royal children and said come see _ to the royal children and said come see them!ad i wear them. , ., come see them! i'm glad i wear them. . come see them! i'm glad i wear them. , . . , ., come see them! i'm glad i wear them. . , ., them. is a cancer survivor you said it meant _ them. is a cancer survivor you said it meant a _ them. is a cancer survivor you said it meant a lot _ them. is a cancer survivor you said it meant a lot to - them. is a cancer survivor you said it meant a lot to you - them. is a cancer survivor you said it meant a lot to you to i said it meant a lot to you to see them. said it meant a lot to you to see them-— said it meant a lot to you to see them. , . .,, ., , ., see them. yes and i was able to wish them _ see them. yes and i was able to wish them good _ see them. yes and i was able to wish them good health. - see them. yes and i was able to wish them good health. i - see them. yes and i was able to wish them good health. i spoke | wish them good health. i spoke to catherine about our cancers and that — to catherine about our cancers and t

somewhat about the royal mail in just a we will talk somewhat about the royal mail injust a moment wetalk somewhat about the royal mail in just a moment but we will start this programme in germany where olaf scholz�*s coalition government has lost a vote paving the way for an election in february in the new year. german ministers voted down the minority administration led by the chancellor in a move that he himself sought as he looks to form a new majority government. the move creates a whole new layer of uncertainty for what is your�*s biggest economy, of course suffering from stagnation and industrial unrest in its particularly key automotive sector. let's talk to chris williamson, chief business... always good to talk to you. explain this, coming at a time with the german economy, explained that economic background? it explained that economic background?— explained that economic background? it comes at a particularly _ background? it comes at a particularly bad _ background? it comes at a particularly bad time - background? it comes at a particularly bad time for i particularly bad

working royals. years ago now, but has continued to appear at family events. this was easter in windsor. however, the latest crisis involving his personal connection to an alleged chinese spy, yang tengbo, led the palace to make it known the family hoped he would honourably withdraw from family events. so unlike previous years — this was christmas in 2023 — he is spending the festive period at home in windsor rather than at sandringham, a further distancing of the king from his younger brother. after that first walkabout for the king on easter sunday here in windsor, the palace were keen to stress this wasn't a return to a full schedule of engagements. but as the months went on, it became clear the king did want to get back out as much as possible, at least as much as the queen and his doctors would allow. it seemed appropriate that the king's first engagement in april was to a leading cancer hospital in central london. staff and patients packed the entrance hall to see him. this was a visit with a d

as royal obsessed. >> well, we are doing a whole hour on c-span on the royals but that is not e onlyn, of course. even if u ok at the tv viewing figures, i was quite amazed to learn that the audience for prince william and katherine's wedding was a bigger tv audience than for the royal wedding of prince charles and diana spencer and that just shows that mania is big in america. you can scroll through the tv channels know and probably find a documentary on diana. it has never gone away. but it shows the interest has continued with successive generations and without putting too fine a point on it, the soap opera side, which is sadly overtaking the two boys, william and harry, has dominated in america news and watercooler discussion, as much as events between the stars of american popular life. >> you spend quite a bit of time in the states, don't you? what is your day job? >> yes, i'm an assistant editor of the times, the times of london. that makes me the washington bureau chief here in washington. i have lived and worked here for 5 years and it became pretty clear to me, one of the r

, travelling with the royal ample-— royal couple.th his illness he _ royal couple. even with his illness he has _ royal couple. even with his illness he has still- royal couple. even with his| illness he has still managed royal couple. even with his i illness he has still managed to packin illness he has still managed to pack in quite a lot of travelling. his message started in normandy on the 80th anniversary of d—day in the year. it was clear at the time, but even more so now listening to the message just how moot the king and queen had been by meeting the veterans, the british veterans in particular, and hearing their stories about that stage of their lives and how inspired they had been to hear what those veterans had said to them. but the king also said to them. but the king also said it was a reminder again to him of the fact that there are an enormous number of devastating conflicts are still going on in the world. in the middle east, central europe and africa, and seeing the veterans and meeting them and being at those events

