IT is the royal biography that made headlines around the world – ‘Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story’, by the author and  Daily Mail journalist Robert Hardman.

Featured over several days in the Mail and The Mail on Sunday, the book offered a compelling series of revelations about an extraordinary moment in Monarchy: the end of the Queen’s life after 70 years on the throne and the beginning of the  Carolean era.

Here, then, are some of the key points that have forever changed our understanding of how Elizabeth’s record-breaking reign finally drew to a close – and the challenges facing her son and heir King Charles III as he navigates a new and very different landscape.

The Queen remained dutiful right until the end

When Sir Edward Young, the Queen’s private secretary, opened the last red box that had gone to her, he found the long-list of candidates for the Order of Merit, with her choices ticked.

On September 7, the day before she died, she spent the day in bed at Balmoral yet still made plans to participate remotely in the scheduled Privy Council meeting – plans which had to be cancelled at the last moment. 

She had completed the task just two days prior to her death, with Hardman writing: ‘Even on her deathbed, there had been work to do. And she had done it.’

She knew her health was failing 

The Queen suffered ‘multiple’ health conditions in her final year and was well aware she wouldn’t reach the age of 100 as her mother had.

Plans were drawn up for a Regency

Aides prepared for the Queen suffering a slow deterioration or a ‘sudden public collapse’ in her final years with secret plans for Prince Charles to become regent. Options varied from a ‘regency light’, with minimal involvement by Charles, or a ‘reversible regency’ in which he would discharge her duties during a period of her incapacity.

Charles and Camilla spent an hour with her privately 

After flying by helicopter to Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral estate, Prince Charles drove the couple to Balmoral castle in a borrowed Land Rover.

They were greeted by Princess Anne, who had happened to be staying, who led them immediately to the Queen’s bedside to spend time with her.

Charles told both his sons to travel to Balmoral urgently to say their goodbyes

The Royal Air Force arranged for Prince William to fly with his uncles from RAF Northolt to Aberdeen at 2.30pm.

Prince Harry, who happened to be in London with Meghan for a few days of charity engagements, chartered his own plane to Aberdeen. 

Catherine, Princess of Wales decided not to attend 

In his memoir Spare, Harry writes of feeling deeply offended when his father asked him not to bring Meghan with him to Balmoral. Learning that Kate would not be there either assuaged his anger – but Hardman writes that he did not realise she hadn’t been asked to stay away. 

In fact, she had decided she should remain at home for the sake of her children, who were starting a new school, Lambrook.

William was still angry at Harry’s ‘reckless betrayal’ 

Harry claimed in Spare that he had texted his brother to ask about his travel arrangements, but not received a reply. 

Hardman writes: ‘Clearly, Prince William did not regard this as the appropriate moment for the intensely difficult conversation he needed to have with his brother’, alluding to William’s anger over the Sussexes’ ‘reckless betrayal’ during their Oprah Winfrey interview.

This was the broadcast in which they claimed Kate had made Meghan cry during a row over a bridesmaid’s dress, and that two members of the royal family had expressed concern over the colour of then-unborn Prince Archie’s skin.

There was also wariness about Spare, which had not yet been published. ‘Some of the family were probably ready to give him a piece of their mind,’ Hardman quotes a source saying.

The Queen ‘slipped away’ in her sleep 

According to a memo written by Sir Edward Young to record the momentous events for posterity, which now resides in the Royal Archives, the Queen ‘slipped away’ peacefully in her sleep, without any pain.

Charles learned the news of the Queen’s death when he was addressed as ‘Your Majesty’ 

Not expecting his mother to die quite so soon, Charles had been out gathering mushrooms in the grounds at Birkhall when he received a call from his sister, the Princess Royal, telling him to come immediately.

He and Camilla jumped back into the Land Rover, but hadn’t yet arrived when Sir Edward called to tell him that the Queen had passed away. ‘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,’ writes Hardman. ‘No further explanation was needed.’

Harry did not eat with Charles, William that night 

Prince Harry did not make it to Balmoral in time to see his grandmother before her death.

He said in Spare that he was informed that she had died via an alert from BBC News on his phone – although Hardman suggests that several attempts had been made by King Charles to call him with the news, which were unsuccessful because he was airborne at the time.

Harry dined alone that night, while the King had dinner with William and Camilla.

‘The King needed to have vital but discreet discussions with his elder son,’ writes Hardman. ‘In years gone by, such a moment would automatically have included his younger son. But not any more.’

The funeral procession risked disaster

The late Queen’s funeral rehearsal was a ‘comedy of errors’ as organisers found that ‘everything that could go wrong did go wrong’. 

The carefully calculated parade times had failed to take into account the different length and speed of steps required by a Guardsman and a Royal Navy recruit carrying a two-ton gun carriage, meaning the front of the parade ‘ended up parting company with the coffin.’

The whole parade was ‘out of step from the start’ after the bagpipes pre-empted the first command. One band had been led to the wrong start point. And one Gentlemen at Arms was nearly crushed between the gun carriage and Wellington Arch after going the wrong way.

Prince William was furious over Harry’s ‘blatant attack’ against Kate in his Netflix documentary 

The Duke of Sussex claimed that for male members of the royal family, ‘there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mould – as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with.’

William saw the comments as clearly about his wife Kate and regarded them as ‘the lowest of the low’. 

Queen Camilla’s family call her Lorraine 

Once, there seemed to be no chance of Camilla ever becoming Queen, due to public antipathy towards her for her role in the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to Diana. 

