By CLAUDIA AORAHA, DEPUTY HEAD OF NEWS

Published: 15:37 BST, 5 September 2026 | Updated: 22:58 BST, 5 September 2026

The United States has obliterated three Iranian oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at American warships.

Central Command said two US Navy warships were patrolling regional waters when they were targeted by Iran on Saturday. 

An aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks, and no American personnel were harmed. 

Iran’s two crude oil carriers, one off the island of Kharg and the other near Jask, were ‘permanently disabled’ by the American retaliatory strikes. 

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American forces also completely destroyed the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman, hitting the vessel until the crew was directed to abandon ship, according to CENTCOM. 

‘Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours,’ said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. 

‘We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.’ 

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Central Command said two US Navy warships were patrolling regional waters when they were targeted by Iran. Pictured: An Iranian tanker being blown up

The US said that the attack on the tankers came after ballistic missiles were fired unsuccessfully on American warships

A massive fire breaks out on an Iranian tanker after being struck by the US

The strikes – a day after Donald Trump sought to minimize the conflict as ‘small potatoes’ – keep up a new tilt back toward fighting after six months of on-again, off-again war that began on February 28. 

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Both sides have sought to inflict both military and economic pain, and negotiations have collapsed.

Earlier, Iranian state TV had said four US missiles struck a tanker about six miles from Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil. 

Kharg Island has been repeatedly targeted during the war.

The strikes came nearly a week after the US and Iran resumed attacks following a month of relative calm, with the strait and Iranian communities along it again being targeted. 

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The resumption of fighting came after Trump’s new efforts to apply economic pressures on Tehran.

Meanwhile, the US military has been helping to guide ships through the strait as Tehran asserts control and targets some vessels, but overall traffic remains low.

This is a breaking news story. 

NEW YORK (AP) — Zheng Qinwen was on her back with her arms in the air, celebrating a U.S. Open victory maybe only she believed was possible.

Madison Keys fought off tears as she tried to explain how Zheng, way down and all but out, somehow got the win.

Zheng, the Olympic gold medalist, extended her return to the U.S. Open on Saturday with a spectacular and stunning rally, winning the final seven games to eliminate No. 22 Keys 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

“I feel like I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I just got really — I mean, got really scared, like I couldn’t swing,” Keys said. “I don’t know. Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over.”

No. 9 Taylor Fritz also went out in a shocker, blowing a two-set lead and falling to No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

“I don’t know how I let that happen today,” Fritz said.

Top seeds knocked out

Amanda Anisimova, like Fritz and Keys a past runner-up at the U.S. Open, also was knocked out when the No. 10 seed lost to No. 24 Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 7-5. No. 5 Flavio Cobolli, the French Open runner-up, lost in four sets to No. 28 Alexander Blockx to leave the men’s draw without six of the top 10 seeds.

Keys won a three-set match in the previous round in a match tiebreaker when she fought off five match points. Two days later came a collapse that was as out-of-nowhere as that comeback.

The 2017 runner-up rebounded after losing the second-set tiebreaker to charge out to 5-0 lead. Zheng held but Keys had a match point while serving at 5-1, and once she couldn’t convert that, the turnaround was on, with Keys at one point banging her racket into her head repeatedly and pulling off her visor in disgust.

“I’m just telling myself keep holding every single point, never give up, stay there and somehow little by little it just happened,” Zheng said.

She won the gold medal for China at the 2024 Olympics after reaching the Australian Open final that year, and has been ranked as high as No. 4. But after elbow surgery, she is down to No. 121 and had to go through qualifying just to make the main draw.

“The hard work pays off,” said Zheng, who will play 2022 U.S. Open champion Iga Swiatek next.

Osaka and Eala can join Zheng in a big day for Asian players

Zheng’s victory set up the potential for a big day for top Asian women at the U.S. Open. Naomi Osaka, the two-time champion from Japan, was in action against No. 23 Elise Mertens on Saturday night, while No. 17 Alex Eala from the Philippines faced 14th-seeded American Iva Jovic in a matchup of promising young players.

