Royal news live: Pictures show Prince Andrew’s run down £30m Royal Lodge amid King Charles axing £1m allowance

The Prince of Wales has arrived in South Africa for his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on Wednesday.

William will start a four-day visit by meeting some of the 120 young environmentalists who will be supported during Earthshot Week in developing skills in leadership, storytelling and networking.

He will also have a high-level meeting with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, described as a “follow-up” to the leader’s state visit to the UK in 2022.

King Charles has instructed the royal purse-keeper to “sever” Prince Andrew’s annual £1 million allowance, according to royal writer Robert Hardman in a new book serialised by the Daily Mail.

The keeper of the privy purse was “instructed to sever [Andrew’s] living allowance” after the Duke of York refused to move out of his 30-room mansion the Royal Lodge into the smaller, nearby Frogmore Cottage.

“’The duke is no longer a financial burden on the King,’ confirms one familiar with the situation,” Mr Hardman writes.

“’He claims to have found other sources of income related to his contacts in international trade, sufficient to cover all his costs – which would be a welcome outcome for all parties if that turns out to be the case.

“’But as to whether this funding can be relied upon in the long term is another matter.’”

The view of the monarchy in the UK remains overwhelmingly positive, writes Alan Rusbridger. But the public deserve full transparency on the family’s staggering wealth:

However in both cases the colonial-era titles could be retained for those who wanted them.

The former President’s son recently discussed how much his father and current presidential candidate Donald Trump “loved” the late Queen Elizabeth II and how much damage Harry caused to the royal family after he and Meghan decided to leave their positions in 2020.

Eric also told the outlet that Harry would not need to worry about being deported if his father is elected on November 5 even if his visa application has been questioned.

King Charles is facing calls to dissolve his lucrative private estates and refund the cash-strapped NHS after it emerged he is making millions from renting out ambulance parking spaces and sub-standard properties.

Charles has been asked to reconsider an £11.4m deal struck by the Duchy of Lancaster last year to store a fleet of electric ambulances, owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London, in one of the estate’s warehouses for 15 years.

Campaigners described the deal as “disgraceful” and a “money-grabbing activity” which ought to be reconsidered by the King.

“I think it is disgraceful actually, given the NHS is under so much pressure, for the Royal Family to charge for ambulance parking and other NHS uses,” Dennis Reed from Silver Voices, a campaign group for elderly people, told The Daily Mail. “[It] sounds rather like a money-grabbing activity. And I would hope because of the publicity there will be a rethink in the Royal Household.”

Queen Elizabeth offered a crucial piece of advice to her grandsons, Princes William and Harry.

According to royal author Angela Levin, the late Queen, who passed away at 96, was increasingly troubled by what she perceived as a misalignment in their priorities.

Levin’s book, ‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’, reveals that the Queen expressed her worries in a direct nine-word warning: the brothers must “think of the nation’s needs rather than their own.”

At the time, the Queen’s concerns were particularly focused on Harry’s vision for his role within the family.

Mr Levin said that Duke of Sussex envisioned a life for the young royals that embraces a sense of “ordinary life,” suggesting that their familial obligations might sometimes take precedence over their commitments to the monarchy.

This perspective seemed at odds with the Queen’s traditional views on royal responsibilities.

Insiders close to the royal family said that this was a serious concern for the Queen, who, while known for her stoic demeanour, felt the weight of her legacy and the institution she represented.

Prince William has faced an uncomfortable moment during the premiere of his documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, which aired its first part last tonight.

In the film, the Prince of Wales, 42, was confronted by Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, who challenged him to address the “failed thinking” surrounding homelessness.

Lord Bird bluntly stated he wanted no “b******t” in their discussions, urging the prince to spearhead a new approach through his Homewards programme – an ambitious initiative aiming to end homelessness within five years.

“We need the expertise of everybody,” Lord Bird said during their meeting in episode one.

He criticised the fragmented efforts of local authorities, charities, and government departments over the past three decades.

William responded with an invitation for open dialogue, adding: “I’m conscious that it’s a team environment… please do feel free to pile in when you need to.”

To which Lord Bird replied: “I hope you mean that,” before jokingly adding: “Sorry, I’m jumping in.”

The Prince’s goal of ending homelessness has been inspired by his childhood experiences visiting shelters with his late mother, Princess Diana.

A private letter from 1998 has revealed that King Charles believed the Orthodox Church was the only Christian denomination untainted by what he described as “loathsome political correctness.”

The correspondence, sent while he was still the Prince of Wales, shows his criticisms of the Church of England, of which he is the supreme governor.

The letter, marked “private and confidential,” was addressed to Dudley Popak, an interior designer who had worked closely with the royal family.

Following Mr Popak’s death in 2005, the letter became part of a collection of royal correspondence that was auctioned by Lay’s Auctioneers in Cornwall for over £1,700.

In the letter, Charles, then 49, wrote: “Personally, the older I get, the more I am drawn to the great, timeless traditions of the Orthodox Church. They are the only ones that have not been corrupted by loathsome political correctness.”