today at five, the royal family is said to be ‘hurt‘ and disappointed as prince harry and his wife meghan step back from royal duties. there are questions about how the couple will live and fund themselves as they carve out what they call "a progressive new role‘ for themselves, public opinion seems divided. the royal family that we are left with now, is less diverse and quite frankly, it's not the true reflection of what the current world is. i believe they're going do what they want to do. like i said, i wish them all the best in the choice they make in life. inaudible here at buckingham palace there is disappointed that the queen nor other senior members of the royal family at work consulted ahead of the announcement.

we'll be looking at the changing face of the royal family. the other main stories on bbc news at 5. the ukrainian plane that crashed in iran killing 176 people on board, president trump says he has suspicions about the cause. a&e departments in england record their worst ever performance, it follows a big rise in the number of patients. more signs of a tough christmas for the high street, john lewis may not pay their annual staff bonus. and tipped for stardom, we'll hear from the singer from brighton who's been named the bbc‘s sound of 2020.

our main story at five is that the royal family is said to be hurt and disappointed, after prince harry and his wife meghan announced last night they're stepping back from royal duties. it's understood the couple did not consult the queen or anyone else in the royal family about their decision. there are now huge questions about where the couple are going to live, and how they're going to earn an income. buckingham palace says there are ‘complicated issues to work through‘. our royal correspondent sarah campbell joins us now from the palace, sarah. while international news teams have been broadcasting from here all day as the story continues to make headlines around the globe. it's not just the contents of that statement that was released yesterday evening about the way in which prince harry and meghan chose to reveal their intentions. he thought they didn't ca re intentions. he thought they didn't care they need to inform the queen, the prince of wales, and prince william before publishing that

statement. that we understand, has caused disappointment and hurt. that we understand, has caused disappointment and hurt. on tuesday, harry and meghan arrived at canada house. it was their first engagement after a much—needed six—week break spent with their son, archie, away from the media glare. at the time it was assumed this hailed their return to work as high—profile members of the royal family. that assumption couldn't have been more wrong, as their statement, released yesterday evening, revealed... it's not yet clear what that progressive new role might mean for the couple and their position within the palace hierarchy. i see them now, to some extent, as setting up a kind of rival royal court or institution away from things, which frankly never

really works because the main job of the royal family is to support the monarch, whoever that happens to be. prince philip, princess anne, absolutely brilliant, they were always there when they needed, when they weren't needed they quietly pursued their own endeavours, and i don't see why you can't work within the system. may 2018, the wedding which delighted millions around the world now seems a very long time ago. they represented inclusivity and in many people's eyes they broadened the appeal and relevance of the royal family, but that harry and meghan were very unhappy was clear in interviews they gave during their tour of southern africa last year. my british friends said to me, "i'm sure he's great "but you shouldn't do it because the british tabloids "will destroy your life." and i very naively, i'm american, we don't have that there, "what are you talking about?" prince harry had accused the uk tabloid media of conducting a ruthless campaign against meghan. many of their supporters believe

at least some of the attacks on her are racist in nature and that their decision to take a step back from royal duties is completely understandable. the best way we can compare this is probably to diana when she left the royal family after the divorce, shortly before her death. she strived to set out on her own, her own charitable humanitarian works, her own foundation, her own funding in that way because of who she was and that is going to benefit the couple in terms of people are interested, invested in them in that way, want to support them and the great causes they have championed but the question is how they do that outside the official royal funding and outside the royal family while still supporting the queen? so what now? the couple plan to divide their time between the uk and north america, striving to become financially independent, and will soon launch their own charitable foundation. a brief statement released by buckingham palace after the couple's intentions had been made public described

the situation as complicated. while there has been no more official statements from the palace today other than to which the duchess of cambridge happy 38th birthday. clearly still many questions to be answered. where will bea questions to be answered. where will be a with? you will pay for their security because? since they are not full time working at royals. how exactly a re full time working at royals. how exactly are they going to earn that money? how are they going to cash in on the royal name? after that initial fairly terse statement by buckingham palace highlighting the complications fs, already it seems that mood music is slightly changing if you'd like. that is a willingness a bit within the palace to make this work, as that is seen as the best, for the royal family. sat work, as that is seen as the best, for the royalfamily. sat many thanks. harry and meghan say they intend to become financially independent.

running a royal household will entail significant costs, not least on security. but some commentators have suggested the couple could develop lucrative business ventures. 0ur correspondent keith doyle has this assessment of how the couple might earn their income, away from the royal family. and a warning, his report contains flash photography. the duke and duchess of sussex say they are looking forward to becoming financially independent. as senior royals in receipt of the sovereign grant, formerly the civil list, the sussexes are currently unable to earn money. the royal duties are paid for by the taxpayer. they say just 5% of their costs are paid for by the sovereign grant, the rest comes from the prince of wales' duchy income. prince charles gave £4.9 million to his sons last year. it's thought harry received just less than half that. harry and meghan say they want to be released from the financial tie of the sovereign grant.

