this report from our royal correspondent nicholas witchell contains some flashing images. once again, a very clear victory for the duchess of sussex in her battle in which she's been strongly backed by her husband against the tabloid media. at the heart of this case is the publication by the mail on sunday of lengthy extracts

nicholas witchell. of an intruder at windsor castle during the course of the morning. we are told that thames valley and metropolitan police were in charge of royal protection. no suggestion it is a terrorist incident, but it does involve the met. a19—year—old man from southampton was arrested. he remains in custody. thames valley police investigation is ongoing following the incident. they are working with colleagues from the med. it says, the man arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site, and possession of an offensive weapon. he remains in custody. we will come of course, bring us more of that story should be gutted in the next hour. —— should we get it. pope francis has called for more dialogue and warned against a tendency to withdraw during the coronavirus pandemic. here's the pope addressing a crowd at saint peter's sqaure during his christmas day speech. translation: sisters and brothers, what would our world be _ like without the patient dialogue of the many generous perso

nicholas witchell, bbc news.aine maxwell who, after years of suspicion, a long time on the run, now looks at a lengthy term in prison, potentially, and it looks likely that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars. virginia giuffre released a statement in reaction to the verdicts. in the statement, she says: she goes on to say: vicky ward is an investigative journalist and host of the podcast and documentary chasing ghislaine. shejoins us now. i'm guessing given the work you have done on ms maxwell and jeffrey epstein, you are unsurprised by the verdict will be quite pleased. i am a journalist but i am not surprised. i was in the court room right up until, i was there actually for the first two years that the jury were deliberating, so i sat through all of the testimony, i saw the jurors faces, and the defence was extremely aggressive, ghislaine maxwell puzzlement lawyers are very skilled and very competent, very expensive, and they set out to destroy the credibility of the four women who accused her, and

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace.er my colleague lukwesa burak spoke to the bbc�*s royal correspondent sarah campbell, about the personal nature of this year's queen's speech. from the photograph on the desk which was taken to mark their diamond wedding anniversary and the brooch she was wearing that she wore on her honeymoon in 1947, her christmas broadcast always have a theme, and it's not surprising that this year when she lost her husband of 73 years that prince philip was the thread running through the broadcast. many people saying very poignant and very personal because the queen is not someone who tends to wear her heart on her sleeve and talk with such affection so publicly so i think that made it different and it's not surprising after the year she's had. looking back at prince philip's death but also i think she looked forward to 2022. it is a big, historic year. in february she will be the first british monarch ever to have achieved 70 years on the throne, her platinum jubilee, and that's what 2022 is going

here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell.hotograph — on the left, prince andrew, in the centre, the then—i7—year—old virginia roberts, and on the right, smiling for the camera, ghislaine maxwell. andrew's friendship with ghislaine maxwell goes back more than 20 years. here he is with her injune 2000. at the time, she was jeffrey epstein�*s girlfriend. epstein was there as well. he, too, was a guest of prince andrew. andrew spoke about his friendship with epstein and his girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, in his newsnight interview. in 2000, epstein was a guest at windsor castle and at sandringham. he was brought right into the heart of the royal family at your invitation. but certainly at my invitation, not at the royal family's invitation. but remember that it was his girlfriend that was the key in this. he was the, as it were, plus—one to some extent, in that aspect. am i right in thinking you threw a birthday for epstein�*s girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, at sandringham? no, it was a shooting weekend. a shooting weekend? just a

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. stay with us.ll to come: residents on the spanish island of la palma, breathe a sigh of relief — as the volcanic eruption finally comes to an end — after three months. the world of music's been paying tribute to george michael, who's died from suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states' troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it's failed in its principle objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drugs charges. the hammer and sickle| was hastily taken away. m its place. — the russian flag was hoisted over what is now— no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. | day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of pan am's maid of the seas, nosedown in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has

here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell.infamous photograph — on the left, prince andrew, in the centre, the then—i7—year—old virginia roberts, and on the right, smiling for the camera, ghislaine maxwell. andrew's friendship with ghislaine maxwell goes back more than 20 years. here he is with her at royal ascot injune 2000. at the time, she was jeffrey epstein�*s girlfriend. epstein was there as well. he too was a guest of prince andrew at royal ascot. andrew spoke about his friendship with epstein and his girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, in his newsnight interview. in 2000, epstein was a guest at windsor castle and at sandringham. he was brought right into the heart of the royal family at your invitation. yes, but certainly at my invitation, not at the royal family's invitation. but remember that it was his girlfriend that was the key element in this. he was the, as it were, plus—one to some extent, in that aspect. am i right in thinking you threw a birthday party for epstein�*s girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, at sandringham?

