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The King went walkabout, chatting and shaking hands with well-wishers after attending the traditional Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle in a rare public appearance since he was diagnosed with cancer.

The 75-year-old monarch, who has stepped back from major public engagements while receiving treatment, looked in good spirits for the occasion where he was joined by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

Pic: PA
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The King met well-wishers following the service. Pic: PA

As he emerged from St George’s Chapel, the King was greeted by cries of “Happy Easter” and applause from the public gathered outside, while Camilla was presented with a posy of white and yellow flowers by a young boy.

One man told the sovereign: “Keep going strong.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales were not at the service, coming just over a week after Kate released an emotional video message revealing she had started preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

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Pic: Reuters
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Charles looked in good spirits as he arrived with the Queen. Pic: Reuters

The Princess Royal arrives for the Easter service. Pic: PA
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The Princess Royal arrives for the Easter service. Pic: PA

Earlier, as Charles, wearing a dark coat and blue tie, arrived, one person shouted “Happy Easter”, to which he gestured with his arm and responded: “And to you.”

Anne Daley, 65, from Cardiff, Wales, holding up a Welsh flag, said: “He had a lovely smile. He looked well.

“I think he was happy that we’ve all come.”

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh joined the King at Windsor. Pic: PA
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The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh joined the King at Windsor. Pic: PA

Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Pic: Reuters
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Prince Andrew was among the royal party. Pic: Reuters

The Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, were among those to attend.

Analysis: Sky News royal commentator Alastair Bruce

I’m not in a position to guess how he is viewing his current situation or what a burden it must be to go through the various treatments he has to face, but at the same time I think we witnessed in his coronation a determination to dedicate himself.

He has been fulfilling his duties, constantly meeting ambassadors or meeting the prime minister. who are important to the process of government.

He will be reluctant to get into the state Bentley and leave a group of people who came out to see him on this day when that is what he really enjoys doing.

When he gets to talk to people he has a very natural way, he has always wanted to have those moments.

Kate, 42, William, 41, and their three children – George, 10, Charlotte, eight, and five-year-old Louis – are spending the Easter holidays together as they adjust to her diagnosis, which was discovered in post-operative tests after abdominal surgery.

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The King’s attendance at church will be seen as a move to reassure the public about his own health and following the the shock news about his daughter-in-law.

Kate’s video message followed weeks of speculation and conspiracy theories on social media about her whereabouts because she had not been seen on official engagements since last December.

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Speculation was fuelled further when she admitted editing a family photograph posted on Mother’s Day.

The King, who was diagnosed with cancer in February, is said to be “proud” of his “beloved” daughter-in-law for her “courage” in speaking about her treatment, while Harry and Meghan have also offered words of support.

Earlier this month, Charles said he had been reduced to tears by the messages and cards of support he had received.

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King Charles delivers Easter message

Despite his illness, the sovereign has been carrying out low-key official duties behind palace walls, including holding an audience with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and welcoming the high commissioners of Jamaica, Tanzania and Singapore.

Ahead of Easter, the King reaffirmed his coronation pledge “not to be served, but to serve” with “my whole heart” in an audio address broadcast to a congregation at Worcester Cathedral where the Royal Maundy service was held in his absence on Thursday.

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Bank worker and brother who murdered drug dealer in ‘ferocious’ knife attack are jailed

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Bank worker and brother who murdered drug dealer in 'ferocious' knife attack are jailed

A brother and sister have been jailed for the murder of a drug dealer in a “ferocious” knife attack.

Isaiah Marsh, 21, and his 23-year-old sibling Mya Marsh were sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison for killing Minister Enfrence, 21, in a row over a £200 cannabis debt.

Bank worker Mya was trying to buy drugs from Mr Enfrence in Kings Norton, Birmingham, when she met him armed with a kitchen knife at about 10am on 5 November, the city’s crown court heard.

Judge Simon Drew KC said that Mya was the aggressor in an initial confrontation with Mr Enfrence over the debt as he sentenced the siblings on Thursday.

Mya called her brother Isaiah to the scene, who “launched a ferocious attack on Minister as he lay defenceless on his back on the floor” and had intended to kill, the judge said.

Mr Enfrence suffered at least 12 stab wounds to his body, arms, hands and head in the “unprovoked” attack.

He did not die instantly and managed to escape before collapsing nearby.

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Judge Drew said footage of the attack, which was caught on CCTV, was “truly sickening” to watch as Mr Enfrence died a “traumatic and painful death”.

