She is known as the most no-nonsense member of the royal family.

So Princess Anne insisted on traveling to SRI Lanka on a scheduled service this week for a whirlwind three-day official visit – and even carried her own suitcases.

The King’s 73-year-old sister is on the island on behalf of the British government to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which includes a range of public engagements.

Sri Lankan Airlines posted photos on social media of her boarding their plane in London, without make-up and carrying two heavy overnight bags, accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

And despite a red carpet and a colorful official welcome on the other side of Colombo, she declined every offer of help and happily carried three bags down the stairs of the plane.

However, she had swapped her camel-coloured casual wool shawl for a smart blazer and her signature sporty sunglasses – and seemed delighted by the singers and dancers who greeted her with baskets of flowers.

Andrew Patrick, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, was among the dignitaries who formally welcomed the Princess, saying afterwards: ‘This visit is the best possible way to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka.’

“That’s the goal, to show her as much of the country, as much of the diversity as we can, and we think this is the first visit by a member of the royal family to Jaffna, certainly in many, many years, so that will be historic.’

Upon her arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, the Princess Royal signed the Golden Book for VIP visitors.

In the coming days, she will undertake engagements in Colombo, Kandy and Jaffna to meet with local communities and faith groups and celebrate relations between the two countries.

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, was a British colony that gained independence in 1948.

On the first day of her visit, Anne, who shows no signs of slowing down despite turning 74 this year, was welcomed by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister before immediately leaving for the MAS Active factory, one of the largest clothing and textile companies in the world. South East Asia and an important partner for many UK businesses.

The Princess, chair of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, met staff and toured the facilities.

She then visited the Sri Lankan headquarters of Save The Children – a charity of which she is also a patron and with which she has a long association – to mark the 50th anniversary of her work in the country.

As part of the charity celebrations, Her Royal Highness took part in the tradition of lighting a ceremonial oil lamp symbolizing hope and prosperity – the very lamp she had lit on her previous visit almost 30 years ago.

The Princess also received a gift box containing artwork from some of the many thousands of young people Save the Children has supported through programs tackling the impact of poverty, violence, natural disasters and the climate crisis.

There was barely time to catch her breath before she headed to Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, where Save The Children pioneered a social emotional learning program known as Tilli, which uses games and storytelling to help parents and teachers with issues around trust . , consent, bodies and boundaries.

The innovative program helps young people from across the country, many of whom suffer from chronic illnesses, express their feelings and build resilience through games and play.

Princess Anne also spoke to a team of pediatric consultants and child protection experts about the charity’s support for children in hospital, which began in response to the double blow of the Covid-19 pandemic and a crippling economic crisis that has devastated many Sri Lankan families tipped. in poverty.

Her Royal Highness became President of Save the Children UK in 1970, before transitioning to the role of Patron in 2017. She last visited the charity’s work in Sri Lanka in 1995.

During this leg of the royal tour, Her Royal Highness was photographed by the son of the photographer who captured her previous visit.

Julian Chellappah, Country Director of Save the Children Sri Lanka, said: “As Save the Children celebrates the 50th anniversary of its operations in Sri Lanka, we could not be more pleased that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has chosen to return here turn to be the first to witness – hand in our life-changing work – and see something of the impact we have had over the past 50 years.

Her presence is vital in raising awareness of the challenges faced by vulnerable children and their families here.”

Her day will end with a meeting with the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The princess’s visit is the royal family’s first foreign tour in 2024 and reinforces its reputation as a hard-working royal.

By Padraig Collins for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 8:23 PM EST, January 1, 2024 | Updated: 9:01 PM EST, January 1, 2024

Harry and Meghan may have cut so many ties with the royal family, but one move they’ve never supported is giving up their Duke and Duchess titles.

After all, dynastic rank offers them great prestige in America – and commands a status and respect that plain old Mr. and Mrs. Windsor could never command.

Although Harry has insisted that giving up the titles would make no difference, some observers increasingly believe that the time has come to do so, since their lives in California have become so far removed from the ideals of selfless duty and service that holders of the rank should have. ideally embody.

And for an example of how the holder of such a privileged title should behave, look no further than the Duchess of Edinburgh, wife of Prince Edward and formerly known as Sophie Wessex.

Last week, as Meghan lounged around her £12million Montecito mansion while her favorite author Omid Scobie set up a new media circus with her at its core, Sophie was on a four-day state visit to Colombia.

With the controversy over his new book Endgame taking up acres of newsprint, not a word about Sophie’s journey appeared in any national British newspaper, apart from the standard, functional mention in The Times’s Court Circular notices.