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ty of bethlehem. the annual procession is being led by the head of the roman catholic church in the region. international tourists have been mainly kept away during the pandemic in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. the re—introduction of covid measures have left local businesses disappointed. the procession is being held in the city where christians revere as the birthplace ofjesus christ. to the vatican where the pope has been holding the traditional catholic christmas eve mass. the head of the catholic church urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility this christmas season, saying their pride, self—interest and the "glitter of our armor" was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church's mission. here's a taste of events at taking place there. they sing the duchess of cambridge has performed at her own christmas carol event, taking to the piano at a special service from westminster abbey broadcast on christmas eve in the uk. kate hosted the caro

nicholas witchell, bbc news.m, including an annual procession led by the head of the roman catholic church in the region. this is the scene now at the church of the nativity, built on the spot where christians believejesus was born, where as you can see they are currently celebrating christmas mass. a scaled—back affair compared to last time because thousands of pilgrims who there before the pandemic are not there in that same numbers as they were previously. earlier, our middle east correspondent went to bethlehem to find out how important this time of year is to the people there. in manger square, they wait for the biggest night of the year — a christmas procession follows the route believed to have been taken by mary and joseph. it's a march of faith. but this season's greetings are mainly between the locals. the scout bands are a fixture of christmas in manger square and you can feel the energy. but what is missing are the international visitors and pilgrims that would usually be thronging the square here, an

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. windsor castle on christmas morning.al standard signifying that the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of cornwalljoined the congregation at st george's chapel for morning service. the queen did not attend as a precaution against covid, according to officials. from the very first moments of the queen's broadcast, there was a keen sense of the loss she has felt over the death of prince philip last april, after their 73 years of marriage. although it is a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. this year, especially, i understand why. but for me, in the months since the death of my beloved philip, i have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the commonwealth and the world. his sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible. that mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at t

nicholas witchell reports.by the duchess of sussex just three months after her wedding to prince harry and sent in august 2018 to her father, thomas. their relationship at the time was difficult. on 9 february 2019, the mail on sunday published lengthy extracts from the letter, which had been given to the newspaper by mr markle. maga, strongly supported her husband, brought a civil action against associated newspapers, publishers of the mail on sunday, claiming that her privacy had been breached. she said the letter had disclosed her intimate thoughts and feelings. in february of this year, a judge at the high court ruled in megan matt's favour, so the disclosures in the newspaper had been manifestly excessive and were hence unlawful. he said the issues were so clear—cut there was no need for a full trial. associated newspapers appealed and produced evidence that they hope will show that the issues are not as clear—cut as had been thought. it produced a witness statement from meghan's foremost assistant secreta

nicholas witchell, bbc news.rs hoping for an influx of tourists have been disappointed by the renewed introduction of anti—covid measures. israel's borders have been closed to international travellers because of the pandemic and only a small number of people attended the procession in the city revered as the birthplace ofjesus. tom bateman sent this report. in manger square, they wait for the biggest night of the year. a christmas procession that will follow the route believed to have been taken by mary and joseph. it's a march of faith. but this season's greetings are mainly between the locals. the scout bands are a fixture of christmas in manger square and you can feel the energy. but what is missing are the international visitors and pilgrims that would usually be thronging the square here, and that is a devastating blow for the second year running because bethlehem needs tourism to keep surviving. the glimmers of tourism restarting last month have gone derailed by border closures due to the new covid variant.

