Charles

This article contains some spoilers for the Netflix miniseries “Death by Lightning.”

If politics today make your head spin, wait until you see Netflix’s “Death by Lightning.” The four-part miniseries, premiering Thursday, chronicles one of the more jaw-dropping stretches of post-Civil War American history, when corruption ran rampant, a presidential nominee was drafted at the 11th hour, only to be assassinated early in his term by one of his biggest fans — becoming perhaps the greatest head of state we never really got to have.

And the show answers the burning expletive-laced question posed by its first line: Who is Charles Guiteau?

“I’ve been in a James Garfield rabbit hole for seven years of my life at this point,” says showrunner Mike Makowsky, who adapted Candice Millard’s 2011 chronicle of Garfield and Guiteau, “Destiny of the Republic.” Those who paid attention in history class probably remember that Garfield served briefly as our 20th president in 1881 before being shot and killed. Those who remember more than that are few and far between.

“My own agent half the time refers to him as Andrew Garfield,” says Makowsky. “And I have to confess, I knew very little about Garfield, like most Americans, until I picked up Candice Millard’s remarkable book.”

Realizing he knew little about one of the four American presidents to be assassinated, Makowsky thought, “Since I would desperately like to be on ‘Jeopardy!’ someday, I was like, ‘Let me educate myself.’ I wound up reading the entire book in one sitting.”

“Death by Lightning,” directed by “Captain Fantastic” auteur Matt Ross, boasts a remarkable cast: Betty Gilpin as First Lady Lucretia Garfield; Nick Offerman as Garfield’s successor, a hard-drinking, hard-partying Chester A. Arthur; Michael Shannon as James Garfield, the polymath president, crusader against corruption and noble to a fault; and Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Guiteau, the frustrated office-seeker who shot him.

“I wanted to cast people who were somewhat counterintuitive,” says Ross. “If you read the cast list for this, you might assume Michael Shannon was playing Guiteau because he has played a lot of complicated, for lack of a better word, villains — tough guys, bad guys. And Matthew Macfadyen has played more heroic characters.”

Guiteau is definitely no Darcy from “Pride and Prejudice,” or Tom Wambsgans from “Succession,” for that matter. In the series’ conception of him, he shares more DNA with Martin Scorsese’s unhinged protagonists than he does with Darcy — or, certainly, with Garfield.

The proto-incel with a gun

As portrayed in “Death by Lightning,” Guiteau is a rotten-toothed, scheming, big-dreaming, delusional charlatan and possible sociopath. He’s the proto-incel, and the diametrical opposite to Garfield, whom Makowsky defines as “lawful good,” to borrow the Dungeons & Dragons classification.

“I think the most reductive view of Guiteau is ‘chaotic evil,’ right? But that’s the least interesting rendering of this person,” he says. “What are the societal factors that alienate a man like Guiteau from his fellow human beings? The show is meant to probe into his psyche.”

He was a member of the Oneida community, a religious sect based in New York that practiced communalism, free love and mutual criticism, which is depicted in the series (and yes, they founded the flatware company). But Guiteau couldn’t partake in what Makowsky delicately called the “benefits” of such a society, largely because his delusions of grandeur alienated him from others there. The women reportedly nicknamed him “Charles Gitout.”

“Everyone who encountered him described him as being disagreeable, odd, rude, selfish,” Ross says, explaining the need for an actor who had the opposite qualities. “He’s an extreme example of someone who had no work to be seen for, but was so desperately looking for affirmation and love.”

Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen) was part of the Oneida community, which practiced communalism and free love, but he wasn’t accepted by its members.

(Larry Horricks/Netflix)

Ross describes Macfadyen as someone who’s empathetic, warm and funny. “I wanted that humanity because the real Guiteau was a deeply disturbed man who was psychologically brutalized by his father to the point he was a non-functioning person.”

Makowsky says as he was reading Millard’s book, he thought of Rupert Pupkin, Robert De Niro’s deranged-fan protagonist in Scorsese’s “King of Comedy.” “This guy showing up, day in and day out, hoping for an audience with his hero [Garfield], being continually rebuffed to the point where something in his brain breaks,” he says of Guiteau. “He felt like a direct historical antecedent to the Rupert Pupkins and Travis Bickles of the world. He fell through the cracks and we lost potentially one of our greatest presidents because of it.”

Makowsky recalls shooting the only dialogue scene between Garfield and Guiteau, when the “greatest fan” finally gets to meet his idol. To Makowsky’s surprise, Macfadyen’s Guiteau “just burst into tears. That wasn’t scripted. It was so overwhelming to him. I think in that moment, more than any other in the series, you feel something for this man.”

Party (hearty) over country

Garfield was succeeded in office by Chester A. Arthur, whom Makowsky calls one of the least likely persons to ever become president. “The man had never held elected office,” he says. “His one political appointment prior to his nomination for vice president was as chief crony of the spoils system of [New York Sen.] Roscoe Conkling’s political machine. The level of corruption was so audacious and insane.”

He’s played with oft-drunken brio by Nick Offerman, whose voice Makowsky says he heard in his head as soon as he started writing the role: “I was like, it has to be Nick Offerman.” He took some liberties with the character and events, including a memorable sequence where Arthur and Guiteau go on a bender. Makowsky says they “probably never had a wild night out in New York, but it was an indelible proposition and I couldn’t resist.”

Nick Offerman plays eventual President Chester A. Arthur, who was closely aligned with New York Sen. Roscoe Conkling (Shea Whigham).

Betty Gilpin portrays First Lady Lucretia Garfield as her husband’s intellectual equal. (Larry Horricks / Netflix)

As to the first lady, “Lucretia Garfield was every bit her husband’s intellectual equal. But she couldn’t vote. There was a ceiling to what a woman in her day could accomplish,” Makowsky says, wistfully musing on what she might have achieved, given the chance. “And Betty [Gilpin] radiates that strength and that acute intelligence.”