Coco Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, beat Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-4 and will face the Eala-Jovic winner in her latest trip to the round of 16 at a major.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m definitely used to getting to Week 2s now because I feel like I woke up today and I was like, ’Oh, we’re already in Round 3,’” Gauff said. “So, I think that’s a good sign, just feeling like I’m not feeling tired.”

Keys, who won the 2025 Australian Open for her lone Grand Slam title, said she was going to have to make some unspecified changes she has been putting off.

“I think she started playing better; I started playing poorly,” Keys said. “Then I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore, and it just felt like it was a much bigger deal than just playing a tennis match all of a sudden.”

Fritz stormed through his first two rounds, losing a total of 11 games, and there was no hint of trouble when he broke Cerundolo to open the third set. But Cerundolo broke right back and started to feel more comfortable in his first time playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I think fourth and fifth I played a really good tennis that I wasn’t finding that tennis in the previous sets and the previous rounds,” the Argentine said.

Anisimova missed repeated chances by converting just 3 of 16 break-point chances (19%). Potapova, a 25-year-old who was born in Russia but now represents Austria, went 6 for 8 and matched her best showing in a Grand Slam tournament by reaching the fourth round.

Anisimova made the final at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2025, falling to Aryna Sabalenka in Flushing Meadows. But after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the American was eliminated in the third round of the last three majors this year.

Potapova will play No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva, the French Open champion.

Top-seeded man Alexander Zverev, who had to win five-setters in the first two rounds, faced No. 25 seed Alejandro Tabilo in a night match.

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

The organisation, which is the official maker of British coins in the UK, has revealed the rarest version of each of the eight coins in Britain.

Values range from a coin’s face value to thousands of pounds, with a coin’s mintage used to establish the rarity of a coin.

Figures are available on the Royal Mint’s website, where mintage figures can be checked.

What makes a coin valuable or rare?

There are ‘circulating’ coins, released from The Royal Mint to banks and post offices, typically featuring a standard set of designs.

There are also commemorative coins, mostly designed to be collectable items and gifts which celebrate key events, anniversaries and themes.

The 50 pence piece has become the most valued and collected coin in the UK, however, there are also rare 10p, 20p and other coins.

The 27.5mm diameter of the 50p makes it the largest of any British coin and allows space for decorative pictures.

It has often been used to celebrate big events over the course of British history.

The rarest coins tend to be the most valuable, with mintage (the number of coins of each design made) being the primary attraction for collectors.

Along with the design, other aspects of the coin that increase its value are its condition and whether it has a design error.

The way in which it is sold can also determine the coin’s value.

Some coin collectors will bid vast amounts of money on eBay or at auction, whereas others opt for more robust valuations by selling via a coin dealer.

Royal Mint reveals rarest version of all 8 British coins

The Royal Mint recently revealed each British coin with the lowest mintage.

It said: “From the £2 to the 1p, we have identified the coins with the lowest mintages.

“You might be holding a rare one without even knowing it.”

Here is a list of the rarest versions of each British coin, when they were made, and how many were minted:

• Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games £2 (2002) – 485,500
• Edinburgh City £1 (2011) – 935,500
• Atlantic Salmon 50p (2023) – 200,000
• Puffin 20p (2023) – 525,000
• Great British Coin Hunt coins: W – World Wide Web, Y – Yeoman Warder, Z – Zebra Crossing (2019) – 63,000
• Oak Tree Leaf 5p (2025) – 19,000,000
• Christopher Ironside 2p (2008) – 10.6 million
• Hazel Dormouse 1p (2023) – 600,000

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The Puffin 20p and Hazel Dormouse 1p are both yet to enter circulation; however, the number of each coin minted makes them the rarest 20p and 1p, respectively.

Both coins will only enter circulation if there is demand.

Have you ever come across or collected any rare coins? Let us know in the comments.

Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa is one of 12 defendants sentenced to death over illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking crimes.

The 39-year-old is best known for her show Mission Impossible, which explores crime and security issues.

She also owns an events company and a cosmetic surgery clinic, plus she has 2.5million Instagram followers.

