaks seen in 2023.”
Mike Staton, director at Staton Mortgages, warned: “This is how a war thousands of miles away affects your monthly mortgage payments. Oil and gas prices rise, pushing inflation up, which keeps borrowing costs higher.”
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Even small rate increases can affect monthly repayments for millions of homeowners. Combined with rising energy bills, many households could feel the pinch over the next few months.
Recommended reading:
Energy and mortgage pressures combined
Greg Marsh, household finance expert and CEO of AI money-saving platform Nous.co, said: “Gas and electricity bills are set to fall in April thanks to the Ofgem price cap, but higher wholesale costs could push bills up later this year.
“Households shouldn’t panic, but should watch fixed deals closely.”
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The Middle East conflict has injected fresh uncertainty into both the mortgage and energy markets, reminding UK households how global events can directly hit their finances.
Nationwide’s rate rise is a sign that borrowers must stay vigilant. With other lenders likely to follow, now is the time to review mortgage deals, consult brokers, and plan for higher monthly costs – while keeping an eye on energy bills that may also be creeping up.
Officers are appealing for information after the break-in in Beech Glade, Huntington, on Thursday (March 5).
North Yorkshire Police said the burglary happened between 12pm and 9.20pm.
It “involved a suspect breaking a window of a bungalow and ransacking all the rooms before leaving via another window”, a force spokesperson said.
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Police are now urging nearby residents and anyone in the area at the time to come forward with any information about the burglary.
“We’re particularly appealing for information from anyone who lives or was in the area between the above times, or anyone with CCTV footage of the area,” the police spokesperson said.
“Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for collar number 1074, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.
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“Please quote reference 12260040426 when passing on information.”
Arsenal take on Mansfield Town on Saturday afternoon in the third round of the FA Cup but the Gunners are once again set to be without star defender William Saliba
William Saliba’s ankle injury looks likely to keep him out of Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with Mansfield Town. The Gunners travel to the League One side on Saturday afternoon in the fifth round of the competition.
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Mikel Arteta is expected to make a number of changes to his starting XI for the game. One man who may not feature though is French defender Saliba.
The centre-back was ruled out of the win vs Brighton with an ankle issue and Arteta is pessimistic that he will appear over the weekend. Asked pre-match if his injury was the same as his previous one, Arteta replied: “No, it’s the other one.
“We thought the same straight after the game because he wasn’t comfortable to finish the game. After straightaway he didn’t have a good feeling so let’s see if he recovers quickly.”
Asked if Saliba could be in contention, Arteta then added: “I doubt it.” The Frenchman has been key to Arsenal’s hopes of lifting silverware this season, having made 34 appearances in all competitions.
While he might be sidelined, one player who could be handed an opportunity is Max Dowman. The teenager has recently recovered from his own ankle issue and was handed a place on the bench vs Brighton.
Asked what he has learned from being injured, Arteta said: “A lot. First of all, you miss playing, that’s the first thing, so don’t take it for granted because it can be taken away from you when you don’t expect it, and for a long time as well.
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“He had different routines, he starts to understand more the rehab coaches, the physio, the doctor, the importance of the scan, the discipline that you need to maintain yourself fit when you have an injury because if not, it’s going to take a long time to get back to your levels.
“But he’s done so well. He’s been looking really good in training and hopefully we can give him chances to play.”
Following their clash with Mansfield, Arsenal will then turn their attention back to the Champions League and their showdown with German giants Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16. The first-leg of that tie takes place in Germany on Wednesday evening.
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Arteta’s side will then host Everton at the Emirates Stadium next Saturday as they continue their push for the Premier League title.
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Frenchman Hadjar said he was surprised to be third, expecting Ferrari to be ahead of him, but on his debut for the Red Bull team he did what so many of his predecessors could not and delivered when Verstappen hit trouble.
The four-time champion spun off and crashed at Turn One on his first lap of the session when his rear axle locked, catching him by surprise.
He was shaking his hands after he climbed out of the car, because he had held on to the steering wheel on impact, but said nothing was broken.
“I have no idea (what happened),” he said. “I just arrived to Turn One and the rear axle just completely locked up out of the blue while hitting the pedal, so this is something very weird that I’ve never experienced in F1 before. So just need to understand what went wrong.”
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He will start 20th, ahead only of the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin of Lance Stroll, neither of whom were able to take part in the session after reliability problems in final practice.
Behind the Racing Bulls, the new Audi team had a strong session with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg taking 10th and 11th places, with the Haas cars of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon 12th and 13th.
Bortoleto missed a chance to start higher because his car broke down on the way back to the pits after the second knockout session.
Alonso took the opportunity to underline how much difference finally managing to complete some laps had made to a team that were five seconds off the pace on Friday by reducing that to 2.5secs in qualifying.
But Emirates has now confirmed that this post ‘is no longer current’ with all operations resumed. Passengers with bookings have been told to head to the airport.
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The update said: “Our post from 11:08am Dubai time regarding operational status is no longer current, and has been deleted to avoid causing unnecessary confusion. Emirates has resumed operations.
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“Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating.