Having recently given birth, Gilpin took her family along to Budapest for filming, voraciously researching Lucretia and reading her entire correspondence with her husband. The role gets meatier as the series progresses until she initiates an unforgettable, blistering encounter with Guiteau to button the story.

“Betty jokingly said to me, ‘If you cut that scene, I will kill you.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way that scene is being cut. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the entire show,’” Ross recalls. “Everyone who read it was like, ‘Oh my God, this scene.’ And Betty just knocked it out of the park, take after take after take.”

The forgotten president

Ross says when he first read Makowsky’s scripts, he thought they were “fantastically relevant” and offered a fresh look at American history. “As an American, I’m always trying to figure out what it means to be American,” he says. “The story of Garfield, you couldn’t make it up. He was a hero of working people and the promise of American democracy — having a representational democracy where those in power and the wealthy are not controlling the laws of the land, which could not be more relevant today.”

Makowsky calls Garfield “a poster boy for the American dream,” rising from poverty to the nation’s top office.

“He was a war hero and a Renaissance man that did math theorems while he was in Congress and who could recite Homer from memory,” he says. “This remarkable individual, fiercely intelligent and a brilliant, powerful orator, was far ahead of his time on certain political questions of the day. He was an outspoken proponent for civil rights and universal education and civil service reform.”

In real life, and as depicted in the series, Garfield worked with notable Black leaders like Frederick Douglass and Blanche Bruce, the first Black register of the Treasury, whom he appointed.

“The great tragedy is we were robbed of a potentially generational leader in Garfield,” Makowsky says.

“Death by Lightning” showrunner Mike Makowsky says Americans were robbed of a “potentially generational leader” in James Garfield.

(Larry Horricks / Netflix)

Garfield wasn’t even seeking the nomination when he spoke on behalf of another candidate at the Republican National Convention of 1880, but his speech so moved the delegates that they eventually persuaded him to accept the nomination after more than 30 votes failed to produce another winner. It reminded Makowsky of then-Sen. Barack Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention, where he presented “a strong and confident, optimistic vision for the future of our country.”

Nowadays, such a rise seems less likely. “I don’t know if that would happen today, obviously because of money in politics; no one can run if they don’t have phenomenal backing,” Ross says.

Ross emphasizes the show is “not a history lesson,” drawing a distinction between drama and documentary. At times, “Death by Lightning” plays like a black comedy. Makowsky’s dialogue, while usually honoring what we think of as the formality and vocabulary of the 1880s’ idiom, occasionally veers into hilariously cathartic invective that bracingly reminds us these were living, breathing people with fire in their bellies.

“Ken Burns could make a 10-hour documentary to encapsulate all the nuances of this incredible story,” says Ross. What Makowsky did, Ross says, was contextualize the history through the prism of two very different people, Garfield and Guiteau.

“One is this incredibly admirable American figure I think everyone should know about, the greatest president we never really had. And then the other is a charlatan, a deeply broken, deeply mentally ill man who just kind of wanted to be Instagram-famous, just wanted to be known. You see this moment in history through their eyes, and I thought that was delicious.”

The rare move comes after mounting pressure to act over Andrew’s relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

King Charles III has stripped his brother Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Buckingham Palace said on Thursday the king “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew”.

After the king’s rare move, Andrew will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and not as a prince, and he will move from his Royal Lodge residence into “private accommodation”.

It is almost unprecedented for a British prince or princess to be stripped of that title. It last happened in 1919, when Prince Ernest Augustus, who was a UK royal and also a prince of Hanover, had his British title removed for siding with Germany during World War I.

Demand had been growing on the palace to remove the prince from Royal Lodge after he surrendered his use of the title duke of York earlier this month over new revelations about his friendship with Epstein and renewed sexual abuse allegations by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir hit bookstores last week.

But the king went even further to punish him for serious lapses of judgement by removing the title of prince that he had held since birth as a child of a monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

Giuffre’s brother declared victory for his sister, who died in April at the age of 41.

“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” her brother Skye Roberts said in a statement.

Andrew faced a new round of public opprobrium after emails emerged earlier this month showing he had remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted.

That news was followed by the publication of, Nobody’s Girl, by Giuffre, who alleged she had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The book detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, who she said acted as if he believed “having sex with me was his birthright”.

Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations.

Andrew paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he did not admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

The move by the king means Andrew will no longer be a prince or be known as “his royal highness”, “duke of York”, “earl of Inverness” or “baron Killyleagh” – all titles he held until now. Also gone are honours that include Order of the Garter and status as knight grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

Andrew is expected to move to a property on the king’s Sandringham estate near the northeast coast and receive private financial support from his brother.

Shaquille O’Neal said he’s “ashamed” of the people involved in the gambling scandal that rocked the NBA on Thursday.

Charles Barkley called two of the individuals involved in the matter “stupid.”

Kenny Smith said the situation is “super unfortunate.”

One day after the “Inside the NBA” crew made its ESPN debut, the three analysts, as well as host Ernie Johnson, had a huge story to discuss that had little to do with the actual game of basketball.

On Thursday morning, federal prosecutors unsealed two indictments that outlined separate schemes to rig sports bets and poker games. More than 30 people were arrested, including former Clippers player and current Portland head coach Chauncey Billups, who was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games run by Mafia families.

Also arrested were Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who is accused of being part of a scheme to provide private insider NBA information to help others profit from online bets, and retired player Damon Jones, who has been charged with taking part in both schemes.

“All these guys knew what was at stake, and I’m just ashamed that they put themselves and put their family and put the NBA in this position,” O’Neal said during Thursday’s broadcast. “We all know the rules. We all know the letter of the law. And it’s just unfortunate — you know, innocent till proven guilty, but usually when the FBI has something, they have you.”