As per the Al-Ahram newspaper, a Cairo court sentenced Khalifa and 11 others to execution by hanging, although this can still be appealed.

They are charged with ‘forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition’.

The defendants have been charged with importing materials from abroad to ‘manufacture synthetic drugs’, according to the state-run Akhbar el-Yom newspaper.

Police are believed to have seized more than 750kg of narcotics and raw materials, plus equipment, after finding two apartments were being used as labs. They also discovered unlicensed guns and ammunition.

Khalifa specifically was accused of supplying funds for the operation and travelling abroad to meet two of the gang leaders.

The scheme is said to have involved a detailed network, with members recruited at different stages. Some were responsible for obtaining materials while others handled assembly and distribution.

Egyptian media have described the matter as a ‘major drugs case’, which also saw nine defendants sentenced to life in jail and seven others acquitted. There were 28 defendants in total.

As well as the drug offences, Khalifa has been separately charged with the abduction and assault of a young man. She and others were handed a five-year prison term.

Under Egyptian law, capital punishment is a legal penalty, and it is applied to more than 100 offences, such as terrorism-related crimes, military offences, premeditated and aggravated murder, and large-scale drug trafficking.

In capital cases, Egyptian law requires the Grand Mufti of Egypt to be consulted for a non-binding religious opinion, after which a verdict is delivered.

Figures state that, in 2025, Egypt handed down 492 death sentences, marking a 35% increase from 365 in 2024. Human rights monitors documented at least 23 executions last year.

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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A Darlington woman who shed four stone on Mounjaro has revealed she paid a hefty price for the slimmed frame – she lost 50 per cent of her hair.

Dara Smith, 34, used the ‘King Kong’ injections between January and December last year, and noticed clumps falling out after upping her dose to 12mg – the second highest strength.

‘It would be all over my clothes and on my bedding, it just wouldn’t stop,’ said the content creator. 

The problem was most obvious in the shower, or while brushing her hair, she added.

‘I was really upset when I realised that Mounjaro was the cause of my hair loss, as I’d had such a positive journey with the jab until that point.

‘It was really the last thing I expected to happen as I’d never heard anyone talking about it back then.’

Studies show that patients who use the injections, known as GLP-1 agonists, face 40-70 per cent risk of hair loss. 

Studies show that the blockbuster jabs can increase the risk of hair loss by up to 70 per cent

It’s thought that the reduced intake of nutrients that are vital for hair growth, such as protein, iron and zinc, can trigger the problem. 

Hair shedding often becomes noticeable a few months after medication is first taken, so it can seem disconnected from starting the drugs.

It’s thought that around 1.6 million Britons use weight loss injections like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy. The majority of patients obtain private prescriptions.

Ms Smith began taking Mounjaro in January 2025, at a weight of roughly 13 stone. 

She’d tried countless times to eat healthier but always fell back into making ‘wrong choices’ and struggled to stick to a regular exercise routine.

‘I wasn’t very educated on what a proper diet entailed, and I had a million excuses as to why I couldn’t stick to things,’ she said.

After hearing her work colleagues discussing Mounjaro, she decided to look into weight loss injections herself and ordered a 2.5mg dose from an online pharmacy.

She lost 10 pounds in the first week.

‘After 25 hours my food noises completely stopped,’ she recalled. 

‘I didn’t really have any side effects except a headache every now and then,’

Like many patients, she gradually increased the dosage until she was on 12 mg of the drug. 

By August 2025, she had lost three stone and five pounds, bringing her down nine-and-a-half stone.

The shedding was most obvious when brushing her hair or in the shower, Ms Smith said 

It wasn’t until Ms Smith had a three week pause from the medication that her hair grew again

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It was around this time she noticed the thinning – and later shedding – of her hair. 

Suspecting that her protein intake could be behind the problem, she began drinking protein shakes and eating high-protein bars with the aim of consuming 100g of the nutrient per day.

Official guidance states that adult women need around 45g of protein per day, on average. 

