William and Kate ‘delighted’ after Harry and Meghan announce birth of baby daughter
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said they are “delighted” after the Sussexes announced the birth of their baby daughter – Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince Harry and Meghan announced that the infant, a first sibling for Archie, was born on Friday in California.
Lili is named after her great-grandmother the Queen – who was affectionately nicknamed Lilibet by her family – and her grandmother, the late Princess Diana.
William and Kate tweeted late on Sunday to say they were “delighted” with the “happy news”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
A statement from the couple’s press secretary said that she was born at 11.40am on Friday “in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California”.
Lili was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California. Pic: Google Street View
She weighed 7lbs 11oz (3.5kg) and her and Meghan are said to be “healthy and well, and settling in at home”.
Harry and Meghan, who live in Montecito, said on their Archewell website: “On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.
“She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
Lili is a first sibling for Archie, pictured here with his parents in 2019
The new baby is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild and the first of the Queen’s great-grandchildren to be born outside the UK.
Lilibet was first used when Princess Elizabeth was a toddler and unable to pronounce her own name properly.
Her grandfather, King George V, would affectionately call her ‘Lilibet’ imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth.
The nickname stuck and from then on she became Lilibet to her family.
Prince Philip also referred to his wife as Lilibet, writing to his mother-in-law after their wedding: “Lilibet is the only ‘thing’ in the world which is absolutely real to me.”
Lili’s birth comes three months after her parents gave a controversial interview to Oprah Winfrey about their treatment from the media and the Royal Family.
Lili will be entitled to be a princess and Archie a prince – both with HRH styles – when the Queen dies and Prince Charles becomes king.
This is because they will have moved up the line of succession to become the children of a son of a monarch.
Despite Harry and Meghan quitting as senior working royals, Lili is eighth in line to the throne, coming after Archie, who is seventh in line.
Anyone wishing to send a present is asked to support organisations working for women and girls.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in London in January 2020. Pic: AP
Analysis: The chosen name shows family still matters
By Rhiannon Mills, royal correspondent
For almost 48 hours, they kept the news from the world.
Time for Prince Harry and Meghan to take it all in, and get to know their little girl.
It couldn’t be more different from the royal way, where we’re used to hearing within hours about the new arrival.
When their son Archie was born in 2019, they were already protective of how the announcement was made.
They did not go with the usual protocol and have a big photocall to present their baby to the world.
However this time, now outside of the royal fold, they have been able to completely control the news how they wanted.
But don’t forget since moving away they have worked hard to set themselves up as a global brand, and that means a global spotlight on their personal lives.
Both Harry and Meghan have spoken warmly about Her Majesty during interviews
If you couple that with the fact that this is the Queen’s 11th great-grandchild, and her first to be born outside of the UK, the international interest in this child is still going to be huge.
The names they’ve given the little girl also stand out.
To be fair, they often do when the Windsors welcome a new arrival, as we try to dissect why certain names have been chosen.
But their daughter has been given names with the most royal connections.
In previous years that wouldn’t necessarily be surprising, but now they do stand out after Harry and Meghan’s decision to step away from royal life, and their very public disagreements with other members of the Royal Family.
The choice of Lilibet, the Queen’s nickname, is in some ways an unexpected choice but a sign that family still matters despite everything that has been said.
Both Harry and Meghan have spoken warmly about Her Majesty during interviews, despite being critical of the family and the institution that she leads.
Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry in 1995
Yes, in recent weeks, Harry has again been very open about how much his mother meant to him during interviews and his response to the scandal around Diana’s 1996 appearance on Panorama.
In many ways it was inevitable and a loving tribute from her son that he would want to include Diana as his daughter’s middle name.
It’s also worth remembering that Prince William’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, also has Diana and Elizabeth as her middle names.
In many ways this baby girl, born in California, will have a very different upbringing from her cousin.
But as the Queen has always said in statements, the Sussexes are much loved members of the family, and in her names Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor will forever be very much part of the Windsor dynasty.
Donald Trump’s lawyer has been told by a judge to stop the former president from “cursing audibly” and “shaking his head” during Stormy Daniels’ testimony at his hush money trial.
Judge Juan Merchan said the former president’s swearing had the “potential to intimidate” Ms Daniels – the porn star who was paid to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
The judge also told lawyer Todd Blanche that Trump had at one stage “uttered a vulgarity” during Ms Daniels’ testimony in New York on Tuesday.
The conversation took place during a sidebar at the trial – where a lawyer is called to speak to the judge about something so that the jury and the rest of the courtroom cannot hear.
Details of the exchange add to what would have already been remembered as a surreal day in court, as Ms Daniels described a sexual encounter she claims she had with Trump in Lake Tahoe.
As it happened: Stormy Daniels testifies for first time during hush money trial
The official court transcript reveals that after Ms Daniels had given part of her testimony, the judge told Mr Blanche: “I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly, and he is shaking his head visually and that’s contemptuous.
“It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that.”
Mr Blanche responded by saying he would talk to Trump, the transcript shows.
Stormy Daniels leaves court on Tuesday. Pic: AP
Mr Merchan also told Mr Blanche: “I am speaking to you here at the bench because I don’t want to embarrass him.”
The judge continued: “You need to speak to him. I won’t tolerate that.”
Mr Blanche again told Mr Merchan that he would talk to Trump before the judge spoke further about the former president’s behaviour in the courtroom.