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace.e dialogue and warned against a tendency to withdraw during the coronavirus pandemic. here's the pope addressing a crowd at saint peter's square during his christmas day speech. translation: in this time of andemic translation: in this time of pandemic we _ translation: in this time of pandemic we have _ translation: in this time of pandemic we have come - translation: in this time of pandemic we have come to i pandemic we have come to realise this more and more, that our capacity for social relationships is sorely tried. there is a growing tendency to withdraw, to do it all by ourselves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together. 0n the international level, too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue, the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking shortcuts. the biggest space telescope ever constructed has been launched into orbit. the james webb telescope is on board a european ariane rocket which took off from french guiana. it's the successor to the

nicholas witchell, bbc news.slaine maxwell's lawyers outside court in new york, that they do intend to appeal against this decision, but as things stand, she has been found guilty of five counts, any sentencing, of which we are still waiting for, but could see her the possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison. but that's it from me. do get me on social media. i'm lewis vaughanjones. this is bbc news. bye—bye. hello again. temperatures reached the 16 degrees mark in both london and in exeter through wednesday. and we've got more of the same to come for the next few days, really, as we keep these south—westerly winds flowing across the country, bringing pulses of exceptionally mild air northwards. now, temperatures probably reaching 16, possibly 17 celsius, and in contrast, the temperatures that we'd normally expect at this time of the year, around abour eight celsius. so it is pretty exceptional, not far away from the english temperature record, which is 17.7. as we head into thursday morning, we'll s

nicholas witchell, bbc news.a christmas tradition. a short while ago they paid a surprise visit to patients and families at the children's national hospital in washington. dr biden chose to read the book "0laf's night before christmas" starring the popular character from the film frozen. let's go to the vatican now — where pope francis is leading mass on christmas eve at st. peter's basilica. pope francis will be presiding, of course. a little earlier than the midnight mass around europe tonight, in fact, it was moved to this time last year because of the pandemic. 0f last year because of the pandemic. of course, to my the pope will be on the balcony for the christmas message to the world. you are watching bbc news. hello. not everybody wants a white christmas, believe it or not, some would preferjust some crisper winter sunshine. there won't be much of that on offer this weekend, but it is northern scotland that has seen some today and will again for christmas day. furthest away from weather fronts coming in fro

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ce telescope that could transform our understanding of the universe. a rocket carrying the james webb space telescope will take off from french guiana on christmas day. it's the successor to the hubble space telescope, and it's designed to look deeper into the universe than ever before. doctor hannah wakeford is a lecturer in astrophysics at the university of bristol. she's been researching how the james webb telescope might help with our understanding of the exoplanets — the planets that orbit a star outside the solar system. welcome to the programme. i guess that this is a very tense moment? everyone is so looking forward to what this telescope will bring us, but first of all we have got to get up but first of all we have got to get up there. but first of all we have got to get u- there. , , ., ., up there. this is one of the most tense moments _ up there. this is one of the most tense moments when _ up there. this is one of the most tense moments when it - up there. this is one of t

nicholas witchell, bbc news. by staff on cross country trains. rmt members have walked out in a dispute over the role of guards. cross country say routes are affected from northern scotland to south—west england and advise passengers to check theirjourneys before travelling. a third boxing day premier league match has been postponed because of a covid outbreak. too many everton players either have coronavirus or injuries which mean they can't play against burnley. the premier league had already announced that outbreaks in the leeds and watford squads mean they're unable to travel to liverpool and wolves respectively. the most powerful telescope to ever be launched into space blasts off from french guiana tomorrow. it's travelling nearly a million miles from earth, and it will look back in time to the first luminous glows after the big bang. our science editor rebecca morelle reports. it's taken 30 years to develop, cost more than $10 billion and has involved thousands of scientists. now the james webb space teles

nicholas witchell, bbc news.h urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility this christmas season, saying their pride, self—interest and the "glitter of our armor" was perverting their spiritual lives and corrupting the church's mission. here's a taste of events at taking place there. singing. the duchess of cambridge has performed at her own christmas carol event, taking to the piano at a special service from westminster abbey broadcast on christmas eve in the uk. the duchess hosted the carol service as a thank you to people who supported their communities during the pandemic. she accompanied tom walker on the piano during a performance of for those who can't be here. the singer described kate as an amazing musician and said the pair got together for top—secret rehearsals in a recording studio ahead of the concert. and a court in los angeles has ordered daniel sturridge to pay $30,000 to a man who found his stolen dog in 2019. the former liverpool player had offered a reward for whoever helped to reuni

