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. left in a hospital trolley

for more than 2a hours, a&e departments in england record their worst ever performance. disappointing christmas sales round off the toughest year on record on the high street. the sound of 2020, 25—year—old celeste is tipped to follow in the footsteps of adele and sam smith. and in the sport on bbc news — gambling firms agree to waive their exclusive rights to show some fa cup matches some fa cup matches after criticism from the government.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the queen, prince charles and prince william have instructed their staff to try to find a way to accommodate prince harry and meghan‘s wish to go it alone. the couple's decision, announced last night, left the royal family scrambling to cope with the implications of the couple's unprecedented move. their announcement has raised a series of questions that go to the heart of how the royal family works — everything from finances to whether the sussexes will face a conflict of interest as they try to carve out what they call a new and progressive role. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. and so what now for the couple who want to do being royal their way? last night, the sussexes stunned britain's royal family by issuing their own statement saying they wanted to step back and find what they called a progressive new role which would involve them becoming financially independent and dividing their time between britain and north america. senior royals from the queen

down were said to be disappointed and hurt. for that read shocked and exasperated. yet today those feelings have moved on to a willingness to see whether a new arrangement can be worked out. the queen, the prince of wales and prince william and their senior staff have conferred during the day and directed their staff to work with the sussex household to find a solution acceptable to all sides. the issues are complex, it won't be easy. i think it's going to be very hard if not impossible to find a future modus operandi which involves being royal and not royal at the same time. i can understand why they want to do it, but history has shown us that royal duty is not really open to compromise. either you are part of the working royal machine or you're not. there is no halfway house. these are the questions about the sussexes which must be decided. first of all, their title. a hard—line approach by the palace

would be to remove their his and her royal highness styling on the basis that you cannot be half in and half out of the royal family. there is no appetite to do this. harry remains sixth in line to the british throne. second, their accommodation. there is no suggestion they would need to leave their home close to windsor castle. it is owned by the crown estate, it underwent a costly renovation for their use. third, security. at the moment the british taxpayer pays the considerable costs of royal security. the men around the couple here in south africa are all metropolitan police officers. would the taxpayer be expected to pay for the security of a semidetached royal couple? that's another issue to be worked out. finally, by far most complex issue, finance. at the moment the sussexes are financed largely by harry's father the prince of wales from his duchy of cornwall estate. to become financially independent, the sussexes would surely need to engage in commercial activities

of some kind. that is a path fraught with difficulties for the royal family. others, the earl and countess of wessex, for example, tried it and it eventually posed serious reputational issues for the royal family. the palace will resist any repetition. yet there is support for a couple who have clearly been struggling in recent months. julie montague is an american who married into the british aristocracy. she feels sympathy for meghan. meghan even said she tried to adapt to this, you know, british stiff upper lip and she tried and it didn't work. of course it's not going to work. we are american, we have grown up in a world that we were told you can be anything you want to be, you can do anything you want to do from day one. the sussexes have made their wishes known, albeit in a most imprecise fashion. the british royal family will try to find a way to satisfy those wishes. these are complex matters. more detailed proposals are expected

within a matter of days. nicholas witchell, bbc news. just two years ago, when prince harry married meghan markle, many thought they represented a new era for the royalfamily, a couple at ease with modern britain. now, they plan to spend much of their time away from the country. our correspondent sian lloyd has been speaking to people in nottingham, where two years ago, the duke and duchess chose to make their firstjoint official royal engagement. smiling and charming the crowds. when they were newly engaged, harry and meghan chose nottingham as the place to come for their first official visit together. that was just over two years ago. today, on the same street, some were disappointed by the couple's decision. i think it will be very sad for the public because there is a lot of people who would like to see them, and the royal family would not be the same without them. meghan is mixed race, which is something you don't really see a lot in the royal family and i think for that alone,

it reaches out to the general public, because there is a lot of multicultural relationships. but others in the city were more critical. it's disgusting, it really is. i think she's out to get him to move. they bought that house, they spent thousands and thousands on it and now they are going to leave it. taxpayers again. he's a prince, isn't he, at the end of the day, and obviously he's got to do his duty with the queen. so i don't know, ijust don't know how he can do that. prince harry's relationship with this city goes back to 2013. he's made a number of visits both official and unofficial to this community, st ann's, which has faced a number of challenges over the years, including high levels of crime and deprivation. people living here have described him as a champion of the area. he's described it as a place that is very special to him. with the royal couple's plans unknown, some wish them well, while others have questions about their future. i hope they know that they're always