Over the past three months, Sophie has also visited Canada and Ethiopia. She also received little media attention there. Yet that doesn’t matter to those she meets, because her presence is more than enough in recognition of their work.

Since Harry and Meghan left Britain in 2020, Sophie has increasingly taken on the burden of royal responsibilities.

The mother-of-two is a patron of more than 70 charities and organizations and carried out 138 engagements last year, including visits to schools, hospitals, military bases, charities and community groups.

Her workload is in stark contrast to the lifestyle of the Sussexes – who have been scathingly described as ‘con artists’ by an executive at streaming service Spotify.

Sophie completed a 10,000-mile tour to Colombia last week in support of Britain’s leading role in advancing the women, peace and security agenda, established by the UN Security Council to help women in conflict zones.

Her visit was undertaken at the request of the State Department to see how the South American nation was faring since the 2016 peace deal that ended a decades-long armed conflict with FARC rebels that claimed 220,000 lives.

On Wednesday, the decked-out duchess traveled to the capital Bogota, where she met former FARC fighters who now work at a coffee farm called Tropicos Fruits of Hope, which has retrained more than 130 former fighters.

Dressed in a floral blouse, jeans and walking boots, Sophie then visited a research laboratory to see how British DNA sequencing technology is being used in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

Later that day, she met women and girls who survived sexual violence during the bloody conflict. Sophie listened attentively to the women’s testimonies and, clearly moved by their stories, hugged them warmly.

The visit had important diplomatic ties and highlighted Colombia’s role as vice-chair of the International Alliance on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, which was founded last year at a conference in Britain. The alliance, which has 25 members including Britain and the US, aims to tackle the way women are disproportionately targeted and how sexual violence is used as a tactic of war.

On Thursday, the hard-working Duchess met local ballerinas at a British Council camp in the city of Cali. Sophie, patron of London’s Central School of Ballet, was told how art can heal communities and build peace.

She then attended a sustainable fashion show to showcase clothes made by designers recovering from the effects of decades of conflict and organized crime, in line with her role as patron of the London College of Fashion.

Photos of the visit were largely ignored by the media – something Sophie is well used to.

However, people close to the Duchess say she is not concerned about chasing headlines because she knows the deeper value of her work. Yet the images proved popular on the royal family’s Instagram account.

One follower said: ‘Thank you for being so inspiring,’ while another added: ‘Such important causes to shine a light on… so much admiration for her and the work she does.’

The week before, Sophie was at the duchess’s service for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to Britain and accompanied him to the Royal Society in London. In characteristic fashion, she managed to smooth out a potentially awkward moment by laughing heartily when a rather gruesome ‘death mask’ of legendary physicist Sir Isaac Newton failed to get more than a polite nod from the slightly bewildered president.

Earlier last month, she made a five-day solo trip to Canada in her capacity as colonel-in-chief of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army; and as patron of the General and Western Hospitals of Toronto.

Local media praised the Duchess for “bringing empathy” to the patients and soldiers she met and welcomed her “deep knowledge of global health initiatives.”

In October she visited Ethiopia to defend two other important causes. As a global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Sophie visited the city of Hawassa to meet children being screened for eye conditions.

She then traveled to war-torn Tigray in northern Ethiopia to meet women and girls internally displaced by conflict and living in a large camp with more than 16,000 others.

Typical comments on social media included: “She is such an asset to the Royal Family” and “You are an amazing, warm and genuine Duchess Sophie.”

How different from the tsunami of negativity that has greeted Meghan and Harry’s silence over claims they endorsed Scobie’s new book, which predicts the demise of the royal family.

At the time the couple broke away from the royal family, ITN’s Tom Bradby – another journalist who reportedly looked favorably on Team Sussex – admitted that the couple ‘seemed philosophical about the prospect of losing their titles’.

But when asked earlier this year on US TV show 60 Minutes about withdrawing their titles, Harry said: ‘And what difference would that make?’

Those who believe that the holders of such esteemed titles should do something to justify them – as the Duchess of Edinburgh so selflessly does – will surely believe that this will make a huge difference.

A P-plate driver has been jailed for at least seven years after recklessly driving almost twice the speed limit with too many children in the car when he crashed into a tree, killing five children.

Tyrell Edwards faced Campbelltown District Court on Friday after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated dangerous driving causing death while driving more than 45km/h over the limit.

The 20-year-old wore a green tracksuit and kept his head down as Judge Christopher O’Brien sentenced him to at least seven years in prison, with a maximum of 12 years behind bars.

The judge described the deaths of the five victims as ‘tragic and impossibly sad’.

“The loss of these five young people hurts us all,” he said.