nicholas witchell, bbc news.every adult a booster by the end of the month. the nhs says it expects thousands of people to receive theirjab on christmas day. vaccination centres are closed in northern ireland, scotland and wales. as ministers consider whether tougher restricions are needed in england, the roman catholic archbishop, cardinal vincent nichols, has urged them not to close places of worship. emily unia reports. redbridge town hall in east london is one of a small number of vaccination centres in england that opened this morning, on christmas day, to help bolster the booster programme. fantastic idea to save so many lives. myjob, i am in contact with customers all the time. so i have got to keep myself safe, keep my customers safe. it is family time, _ the time you want to spend with your loved ones. it is often in times like that that we get to think- through the real priorities, . and the real priorities are that you want to protect yourself and you want to _ protect your loved ones. the government wa

nicholas witchell, bbc news.gs a week, and women particularly vulnerable. victoria rubadiri, this year's winner of the bbc�*s komla dumor award, which is given annually to an african journalist, reports now on a tech solution which two women have produced — which could now be expanded to other cities. kinshasa, one of africa's mega—cities, is built on the banks of the congo river. it has an estimated population of 15 million people. everybody is on the move but the transport system cannot cope. unless you have your own set of wheels, the only way to get around is in one of these taxis. but after sunset you run the risk of getting kidnapped — and that's been happening here up to five times a week. translation: this route| is where they usually carry out their operations. sara was taken while on her way home from work. translation: someone came from the back of the car. - he grabbed me and said, don't move or you will die. not every kidnapping ends in a ransom demand. translation: they took the bag like this. - in

nicholas witchell, bbc news.est bank city of bethlehem. the annual procession is being led by the head of the roman catholic church in the region. international tourists have been mainly kept away during the pandemic in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. the re—introduction of covid measures have left local businesses disappointed. the procession is being held in the city where christians revere as the birthplace ofjesus christ. and this is the scene is bethlehem right now — where midnight mass is still taking place. we is still taking place. will take a quick listen. 0k, we is still taking place. will take a quick listen. ok, so that we will take a quick listen. ok, so thatis we will take a quick listen. ok, so that is live in bethlehem, where the annual midnight mass is taking place. to the vatican where the pope has been holding the traditional catholic christmas eve mass. the head of the catholic church urged vatican cardinals and bishops to embrace humility this christmas season, saying their prid

nicholas witchell, bbc news.famous holiday track. instrumental music plays well, the instrumental is, of course, jingle bells from joni mitchell's classic river. the song first appeared on her landmark album blue back in 1971 and 50 years later it's gotten its first music video in time for christmas. let's have a listen. # they're cutting down trees. # they're putting up reindeer. # and singing songs ofjoy and peace. # oh, i wish i had a river. # i could skate away on. # but it don't snow here. # it stays pretty green. # i'm going to make a lot of money. most of the video is in black and white, until the end, when the river turns blue. and while it may sound christmassy, there's another theme throughout, as you can guess from this message from joni which accompanied the video. we can now speak to the animation artist who directed the music video, matvey rezanov. hejoins us from portland, oregon. thanks a lot for coming on. a christmas song for people who are lonely at christmas. how did you try to get this across

nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace.he volcanic eruption in the canary islands has finally come to an end after 3 months. no one was injured during the 85 day ordeal on the island of la palma. but the volcano destroyed properties and submerged hundreds of hectares of land, as jack surfleet reports. it was the first eruption on la palma since 1971. the cumbre vieja volcano burst into action on the 19th of september, flowing down the mountain, through villages, and spanning up to 600 metres wide. in its path were 1,300 homes, churches and schools, all of which were destroyed. rescue teams helped to relocate more than 7,000 people from their homes. many have lost almost everything they own. an exclusion zone was set up around the flow, including in the sea, where the molten rock boiled seawater, released poisonous gases and increased the size of the island. there had been no earth tremors since the 13th of december — the longest period without any activity since the eruption began — but authorities were wary of raising fals