He added: “I know Chauncey. I know Damon very well, played with Damon. … I’m ashamed that those guys will put their families and their careers in jeopardy. There’s an old saying in the hood, all money ain’t good money. So if you’re making $9 million, like, how much more do you need? Especially if you know you get caught, you can do jail time, lose your career, put a bad image on yourself or your family or on the NBA.”

Smith pointed out that “gambling is an addiction which could make you make illogical decisions,” but Barkley interjected his opinion that addiction had nothing to do with the decision Jones and Rozier made to help others make fraudulent bets.

“This ain’t got nothing to do with addiction. These dudes are stupid,” Barkley said. “Why are they stupid? You under no circumstances can you fix basketball games. Under no circumstances. … Like, Rozier makes $26 million. Him betting, giving people information or taking himself out of games — how much is he going to benefit taking himself out the game to get unders?”

Barkley added: “You can’t fix ball games. Like I said, this is separate from Chauncey, but the notion that guys are making all this money and giving information — come on, man, stop that. That got nothing to do with addiction. That’s just total stupidity on these two dudes parts.”

Billups — a five-time All-Star who was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP as a member of the Detroit Pistons and is in his fifth season as Portland’s coach — and 10-year NBA veteran Rozier were placed on immediate leave, the league announced Thursday.

Billups’ attorney issued a statement Thursday night strongly denying the allegations against his client.

“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity,” attorney Chris Heywood said. “Men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others.”

Jones played three seasons with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008 and was an assistant coach during the Lakers star‘s second stint in Cleveland. In one of the indictments, prosecutors allege Jones was an unofficial coach with the Lakers from 2022 to 2023 when he used inside information for sports betting.

Oct. 17 (UPI) — King Charles III plans to visit Pope Leo XIV next week in the Vatican as the first reigning English monarch since 1534 to pray in a service with the pontiff.

Charles, along with his wife, Queen Camilla, will visit the Vatican on Wednesday and Thursday. They will appear with the pope during a service on Thursday at the Sistine Chapel, where a special seat has been created for Charles.

The chapel was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1483. Michelangelo painted the ceiling from 1508 to 1512.

Henry VIII split from the Vatican 22 years later.

Buckingham Palace on Sept. 26 announced the state visit to the Holy See for late October in the church’s 25th Jubilee Year to “celebrate the ecumenical work by the Church of England and the Catholic Church, reflecting the Jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope.'”

The royal couple had a private meeting with Pope Francis on April 9 in celebration of their 20th wedding anniversary. It took place at Casa Santa Marta hospital in Rome, 12 days before he died.

In 1961, Queen Elizabeth II was the first British monarch since the Reformation to visit the Holy See. Queen Elizabeth died on Sept. 8, 2022, and Charles became king.

“It marks a historic moment in the journey of reconciliation between our Churches,” Archbishop Flavio Pace said in a Vatican press briefing Friday. “It celebrates how far we’ve come — and offers hope for the future.”

This gathering will bring together members of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, of which the king is the supreme governor.

“This will be the first state visit, since the Reformation, where the pope and the monarch will pray together in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, and the first time the monarch will have attended a service in St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, a church with an historic connection to the English crown,” a Buckingham spokesman told the Guardian.

They also will visit the adjacent Benedictine Abbey. This church, which contains the tomb of St. Paul, had been associated with the English monarchy dating to medieval and Anglo-Saxon rulers who helped with the upkeep.

King Charles will also be honored with the title of Royal Confrater, “recognizing the long-standing ties between the British Crown and the Benedictine abbey attached to the basilica,” Vatican News said.

During the service with the pope, there will be a hymn by Saint Ambrose of Milan sung in an English translation by Saint John Henry Newman, who was canonized in 2019. King Charles attended that event.

Music will be provided by the Sistine Chapel Choir, alongside choristers from the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace and the Choir of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The king and queen will also meet Vatican officials.

The Vatican said the “two central themes of the Royal visit are Christian unity and care for the planet.”

The Roman Catholic Church has approximately 1.4 billion members with 20.4% in Europe, including 6.2 million baptized Roman Catholics in England and Wales, and 676,000 in Scotland.

The Church of England is the largest Christian denomination in Britain with 13.3 million followers. The church originated in the break from the Vatican and features Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.

Jack Stooks spent 21 years working at the royal residence of Highgrove House and Gardens

King Charles III’s former gardener of 21 years has revealed what it was really like maintaining the landscape garden at the Royal residence.

Jack Stooks was responsible for Highgrove House and Gardens, one of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s most cherished homes in Gloucestershire.

Speaking on Friday’s This Morning, Jack not only provided gardening tips but also disclosed how he secured his position and recounted the occasion he gatecrashed King Charles’ honeymoon with Queen Camilla.

Jack told presenters Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary: “I went on honeymoon with the King!” prompting Dermot, 52, to ask: “What’s that all about?” whilst Alison, 50, gasped: “You gatecrashed it?”

Clarifying what had occurred, Jack recalled: “After the wedding at Windsor, I got to do some cut flowers from the King’s garden, from the Queen’s garden and actually take them down to the wedding. They were actually used at their wedding!”, reports the Express.

“After the wedding, there were trees and things that came out of the chapel and I took those up to Scotland, to Birkhall, so I got to plant them with the King, which was amazing!”

Meanwhile, Jack disclosed how he landed his role, saying: “I wrote and asked for a job, there I was at Highgrove!” following an encounter with the King at his aunty and uncle’s residence where he “seemed nice”.

Noting he served as a gardener for 21 years, he continued: “I left last year! [That job] just from a simple letter!”

Jack previously shared with the Mirror about the King: “He was very much on the ball all the time. If he came home at the weekend, he would be out in the garden checking what’s been done, what hasn’t been done.”

The King, according to Jack, had a deep affection for his garden and would often make comments indicating his keen interest.

“He would be like, ‘This needs doing, that needs doing’,” Jack remembered. “So, it was really good to know that you’re working for somebody that actually took everything in.