as royal obsessed. mr. charter: well, we are doing a whole hour on c-span on the royals.hat is not the only thing, of course. if you look at the tv viewing figures, i was quite azeto learn that the audience for prince william and catherine's wedding s bigger tv audience than for t royal wedding for prince charles and diana spencer. and that just shows that it's big in america. you can scroll through the tv channels now and probably find a documentary on diana. it's never gone away. it just shows the interest has continued with successive generations. without putting too fine a point on it, really, the soap opera side of it, which has sadly overtaken the two boys, william and harry of course, dominates in american news and watercooler discussion as much as events between the stars of american popular life. peter: and you spend quite a bit of time here in the states, don't you? what is your day job. mr. charter: yes, i am assistant editor of the times of london. that makes me the washington bureau chief here in washington. i have lived and worked here for five years. and it

♪ peter: david charter, author of "royal audience." >> david carter, author of royal audience.ou will be part of a an first, we will read a recipe. the recipe called or four two cups of flour,four tablespoons of caster sugar, two teaspoon of milk, two legs, two teaspoons bicarbonate soda, three teaspoons of cream tartar and tablespoons of melted butter. it is ducted beat eggs, sugar and have to meld together, add flour and mix well together adding remainder of milk as required also bicarbonate and cream of tartar, fold in the melted butter. what and who's recipe is this? >> i thought i was on the royal show not the recipe show. it is a very remarkable recipe that queen elizabeth ii come the late queen of great britain, gave to president eisenhower after he had had what really was a remarkable special treatment from the royal family. he was invited to belmar council that is the summer retreat and a private place where very few members from society get to go, let alone share a picnic where the queen makes dropped scones, a kind of pancake, that eisenhower enjoyed so much and the

the first owner of royal mail was henry viii.ky, whose companies own 27% of west ham united and 10% of sainsbury�*s. the government today said the £3.6 billion takeover will help secure royal mail's future. this will be a good deal for the uk, it will be a good deal for the workforce of the royal mail and the customers. it strengthens the protections we have, increases what was in place following the privatisation of royal mail. the conditions of the takeover into the government reserving the right to block any major moves, such as moving royal mail's hq or tax residency and workers will get a 10% share of dividends and there will be extended guarantees around future compulsory redundancies. speaking to the bbc injuly, mr kratinski also universal service. i can say very clearly one strong personal commitment. first of all, as long as i'm alive, i completely exclude this, royal mail is going to be the provider of universal service obligation in the uk unconditionally, and i would say forever. but that service is already under revi

- a lot of royals, the new? yes, lots of handshakes _ a lot of royals, the new? yes, lots of handshakes from - a lot of royals, the new? yes, lots of handshakes from the i lots of handshakes from the king. — lots of handshakes from the king, princess, catherine... and — king, princess, catherine... and they— king, princess, catherine... and they loved my boots. prince william — and they loved my boots. prince william pointed them out and said to — william pointed them out and said to his children to see them _ said to his children to see them i_ said to his children to see them. i am glad said to his children to see them. lam glad i said to his children to see them. i am glad i wear them today — them. i am glad i wear them toda . ., ., ., ., today. you said it meant a lot today. you said it meant a lot to ou today. you said it meant a lot to you as _ today. you said it meant a lot to you as a — today. you said it meant a lot to you as a cancer— today. you said it meant a lot to you as a cancer survivor. to you as a cancer survivor speaking to the king and catheri

however, injune anne was herself forced to take a break from royal duties.walk in her gloucestershire estate when she was injured by a horse. suffering a concussion she was taken to hospital. how's your wife, sir? is she doing well? recovering slowly. and had regular visits there from her husband, vice admiral sir tim laurence. few were surprised when the princess, often dubbed the hardest working royal, was back on duty within three weeks. bruised but otherwise well. there were no royal tell all books, interviews or documentaries by the duke and duchess of sussex this year. prince harry's cases against newspaper groups here do continue, as does his case against the home office over changes to his security arrangements whilst in the uk. he was here briefly when his father's cancer diagnosis was made public, and then he returned in may to attend a thanksgiving service celebrating ten years of the invictus games. cheering cheers for the prince who arrived at st paul's cathedral alone as guest of honour at the service celebrating the sporting event he establish