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ential pardon. ms park — the country's first female president — was impeached and removed from office in 2017 after widespread public protests over her deals with big korean businesses. she was subsequentlyjailed for 22 years on corruption charges. here, rail passengers are facing major disruption today due to a strike by staff on cross country trains. rmt members have walked out in a dispute over the role of guards. cross country say routes are affected from northern scotland to south—west england and advise passengers to check theirjourneys before travelling. a man from finland has taken the unusual step of blowing up his tesla car rather than pay a repair bill that came to $20,000. tuomas kat ainen was landed with the hefty bill afterfinding out he needed to replace a battery in his vehicle. his tesla dated back to 2012. it took 66 pounds of dynamite to destroy it. the christmas story has been told many times, but you've never seen it like this. one chapel near swansea has enlisted

nicholas witchell, as ever, thank you.uffering from cancer. joe wilson on his life. ray illingworth, batsman, bowler, leader, a cricketerfor all ray illingworth, batsman, bowler, leader, a cricketer for all seasons. he began his career in the 1950s. it must be out. he finally stopped playing in the 1980s. just think, when he became england captain in 1969, they wondered then if he was too old. ,, ., 1969, they wondered then if he was too old. , .,, 1969, they wondered then if he was too old. , , , too old. some people said this is too old. some people said this is too old. some people said this is too old to start _ too old. some people said this is too old to start being _ too old. some people said this is too old to start being captain - too old. some people said this is too old to start being captain of. too old to start being captain of england? too old to start being captain of encland? , ., _ �*, england? yes, well obviously it's not a ten england? yes, well obviously it's rrot a ten year — england? yes, well obvious

nicholas witchell, bbc news. are facing a seventh night without power after storm arwen. nearly 10,000 northern powergrid and close to 3,000 electricity north west customers are still cut—off. in scotland the army has been drafted in to support people in aberdeenshire who've been without electricity for almost a week. fiona trott reports from cartmel in cumbria. getting urgent help to the most vulnerable in the community. this fire station in ulverston has turned into an emergency hub. at the end of the phones, the police, mountain rescue and red cross volunteers, knocking on the doors of 600 properties. knocking on the doors of 600 preperties-— knocking on the doors of 600 --roerties. ~ ., �* ., , properties. what we're actually doinu is properties. what we're actually doing is knocking _ properties. what we're actually doing is knocking on _ properties. what we're actually doing is knocking on each - properties. what we're actually | doing is knocking on each door. properties. what we're actually - doing is kno

nicholas witchell, bbc news.awthorn, gave his reaction to bbc breakfast this morning and spoke about ghislaine's upbringing. the church early on said she was wilfully ignorant of whatjeffrey epstein was up to, then she was complicit in it. —— thejudge said. the one thing we knew from the beginning was thatjeffrey epstein had sex with underage girls because he admitted so to a court in 2008. the trial there concerned offences committed in 2005. when we have heard of evidence that ghislaine maxwell and jeffrey epstein were practicallyjoined at maxwell and jeffrey epstein were practically joined at the maxwell and jeffrey epstein were practicallyjoined at the hip so it's very difficult to believe she did not know what was going on there. there are a good deal of technicalities involved in the specific charges brought in the case which is the reason the jury has taken so long to make the decision. next year, they have scheduled a perjury trial in this matter and of course, we will have the prince andrew hearing onjan

nicholas witchell, bbc news. potentially, and it looks likely that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars. and virginia giuffre hasjust released a statement in reaction to the verdicts: in the statement she says: she goes on to say... earlier, the bbc spoke to the prominent us lawyer, lisa bloom, who has represented eight women who say they were abused byjeffrey epstein. she says it takes a lot of courage for victims of sexual abuse to testify. nobody wants to go to court and testify in a sexual assault trial. most people will never even call an attorney. most people will just somehow managed to live with it. it takes extraordinary courage not only to go in and testify in front of a room full of strangers, but then to be cross—examined for hour after hour about every detail of your life, but the most humiliating aspects of your life, and that's what four women dead in this case. they did it because it was the right thing to do. there was no money in it for them, they had already gotten payments from the

