EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh Prince Edward and Sophie greet Ukraine in their Christmas card

King Charles and Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales have unveiled their Christmas portraits to much fanfare – and they’re not the only royals keen to spread a little festive cheer.

As I can reveal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have put themselves front and center with their Christmas card, underscoring their solid status within ‘the Firm’.

My exclusive photo of the card – the main photo – taken in March shows a smiling Prince Edward and his wife Sophie enjoying a performance by the Ukrainian Choir in the city of Edinburgh on the day they were awarded their new titles .

The back of the card, captioned ‘If we could talk to the animals’, shows Prince Edward, 59, a keen equestrian, meeting a Clydesdale horse in Garvagh, Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Sophie, 58, is seen taking part in a puppy class at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Training Center in Reading.

The card is decorated with their ES monogram and includes a simple seasonal greeting: ‘Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Edward, Sophie, Louise and James’.

Increasingly, the royal family is using their Christmas cards to send clear messages of intention. Last week, William and Kate released their annual pass with their family of five, including Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, dressed in simple white shirts and jeans.

Unlike King Charles, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, whose Christmas card photo was taken in the throne room of Buckingham Palace after the coronation in May, Wales’s austere backdrop and lack of pomp and circumstance portray an image of normality, a smart sets. as millions of people struggle with the cost of living crisis.

In the US, however, the holiday has brought bad news for other family members, namely the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as it appears their American dream has officially gone sour. Industry bible The Hollywood Reporter has named Prince Harry and Meghan one of the biggest losers of the year.

Mystery when movie star Morton leaves a cop behind him

For the crème de la crème of British stars, including Helena Bonham Carter, Benedict Cumberbatch and Dame Joanna Lumley, this is the talent agency par excellence – yet I hear that Bafta-winning actress Samantha Morton has parted ways with Conway van Gelder Grant.

Mystery shrouds the breakdown of their 20-year partnership, but sources say Morton, 46, is believed to have resigned shortly after her daughter, rising star and actress Esme Creed-Miles, 23, also left the agency. Morton’s agent Nicola van Gelder helped her rise to the heady heights of Hollywood, where she received an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2002 film In America.

The Nottingham-born actress went on to star in blockbusters including Minority Report opposite Tom Cruise, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age with Cate Blanchett. The agency later signed Ms Morton’s daughter Esme with actor Charlie Creed-Miles, 51, who stars in the drama series The Doll Factory on Paramount. Morton, pictured left with Esme, was unavailable for comment.

Visitors to Sir Winston Churchill’s Old War Office may find that one of the restaurants, Paper Moon London, is not at its best.

Because I can reveal that the restaurant in Whitehall has been given a one-star food hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency. It is the second OWO-based restaurant to earn just one star; the independently operated Cafe Laperouse was identified as needing ‘major improvement’ in its food safety management.

A spokesperson for the OWO tells me: ‘As soon as these institutions were informed of these assessments, they immediately took measures to address the problems identified. The restaurants remain open and their teams have been working closely with Westminster Environmental Health Council to complete the necessary improvements.”

The indestructible Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards turned 80 yesterday, which gives his bandmate Ronnie Wood a nostalgic feeling.

“We’ve had hundreds of funny moments along the way: slaps and punches, insults and injuries,” he says.

‘I remember Keith once eating a frankfurter on stage in Frankfurt.

You couldn’t imagine a Frankfurter in Frankfurt.’

In another rock ‘n’ roll story from memory, Wood, 76, adds: “There used to be one guy who wouldn’t leave our floor in the hotel. So Keith used him as a battering ram.”

A heavenly riddle for the queen of bonkbusters

Bonkbuster author Jilly Cooper considers an afterlife threesome, which she admits could be awkward.

At the age of 86, she has ruled out remarriage after the death of her husband Leo ten years ago.

She says, “I don’t go to church anymore. I should do it, but I don’t.

‘I still believe in God. I have to. It comforts me that I will see people like my parents again.

“Leo must be up there with his first wife!” She was delightful and beautiful. It can be quite difficult when I get there.’

In this age of wokeness, where trigger warnings must be placed on dated comedy material to appease the sensibilities of millennials, one boomer who has had enough is Hi-De-Hi! star Su Pollard. The 1980s sitcom now warns that it “contains language and views from the period that may cause offense.” Su, 74, tells me: ‘The classics should be allowed to be classics. That was it, good slapstick comedy and people just laughing.”

The actress, who played maid Peggy Ollerenshaw, added: ‘There’s no need to be so sensitive. These types of programs should be on TV all the time, without being canceled or considered offensive.”

Carey reveals her romantic reservations

Carey Mulligan fiercely guards her privacy from her musician husband of 11 years, Marcus Mumford.

However, in rare comments, the Maestro star reveals that she didn’t consider him “boyfriend material” when they met as children.

She says: ‘We went to (Christian youth) camp together, and then we were pen pals.’ Mulligan wrote in her diary that Mumford was the nicest person she had ever met and gave him a nine and a half out of ten.

‘But I also wrote that he was absolutely not boyfriend material. Not that I’d ever had a boyfriend at the time, but I decided it wasn’t him,” she adds.