“He was interested in the garden he knew what was going on. So, we all had the sense of satisfaction that we would get something right and know that it was actually being enjoyed and admired by the person who owns it.”

Catch This Morning on weekdays at 10am on ITV and ITV X

Sept. 11 (UPI) — The relationship between King Charles III and Prince Harry may be on the mend as the two met and spent a short time together in London on Wednesday.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that both father and son were at Clarence House in London together for tea for about 50 minutes, their first such gathering since February of 2024.

Charles made a trip into London Wednesday from Scotland, while Harry, who has lived in the United States since 2020, was already in Britain to attend charity events.

The last time they were together was shortly after the king was diagnosed with cancer last year, at which time the prince met with his father briefly.

Harry had spoken with the BBC in May and said he wanted reconciliation with his family.

After the meeting concluded, the palace said that no more information regarding the meeting would be provided.

The relationship between Harry and Charles has been tense since Harry and his wife Meghan Markle ceased to take part in key royal duties in 2020 and moved to California.

Harry has said we wouldn’t bring either his wife or their two children on the trip without guaranteed security. Once he stopped having royal responsibilities, his protection by the palace in Britain was reduced from full-time to a case-by-case situation.

KING Charles is unlikely to let Harry back into the royal fold should the pair meet in London this week, a royal expert has claimed.

The Royal Family can’t trust the Duke of Sussex for fear anything they say will be used in his next tell all, historian Hugo Vickers said.

7

7

7

Harry jetted into the UK yesterday, on the three-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

While Harry visited his grandmother’s grave, the Prince and Princess of Wales were hosting an event in the late Queen’s honour just eight miles away.

And the King is set to return to London from his Scottish break this week while Harry is in the UK – sparking speculation the two could meet.

However, Hugo Vickers – a royal expert and the author of several bestselling royal autobiographies – says Charles should tread carefully.

He says that the Royal Family “doesn’t trust” Harry anymore, after the Prince gave out personal “information” about them in his autobiography Spare.

Faced with the prospect of a second bombshell book, the family remembers how Harry caused “a lot of harm”.

Now, the Royal Family has to “tread very carefully” with the Prince.

Harry made headlines yesterday, when he was heard joking about the “challenging” relationship between siblings at a glitzy charity bash.

When he met Declan Bitmead – the 17-year-old winner of the inspirational young person 15-28 years award – Harry asked the youngster about his brother.

The Prince asked: “Does he drive you mad?

When Declan replied “no, we get on fine” Harry replied “you know what – siblings”.

And when told his brother went to the same school, Harry said: “You’re at the same school, that sometimes makes it more challenging.”

Hugo says that the strained relationship between the Prince and his brother, as well as with his father, can’t be repaired until he makes a big admission.

The expert says that, in order to get back in with the Royals, Harry will need to “apologise”.

Hugo said: “It would be in his, and everybody else’s, interests if somehow he could form some sort of personal reconciliation with his father.

“Because, we know even from Prince Harry’s book that his father said: ‘Don’t make my last years miserable.’

“And if something happens to the King and Prince Harry has not reconciled with him, then he’s going to be bearing more sort of guilt and remorse and things.

“And he’s got enough on his plate already with the death of his mother and the things that he feels about all that.

7

7

“So in order for that to happen, he is the one who has to apologise. He is the one who has to give assurances.”

Harry’s current visit – set to last for four days – will be his longest since Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022.

The Prince previously lost his battle with the Home Office over the level of security he will be granted during visits to the UK.

That court battle reportedly cost Harry a staggering £1 million.

During the Prince’s current visit, King Charles III jetted back to London from his Scottish break.

The King had been in Balmoral for a month, with his return fuelling speculation that the pair could reunite after not seeing each other for 19 months.

However, Hugo says that there will always be “suspicion” over Harry’s return trips to the UK.

He said: “I suppose the suspicion is that, if he comes over here, he is sort of almost reestablishing himself as a member of the royal family.”

Hugo added: “But in the days when he was right in the middle of it and doing things, he was a very hardworking and successful member of the family.

“You know, putting in his bit for the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and all the things that he does.

“And, he was wearing fine uniforms and he looked like a prince.

“Latterly, of course, he’s just a guy in jeans with a backpack on his back.”

Now, Hugo says Harry can be seen “loitering in the background of one of Meghan Markle’s cooking sprees”.

7

7

I’M A Celeb star Lord Charles Brocket has been charged with rape and sexual assault.

The peer, 73, is accused of targeting the same woman in East Sussex between May 5 and August 10.

1

Brocket finished fourth on the 2004 series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.

Aug. 24 (UPI) — France summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner on Sunday after he published an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron accusing the government of failing to effectively take action on anti-Semitism.

The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement to CNN saying Kushner would be expected at the ministry’s Paris headquarters Monday.

In the letter, published Sunday in The Wall Street Journal and dated Monday, Kushner wrote to Macron that he was concerned about “the dramatic rise of anti-Semitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it.” Kushner, the father-in-law of President Donald Trump‘s daughter, Ivanka Trump, has served as the ambassador of France for less than seven weeks.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, “pro-Hamas extremists and radical activists have waged a campaign of intimidation and violence across Europe,” Kushner wrote.

The French Foreign Ministry denied the allegations and called Kushner’s comments “unacceptable.”

“The rise in anti-Semitic acts in France since the 7 October, 2023, is a reality that we deplore and against which French authorities are totally mobilized, because these actions are intolerable,” the ministry said, referencing the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.

Kushner took issue with France’s plans to recognize an independent Palestinian state in September, saying that doing so gives “legitimacy to Hamas and its allies.”

“Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures towards recognition of a Palestinian state emboldened extremists, fuel violence and endanger Jewish life in France,” Kushner wrote. “In today’s world, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism — plain and simple.”

Macron announced in July that he plans to make a formal statement recognizing Palestine at U.N. headquarters in New York City. He said it was part of France’s “historical commitment to a just and durable peace in the Middle East.”