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports.y covid to spend christmas at windsor rather than hosting herfamily at sandringham, this will be a moment to reflect on a year marked by sadness. her christmas broadcast, a still from which has been issued by buckingham palace, is expected to be a very personal one. prominently on the desk beside her, a photograph of her and prince philip taken in 2007 when they celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. philip's death last april, two months short of his 100th birthday and after 73 years of marriage, was the emotional low point of the year for the monarch. apart from a reference to him in her address to the cop 26 conference, the queen has not so far spoken publicly about how much he meant to her. her broadcast may be an opportunity for her to do so. within the royal family, mindful that this will be the queen's first christmas without her husband, arrangements have been changed so that she won't be alone. clarence house has confirmed that the prince of wales and the duchess of corn

nicholas witchell, bbc news.s are working at vaccination centres across england today, as the push continues to give every adult a booster by the end of the month. the nhs says it expects thousands of people to receive theirjab on christmas day. vaccination centres are closed in northern ireland, scotland and wales. as ministers consider whether tougher restricions whether tougher restrictions are needed in england, the roman catholic archbishop, cardinal vincent nichols, has urged them not to close places of worship. emily unia reports. redbridge town hall in east london is one of a small number of vaccination centres in england that opened this morning, on christmas day, to help bolster the booster programme. day, to help bolster the booster programme-— day, to help bolster the booster rouramme. . . ., ., day, to help bolster the booster rouramme. . . ., programme. fantastic idea to save so many lives- — programme. fantastic idea to save so many lives- my _ programme. fantastic idea to save so many lives- myjob

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ed daunte wright, an unarmed black man, in the state of minnesota earlier this year. kimberly potter maintained she had mistaken her handgun for a taser. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, reports it was a routine traffic stop on a sunday afternoon in april. police in a minneapolis suburb ordered 20—year—old daunte wright from his car and were attempting to arrest him when things went terribly wrong. as daunte wright tried to escape, the officer wearing the body camera, threatening to taser him. but only once she pulled the trigger, did she realise she'd mistaken her gun for a taser. kimberly potter was arrested three days after daunte wright died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. giving evidence in her own defence, she told the court the killing of daunte wright was a mistake. i remember yelling, taser, taser. daunte wright was a mistake. i rememberyelling, taser, taser. and remember yelling, taser, taser. and nothing happened. and then he told me i shot him. neither

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ly express. thank you very much for coming on the programme. what is your reaction to the verdict that we have heard? it's such an important and momentous verdict that we are seeing not only for the women involved, but anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse or exploitation. it's a really important message that the rich and powerful are not above the law. this is a significant _ powerful are not above the law. this is a significant news story in the us considering jeffrey epstein, but of course because of ghislaine maxwell's nationality of being from the uk is of significance here. absolutely. all of the newspapers are struggling now to rewrite friend pages and get this on there. it is a cute story. 0bviously pages and get this on there. it is a cute story. obviously there are implications for the palace, as we just read in your previous report, the friendship with the duke of york between ghislaine maxwell and jeffrey epstein, and that party from the duke of york being thrown fire ghis

here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell.then 17—year—old virginia roberts and on the right, smiling for the camera, ghislaine maxwell. andrew's friendship with ghislaine maxwell goes back more than 20 years. here he is with her injune 2000, at the time, she wasjeffrey epstein's girlfriend. epstein was there as well. he too was a guest of prince andrew. andrew spoke about his friendship with epstein and his girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, in his newsnight interview. into 2000, e stein was his newsnight interview. into 2000, epstein was a _ his newsnight interview. into 2000, epstein was a guest _ his newsnight interview. into 2000, epstein was a guest at _ his newsnight interview. into 2000, epstein was a guest at windsor - epstein was a guest at windsor castle and at sandringham. he was brought right into the heart of the royal family at your invitation. but certainly in _ royal family at your invitation. but certainly in my invitation, not at the royal— certainly in my invitation, not at the royal family's invitation, but re