“Customers can check the flight schedule for upcoming flights, as well as book seats to travel: http://emirat.es/nowoperating Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.
“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”
This update comes after people heard several blasts this morning in Dubai, with Emirati authorities saying there had been ‘a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception’, according to Sky News. Several loud bangs were also heard in Abu Dhabi as more missiles were intercepted this morning.
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The US and Israel have continued to batter Iran with nationwide strikes, and in turn, Iran has kept up retaliatory strikes on Israel, US bases and across the region. Thousands of Britons have left the region on commercial flights while the first Government charter plane landed at London Stansted shortly before 1am on Friday.
A second Government charter flight carrying British citizens from Oman landed at Gatwick Airport at 12.30am on Saturday as efforts to help people trapped in the war zone continue. The Titan Airways flight departed from Muscat International Airport at 5.30pm before a short layover in Cairo, Egypt.
Air sirens rang out in Tehran as explosions rocked the densely populated city of more than nine million people. Intense fire and smoke were also seen rising from Mehrabad International Airport in the early hours of the morning.
More than 1,200 people have been killed in Iran alone during the conflict, which has spilt into the neighbouring countries, the Gulf region and Lebanon.
Explosions rocked Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport overnight (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
Donald Trump’s administration’s senior official claimed last night’s offensive was America’s ‘biggest bombing campaign’ in Iran.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business: ‘We’ll do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers, the factories that build the missiles.
‘And we are substantially degrading them. And, you know, our campaign has been overwhelming.’
The US Central Command claimed it has hit over 3,000 targets during the first week of ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ adding that it is ‘not slowing down.’
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A woman kneeled down in grief during the funeral of Zainab Sahebi today, a two-year-old child who was killed in a strike (Picture: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters)
Trump also said the MAGA slogan – Make America Great Again – should be turned into ‘MIGA’, ‘Make Iran Great Again’ in a ranting post on Truth Social yesterday.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, responded by saying that the unconditional surrender is a ‘dream that they should take to their graves.’
He called for the conflict to be solved through diplomacy, and apologised to Iran’s neighbouring countries ‘that were attacked by Iran.’
The US Central Command’s official social media account boasts about the deadly operations in Iran, with posts appearing to show targets being blown up (Picture: X/US Central Command)
‘From now on, they should not attack neighbouring countries or fire missiles at them, unnless we are attacked by those countries,’ Pezeshkian said in a pre-recorded address.
Emirates, the Kingdom’s flagship carrier, said it has halted all flights in the city until further notice.
Evacuation flights have been able to take off from neighbouring Oman and Saudi Arabia as other countries scramble to ferry off citizens.
Around 140,000 British nationals registered themselves with the Foreign Office, and the first evacuation flight landed at Stansted on Friday night.
Donald Trump is showing no sign of wanting to negotiate an end to the war against Iran it started with Israel (Picture: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Shutterstock)
The second chartered plane touched down at Gatwick overnight.
Around 300,000 British nationals are estimated to be stuck in the Middle East.
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The White House has suggested the war could take up to six weeks.
Trump has previously hinted that the US could go on for ‘far longer.’
Fears are growing over the impact on the global economy and trade after the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed since the start of the conflict.
Very few ships dare to pass through the 24-mile passage after Iran threatened it would strike any US, Israel or European-linked vessels.
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The Strait handles around 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Holloway puts the symbolic ‘BMF’ title on the line in a second fight between the lightweight rivals, 10 and half years after their first clash in Canada in August 2015, in which a bout between two then-rising featherweight contenders ended in the first round following a shoulder and neck injury sustained by Oliveira.
The airline says services between the UK and Dubai will now gradually resume, with a reduced schedule operating until further notice.
Flight EK36 is set to depart from Newcastle at 1.10pm today (March 7) and arrive in Dubai at 12.25am tomorrow (March 8). Yesterday’s EK36 successfully landed in Dubai at around 12.36am.
In an update on X this morning (March 7), Emirates said it would resume operations and continue to monitor the situation.
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A spokesperson said: “Emirates will resume operations. Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport.
“This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating. Customers can check the flight schedule for upcoming flights, as well as book seats to travel via http://emirat.es/nowoperating.
“Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.
“We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”
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It comes just days after the US and Israel launched a military operation in Iran on Saturday that sparked the closure of several airspaces.
Passengers were left stranded with flights diverted and cancelled across the globe.
People watch an Emirates plane (Image: MAJA SMIEJKOWSKA)
Despite flights being grounded in Newcastle, Manchester Airport and some London airports, alongside Dublin Airport, they are till running to Dubai on a limited basis via Emirates and Virgin Atlantic.
The cancellation of flights has left thousands of people stranded in Dubai, including many from the North East.
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One Bishop Auckland family jetted to Dubai for a birthday, but is now unable to leave.
A Darlington family also described the terrifying moment three missiles were “shot down” from the sky above them as they were lounging by the pool.
The strikes led to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel.
Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE killed one person, state media said, and debris from aerial interceptions caused fires at the city’s main port and on the facade of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel.
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Hundreds of thousands of British nationals are believed to be present in the Gulf, and those in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office.
