By Ellen Coughlan for Mailonline

Published: 08:05 EDT, March 21, 2024 | Updated: 8:41 AM EDT, March 21, 2024

They may not officially tie the knot until July, but Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant have spared no expense when it comes to their upcoming ‘pre-wedding’ celebrations.

The couple, who come from two of India’s richest families, reportedly hired 21 chefs to feed their 1,000 guests at the lavish event at Anant’s parents’ home in Jamnagar this weekend.

The VIP guest list reportedly includes Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Hillary Clinton, who attended the groom’s sister’s equally extravagant wedding in November 2018.

Bride-to-be Anant Ambani, 29, is the daughter of billionaire Shri Viren Merchant, the CEO of private healthcare company Encore Healthcare.

Meanwhile, Anant Ambani, 28, is the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man and director of Reliance Industries, which has a turnover of $110 billion.

The invite for the pre-wedding celebrations – which have been widely circulated on social media – read, “With hearts full of joy and excitement, we invite you to Anant and Radhika’s pre-wedding celebrations at our home in Jamnagar.

“We look forward to having you with us to share in our joy, love and laughter, and to create memories we will cherish forever.”

The times reports that Rihanna will perform alongside Punjabi musician Diljit Dosanjh over the weekend.

For Annant’s sister’s wedding in 2018, the family reportedly paid Beyonce $6 million to fly in and perform a private concert for the guests.

Before the festivities, guests were reportedly given a nine-page dress code detailing the variety of events that will take place this weekend.

Local media report that guests will travel to the city of Jamnagar on charter flights and ferries – and have been told there is a limit of three suitcases per couple.

On Friday evening, the happy couple’s loved ones will enjoy a ‘just in Everland’ themed cocktail party on site.

The next day, they were told to wear “comfortable shoes” to take a “walk on the wild side” by visiting the groom’s Reliance animal rescue center, which covers 650 hectares and houses more than 2,000 animals houses.

That evening, the couple will present their ‘Mela Rogue’ and guests have been told to dress in a ‘dazzling desi romance’ style.

On the third day, guests have been told to pack something ‘casual chic’ for the Tusker Trails, where they will likely explore the area.

The final event will be a Hashtakshar, which translates as ‘signature’, and guests are expected to wear traditional clothes such as sherwanis and saris.

Indian publication National News reports that all 1,000 guests will have access to laundry services, including express dry cleaning, throughout the weekend.

The information booklet also states that hairstylists, make-up artists and sari trotters will also be on hand to assist.

The guide states: ‘We want you to enjoy every moment to the fullest and make beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.’

According to The times of Indiachefs at the luxurious Jardin Hotel have prepared more than 2,500 dishes, including Japanese, Mexican and Thai cuisine.

An insider told the publication that guests can choose from 75 options for breakfast and another 225 and 275 for lunch and dinner.

There will also be 85 catering options offered for the traditional midnight meal, which runs from noon to 4am.

Furthermore, the insider also claimed that no item on the menu will be repeated over the three days.

The happy couple are said to have been childhood friends and both attended university in the US.

In November 2018, Anant’s Yale graduate sister, Isha, tied the knot with real estate magnate Anand Piramal, a childhood friend and the son of another ultra-wealthy businessman, in a wedding estimated at $100 million (£74.9 million). has cost. to Bloomberg.

The first hint of the wedding’s opulence was the elaborately embroidered and gilded Dolce & Gabbana boxes that guests received as invitations.

Each beautiful rose-printed package contained a series of luxurious cards that unfolded to reveal details of the events that would take place over the five days.

According to Indian tradition, the celebration began with the Sangeet, where the bride, groom and their families typically gather to sing and dance in dramatic performances in honor of their union.

But Mr Ambani, whose business interests include oil, telecom, chemicals, textiles, technology and food, did not hesitate when it came to entertaining his little girl.

Beyoncé was flown in especially for the 45-minute private concert, during which she made several costume changes and sang the hits Perfect and Crazy In Love.

It is unlikely that there will be another musical act on the day as this is usually reserved for the opening night festivities.

Bollywood superstars, including Aishwarya Rai, partied the night away as laser lights crisscrossed the sky.

Other reported VIP wedding guests included former Huffington Post editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington, 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, BP Group CEO Bob Dudley, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Mr Piramal and Ms Ambani, a Yale graduate, selected the most beautiful locations in Udaipur, known as the ‘city of lakes’, for the weekend, taking over the five-star Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel and the 18th-century City Palace for two overnight events.

Requests from organizers of the SThe Ydney Mardi Gras parade that police will not participate in the annual LGBTQI event after an officer was charged with murder has sparked an uproar.

Arepresenter for NSW Police confirmed on Monday evening that ‘The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board has decided to withdraw the invitation to NSW Police to participate in this year’s event on March 2.