nicholas witchell, bbc news.istmas eve celebrations have been taking place in bethlehem, including an annual procession led by the roman catholic church. mass will start in two hours at the church called at the nativity, built on t spot where it is believed jesus was born. tom bateman reports. tom: in major square, they wait for the biggest night of the year -- the christmas procession follows the route believed to have been taken by mary and joseph. it's a march of faith. but seasons greetings thi year are mainly between the locals. these are a fixture of christmas in major square, and you can feel the energy. what is missing are the international visitors and pilgrims that would usually be thronging the square, and that is a devastating blow for the second year running. they need tourism to keep surviving. the glimmers of tourism restarting last month have gone, derailed by rder closures due to the new covid variant. >> people trying to find joy and happiness from nothing, so it is very interesting, it's very o

nicholas witchell, bbc news.r charlotte gallagher is at windsor castle for us this morning. hgppy happy christmas, charlotte! like many, the queen's christmas looks set to be different from what was originally planned. indeed. merry christmas, naga, from here at windsor, and it's very cold, some brave dogs out already but completely different from sandringham where she usually has a big family christmas because even at this time you would have people queueing up to see the royal family. it's part of their tradition. families and couples come to the estate to see them so it's a very different feel and tone for this year. there is no question the queen wanted to have this big christmas at sandringham the decision was made last week to cancel it because of the spread of omicron she is spending it here instead and as nicholas witchell said, it will be members of her familyjoining nicholas witchell said, it will be members of herfamilyjoining her this year, prince charles and the duchess of cornwall, camilla, prince e

nicholas witchell, bbc news.ade a statement saying they are very disappointed by the decision of the court of appeal. no evidence has been tested in cross—examination, as it should be, and they are considering an appeal to the supreme court. the army is being brought in to help people in scotland in the aftermath of storm arwen. across scotland and northern england thousands of homes are still without power — nearly a week after the storm hit. 0ur reporter ben philip has been in aboyne in aberdeenshire, where help is being called in from the military... aberdeenshire council confirmed this morning that that number is up to more than 130 military personnel who will be arriving here in north—east scotland, following a formal request for assistance to the uk government. we are being told that they will focus on door—to—door welfare checks in more remote communities, particularly for vulnerable residents of the community. in fact, just a short time ago we saw a minibus of soldiers depart from here in the aberdeenshir

our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. windsor castle christmas morning.andard signifying that the queen was in residence. the duchess of cornwalljoined the congregation at saint george's chapel for morning service. the queen did not attend as a precaution against covid—19 according to officials. from the very first moments of the queens broadcast, there was a keen sense of the loss she has felt over the death of prince philip last april after their 73 years of marriage.— prince philip last april after their 73 years of marriage. although it is a time of great _ 73 years of marriage. although it is a time of great happiness - 73 years of marriage. although it is a time of great happiness for - 73 years of marriage. although it is| a time of great happiness for many, christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. this year especially, i understand why. but for me, and the months since the death of my beloved philip, i have grown great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work. from around the country, the com

nicholas witchell, bbc news.axwell, who after years of suspicion, a long time on the run, even, it now looks at a lengthy term in prison, potentially, and it looks likely that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars. ghislaine maxwell's lawyer has spoken briefly outside the court. we firmly believe in ghislaine maxwell's innocence. we have already started working on the appeal and we are confident that she will be vindicated. everyone be healthy, have a happy new year. and virginia giuffre hasjust released a statement in reaction to the verdicts. in the statement she says "my soul yearned for justice for years and today the jury gave me just that. i will remember this day always." "having lived with the horrors of maxwell's abuse, my heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered at her hands and whose lives she destroyed." she goes on to say "i hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. maxwell did not act alone. others must be held accountable. i

our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. windsor castle on christmas morning. standard signifying that the queen was in residence. men? the queen was in residence. merry christmas- — the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the _ the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the prince _ the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the prince of _ the queen was in residence. merry christmas. the prince of wales - the queen was in residence. merry| christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of — christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of cornwall _ christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of cornwall joined - christmas. the prince of wales and duchess of cornwall joined the - duchess of cornwalljoined the congregation for morning service. the queen did not attend as a precaution against covid, according to officials. from the very first moments of the queen's broadcast, there was a keen sense of the law she has felt over the death of prince philip last april after their 73 years of marriage.— prince philip last april after their 73 years of marriage. alt