Ms Smith began using rosemary oil and pumpkin seed extract – and taking collagen and biotin – but her hair loss continued.

‘The damage was done, it was too late,’ she said. ‘Nothing I did helped.’

Despite her concern, Ms Smith continued taking Mounjaro until December 2025, when she reached her goal weight of eight-and-a-half stone.

She decided to take a break from the jab in the hope of resolving the hair loss. 

As soon as she stopped, her hair stopped shedding.

But at the end of January this year she decided to re-start the medication, concerned that her weight would creep back up. 

Oddly, she has experienced no hair loss so far. 

What’s more, she’s managed to grow back 20 per cent of the loss which she claims is down to following a strict hair care routine.

Ms Smith takes two hair growth supplements and a scoop of collagen powder daily, and uses a rosemary and rice water spray on her scalp five times a week.

The content creator has lost a total of four stone over the last 18 months 

She also uses specialist shampoo designed to encourage hair growth. 

Some studies suggest rosemary oil may improve hair growth in people with hair loss by stimulating hair follicles, but the evidence is limited.

Meanwhile, experts say collagen powders and hair growth supplements are unlikely to work unless a nutrient deficiency has been identified.  

But Ms Smith believes these methods have contributed to her hair growing back.

‘There’s now so much growth throughout my whole hair,’ she said. ‘But I still only have about 70 per cent of the hair I had before I lost weight.’

She added: ‘For anyone who’s starting Mounjaro, make sure to work out your nutrient requirements from day one. 

‘Despite the hair loss, going on Mounjaro was one of the best decisions of my life.

‘It’s completely changed my mindset and made me so much more confident.

‘Losing hair was a downside, but one I could cope with.’

Michael Carrick has insisted that Manchester United can compete with their Premier League rivals in the title race – despite being outspent to a dramatic degree.

United bought three midfielders this summer for an initial cost of £148m but Manchester City’s outlay was about three times as much, including the joint British record signing of Enzo Fernandez for £125m, and Chelsea paid out more than £300m, with a £117m deal for Morgan Rogers.

But Carrick believes money is no guarantee of success on the pitch and takes heart from his belief his squad is stronger than they were last season, when they took the most points after his January return to Old Trafford.

He said: “I certainly feel we can compete. I think the challenge is just getting the right dynamics, getting the right balance, getting the right group together, getting the best players in the group to enhance the rest of the group, whether you need experience, some younger players. The actual amount of money in the end, I understand it can be a big thing. It doesn’t always have to be the answer, but it can be.

“It’s up to us to do the work and get the best out of the group. We’ve strengthened the group from what we had last season, and we finished the season really strong. We’re really positive with where we can get to.

“Money’s one thing, what you do with it is another thing, how you make the most of it is another thing. It’s about what happens on the pitch at the end of the day

“There’s a freshness around the group, there’s an excitement around the group, which is really encouraging. I’ll be honest, there’s a hunger and a feeling of wanting to achieve something.”

Casualty’s 40th anniversary specials saw the return of BBC icon Charlie Fairhead as William Beck reflects on the emotional filming experience

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Emotions ran exceptionally high during Casualty’s 40th anniversary. This weekend, BBC audiences witnessed the Holby Hospital team grappling with the consequences of an explosion that led to numerous tragedies.

Amongst these was the devastating loss of Dylan’s (William Beck) former partner, Sophia Peters (Kellie Shirley), who had last appeared in Casualty in 2025. Her passing profoundly affected the beloved character as audiences observed Dylan unravelling, becoming incapable of performing his duties while staff battled to manage the relentless stream of casualties.

During an emotional collapse in the storage cupboard, a recognisable face provided words of comfort as Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) offered him vital support, reports the Daily Star.

Speaking to Reach PLC, actor William Beck discussed those distressing sequences and his experience working alongside a Casualty legend.

He remarked: “It was lovely having Derek back, and I think he was very pleased to be part of, not only part of the episode, but to have an opportunity, having reflected inevitably on how long he’d been on the show, to really come back and experience the adoration that there was for him.

