Racist' white powder letter sent to Meghan Markle: News report

A letter with white powder was sent to Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle, the Evening Standard newspaper reported today, saying it was also believed to contain a racist message.
The paper said that officers from the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command were called in after the letter was received on February 12 at a sorting office in St James's Palace in central London.
But analysis of the powder found that it was harmless.
Contacted by AFP, Prince Harry's press service at Kensington Palace declined to comment on the report.
"Police are investigating after a package containing a substance was delivered to St James's Palace on Monday, 12 February," police said in a statement.
"The substance was tested and confirmed as non-suspicious.

Officers are also investigating an allegation of malicious communications which relates to the same package," the statement said.

Social media corroding civil discourse: Obama tells Prince Harry

Former US President Barack Obama told Britain's Prince Harry he was concerned social media was "corroding civil discourse", in what he said was his first interview since leaving the White House, aired on Wednesday.

"One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities," he told the prince, who was guest editing BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases. Things aren't as simple as they've been portrayed in whatever chat room you've been in," he added.

"The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn't lead to a Balkanisation of society and allows ways of finding common ground."

The interview was recorded in Toronto, Canada, in September on the sidelines of the Invictus Games, the athletic tournament created by Harry for wounded former soldiers.

Despite admitting concern over the future of the US, Obama, who did not mention his successor Donald Trump by name, said he felt a sense of "serenity" on leaving the White House.

"There was a sense that we had run a good race," he added.

On his new routine, Obama told the prince: "I wake up later, it's wonderful to be able to control your day."
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Royal family joins bereaved families in London tower fire memorial

Britain's royals and Prime Minister Theresa May joined survivors and families of those who died in London's Grenfell Tower fire for a memorial service today for the 71 people killed in the June blaze.

Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Prince Harry, Prince William and his wife Kate joined some 1,500 people at the multi-faith service at St Paul's Cathedral, held exactly six months after the June 14 fire that engulfed a residential tower block in west London.

Emma Dent Coad, a Labour lawmaker for the neighbourhood, said "emotions are still very raw" and the service was a "recognition that people from all walks of government are going to come down and grieve with them."

As they filed out of the service, many of the bereaved paused on the steps of St Paul's to comfort each other. Some held aloft photos of their loved ones and clutched white roses.

In all, 71 people including a stillborn baby died in the fire, which started in a refrigerator in one apartment before racing through the 24-story tower, home to a largely immigrant and working-class population.

The disaster shocked Britain and raised many questions about the country's rich-poor divide, not least because it took place at a publicly owned tower block in Kensington and Chelsea, one of London's -- and Britain's -- richest boroughs.
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Diana revived the monarchy - and airing old tapes won't change a thing

August 31 marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in Paris. It is already the subject of widespread coverage, with commemorative editions of magazines and television documentaries about her life and death. This is in marked contrast to the relatively subdued acknowledgement of earlier anniversaries.

Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, are using the occasion to commemorate their mother’s memory and to emphasise the lasting effect she had on the British monarchy. They are leading a media campaign that suggests the monarchy is as popular today because of their mother’s legacy, not in spite of it.

The queen, in particular, now stands as one of the most popular and long-reigning monarchs Britain has ever had. Such is her popularity, it seems very likely that she will remain a royal favourite despite the renewed interest in her and Diana’s often difficult relationship.

Many will view with interest the candid videos of Diana talking about her neglect and unhappiness within the royal system – and at the hands of the monarch in particular – which the UK’s ITV/Channel 4 is due to air this month. However, William’s and Harry’s early intervention into their mother’s story will hold sway with the public. It’s likely the monarchy – embodied with traces of Diana’s face and charm in the guise of the young princess – will be invigorated, not diminished, by her memory.
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From bridesmaid to bride for Prince William's sister-in-law Pippa

After turning heads at her sister Kate's wedding to Prince William, Pippa Middleton graduated from bridesmaid to bride on Saturday at a star-studded wedding in an English country church.

The 33-year-old married financier James Matthews, 41, at a ceremony attended by the royal couple and tennis star Roger Federer, as she wore a couture dress by British designer Giles Deacon.

Middleton made headlines around the world in a figure- hugging bridesmaid's dress at William and Kate's wedding in 2011.

William, the second in line to the throne, arrived with his brother Prince Harry at St Mark's Church in Englefield, a quiet rural village west of London near the Middleton family home.

William's wife, now Duchess of Cambridge, took charge of their two children, three-year-old Prince George and two- year-old Princess Charlotte, who were among eight young page boys and bridesmaids.

William's cousin Princess Beatrice also attended, as did 18-time Grand Slam winner Federer and his wife Mirka, reflecting Middleton's keen interest in tennis.

The bride arrived with her father Michael in a Jaguar Mark V open-top car, wearing a high-necked, capped-sleeved dress with a corseted bodice and sweeping skirt, worn with a veil by milliner Stephen Jones.

She received a cheer from around 100 local residents and well-wishers from the village who were invited to watch the event from the green in front of the church.

The presence of so many senior royals means security around the village was tight, and no-fly zones banning aircraft including drones were imposed around the area.

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