sumo at the royal royal albert hall, _ power. sumo at the royal royal albert hall, what _ power.oyal albert hall, what else _ power. sumo at the royal royal albert hall, what else next? - power. sumo at the royal royal albert hall, what else next? i l albert hall, what else next? i must get tickets for that, thank you for that. the head of us insurance company united healthcare has been gunned down in new york city. chief executive brian thompson was fatally shot in the chestjust before 07:00 est on wednesday outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan, where he had been scheduled to speak at an investor conference later in the day. the 50—year—old was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said. a suspect fled the scene and remains at large, the new york police department said... in midtown manhattan earlier this morning 50—year—old brian thompson the ceo of united healthcare was shot and killed in what appears at this early stage of our investigation to be a brazen, targeted attack. this does not appear to be a random act of violence. the victim was in

the first owner of royal mail was henry viii.oday, the government insisted his £3.6 billion takeover would help secure royal mail's future. conditions of the takeover include the government reserving the right to block any major moves such as moving royal mail's hq or tax residency, while workers will get a 10% share of any future dividends, plus extended guarantees around future compulsory redundancies. but some customers aren't convinced. ifeel very sad, because i feel as though we are selling part of our history. we get a good service and they are regular. you can more or less say it is 2 o'clock, the post is going to come through the letter box in a minute. there it is. i think there has been a noticeable | drop in the quality of the service. | i i know they are focussing on parcels. because they make a lot more money, but you know, letters keep the country running - at the end of the day. speaking to the bbc injuly, mr kretinsky also vowed to honour the one price goes anywhere universal service. first of all, as long as i am

the first owner of royal mail was henry viii.s privatised in 2013 and its next owner will be this man, daniel kretinsky, whose companies own 27% of west ham united and 10% of sainsbury�*s. speaking to the bbc earlier this year, he vowed he would honour the one price goes anywhere universal service. i can say very clearly one strong personal commitment. first of all, as long as i'm alive, i completely exclude this, royal mail is going to be the provider of universal service obligation in the uk unconditionally, and i would say forever. but that service is already under review by regulator ofcom, which is considering reducing second class letters to every other weekday, which it's estimated will save royal mail £300 million a year. his £3.6 billion bid was called in for review over the summer, as royal mail is considered vital national infrastructure, and mr kretinsky also owns a gas pipeline that carries much reduced volumes of russian gas to europe, paid for and approved by eu member states. there are some conditions mr kretinsky

every year, the king hosts a royal family lunch for the wider royal family, a huge group of people.ivate event, but it's not yet clear whether prince andrew will be in attendance here later this week. our china correspondent laura bicker told us more about china's reaction to the claim it had placed a spy close to the royal family. earlier this week, the foreign ministry spokesperson described them as baseless and said that china has always acted with honour in its business dealings abroad. earlier this year, china actually turned the tables on the uk and accused mi6 of recruiting a couple to act as spies against china. their wider point there is that both sides engage in surveillance, but when it comes to the wider uk—china relationship, there's always this balance to be struck, certainly by uk, between business interests and security concerns. and there was a feeling, certainly after keir starmer met with xi jinping just a few months ago at the edge of the g20, that perhaps there had been a restart of this relationship, that perhaps there was going to be a way that the uk and chin

they're also looking at some royal objects from the royal collection, and queen camilla isjoining themis state visit, because of course, she is still recovering from that lingering chest infection. we heard late last night that she wasn't going to take part in those outside aspects of this state visit of the emir of qatar and his wife. so that first big element of that pomp and ceremony is over with that progression down the mall with those carriages, you can probably hear the cleanup operation is now underway following that. but a lot to discuss, and i'm very pleased to say my guest with me is katie nicholl, vanity fair's royal editor, joining us now. and what we saw there, of course, queen camilla wasn't part of that procession down the mall, but we did see catherine, and that willjust be really nice for so many people who are wishing her well following her recovery from cancer. absolutely. well, we saw catherine on remembrance sunday. we saw her up there on the buckingham palace balcony for trooping the colour. but i think, of course, she wasn't here at the state visit we had earlie