It would be the first year in two decades that uniformed officers have not participated in the parade, prompting comments online that the group as a whole was being punished for the alleged actions of one person.

The police lockout follows the arrest of Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, 28, a senior NSW Police officer charged with the murder of his ex-partner Channel 10 presenter Jesse Baird, 26, and his new friend Luke Davies, 29, in February. 19.

Among those who expressed disappointment at the police ban was former ABC Radio presenter and gay rights advocate Julie McCrossin AM, who said: “When someone was arrested multiple times during the early days of gay liberation in Sydney in the 1970s, cultural change and inclusivity what we were. fighting for.’

Another commenter agreed, saying, “I’m a lesbian but I feel so betrayed by my community. Why are we collectively punishing all officers for the alleged actions of one deranged gay man?”

“This anti-police sentiment has been brewing in the gay community for some time and has nothing to do with this crime,” she added.

Ms McCrossin called on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras board to reverse their decision and allow uniformed police to participate.

“We are deeply sorry that Sydney Mardi Gras has withdrawn the invitation to the NSW Police to march with us. They have been marching for 20 years and have attended many other Mardi Gras events,” she said.

“Some of these police officers are gay and lesbian liaison officers, others are marching to demonstrate leadership and promote cultural change from within.”

She said it’great to see how mainstream organizations and government agencies have joined the Mardi Gras Parade over the years.

“This includes members of the armed forces and faith groups.

“The NSW Police marching with us is a good news story in a world where homosexuality is still a criminal offense with heavy penalties in many countries.

“Let’s hope this decision can be changed.”

Her words led to a flood of comments agreeing with her position.

“This is a horrific decision that hinders inclusion and affects the safety of the queer community,” one person said.

“While I understand the reasons behind this, I feel this is the wrong decision. The actions of one member of this organization should not take away from the good that so many others are doing,” said another.

Sky News presenter Laura Jayes said the decision seemed ‘nonsensical’.

While conservative social commentator Prue MacSween urged caution not to let anger over the alleged crime lead to division between the gay community and police.

“It is understandable that the gay and lesbian community is angry and grieving, but they should not blame the police for one person’s alleged act,” she said.

“This is not a murderous act by the police. It could have been a deranged individual who happened to have a job in those ranks, who did have access to a gun (but) this appears to be a crime of domestic violence, as tragic as that is.”

Another commenter agreed: “The organizers also need to be careful with their messaging. “I am sure they do not want to inadvertently cause the community to become hostile towards the police, who will be there to protect those attending the parade.”

However, many commentators pointed out that police are still welcome to attend the parade as individuals, but not as a group representing NSW Police.

“They are not blaming the police for one person’s alleged act, they are managing security at a large event and trying to avoid confrontation,” one person said.

“Police officers can of course still march, the only thing that is asked is that they not march in uniform.”

The Mardi Gras board said in a statement shared with the media: ‘In recent days, many have expressed concerns… about whether it can still be a space to protest, celebrate and advocate for equality, and to to honor and mourn those we have lost, given the participation of NSW Police in this year’s event.”

“Our community needs space to mourn the loss of Jesse and Luke, who before this tragedy would have been here celebrating with us at the festival.”

A Change.org petition has also appeared online calling on the board to resign over the ban.

NSW Police said in a statement: ‘While we are disappointed with this outcome, we will continue to work closely with the LGBTIQA+ community and remain committed to working with organizers to provide a safe environment for all participants. ‘

EThe advocacy group LGBTQ Domestic Violence Awareness Foundation said conversations about police participation in Mardi Gras should be kept separate from the issue of the alleged killings.

“This is, as claimed by NSW Police, a domestic and family violence crime and we must all recognize that this problem occurs at a disproportionately high rate in LGBTQ+ communities,” the report said.

“There needs to be greater attention and focus on the awareness, recognition and responses to domestic and family violence by our community, first responders, service providers and government.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said excluding officers from Saturday’s parade would damage the organisation’s relationship with the gay and lesbian community.

“We have been participating in Mardi Gras for 20 years and have not missed a year… it would be a real travesty if this organization were to be excluded (this year),” she told reporters earlier on Monday.

Premier Chris Minns also backed the police march, saying not doing so would be a step backwards.

“There are many LGBTQI members of the NSW Police Force who over the years, particularly senior officers who have served for decades, have challenged bias within the workforce,” he said.

“I think NSW Police taking part in the Mardi Gras parade is an important part of bringing the communities together.”

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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By Brittany Chain, Political Correspondent for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 8:29 PM EST, February 20, 2024 | Updated: 04:53 EST, February 21, 2024

Bryce Hall slammed Billie Eilish for what he described as elitism after a clip surfaced of the Grammy-winning artist in which she appeared annoyed by the presence of TikTok stars at Sunday's People's Choice Awards.