“The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and to bring relief to the civilian population,” Macron said in a post on X.

Several other Western nations have come out in favor of a Palestinian state, including Canada, Spain, Norway and Ireland.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was against France’s plans in July.

“This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Macron of leading a “crusade against the Jewish state.”

London, United Kingdom – Jonathon Porritt, a 75-year-old Oxford-educated environmentalist, is among the hundreds of people that the UK has cracked down on over their support of Palestine Action.

He was arrested and charged earlier this month, under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, for holding up a sign at a rally decrying the government’s decision to outlaw the protest group.

“I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” read the cardboard placard that he, and many of the 520 others arrested, raised.

His bail hearing is scheduled for late October.

But Porritt is not a hardened criminal.

He spent 30 years advising the king on environmental issues when the monarch held the Prince of Wales title. He has also chaired a sustainable development commission set up by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and throughout his career has worked in politics, academia and directed Friends of the Earth. In 2000, he was awarded a CBE, a high-ranking order, for services to environmental protection.

Al Jazeera spoke to Porritt about his activism, Palestine, the role of business and the effect of weapons manufacturing on climate change.

Al Jazeera: As the crisis in Gaza worsens, you have urged the UK to take action to stop Israel’s onslaught. With more than 700 other business leaders, you recently called for targeted sanctions against those accused of violating international law, including war crimes. Does that include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since he is wanted for arrest by the International Criminal Court?

Jonathan Porritt: It would certainly include members of his cabinet who have been very forthright in the comments that they’ve made, which clearly breach any understanding of the rights of people to exist … and indicate a readiness to ethnically cleanse Gaza and indeed to prepare to do the same in the West Bank.

It’s very clear that those sanctions do now need to be brought forward, and I think it is important that it’s business leaders that are suggesting that you just can’t allow those kinds of blatant attacks on the Palestinian people to continue.

Al Jazeera: On an individual level, many people appalled at Israel’s conduct in Gaza have joined a campaign to boycott Israeli goods, in an attempt at hitting the economy that fuels the war. Is this an effective way to stem the violence?

Porritt: It is something I do on an individual level. And this is purely personal, but I would be deeply unhappy buying anything exported into the UK from Israel. I feel that the government of Israel at the moment and its track record in terms of the way it’s dealt with the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is so repugnant to me personally that I feel uncomfortable supporting the economic standing of that country, so that’s my own personal choice.

I don’t go out of my way to suggest that everybody needs to do that.

I think lifestyle decisions are really important, ethical decisions are really important, but do they actually change very much? Probably not, is the reality, and an awful lot of people simply don’t know the issues behind these choices.

Al Jazeera: Your arrest earlier this month made headlines. What do you think figures such as King Charles and Tony Blair, who you’ve worked with, would make of your radical activism?

Porritt: I was comfortable taking on establishment roles as chair of the commission [launched by Blair], for instance, [and] helping to set up the Prince of Wales’s business and sustainability programme, all that kind of stuff. But my life started as an activist in the Green Party and in Friends of the Earth, so they probably always knew that I was more predisposed to that tactical route than to the inside track that I nonetheless spent 30 years pursuing.

Al Jazeera: With several wars raging, is the link between militaries and weapons companies, which are major carbon polluters, and climate change being talked about enough?

Porritt: No, and this really bugs me a lot.

The investment in nuclear weapons of one kind or another, upgrades going on all over the world, and increasing the number of warheads again – this is just crazy, and on the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima you think, how can that possibly be?

And then, then you look at the environmental impacts of all of that, of course, including the CO2 footprint of vast increases in expenditure on arms, and it’s just the worst possible way of trying to increase security for people in their own country – to make these hugely carbon-intensive and destructive investments and yet more weapons of mass destruction.

Al Jazeera: The UK has proscribed Palestine Action as a terror organisation, but its backers say outlawing the group is a way to silence dissent as Israel wages war in Gaza. It is now legally challenging the proscription. What does Palestine Action stand for, in your view?

Porritt: What Palestine Action actually stands for is a readiness to use violence against property as part of its campaigning tactics against, in particular, those arms companies [that are] deeply complicit in the continuing genocide in Gaza. They see as being proportionate when set against the devastation going on in Gaza.

That choice about tactics is morally based, wholly defensible … and in no way indicative of a formally designated terrorist organisation.

In the last few years, there’s been an astonishing legal crackdown on basic rights in this country, particularly the right to the freedom of speech and the right to freedom to protest

The designation as a terrorist organisation … is to try and silence Palestine Action. That’s where I come back to the now incontrovertible proof of the UK government’s complicity in this genocide, and because of that complicity – its continuation of licences for arms quite clearly being used to massacre innocent people across Gaza – if you look at that complicity, they needed something extra. They needed an even bigger stick to shut Palestine Action up so that the citizens of the UK were not permitted to recognise just how abhorrent this government’s behaviour is.

July 14 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump‘s state visit to Britain will take place Sept. 17 through Sept. 19 at Windsor Castle where King Charles III will host him and First Lady Melania Trump, Buckingham Palace announced Monday.

Buckingham Palace said Trump had formerly accepted the invitation, six years on from his first state visit when he was the guest of the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2019. The visit is unprecedented because Trump will become the first U.S. president to receive the honor twice — second-term presidents traditionally receive a tea or lunch invitation.

Itinerary details remain pending but will comprise a packed schedule of events — including a full ceremonial welcome and a state banquet in the castle’s Saint George’s Hall — with all senior members of the royal family involved, including Prince William and Kate, said the palace.

Trump and the first lady will spend two nights at Windsor Castle. The location was moved from the customary Buckingham Palace due to renovations that are underway at the king’s official residence.

Trump, who has hereditary roots in Scotland, is known to be a fan of Britain, and in particular the royal family and all the associated pomp and grand ceremonies.

British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson said Trump could expect a warm welcome.

“He should expect a warm reception because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it,” said Mandelson.