the royal ballet is at the forefront trying to make that happen.nd at the same time of bringing new audiences in, because i'm struck by the fact that the production that you're returning to on the stage here, the role that you're returning to, is the mad hatter. it's a role that combines tap and ballet, doesn't it? which goes back to your roots in some ways, because you were known for tap before you were known to this extent in ballet. people always say, "oh, you're a ballet dancer." and yes, i'm a principal dancer of the royal ballet, but i always have just seen myself as a dancer. i'm an artist. and when alice's adventures in wonderland was created, the choreographer christopher wheeldon knew that i had tapped. and he's very clever at amalgamating styles and bringing different influences into his choreography. so, yeah, the tap shoes were requested and... you must have been surprised because they are very different disciplines, aren't they? they are, but then if you look at gene kelly, fred astaire, they were amalgamating the styles then, and tha

i of the main royal residences since 2006.— of the main royal residences since 2006.d the location, _ since 2006. i absolutely loved the location, to _ since 2006. i absolutely loved the location, to be _ since 2006. i absolutely loved the location, to be honest. - since 2006. i absolutely loved the location, to be honest. i. the location, to be honest. i really liked the fact that the three christmas broadcasts have that he has done have all been different locations. the first ones at the case where the late queen is buried, last year at buckingham palace. an issue at the chapel, a direct reference to the health issues that he and the princess wells have been through this year. i like the idea of taking the christmas message out of a royal met residents, it adds more... going to different locations throughout the uk, are really making a lot more intimate than it has been in previous years where it has just been at buckingham palace. in terms of the location, absolutely loved it. the symbolism as well, because that chapel also has links to george v. chapel also has li

after the royal visit to australia — alive! after the royal visit to australia and _ alive!samoa in - alive! after the royal visit to - australia and samoa in october, more international travel is planned for the king in the coming months. his cancer treatment is ongoing, but palace sources say he ends 2024 feeling optimistic and positive about the year ahead. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. scientists are waiting to find out if a nasa spacecraft has succeeded in passing through the sun's outer atmosphere. the parker solar probe, which was launched in 2018, is travelling closer than any man—made object has before, and will be enduring extreme temperatures and radiation to collect important scientific information. the spacecraft is now out of communication for several days and nasa won't know if it's survived till saturday morning. 0ur science editor rebecca morelle has the story. 0ur sun in all its fiery splendour. we've been studying it for centuries, but there's still so much we don't know about it. now the closest ever encounter is set to finally she

the royals are a way into that. thank — the royals are a way into that.more from sean throughout the day. touching upon that soft diplomacy, that rolling up of the red carpet that we are seeing behind us, i want to bring in another guest, a lecture at the university of sussex. you wrote a book about why gulf wealth matters to britain. what do you make of this visit from a country with britain. what do you make of this be it from a country with britain. what do you make of this be toasting country with britain. what do you make of this be toasting cour other. 1 britain. what do you make of this be toasting cour other. it will be toasting each other. it is a great _ will be toasting each other. it is a great moment where there is a great moment where there is a great moment where there is a degree of theatre about it, is a degree of theatre about it. but— is a degree of theatre about it, but there is a hard purpose below — it, but there is a hard purpose below the _ it, but there is a hard purpose below the surface about that influencing and trying to build

charlotte galla . her senior royal member. charlotte gallagher in — senior royal member.rlotte gallagher in windsor, - senior royal member. charlotte gallagher in windsor, thank - gallagher in windsor, thank you. police chiefs have warned the uk home secretary that without further funding neighbourhood policing could be cut, due to the increased costs of employee taxes and wages. our political correspondent tom symonds is in westminster this morning. tell us more about the concerns.— tell us more about the concerns. ., ,., concerns. there are some long-term _ concerns. there are some long-term concerns - concerns. there are some long-term concerns here| concerns. there are some - long-term concerns here that long—term concerns here that the police are really trying to put into the public at the moment, at quite high levels. chief constables talking out about this. they say that for years some police forces have been underfunded because of the method used to allocate funding between police forces. and then of course during the budget the government announced an increase to