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“It was a real privilege for me to get to work with him, because I do remember the first episode of the show. It was almost an out-of-body experience.”

Derek portrayed the cherished character Charlie Fairhead on the BBC medical drama from its inception in 1986 until his departure in 2024.

Discussing his departure at the time, he remarked: “The time has come for me to hang up Charlie’s scrubs after the most wonderful 37 years. Charlie Fairhead was inspired by a real nurse, Pete Salt.

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“Together with the writers and producers, I have tried to bring to Charlie the compassion, kindness, heroism and sound judgement that we all see and love in Pete, and I want to say thanks to Pete and everyone else over that time who has inspired me in bringing this character to life.”

Audiences were devastated to witness his exit and have subsequently campaigned for his return, though he did feature in the double-bill specials. Might another appearance be forthcoming?

Yet he wasn’t the sole familiar face to reappear during the special. Viewers also witnessed George Rainsford’s return as Dr Ethan Hardy, who departed the programme in 2023 following a ten-year stint.

He left the BBC production to dedicate more time to his family and explore different acting ventures. Reflecting on the dramatic two-parter, actress Melanie Hill, who portrays Siobhan McKenzie in the BBC drama, described it as the most ‘ambitious’ production she’s witnessed throughout Casualty’s history.

She said: “It’s always quite chaotic, but the stakes were higher. I think this is the most ambitious couple of episodes that I’ve ever seen in the history of Casualty. The stakes start off that bad… what happens: an entire hospital blowing up.

“Then you’ve got the influx of not only injured people but the actual people who are being treated at the hospital, so there’s differing layers of trauma cases coming in.”

The actress continued: “Obviously, there are personal stories to do with the characters in Casualty, tragedy affecting the actual doctors and nurses who are working there.”

BBC viewers were swift to react to Derek’s comeback to the show, with numerous fans delighted to witness the star’s return to the programme. Additionally, some viewers have urged for his reappearance to become permanent following his short-lived return.

Casualty is available to watch on BBC iPlayer

Since stepping back from life as a working royal more than six years ago, Prince Harry has often spoken publicly about the ‘generational trauma’ he believes he suffered as a young ‘spare’.

He wrote in his 2023 memoir: ‘I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B. I was brought into the world in case something happened to Willy.

‘I was summoned to provide back-up, distraction, diversion and, if necessary, a spare part. Kidney, perhaps. Blood transfusion. Speck of bone marrow.’

Yet archive footage of 18-year-old Harry discussing his sporting victories with his father, now King Charles, and Prince William, then 20, appears to paint a rather different picture.

According to body language expert Judi James, the ‘strained and complex’ father-son relationship that Harry, 41, often cites ‘doesn’t appear to be visually endorsed by footage of the pair at the time’.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘Charles’s physical awkwardness might be legendary but in clips like this one he appears to be giving Harry a unique form of watchful attention that is littered with subtle but powerful displays of fondness.’

The lighthearted conversation – which was filmed in Anglesey, north Wales, in June 2003 – shows Charles, William and Harry reflecting after a polo match. Charles praises his youngest son for his ‘brilliant’ performance.

‘You scored two goals didn’t you?’ Charles asked Harry, before the prince replied: ‘Three.’ His father then said: ‘Well done, brilliant.’

Archive footage has shown an 18-year-old Harry discussing his sporting victories with the now King Charles and brother Prince William, then 20

According to body language Judi James, the ‘strained and complex’ father-son relationship Harry often cites ‘doesn’t appear to be visually endorsed by footage of the pair at the time’

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After that, William interjected: ‘I did all the hard work in the middle pitch obviously. Didn’t score any goals myself.’

At a later stage in the conversation, Harry jokingly calls his brother a ‘spoon’, adding: ‘I almost fell off my horse trying to get you the ball and you missed it!’

‘Spoon did you say?’ Charles queried, with Harry going on to explain: ‘It isn’t a swear word’.

Ms James notes that the lighthearted interaction between Charles and Harry highlights the ’empathy’ shared between the pair.