welcome back in nottingham, they've done nothing but wonderful things here and i wish them happiness and privacy. we were saying about things like their personal security, because it is not as straightforward, is it, as just going out onto your own, do they pay for their own security now, are they...? you know, how are they going to manage without that level of protection? yeah, and does that still come out of the public purse? this first visit was seen as a confident, self—assured start by the royal couple. but tonight, they're taking a different direction and it's one that is dividing public opinion. sian lloyd, bbc news, nottingham. let's get some more now with nick which all. ijust let's get some more now with nick which all. i just wonder where all this leaves the royal family today? the first thing i think to say is that there is no appetite for a punitive approach within the palace,

no appetite to cut them loose or kick them out. there is, of course, of sympathy and understanding, particularly for harry, there is a desire to find a solution but there isa desire to find a solution but there is a recognition that it is not going to be easy. 0f is a recognition that it is not going to be easy. of course the most complicated area is the finances. royals, by that i mean ranking hrh royals really do not mix with the commercial world. if you are a member of the royal family, you cannot be seem to be capitalising on your royal status. what the palace does not want to see is this couple floating off in search of financial independence into the world of celebrities and the mega rich. remember that for the royal family, there is the spectre of another royal duke and duchess, the windsors, the former king at viii and his american bride wallis simpson who turned his back on duty and went off to america and elsewhere and who of course never really found happiness. thank you very much. president trump has said this afternnoon that the ukranian airlines plane that crashed over

iran yesterday may have been shot down by mistake. there are reports in america — based on sources in the pentagon — that iranian anti—aircraft missile crews were active in the area in the tense aftermath of the bombing of us airbases in neighbouring iraq. here in the uk, downing street says it's urgently looking into these reports. all 176 people on board, including three from britain, died when the boeing 737 came down. tom burridge has more. was this ukraine international airlines flight shot down by mistake by an irate missile? reports out of washington tonight suggest it was. us media is quoting american officials are saying satellite imagery shows the trail of two missiles. the president dismissing other theories. i have my suspicions. some people say it was mechanical, i personally don't think thatis mechanical, i personally don't think that is even a question, personally.

so we will see what happens. that is even a question, personally. so we will see what happensm that is even a question, personally. so we will see what happens. it was just five hours after iran launched a wave of missile strikes on us basesin a wave of missile strikes on us bases in iraq that the plane crashed shortly after takeoff from tehran airport. this video appears to show the plane, which seems to be on fire as it goes down. it will take months if not years to get the full crash report, led by the iranians. but they say their preliminary findings suggest the plane encountered a technical problem. they say the crew did try and turn back to the airport and the pilot made no mayday call to air—traffic control. but the ukrainians are keeping an omen mind. a senior ukrainian security official said a number of theories are being considered including terrorism, a missile strike or engine failure. this was the plane which crashed, a boeing 737. you might well have travelled on one on your holiday. major airlines use them in and out

of uk airports. this is the most popular aircraft in the world, there are thousands of them flying people every day, everywhere, we want to know what happened to. in canada, prayers for loved ones lost. eight people from toronto university were on the ukraine international airlines flight. a community in mourning. i think everyone isjust heartbroken. everyone isjust trying to process it and believe it.|j heartbroken. everyone isjust trying to process it and believe it. i saw the list of the people who died in this crash. i wasjust seeing familiar names, like, one after another to level ukraine's president paid his respects to the pilots and ci’ew. paid his respects to the pilots and crew. he wants british accident in gators to be involved. borisjohnson said he was concerned about reports

that the airliner, with 176 people oi'i that the airliner, with 176 people on board, was shot down. within the last hour, iran's civil a chief dismissed those claims as illogical rumours. tom burridge, bbc news. new figures show that accident & emergency departments in england experienced their worst month since the target for treating people within four hours was introduced 16 years ago. just under 80% of patients were seen within the time limit in december. the target is 95%. it's the third month in a row that performance has sunk to a new record low. the figure for england is lower than in scotland but still ahead of wales and northern ireland. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports. we actually walked past george originally because we didn't see him there. we were just sort of hit with patients on trolleys in the corridor. mark's 83—year—old father—in—law george waited 25 hours in hospital corridors, much of it on a trolley, before he was finally given a bed on a ward —

even though he'd had major surgery recently and another potentially serious condition. it was mayhem. there were trolleys everywhere, there were people trying to move trolleys in between the corridors to take people into x—ray and other departments to get them seen. we were quite distressed by it all. mark doesn't blame staff at shrewsbury hospital, who he says were working flat out. a trust spokesperson said there was very high demand on services and apologised that some patients were waiting longer than they should. with pressure across the system, the number going through the doors the numbers going through the doors of a&e have gone up from just over 1.5 million a month a decade ago to more than 2 million last month, but the proportion treated who are assessed within four hours in england has been falling steadily from the 95% target to just below 80% in december. what do you say to some patients who have waited many hours, over four hours to be assessed,