the royal family to allow himself to be tarueted. . ., royal family to allow himself to be tarueted.., royal family to allow himself to be tarueted. . ., ., ., royal family to allow himself to be tarueted. u, ., ., , targeted. the court found that h six had been in — targeted. the court found that h six had been in a _ targeted. the court found that h six had been in a position _ targeted. the court found that h six had been in a position to _ targeted. the court found that h six had been in a position to generate l had been in a position to generate relationships with prominent uk figures which could be leverage to full political interference purposes. there was a letter from dominic hampshire, he told h six... h6 also had a note on how to handle the duke himself. counter espionage investigators fear is the duke had been a target of elite capture, that is the chinese communist party's operation to seek influence across british life. so the home secretary used her exceptional powers reserved for the most serious national security cases to ban the uk. mis�*s chief has warned of the sc

hundreds of people are here now to see the royal family.d in the early hours of this morning. some even brought sleeping bags. it was still dark when they got here. people have brought flasks of coffee, tea, presents to give to the royals as well. i'm joined by two of them. this is shelly and lynn. hello. why did you decide to come here today? um, i was spending christmas on my own, and i wanted to turn a negative into a positive. and i wanted to be here, really, for catherine and charles because of the journey that they've had. and i think at this moment in time, it's so fast. and that's what the country needs. it needs a bit of positivity and it's great to come down here. we both come down really early. we've both travelled and it's a great atmosphere, an opportunity to have something positive. and how about you? why did you decide to come down? i've always supported the royal family and i take something off my bucket list, which hopefully i will do today by coming here. it's always been on the bucket list. so yeah, that's the reason i'm

our senior royal correspondent daniela relph has more.as day broadcast after a turbulent year for the king with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. to reflect that, he wanted his christmas message to come from a location connected to health care and used by the community. he chose here — fitzrovia chapel in central london. the chapel is tucked away amongst the modern blocks of flats and offices near oxford circus — a small, intimate space that will this year host a piece of royal history. the king is said to have been bowled over by the chapel�*s beauty. it was once a place of solace and reflection for patients, staff and families using the middlesex hospital before the hospital was demolished in 2008. i assume that this space, being one of kind of calm reflection, but also thinking about health, about care and about the medical profession, would make it a pretty apt choice. we did feel very privileged. the chapel is not consecrated and is open to people of all faiths. it's now used for community events and there are royal connections too.

royal commentator kelly swaby talked me through the speech.say, you know, i think we all expected him to address his cancer diagnosis, but he spent a lot less time talking about himself than i think many of us expected. i think a lot of us expected the entire speech, or at least a large part of the speech, to be about his diagnosis. and it wasn't. it was about community spirit. it was also about public service. obviously, you know, our incredible health professionals, you know, got a shout out this year as they have in many of the previous christmas broadcasts. but it was one of community spirit of coming together. ithink, you know, that very much ties in with the christmas spirit as a whole. so it was as to be expected. but there were also some surprises in there. yeah, and some really sort of direct comments, weren't there? you sometimes have to read between the lines to sort of get the messages from royal christmas messages. but this was very clear. you know, it was about community. it was about the southport riots. it was talking about sor

it is easier to say who you didn't meet because you met a lot of royals? yes, lots of handshakes from the king, princess catherine. and they loved my boots. prince william pointed them out and said to his children to see them. i am glad i wear them today. you said it meant a lot to you as a cancer survivor speaking to the king and catherine. yes, and being able to wish them good health for the year. i have written to catherine a few times regarding our cancers and got lovely replies. i think we are very lucky we have got a brilliant royal family and it just shows that cancer and health conditions apply to everyone. is that made you want to come in particular this year? yes, that need it more so definitely because cancer affects everyone and people don't realise. mine was ovarian cancer. people don't realise how it affects the family so i wanted to see the royal family and see them celebrate christmasjust as i am. what was the atmosphere down there like? lots of you were there, people were cheering and clapping. lovely. everybody was chatty before the famil