It was during that period that her family gave her the humorous nickname ‘Lorraine’ – as in the French la reine, meaning Queen. ‘She always saw the funny side of that – even if Prince Charles did not,’ says a friend. 

The temperature has dropped even further at the royal palaces 

Not only does the King not switch on the heating during the winter to avoid contributing to climate change, but he is also a ‘compulsive window-opener,’ according to Hardman. 

‘There’s a constant battle about it,’ says Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot. ‘He will have opened it. She will creep in behind and shut it. So there’s a lot of “Oh darling, you shut the window.” 

“Yes, I have, because we’re all freezing.”’

Prince William might not head the Anglican Church

While the Prince of Wales admires and respects the Church, and enjoys attending services at significant times of the year, such as Christmas and Easter.

He feels he is no different to the average Briton in that he is not a regular worshipper. 

And that has led to speculation as to whether he may consider not taking on the formal role as head of the Church of England –  that British monarchs have held since the time of Henry VIII. 

Kate enjoys MailOnline 

The Princess of Wales is said to be among the tens of millions who get their updates from the Mail’s award-winning news service. 

Hardman says that, in common with the new Queen, she keeps abreast of what is written in the newspapers – unlike their respective husbands who do not.

Chilling never-before-seen footage from a nanny cam has revealed the moment a battered husband cowered on the floor while his wife hurled abuse at him and brandished a knife in their home during her 20-year reign of terror.

Damning videos of Sheree Spencer’s attacks on husband Richard at their seven-bedroom home in Bubwith, East Yorkshire, were captured on cameras the couple had installed to monitor their children.

And explosive clips from police interviews show Sheree casually lying about her husband being the abuser, only for her face to turn ashen when confronted with the footage. 

On one occasion she defecated on the floor and forced him to clean it up, and on another she beat him with a wine bottle so hard it permanently disfigured his ear. 

Sheree, 45, was jailed for four years at Hull Crown Court in March last year by Judge Kate Rayfield, who told her: ‘This is the worst case of controlling and coercive behaviour I have seen.’

Now, Mr Spencer is sharing his story in vivid detail in Channel 5 documentary My Wife, My Abuser: The Secret Footage, which airs on Monday.

And today, MailOnline can reveal Sheree went to desperate lengths through the courts in a bid to stop the documentary being broadcast. 

The footage, obtained from the nanny-cam, gives a chilling real-life echo of Harlan Coben’s Netflix adaptation Fool Me Once, starring Michelle Keegan. In it, Keegan plays a woman who installs the small camera to keep watch over her young daughter, only to recognise an eerie figure from her past creeping into her home.

Mr Spencer felt his harrowing experiences should be seen to raise awareness of the type of abuse men can suffer in their daily lives at the hands of violent partners but Sheree tried to block it.

He told MailOnline: ‘Sheree tried to stop the documentary being broadcast in the crown court but failed, then she applied for a prohibited steps order through the family court, which luckily was rejected and thrown out at the first hearing.

‘The broadcast has been delayed due to the legal challenges for about six months, but now it is finally going to be shown.

‘I’m hopeful that the film will be well received and will make a difference.’

The hidden nanny cam gave a vital way out for battered husband Mr Spencer after he endured years of physical and verbal abuse from his wife, that left him ‘broken’ on the floor in a foetal position.

Mr Spencer had met his wife in a nightclub in 2000, and the pair married on a Thai beach in 2009.

After they welcomed the eldest of their three daughters in 2015, Mr Spencer installed the nanny cam so they could keep watch over her.

Instead, footage showed furious wine-fuelled tirades, in which Sheree would call her husband ‘fat boy,’ ‘a p**sy’ and ‘dumb dumb’ and inflict bruises and scratches that he would need to cover with make-up before going outside. 

Mr Spencer told The Sun: ‘We had two [cameras] — one in the playroom and one in the bedroom. They were there for reassurance, to keep an eye out because it’s a big house.

‘It was on something like a 28-day roll, where if something new came in it would delete the old footage.’

When police finally became involved, Mr Spencer handed over 43 images of his bruised face, taken on different dates following savage assaults he had suffered. 

A police officer tells the documentary: ‘This has been going on for such a long time, that this is who he is. Withdrawn and broken.’

Mr Spencer says: ‘I just wanted the abuse to stop. I was in a situation and there was no way out.’

Hull Crown Court heard that mother-of-three Sheree had carried out most of the attacks on her husband in the family home.

Sheree worked at the highest levels for HM Prison and Probation Service and bragged to friends that she had the ear of former prime minister Boris Johnson.

She was a project manager in the department’s directorate of strategy and performance.

A former friend said: ‘She would brag about being only two down from the prime minister in her field and had meetings with Boris Johnson, who she spoke of as though he were a friend.

‘She was bragging about her high flying career while subjecting her poor husband, a lovely man, to daily abuse, degradation and humiliation.’

It was described as ‘a great irony’ that Spencer had done so much work aimed at investigating the effect of custodial sentences on the family.

Within months of becoming a couple in 2000, Richard endured her violent rages, which happened whether she was drunk or sober.

The worst of the assaults on him happened in April 2021 when his wife attacked him with the empty wine bottle.

Mr Spencer, who stands at 5ft 10in, told the court that although he was bigger and physically stronger than his petite wife, he did not fight back when she began to attack him.

He said he became almost immune to the physical abuse she meted out, even though she would cause him immense pain by sinking her teeth into him.