In a clip circulating online, the singer-songwriter, 22, had been talking to fellow singer Kylie Minogue, 55, when she appeared to utter the words: 'I'm like, there's some here… TikTokers .'

On Monday, Hall, a 24-year-old TikTok influencer, took to the platform to respond to the perceived slights resulting from Sunday's event at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

“I'm just going to talk about this clip of Billie Eilish being disgusted by TikTokers who were at the People's Choice,” he said. “I was one of them.”

The Ellicott City, Maryland native continued, “First of all, Billie Eilish, I am so sorry for not recognizing your greatness and bowing to the fact that you are a different person.”

Hall literally bowed to honor Eilish, adding, “There, there it is,” before revealing that the awards show organizers had contacted him and his fellow influencers.

“People's Choice personally invited us,” Hall said. “Everyone who attended People's Choice and sat at those tables, we were invited by People's Choice. So hate them.”

A number of prominent TikTok personalities attended the Southern California event, such as Tana Mongeau, Gigi Gorgeous, James Charles, Chris Olsen and Alix Earle.

Hall wrapped things up in his clip by saying that the “saddest thing” about the story was that he was a huge fan of the singer and her work.

Hall then wrote on Twitter: “This is my formal apology for the recent drama in my response to Billie Eilish.”

The tweet contained the words “I'm sorry,” written in the Notepad app.

Eilish kicked off Sunday's broadcast on NBC when she won TV Performance of the Year honors for her work on Swarm.

Eilish was nominated for her role as Eva in the Prime miniseries against a group that included Meryl Streep, Ayo Edebiri, Matt Bomer, Adjoa Andoh, Storm Reid, Steven Yeun and Jon Hamm.

“Wow, that was crazy to see,” Eilish said in her acceptance speech. “That was so crazy to see all those names and then mine, and I'm here. This is a fan vote, and I just want to say how grateful, lucky, and privileged I am for that. Thank you so much.'

In her acceptance speech, Eilish praised her collaborators on the project, including show creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, and star Dominique Fishback.

“I want to thank Donald Glover for being my lifelong inspiration and making me the artist I am today,” Eilish said.

Eilish ultimately thanked her mother for being her acting coach and the people who voted for her.

Chris Brown claimed he was invited and then disinvited to the NBA's All-Star Game Weekend.

Brown, 34, shared alleged screenshots via Instagram story to emails welcoming him to the 2024 All-Star Weekend, where he would have played in the NBA ESPN All-Star Celebrity Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In his statement, Brown suggested that Ruffles, one of the game's sponsors, disputed his involvement.

“I was asked by the NBA to play in the all-star game this year!” Brown wrote on his Instagram Story on Friday, February 16. “Just that they would call later and say they couldn't do it because of their sponsors, like RUFFLES. Right now I'm tired of people bothering me and I'm tired of living in the damn past.

Brown added, “I posted the emails for you all to see. The NBA was still trying to convince me to sit courtside… NOT F–KING HAPPENING.” He concluded his statement with: “I only go where I am appreciated.” The emails also contained mock-ups of the uniforms of Brown's famous team, which is said to have been coached by rapper Lil Wayne.

Brown shared these screenshots on Instagram hours after the game took place. Based on the emails, Brown was connected to his contact for the event, who would handle his scheduling, travel and transportation throughout the weekend.

According to the N.B.A website, one team was coached by Stephen A. Smith, Lil Wayne and A'ja Wilson, while Shannon Sharpe and 50 Cent led the other team. Participants in the All-Star Celebrity Game included Jennifer Hudson, AJ McLean, Lilly Singh and Quincy Isaiah.

Off the field, Brown has a history of unsportsmanlike conduct. In May 2023, Brown and Usher appeared to have a heated argument at Brown's birthday party in Las Vegas, well before the My Way singer's stint at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show.

Usher, a longtime friend and collaborator of Brown, reportedly intervened when the With You singer wouldn't leave fellow artist and party guest Teyana Taylor alone. This allegedly led to a physical altercation between the two men that ended in a bloody nose for Usher.

Before the Las Vegas incident, Brown was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department after he was accused of “beating” a woman in June 2021. Us confirmed at the time.

Brown has been embroiled in legal troubles for years, starting with his 2009 arrest for domestic violence after physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna. He pleaded guilty to one count of assault in 2009. He was placed on probation for five years and spent 180 days in community service in Virginia.

That was far from the end of his legal troubles. In 2017, his ex Karrueche Tran was granted a five-year restraining order against Brown after he allegedly became aggressive towards her. Tran accused him of sending violent text messages and punching her twice in the stomach.

In 2018, Brown and two associates were charged with sexual battery, assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress after an anonymous woman alleged she was held down and assaulted at his home during a party. The lawsuit was dismissed and settled out of court in 2020.