you mentioned that the royal mail is one of britain's oldest institutions.as been going for more than 500 years but times are changing. the company was privatised a little bit more than a decade ago and since then the volume of letters it has been delivering across the uk has declined, almost down to half of what it used to be. that's one of the financial pressures it is now facing. those financial pressures do also seem to have been affecting its performance. royal mail is supposed to deliver 93% of letters within one working day of them being sent. in fact, one working day of them being sent. infact, it one working day of them being sent. in fact, it is damn it has only achieved about 75%. second class letters which are supposed to be delivered within three days it has also fallen short of combat as well. so as you understand this is a problem for the company. —— fallen short of that target as well. ofcom has the choice not to find the company if it has a good excuse. this time royal mail said it was because of its financial performance and delays of getti

it's now used for community events and there are royal connections too.thy thomas for her bravery in a hospitalfire. she is now remembered on the chapel walls as an heroic colleague. the king wanted to do something different this year — to make his message more personal and delivered from a space used by the community. but taking a christmas broadcast out of a royal residence is highly unusual. i usually make my christmas broadcast to the commonwealth from windsor or buckingham palace — this was queen elizabeth in 1989 at the royal albert hall for a christmas broadcast that focused on young people. in 2003, she took the message to a barracks in windsor during the iraq war, where she thanked servicemen and women and their families. but virtually every other christmas broadcast has come from a royal residence. to choose this peaceful space in central london is a significant break with convention from a king who this year wants his christmas broadcast to reflect some of the experiences and challenges he has faced. daniela ralph, bbc news, fitzrovia chapel. t

our senior royal correspondent _ lot as well. our senior royal correspondent daniela - lot as well.r royal i correspondent daniela ralph. earlier, the royalfamily attended the traditional christmas service at church in sandringham. king charles was accompanied by the prince and princess of wales and their children and other senior royals. prince andrew did not attend, after it was confirmed earlier this week that he would not be joining the family at sandringham. pope francis has delivered his traditional christmas day blessing. speaking from the central balcony of st peter's basilica to thousands of people in the square below, he delivered his traditional christmas day "urbi et orbi", an address to the city and the world. in his speech, the pope called for talks between ukraine and russia to end the war that followed moscow's full—scale invasion two years ago, and he also renewed his call for a ceasefire in the israel—gaza war. translation: in the middle east and contemplating the crib - of bethlehem, i think of the christian communities in israel and palestine and particularly to

our royal correspondent, daniela relph has more.ngst the modern blocks of flats and offices in central london, a small peaceful space that will diss year host a piece of royal history. the king is said to have been bowled over by the beauty of this chapel. once a place of solace and reflection, for patients, staff and family using the middlesex hospital before the hospital closed in 2005. after a yearfrom hospital closed in 2005. after a year from the king was diagnosed with cancer and are still undergoing treatment he wanted his christmas broadcast to come from a location connected to health care and some were used by the local community. with a particular year the family have had, the chapel and its connection to the hospital and the wider health care profession is what made it the choice for them. but it is also, its life now is as a charity in the local community so it's open to community groups, we have local acquirers, we have festivals that happen in the local community, events happening here. and so it's very much rooted in

i a royal residence is highly unusual-— a royal residence is highly unusual. , ., , , unusual.ually make my christmas broadcast - unusual. i usually make my christmas broadcast to - unusual. i usually make my christmas broadcast to the | christmas broadcast to the commonwealth to d from windsor palace _ commonwealth to d from windsor palace. , . , ,, palace. this was queen elizabeth _ palace. this was queen elizabeth from - palace. this was queen elizabeth from the - palace. this was queen | elizabeth from the royal palace. this was queen - elizabeth from the royal albert hall for a christmas broadcast focused on young people. in 2003 she took the message to windsor during the iraq war where she thanked families. but virtually every other christmas broadcast has come from a royal residence. to choose this space in central london is a break from tradition. this year the king wanted his broadcast to reflect the experiences and challenges that he has faced. here in the uk, the chancellor says the challenge to fix the economy is �*huge' after revised figures showed there was no eco