But he said the mental scars left by 16 years of her hate-filled attacks were what would leave the most lasting effect.

Sheree’s reign of domestic terror finally ended in June 2021 when the police were called to their family home by a concerned welfare worker.

Her arrest that day on suspicion of assaulting her husband opened a door into the hell he had kept private for his entire married life.  

Mr Spencer said: ‘In trying to block the footage being shown, she continued trying to exert control even from jail, but fortunately justice prevailed.

‘It’s astonishing to me that she’s living a relatively easy life in prison, having been moved to an open jail after six months of her sentence.

‘The judge in her case described it as the worst case of coercive control she had ever seen, so why she was considered for open prison so early is beyond me.

‘She is due for release next February but she is able to go out for family and friend meetings and has been working in a cafe.

‘It doesn’t seem a just sentence for someone who committed such serious offences.’

Since his ex-wife’s imprisonment, Mr Spencer has joined a campaign called ManKind Initiative, which supports male victims of domestic abuse.

He has also found love again and told media he is happily settled with his new partner. 

Speaking to media after Sheree was jailed last year, he said: ‘I have become resigned to the fact that I will never fully recover from her abuse and that it will have a permanent damaging impact on mine and my family’s life.

‘Sheree’s abuse towards me evolved and escalated over time, she used repeated acts of physical assault, threats, verbal abuse, and humiliation to punish and exercise control over me.

‘The abuse was hidden from the outside world, including friends and family. Sheree manipulated me into believing that I was a responsible and willing participant in the abuse. She remorselessly proclaimed that I deserved to be punished, and that it was a justifiable consequence of me disappointing her in some way.

‘Little by little, I lost my independence and willpower and just accepted that was how my life was going to be. I complied with Sheree’s demands, and she controlled most aspects of my everyday life, including things like what activities I could participate in and when, which room I could sleep in, and even which toilet I could use.

‘Gradually I became isolated from family and friends and was left deep in debt causing me to feel trapped.

‘After a while, I learnt to cover my face with my hands and curl up into a foetal position to try and avoid sustaining any visible facial injuries, so that I could still take the children to school and nursery.’

GARETH TAYLOR has extended his reign as boss of Manchester City’s Women’s Super League side after signing a new contract today.

The contract for the 51-year-old head coach, who led the team to FA and Conti Cup victories, will see him remain in charge until 2027.

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Taylor’s new contract comes two days after Taylor oversaw Man City’s 12th win in all competitions with their 2-1 victory against Everton in the top tier.

His team, who sit second and level with WSL leaders Chelsea, are chasing their first league title win under their gaffer.

The last time the Cityzens lifted the top trophy was under former boss Nick Cushing.

Taylor, who took over at City in May 2020, said: “I am very pleased to commit to City for another three seasons.

“I think what we are doing here and trying to achieve is a long-term project of sustainability and success.

“Our ambition was always to be at the top and we did that.

“It took a lot of hard work from a lot of people behind the scenes.

“The players have really believed in what we are trying to do and achieve.”

During Taylor’s reign, he has experienced a period of transition within the team.

This followed the retirement of English heroines Ellen White, Jill Scott and Karen Bardsley and the departure of several international stars including Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Caroline Weir and Hayley Raso.

Over the past two years, City have strengthened their ranks with the likes of Yui Hasegawa and Mary Fowler, including Japanese and Australian stars Yui Hasegawa and Mary Fowler.

Other great signings include former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid defenders Leila Ouahabi and Laia Aleixandri.

City’s signings in January and last August included England Under-23 forward Laura Blindkilde Brown and Dutch midfielder Jill Roord, who is currently sidelined with a knee ligament injury.

And last year the club appointed ex-Denmark women’s boss Nils Nielsen as director of football for their women’s team and Charlotte O’Neil as managing director.

Taylor, whose side play Chelsea in the Conti Cup semi-final on Thursday, added: “Nils has helped in a number of ways.

“His experience as a head coach in women’s football is also very useful because you don’t talk to someone who hasn’t been there.

“Charlotte who I worked with before at the Academy.

“What she will do is be very clear in our objectives and very clear in what we can do.”

Regarding Taylor’s contract extension, Nielsen said: “I am very pleased that Gareth has agreed to continue his great work in our program for years to come.

“We have a clear strategy on how we want to move forward, and securing Gareth to lead the team is a key factor.

“Now we can all focus on ending this season in style and preparing for seasons to come by following the plan.”

Man City, who include Lionesses Quintet, Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp, Jess Park and Khiara Keating, currently have the best defensive record in the WSL this season.

And forward Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw currently leads the WSL’s top scorer charts this season with 15 goals in 14 games at the top level.

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City’s recent wins include a hard-fought 1-0 defeat to title rivals Chelsea last month.

As well as their quest to be crowned WSL champions for the second time in their history, City are hoping to play in the Champions League again next season.

Taylor’s side last played in the competition in September 2021, when they were knocked out in the qualifying stages by Spanish club Real Madrid.

The NFL offseason began Sunday night after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to claim the Super Bowl LVIII title and (only slightly less importantly) the top spot in our postseason power rankings.

That means that all the fan bases that have been tuning out as their teams were eliminated from playoff contention or the playoffs are now back in the game. Hope is alive again for everyone with free agency and the draft coming into view.