that will open up many lucrative sources of income to them. keeping their titles will no doubt be an income booster. they have recently trademarked their sussex royal brand on products including t—shirts and books. meghan may restart her lucrative lifestyle blog, the tig, shut down when she got married. that was created by the same toronto—based company that made the new royal sussex website. the obvious areas where they potentially could make money inherited around £7 million from his mother diana's estate, as well as a trust fund set up by his great—grandmother, the queen mother, thought to be worth £3 million. meghan earned as much as £4 million from her acting career. the couple say they will keep frogmore cottage in windsor, which the taxpayer paid £2.4 million towards renovating last year.

but dividing their time between the uk and north america will mean increased travel and security costs, as well as running two houses and private offices. harry and meghan hope what they call their "progressive new role" will allow them to be financially independent. the question is, at what cost to the reputation of the monarchy? keith doyle, bbc news. david mcclure is the author of royal legacy, an investigation into the royal finances, he's with me now. just explain the first of all, where they get their money at the moment and how that will change? at the moment the main source of funding for the public duties comes from prince charles. i bounded out £5 million from his private estate, the duchy of cornwall, to pay for it mary —— harry and meghan. it's maybe not too million addition to that they get some public money from a

sensor they get some public money from a sensor net grant. it comes on the taxpayer. that pays office costs, but mostly for travel. for their ex officio travel. all of that money comes from, the bulk of that money comes from, the bulk of that money comes from, the bulk of that money comes from prince charles. that is ended question if it is true, they are going to do much fewer public duties again in theory, they should be getting less money from prince charles. whether or not he will reduce, turn off the top, is another matter. is still going to have big costs ? matter. is still going to have big costs? that is the elephant in the room. everyone does it because of the monarchy which is about £82 million, in addition to the sovereign grants as the cost of security, which may be well over £100 million. even if they are paying -- £100 million. even if they are paying —— pursuing a less full role, they are still going to need

maximum—security and also if they are spending a lot of time in canada and america which we are hearing, that might be more expensive. it might cost a whole lot more for royal protection officers to look overfor them and royal protection officers to look over for them and carried royal protection officers to look overfor them and carried out royal protection officers to look over for them and carried out than if he is on the doorstep in windsor. because could be quite high. they say they want to be financially and independent, how dealing vision then earning a living? that was the most curious line in the statement coming out last night. almost unprecedented for senior royals to make independent, had an independent income like that. there are ways to make money, if they are going to be in america they could go on a lecture tour, very lucrative, they could do tv work. no doubt that could do tv work. no doubt that could be the content. but they are stepping into a minefield. if they are going to continue, part—time working royals, pursuing public

duties, at the same time doing private income i don't think that you will next. some went on the time they're going to treading on political issues. i don't think buckingham palace will like that very much. did think you can be a semi detached from the royalfamily? half and half out as they are seen to be proposing? i don't think you can in the present arrangement. if they want to do this if they want to step back, i think they will have to step back, i think they will have to step out totally. if they really wa nt to step out totally. if they really want to earn a private income. whether or not there is an argument in the long time, there should be a more flexible monarchy which allow somejunior girls to more flexible monarchy which allow some junior girls to earn an income, that might be the case. maybe the present system is to the agenda. which apply to george v, mary present clean, it's not applicable to the younger generation. to do it the way they are doing that, without any coordination with the palace,

just enough —— announcing one day i'm going to do it my way. that's not going to work. what you think a dealer that announcements the lack of consultation, with a clean or anyone else in the palace or indeed prince charles, that hasn't worked out very well for harry and meghan has it? no it hasn't but it hasn't worked well for the palace either. a lack of the message coordination, you saw that with prince andrew and a newsnight interview. someone needs to get a hold file, i think a lot of things are happening without the palace knowing what's going on. thank you very much indeed for being with us. the author of royal legacy thank you. the author of royal legacy thank you. us officials are being reported as saying they now believe that the ukrainian passenger plane with crashed with 176 people on board was possibly shot down by an iranian missile. downing street says it is urgently

looking into reports that a ukrainian airlines flight may have been shot down. a spokesman for the prime minister said the reports were "very concerning" and the government wanted to see a "full, transparent investigation". in the last few minutes president trump has been speaking about that crashed plane. i have my suspicions and other people have suspicions also. it's a tragic thing when i see that. it's a tragic thing when i see that. it's a tragic thing. somebody might have made a mistake on the other side. they could've a mistake, it was flying that nike has nothing to do with us. it was flying a pretty