‘We have Charles creating a preferential form of proximity with his youngest son, both when he sits with one boy on either side and then very emphatically when another player joins them and Charles sits next to Harry, mirroring him and chatting quietly while William is now one seat away,’ she said.

‘It is clearly Harry who gets Charles’s prime and then exclusive attention in this video while William appears to have to work to dominate the spotlight or break into and take over the conversation.

‘Charles gives two different types of attention to his sons here: with Harry he appears gentle, caring and watchful but William is treated more like a fellow adult and equal.’

Ms James added while William appears both ‘confident and socially at ease’, Harry’s body language suggests he ‘might actually resonate more strongly with his father’.

She added: ‘Red-cheeked and bashful-looking, he sits hunched and glowering slightly, hiding his face behind his hand and a glass in a gesture of shyness that would probably promote feelings of empathy in his father, who often looked like the shy, awkward, isolated and less confident member of his family group when he was younger.’

Ms James said while William appears ‘socially at ease’, Harry’s body language suggests he ‘might actually resonate more strongly with his father’

Ms James notes that ultimately William ‘appears to have inherited Diana’s ease in public and in front of a camera’, while ‘Harry and Charles seem twinned in their inner awkwardness’

While Charles is often depicted as a father who maintained a ‘stiff upper lip’ at all occasions, he always spoke fondly of his affection for his youngest son

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And it appears that Charles, while not naturally a tactile father, appears to acknowledge his son’s cues ‘subtly’ here.

‘He pays his son individual and full eye-attention and his vocal tone softens and drops to signal affection as he tries to draw him into the conversation. 

‘He points at Harry’s banana to ask if it’s his “method of recovery” with an amused but nurturing approach and his features soften in a look of indulgence, along with his tone.’

The expert added that even when William is discussing his involvement in the sporting game and the challenges he faced trying to score, Charles’s ‘body position shows his closeness to Harry’.

‘He turns his head to listen as William talks, but his right hand remains close to his younger son and his right leg is splayed out next to and close to Harry,’ she explained.

Indeed, while Charles is often depicted as a father who was a ‘product of protocol and boarding schools’ and maintained a ‘stiff upper lip’ at all occasions, the King has always spoken fondly of his affection for his youngest son.

He referred to Harry as his ‘darling boy’ and in a 2017 interview for the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. Harry shared how he and his father, whom he affectionately referred to as ‘Pa’, would ‘talk for hours and hours’ about Charles’s passion for the environment.

He also revealed how he valued his father’s opinion saying: ‘I do end up picking your brains more now than I ever have done.’

That same year, William and Harry paid tribute to their father for being ‘there for us’ following the death of Princess Diana, during a BBC documentary to mark the 12th anniversary of her death.

Both princes were staying at Balmoral with their father in 1997 when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris – and it was up to Charles to break the news to them.

Harry said of his father: ‘One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is to tell your children that your other parent has died.

‘How you deal with that, I don’t know. But, you know, he was there for us. He was the one of the two left.’

Writing in Spare, Harry recalled that Charles sat him down on the bed to break the news of the car accident, calling him ‘my dear son’ as he told him how Diana had sustained head injuries that didn’t look likely to improve.

He writes: ‘What I do remember with stunning clarity is that I did not cry. Not a tear. My father did not hug me.’

While he claims Charles did not cry while breaking the news, he said his father put his hand on Harry’s knee and claimed everything would be OK. 

Charles referred to Harry as his ‘darling boy’ and in a 2017 interview for the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, while Harry affectionately referred to him as ‘Pa’

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Harry and Charles share a moment of affection at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London back in September 2014

In 2021, during an interview on the Armchair Expert podcast with host Dax Shepard, Harry said his father had treated him ‘the way he was treated’, with Harry asking himself ‘so how can I change that for my own kids?’

The Duke then went on to add that he and Meghan had made the move to the US to ‘break the cycle’ of ‘genetic pain’ he had experienced growing up.

Harry suggested that Charles had ‘suffered’ because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and the Prince of Wales had ‘treated me the way he was treated’, calling it ‘genetic pain’.