With that in mind, we’re resetting our power rankings by combining some of the old (last season’s results) and some of the new (who’s getting a stud quarterback back, who might get a new coach lift, who has salary-cap space, etc.) to set the field going forward.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes, who was 8-for-8 passing on the drive that just won the Super Bowl, won his third Super Bowl MVP trophy and is one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to win at least three Super Bowl titles (and he was behind by double digits in all three of those games). He is 15-3 in the playoffs in his six-year career and has advanced at least to the AFC Championship Game in all six of those seasons. Kansas City has $24 million in salary-cap space but might as well use it all to make sure the defense stays stocked because Mahomes will make it work on offense.

2. San Francisco 49ers

This will be a tough week, but the future will be fine. The 49ers are over the salary cap (by just $3.7 million) but have all of their significant offensive weapons under contract. They also still have Kyle Shanahan, which despite what everyone is saying today, is a good thing. Shanahan is 72-54 as a head coach. San Francisco is second in the league in yards per play (5.9) and seventh in scoring (25.04) since Shanahan became the head coach in 2017, according to TruMedia.

Everyone’s favorite underdog had the 49ers on the ropes in the NFC Championship Game, has money to spend ($47 million in cap space) and, shockingly, still has offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who rebuffed the Washington Commanders to stay in Detroit. Every significant offensive contributor remains under contract on a team that finished fifth in the league in scoring (27.35 ppg). When coach Dan Campbell said after the loss to the Niners that it would be “twice as hard” to get back to that point next season, it wasn’t poor-mouthing, it was just his first motivational speech of the 2024 season.

A disappointing ending (scoring 10 points in the AFC Championship Game against the underdog Chiefs) shouldn’t overshadow the fact the Ravens, who have $7.3 million cap space, remain the class of the AFC’s B flight (which includes any team that doesn’t employ Patrick Mahomes). There won’t be any Lamar Jackson contract drama this offseason, which will allow Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken to strengthen their connection. That’s good news for the Ravens considering Jackson is coming off the second-best season of his career and second NFL MVP award. The quarterback’s yards per attempt (7.9) this year were a career-high and his passer rating (101.6) and touchdown passes (27) were the second best of his career.

The Texans are one of the big movers since the last publication of these rankings. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud put 45 points on one of the league’s most aggressive defenses in the playoffs, beating the Browns 45-14 in the wild-card round, and was named offensive rookie of the year. His offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, is back after taking head coaching interviews, and Houston has $57.4 million in cap space.

A Matt LaFleur Appreciation Post: The Packers head coach somehow is the forgotten man in the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay conversation. LaFleur is 56-27 in five seasons in Green Bay. That .675 winning percentage is better than Shanahan or McVay, not to mention every other active coach in the league other than Jim Harbaugh (.695). Until last season, Aaron Rodgers got the credit for LaFleur’s accomplishments, but the Packers (who are $2.9 million above the salary cap) are doing it now with 25-year-old Jordan Love.

Things get a lot harder for Buffalo starting this offseason because Josh Allen’s cap hit just went from $18.6 million to $47 million, and it will be north of $40 million for the next five seasons. It’s why the Bills already are $51.3 million over the 2024 cap. The good news is they still have Allen, and he’s the reason Buffalo sits with Baltimore on the AFC’s second shelf. Remember, the Bills finished the season fourth in point margin (plus-140) despite six regular-season losses.

8. Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson is back, but we’re all still trying to figure out if that’s a good thing. Kevin Stefanski earned NFL coach of the year honors by getting the Browns to the playoffs with no Nick Chubb and with Joe Flacco at quarterback after Watson’s season-ending injury. Watson has started only 12 games since joining the Browns two years ago (8-4 record), and he’s 57th in the league in EPA per attempt (minus-.07) in that time, according to TruMedia. Still, the Browns, who are $19.6 million over the cap, have a great defense and Chubb returning from a devastating knee injury.

Are you ready for a lot of Tua Tagovailoa talk? Well, you better be. The Dolphins quarterback is under contract for 2024 at a $23.2 million cap hit, but that’s the last year of his deal and “Should Miami give Tua a market-setting deal?” is going to be one of the questions of the offseason. The Dolphins aren’t exactly rolling in spending money. They are $51.9 million over the salary cap at the moment and should pay defensive tackle Christian Wilkins this offseason.

Tua Tagovailoa got on stage with Darius Rucker to play the guitar & sing Wagon Wheel in Vegas

Daniel Jones was in the crowd cheering him on

(via @kasideekarsten) pic.twitter.com/LKizs1IVWs

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 10, 2024

No team has moved up this list more than the Bengals, who not only have $59.4 million cap space but are getting Joe Burrow back from a season-ending wrist injury. Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is gone, but Burrow’s return more than makes up for it. Burrow is 27-15 as a starter in the last three seasons and cheap(-ish) for one more year. Burrow’s cap hit for 2024 is $29.7 million. After that, it goes over $46 million for each of the next five seasons.

The Cowboys are allowed to be in the top half of these rankings only because the playoffs are over. Dallas, which is $19.7 million over the salary cap, has won 12 regular-season games in each of the last three years but only one playoff game in that span. Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy are back, looking to move past last month’s embarrassing 48-32 loss to the Packers, but running back Tony Pollard is an unrestricted free agent.

Everyone of note is under contract, and the Rams have $27.7 million in salary-cap space. They won seven of their last nine regular-season games and came within a point of upsetting the Lions in the playoffs. Barring an unexpected (but you could see it at his age) retirement by Matthew Stafford, the Rams will enter 2024 as a dark-horse conference championship contender.