“He trusts [British Prime Minister] Keir Starmer. It’s not a question of expressing our gratitude. My lodestar here is to demonstrate respect, not sycophancy. I don’t think the administration has any problem with that.”

However, the timing sidesteps the issue of the traditional address given to parliament by visiting heads of state, as Trump will arrive a day after the legislature rises for the month-long ‘conference” recess, when political parties hold their annual conventions.

A group of 20 MPs signed a motion back in April calling on the speakers of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords not to allow Trump to officially address either chamber, saying his “misogynism, racism and xenophobia, comments on women, refugees and torture” made it inappropriate.

The motion noted “several concerns on his comments about the U.K., parliamentary democracy, the Middle East and equalities; expresses concern about his conduct around Ukraine; believes it would be inappropriate for President Trump to address Parliament.”

Of the lawmakers who backed the motion, 15 belong to Starmer’s ruling Labour Party.

The stance of parliamentarians contrasts with the optics surrounding French President Emmanuel Macron‘s state visit last week, during which he addressed a packed joint session of parliament and laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey.

The king initially extended the royal invite to Trump in February in a letter that Starmer brought with him on a visit to Washington to meet with Trump in the White House, which the president accepted on the spot.

During his last visit in 2019, mass street protests forced the cancellation of a procession down the mall leading to Buckingham Palace for security reasons and he traveled between events by helicopter, instead of by road.

He also became embroiled in a social media spat with the mayor of London and appeared to breach royal protocol by walking ahead of the queen.

LAS VEGAS — Ilia Topuria continued his ascension up the pound-for-pound ladder with a major statement via a vicious first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight championship Saturday night at UFC 317.

Topuria used a sharp right hand to set up a devastating left hook that dropped Oliveira to end the bout at the 2:27 mark of the opening round, fulfilling his prediction of a first-round KO while sending the announced crowd of 19,800 into a frenzy.

“I always say I represent the new generation of mixed martial arts,” said Topuria, who closed a -400 favorite at BetMGM sportsbook.

Topuria (17-0), who now has 10 first-round finishes to his credit, moved up to the 155-pound weight class following a successful campaign in the featherweight division last year. He claimed that belt with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and defended his title by finishing Max Holloway in the third round of an October bout in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Topuria, who came in ranked fourth on UFC’s pound-for-pound list, joined nine others who have held a UFC belt in two weight classes. He is the first undefeated fighter to become champion in two UFC divisions.

“I think tonight was his big night,” UFC CEO and president Dana White said. “We have a star on our hands.”

Oliveira (35-11), who has the most finishes in UFC history, was hoping to become the first fighter to win the lightweight belt on separate occasions.

Fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett was in the audience and summoned to the ring, where a heated exchange led to Topuria shoving the eighth-ranked contender and igniting a rivalry from years ago.

“If you’re ready, I’m here,” Topuria shouted to Pimblett before he entered the ring.

White wasn’t happy with Pimblett getting in the ring, knowing the history of bad blood between the two.

The two have been at odds for some time, after they came to blows when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria’s head in 2022.

“That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that,” Pimblett said to Topuria. “But you will never knock me out.”

Replied Topuria: “I’m going to submit you.”

In the co-main event, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja (30-5) successfully defended his belt by applying a rear-naked chokehold to defeat Kai Kara-France (25-12) at the 1:55 mark of the third round.

It marked the second time the fighters met, nine years after their quarterfinal clash on the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter,” also won by Pantoja, but by unanimous decision.

Pantoja, who closed a -250 favorite and extended his win streak to eight fights, won the title two years ago when he beat Brandon Moreno by decision, and has now defended his title successfully four times.

Ilia Topuria celebrates after defeating Charles Oliveira in a lightweight title fight at UFC 317 Saturday in Las Vegas.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

The 35-year-old Brazilian was joined in the ring after his victory by No. 12 Joshua Van, who put on a show of his own.

Van (15-2-0) defeated No. 1 contender Brandon Royval (17-8-0) in a slugfest in which both fighters displayed incredible boxing skills. Van, who closed a -120 favorite, used an overhand right to drop Royval before closing out the bout with a severe ground-and-pound to secure the unanimous decision.

The 419 combined significant strikes landed were the third most in a UFC fight, and the most in both a three-round bout and a featherweight clash.

Moments after Pantoja’s win, Van challenged Pantoja with both standing nose to nose before exiting the octagon.

Other matches from the main card:

In a lightweight bout, No. 9 Beneil Dariush (23-6-1) survived a first-round knockdown to defeat No. 11 Renato Moicano (20-7-1) via unanimous decision.

In a bantamweight battle, Payton Talbott (10-1-0) used a much-improved ground game to register a unanimous decision over Felipe Lima (14-2-0).

Ramirez writes for the Associated Press.

NEW YORK — Former President Bill Clinton, Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries remembered former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel’s sharp wit, relentless advocacy for Harlem and extraordinary life of public service during a funeral mass for the late congressman in Manhattan on Friday.

Rangel, a pioneering congressman and veteran of the Korean War, died on May 26 the age of 94.

The mass, held at the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, came a day after Rangel’s body lay in state at New York City Hall, an honor bestowed to only a handful of political figures, including U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

Clinton, who called Rangel one of the most effective members to ever serve in Congress, recalled the congressman’s insistence on steering a critical economic program to his Harlem district when Clinton was president, helping to lower unemployment there.

“I don’t think I ever knew a happier warrior than Charlie Rangel,” Clinton said.

Rangel served in Congress for nearly five decades, becoming a dean of the New York congressional delegation and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as being the first African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Before his time on Capitol Hill, he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his military service in the Korean War.

Jeffries told the crowd at the mass that “America is better off today because of his service” and said, as a young congressman, that the legendary Rangel would simply call him Jeff.

“Now, Charlie Rangel would often call me Jeff. I believe it was short for Jeffries. But I never confirmed that. ’Cause this was Charlie Rangel, and so you go with the flow,” Jeffries said, smiling.

