Royal news live: King Charles ‘axes’ Prince Andrew’s £1m allowance due to Royal Lodge row

Princess Kate has developed a notably close relationship with King Charles in recent months.

Known for her connections with various royals, Kate’s bond with the King appears to have deepened after both faced significant health challenges this year.

The Princess of Wales and the King underwent surgeries at the same hospital, both receiving cancer diagnoses shortly after their procedures.

This shared experience has seemingly strengthened their relationship, lending credence to Prince Harry’s assertion that illness can bring families closer together.

A source close to the Palace revealed that King Charles made a poignant gesture during Kate’s health scare in January, visiting her in her hospital room while he was also a patient at the London Clinic for his own prostate surgery.

According to Palace sources, the King views Kate with deep affection, considering her as a daughter.

“They are very close, and he thinks of Catherine as his daughter,” the source said.

It’s been a busy October for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

With the launch of new London air ambulances, a memorial for the Southport stabbings, the release of a documentary on homelessness and much more, Prince William has been busy and Kate Middleton has enjoyed a partial return to work after her cancer diagnosis earlier in the year.

Here’s what the pair got up to in October:

In what is a new low in the brothers’ relationship, Prince Andrew’s annual £1 million “living allowance” has been withdrawn by Charles, according to a new book by Robert Hardman.

The move will be seen as another step the monarch has taken to publicly distance himself from his younger brother following his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

King Charles has offered his “sincere and heartfelt condolences” to the people of Spain following the devastating floods which have so far killed more than 200 people.

Addressed to King Felipe VI of Spain, the King wrote: “My wife and I were utterly heartbroken to learn of the destruction and devastation following the catastrophic flooding in Southern and Eastern Spain.

“So many in the United Kingdom have strong, personal ties to Spain, and our nations are bound by so much that we have in common.

“We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and to the people of Spain for the tragic loss of so many lives. Our special thoughts, prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with all those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods this terrible week.”

King Charles has instructed the royal purse-keeper to “sever” Prince Andrew’s annual £1 million allowance, according to royal writer Robert Hardman in a new book serialised by the Daily Mail.

The keeper of the privy purse was “instructed to sever [Andrew’s] living allowance” after the Duke of York refused to move out of his 30-room mansion the Royal Lodge into the smaller, nearby Frogmore Cottage.

“’The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,’ confirms one familiar with the situation,” Mr Hardman writes.

“’He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs – which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case.

“’But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.’”

As Prince William prepares to travel to Cape Town next week for the fourth Earthshot Prize Awards, Princess Kate will remain in Windsor with their three children.

After being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and completing chemotherapy just two months ago, the 42-year-old Princess has chosen to prioritise her health and family during this time.

This marks the second consecutive year she has opted out of the event.

Prince William founded the Earthshot Prize is environmental awards back in 2020 to champion for green solutions for the world’s climate problems.

Last year, Kate missed the ceremony in Singapore while Prince George was taking his exams.

At the time, a senior Palace source said: “The Princess will not be attending. Prince George has exams that week and the Princess wants to be at home to support him.”

Queen Elizabeth II’s death had a profound impact on national sentiment towards the monarchy, a study has claimed.

Academics from The Open University focused on individuals who participated in mourning events in Edinburgh and London following the monarch’s passing on 8 September, 2022.

During the ten-day mourning period that followed the longest-reigning monarch’s death, over 250,000 people queued to pay their respects in Westminster Hall.

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A private letter from 1998 has revealed that King Charles believed the Orthodox Church was the only Christian denomination untainted by what he described as “loathsome political correctness.”

The correspondence, sent while he was still the Prince of Wales, shows his criticisms of the Church of England, of which he is the supreme governor.

The letter, marked “private and confidential,” was addressed to Dudley Popak, an interior designer who had worked closely with the royal family.

Following Mr Popak’s death in 2005, the letter became part of a collection of royal correspondence that was auctioned by Lay’s Auctioneers in Cornwall for over £1,700.

In the letter, Charles, then 49, wrote: “Personally, the older I get, the more I am drawn to the great, timeless traditions of the Orthodox Church. They are the only ones that have not been corrupted by loathsome political correctness.”