Did we underestimate the Bucs all season long? Did the Eagles just quit? Tampa Bay’s 32-9 win over Philadelphia in the wild-card round raised questions about both teams. Questions that probably won’t be answered until next season starts, but the Buccaneers do at least deserve some recognition here. Tampa Bay — which has $36.9 million in salary-cap space, some of which certainly will go to re-signing Baker Mayfield — has gone to the playoffs each of the last four seasons, winning the division title three times and a Super Bowl once in that span.

In a world where Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t exist, Indianapolis would be feeling very good about itself right now. The Colts are getting quarterback Anthony Richardson back from his season-ending shoulder surgery and are believers in Shane Steichen after his first year as head coach. Throw in $58.9 million of salary-cap space to plug holes, and Colts fans can talk themselves into a brewing rivalry with Stroud and the Texans.

15. Philadelphia Eagles

A case could be made to put the Eagles just about anywhere on this list. Many of the reasons they went to the Super Bowl a season ago (Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith) are still around, but questions abound. They have $20.2 million in salary-cap space but may lose Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham to retirement and/or free agency. Then there’s the coaching staff overhaul that ended with Kellen Moore in charge of the offense and Vic Fangio in charge of the defense. How good are the Eagles? Who knows?

This position is Kirk Cousins dependent. The 35-year-old free agent is coming off a torn Achilles tendon, but he’s still going to be the hottest quarterback commodity on the market. The Vikings have $24.7 million in cap space and will create as much more as they need to to get Cousins back. He’s expressed his contentment with Minnesota, and why not? In his two seasons playing for Kevin O’Connell, Cousins is third in the league in passing yards (275.12) and passing touchdowns (1.88) per game, according to TruMedia.

Robert Saleh should just pretend last year never happened. Seriously. Make it a bit starting now. Pretend this is Aaron Rodgers’ first season with the team. Claim he’s never heard the names Pat McAfee or Zach Wilson. Lean into it. The Jets have $5 million in salary-cap space, the No. 10 pick in the draft and a healthy Rodgers. New York still has Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, but maybe Saleh can pretend that’s not real either.

Seattle gets a new head coach bump thanks to Mike Macdonald’s hiring, but it’s still in one of the league’s toughest divisions with the 49ers, Rams and perhaps ascendant Cardinals. The Seahawks need to create some salary-cap room (they’re minus-$5.2 million at the moment) and hope Geno Smith has a bounce-back season. The quarterback’s passer rating (100.8 to 92.1), touchdowns (32 to 20) and yards per attempt (7.5 to 7.3) all went down after a surprising 2022, according to TruMedia.

Mike Tomlin checked the “winning season” box again, but that’s about all the Steelers got out of the season. They weren’t competitive against Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs, and they don’t seem to know if Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph is the quarterback. Something everyone in Pittsburgh can look forward to, though, are some great sideline shots of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and mercurial wide receiver George Pickens throughout the season. Pittsburgh is $16 million over the cap.

Yes, Jim Harbaugh is quirky, but only Guy Chamberlin (who coached the Canton Bulldogs among others in the 1920s; I had to look it up), John Madden, Vince Lombardi and George Allen have a better career winning percentage in the NFL than Harbaugh’s .695. He also has Justin Herbert. There are issues, though, including an aging roster and the fact the Chargers are $45.8 million over the cap.

No team will have a longer offseason than the Jaguars, who lost five of their last six games to fall out of playoff contention. Jacksonville, which has $11.3 million in cap space, has only two more cheap years of Trevor Lawrence. The quarterback will be an $11 million cap hit this year and then either play on his fifth-year option or a new deal, either of which will be a bigger number. The Jags pick 17th in the first round.

The Raiders were 5-4 under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, which was good enough to make him full-time head coach Antonio Pierce. Now, he has his work cut out for him. The Raiders have some money to spend ($36 million in cap space) and the No. 13 pick in the upcoming draft, but they probably need a quarterback and are a long way from being able to compete with the division-dominating Chiefs.

It’s hard to see where this team will find a solution at quarterback. Sean Payton still won’t say if Russell Wilson will be back, but things aren’t trending in that direction. The Broncos are set to pick 12th so they’ll either have to trade up or decide they can live with one of the second-tier quarterback prospects if they want a rookie quarterback. They are $23.9 million over the salary cap and will take another big cap hit if they cut Wilson ($85 million in dead money if he’s released before June 1), so attracting a name in free agency seems unlikely.

Matt Eberflus is coming back. Now, what about Justin Fields? Thanks to last year’s trade with the Carolina Panthers, the Bears have the No. 1 pick, which means they can take Caleb Williams (or Drake Maye or even Jayden Daniels, but probably Williams) or bank on more development by Fields. Either way, this is going to be an offseason of additions. The Bears have the Nos. 1 and 9 picks in the first round and $46.9 million of cap space.

Mike Vrabel is out, and Brian Callahan and a more “collaborative” mindset are in. Will that and $68.1 million in salary-cap space be enough to get Tennessee back into the playoff hunt after two years out of the mix? That depends mostly on quarterback Will Levis, who started nine games last year and whom Callahan, the former Bengals offensive coordinator, was hired to elevate. The Titans were 3-6 in Levis’ starts.

