Earlier in the day, the King received incoming Algerian ambassador Nourredine Yazid and the ambassador for Mauritania, Samba Mamadou Ba, who presented their credentials.

The diplomatic audiences were the King’s first this year, and the first since his diagnosis.

He was pictured in a smart morning suit – his customary attire for the traditional face-to-face meetings with new ambassadors.

Charles smiled broadly as he greeted and chatted with his guests in Buckingham Palace’s grand 1844 Room.

The King also sent a written message expressing his deepest sympathies following the death of former Tanzania president Ali Hassan Mwinyi, calling him a “true friend” of the UK.

Charles praised Mr Mwinyi, who died last week at the age of 98, for being a “leading figure” in Tanzania’s economic and political development.

He recalled his mother the late Queen hosting the president for lunch at Buckingham Palace with then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1988.

Charles said in his message to the president of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan: “It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of former President Mwinyi.

“He was a true friend of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and a leading figure in Tanzania’s economic and political development. I can only offer you my deepest sympathy at his passing.”

Charles is also King of Canada, and Mr Trudeau has a long-standing bond with the royal family.

As a young child in the 1970s, Mr Trudeau met the late Queen several times through his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was one of Canada’s longest-serving prime ministers.

The King held a video call with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau as he carried out a flurry of behind-the-scenes duties.

The monarch, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, spoke with Mr Trudeau on Wednesday, as well as conducting two diplomatic audiences and writing a message of condolence to Tanzania over the death of the country’s former president.

Charles, who is continuing his head of state duties from behind palace walls, has postponed all public-facing engagements following his diagnosis.

He was pictured sat in front of a computer screen during the virtual audience with Mr Trudeau, in scenes reminiscent of his mother the late Queen, who adopted the mode of communication during the Covid-19 pandemic and in her later years.

It is the first time they have spoken since the King’s cancer diagnosis.

The pair are understood to have discussed current national and international matters, with personal well-wishes given by both the King and Mr Trudeau.

A folder of printed notes was open in front of the monarch on the wooden desk, with two red pens and a pad of notes ready for his use.

The diplomatic audiences were the King’s first this year, and the first since his diagnosis.

He was pictured in a smart morning suit – his customary attire for the traditional face-to-face meetings with new ambassadors.

Charles smiled broadly as he greeted and chatted with his guests in the Palace’s grand 1844 Room.

The King also sent a written message expressing his deepest sympathies following the death of former president of Tanzania Ali Hassan Mwinyi, calling him a “true friend” of the UK.

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.

Read the full story here...

Women’s Aid has criticised Celebrity Big Brother’s decision to include Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith as a contestant on the show.

In 2017, Goldsmith was fined and given a community order after admitting he had assaulted his wife in a drunken argument in which she accused him of taking drugs.

It comes as the businessman and podcast host is set to be put up for the public vote by fellow housemate Sharon Osbourne in Wednesday’s episode of the ITV1 series.

Read the full story here...

Every family has one: that relative with habits best described as “eccentric” and a history – personal, professional, legal – that can only be summed up as “complicated”. The one who is referred to, in euphemistic terms, as “an acquired taste”. For most of us, though, this character remains the preserve of whispered conversations and the odd fraught festive dinner. The odds of them, say, making a much-heralded appearance on an ITV reality show alongside Sharon Osbourne and Nikita off Strictly are relatively slim.

Read the full story here...

The Palace has broken its silence over unfounded conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton’s health being shared on social media.

The Princess of Wales, 42, was seen for the first time in public two days ago after she was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery in January for an unspecified condition. Gossip website TMZ snapped the princess in an Audi 4x4 near Windsor, alongside her mother Carole Middleton.

The exact details of the princess’s condition have not been revealed but the Palace said previously it was not cancer-related, and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.

Read the full story here...