ESPN respond to Prince Harry award backlash as Charles’ Scotland trip is cut short

He told the New York Post: “The only way I see this happening is a public statement from Harry, where you come out and say that you were in a bad space and that [Spare] was a mistake. I don’t think that’s going to happen. Some bad things were said, and some families never patch things up, and that’s how it is forevermore.”

The former royal butler added: “Harry caused damage and broke down trust. It’s difficult when you’re a future monarch. I doubt they’ll ever get back the relationship they had originally. That was a very different relationship built on trust.

“It’s going to take time. William is a tough character. He’s a good guy.”

King Charles began the ceremony by saying: “It is our pleasure Her Majesty the Queen be installed a Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.”

The Monarch, 75, was forced to take a temporary step back from his duties earlier this year after being diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.

He discussed playing cricket at his former Scottish school Gordonstoun with Jacqueline and Trevor Hills from Nairn.

Mr Hills said: “Charles said when he was at Gordonstoun he played cricket against a team from Nairn.

“I was debating whether to ask the score when he said his school lost.

“But he did have the highest score – although he said it wasn’t very much.

“Charles looks very well considering what he’s been through and it was lovely meeting him.”

While the King appears to be very busy, according to reports, he is undertaking a reduced summer schedule as he continues his cancer treatment.

It is one of the country’s oldest orders of chivalry and she will be honoured alongside the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward.

The pair were appointed by King Charles in a private ceremony but are set to be formally installed in the roles during a service at Edinburgh’s St Giles’ Cathedral.

This was notably the location of the late Queen’s Scottish lying in state after she passed away in Balmoral in September 2022.

This comes amid Thomas’s plea to finally meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princes Lilibet.

He has been estranged from his daughter since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry following a staged paparazzi photoshoot scandal.

“When I reflect back on my life, as you do when you are approaching 80, that’s one of the questions I cannot find an answer for,” Thomas told the Daily Mail.

“Why didn’t Harry ever come to meet me? He has the resources to fly around the world – and does – but why didn’t he come to see me?”

Thomas, who was initially supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle, added: What man gets married without meeting his wife’s father?”

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are reportedly “being written out of the narrative” because they are growing up in the US, a royal expert has claimed.

This comes amid King Charles’s reference to his grandchildren’s love of Pokémon during last week’s Japanese state visit.

He said: “I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing – the Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me, it is, perhaps, aspirational!”

Royal editor Kate Mansey said on an episode of Royal Confidential that it was interesting that the Monarch did not specify what grandchildren he was referring to.

“You think of Charles talking about his grandchildren, the first thing you think of is the Waleses, because he doesn’t have that connection to the Sussex grandchildren,” she said, explaining that they Sussex children have been “written out of the narrative.”

“You don’t even think now, ‘Oh, wonder which grandchildren he’s thinking about?’” she added.

A petition urging the US sporting network ESPN to “rethink” its decision to give Prince Harry an award for veterans is growing by the hour.

At the time of writing, the Change.org petition has been signed by more than 51,000 people, who believe the Duke of Sussex should not receive the Pat Tillman Award.

It reads: “Prince Harry, while a former military officer, has been involved in controversies that call into question his suitability to receive an honour of this magnitude.

“ He has faced accusations of endangering his squadron by publicly revealing military kills.

“The Prince also allegedly targeted his own father, Prince Charles, during a flyover.

“ More recently, his role in the Invictus games, a platform meant to celebrate the resilience and dedication of veterans, has been criticised as self-centred.”

The Queen Consort, 76, hosted several Scottish authors including Sir Ian Rankin and Val McDermid at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh yesterday (2 July).

After speaking to the queen, Rankin, best known for his Scottish crime thrillers, said: “She’s really interested in literacy. She wants young people reading, she wants everybody reading.

“There’s no stigma attached to writing, If you write comic books, if you write romance, if you write crime fiction, she’s a fan – anything that gets people reading.”

This comes amid the news that she is establishing her own lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, and is acting as the executive producer on two projects for Netflix amid her and Harry’s multi-million dollar deal.

Entertainment expert Mark Boardman told the Daily Express: “From a career perspective, Meghan’s continued involvement in high-profile projects like these certainly suggests a deliberate move toward establishing her own identity separate from Prince Harry and her royal title.

“It reflects her commitment to pursuing her passions independently while still leveraging her own name and platform for positive change and financial gain.”

The revelation comes amid the news that a petition urging American sports network ESPN to “rethink” its decision to give Harry an award for veterans has reached 50,000 signatures.

Royal commentator Nile Gardiner said the couple’s alleged “narcissism does not go down very well in the United States and America.”

“Most American people really love the Royal Family, okay. They do not look kindly upon Harry and Meghan trashing them in the United States and does not go down very well,” he said, before citing the controversy surrounding Harry’s receipt of the Pat Tillman Award.

“They’re very divisive figures, and this award is very, very controversial. There’s a huge backlash in the United States, and it’s an illustration of just how unpopular Harry and Meghan are on both sides of the Atlantic.”