The Duke of Sussex has been double-nominated at the British Book Awards for his controversial memoir Spare, as those up for gongs were celebrated for “starting conversations and pushing boundaries”.

The 39-year-old royal’s headline-grabbing book – in which he accused his brother, the Prince of Wales, of pushing him into a dog bowl in a row over the Duchess of Sussex – has been shortlisted for two book of the year prizes.

Harry used the tell-all book to make various claims about his family including that William called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”, that the King was jealous of the Prince and Princess of Wales and Charles refused to allow the Duchess of Sussex to join the Duke in Scotland as the late Queen was dying.

Charlotte McLaughlin reports:

The Prince of Wales has hailed a breakthrough contract won by an Earthshot Prize winner to supply eco-packaging, which will cut tonnes of waste.

William visited the Oval cricket ground, home of Surrey County Cricket Club, to celebrate the achievements of Notpla’s seaweed-based products, and joked about eating pizzas with Prince George during an Ashes test match at the ground.

Notpla’s boxes and trays will be supplied to Levy, a leading sports and entertainment caterer, for use in more than 50 venues from the Oval to Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis Club and London’s O2 Arena.

Tony Jones reports:

For the occasion, Mordaunt wore a show-stealing teal caped gown, embroidered with a fern motif in a nod to the privy council, designed by luxury ready-to-wear brand Safiyaa. The teal colour, called “Poseidon”, is a reference to her Portsmouth constituency.

The look went viral on social media with royal fans admiring her ensemble. “Who had ‘Penny Mordaunt overshadowing everything’ on their bingo card?” wrote one person on X/Twitter at the time.

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Kate Middleton’s uncle has accused Prince Harry of throwing the royal family “under the bus” and said claims of racism against his niece were “bull****.”

Accusing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of “reinventing history”, Gary Goldsmith said: “My family is not racist and for Kate to be portrayed as that is just so far removed from the truth, it’s ridiculous.”

The publication of Harry’s memoir Spare caused a wave of damaging global headlines for the royal family last year as the duke revealed intimate details of his relationships with his father King Charles and brother Prince William.

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The Duchess of Edinburgh has surprised her husband with a tearful tribute ahead of his 60th birthday, saying he is “the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and he is still my best friend” and “I am so proud of the man he is”.

Sophie took to the stage at the end of the Community Sport and Recreation Awards, in Leeds, to make a speech praising her husband ahead of his landmark birthday on Sunday.

They both wiped away tears after she described how, like his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, “my husband never seeks compliments for himself”.

She said: “Which is why I am grateful for this chance to able to publicly celebrate and compliment him.”

Sophie said Edward was “so happy and humbled” when the late Queen made him a Knight of the Garter in 2006, and “equally delighted and moved” when the new King – “who we are both incredibly proud to support” – made him Duke of Edinburgh.

She told the audience on Friday: “Both he deserves in equal measure, and I am so proud of the man he is.

“He is the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and he is still my best friend.”

After the couple embraced, the duke was further surprised with a birthday cake, which he cut after the guests at the awards lunch, at Headingley Stadium, sang Happy Birthday and cheered.

Earlier, Edward had joked that he did not need to be reminded how old he was, as he was presented with a rugby shirt to mark his forthcoming birthday.

Gary Goldsmith, the maternal uncle of the Princess of Wales, has become the first housemate evicted from Celebrity Big Brother on ITV.

The Duke of Edinburgh wiped away tears as his wife surprised him on Friday, 8 March, with a tribute ahead of his 60th birthday.

The duke was visibly emotional after Sophie described how, like his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, “my husband never seeks compliments for himself”.

Holly Patrick reports:

It’s been an exhausting 12 months for “The Firm”, with everything from major health shocks such as King Charles’s cancer diagnosis to severe embarrassment caused by Prince Andrew’s much-publicised friendship with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

So, pictures of Gary Goldsmith, who is the brother of Kate’s mother Carole Middleton, picking out fancy suits in Soho ahead of Monday night’s launch of CBB on ITV will only induce shudders from those in Buckingham Palace who fear he will create more unwanted headlines.

Arguably the relaunched show’s most controversial housemate, the 58-year-old has already come under strict orders from the family, with his sister “reading the riot” act over fears he will share secrets live on television.

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