26. Washington Commanders

The Commanders’ offseason of optimism — new owner, No. 2 pick, $73.6 million in cap space — lost some momentum when Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson seemed to leave them at the head coaching altar late in the process. It may turn out that Washington stumbled into a great hire with Dan Quinn, whose positive attitude should help a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005, or it may be a bust. A lot could depend on whether Quinn’s offensive coordinator hire, Kliff Kingsbury, works out.

Jerod Mayo is on the clock, and it seems as if he’s suddenly in charge of the first round of the NFL Draft. The Patriots pick No. 3. Quarterbacks are considered locks to be taken in the first two picks, but things get interesting at No. 3. Will Mayo decide it’s time to move on from Mac Jones and draft a quarterback or will he take Marvin Harrison Jr. to help Jones’ development? What New England does with its $66 million in cap space in March may give us some clue about that.

Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the Saints for always playing their role. General manager Mickey Loomis scoffs at the salary cap, and thus New Orleans is in the worst cap shape in the league heading into the offseason ($83.9 million over the cap). The other thing Loomis always does is figure it out by the time the fall arrives, although Saints fans might be starting to wonder about the long-term strategy. New Orleans hasn’t made the playoffs or won double-digit games in the last three seasons.

The Falcons have a new head coach, with Raheem Morris taking over for the fired Arthur Smith, and $25.8 million in salary-cap space. What they don’t have is a quarterback. That’s why they will be attached to every available one until the question is settled. Justin Fields? Sure, he could be an option. Kirk Cousins? He’s familiar with the new offensive system. Trading up from No. 8 in the draft to get Jayden Daniels? Might be an option. That’s a preview of the next two months for the Falcons.

Daniel Jones will count at least $41.6 million toward the salary cap each of the next three seasons. The Giants have the No. 6 pick in the first round. They have to at least consider making a change at quarterback. They also have to figure out what to do about Saquon Barkley. They couldn’t get a long-term deal done with their star running back last offseason but have $21.8 million in cap space available they want to try harder this offseason.

31. Arizona Cardinals

This is the offseason the Cardinals have been waiting for since last offseason. Arizona has $41.9 million in cap space and has three picks in the top 35 selections and seven of the top 104. No team will get a bigger facelift before the start of next season. One place where there won’t be a change is quarterback as the Cardinals have committed to keeping Kyler Murray.

32. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers hired a new head coach, Dave Canales, to fix their still-kind-of-new quarterback, Bryce Young. Canales was the surprise hire of the offseason, coming to Carolina after only one year of calling plays at division-rival Tampa Bay. Either he blew the Panthers away in the interview process or mercurial owner David Tepper was worried he wasn’t going to be able to attract a bigger-name hire. Carolina has $28.6 million in cap space heading into the offseason.

(Top photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images)

THE GLAZERS have committed a cardinal sin when it comes to refurbishing Old Trafford in 2022, it has emerged.

And it all comes back to the red shade used for a paint job at Old Trafford.

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Sir Alex Ferguson stressed that Manchester United has its own shade of red and it should never be too similar to Liverpool's.

The legendary manager insisted that United played in a dark shade of red during his reign.

And this even led to former kit supplier Nike designing a color that would meet the manager's specifications: “Diablo red”.

Fergie believed that if United used a shade that was too bright, it would look like the club was playing in a Liverpool shirt.

And the hatred of this color extended to everything to do with the club, including how Old Trafford was decorated.

But the Glazers breached this in 2022 when they repainted parts of Old Trafford, and staff noticed it was in the color Fergie despised.

An insider said ESPN: “They tried to spruce up Old Trafford with a paint job a few years ago.

“But they messed up. They used the wrong shade of red. When Sir Alex was in charge he always insisted that United played in a darker shade of red than Liverpool.”

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“Nike, the kit partner at the time, even designed a specific shade for the team's kit, called 'Diablo Red.' The paint they used for Old Trafford is Liverpool red, which is too bright for United.”

It is not the only misfortune the Glazers have committed with the stadium during their reign.

Fans have complained several times about the leaky roof at Old Trafford, which has become a symbol of the club's decline.

Last year, footage of a stream of water coming through the roof went viral, with fans also complaining that water could drip on them as they queued for food at half-time.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has identified improving Old Trafford as a priority and has set aside £2 million to build a 'Wembley of the North'.

On January 29, 1949, at dinner with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor at their home on the Cap d'Antibes, Lieutenant Colonel John 'Jack' Aird, Edward's former equerry, commented wistfully to the assembled group.

“There never was Edward VIII,” he said. 'That was a fantasy. Only two kings in my lifetime: George V and George VI. Some say there was another king, but today there is no trace of him left.'

But Aird was wrong. However short his reign was, and whatever disappointment those around him, including Aird, felt, there was indeed a King Edward VIII – and on this day, 88 years ago, he succeeded his father George V as King Emperor .

But unwilling to compromise on the promise he felt he had made to marry twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, a woman he wrote “gives me the courage to carry on,” his reign ended in less than eleven months with the shock of his death. abdication.

He spent the remaining thirty-six years of his life in exile in France. an outcast from British royal circles.

Edward's great-nephew and successor, Charles III, would undoubtedly reject the suggestion that his life or royal career bore any resemblance to that of his embattled uncle, but the parallels are there and they are striking.

During their long tenure as Princes of Wales, Edward and Charles shaped the office according to their own personalities, style and beliefs.

After the disruption and loss that Britain experienced during the First World War, Edward was convinced that the monarchy needed to be modernized.

He wanted, as he told his ghostwriter Charles Murphy in 1949, to “democratize the role of the royal family” and “bring the monarchy closer to the people.”