rough neighbourhood. somebody could have made a mistake. some people say it was mechanical, i don't think it isa it was mechanical, i don't think it is a question personally. we will see what happens. that's up to ben. at some point babel released a black box. ideally they get it to boeing, but if they gave it to france or some other country that would be ok too. ideally, that will be released. i believe that will... something very terrible happened. very devastating. very devastating. let's speak to our correspondent in washington, gary 0'donoghue. to bea to be a growing sense in the white house and and in the us administration that this airliner was somehow shut down better than being an accidental failure. yes we are hearing from our cbs news partners that us officials are

confident that this ukrainian airliner was shot down. they believe it was shot down possibly by two iranian as 15 and nestles according to the reports from the intelligence services, got a lock on from the radar. some players and been an explosion of some kind. you remember the plane itself was only about two minutes off of the ground. it was barely at 8000 feet when it com pletely lost barely at 8000 feet when it completely lost contact with the ground. and then it crashed in a huge fireball putting all of those 170 odd passengers including 83 iranians and bits, and a lot of canadians and ukrainians as well dying. this is all being investigated at the moment. we are waiting for clarification, but of course at the moment the iranians are refusing to release the black

boxes. you had to presidents' day or that perhaps a third country could get to examine them, france or someone get to examine them, france or someone like that. clearly they were against a clear indication of what would happen. eventually give a number, there was a suggestion of a massive engine failure. that was taking off their website with the announcement was made by the airline initially. i think they felt it was pretty quick to decide what the actual cause of the crash was at that point. they questioned him now be whether or not this was an hostile act or accidental act. there is history at this happening, you remember back in 1988, the us shut down an iranian passenger airliner carrying 290 people in the same part of the world. lots and lots of questions at the moment. the

president bear ruling out the mechanicalfailure. whether president bear ruling out the mechanical failure. whether he president bear ruling out the mechanicalfailure. whether he is doing that on the intelligence that he got on a hunch on his part, we are not sure. the next few hours it will become a lot more clear. questions willjust be beginning at that point. to put that into context this airliner came down at my feet the same time be iranians were carrying out reprisal attacks after the assassination by the united states of one of the top generals. is the other possibility isn't dead. while this was going on, and this is pure speculation on my part, dictate mistake this plane for some sort of threat to themselves because they we re threat to themselves because they were on heightened alert in terms of their own nestles going out of the country? diesel baby kinds questions that will be asked because obviously there are a lot of iranians on

board. if, ifi there are a lot of iranians on board. if, if i stress, if they weren't responsible for bringing this and lie down and killing a punch at their compatriots in the process , punch at their compatriots in the process, that would seem an extraordinary thing to do it deliberately and any setting. there are so many questions that we are still waiting for any confirmation, any proof that the administration might have on this. of course, let tehran that will say will be of paramount importance in the investigation. many thanks gary. the headlines on bbc news: the royal family is said to be ‘hurt‘ and disappointed as prince harry and his wife meghan step back from royal duties. us officials are being reported as saying they now believe that the ukrainian passenger plane which crashed with 176 people a&e departments in england record their worst ever performance — it follows a big rise

in the number of patients. and sport it is a marriage bat. 0ne of bookmakers and cried rights to the quiet that to show the matches. the fda has been criticised for the deal. he is leaving his manager at the manchester city limited to become an assistant manager with united states. as to his final match in charge will be at home i next month. he has been to find a 15% of his match found the second test after swearing during england's victory. and microphones and picked up victory. and microphones and picked up the microphone. i'll be back with more of the stories and breaking news and all of that at 5:30 p:m.. accident and emergency departments in england saw record waiting times for patients last month.

one in five patients seeking emergency care was forced to wait more than four hours in december, that's the worst figure since the target was introduced 16 years ago. nearly 100,000 of the sickest patients faced hours stuck on trolleys, and waiting in corridors, while beds were found for them. dominic hughes reports. accident and emergency departments across england are busier than ever. during 2019, a million more patients attended than the previous year. an ea rlier—than—expected outbreak of flu hasn't helped, but doctors say staffing shortages, combined with a growing and ageing population, are putting the system under intense pressure. it's very, very busy. patients are queueing up and hospitals are jam—packed. this is as bad as it's been over the last few years. i do remember it one year worse, and that was when we had the flu epidemic about ten years ago, but since then, it's been a steady ratcheting up of pressure and it's as bad now as it's been

in my recent memory. in december alone, more than two million people attended a&e departments in england, a rise of 6% on the previous year. only four out of five people were seen within four hours, well below the 95% target. ambulance services also saw their busiest month, managing an average of more than 25,000 incidents a day. but the whole system is struggling. paul goddard has already been waiting months for a much delayed hip replacement operation. my problem's been going on since 2018 and since i started on this road i've seen doctors and specialists, physiotherapy teams and, you know, now got to the point where, ah, we think the operation's going to be done on easter 2020. now they're telling me it could well be christmas 2020. growing patient demand and a shortage of qualified doctors and nurses is taking its toll, so hospitals are asking