then maybe more hours on top of that to get treated? i would say our staff are working incredibly hard to ensure they treat patients as quickly as possible. of course they always prioritise the sickest patients first and ensure that treatment is delivered. more patients are ending up in hospitals partly because of shortcomings elsewhere. difficulties getting gp appointments for example and delays getting the social care they need to be looked after at home. this winter it feels as though that really positive impact of social care hasn't been there as much, so we are seeing delays in the system for our patients and we are seeing real pressure across the health and care system. if more beds are needed for emergency care, that means delays for patients like paul needing nonurgent operations. he has been waiting months for a hip replacement. i have seen doctors and specialists, physiotherapy teams,

and you know it's now got to the point where, oh, the operation will be done on easter 2020, now they're telling me it could well be christmas 2020. whatever the promises made about more hospitals and nurses and higherfunding, this is the state of the nhs in england right now. hugh pym, bbc news. the time is 16 minutes past six. buckingham palace orders its staff to find a way to make harry and meghan‘s go—it—alone plan work. coming up here in south—east australia people are bracing themselves for imminent evacuation orders as bushfires threaten several towns. coming up on sportsday at half past six... great britain lose in the last eight of the atp cup in sydney despite having four match points to beat australia in

the deciding doubles tie. the high street may have been dreaming of a bumper christmas but sales figures today confirm that's not the way it turned out. 0verall sales were down nearly 1% in the run up to christmas compared to last year, with food sales flat. it's capped what's become the worst year for retail sales since records began, as emma simpson reports. christmas, feels like a long time ago now. the spectacle is over. it's all been a bit subdued for retail. tesco, our biggest grocer. christmas delivered sales growth of 0.1%. that cou nts delivered sales growth of 0.1%. that counts as a success delivered sales growth of 0.1%. that counts 3s a success in delivered sales growth of 0.1%. that counts as a success in this market. we usually splash out on festive food but not this year it seems. this is the slowest christmas we have seen for the last 15 years, and

it really started three to six months ago. people are simply not buying any more food and they have changed the way they are shopping. people are not treating themselves, whether it is buying less christmas crackers, they simply are not treating themselves this christmas like they used to. food kept the tills ringing at marks & spencer but it is clothing and home sales that failed to sparkle. john lewis has long been a festive winner. not this year. edgar the dragon failed to ignite sales. they were down 2% compared with the previous year, profits are also going to sing and staff may not get a bonus for the first time since the 1950s. did you spend a bit more or a bit less this christmas? probably a bit less. why is that? financially i can't do it any more. slightly more

because there were offers on before christmas. why did you spend less? because after the year of all of the uncertainty and wanting to be careful. christmas has been weak for retail. the industry trade body says it has contributed to what has been the worst year on record for sales. it was a tough christmas but it was a tough hole of 2019. a backdrop of uncertainty, politically, and all of us as consumers uncertainty, politically, and all of us as consumers being more conscientious in terms of our spending. there were some winners. we spend more on takeaways and cinema trips, and some retailers have also bucked the trend. the industry hopes this year will be brighter, but it is off to a grim start. debenhams will close 19 stores by the end of this month and mothercare will disappear from the high street altogether. emma simpson, bbc news. counter terrorism police

from scotland yard are investigating an assault on five prison officers by two inmates at whitemoor top security jail. it's understood one prison officer was stabbed and slashed with a blade during the attack. here's our home affairs correspondent, june kelly. we hear of troubles in prisons, how different is this one? how significant is it? the two inmates involved were wearing fake suicide vest and had armed themselves with improvised weapons. 0ne vest and had armed themselves with improvised weapons. one of the inmates is convicted of terrorism, the other is a muslim convert who is inside for a crime of violence. in all, five prison officers were involved in the assault, but one of them, who appears to have been the target of the attack, he has serious injuries not said to be life threatening but nevertheless he was slashed and stabbed with the bladed weapon. whitemoor a prison housing

some of the country's most dangerous offenders including a number of people convicted of terrorism. scotla nd people convicted of terrorism. scotland yard's people convicted of terrorism. scotland ya rd's counter terrorism command are now investigating. thank you very much. boris johnson's withdrawal agreement bill that will take the uk out of the european union at the end of this month has comfortably passed through the house of commons. mps voted 330 to 231 in favour of the government's brexit deal. the bill covers the rights of eu citizens, the planned 11—month transition period, and customs arrangements for northern ireland. it now goes to the house of lords for scrutiny. with hotter weather predicted tomorrow and high winds on saturday, authorities in australia are warning residents in high—risk areas to leave home. the australian prime minister has confirmed 27 people have died in the bushfires so far. hundreds of firefighters are deployed in the worst—affected areas of victoria and new south wales.