Breaking away from the formality of his parents' generation, his style took a more empathetic and meritocratic approach.

His success was immediate, paving the way for Charles to engage more freely and meaningfully in a role that, according to Edward, was once entirely defined by “bringing genius in a top hat.”

In an effort to free himself from the constraints of tradition, Edward's involvement in social issues of the time often led to criticism that he strayed too close to political struggle.

Like Charles, he had firm views on how to meet the challenges of the day and consistently used his position to highlight what he believed had gone unnoticed by the political establishment.

Edward, shocked by conditions in Britain's industrial regions, defied the conventional charity model of other royals and spent the years of the Great Depression doing his best to alleviate the social impact of mass unemployment, especially as it related was concerned with fair social housing.

Yet his interventions caused political consternation because he broke the code of royal impartiality by quietly calling for action where he saw none.

His elevation to the throne, like the current king, led to immediate fears that he would be unable to resist the impulse to interfere further.

Edward hoped, as he put it, to 'bring a fresh and original spirit to the duties of kingship' – to revive the role – to become, as he put it, 'a modern king' – but above all to to maintain 'a life beyond the boundaries of the world'. the office'.

He saw no reason to adopt the customs of his father's kingship, including changing where he lived.

He refused to move to Windsor Castle and instead kept, as his private retreat, Fort Belvedere, just as Charles has zealously guarded the intimacy of Highgrove, a house that, like Edward's, he built during his years as Prince of Wales has created and is seen as a reflection of him personally.

Charles has also managed to remain comfortably entrenched in Clarence House until now, fulfilling Edward's belief that Buckingham Palace should be a royal office rather than a royal residence.

Obvious and undeniable, but hitherto completely overlooked by royal commentators, is that Charles has achieved what Edward failed to achieve in 1936.

He has married the divorcee he loves and now occupies the throne he has waited for for decades.

Embroiled in the dilemma of an enduring and consuming love affair, a description that could be applied as easily to Edward's relationship with Wallis as to Charles's with Camilla, both men were confronted with personal inclinations that threatened their royal role.

Yet they refused to abandon these women or settle for a discreet and unofficial relationship. Both sought to formalize their love, believing that marriage was essential to their happiness and success as modern kings.

Perhaps Edward's most lasting contribution to the framework of modern monarchy is that he set the precedent for a monarch (or prince) to pursue marital fulfillment at the expense of royal convention.

In December 1936, Edward publicly called for changes to the traditional royal regulations.

He failed to win those concessions for himself, but set a precedent for his successors by ensuring that the current king has a woman at his side who supports, loves and fulfills his life, both in public and private .

An unconventional royal bride, Queen Camilla has proven to be an asset to her husband and the Crown.

It makes you wonder if King Edward VIII's reign would have been different if he had had the same opportunity.

• Jane Tippet is the author of Once A King – the lost memoirs of Edward VIII, published by Hodder & Stoughton, price £25

Many of the late queen's granddaughters and great-granddaughters have proudly been given Elizabeth as a middle name, in tribute to the family's beloved matriarch.

But Harry and Meghan took it a step further when they named their daughter Lilibet, the deeply personal term of endearment for the former monarch used only by her closest family and friends.

In fact, I understand that the Queen was so upset by the Sussexes' decision that she told aides: 'I don't own the palaces, I don't own the paintings, all I own is my name. And now they've taken that with them.'

In any case, Harry and Meghan would not have intended to cause her grief.

Barricaded in their Californian cocoon, covered in the cozy schmaltz of their new showbiz life, it simply wouldn't have occurred to the couple that such a gesture would be offensive.

But it appears that it did – as well-placed sources made clear to me and others at the time.

This week the row broke out again thanks to my colleague Robert Hardman's excellent – ​​and well-researched – new biography of King Charles III, published in the Daily Mail.

Hardman says a member of the late queen's staff told him she was “as angry as I'd ever seen her” after the Duke and Duchess publicly stated they wouldn't have used her private family nickname if she wasn't “supportive ' Has been.

They were responding to a story published not by one of the popular British newspapers that the Sussexes so openly despise, but by the BBC.

The national broadcaster's royal correspondent Jonny Dymond reported that a 'Palace source' had told him that the Queen had 'never been asked by Harry and Meghan' about the use of her childhood nickname.

Dymond said his source had “disputed” reports after the name announcement that Harry and Meghan had spoken to the Queen to obtain her blessing.

It's what many of us said in 2021, one way or another.

But the fact that the BBC – the world's largest public broadcaster – now declared it had added a whole new level of seriousness.

The Sussexes' spokesperson wasted no time in denouncing the report, insisting the Queen was the first family member Harry called with the joyful news of the birth of his long-awaited daughter.

He said that during their conversation, he “shared their hope to name their daughter Lilibet in her honor.” If she hadn't supported her, they wouldn't have used the name'.

They then used their favorite law firm, Schillings, to send a letter to the BBC and other media threatening action, suggesting that the report that the Queen had not been asked for consent was “false and defamatory and should not be repeated may be'.

It is striking that the BBC has not intervened.

There were further questions for the couple when it later emerged that they had registered Lilibet Diana as a 'domain name' on the internet before their daughter's birth and had apparently asked the Queen for permission.

To be honest, I wasn't told at the time that the Queen was 'angry'. That was a word I personally never used.

