Inside historic £369m Buckingham Palace refurbishment as Harry’s court battle resumes

A town council in Canada is said to be at a standstill because of newly elected members refusing to pledge an oath of allegiance to the King.

Stephen Johnson, the mayor-elect of Dawson City, in the territory of Yukon, said he and others refused to take the oath because of the Crown’s history with indigenous populations, the Canadian Press news agency reported.

He told the news outlet that the council has not been able to govern and is waiting for the territory’s Department of Community Services to respond to its request to take an alternative oath.

The Canadian Press said the oath of allegiance requires newly elected councillors to swear or affirm they “will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III” and his “heirs and successors according to law”.

Mr Johnson said they are currently unable to do anything legally required of them under the Municipal Act.

“It’s a bit of a sticky situation,” he told the Canadian Press.

The territory is reviewing the council’s request to swear a different oath, a Community Services spokesperson said in an email to the Canadian Press.

The King’s coronation cost taxpayers £72 million, official accounts have revealed.

The figures included £50.3 million of Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) costs and £21.7 million for the Home Office for policing the “once-in-a-generation” event in May 2023.

Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from around the world.

A star-studded concert at Windsor Castle took place the following night.

The DCMS annual report and accounts said the department “successfully delivered on the central weekend of His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation, enjoyed by many millions both in the UK and across the globe”.

DCMS was the lead government department working with the royal household on the coronation, which it described as a “once-in-a-generation moment which provided an occasion for the entire country to come together in celebration, and offered a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our national identity and showcase the UK to the world”.

The Prince of Wales has spoken of his desire to return to the Middle East as he launched an expedition inspired by a famous British explorer.

William visited Oman in 2019 and on Monday gave his support to six explorers who have been inspired by Bertram Thomas, who took a 42-day trip along the south-east coast of the country in 1928 discovering new specimens.

Speaking on Monday to a group of education and youth outreach staff at the Royal Geographical Society, William expressed his desire to return to Oman, saying: “We’ll make something happen, time flies.”

The prince’s 2019 trip was without the Princess of Wales, but he has sounded optimistic about possible joint overseas engagements with his wife after her cancer battle.

“I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up,” he said earlier this month.

The Princess of Wales has invited child survivors of the Southport stabbing to her annual Christmas carol concert.

Kate, who is recovering from cancer, has invited child survivors of the attack to her festive event at Westminster Abbey on December 6, Kensington Palace has confirmed.

The princess has set her sights on being able to stage the Together At Christmas service in 2024 despite the health challenges she has faced in what the Prince of Wales described as a “brutal” year.

It forms part of her gradual return to public duties after finishing chemotherapy treatment in the summer.

The Palace said Kate wanted the theme of this year’s carol service to celebrate those supporting others in need, with a focus on the importance of love and empathy.

Members of the royal family will gather with the princess as around 1,600 people fill the abbey in London for musical performances by stars including Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter.

Next month’s visit by the Emir of Qatar will be the last state visit to take place at Buckingham Palace for three years, as work continues on its historic renovations.

The palace’s grandest rooms will undergo “phased closures” for refurbishment, beginning with the White Drawing Room, the Music Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the State Dining Room.

The King and Queen will instead host royal receptions at St James’s Palace or Windsor Castle until the palace re-opens fully in 2027.

The Princess of Wales is set to play a role in the Emir of Qatar’s state visit to the UK next week.

Kate, who is recovering from cancer, will join her husband the Prince of Wales in greeting Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, at Kensington Palace on December 3.

William and Kate are then due to travel with the pair to Horse Guards Parade, where they will receive a ceremonial welcome before meeting the King and Queen. Presentations will be made, a royal salute will occur and the Qatari national anthem is set to be played.

The Emir and Sheikha Jawaher will join Charles and Camilla and William and Kate in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they will be met by a second guard of honour.

However, Kate will not attend the grand state banquet hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace in the evening, Kensington Palace said.

The princess, 42, has made just a handful of public appearances so far in 2024, after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January and then was diagnosed with cancer.

The latest hearing in the Duke of Sussex’s High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is set to begin on Tuesday.

Harry is among a group of high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations.

ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, claiming the allegations are “lurid” and “simply preposterous”.

The hearing before Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to begin on Tuesday and is due to last two days. It is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations.

The palace’s grandest rooms will undergo “phased closures” for renovation, beginning with the White Drawing Room, the Music Room, the Blue Drawing Room and the State Dining Room.

This will be followed by the Ballroom, where state banquets are held, and state rooms including the Throne Room and the Green Drawing Room.

Work will be paused during the summer months as the state rooms open to the public as usual.

Camilla stepped out in the late Queen’s tiara as she and the King welcomed diplomats at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen was dressed in a blue velvet evening dress by Fiona Clare, and opted for Elizabeth II’s small aquamarine and diamond tiara as she gathered with some 900 guests at the Diplomatic Corps reception.

The delicate headwear – sometimes known as the aquamarine ribbon tiara – features five large aquamarines set in intricate ribbons of diamonds.

It is believed to be the first time Camilla has worn the jewellery.

The piece has been favoured in the past by the Duchess of Edinburgh who as the then-Countess of Wessex wore it to the gala dinner celebrating the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg’s wedding in 2012, and at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013.