clive myrie reports from eden, a seaside town that was first evacuated just days ago and is once again under threat. hello, george. the people of this area bracing themselves for imminent evacuation orders. i will show you pa rt evacuation orders. i will show you part of the reason why behind me. the fire front that has already destroyed much in its path is sending out hot embers way ahead of the main wall of flames and some of those who have ignited a woodchip mill. that is the blaze you are seeing there. there is another heading here from the opposite direction, so double jeopardy potentially for this area. eden was evacuated seven days ago because of the fear of flames. people ended up on the beach sheltering down there and asa on the beach sheltering down there and as a result the authorities have said naval ship adelaide is ready to ta ke said naval ship adelaide is ready to take evacuees away. that fire front

heading here from that direction is a colossal 40—60 kilometres long. it really is unbelievable to get the sense of the scale of the tragedy here, and as a result, with the hot winds predicted today and the hot temperatures of possibly a0 degrees plus, there is a real possibility of damage. this area, it is famous with tourists. many people come here to do whale watching, but the numbers are down by about 80% so that is affecting local businesses. while it is whale watching people are normally doing here, today frankly they will be watching the fires. clive, thank you very much. the soul singer celeste has topped the bbc‘s sound of 2020 poll, which aims to predict the biggest musical talents tipped for success in the coming year. celeste, who's 25 and was raised in brighton, follows in the footsteps of previous winners

adele, sam smith and ellie goulding. she was chosen by a panel of 170 music industry figures. here's our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba. # it wouldn't move # what could i?do...# the soulful sound of celeste. # i touch your? head...# the young singer raised in brighton, who's been named the bbc‘s sound of 2020. well, i can't wait now to see what the rest of the year looks like. i think you can never predict, even though sometimes you really want to, like, look into a glass ball and see what's going to happen. but, no, i'mjust, like, so thrilled and excited and, yeah, i can't wait. # i don't want to put on pressure when i'm talking to you...#. she's already made appearances on shows like later withjools holland and now she's following in the footsteps

of previous sound of winners, the likes of whom include ellie goulding, sam smith and adele. one of the most important things for me is that it will hopefully mean that more people hear my music and are aware that i'm making music. a confident live performer who played glastonbury‘s introducing stage in 2019, 2020 will bring different pressures. there's an element that, like, now there's a heightened expectation, potentially, that you really want to make sure you live up to it. but ultimately, like i said, it is encouraging, so, yeah, it's cool. the new year will bring new music, which she hopes willjustify the industry's faith in her. lizo mzimba, bbc news. # from strangers to friends, friends into lovers...#.

time for a look at the weather. here's helen willetts. not such a lovely weather forecast u nfortu nately not such a lovely weather forecast unfortunately with wind and rain and a succession of low pressure running in off the atlantic. this one at the moment, and this one heading in for later tomorrow, so actually we will have a drier interlude. across southern areas, pretty miserable conditions with the rain. a few showers as well from scotland, but it isa showers as well from scotland, but it is a drying picture if you like. the rain eases away from east anglia and the south—east through early hours tomorrow, then under starry skies it will be frosty across the northern half of the country with temperatures dipping in the south. the concern is for damp surfaces. 0therwise the concern is for damp surfaces. otherwise we are looking at a decent day on friday, a dry end to the week for most of us. the wind picks up

later, ushering in more rain, but for most of us it is a mostly dry day. not as cold in the north because the winds are coming in from the atlantic, mixing up the air and getting rid of the chill, but bringing with it more rain. but at least it's mild. but unfortunately air holds more water so some parts of scotland, northern ireland and the north west england could get up to 150 millimetres of rain through the course of friday evening and overnight. the concern is there for some flooding, also strong winds whipping it up. it looks mostly dry across southern and eastern areas, mostly cloudy and windy on saturday, but the wind should blow the rain away. not as much, then we are left with a day of sunny spells and showers. the scattering of showers easing on sunday but it will feel cooler, but it looks like the brighter, drier day of the weekend

at the moment. thank you, helen. a reminder of our top story... buckingham palace orders staff to find a way to make harry and meghan‘s go it alone planned work. that's all from the bbc news at six so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

buckingham palace orders and staff to find a way to make harry and megan's go it alone plan work after they announced that they will be stepping back from real life. 0fficials reported as saying that they believe the ukrainian passenger plane which crashed with 176 people

on board was possibly shot down by an iranian missile. i have my suspicions. i don't want to say that because others have their suspicions also. it is a tragic thing. departments in england record their worst ever performance departments in england record their woi’st ever performance more departments in england record their worst ever performance more signs of a tough christmas on the high street. they may not be able to pay their annual staff bonus. in moment it it'll be time for sports day but what else is coming this evening on bbc news. after suffering a heart attack. 0n the report that the ukrainian plaintiffs had by missile, how that scenario could've played out. and later, will be taking a look