people to think carefully before visiting a&e. we're opening more beds and to do that we need more nurses, but it's really important that the public stay healthy, if they can. so, there's still time to get your flu jab because flu is still around, and there are other services that can give you health advice, such as our 111 call lines and local pharmacies. experts say the entire health and social care service is facing its toughest winter in years and whilst solutions are available, things are unlikely to improve any time soon. there is light at the end of the tunnel but the tunnel is very long. to really be able to improve performance of the nhs we need to be able to recruit 100,000 staff. the government's committed to recruiting 50,000 nurses, that won't happen overnight. nhs managers spent months planning for the pressures this winter would inevitably bring, but today's figures show that soaring demand is placing immense strain on services. dominic hughes, bbc news.

in an exclusive interview with the bbc‘s countryfile programme the secretary of state for the environment has said chlorine—washed chicken and hormone—treated beef will not be allowed into the uk under any trade deal with the us. in an edition of the programme to be aired on january 26th theresa villiers told presenter tom heap that the current eu ban on such imports will be carried over into uk legislation following brexit. we will not be importing chlorinated chicken. we will not be importing hormone treated beef. both of those are illegal under eu law, which we are inputting into our domestic system. you are importing the eu law? yes. that's very interesting and i and intrigued to know that that's going to guarantee even though in a few years time, donald trump and his team are sitting there saying" i'm only going to give you this deal if you allow our meat imports at our standards cutting into this country." your government is going to hold the line? we will hold the line.

our business corresopndent victoria fritz joins us. how significant is this? no chlorinated chicken. how significant is what she was saying that? significant live first on the cabinet has been explicitly stated there will be no chlorinated chicken or hormone beef coming into the uk regardless of any kind of trade deal. there has been for increased pressure is the last six months, nine months coming from the united states in terms of what this deal might look like. this process of coordinating things is actually being used by the eu to treat things like vegetables. the us has been saying if you can do it for vegeta bles saying if you can do it for vegetables and it's a good way of getting rid of salmonella and other bacteria at why not meet? the chlorination is not harmful in of itself is very important to state that. the issue of why it is required in the first place.

chickens and house closely together are likely to get illness from each other. it raises issues and questions about the production line, better health and safety, health —— the animal welfare. these issues, that's a huge relief to lots of poultry farmers and beef farmers in the uk who have been concerned about what a big flood of implicated me it would do to their own industry here. victoria thank you so very much. we ta ke victoria thank you so very much. we take you to the house of commons now it is the third leading of the european withdrawal agreement dl. the brexit deal. that is very likely to be passed now that the government have such a big majority. in contrast to all the knife edge brexit comments that it's that we saw last year. let's go to dickie

young cheese correspondent who is in the lobby at the house is in the lobby at the houses of parliament. talk this through of what is about to happen and what will that happen. this is the end stages of the bill in the house of commons. it has been pulled over by mps. the majority and 80, this is now searching to go through. if it goes to the house of lords if they don't change it it is the end of the matter. it is putting borisjohnson agreement into law. we talked about this a lot in the last three months and years, it sorts out the divorce payments if you'd like that the uk will pay to the eu. it means that we got into this transition period once the uk leaves on the 31st of january. nothing changes for 11 months, we stand by all the arrangements that currently exist, while those next page —— phase of the agreements takes place.

sorting out all of those details before the end of the year. boris johnson has said that he is not going to extend that transition period where everything stays the same. he wants it sorted out by the end of the year. let us listen to the result. order! the ice to the right 330. the nose to the right 321. cheering in the eyes to the right, 330, the nos to the left, 231. the ayes have it cannot said abigail a clear

majority of 1994 the government stop start contrast. dm notice defeat suffered by two bees that made the first time she put a meeting meaningful vote. about a year ago it was when she lost by 230 votes, a penny for her thoughts right now with giclee snacks and changes to the deal she did particularly around northern ireland. a lot at this withdrawal agreement is very similar to the wind for former prime minister did negotiate. that means that this custody house of lords. they could make changes that would then come back to comments to be overturned, there is no question i think, at the lights would go against what the elected house of commons once. particularly after that large window for boys johnson and a conservative cabinet. quite a moment after the last few months and yea rs, moment after the last few months and years, where moment after the last few months and yea rs, where votes moment after the last few months and years, where votes have been on a knife edge. a hung parliament next they were endless and frankly and ——