The following year, Brown was detained in Paris on possible charges of aggravated rape after a woman reported the incident to police. The case was later dropped and Brown filed a defamation suit against the woman.

In 2021, Brown was indicted for allegedly drugging and raping a woman in Miami, but a judge dismissed the case in August 2022 after text messages showed the woman asking to see Brown after the alleged assault.

During the long summer months after Boris Johnson’s resignation on July 7, 2022, the Queen was attuned to the mounting sense that Britain was a ­rudderless nation. She saw it as her role to make the transfer of power and the resumption of government as swift and smooth as possible.

It had even been her plan to travel down in the Royal Train and preside over the resignation of one prime minister and the appointment of another in ­London. ‘She thought it was more appropriate than dragging two busy politicians up to Scotland and back, with news helicopters following them all the way,’ says a former Palace official.

By late August, she had started to have a change of heart, as had her doctors. ‘Although the plan had been for a return to London, she was asking if she might remain in Scotland,’ says a senior official. Her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, discussed the situation with the Royal Medical Household and the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, who, in turn, consulted the Prime Minister.

All agreed that the politicians would have to come to her at ­Balmoral. The action would all happen in the space of an hour at around lunchtime.

The Queen was determined to greet both politicians with equal courtesy and be on her feet while she did so.

Thus it was that, just two days before her death, the world saw images of a beaming Elizabeth II waving farewell to one prime minister and appointing a new one.

Boris Johnson spent around 15 minutes with the monarch. ‘Given how ill she obviously was, how amazing it was that she be so bright and focused,’ he said later.

Minutes after he was waved off, Liz Truss was ushered in. ‘She stood up to greet me,’ says Truss. ‘She was clearly physically not very well but we talked for about 20 minutes. She was alert.

‘I would say she was relieved that the thing had actually happened and that we were now moving things forward.’

At the end, the Queen invited the Prime Minister’s husband, Hugh O’Leary, into the room and they exchanged ‘pleasantries’ about the prospect of family life at Downing Street. She had one further leadership race to follow that day: her filly, Love Affairs, was running in the 3.05 at Goodwood.

The Queen’s health was already a matter of considerable concern in the upper reaches of government. Liz Truss remembers that, on her first day in Downing Street, one of the very first briefings she received was to talk her through Operation London Bridge, as plans for the Queen’s funeral were known.

Back at Balmoral, staff recall that the Queen had seemed energized after the day’s events, all the more so given that Love Affairs had triumphed at Goodwood. ‘She was quite buzzy over pre-dinner drinks and talking about various prime ministers she had known,’ says one of the party. ‘But then she said she was going upstairs and would have dinner alone.’

It was the last time most of her immediate household would see her. Even in familiar surroundings, the exertions of this, her most ­fundamental constitutional duty, had taken a greater toll than ­anyone had imagined.

The following morning, September 7, the Queen’s health deteriorated. Fortunately, the Princess Royal, with a diary of engagements in Scotland, was in residence. ‘It was purely serendipity that I was there,’ she recalls. ‘I’d been two days up on the West Coast and I was coming back, stayed the night and was going south.’

Also there was the Princess’s son, Peter Phillips, the Queen’s eldest grandchild. He had come up to host some friends for a shooting party later in the week, though this had now been cancelled.

The small house-party included the duty lady-in-waiting, Susan Rhodes, the Queen’s equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Tom White, and the Queen’s senior dresser and confidante, Angela Kelly.

Since being widowed the previous year, the Queen had come to appreciate Kelly’s companionship and plain-speaking good humour more than ever.

When the Queen said that she was planning to remain in bed all day, which was highly unusual, the local GP, Dr Douglas Glass, was called. After his visit, the Queen let it be known that she was still planning to appear, via video link, at the Privy Council meeting scheduled for that evening.

Given the change of government, she knew that it would be large and very important, with several new Cabinet ministers and counsellors to be sworn in. Palace officials also made arrangements for an audio-only connection, in case the Queen wished to remain in her bedroom and conduct the meeting from there.

Down in London, the connection to Balmoral was up and running with all the Privy Counsellors lined up outside the designated COBRA conference room beneath Downing Street. At which point, with minutes to go, they were told that the Queen would be cancelling ‘on medical advice’.

‘It was only cancelled at the time when it was meant to go ahead,’ says Liz Truss. ‘So people thought: ‘This isn’t good news’.’

Newly appointed as Lord President of the [Privy] Council, Penny Mordaunt was preparing to lead her colleagues into the room for the first time. The memory of that evening is an emotional one: ‘For me, that was testament to the depth of [the Queen’s] devotion to her duty and us: the day before she passed, she was still trying to fulfil her ­obligations as sovereign, which I find incredible.’

