LONDON: With his father King Charles III undergoing cancer treatment and his wife recovering from surgery, Britain’s Prince William found himself thrust back to the frontline of royal duties on Wednesday.
The king’s shock cancer diagnosis, announced on Monday, and Catherine’s abdominal operation have left William, 41, shouldering a heavy royal burden.
Charles’s eldest son and heir to the throne, William postponed public engagements to care for his wife, the Princess of Wales, and their three children after she was admitted to hospital on January 16.
But on Wednesday he was back on duty, hosted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, west of London, handing out honors for citizens recognized for their community work and other good deeds.
It had been three week since he last appeared at a major royal event.
Later, he will attend a London Air Ambulance fundraising gala.
Charles, who left London on Tuesday for his Sandringham residence in eastern England, will meanwhile hold his weekly meeting with Prime Minister Sunak by telephone for a change.
“We have agreed with the palace in this specific instance to confirm that they will be speaking on the phone later,” Sunak’s spokesman said.
Sunak made a brief reference to the king’s cancer diagnosis in parliament.
“I know the thoughts of the house and the country are with the king, and his family,” he told the House of Commons.
“We wish his majesty a speedy recovery and look forward to him resuming his public-facing duties in due course,” he added.
William is also expected to take on some of his father’s duties while he undergoes treatment, alongside Charles’s sister Princess Anne and his wife Queen Camilla.
Buckingham Palace has not specified the type of cancer the 75-year-old monarch has, although it is understood not to be prostate cancer and Sunak has said it was “caught early.”
The diagnosis comes just 17 months into Charles’s reign following the death of his 96-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022.
Adding to the drama, the king’s estranged son Prince Harry flew back from his US home on Tuesday.
The pair had a 45-minute meeting at Charles’s Clarence House residence in London before the king left for Sandringham.
Harry’s return has sparked speculation it could serve as a catalyst to heal family tensions that have blighted Charles’s reign.
Harry and his brother William have reportedly not spoken in months because of bad feeling caused by Harry’s public criticism of his family.
Harry quit royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California where he now lives with his American wife Meghan and their two young children.
Harry has repeatedly aired his complaints about the way he feels he and his wife were mistreated during their time as working royals, culminating in January 2023 with his autobiography “Spare.”
The Press Association news agency reported that there were no plans for the brothers to meet while Harry was in the UK.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams described the rift between William and Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, and the rest of the royal family as “very deep.”
Reports said he had stayed at a luxury London hotel overnight following Charles’s decision to block him from using his former home on the Windsor estate.
It was not known how long Harry was due to stay in the country.
Citizens expressed sympathy for William, who they noted now faced the double burden of maintaining his family life with extra official duties.
“He’s got a hard job because his wife is poorly at the moment, so that’s an added pressure on poor William, but I’m sure that he will cope,” pensioner Sue Hazell told AFP outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
His wife Kate is expected to be out of action until at least March 31, her office has said.
Officials have not given details of her surgery except to say it was not linked to cancer.
Canadian tourist Sarah Paterson, a 44-year-old entrepreneur, said that William must be “beside himself” given the recent deaths of his grandfather and his grandmother, along with the health problems faced by his father and his wife.
But she was “1,000 percent” confident that William would be a good stand-in, adding: “I think he’ll probably be king sooner than he hoped.”
William fills royal void during King Charles cancer treatment
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William fills royal void during King Charles cancer treatment
- The king’s shock cancer diagnosis, announced on Monday, and Catherine’s abdominal operation have left William, 41, shouldering a heavy royal burden
- “We have agreed with the palace in this specific instance to confirm that they will be speaking on the phone later,” Sunak’s spokesman said
British climber breaks his own record with 19th Everest summit
KATHMANDU: British climber Kenton Cool successfully climbed Mount Everest for the nineteenth time on Sunday, extending his own record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain by a non-Nepali.
More than 50 climbers have reached the summit since the spring climbing season began this month, taking advantage of a brief spell of good weather and typically calmer winds.
Mountain guide Cool, 51, first climbed Everest in 2004 and has since had an expedition almost every year taking clients up the world’s highest peak.
“Kenton summited Everest for the 19th time at 11:00 a.m. Nepalese time on Sunday,” a post on his Instagram account said.
His 15th summit in 2021 tied him with American Dave Hahn for the most summits by a non-Nepali climber, and his summit the following year gave him a solo title.
Cool was once told he would not walk unaided again after a rock-climbing accident in 1996 that broke both his heel bones.
He told AFP in a 2022 interview after his 16th ascent that his Everest record was “not that amazing” in the context of Nepali climbers’ achievements.
“I’m really surprised by the interest ... considering that so many of the Sherpas have so many more ascents,” he said then.
Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, 55, is also attempting to break his own world record for the most Everest summits with his 31st climb.
Gaza a ‘slaughterhouse,’ says British surgeon
- Dr. Tom Potokar: ‘It’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here’
- ‘Absolutely horrific’ stories amid escalating Israeli attacks
LONDON: A British surgeon working in southern Gaza has described treating severe explosive injuries and compared the Palestinian enclave to a “slaughterhouse” amid escalating Israeli attacks.
Overnight, at least 130 people were reported killed as Israeli forces launched extensive ground operations in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, forcing the closure of some of its main medical facilities.