wrangling, this is now sailed through the house of commons. making sure that plans are in place and for the next 11 months so that nothing really changes. it gives certainty for the next 11 months while there is more uncertain negotiations of the line about the future relationship. between the uk and be easier. now it's time for a look at the weather with lucy martin. it is looking very changeable over the next two days we had seen it rains and health know and i'll send some sunshine. it is looking like a fairly rush—hour across other parts of england and wales that rain will work its way east as we move through tonight. cleaver spells spending in from the north a few showers for western scotland and under clear skies temperatures that really well get away. moses as well as my 96 and

seven. a frosty start to the day tomorrow a few patches of ice not add of the question as well. try and find weather through the daylight hours tomorrow starting to turn claudia rain picking at the north and west and the wind strengthening later. temperatures around 69 celsius. weekend saturday is looking like a windy day across the blood. the southeast entire weather see some persistent rain pushing into the north. sunday brings a mixture of sunny spells and chalets, temperatures depicting bar and a from saturday. this is bbc news. the headlines. the royal family is said to be ‘hurt‘ and disappointed as prince harry and his wife meghan step back from royal duties. public opinion seems divided.

the royal family that we are left with now is less diverse and, quite frankly, is not the true reflection of what the current world is. they're going to do what they're going to do it like i said, i wish them all the best for all of the choices they make in life. us officials are being reported as saying they now believe that the ukrainian passenger plane with crashed with 176 people on board was possibly shot down by an iranian missile. i have my suspicions. i do not want to say that because of the people have those suspicions also. it is a tragic thing when i see that. it is a tragic thing. a&e departments in england record their worst ever performance — it follows a big rise in the number of patients. more signs of a tough christmas for the high street — john lewis may not pay

their annual staff bonus. let us get all of the sports news now. tottenham have suffered a huge blow this afternoon — with england captain harry kane ruled out until april because of a hamstring injury. kane was injured in spurs defeat at southampton on new years day. his three month absence means he's set to return to training. just two months before leading england at euro 2020. kane's scored 27 goals across all competitions for club and country this season. it's emerged that bet 365 aren't the only betting company to have bought rights to show fa cup matches. a total of seven uk bookmakers have acquired rights for the next five seasons. the fa's faced criticism that the deal could lead to vulnerable people, those with gambling addictions, being directed towards a gambling website to watch matches. those companies have said they're happy for the rights to be offered to the fa or another body for free. to avoid that from happening.

nick cushing is to leave his position as manager of manchester city women to take up the post of assistant manager with new york city fc in the united states. 0ur women's sports reporter jo currie says the news has come as a surprise: not many people have seen this coming. they have been able to keep this under wraps which in football is very rare. but it throws testa m e nt to is very rare. but it throws testament to just how they have been during the season with manchester city since taking charge in 2013. he has managed to deliver six major trophies, including the 2016 title which was a triple winning season. just last year, he delivered the fa cup at wembley as well as the league cup, but has managed to recruit international players. he has also nurtured the careers of england youngsters. he has proven himself on almost every level. the only trophy that has eluded and is the champions

league, he's kind of the semifinals twice but never to the final. some people may ask why is he leaving by the most high—profile jobs and women slip the world most of the answer is this move to new york city is in a fantastic opportunity to show that he can take manchester city as far as he can for now. great britain's atp cup captain tim henman says he has no plans to lead gb in the davis cup, the more traditional and long standing team event which they won back in 2015. henman's enjoyed relative success having captained the team to the quarter finals of the first atp cup, losing to hosts australia. and he's been explaining how his involvement came about. this is something that really came out of the blue. who can decide to captain and when he mentioned it, it made me think and i was delighted to accept. as disappointed with his injuries that he was not able to be

here but i have thoroughly enjoyed it and here but i have thoroughly enjoyed itandi here but i have thoroughly enjoyed it and i think they're doing a brilliantjob of it and i think they're doing a brilliant job of the it and i think they're doing a brilliantjob of the davis cup so i do not have any aspirations to do that either. england wicketkeeper jos buttler‘s been fined 15% of his match fee for swearing at south africa's vernon philander during the second test win in cape town. the stump mic. picked up buttler using a host of expletives towards philander on the final day at newlands. he's also been given one de—merit point by the icc, but is free to play in the third test next week. and darts player beau greaves has had a 16th birthday to remember. she's through to the semi finals of the women's bdo world championships in london after beating aileen de graaf of the netherlands 2—1. as you can see, a sigh of relief as davies took it all in her stride. that's all the sport for now. there's more on all those stories, inlcuding on harry kane being ruled out until april, on sportsday at 630.

