Olympics fans react with delight as Kate makes surprise return

The Prince and Princess of Wales were not the only royals who congratulated Team GB athletes as the 2024 Paris Olympics came to a close.

King Charles also released a heartwarming message from himself and the Queen as the pair sent their “warmest congratulations to the competitors and their support teams from Team GB and across the whole Commonwealth”.

“Your achievements, across so many disciplines, were forged from that invaluable combination of raw talent, true grit and hard toil over many years, burnished these past weeks by sportsmanship and team spirit in the finest tradition of the Games,” the message read.

“To those who missed out on the greatest prizes, you have most certainly not fallen short in the pride that you, too, have generated for your nations.

“As we thank France for hosting such a wonderful tournament and look to the Paralympics ahead, I can only say that you have all been an inspiration.”

The error, identified by the US Patents and Trademarks Office in July, will cost an estimated $11,382 (around £9,000) to fix.

News of American Riviera Orchard was first revealed earlier this year when the Duchess of Sussex, 42, set up a website and Instagram page for the brand.

While the pages did not reveal any of its products, it did reveal its logo and name “ARO” and the word “Montecito” – a reference to the California town where Meghan lives with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

A birthday fundraiser set up for the “rejected and abandoned” Thomas Markle has raised over £55,000.

The GoFundMe was set up by British socialite Lady Colin Campbell to show the Duchess of Sussex’s father that “there are still people in the world with good hearts, good values, and good intentions.”

Mr Markle, 80, has been estranged from his daughter Meghan, who recently turned 43, since around the time of her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. He has never met Prince Archie and Lilibet.

At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has raised £71,977 from almost 3,000 supporters.

William’s new rugged look has sparked a huge debate online as he congratulated Team GB on their Olympic effort in a new video.

In the short clip, Kate says: “From all of us watching at home, congratulations to Team GB,” before William adds: “Well done with all you’ve achieved. You’ve been an inspiration to us all.”

While her surprise appearance delighted royal fans, it was William’s new beard that stole the show with some viewers praising the look.

One social media user wrote: “William please keep growing that beard!!”

Another wrote “unshaved William” followed by two flame emojis.

Canada reportedly paid for police presence during Harry and Meghan’s visit to the country despite saying they would not use taxpayer money.

Vancouver police spent C$44,555 (£25,436) on 390.5 hours of security-related overtime during the couple’s visit in February for an Invictus Games event, CTV reported.

A representative for the Invictus Games said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security was paid for by private donors. It is also noted that the police overtime was not specifically used for Harry and Meghan as unrelated protests were also happening in the city.

“We didn’t specifically provide security for them,” a Vancouver police department spokesman told the outlet. “But we had officers in the area they were in [in] case any issues arose due to the ongoing protests in the city.”

A freedom of information request reportedly revealed the Invictus Games had paid $10,221 of the $44,555 security bill while the rest was paid for by the Canadian taxpayer.

The Duchess of Edinburgh is carrying out some royal duties today as she visits the island of Guernsey.

Sophie will attend the Association of Sail Training Organisation’s Guernsey to Poole Small Ships Race on Monday to support the organisation of which she is a patron of.

Mome residents of Colombia are claiming the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes tour of the country is being used as a distraction from corruption scandals dogging its government.

Harry and Meghan will begin a four-day tour of the country from Thursday where they will “engage with leaders, youth, and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians committed to progress.”

However, some remain unconvinced. A lawyer based in Bogota told the Mail on Sunday: “I’m sure Meghan and Harry mean well, but everyone here is talking about how obviously they are being manipulated.

“Of course, their star power will be used to bring attention to poor people and certain areas of culture in Colombia but the reality is the Colombian government has been drowning in scandal since it came in two years ago. They need something to appease people at home and make them look good abroad.”

William and Kate appeared in a video message congratulating Team GB, with a compilation of messages from celebrities including Snoop Dogg and David Beckham.

Congratulating Team GB’s heroes in a short video clip, Kate says: “From all of us watching at home, congratulations to Team GB,” before William adds: “Well done with all you’ve achieved. You’ve been an inspiration to us all.”

Following the claim that King Charles is ignoring Prince Harry’s calls, a royal expert has said that the Duke of Sussex “assumed he would be forgiven”.

Royal author Tom Quinn told The Mirror: “Despite all his criticisms Harry always assumed he would be forgiven by his father.

“He thought Charles would make amends for the hurt that – in Harry’s view – justified the criticisms.”

The Duke of Sussex, 39, has been a vocal critic of life as a working royal after stepping down in 2020 and his relationship with his family has worsened as a result.

Kate, 42, will travel to the Aberdeenshire estate to spend some quality time with her family as the royals enjoy their summer break after a difficult first half of the year.

Royal author Phil Dampier told Fabulous: “The fact that Kate is well enough to travel to Scotland and enjoy a holiday at Balmoral is a sure sign she is on the mend and a very positive step.”