there are royal connections, too.the king's great-grandfather george v was at middlesex hospital to honor dorothy thomas for her bravery in a hospital fire. she is now remembered on the chapel walls as a heroic colleague. the king wanted to do something different this year. to make his message more personal and delivered from a space used the community. but, taking a christmas broadcast out of a royal residence is highly unusual. >> i usually make my christmas broadcast to the commonwealth from windsor. >> this was queen elizabeth in 1989 at the royal albert hall for christmas broadcast that focused on young people. in 2003, she took the message to a barracks in windsor during the iraq war where she thanked servicemen and women and their families. virtually every other christmas broadcast has come from a royal residence. to choose this peaceful space in central london is a significant break from convention. for making who this year -- for a king who this year once the christmas broadcast to reflect the experiences and

it is that soft diplomacy, red carpet diplomacy, the pomp and ceremony that these royal state visitsto building ties, building those bilateral relations between countries, between the united kingdom and between the united kingdom and between countries such as qatar. obviously, there is controversy when it comes to qatar itself, we know that when it came to the world cup there was a lot of concern as to the country's human rights record, but today what we are looking at, although there will no doubt come up as well because i know a lot of the commentators we've been speaking to this morning have this up, but today this is about what we're going to see within the next hour, just the pomp and ceremony, the royal household working in unison with the foreign and commonwealth office to ensure that every moment of this goes down to detail. so we are watching what is happening at horse guards parade. with me is robert hardman, economist for the daily mail. and you are the author of a new book, charles iii, allabout author of a new book, charles iii, all about the king. author of a new book,

our senior royal correspondent daniela relph is here.ignificant, isn't it, that prince andrew is being excluded from a key annual event? yeah, ona yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a huge yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a hu-e blow yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a huge yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a hu-e blow to yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a huge yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a hu-e blow to the yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a huge yeah, on a personal level, jane, this is a hu-e blow to the duke this is a huge blow to the duke of york. this is one of the very few occasions that he was able to join the royal family publicly, going to church on christmas morning at sandringham. there was no other moment in the role year where we see so many senior members of the royal family together in this way as we do on christmas day was that it is a key image of the year, seeing them outside church, a unified family togetherfor outside church, a unified family together for christm

our senior royal correspondent daniela relph reports. the king and queen led the royalfamily from church on the sandringham estate. a moment to reflect on the challenges of the past 12 months. the prince and princess of wales were with them, alongside their three children. for the crowds, who stood for many hours waiting for a glimpse of the royals, there was a chance to chat and hand over gifts. thank you very much. thank you so much, yeah. it's very kind of you to come all this way. god save the king plays. in his christmas message, delivered from a former hospital chapel in central london rather than a royal residence, the king spoke of the suffering we all experience at some stage of our life, and touched on his own experience of cancer treatment. from a personal point of view, i offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed. recal

it has a lot of royal links and i think it was a very wise choice.at was well commentator kelly swaby talking to me earlier. pope francis has delivered his traditional christmas day blessing, speaking from the central balcony of st. peter's basilica to thousands of people in the square below. he delivered his traditional christmas address to the city and the world. in his speech, the pope called for talks between ukraine and russia to end the war that followed moscow's invasion, and renewed his call for a cease-fire in the israel/gaza war and release of the remaining israeli hostages held by hamas. >> the middle east, the crib of bethlehem, i think of the christian communities in israel and palestine. and particularly to the deer community -- the dear community in gaza where the humanitarian situation is extremely grave. may there be a cease-fire, hostages be released, and aid be given to people. sarah: in the middle east, hamas and israel have blamed each other for delays in the latest attempt at a cease-fire. hamas accused the israeli government we