let's return to our top story, that the royal family are said a loss of the people. the us government officials are not be reported as saying they believe the plane was hit by an iranian missile. more on this by speaking to chris, the transport correspondent for cbs news. thank you very much for being with us. what are you hearing about what the us believe happened to this plane? we are hearing that us officials are confident that this plane was shot down by iran. the belief is that it was a mistake, not an intentional act, but it was in fa ct an intentional act, but it was in fact shot down by an iranian missile. but we are hearing his us

intelligence picked up signals of iranian radar being turned on in the us satellite detected infrared blips of two missile launches, following a short time later by another infrared blip ofan short time later by another infrared blip of an explosion. in this tracks with the flight data that we have been able to view of this aeroplane. that it was making a pretty standard take—off and climb until about 8000 feet when all of the information just cut off. the iranian said they we re just cut off. the iranian said they were turning around to go back and there is no evidence of that based on anything we have been able to find that this happened. the flight data indicates that catastrophic midair events which would be consistent with the missile strike, there is also some new video that is coming out that may show the moment of impact that further corroborates a midair explosion type circumstance that would come out of the missile strike. to put this into context, all of this happened at a time when iran was responding to the assassination by the united states

of its top general and a time of hugely heightened tension. of its top general and a time of hugely heightened tensionm of its top general and a time of hugely heightened tension. it was just hours after the iranian missile attacks on bases in iraq. it was as the rosary to see if the us would launch a military response. so certainly iranian military units would be on high alert injust a couple of hours before this incident, the us faa had issued a notice to airmen to avoid the airspace over iran and iraq out of concern that something like this could happen. if the united states, what do they want to see happen next? because clearly the iranians have not been incredibly forthcoming about what is happened and they want about what is happened and they want a full investigation in washington? i think all parties want a clear transparent investigation. it is very important to know why this

happened because that is how you prevented from happening again. certainly there is a lot of scrutiny on boeing right now and it's 737 aircraft, so getting a clear answer as to what happened here even though it was not a 737 max, the ones that are grounded, getting a clear answer as to what happened to his aeroplane is important in the sense of understanding the bigger picture of aviation safety but also for the 176 lives that were lost, getting an a nswer lives that were lost, getting an answer as to why this people died is important. it's 737 aircraft, so getting a clear answer as to what happened here even though was not a 737 max, the ones that are grounded, getting a clear answer as to what happened to his aeroplane is important in the sense of understanding the bigger picture aviation safety but also for the 176 lives that were lost, getting an a nswer lives that were lost, getting an answer as to why this people died is important. it certainly is important to canada and the ukraine and certainly important to the minds of us intelligence. very grateful to you for your time. many thanks. let's return to our top story, that the royal family are said to be hurt and disappointed, after prince harry and his wife meghan announced last night they're stepping back from royal duties. it's understood the couple did not consult the queen or anyone

else in the royal family about their decision. take a look this scene from madame tussands, this was the royal display at the famous london attraction, but as of today. the statue of harry and meghan has been removed, leaving the queen, the duke of edinburgh and the duke of duchess of cambridge. it's fair to say that the news that meghan and harry are stepping back as senior royals has attracted a mixed reaction. we've been speaking to people in nottingham and in brixton, in london. they're both places that the royal couple visited last year to support community initiatives. it isa it is a shame that she cannot remain and be the face for the people almost but i guess it's just one of those things. if she can hang in there but if not, yeah, i wish them all the best. she could do more for

all the best. she could do more for all of the communities not being in the public eye because we all love herand we the public eye because we all love her and we will still respect her and appreciate her. the royal family that we are left with now is less diverse and quite frankly, is not the true reflection of what the current world is. people have to do it they have to do and i wish them all the best in the choices they make in life. the, the arthur edwards is a royal photographer and he's with me now. you have known harry all of his life andi you have known harry all of his life and i think you photographed him when he had been born. the day after and it was announced by the press

officer that his name is going to be henry but not necessary. never forget. we did not know she was ginger for weeks forget. we did not know she was gingerfor weeks but he forget. we did not know she was ginger for weeks but he was, forget. we did not know she was gingerfor weeks but he was, he has just been perfect over the years. they are stepping back, whatever that means, from the royal... one step from getting out altogether. quite honestly, i think that megan is uncomfortable here, she does not like it much it seems. she been over there for six weeks with harry and she is obviously sorted out things for them to do and get involved in charities and may be money raising and you know, harry has been a great ambassadorfor our and you know, harry has been a great ambassador for our country, we have followed them all of the world and he is just an amazing man followed them all of the world and he isjust an amazing man and i followed them all of the world and he isjustan amazing man and i be sad to see him go. i will. he has brought a lot of energy, a lot of

fun to the royal family but we have been on tours, when he is playing by been on tours, when he is playing rugby with the kids on the beach, he has brought a lot of energy and fun into the royal family and not doing that any more will be sad. there is clearly anger in buckingham palace, the failure to consult the queen or anybody else about this decision, do you share what they talk about hurt and disappointment? to share that?|j think and disappointment? to share that?” think he should've spoken to his father at length and disgusted. the main role of prince charles is to raise his children to be good statesmen and supporters brother and i it's done a brilliantjob on that but the fact that harry did not even bother to consult his father before putting up that statement last night and scrambling to try and correct it, the royals have to do it there when the door properly. ijust hope

