Prince William and Kate go on walkabout in London to see coronation preparations


Gillian Duncan
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Follow the latest news from the coronation of King Charles here

The Prince and Princess of Wales were met by cheering crowds on a walkabout in central London on Thursday following a trip on public transport.

Prince William and his wife Kate took the Elizabeth Line -which opened last yea and is named after his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth - to visit a business in Soho to see how it was preparing for the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.

The royal couple spoke to representatives from the hospitality industry in the area about their preparations for Saturday, as well as the crowds waiting outside, who cheered after catching a glimpse of Prince William and Kate through the window. The pair then took selfies with the cheering crowds.

The couple boarded the Tube at Acton Main Line in west London and chatted to Transport for London workers about their plans for the busy bank holiday weekend, when tens of thousands of people are expected in the capital.

At one point the princess of Wales, who was wearing a pillarbox red coat, was asked about the coronation on Saturday and replied: "Yes, it's going to be a busy time. We're getting there. I still feel like we're trying to get ducks in a row."

The royal couple travelled three stops and got off at Tottenham Court Road.

Kate was spotted using an Oyster card as she left the station and the couple walked the short distance to the Dog and Duck pub in Soho, one of the many businesses hoping for a bumper weekend thanks to the coronation.

Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, travel on London Underground's Elizabeth Line in central London. AP
Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales, travel on London Underground's Elizabeth Line in central London. AP

The couple, with their children, attended a coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday with the king and queen consort.

The royal family was greeted by the Dean of Westminster and shown inside the gothic church, where King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will be anointed and crowned on Saturday in front of 2,300 guests and a global audience of millions.

Prince George, 9, and second in line to the throne, has the duty of being one of his grandfather's pages of honour and is expected to be tasked with holding the train of his grandfather's regal robes.

Prince William will kneel before his father and vow to be his "liege man of life and limb" in the only homage of royal blood of the ceremony.

He will also help clothe the king in his golden robe royal, also known as the mantle, before the crowning.

Prince Louis, 5, was spotted next to William in the back of a car as they left the rehearsal.

Also there were the queen consort's grandsons, who will act as her pages of honour.

The Dean of Westminster said rehearsals for the big day went well and the king was not at all anxious about the ceremony.

The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle told Sky News: “The King was relaxed and very gracious.

"He took time to thank all the people around him who are making this happen.

“So whilst he has a huge burden on him, there’s a lot for him to do, he doesn’t give the sense of being a man who’s really anxious about this, not at all.”

The dean, who will take part in the ceremony conducted by the Archbishop Canterbury, said: “I’m the Dean of Westminster. I’m used to ceremony on a national level. Even I think this is pretty jaw-dropping.”

He described the ceremonial dress and Crown Jewels being used as “extraordinary” and the music as “spine-tingling”.

The dean, who will have to handle the crown, said he has been practising its movements to ensure it is put on the King’s head the correct way.“Our secret is not to tie bits of thread to it because someone removes them,” he added.

The king's sister, the Princess Royal, also attended after visiting soldiers from The Household Division at Wellington Barracks in the morning as they prepared for their roles in the military processions.

With last-minute preparations ramping up, early morning rehearsals were staged in the capital earlier in the week, revealing the first glimpses of the grandeur of the coronation processions.

People wearing ceremonial clothes walk outside the Westminster Abbey during a rehearsal, ahead of the coronation. Reuters
People wearing ceremonial clothes walk outside the Westminster Abbey during a rehearsal, ahead of the coronation. Reuters

Hundreds of soldiers, many on horseback, marched from Buckingham Palace past Trafalgar Square and Downing Street to Westminster Abbey shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

The diamond jubilee state coach and gold state coach travelled down The Mall as part of the dry run for the full event.

Royal fans waited for more than three hours for the parade to make a return trip.

Crowds ran through St James's Park to find the best spots near the palace, with many trying to spot relatives in their military outfits.

The UK prepares for the coronation of King Charles III - in pictures

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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Always use only regulated platforms

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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

F1 2020 calendar

March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.

Wonka
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MATCH INFO

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Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens

Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
 

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

THE%20SPECS
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Company%20profile
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The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
While you're here
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

INFO

What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.

Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.

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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

RESULTS

Women:

55kg brown-black belt: Amal Amjahid (BEL) bt Amanda Monteiro (BRA) via choke
62kg brown-black belt: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Ffion Davies (GBR) via referee’s decision (0-0, 2-2 adv)
70kg brown-black belt: Ana Carolina Vieira (BRA) bt Jessica Swanson (USA), 9-0
90kg brown-black belt: Angelica Galvao (USA) bt Marta Szarecka (POL) 8-2

Men:

62kg black belt: Joao Miyao (BRA) bt Wan Ki-chae (KOR), 7-2
69kg black belt: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Gianni Grippo (USA), 2-2 (1-0 adv)
77kg black belt: Espen Mathiesen (NOR) bt Jake Mackenzie (CAN)
85kg black belt: Isaque Braz (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE), 2-0
94kg black belt: Felipe Pena (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL), 4-0
110kg black belt final: Erberth Santos (BRA) bt Lucio Rodrigues (GBR) via rear naked choke

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)

Engine 2.4L four-cylinder 

Gearbox Nine-speed automatic 

Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm

Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Updated: May 05, 2023, 10:36 AM