Britain's Queen Elizabeth alone during the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, at St George's Chapel in Windsor on April 17. Reuters
Britain's Queen Elizabeth alone during the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, at St George's Chapel in Windsor on April 17. Reuters
Britain's Queen Elizabeth alone during the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, at St George's Chapel in Windsor on April 17. Reuters
Britain's Queen Elizabeth alone during the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, at St George's Chapel in Windsor on April 17. Reuters

UK's Queen Elizabeth spent time alone after Philip’s funeral, book reveals


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

Queen Elizabeth II shut herself in her sitting room and spent time alone after the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, her personal adviser said.

Angela Kelly has updated her book about serving the queen and included a new chapter that covers the pandemic and Philip’s funeral.

The service took place under strict Covid restrictions that prevented the queen from sitting with family members.

Ms Kelly, the queen’s senior dresser and personal adviser, described her return to Windsor Castle from St George’s Chapel last April.

“I helped her off with her coat and hat and no words were spoken,” she wrote, according to Hello magazine, which is publishing the new chapter this week.

“The queen then walked to her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her own thoughts.”

Ms Kelly was part of “HMS Bubble”, the nickname believed to have been given to the reduced household of dedicated staff who isolated themselves with Elizabeth during lockdown.

In her revised book, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, first published in 2019, she also described the “sombre” mood among the team when they were told of Philip’s death.

Also on Monday, Prince Harry said it was “great” to see the queen, who gave him messages for British Invictus Games athletes when he visited her last week.

Harry and Meghan visited the queen and his father, the Prince of Wales, in Windsor on Thursday, having flown in from their home in the US before travelling on to The Hague in The Netherlands for the games.

It is the first time the couple had been seen together publicly on that side of the Atlantic for two years.

“She had plenty of messages for Team UK, which I’ve already passed on to most of them so it was great to see her," Harry told the BBC. "I’m sure she’d love to be here if she could.”

The surprise meeting has been regarded as an “olive branch” by royal commentators after a turbulent two years following the couple’s decision to step down as senior royals in 2020.

They were absent from the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in London last month.

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How Apple's credit card works

The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.

What does it cost?

Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.

What will the interest rate be?

The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts

What about security? 

The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.

Is it easy to use?

Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision. 

* Associated Press 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

Specs

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AUSTRALIA SQUAD v SOUTH AFRICA

Aaron Finch (capt), Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

Generational responses to the pandemic

Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:

Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.

 

Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers

1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.

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While you're here
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X

Price, as tested: Dh84,000

Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: Six-speed auto

Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm

Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Updated: April 19, 2022, 1:11 AM