he is ona when the door properly. ijust hope he is on a plane tonight or tomorrow morning to see his father and sort this out. we hearing those interviews the public, some people would agree that harry and meghan have been hounded by the press in their lives have been made very difficult by the press. 0ther their lives have been made very difficult by the press. other people think that harry has been changed by the meghan since he married her, what is your perspective? where is the hounding ? what is your perspective? where is the hounding? i have not seen it once, i've seen no paparazzi pictures that have been published of harry and meghan when they became an item. and of course, if someone is going out with a girl, it could be his wife, that is a news story. but other than that there is none. there been an american candidate for the past six weeks and not one picture appeared of them being hounded. everything we do is by invitation. you get a new from the palace and we go along and photograph them.

scotland, ireland, wales, meghan is been fantastic and embrace the people she has been selfless with them and tremendous and they're a lwa ys them and tremendous and they're always holding arms and in each other, looking in each other‘s eyes. in the last year, and the four of them, catherine, william, meghan went to church and they were a big happy family. do you think it is feasible for them to be semi detached from the royal family? to be half and half out? how can you do that? he cannot be, you either do it or you don't and that is how i feel. being a member of the royalfamily isn't just

being a member of the royalfamily isn'tjust opening things and going to children hospitals, it's about going to the queen and that is most important thing. and harry was created that. when i see that the jubilee when harry went to jamaica and a lot of the other west indian islands, people were so crazy about them, they turned up in the hundreds of thousands. to go in with his wife and live in north america, i think is sad because i remember when she went out there for prince andrew and she was out on tv, promoting this and promoting that and it is no life for harry and i think he is worth more than that than to go around because in america, she is huge, meghan is an american princess and i think harry has a lot to offer this country. thank you very much for joining us, a pleasure to talk to you as always. thank you for your

time. breaking news on the crash of the airline and iran which killed 176 people on board. american officials now believe that it was shot down by an iranian missile, president trump us an iranian missile, president trump us and the last hours of that you fear something terrible has happened. we are just young reaction now from iran possible is head of civil aviation dismissing the reports of the being hit by missiles as illogical rumours and also saying that impossible that a missile hit the ukrainian plane. that is from the ukrainian plane. that is from the iranian news agency, clear rejection there from the iranian authorities as you might expect of any claims that it was iranian missiles either one or more that

asked only brought down that ukrainian plane, killing 176 people on board. 0ur ukrainian plane, killing 176 people on board. our latest headlines. as you have been hearing, us officials are reported as saying they believe that ye ukrainian passenger plane was possibly shot down by an iranian missile. recording the worst ever performance following a big rise in the number of patients. last year was the worst on record for british retailers, according to new figures. the british retail consortium says sales fell for the first time in a quarter of a century. even the all—important christmas period saw a decline. john lewis has warned staff they may not be paid their annual bonus. our business correspondent, emma simpson, reports.

edgar the dragon, the star ofjohn lewis's big festive campaign, but it didn't set fire to sales. # i can't fight this feeling any more. ..# they were down 2% compared with the previous year. profits are also going to sink and staff may not get a bonus for the first time since the ‘50s. meanwhile, britain's biggest retailer, tesco, scraped a bit of growth in its most crucial few weeks, just 0.1%. that's deemed a success in the current market. it's been challenging at marks & spencer too. food's done well but clothing and home is down again and online weak. it feels a bit flat, christmas not delivering what many retailers had been hoping for. did you spend a bit more or a bit less this christmas? probably a bit less. why was that? financially, can't do it any more.

slightly more because there were a lot of offers on before christmas and i thought i'd seize the moment. christmas was weak for retail. new figures out today from the industry trade body show that if you add november and december together, sales actually fell. that's rare, and for 2019 as a whole, it was the worst year on record. a backdrop of political uncertainty, the timing of the election around that crucial trading period and the transformation that we're seeing in the way that we all shop have really contributed to that poor result over the year as a whole. other data today, though, shows we're spending more on experiences, from takeaway food to cinema. as ever, some retailers have done well but this year starts with another round of store closures. six debenhams will go by the end of this week, a reminder of how tough the going is for many of our biggest names.

her love of music once got her sacked, after she skipped work to write songs. but now, the soul—singer celeste has just been named as the bbc‘s sound of 2020. the award is given to artists who are tipped for success in the coming year. she joins a stellar line—up of past winners, including adele and ellie goulding. in a moment i will be speaking with the winner, celeste, but first let's hear some of her music — we have a clip in a moment i will be speaking with the winner, celeste, but first let's hear some of her music — we have a clip of her track ‘strange' # say isn't it strange? # isn't it strange? # i am still me # you are still you # in the same place