Ms James added: ‘Tactile behaviours have never appeared to be Charles’s love language. 

‘It was Diana who put hugs on the royal PDA menu, while her husband could barely place his hand on her shoulder for their engagement photos without looking ill at ease.’

She notes that ultimately William ‘appears to have inherited Diana’s ease in public and in front of a camera’, while ‘Harry and Charles seem twinned in their inner awkwardness and signals of diffidence’.

‘They fall into a much more intimate and personal form of verbal dialogue that both seem happier and more comfortable with than with William’s alpha banter mode,’ she explained.

‘Their voices become private and softer and their speed of speech increases until they appear to be mumbling together in what almost sounds like their own form of dialogue.’

The heartwarming footage of the father-son pair comes as Harry is soon set to celebrate his 42nd birthday on September 15 – just weeks after he and Meghan Markle relocated back to the UK with their two children. 

Harry and Meghan, 45, will live in a non-royal residence outside of London. Their children Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, have both been enrolled in UK schools, ready to start next week.

But despite their close bond, Charles was said to have only been informed just days before the news dropped about the Sussexes’ return to Britain. 

Harry and Meghan will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, in keeping with their ‘clearly expressed wishes and the agreement reached in recent years’.

He is understood to have visited his father at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire following an Invictus Games one-year-to-go event in Birmingham.

Harry was joined by his wife and two children in what is believed to have been the first time Archie and Lilibet had seen the monarch since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

Just weeks ago, sources close to Harry said he wanted to visit Britain ‘every few months’ over the next year after his reunion with King Charles last month.

Before deciding on a longer-term return, the Duke of Sussex said his most recent visit to the UK and time with his father left him feeling ‘buoyed’, ‘very happy’ and ‘really energised’.

Harry was already due to return to Britain in September for a week of engagements.

A source previously told The Sunday Times: ‘He wants more of a foothold here, more trips back, less courtroom drama. And he always loves seeing his family.’

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Experts from SpaSeekers.com have compiled a list of the best spas and spa packages from across the UK.

For those looking for an escape in Yorkshire, you are in luck as the Yorkshire Spa Retreat made it onto the list thanks to its “wild-swim experience” and “beautiful Yorkshire parkland”.

You can enjoy a simple spa day at the retreat or extend your stay by booking one of the lodges, giving yourself plenty of time to try out treatments and explore the surrounding area.

What is the Yorkshire Spa Retreat like?

On the spa, SpaSeekers.com said: “For something a little different this summer, the Yorkshire Spa Retreat’s natural swimming pond is a genuine wild-swim experience set among the North York Moors.

“The Botanical Meadow Retreat package includes a 45-minute treatment, two-course lunch and three hours’ use of the facilities, the ideal combination of a tranquil summer spa stay.”

The Yorkshire Spa Retreat is described as being a “tranquil space for relaxation amidst the stunning Yorkshire Moors countryside”.

The spa has a range of facilities including the wild swim pond, a sauna, a herbal steam room, and a mixture of organic treatments.

The Dome Bar and Restaurant offers guests a place to relax and enjoy different dishes created using local produce.

The restaurant has a few different menus, including for lunch, afternoon tea, pizza nights, and an a la carte offering.

If you want to explore the surrounding area, including the national parks, woodland walks, and the nearby villages, you can rent an E-bike from the spa.

What do visitors of the Yorkshire Spa Retreat think?

The spa has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor, with people leaving rave reviews about their experience.

One person said: “Wonderful Yorkshire spa day with my daughter.

“First time visiting and I will definitely return.

“Lovely friendly helpful staff, beautiful relaxing spa.

“Fabulous treatment. Delicious lunch. Couldn’t fault it.”

Another person wrote: “Lovely relaxing spa day, massages were excellent, food very good and staff lovely.

“All in all a great day.

“Snuggling under duvets in the fog was really nice – didn’t dare go in the pool.

“Highly recommended – much more chill feeling than other spas I have been to.”

Will you be booking a trip to the Yorkshire Spa Retreat any time soon? Let us know in the comments.