By now, the Princess Royal was speaking to her elder brother, who was at the opposite end of Scotland holding a series of charitable engagements at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. He had been receiving regular updates, anyway. ‘I assume that he knew probably more than we did about our mother’s health,’ the Princess recalls.

A film crew from the American network NBC had just arrived at Dumfries House, led by Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former U.S. president George W. Bush, who was preparing to interview the (then) Duchess of Cornwall, about her book club the following day. The Duchess was still trying to return from an engagement at the other end of the UK. She had been attending the ­filming of TV’s Antiques Roadshow in Cornwall but her scheduled flight up to Glasgow had been delayed into the evening.

There was no sign that the situation at Balmoral was about to worsen dramatically. Privately, however, Prince Charles needed to make a decision.

Should he press on with business as usual or drop everything and head for Balmoral in the morning? It was not a simple choice. The Prince was well aware that the second option would set off alarms across government and the media as well as instantly disrupting the calm of Balmoral.

And he was mindful that there had been similar lapses in the Queen’s health before. An official admits that, at one point, there had been a sudden downturn in her health at the end of 2021.

‘Those closest to her did think she might not see Christmas. When she did, there was then some doubt, later, about whether she might ever leave Sandringham [after Christmas at Windsor, the Queen moved to her Norfolk home in January].

‘Every family knows that awkward situation when people say their last goodbyes only to see their loved one up and about two weeks later. That’s very much harder when it’s the Queen.’

It was harder still with a ­monarch not just determined to keep going but also managing to look the part. However, by the evening of September 7, both the Princess Royal and the Prince’s private ­secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, were advising Prince Charles to be on standby.

‘They were both saying to him: ‘Think how you would feel if you never said goodbye’,’ says one member of staff. ‘Clive said that if it did turn out to be the wrong call, then they could blame it on him.’

The following morning, the Princess Royal called again and told Prince Charles to come at once. A helicopter was already on standby at Dumfries House, waiting to take the Duchess of Cornwall to engagements in other parts of Scotland before returning for her interview with Jenna Bush Hager.

Suddenly, the pilot had a new emergency flight plan. The U.S. film crew had just started to set up their equipment when they heard the first sound of rotor blades.

Shortly before 9.30am the royal couple climbed aboard the helicopter with a small team — Alderton plus the Duchess’s deputy ­private secretary and a protection officer. During the one-hour flight, the Prince immediately began

re-reading his briefing papers on the initial phases of Operation London Bridge.

The two private secretaries were checking the basics, not least the whereabouts of black ties and mourning clothes.

As Alderton told staff later, he was dearly hoping this would be an unnecessary trip and was half-expecting the Prince to arrive at Balmoral only to be greeted by the Queen on the doorstep, arms crossed, asking: ‘What on earth do you think you are doing?’

It was not to be.

At breakfast time, the Queen’s equerry contacted Prince William’s private secretary to say that the Queen had ‘had a bad night’ and that the Prince of Wales was on his way up to Balmoral. Prince Charles would be on the phone soon enough himself, suggesting to his siblings and both his sons that they should do the same.

Shortly before 10.30, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall (still formally the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scottish terms) touched down at Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral estate. Since they had not been expected, the usual cars from the royal car fleet had yet to arrive.

They borrowed an elderly Land Rover from a member of staff and the small party set off immediately for Balmoral Castle with the Prince at the wheel.

They were greeted at the door by Princess Anne, who escorted the Prince and Duchess straight to the Queen’s bedroom, where they spent an hour at her side.

By now, there had been another visit from Dr Glass. It was clear that this was no false alarm. At the same time, the Queen seemed ­stable. According to one of those involved, the consensus was ‘a day or two, not an hour or two’.

The Queen’s private secretary decided that the time had come to prepare a statement since the rumour mills of social media would soon be at work. All through her reign, the Palace had maintained a strict policy of not commenting on the Queen’s health unless she was either undergoing a hospital ­procedure or missing a public engagement or — in one instance — to confirm she had Covid.

It was also well known that, like the late Duke of Edinburgh, she did not like a queue of family well-wishers flocking to her bedside when ill. So the combined effect of an enigmatic statement and news that members of the family were heading for Balmoral would be ample confirmation of the gravity of the situation.

At 12.32, a Buckingham Palace bulletin was emailed to every major news organisation in Britain. It stated that ‘the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical ­supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.’

Superficially, such a statement could have applied to a dose of flu. Sure enough, though, the message was clear. Once Prince Charles had spoken to his elder son, Prince William’s team had immediately liaised with the offices of his two uncles.

By 12.30pm, the Royal Air Force had arranged for an Envoy IV to fly them from RAF Northolt to Aberdeen. Take-off would be at 2.30pm.