# isn't it strange? an amazing voice and you are in incredible company. what does it mean getting this award? absolutely incredible. i could have never predicted the things that happened this year and predicted the things that happened this yearand am predicted the things that happened this year and am really looking forward to seeing how it all goes from now. it sounds like it will go pretty well. just tell us, take us back, how did you first get into music, how did you get into singing was shallow there were points, various different points in my childhood when i had a voice and 1617 years old and everyone was deciding whether or not they want to

go to university or get a job straightaway and i did not want to do either. who were your big influences? because i think you started singing elton john influences? because i think you started singing eltonjohn songs, aretha franklin. used to cover songs in my earliest memories of music we re in my earliest memories of music were hearing aretha franklin and all the different sorts of singers and al green and bill withers, that is all stuck with me and had a massive influence on me that i decided to make, really. and how hard it has been to drive through your career? we talked about you being sacked. talk about some of the challenges you faced. will be writing for quite a while now, overfive you faced. will be writing for quite a while now, over five years prioritising going to the studio because i was always stuck on that apart from anything else but it was worth it sitting here. and you want

to write your own material, you do write your material? yes, i write with at least one or two at the people and i wrote the song strange in collaboration. what kind of music, what do you try to do with your music? i take my influence from soul and jazz and it will be a blend of those two genres which i think a lwa ys of those two genres which i think always go together. but ultimately, i have always wanted to be sincere and more so than what i'm actually saying i wanted to be clear the feeling and emotion and hopefully you can hear that my voice. but lyrics are also very important to me to. what are you trying to get across? what are you singing about? it depends on how i feel, i wrote a

song called lately talking about the monotony of everyday and how loving this normal life become intertwined and sometimes it can be quite draining but then there's always a balance we can go and keep going. that is what that song is about. you have an album out or are working for an album this year. no pressure. yes, iam an album this year. no pressure. yes, i am working on an album at the moment by the end of year. you have most of the songs done for that? yes andi most of the songs done for that? yes and i am going to the studio after this. i am going to be on the radio and then go to the studio. and what about longer talked about the pressure of getting an award like this but you are being tipped for stardom whether you like it or not. but i guess that is a pretty good thing. have you thought about the future? following in the footsteps

of so many others? i wish i had a crystal ball negatives look into it and see what will happen but —— and just look. i like playing shows and writing music and that is how it goes. as was you can't really get caught up too much and dreams of the future you just have to get on and write your music and recording music and performing music. exactly, yeah. and how exciting is it to get something like this. it isjust settling in and it is feeling quite surreal. is great to talk to you, thank you so much for being with thank you so much for being with thank you so much for being with thank you very much. limit just limitjust bring you some news from

whitemore detailsjust limitjust bring you some news from whitemore details just coming in about two prisoners involved in an incident they're wearing fake suicide vests we are being told. they were carrying improvised bladed weapons and some said this is an incident that happened this morning this prisoners cells are being unlocked and one prison officer appeared to be the initial target of an attack ended officer stabbed and slashed other officers and rushed up their colleagues and the prisoner, a p pa re ntly their colleagues and the prisoner, apparently a muslim convert was jailed for an offence of violence but that is news just coming into us and we will bring you more on that as it comes into us throughout the evening. george has the news at six for you and just a couple of minutes before out the latest weather prospects. it is looking fairly changeable of the past it is somewhat windy weather and looking the drier. as we

go to tonight, we'll see the rain in the south clear towards the east and that rain can be heavy at times. we can see clear spells feeding and from the north and pressed one or two showers in western scotland didn't clear skies of the temperatures dipping away. going as low as —5 minus six celsius and with the scotland and we are looking at a first for some and a few patches of ice not out of the question. a chilly start but not a bright one as sunshine to come to the day, there could be a few isolated showers and postal areas but a lot of dry fine weather with highs around 69 celsius but the cloud will increase and strengthening winds to the north and west late r, strengthening winds to the north and west later, saturday that is looking more like a windy day across the board. the best of a drier weather in the southeast and there will be some heavy persistent rain in the north and the potential for some disruption. showers for sunday.

the changing face of the royal family, harry and meghan's decision exposes strains within the royal family, we'll have reactions from the public. the royal family that we're left with now is less diverse and quite frankly is not a true reflection of what the current world is. he'sa he's a prince at the end of the day and obviously he's got to do his duty with the queen. questions now about whether the sussexes can go it alone and still do their royal duties. also tonight... families mourning after the ukranian airlines crash, president trump suggest it may have have been shot down by mistake.