Concerns have been raised regarding the health of Princess Alexandra after the 89-year-old royal was forced to pull out of a public memorial concert at the last moment.
Too frail to attend as many public engagements as she once did, Princess Alexandra had nevertheless been determined to make it to a special concert celebrating the life of her beloved sister-in-law, Katharine, Duchess of Kent, who passed away a year ago at the age of 92.
According to the Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements, Alexandra was originally listed as having "attended a performance by students and alumni of Future Talent celebrating the legacy of the charity’s co-founder" at Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster on Sunday.
However, it has since been disclosed that the Court Circular was, on this occasion, inaccurate. Princess Alexandra, who holds the distinction of being Queen Elizabeth II’s last surviving bridesmaid, did not actually attend the musical tribute.
"The princess unfortunately had to pull out at the last moment," a source revealed.
This sudden and unexpected withdrawal has sparked fresh concerns regarding the health of the princess, who is due to reach her landmark 90th birthday on Christmas Day. Her last confirmed public engagement took place nearly six months ago, when she joined fellow senior royals at a Buckingham Palace reception marking the centenary of the birth of her first cousin, Queen Elizabeth.
Despite her absence, other members of the Royal Family turned out in force to support the Future Talent concert, which was hosted by well-known television presenter Alexander Armstrong. Among the attendees were her brothers, the Duke of Kent, 90, and Prince Michael of Kent, 84.
Two of the late duke and duchess’s three children were also present, namely Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor, alongside their nephew Lord Freddie Windsor and his wife, the actress Sophie Winkleman.
Reflecting on the evening, Nicholas Robinson, the charity’s co-founder, shared his gratitude for the family’s presence. "It was an honour to welcome so many members of Katharine’s family to celebrate the wonderful musical legacy she has left in Future Talent," he said. Princess Alexandra’s unexpected absence has left well-wishers hoping for positive updates regarding her health as she approaches her milestone birthday later this year.
Bidding to be a Lady of the Garter, Fernanda?
Away from the solemnity of royal engagements, the weekend saw a distinctly unconventional society wedding that captured public attention. This may not have been your average wedding snapshot, but then the Dugdales are not your typical family. During her nuptials over the weekend, baronet’s daughter Fernanda posed for a striking photograph while perched gracefully on a staircase, holding a cigarette in her right hand and prominently displaying her lace garter.
Fernanda, 32, the daughter of Sir William Dugdale, exchanged vows with photographer Ash Kingston, 31, in a ceremony in London. The arresting image was posted online by her sister, the actress Clemmie Dugdale, 35. Clemmie is no stranger to making waves with unconventional wedding traditions, having gone even further at her own ceremony in 2024 when she stripped down to her lingerie during the reception.
Meanwhile, the entertainment world has been rocked by production delays following tragic circumstances. The violent death of US film-maker Rob Reiner has halted plans to revive the classic sitcom Fawlty Towers, John Cleese has revealed. Having been actively working on the scripts alongside his collaborators at the time of Reiner’s tragic passing, Cleese explained the current status of the project.
"It’s a slightly sad story because it was for Rob Reiner’s company, so everything’s gone a bit quiet," Cleese said. "They liked the first draft, they’ve given us notes… but that’s as far as it’s gone at the moment."
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were stabbed to death last December in their home, and their son Nick has subsequently denied murder charges. Prior to his death, Reiner had expressed immense enthusiasm about collaborating with the renowned British comedian, praising him as a comedy legend and noting that the mere idea of working with him brought a smile to his face.
AI? Exterminate, says Time Lord!
Artificial intelligence presents a far greater danger to actors than any fictional monster from science fiction, according to former Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy. The actor voiced his deep concerns after being shocked by an unofficial, fan-made AI version of the beloved television show that managed to attract more than half a million views online.
"People are desperate to keep Doctor Who alive, I get that," says the actor, 83, who famously played the seventh Doctor from 1987 to 1989, as well as the wizard Radagast in The Hobbit film trilogy. "But I’m desperate to keep acting alive. I’m not really sympathetic to AI. My Doctor was always facing machines like that."
Trouper Nicole refuses to let injury derail gigs
In the world of live performance, dedication often means pushing through physical adversity. Nicole Scherzinger left Royal Albert Hall concertgoers exasperated last year when she made them wait 50 minutes to take the stage while she paused to pose for selfies with admirers who had paid £550 each for VIP access.
However, the Pussycat Dolls star has since been determined to prove to her audiences and critics alike that she is far from a diva. Nicole, 48, recently shared a video online showing her being pushed in a wheelchair backstage in Paris, where she and her band performed over the weekend. The singer subsequently revealed to her fans that she had suffered nasty burns to her leg, which was left severely blistered by an accident involving scalding water.
"Nothing like boiling water falling on your leg an hour before your set – but the show must go on," she posted on social media. A representative for the star later clarified that Nicole had utilized the wheelchair purely as a safety precaution while navigating the venue. The incident comes after a period of intense professional scrutiny, following a string of complaints reported last year regarding Nicole’s behavior during her acclaimed starring role in Sunset Blvd. on Broadway, for which she ultimately won a Tony award.
The clue is in the book title, Laura!
In the literary and political sphere, broadcaster Laura Kuenssberg is hoping to set off political fireworks with the upcoming November 5 launch of her first book, Pay Attention, published by Hachette. The prominent BBC presenter intends to explain "what on earth is going on in our politics," while issuing a sharp warning that "it’s time for politicians who represent the public to pay more attention to us."
However, questions have been raised as to whether she paid sufficient attention to the crowded autumn book lists. Rival publisher HarperCollins is simultaneously set to release its own major "a sharp look at our well-founded anxieties over how the attention economy and AI-driven media are warping our politics," written by bestselling US political podcaster David Pakman. The title of his book? Pay Attention.
Elsewhere in the realm of television documentary production, explorer Simon Reeve narrowly avoided a serious accident while filming the second series of Wilderness for BBC Two. "In Papua New Guinea, I had a makeshift bamboo chair in our camp," he recounted. "It looked pretty sturdy – right up until the moment it collapsed beneath me and a sharpened length of bamboo speared straight through the side of my T-shirt. It missed me, but it was close."