Fortuitously, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also happened to be in Britain for a few days of charity engagements. In his explosive memoir, Spare, Prince Harry says he had received a call from his father warning him that the Queen’s health had ‘taken a turn’. ‘I immediately texted Willy to ask whether he and Kate were flying up. If so, when? And how? No response,’ writes Harry. ‘Meg and I looked at flight options.’

Clearly, Prince William did not regard this as the appropriate moment for the intensely ­difficult conversation he needed to have with his younger brother. A few weeks earlier, it had been widely reported that Harry was delaying publication of his forthcoming memoir until after the Queen’s death.

There could be little scope for dialogue until its contents were known. The sense of reckless betrayal following the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey the year before, and its vague, unanswerable half-claims of institutional racism and hostility towards Meghan, still lingered. ‘Some of the family were probably ready to give him a piece of their mind,’ says one of those in the midst of this fast-moving turn of events.

This was also precisely the sort of situation when different royal teams talk to one another to get things done. Had the Sussexes been that keen to share a flight, they could have asked their staff to contact Prince William’s team.

‘They had all the numbers,’ says a senior Kensington Palace aide, who is adamant that there was no call from the Sussexes’ camp that morning.

Harry and Meghan decided to make their own travel arrangements and announced they would be cancelling their remaining engagements for the day.

At which point, Harry writes in his memoir, he received another call from his father to say he should come on his own.

We can easily imagine the dread with which the Prince of Wales approached that call. The Sussexes’ capacity for taking offence was well known and everyone was conscious that any conversation could end up in the public domain — as, indeed, this one did three months later.

In his book, Harry says his father was ‘nonsensical and disrespectful’ as he explained that he did not want Meghan coming to Balmoral. ‘I wasn’t having it. Don’t ever speak about my wife that way,’ is Harry’s record of his response.

At which point, his father explained that he simply didn’t want lots of people in the house and that the Duchess of Cambridge was not coming, either. ‘Then that’s all you needed to say,’ Harry replied.

To which one family friend asks: why, then, did Harry even feel the need to put this in his book? The Prince of Wales had enough to think about without worrying where the Sussexes’ next grievance was coming from.

By now, Harry had missed all available flights to Aberdeen. He set about chartering his own plane. It was just as well that he did not know the real reason for the Duchess of Cambridge’s absence from Balmoral.

 

She had certainly not been asked to stay away. Rather, it was the start of a new term at a new school for George, Charlotte and Louis, and she had decided that one ­parent should be with them on such an important day.

As one royal aide acknowledges: ‘It was by luck rather than judgment, but it made it a lot easier to tell Harry he was coming alone.’ It should be remembered that, even at this point, no one knew quite how bad the situation had become. There was serious, mounting alarm, yet there was no panic.

‘At that stage, people were still thinking in terms of days rather than hours — let alone an hour or two,’ says one member of staff.

Hence the fact that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall decided to leave the Queen to rest for a while under the alternating gaze of the Princess Royal and Angela Kelly, while the Rev Kenneth MacKenzie, long-serving ­minister at Crathie church and chaplain to the Queen, read to her from her Bible.

Sir Edward Young set about ­finishing off some paperwork. At one point, he even thought about heading back to his digs at ­Craigowan Lodge for a late bite of lunch.

There was no question of Her Majesty being left alone, but nor had the time come for constant medical supervision. Nonetheless, Dr Glass decided not to return to his medical centre at Ballater, eight miles away. Rather, he would base himself for the rest of the day at the small surgery attached to the castle, which he used for appointments with estate workers and their families.

It was just as well. Shortly after 3pm, Dr Glass received an urgent call to come upstairs.

At the same time, the Princess Royal called Birkhall to summon the Prince immediately. He was out in the grounds of Birkhall, gathering mushrooms — and his thoughts — while the Duchess had gone for a short walk.

They both swiftly jumped back into the Land Rover with their team, Prince Charles at the wheel once again. He took the South Deeside Road before turning off onto the side road heading into the Balmoral estate.

It was now a question of minutes. By the time Dr Glass had reached the Queen’s bedroom, she appeared to have stopped breathing — though only a doctor could say so for sure.

Sir Edward Young waited outside. Finally, the doctor emerged to confirm the worst. He agreed a time of death with Sir Edward, who recorded the sequence of events in an internal memo for posterity. It is now lodged in the Royal Archives.

It reads: ‘Dougie [Glass] in at 3.25. Very peaceful. In her sleep. Slipped away. Old age. Death has to be registered in Scotland. Agree 3.10pm. She wouldn’t have been aware of anything. No pain.’

Sir Edward’s first duty was to alert the new monarch before anyone else could do so. There was no question of waiting for the car to pull up at Balmoral.

