Buckingham Palace is planning for King Charles to potentially attend engagements involving more people from the end of the month, Sky News understands.
Image: The King attended an Easter service in Windsor on 31 March. Pic: Reuters
Image: Pic: PA
Since announcing his diagnosis in February he has been advised by doctors not to carry out public-facing engagements.
But it’s understood that officials, as part of normal forward planning, are now factoring in the possibility of the King meeting slightly larger groups of people from the end of April, into May.
It comes as the King welcomed the Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey to Buckingham Palace, who presented him with the first bank notes featuring his portrait as monarch.
Image: The King with the first bank notes featuring his portrait, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and Sarah John, the Bank’s chief cashier. Pic: PA
Image: The notes presented to the King on 9 April
It is traditional that the sovereign receives the first serial numbered notes of a print run of banknotes (effectively serial number 01). The Bank has now produced £5, £10, £20, and £50 notes.
The image of the King which appears on the notes is based on a portrait that was provided by the Palace to the Bank of England.
This was then turned into an engraving, and designers worked from this to create the image on the notes.
The notes will enter circulation on the 5 June, but the Royal Household has insisted this should only happen gradually.
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The new notes will only replace worn or damaged Queen Elizabeth II notes to minimise the financial and environmental impact of this change.
Image: Production of the new King Charles III £10 note. Pic: Bank of England
Image: The new £5 note features a portrait of King Charles III. Pic: Bank of England/PA
The fact that the palace is continuing to plan ahead for the King’s future engagements is nothing new, and there is obviously the caveat that things may have to change depending on his health.
Reports last week that the monarch still wants to push ahead with a trip to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the year to coincide with the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Samoa is one example; the palace insists nothing has changed and that this has always been a possibility, depending on how he is.
Suggestions he may be well enough to start meeting larger groups is in no way confirmation of whether he will be able to attend any of the large traditional royal events this summer, such as Trooping the Colour, but it will be viewed by many as a positive sign about his health.
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The King has regularly welcomed individuals to Buckingham Palace for small audiences in recent weeks and has been carrying out his constitutional duties behind the scenes, alongside receiving treatment.
On Easter Sunday he surprised everyone by unexpectedly walking up to crowds outside Windsor Castle to shake hands and chat with those who’d come out to see the royal family.
Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.
“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.
However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.
“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.
“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”
She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”
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A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.
It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.
Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.
The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Image: Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Image: Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Image: Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Image: Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Image: Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
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Image: Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.