Hochul called Rangel “a giant in American life” and said she would move to rename a street in Harlem after the late congressman, who was sometimes called “Lion of Lenox Avenue.” She thanked the attendees who came to the mass “not to mourn Charlie, but to celebrate an extraordinary life.”

Beckham’s knighthood marks the completion of a reputational rebuild for arguably the UK’s most famous living sports star.

Despite his stellar footballing career, charity work and support of the London 2012 Olympic bid, for years there has been speculation that controversy may explain why he kept being overlooked for the honour.

In 2017 leaked emails that Beckham had allegedly written appeared to reveal his frustration at missing out on a knighthood.

A spokesman for the star at the time said the story was based on “outdated material taken out of context”.

In the same year he was among a number of celebrities embroiled in a tax case having invested in the Ingenious film financing scheme.

However, in 2021 it was reported, external he was deemed eligible for a knighthood after having his finances cleared.

Yet still his wait continued. In 2022 Beckham was widely criticised for his decision to accept millions of pounds from the Qatari regime as a World Cup ambassador, and associating himself with a country accused of human rights abuses and where same-sex relationships are illegal. Beckham had posed for the cover of Attitude magazine in 2002, saying he was honoured to be called a gay icon.

Comedian Joe Lycett appeared to destroy £10,000 of his own money in a protest against Beckham’s role with the tournament.

Beckham later defended himself, saying he was “proud” to be part of the event, and a spokesman added that it was “a positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated. We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy towards all people, and that progress will be achieved”.

Later that year however, the patriotism for which Beckham had become known was praised after queuing for 12 hours to see the Queen lying in state, with other celebrities criticised for skipping the long wait.

Since then, the father of four appears to have forged a close friendship with the royals, especially King Charles after becoming an ambassador for the monarch’s charitable foundation last year, even bonding with him over their shared interest in gardening. It was notable that Beckham and his wife Victoria attended a state banquet for the Emir of Qatar at Buckingham Palace in December.

With a popular 2023 Netflix documentary testament to the enduring interest in his life, accompanying all this has been continued commercial success for the 50-year-old’s personal brand. Indeed, he was recently estimated to be the eighth highest-paid athlete, external of all time.

With a range of companies still lining up to be linked with him, the co-owner of Inter Miami continues to enjoy an international profile like no other British athlete, even in retirement.

OTTAWA, Ontario — King Charles III said Canada is facing unprecedented challenges in a world that’s never been more dangerous as he opened the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday with a speech widely viewed as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by President Trump.

Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne outlining his governments priorities for the new session of Parliament. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth of former colonies.

“We must face reality: since the Second World War, our world has never been more dangerous and unstable. Canada is facing challenges that, in our lifetimes, are unprecedented,” Charles said in French.

He added that “many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them.”

It’s rare for the monarch to deliver what’s called the speech from the throne in Canada. Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did it twice before in 1957 and 1977.

”I have always had the greatest admiration for Canada’s unique identity, which is recognized across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defense of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians,” he said.

Charles, on his 20th visit to Canada, noted that it has been nearly 70 years since his mother first opened Parliament.

“In the time since, Canada has dramatically changed: repatriating its constitution, achieving full independence, and witnessing immense growth. Canada has embraced its British, French, and Indigenous roots, and become a bold, ambitious, innovative country that is bilingual, truly multicultural,” the monarch said.

He said when his late mother opened a new session of Canadian Parliament in 1957, World War II remained a fresh, painful memory and said the Cold War was intensifying.

“Freedom and democracy were under threat,” he said. “Today, Canada faces another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination, and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the government is determined to protect.”

Charles also said that the Canadian government “will protect Canada’s sovereignty by rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces.

“It will stimulate the Canadian military industry by participating in the ‘ReArm Europe’ plan and will thus contribute, together with European partners, to trans-Atlantic security. And it will invest to strengthen its presence in the North, as this region, which is an integral part of the Canadian nation, faces new threats,” the king said.

Former Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper were among those in attendance.

The speech isn’t written by the king or his U.K. advisers as Charles serves as a nonpartisan head of state. He read what was put before him by Canada’s government, but makes some remarks of his own.

Carney, the new prime minister and a former head of the Bank of England, and Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, Mary Simon, the king’s representative in Canada, met with Charles on Monday.

Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States. The king’s visit clearly underscores Canada’s sovereignty, he said.

Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the increased aggression shown by Trump.

The king said that Canada can build new alliances and a new economy that serves all Canadians. More than 75% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. and Carney is eager to diversify trade.

The new U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, said that sending messages to the U.S. isn’t necessary and Canadians should move on from the 51st state talk, telling the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that if there’s a message to be sent, there are easier ways to do that, such as calling him or calling the president.

“There are different ways to ‘send a message’ and a phone call is only of them,” said Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University. “The king would normally add his own short introductory remarks and observers will be listening to them very carefully with the issue of Canada’s sovereignty in mind.”

The king said that among the priorities for the government is protection of the French language and Quebec culture, which are at the heart of Canadian identity.

“They define the country that Canadians, and I, love so much. Canada is a country where official and Indigenous languages are respected and celebrated,” he said.

“The government is committed to protecting the institutions that promote these cultures and this identity throughout the world, such as CBC/Radio-Canada.”

He also said the Canada must protect Quebec’s dairy supply management industry. Trump attacked the industry in trade talks.

A horse-drawn carriage took king and queen to the Senate of Canada Building for the speech. It will accompanied by 28 horses, 14 before and 14 after. He will receive the Royal Salute from the 100-person guard of honor from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment before entering the chamber for his speech.

The king will return to the U.K. after the speech and a visit to Canada’s National War Memorial.

Justin Vovk, a Canadian royal historian, said the king’s visit reminds him of when Queen Elizabeth II opened the Parliament in Grenada, a member of the commonwealth, in 1985.