Dr. Tom Potokar said in a video that medical staff were treating severe explosive injuries in southern Gaza.
“It’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here (with the) constant sound of bombardment, jets overhead,” he added.
Following the Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed nearly 1,200 people, Israeli forces launched an air, ground and sea campaign on Gaza, killing over 52,000 Palestinians and displacing and injuring hundreds of thousands.
Potokar said he treated a young woman who “is not yet aware that everyone in (her) family was killed in the onslaught.”
He added: “Another day of devastation here in Gaza ... The stories coming from the north ... absolutely horrific ... particularly around the Indonesian Hospital.”
The hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in Beit Lahia, has ceased operations due to Israeli bombing.
In the south, the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Yunis announced that it was out of service last week, while the Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafah said it can no longer operate its surgical department amid the Israeli attacks.
Since March, Israel has enforced a blockade on aid, prompting a warning from UN food experts about the imminent risk of mass starvation in Gaza.
Ex-servicemen to be re-deployed as security guards in Kashmir, says Indian govt
- Around 4,000 veterans have been "identified" as non-combatant volunteers
SRINAGAR, India: Military veterans will be redeployed as security guards in Indian Kashmir, New Delhi said on Saturday.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir approved a "proposal for mobilising ex-servicemen to safeguard vital infrastructure across the union territory," according to a government press release.
Around 4,000 veterans have been "identified" as non-combatant volunteers, out of which 435 have licensed personal weapons, it said.
This will help by "significantly enhancing the capacity to respond effectively to localised security situations," the government added.
Veterans will work in "static guard" roles, focusing on "presence-based deterrence and local coordination."
India already has an estimated half a million soldiers permanently deployed in its part of Kashmir.
A similar veteran volunteer program took place with 2,500 veterans during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the government.
Philippines records surge in tourists from Middle East
- Philippines has been recognized as an emerging Muslim-friendly destination in recent years
- Last year, it launched a beach for Muslim women travelers in top resort island Boracay
MANILA: The Philippines has recorded significant growth in tourists from the Middle East, the Department of Tourism said on Sunday, following various campaigns to attract more travelers from the region.
Tourism is a key sector for the Philippines, and its government has lately been trying to attract more visitors from the Middle East by creating Muslim-friendly destinations and ensuring that they have access to halal products and services.
Those efforts, part of the Philippines’ move to diversify its economy away from dependency in the declining Chinese market, have led to a surge in international tourism arrivals from countries in the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said.
“We are targeting markets such as the Middle East and the GCC, as well as India,” she said in a statement.
“Because of our efforts to diversify, we are seeing, for example, from the Middle East and the GCC, an average of no less than 500 to 800 percent growth rate in terms of international tourism arrivals.”
The Philippines’ tourism sector has been recovering since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced most tourism destinations in the country to shut down and resulted in a decline of foreign arrivals by more than 80 percent compared to 2019 numbers.
As tourism started to rebound, the Middle Eastern market was among the ones showing “promising signs of recovery” last year, a Department of Tourism report said.
The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are among the countries showing a positive recovery rate, “signifying a steady return of visitors from the Gulf region,” according to the report.
In 2024, the Philippines was recognized as an Emerging Muslim-friendly non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation Destination by the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index.
The index is an annual report benchmarking destinations in the Muslim travel market.
The archipelagic country known for its white-sand beaches, diving spots and rich culture, also won the award in 2023 and has since boosted efforts to attract visitors from the Middle East.
Last year, it launched a beach for Muslim women travelers in Boracay, the country’s top resort island and one of the world’s most popular.
The Department of Tourism also partnered with Emirates Airlines in April to jointly promote the Philippines, targeting the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and European markets.
“The beauty of coming to the Philippines is that it is a very diversified destination. We are able to cater to any type of traveler, whether you are a solo traveler, a couple, (or) a family,” Frasco said.
“With the number of islands that we have and the readiness of these destinations, then we are excited to welcome people of all nationalities.”
British politician urges UK to act on Israel as Gaza faces ‘cruel destitution’
- Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, of Palestinian descent, said a critical tone had yet to translate into meaningful policy change
LONDON: A British politician of Palestinian descent has called on the UK government to back its tougher rhetoric on Israel with tangible action, warning that people in Gaza are facing “unbearably cruel levels of destitution.”
Liberal Democrat Layla Moran said that although ministers had recently adopted a more critical tone, this had yet to translate into meaningful policy change, The Guardian reported on Sunday.
“I remain frustrated that while the government’s words and tone have changed, in terms of concrete actions, not much has changed,” she said.
Her comments come amid growing international pressure over Israel’s expanded military campaign in Gaza and its restriction of humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, described Israel’s aid blockade as “appalling,” “cruel,” and “indefensible.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy also confirmed that the UK was in discussions with France and Saudi Arabia about recognizing a Palestinian state, ahead of a planned international conference in Paris in June.
Moran urged the UK to move forward with recognition, arguing it would “safeguard Palestinian interests and also send a very clear signal to Israel that there are consequences to their actions.”
She also criticized the government for continuing to allow trade from illegal Israeli settlements and for supplying arms to Israel, adding: “They’re still arming Israel when they shouldn’t be.”
