Harry and Meghan issue defiant statement amid Archewell furore after Nigeria trip

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent three days in the country celebrating the 10th anniversary of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games.

While there, Meghan described Nigeria as “her country” after a DNA test said she was 43 percent Nigerian.

The tour, which was undertaken in their capacity as private citizens, was described as “fantastic” by the couple who said it will be the “first of many memorable trips”.

They now have to face up to the trouble their charity, the Archewell Foundation, faces in America after it was declared “delinquent” by the state of California while they were overseas.

This was reportedly because of a $200 cheque that was lost in the post, which a representative has confirmed has now been reissued.

But until the issue is resolved, the Archewell Foundation cannot distribute or raise funds.

The technique was showcased by the Duke of Sussex, 39, in the Apple TV documentary The Me You Can’t See, where he explained that he uses it to help him cope with the symptoms of trauma and PTSD.

Tapping therapy, as its name suggests, sees patients or therapists tap on the body to create what’s known as “bilateral stimulation”.

This alternatively activates both sides of the brain and it is believed to have a calming effect.

Dr Charlotte Russell, a clinical psychologist, ran a poll about its popularity in the past five years and found that 84 percent of respondents agreed that the demand for psychological therapy has increased in this time – with 16 percent strongly agreeing.

“I think Prince Harry being so open about having therapy and EMDR is another one of those things that has contributed to the change in attitude about psychological therapy and that becoming more normalised,” she said.

Georgia Laurie, 31, has been given the King’s Gallantry Medal, awarded for “exemplary acts of bravery”, for her actions in Mexico in June 2021.

The twin, from Berkshire, England, leapt into action to save her sister after a guide wrongfully informed their group that it was safe to swim in a river off the Manialtepec Lagoon in Puerto Escondido.

Recalling the incident to The Times, Laurie said: “I drew such deep strength from somewhere, from her, from my love for Melissa and eventually the crocodile moved off.”

The King has unveiled the first completed official portrait of himself since the coronation, which includes one detail Charles suggested should be added.

The portrait, by British artist Jonathan Yeo, was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of The Drapers’ Company in 2022.

The portrait, which was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon at Buckingham Palace, depicts Charles wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he was made Regimental Colonel in 1975.

The ‘Megmania’ witnessed during the Sussexes’ tour of Nigeria suggests that their blueprint – to be ‘half-in, half-out’ royals – had merit, says Sean O’Grady:

It may not have been an official “royal visit”, but anyone watching the coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visiting Nigeria, in aid of the Invictus Games and its charitable foundation, could have been forgiven for thinking that it was.

The pair have some celebrity and fame, and no one, leastways outside palace circles, seems all that fussed about whether the pair are classified as “working” or “non-working” royals: “Megmania” gripped this part of west Africa, in any case. Harry is a Prince, his wife is a duchess, his dad is the king and head of the Commonwealth, and no amount of alienation or briefing can alter that. In Lagos State, he was given a prince’s welcome.

The ex-working royals have been on a whistle-stop PR tour of Nigeria – but it was the Duchess of Sussex revealing she was ‘missing her babies’ that pushed Caroline Brown over the edge. You wouldn’t catch the late Queen doing it…

Clearly, Harry and Meghan are great parents and are extremely proud of their children. But as a proud mother myself, who also has to travel away from home, the idea of missing my kids (while true) is not something I make a huge song and dance about – especially not when I’m at work.

The King has become patron of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), following in the footsteps of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Reigning monarchs have traditionally served as the figurehead for the lifesaving charity since it was founded in 1824, with George IV its first patron.

The announcement, which coincides with its 200th anniversary, comes after a major review of more than 1,000 royal patronages conducted by the Royal Household following the late Queen’s death.

Author Dame Jilly Cooper has described receiving a royal honour from the King as “orgasmic”.

The 87-year-old also named The Common Years as her favourite piece of work she has written, after being made a dame for her services to literature and charity on Tuesday.

She is chiefly known for her Rutshire Chronicles, which focus on scandal and adultery in upper-class society and an aristocratic character called Rupert Campbell-Black.

The Duke of Kent joined the last surviving widow of a lifeboat disaster to lay a wreath in remembrance of the five men who died.

Edward, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and president of the RNLI, laid the tribute at the lifeboat station in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, with Pat Owen, whose husband James Buchan died in the Fraserburgh lifeboat disaster more than half a century ago.

The Fraserburgh lifeboat, the Duchess of Kent, capsized in gale-force winds on January 21 1970 while escorting another vessel to safety.

Prince Harry spoke movingly about mental health while visiting a school in Nigeria on Friday – telling students that there is “no shame” in having a bad day.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, opened up about the bereavements he has suffered in his life, telling the young people that it is okay to acknowledge difficult feelings.

“There is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day,” he said.

“If you woke up this morning feeling sad, if you left school feeling stressed, if you’ve lost a loved one in your family who you usually turn to or speak to, all of these things you may be led to believe are not for conversation.

“We are here today to tell you that is not the case.”