‘Imagine if there had been some accident or a hold-up along the way,’ explains one senior official. ‘It was essential that the new King was told before anyone else.’

The Balmoral switchboard worked its way through a list of mobile phone numbers. Signals can be sketchy in rural Aberdeenshire and staff would usually have phones on silent while in attendance. Finally, one of the party felt their phone vibrating, recognised the number, answered and handed the phone to Sir Clive.

He had to ask his boss to pull over and stop. Sir Edward Young was now on the other end of the phone. The new monarch knew exactly what was coming next.

He had just turned off the B976 onto the back drive of the estate when, at the age of 73, he was addressed as ‘Your Majesty’ for the first time. No further explanation was needed.

‘We’re nearly there,’ the King replied softly. As the new Queen and the other occupants of the car immediately voiced their condolences, King Charles put the Land Rover in gear and drove on.

Minutes later, he was pulling up in front of the castle, where the Princess Royal was waiting to greet her brother as King.

A few moments earlier, she had been visibly distressed. One senior member of staff had felt, on the spur of the moment, that it was simply the natural and polite thing to do to offer her a brief hug. There then followed a wry smile. ‘That is the last time that’s going to happen,’ Princess Anne said firmly.

At this stage, there was no ­formal greeting from all the staff. Only the immediate household, led by Sir Edward Young, were fully aware of the situation.

He had rushed through the ­castle to be present at the grand entrance to greet the new King and Queen in person.

There is still a time-honoured, constitutional ritual to this moment. As the Queen’s most ­senior official, Sir Edward had been scrupulous about being fully prepared. Colleagues recall that, for many months, he had avoided foreign travel or even Tube trains for fear of losing a mobile phone signal and being uncontactable at the gravest moment of his professional life.

Having offered his condolences, Sir Edward was greatly touched, say colleagues, that the King’s first response was to put his arm on his shoulder.

As one recalls: ‘He told Edward, ‘I know how much you’ll miss her and how loyal you were to her’. It should have been the other way round with Edward consoling him, but that’s the way it is when you are the monarch. Then the King asked him if he would stay on for the time being.’

Sir Edward then asked the King the first question that confronts each new monarch: under which name would he reign? He then proceeded to the second formality — asking the new King for permission to call the Prime Minister. On her third day in charge of the country, Liz Truss had just finished making a statement to the Commons about the impending rise in fuel prices when it became clear the situation was changing rapidly at Balmoral.

‘It was while I was in Parliament doing the energy announcement that Nadhim Zahawi [newly installed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster] came in with a piece of paper saying that things were bad,’ says Truss.

From the Commons, she went to join a conference call with other G7 leaders, including the U.S. president, Joe Biden.

It was underway when she received a further message from the Cabinet secretary, Simon Case. He had been in contact with Balmoral and things seemed to be deteriorating rapidly.

The PM told her fellow G7 leaders that she needed to leave the discussion. ‘They all knew what was happening,’ she says.

Her small team had just adjourned to the flat above Downing Street when Case received Sir Edward’s solemn call to inform the new Prime Minister that the country had a new monarch. Accompanied by Queen Camilla, the King went straight to his mother’s bedside to say his farewells and steel himself for the vast undertaking now before him. He would soon need to provide swift answers to the questions coming thick and fast from officials.

The first task was to break the news personally to the rest of the family who had yet to arrive.

It may have been an intensely personal matter but there was still a strict process to be observed, starting with the new heir to the throne.

One member of staff recalls the surreal moment when the King picked up the phone to ask the switchboard to put a call through to his elder son. He began by saying: ‘Hello, it’s…’

At which point, he paused momentarily. He did not, at that very moment, want to tell the switchboard that he was now King before telling his own son.

Besides, if there was no reply to his call, who was to say how quickly word might leak out around the royal network?

So, he continued: ‘…it’s me.’

Fortunately, the switchboard operator recognised the voice. The King was, thus, able to break the news to Prince William, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex as they were driving from Aberdeen airport to the castle.

The Queen’s beloved niece, Lady Sarah Chatto, who was nearby, arrived in tears.

The Duke of Sussex was still in the air and out of contact. In his memoir, Spare, he suggests that no one had told him and that he was reduced to learning the news from the BBC website as the plane was landing. Not exactly.

A member of the Palace staff says that the King had been urgently trying to make contact with his younger son. ‘There were repeated attempts to get through to him but no calls were going through because Harry was airborne,’ says the official.

Down in London, staff reacted swiftly. Within minutes of the Queen’s death, the Master of the Household had issued the order to suspend all Buckingham Palace refurbishment work. He sent the project managers home and commandeered their open-plan office as the funeral operations room.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was enjoying the last few days of his holiday in Northern France. Having seen the BBC ­website carrying news of the Palace’s earlier statement, he and his wife had already started making rapid plans to return.