Minister Enfrence. Pic: West Midlands Police
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Minister Enfrence was killed on 5 November. Pic: West Midlands Police

Siblings unanimously convicted of murder

The footage shows Mya passing a knife to her brother during the stabbing.

The judge told them: “This was an attack by two people on one. That attack was unprovoked. Members of the public, including a child in a pushchair, passed very close by while the attack was taking place.”

After the killing, Mya went to work “as if nothing had happened” after taking the morning off work, citing mental health problems, the court was told.

Isaiah later handed himself in to the police.

A jury unanimously convicted the siblings of murder on Monday following a three-week trial.

Both had denied murder and alternative charges of manslaughter.

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Isaiah claimed he acted in self-defence, while Mya claimed she did not believe her brother would use the knife to stab Mr Enfrence.

Rachel Brand KC, representing Mya, said the attack was “utterly out of character” for her client and that Mya had shouted “stop it” and “break it up” during her brother and Mr Enfrence’s struggle.

Isaiah, meanwhile, would find it “almost impossible to reconcile what he saw on the CCTV with who he is”, his barrister Michael Ivers KC told the court.

“He has told everyone who will listen when they have spoken to him that he is full of remorse about what happened,” Mr Ivers said.

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Woman’s testimony from beyond the grave helps to convict rapist Steven Connery

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Woman's testimony from beyond the grave helps to convict rapist Steven Connery

A “despicable” rapist has been brought to justice and jailed for 10 years in part thanks to a woman’s testimony from beyond the grave.

Steven Connery, 41, repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted two women in the Forth Valley and Tayside areas.

Judge Douglas Brown said Connery’s first victim was left “so shocked that she couldn’t speak” following a painful attack in a bathroom while she was getting ready for a night out.

A court heard how the second woman was also left in “agony” after a sex assault.

Connery was arrested in 2022 after his past crimes were brought to the attention of Police Scotland.

His second victim died before a trial was held at the High Court in Glasgow, but her evidence was read out in the form of a statement by one of the investigating officers.

Connery denied any wrongdoing but was in March found guilty of four charges.

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He returned to the dock on Wednesday and was handed a 13-year extended sentence, with 10 years in jail and three years on licence once released back into the community.

Judge Brown said: “It is almost inevitable that offences of this nature will cause substantial harm and in relation to the second complainer, who has since died, it is clear from a victim impact statement submitted by her sister that your behaviour had a massive impact not only on her but also on her family.”

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It was noted that Connery was “still reasonably young” at the time of some of his offending, but the judge added: “Though there is little to indicate that a lack of maturity was a significant factor.”

Connery was additionally placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and banned from contacting the woman who is still alive.

Detective Sergeant Khalid Abdulrahman said: “Although one of Connery’s victims passed away, it was right that her evidence was heard in court through the reading of statements.

“I hope this sentencing brings some comfort to both her family and the other victim in this case.

“Our thoughts remain with them, as without their information Connery wouldn’t have been held accountable for his despicable actions.”

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Police hunt for teenagers seen ‘carrying dismembered kittens in duffel bag’

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Police hunt for teenagers seen 'carrying dismembered kittens in duffel bag'

Police investigating the torture and killing of a pair of kittens in west London have published CCTV pictures of two teenagers they want to speak to.

Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing

The Metropolitan Police were tipped off on 3 May that two teenagers had allegedly dismembered the animals at Ickenham Road, Ruislip.

No arrests have been made.

Officers released footage of a boy and a girl on Thursday and asked people to help identify them.

The boy is described by the Met as 5ft 6in (168cm) tall, with short dark hair. He was wearing a dark jacket with long sleeves, with blue jeans.

Police sergeant Babs Rock said the boy “was also seen carrying a black duffel bag, which sadly is thought to have contained the kittens”.

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BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE Screen grab taken from CCTV dated 03/05/25 issued by Metropolitan Police of CCTV of two teenagers they want to speak to after two kittens were tortured and killed in Ruislip. The Metropolitan Police received a report on May 3 that alleged two teenagers dismembered the animals in Ickenham Road, Ruislip. Issue date: Thursday May 15, 2025.
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The two youths. Pic: Metropolitan Police/PA

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Sergeant Rock said the young girl was the same height as the boy, with long red hair.

“She was wearing a white top with black shorts. She was also carrying a purple jumper, which she later puts on to wear,” she said.

“If you know these two individuals then please come forward to us, we would like to speak with them as soon as possible.”

In the video, the pair are seen walking down a street and then later running back the way they came.

Sergeant Rock described it as “an incredibly distressing incident which I know has caused concern in the local community”.

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