‘Their deaths were completely avoidable and the responsibility for this lies entirely with the perpetrator.’

The large group of his relatives and friends burst into tears as his sentence was pronounced on the date of Edwards’ 20th birthday.

They hugged as they sat in the jury box, separated from the rest of the packed courtroom.

Edwards’ conviction comes more than a year after he drove along a rural road in Buxton at almost double the posted speed limit on September 6, 2022, and crashed into a tree.

Edwards suffered only minor injuries, but his five teenage passengers were killed.

Lily Van de Putte, 14, Summer Williams, 14, Gabriella McLennan, 15, and Tyrese Bechard, 15, were all thrown from the car and found some distance from the wreckage.

16-year-old Antonio Desisto was hanging upside down in the passenger seat after being caught in his seat belt.

Some families of the victims reportedly laughed derisively as the verdict was handed down, while others gasped and cried at the thought that Edwards could be out of prison in seven years.

Edwards was the only survivor of the crash, which witnesses described as a “huge explosion.”

His mother’s Nissan Navara had only four seat belts, but five passengers were illegally stuffed into the car at 8pm when the P-plater lost control of the car.

Judge O’Brien noted the “magnitude of the carnage” caused by Edwards’ reckless driving on that fateful night.

The P-plater veered onto the wrong side of the main road and crashed into a tree before the impact sent the car careening into a second tree.

Edwards was heard shouting ‘Get me out of here, I can’t stay here’ as he was trapped in the cabin.

He managed to free himself by pushing out the windshield and climbing out.

“I’m going to jail, I can’t go to jail, I don’t want to go to jail,” the 20-year-old told witnesses at the scene.

Court documents show that he had previously been banned from driving twice.

According to the agreed facts, Edwards reached speeds of up to 90 mph (147 km/h) when he picked up Tyrese and Antonio for a joy ride on the afternoon of September 6.

He used his cell phone to film himself crossing the road and was heard saying in a Snapchat video: “We’re going 100 (mph) the whole way.”

Judge O’Brien ruled that the P-plater had shown a ‘serious disregard for public safety’ when he engaged in a ‘long-standing, persistent and deliberate’ course of criminal conduct.

“His driving was both erratic and aggressive and was characterized by him showing off to the victims,” he said.

‘The offender has demonstrated an abdication of his responsibilities as a road user.’

In a letter to the court, the P-plater apologized for the pain his actions caused and said he wished he could “take it all back.”

“I am so sorry for the pain and loss I have caused to all the families,” he wrote.

“I know that serving a sentence will not be enough for the damage that has been done.”

The 20-year-old acknowledged that there were “too many people in the car” and “speed was involved” when he crashed into the tree.

“I know I have to face what happened and that I am responsible for the accident,” he wrote.

Judge O’Brien ruled that the 20-year-old had continuously demonstrated his remorse and acceptance of responsibility for his actions.

“He really has sincere and deep remorse for his behavior and the deaths of the five victims,” ​​the judge said.

The court heard Edward suffered from long-term acute stress disorder and depressive disorder after the crash. He also continues to struggle with survivor’s guilt, self-blame and “persistent” thoughts of suicide.

Judge O’Brien took into account his mental health and the burden this would add to the time he spent behind bars.

“I have no doubt he will be vulnerable in a prison environment,” he said.

With that in mind, he extended the non-parole period so Edwards could serve a longer term of his sentence in the community.

The grieving families of the five victims previously told the court they had been given life sentences when Edwards decided to drive recklessly that night.

Lily’s sister Brittany Van De Putte cried as she highlighted the devastating and long-lasting impact of Edwards’ “stupid decision.”

“My sister’s life was in your hands. She trusted you, we trusted you,” she said.

“You had control and you abused it.”

Her father John Van De Putte was responsible for leading the ‘Remember the Five, Come Alive’ road safety campaign in honor of the dead children.

He previously told the court there was ‘no excuse’ for Edwards, a licensed driver, to have driven so recklessly and endangered the lives of his underage passengers.

“Whatever you get, it won’t bring back the five lives,” he told the 20-year-old.

A no-nonsense Australian has flogged Anthony Albanese and predicted he will be remembered as ‘Australia’s worst ever prime minister’.

Bernard Thompson, from Cowra in central west NSW, wrote a scathing critique of the first half of Albo’s premiership.

“In my view, future history will remember Anthony Albanese as perhaps Australia’s worst ever prime minister, and he is only halfway through his term,” Thompson wrote in the letters pages of the Daily Telegraph.

The irate man denounced Albanese’s spate of foreign travel – which has seen him visit Washington, China and the Cook Islands in recent weeks – and said he wished he would spend more time on the domestic agenda.

