Harry and Meghan given award for limiting family to two children
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been given a “special award” for deciding to limit their family to two children.
Prince Harry, 36, told British Vogue in 2019 he and Meghan, 39, were only planning “two maximum” to reduce their impact on the environment.
Their son Archie was born on 6 May that year, followed by Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana on 4 June 2021.
The couple have said they only want two children. Pic: AP
The charity Population Matters said they were giving the couple the award after making the “enlightened decision” to have a smaller family and acting as “role models for others”.
“Having a smaller family reduces our impact on the Earth, and provides a better chance for all our children, their children and future generations to flourish on a healthy planet,” the charity said in a statement.
“We commend the duke and duchess for taking this enlightened decision, and for affirming that a smaller family is also a happy family.”
The Sussexes will receive £500 to donate to a charity of their choice, along with nine other recipients honoured in the run-up to the UN’s World Population Day on Sunday.
They include Wendo Aszed, founder of a women’s empowerment and community health project in rural Kenya, Emma Gannon, author of Olive, a best-selling novel addressing the choice to be child-free, and Nairashe Maritsa, a teenager fighting child marriage in Zimbabwe.
Their second child Lilibet was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Pic: Google Street View
Harry, who recently returned to the UK from Los Angeles to unveil a statue of his late mother, spoke about his thoughts on family size in an interview with conservationist Jane Goodall.
In the interview, which was part of Meghan’s guest-edited copy of Vogue, he described our planet as “borrowed”.
“Surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation,” he said.
His comments came at a time the couple were facing criticism for reports they used private jets to travel to royal engagements and go on holiday.
They quit as senior royals for a life in California last year, criticising the Royal Family in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.
Iranian state television says a ceasefire in its war with Israel has now begun, following a night of missile strikes.
Israel’s ambulance service says at least four people were killed in overnight strikes, with footage from southern Israel showing extensive damage to what appeared to be a residential building.
Sirens sounded in several areas – and members of the public who received an alert were ordered to take shelter – with explosions heard over Tel Aviv.
Israel-Iran latest: Ceasefire deal has been reached
Early on Tuesday morning, US President Donald Trump declared: “The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!”
The message on Truth Social followed a series of posts on Monday, in which the president declared that a “complete and total ceasefire” had been agreed upon between the two countries and would begin at approximately 5am UK time.
Footage appeared to show a residential building in southern Israel that was extensively damaged. Pic: AP
In a post on X, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, confirmed that Tehran “has no intention” to continue its response to Israel – provided it “stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people”.
Israeli media reports suggested Benjamin Netanyahu was also on board – provided Iran stops firing missiles towards the country – but there has been no official confirmation.
Donald Trump in the Situation Room at the White House over the weekend. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump had written: “Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World.
“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both countries, Israel and Iran, on having the stamina, courage, and intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR.’
“This is a war that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!”
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Iran’s nuclear capabilities
In an interview with Sky News’ partner network NBC, the president said it was a “great day” for the US and the Middle East – and a “wonderful day” for the world.
“I’m very happy to have been able to get the job done. A lot of people were dying, and it was only going to get worse. It would have brought the whole Middle East down,” he said.
Mr Trump said he thinks the ceasefire is “unlimited” and is “going to go forever” – adding: “I don’t believe they will ever be shooting at each other again.”
Just hours earlier, people in the Qatari capital Doha had stopped and gazed up at the sky as Iranian missiles flew to the American al Udeid base and interceptors fired.
Officials said there were no casualties, and the US later confirmed it had been warned about the attack by Iran.
Mr Trump was in the Situation Room in the White House as the strikes took place.
He later claimed on his social network that the missiles were a “very weak response”, which the US “expected” and “very effectively countered”.
The Iranian attack came after the US dropped “bunker buster bombs” on three key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In a new interview on Fox News, US Vice President JD Vance claimed Iran is no longer able to build nuclear weapons after the American attacks.
“Iran was very close to having a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Now Iran is incapable of building a nuclear weapon with the equipment they have because we destroyed it.”
US
Can Tehran regard Trump as a trusted broker of peace when he floated the idea of regime change in Iran?
These days, peace is a post on social media. On Donald Trump’s Truth Social site, it came in two parts.
Part one read: “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE.”
The Magna Carta it wasn’t, but it was a peace treaty for our times – a US president announcing there would be no retaliation against Iran’s missile attack.
An anxious world watching for US bombers returning to Iranian skies could cool its jets – and the primetime president could feel vindicated, having enjoyed strategic success.
Donald Trump at a meeting in the Situation Room at the White House. Pic: Reuters
Trump has tweaked the politics and military landscape around Iran to suit US interests, without a single American life lost.
He had framed US intervention in Iran as an effort to prevent a “forever” foreign war, not to provoke it, and he is sitting pretty, following ugly predictions he’d be sucked into conflict.
Live updates: Three killed as Iranian missiles strike Israel
Footage appeared to show a residential building in southern Israel that was extensively damaged. Pic: AP
Then, on Truth Social, there was peace “part two”.
A couple of hours after announcing non-retaliation, Trump wrote the sequel: “Ceasefire.”
He posted: “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!” – saying a “complete and total” ceasefire had been fully agreed between Israel and Iran.
Quite the day of problem-solving for the self-styled “peacemaker-in-chief”. Quite the day of problems unsolved too – time will tell.
As deadlines loomed, neither Israel nor Iran appeared fully committed to the Trump script, and fresh missiles were fired overnight.
Daytime will test the durability of a ceasefire. There are motivations on both sides to continue a conflict in which both see the other as an existential threat.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Can Tehran regard Donald Trump as a trusted broker of peace when he floated the idea of regime change in Iran, as pursued by Israel?
Can Israel be convinced to pull back on its military advantage when its instinct will be to reinforce superiority and undermine an Iranian rebuild?
Trump’s influence will be tested, as ever, when he flies to a NATO summit in The Netherlands today. For him, it can be a difficult crowd and one for whom he remains a mystery.
A positive result in the Middle East will help to confound their curiosity, for the better.
It’s the most important day for Donald Trump since the last one.
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