‘I was rushing round the house. We guessed that the late Queen was very, very near the end of her life. My head was just spinning with the thought that this is the real thing,’ the Archbishop recalls. And the phone went. It was my chief of staff. He just said: ‘London Bridge’.’

The Welbys packed their car and set off for home overnight, the Archbishop mentally preparing for his first public duty: addressing BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day the following morning.

At Balmoral Castle, as Sir Edward Young and Sir Clive Alderton sat down to start mapping out the days ahead, a footman appeared with a red box. It was the last one that had gone up to the Queen before her death.

Like all red boxes, it had just two keys, one for the monarch and the other for her duty private secretary. Over more than 70 years, these boxes had brought her the most sensitive state secrets and Cabinet minutes.

The Queen had always gone through them all, whatever the contents, then sent the boxes back again. Here, then, was the last completed homework of the longest reign in history.

Sir Edward Young was not sure what to expect as he turned the lock. Inside, he found that Elizabeth II had left a sealed letter to her heir and a private letter to himself. Were they final instructions or final farewells? Or both? We will probably never know what they said. However, it is clear that the Queen had known that the end was imminent and had planned accordingly.

There was something else in that red box, too. It was the long-list of candidates to fill vacancies in the ranks of the Order of Merit, together with notes on each one, so that the Queen could approve her own shortlist.

The OM had always been in the gift of the monarch, not the Government, with membership limited to 24 at any one time. And the Queen had always taken this duty extremely seriously.

Just two days before her death, the paperwork had gone up to her so that she could go through the notes and tick her choices.

And here it was, completed and returned for Sir Edward to make the necessary arrangements for six new members of the Order of Merit, including the Canadian historian Prof Margaret Macmillan, the author and broadcaster Baroness (Floella) Benjamin, and the geneticist Sir Paul Nurse.

It was the last document ever handled by Queen Elizabeth II.

Even on her deathbed, there had been work to do. And she had done it.

Adapted from Charles III New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, published by Macmillan on January 18 at £22. © Robert Hardman 2024. To order a copy for £17.60 (offer valid to 29/02/2024; UK P&P free on orders over £25) go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.

The invitation was formally presented to President Murmu by a delegation representing the Ram Temple Trust, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) said.

Ram Mandir consecration: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday received the official invitation for the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The invitation was formally presented to President Murmu by a delegation representing the Ram Temple Trust, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) said in a statement. .

The delegation included VHP working president Alok Kumar, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Ram Lal and Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra.

“Today, Her Excellency the President of India, Smt Draupadi Murmu Ji, was invited for the consecration ceremony at Shri Ram Temple on January 22,” VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a message on X.

He also posted a photo of President Murmu receiving the delegation's invitation.

I think I did a good job I think it was 22 months ago. I think I did well I think I did well I think I did well गी।
I think I like it… pic.twitter.com/ceO6Gwuvbc

— विनोद बंसल Vinod Bansal (@vinod_bansal) January 12, 2024

“She expressed immense joy over this and said that she will soon decide when it is time to come and visit Ayodhya,” Bansal added.

Notably, opposition parties from the INDIA bloc, especially the Congress, had repeatedly questioned the BJP-led central government over not inviting President Murmu for the January 22 event. The opposition had alleged that Murmu was not invited to the ordination because she belonged to a group. tribal community.

Congress 'respectfully' rejects Ram Mandir's invitation

On Wednesday, the Congress 'respectfully' declined the invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The grand old party accused the BJP of using Ayodhya as a 'political project' and called the inauguration ceremony a 'BJP/RSS event.

The Congress alleged that Lord Ram is worshiped by millions of people in the country and religion is a personal matter.

“But the RSS/BJP have made a political project out of the Ayodhya temple for a long time. The inauguration of the unfinished temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has clearly been mooted for electoral gain,” the party said.

“While adhering to the 2019 Supreme Court verdict and respecting the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event,” it added.

Earlier today, the VHP had said that they “need more time” to invite the President for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony in Ayodhya.

“We have sought time from the President of India Draupadi Murmu ji to invite her for the great auspicious day of inauguration of Ram Mandir on January 22,” they had said.

Vice President invited for the consecration of Ram Mandir

On Thursday, VHP International Working President Alok Kumar and Nripendra Mishra, chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Temple Construction Committee, sent an invitation for the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Dhankhar said he will indicate a suitable time to visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Prime Minister Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and thousands of seers from across the country have been invited for the ceremony.

Ahead of the event, volunteers from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates, including the VHP, reached out to people across the country and invited them to participate in the initiation ceremony by offering prayers at the temples in their neighborhood.

(With input from agencies)

By Ali Daher for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 9:41 PM EST, January 8, 2024 | Updated: 02:42 EST, January 9, 2024