The judge said: “One time I noticed when Ms Daniels was testifying about rolling up the magazine, and presumably smacking your client, and after that point he shook his head and he looked down. And later, I think he was looking at you, Mr. Blanche, later when were talking about The Apprentice, at that point he again uttered a vulgarity and looked at you this time. Please talk to him at the break, Mr Blanche.”
Mr Blanche responded by saying he would talk to his client.
Read more:
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Stormy Daniels recalls bedroom encounter with Trump
Following Ms Daniels’ testimony, the Trump team used its opportunity to question the adult film star to paint her as motivated by personal hatred of the former president and hoping to profit off her claims against him.
It comes after the judge found on Monday that Trump had again violated a gag order that bars him from disparaging witnesses or the jury.
Mr Merchan warned Trump he could face jail time “if necessary” for any further violations. Trump has already been fined $10,000 (£8,000) for breaches of the gag order.
What is the trial about?
Payments made to Ms Daniels by Trump’s then lawyer Michael Cohen near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign are at the heart of the hush money case.
Cohen paid Ms Daniels $130,000 (£104,000) in return for her keeping quiet about her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump.
Ms Daniels testified on Tuesday about the contact she said she had with Trump and the payment to buy her silence.
Trump, the Republican candidate for president again ahead of this year’s election, has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records to cover up the payment and denies having sex with Ms Daniels.
US
Travis Kelce follows girlfriend Taylor Swift into entertainment to take up role in new horror series Grotesquerie
Travis Kelce is used to drama on the pitch – now he’s set to experience it on the small screen.
Following girlfriend Taylor Swift into the world of entertainment, the NFL star is to take on his first major acting role in a new series by renowned producer Ryan Murphy, the creative powerhouse behind hit shows including Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, and Pose.
Kelce will appear alongside Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B Vance and British star Lesley Manville in horror drama Grotesquerie, being made by Disney’s FX and due to be released in the US in the autumn.
Pic: AP/John Locher
“Guys, guess who I am working with on Grotesquerie…” Nash-Betts has announced in a video shared on Instagram.
Kelce then appears in the frame, responding: “Jumping into new territory… with Niecy.” He has also shared the clip with his 6.4 million followers on Instagram.
“This is what happens when winners link up!!?” Nash-Betts captioned the video. “@killatrav Welcome to Grostequerie!”
Murphy has become known for casting high profile stars who are not actors in his shows, with singers Lady Gaga and Stevie Nicks, model Naomi Campbell and reality star Kim Kardashian all taking parts in American Horror Story.
Nash-Betts recently won an Emmy for another Murphy series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, while Kelce won a third Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year – greeted with a kiss by Swift at the end of the game.
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Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The show also features British actress Lesley Manville. Pic: PA
The American football tight end has been making waves in Hollywood since his high-profile relationship with the pop megastar began last year.
The sports star hosted the US sketch show Saturday Night Live in March 2023, and was recently announced as the host of the quiz show, Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?
He also has an American football podcast with his brother Jason and previously experimented with reality TV with dating series Catching Kelce in 2016.
Swift made the silver screen herself last year thanks to her sell-out Eras tour pop concert film. She brings the tour to the UK in June.
Legislation dubbed the “Taylor Swift bill” has passed in Minnesota in an effort to help people buy concert tickets.
The bill, officially called House File 1989 in reference to Taylor Swift’s hit album and the year she was born, was signed into Minnesota law on Tuesday.
It will require sellers offering tickets to people in the state or tickets for concerts being held there to disclose all fees up front and prohibit resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket, among other measures.
Minnesota State Representative Kelly Moller, chief author of the bill, pushed for the legislation after she tried to get tickets to one of Swift’s concerts in 2022.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Ms Moller said she was among thousands of people who became stuck in ticket sales company Ticketmaster’s system after it crashed amid the huge demand for Swift concert tickets and attacks from bots, which tried to buy tickets for resale at inflated prices.
The situation led to congressional hearings but no federal legislation.
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Hidden meanings in Taylor Swift album?
Governor Tim Walz, who signed the bill into law at First Avenue, a popular concert venue in downtown Minneapolis, said it was “protection so you don’t get a bad ticket, a fraudulent ticket, and resellers can’t snatch them all up before you get an opportunity”.
Two young girls – one wearing a shirt that said “A LOT going on at the moment” in a nod to Swift, and another wearing a shirt that said “Iowa 22” in reference to basketball star Caitlin Clark – attended the bill signing with their dad, Mike Dean, who testified in support of it.
An eras tour ticket. Pic: Fernando Gens/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Mr Dean said his daughter came to him in December and said she wanted to see Clark play. He said the website initially showed the tickets would cost $300 total, but they ended up costing over $500 because of hidden fees.
The timer had begun in the online checkout process, so he had just minutes to decide whether to buy the tickets for the higher price or lose them.
Read more:
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He ultimately bought them, but he told the Associated Press these practices mean customers can’t make informed decisions. The new law, he said, will bring transparency to the process.
Sky News contacted Ticketmaster for comment.
A spokesperson for fellow ticket sales giants StubHub said: “StubHub has long advocated for legislation that protects fans from anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices in the ticket buying process.
“We share the goals of HF1989 and look forward to continuing discussions with policymakers to advance policies that provide more transparency, more control, and more choice for ticket buyers.”
The law takes effect from 1 January 2025 and applies to tickets sold on or after that date.
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