But what at least two sources made clear – reluctantly, I might add, since in the aftermath of their score-settling interview with Oprah, everyone at Buckingham Palace was treading on eggshells for fear of further hostilities with the Sussexes – was that the suggestion that they had done which sought the Queen's approval was a rather one-sided interpretation of what had actually happened.

As described to me, the then 95-year-old monarch was surprised when her grandson told her that he intended to name his daughter Lilibet in her honor, but she felt, given the circumstances, that she could not . say no.

You could describe it as being pushed into an impossible corner.

And that certainly makes sense when you now consider her comment about “palaces and paintings” which, like most of her jewelry, cars and even furniture, were never hers.

In most respects, she was simply its steward for future generations on behalf of the nation.

But her pet name, Lilibet, which stuck after she could never pronounce her own name correctly as a toddler, was hers – and hers alone.

In fact, until then it had only been used by her grandfather, her parents, her late husband and a handful of her closest friends and relatives.

As someone who had enjoyed a flawless career as an international stateswoman, the aging queen still seemed ready to bite her lip (in public, that is) – until she saw her name being weaponized by lawyers in a battle against the British public service. broadcaster.

And according to Robert Hardman, despite posting their well wishes on social media, Buckingham Palace flatly refused to be 'co-opted' into 'supporting' Harry and Meghan's version of events.

They firmly 'rejected' their requests to do so, which ultimately led to the Sussexes' threats of legal action quietly disappearing.

In reality, it's quite sad that a child's name continues to cause resentment. Little Lilibet doesn't deserve any of this.

But the fact that loyal aides are still talking about it even now shows that many regard the Sussexes' behavior towards the late queen in the waning days of her reign as misguided at best and inexcusable at worst.

Sealed with a kiss, a new era begins for the oldest monarchy in the world. Cheered by hundreds of thousands of his shivering subjects, Frederick

A little later he was joined by his new queen, Mary, and their four children. Finally, the new king and queen gave the people what they wanted: a kiss.

Here was a scene that was more reminiscent of a royal wedding than an abdication, but then the Queen was wearing a white dress and we were in truly uncharted territory.

No Danish monarch had done what the outgoing Queen Margrethe II did yesterday. Only two weeks earlier she announced that she was stepping aside, at the age of 83.

Previously, she had always maintained that she would never resign. “You're in it for life,” she told me in 2012.

This explains why the Danes were so stunned by the regal bombshell in her annual New Year's Eve broadcast to the country. Extensive back surgery last year, she said, guided her decision. Yesterday it seemed as if a large proportion of Denmark's six million residents had come to the capital to say both hello and hello as she handed over the crown to her eldest son.

Not that there was any prospect of it being placed on his head. Denmark has not physically crowned a monarch since the introduction of a new democratic constitution in 1848. The closest thing a Danish sovereign has to wearing the Christian V-crown at his own funeral is when it is placed on the coffin.

Copenhagen was devastated all day as crowds of people – up to fifty people deep in some places – tried to get a good vantage point. There was also a particularly large media contingent from Australia, where royalists raved about the world's first Australian queen, in the form of Tasmania-born Mary.

The city was a sea of ​​red and white and everyone apparently owned a Dannebrog, as the Danes call their national flag.

The proceedings began with a smiling, waving Queen Margrethe traveling from Amalienborg Palace (Royal Headquarters) to Christiansborg Palace (Parliament) in the Golden Wedding Anniversary Carriage, escorted by the mounted squadron of the Guard Hussar Regiment. Her heir and daughter-in-law traveled in 1958 in the royal Rolls-Royce, the flagship of the royal fleet.

In the Danish Palace of Westminster, Margrethe sat next to Frederick as she signed the end of her 52-year reign. She then handed the document to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and stood up, still smiling but with tears in her eyes. As she was handed her baton by new Crown Prince Christian, she delivered a composed, parting speech, “God save the King.”

She then returned home in the Rolls-Royce, with her only escort, four police officers, jogging alongside the car. With crowds of this size and few crowd barriers, they seemed somewhat ineffective. Here was a reminder of the famous wartime response to the German soldier who asked why her grandfather, Christian

After signing his accession document, the new king appeared on the balcony, palpably stunned by the sight and warmth of the welcome before him. In Britain it is Garter King of Arms who proclaims a new monarch. In Denmark this is the Prime Minister.

In a variation on the 'recognition' element of our coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey (where the 'undisputed' monarch is presented to each cardinal direction), Mrs Frederiksen formally proclaimed the new king to the left, to the right and straight. Frederick X then put on his glasses to read a short speech. “My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” he declared. 'It's a task I've been approaching all my life. It is a task that I take on with pride, respect and pleasure.' At which point he was joined by his queen and then their children, Christian, 18, Isabella, 16, and twins Vincent and Josephine, 13. After the children returned inside, the king and queen, holding hands, exchanged a meaningful smile as she heard more and more calls for a kiss – and he duly obliged. Let out the loudest cheer of the day. It was an emphatic response to the gossip following the king's meeting last year in a Madrid nightclub with a Mexican socialite (who strongly denied any inappropriate behavior).

It was now the turn of the new monarch and his consort to receive the full arsenal of a mounted escort as they rode home in the royal carriage.

Meanwhile, messages of goodwill poured in from world leaders, including a tribute from the world's second-newest monarch. “I look forward to ensuring that the enduring bond between our countries and our families remains strong,” Charles III wrote (after also writing privately to Margrethe).

I think we can predict a state visit in one direction or another quite quickly.