‘I wish Anthony Albanese (Mr Photo Opportunity himself) would spend more time visiting the country he is supposed to be Prime Minister and implement all those ‘plans’ that Labor told us before the last election’ , he wrote. .

Mr Thompson then blasted the Labor leader’s grand plans to transform Australia into a ‘world powerhouse’ for renewable energy.

“Good old Albo and his ‘comrades’ have not even managed to deliver on the $275 household energy bill reduction they promised almost a hundred times in the last election,” he wrote.

The voter concluded his blistering mission with a scathing one-word criticism.

“During his recent visit, the Chinese media described Anthony Albanese as ‘handsome’, I think the word ‘hopeless’ is more accurate,” Mr Thompson wrote.

Mr Albanese was given the flattering nickname by China’s second-in-command, Premier Li Qiang, after visiting Beijing on Monday to hold talks with the Prime Minister and President Xi Jingping.

Prime Minister Li told reporters that he considered Albanese an “old friend” after meeting him four times in the past year.

He said Mr Albanese’s visit circulated widely on Chinese social media, including a video of the prime minister wearing a yellow jersey, which caught the attention of local residents.

“People said there is a handsome boy coming from Australia,” Prime Minister Li told reporters.

Chinese residents were reportedly stunned to see Anthony Albanese during an early morning march through central Shanghai ahead of his trip to Beijing.

The Prime Minister wore a green and gold Matilda jersey and a cap from his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs as he strolled through the Bund waterfront district in central Shanghai on Sunday morning.

He was accompanied by at least eight security personnel as he stood on the almost deserted boulevard, waving to the occasional passerby and asking someone in typical Australian fashion, “How are you?”

Despite the apparently large security presence, many locals were apparently shocked to see a world leader interacting with people in public.

“Many Shanghainese couldn’t believe how light his security staff was – or that he would talk to passersby the same way,” claimed Will Glasgow, Northeast Asia correspondent for the Australian newspaper Will Glasgow.

“This could never happen in China,” someone told me.

Others were baffled by his identity, with one assuming he was “maybe an actor, an entrepreneur or a CEO.”

Mr Glasgow asked the Prime Minister if he had enjoyed his trip, to which he laughed and said: ‘Yes, it’s quite good’.

Yaqiu Wang, research director at the pro-democracy organization Freedom House, praised Albanese’s “good diplomatic tactics.”

“People in China are so used to leaders being aloof and untouchable that when a leader acts like a normal person, it brings up many heart-warming feelings,” Ms. Wang said.

Critics of Mr. Albanese have dubbed him “Airbus Albo” because of his international jet-setting.

Despite intense domestic pressure, including the cost of living crisis and the Voice referendum, he started the year with a trip to Papua New Guinea, followed by India and then the United States to announce the AUKUS deal.

This was followed by a bilateral meeting in Fiji and then a return to London for the King’s coronation.

The G7 summit was held in Japan in May and the Prime Minister embarked on two-day trips to Singapore and Vietnam in June.

In July he spent three days in Germany and Lithuania, followed later that month by New Zealand.

In September, the Prime Minister visited Indonesia, the Philippines and India – again for just two days in each location.

He traveled straight from this week’s trip to China to the Cook Islands. He will briefly return to Australia next week for the parliament meeting before heading back to San Francisco.

Just last week, retired political journalist Laurie Oakes branded Mr. Albanese an “incompetent wimp.”

Nine News’ iconic political editor said he thought the whole referendum debate was “pretty bad” and said it could damage the Prime Minister’s reputation with the public.

“I think it was quite damaging, I think he (Mr Albanese) handled it incompetently and I assumed the voters noticed there wasn’t a lot of competence involved,” Oakes told 2GB’s Afternoons with Deborah Knight.

‘If you handle something as big as the Voice as poorly as he handles it, people naturally assume that you don’t handle other things very well either.

‘And that is the risk that Anthony Albanese runs. He’s going to come out of this Voice referendum looking like an incompetent dill and he might be stuck with that.”

The veteran journalist also gave his opinion on both the Yes and No campaigns.

He said that while the No side’s disinformation was “quite shameful”, the Yes campaign was “unconvincing and pointless”.

“It didn’t explain anything,” he said.

The Voice was decisively rejected on October 14, with 60 percent of Australians voting against.

Every state and territory except the ACT voted against the constitutional amendment to enshrine an Indigenous voice in parliament and executive government.

• Pro-Palestinian activists have blocked access to the Melbourne Cup
• The police have arrested four people

By Sarah Liversidege for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 7:52 PM EST, November 6, 2023 | Updated: 11:29 PM EST, November 6, 2023