A U.S.-led force invaded the islands in October 1983 without consulting the British government following the killing of Grenada’s Marxist prime minister, Maurice Bishop.

Gillies writes for the Associated Press.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are on their first official visit to Canada since Charles became the British monarch in 2022.

The two-day trip, though brief, carries symbolic weight at a time when Canada has faced tariffs and threats from US President Donald Trump.

Here’s what you need to know about the visit.

What do we know about the ‘Speech from the Throne’?

A major highlight of Charles’s visit is his scheduled address on Tuesday from the Canadian Senate.

Often referred to as a “Speech from the Throne”, the address is traditionally used to open a new session of Parliament and is usually delivered by the governor general on the monarch’s behalf.

The speech is ceremonial and not tied to any new legislative session. It is expected to include reflections on Canada’s democratic institutions, messages of unity, and an emphasis on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Although symbolic, the speech is a rare opportunity for Canadians to hear directly from the monarch in a parliamentary setting. It also serves as a public reaffirmation of the king’s role as head of state in Canada.

It is the first such address to be delivered by a British monarch in Canada since 1977.

In a statement on Monday, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said the speech will outline the government’s plan to deliver the change Canadians “want and deserve”.

This includes defining “a new economic and security relationship with the United States … to bring down the cost of living, and to keep communities safe,” Carney said.

What time is the speech?

Charles is set to deliver the speech shortly after 11am local time (15:00 GMT).

How long are the king and queen in Canada?

The royal couple are in Canada for a two-day tour, which began on Monday.

They came at Carney’s invitation. While the visit is short, it has included several important engagements that reflect Canada’s historical ties to the monarchy.

The itinerary features official ceremonies, cultural events, and meetings with Indigenous leaders, according to the Canadian government’s official website.

Why is the king visiting?

Charles’s visit to Canada serves multiple purposes, both symbolic and practical. Primarily, it aims to reinforce the enduring relationship between Canada and the Crown, highlighting shared values and historical ties.

The timing of the visit is particularly noteworthy as it coincides with heightened tensions following US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs as well as controversial remarks suggesting the annexation of Canada.

Carney’s invitation for Charles to deliver the “Speech from the Throne” has been viewed as seeking to reaffirm Canada’s sovereignty and constitutional framework.

Barbara Messamore, professor of history at the University of the Fraser Valley, said Canadians have found comments by Trump about turning the country into the 51st US state “deeply offensive”.

“I think it is a good moment to show the world that we are a distinct nation with a distinct history, and we’d like to keep it that way,” Messamore told Al Jazeera. “We value, of course, our relationship with our American friends and neighbours, but we don’t want to join them.”

Is a visit by the monarch rare?

While members of the British royal family have frequently toured Canada over the years, visits by the reigning monarch are relatively uncommon. Queen Elizabeth II, for example, visited Canada 22 times during her seven-decade reign.

This is Charles’s first time visiting the country as monarch. He last visited in 2022, when he was still the prince of Wales.

What is Canada’s connection to the monarchy?

Canada is a constitutional monarchy, which means the country recognises the king as its official head of state.

While the role is largely ceremonial, the Crown plays a critical function in Canada’s political system. The king’s duties are carried out in Canada by the governor general, currently Mary Simon, who represents the monarch at the federal level.

The monarchy is built into Canada’s constitutional framework. The Constitution Act of 1867 established the king – or queen – as part of the Parliament of Canada, alongside the House of Commons and the Senate.

Beyond politics, the Crown holds particular importance in Indigenous relations. Many historical treaties were made directly with the British Crown, not with the government of Canada.

This has been largely highlighted in local media coverage, Messamore said.

“Indigenous nations are front and centre, and they value that kinship relationship,” she said.

Although support for the monarchy varies across Canada, with many Canadians questioning its relevance, the institution remains embedded in the nation’s political and legal foundations.

This is because it has always provided a “bulwark against American ambitions”, Messamore said.

“These moments are really important ones about Canadian patriotism. The reaction to the king’s visit has been very positive,” she said.

“We don’t always all agree on our form of governance, but we’ve made it very difficult to change that fundamental aspect of our Canadian Constitution.”

PRINCE Harry made a shock solo appearance in China on the same day King Charles touched down in Canada for a state visit.

The Duke of Sussex attended a global travel and tourism conference in Shanghai where he discussed the importance of sustainable travel.

8

8

8

8

The Prince made the appearance on Monday as part of his role as co-founder of Travalyst, an organisation promoting environmentally friendly travel.

During his address to the Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference today, Harry told the travel industry it needed to do more to hit its climate change targets before 2030.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by the end of the decade.

He added that the Asia-Pacific region is “strongly positioned to do this”.

Speaking at the conference, he said: “Climate change isn’t just an environmental challenge – it’s a critical business emergency, costing the global economy $143 billion dollars annually.

“Now is the moment for the industry to reaffirm its commitment to being a force for good.

“Challenges will undoubtedly rise, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that meaningful change never comes easily.

“The true measure of our commitment is how we respond when the path becomes difficult.

“We must never give up.”

Harry’s trip to China, which was kept under wraps until his surprise appearance in Shanghai, is the first time the Duke has visited the country.

His brother, Prince William, made a similar diplomatic trip to China in 2015 — the first official royal visit in three decades.

The Duke’s Shanghai schedule also included hosting Travalyst’s first-ever two-day Executive Summit, gathering industry leaders and policymakers from across the region to hammer out practical solutions for greener tourism.

It marks the beginning of a global series aimed at turning pledges into action.

As Harry took to the stage in Shanghai, King Charles touched down in Canada also on Monday with Queen Camilla to attend The State Opening of the Parliament in Ottawa.

It marks the first time the monarch has done so since Queen Elizabeth in 1977.

In March, the King held a meeting with then-Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, after the Commonwealth leader faced pressure from the US.

Charles and Camilla were welcomed in Ottawa with cries of “welcome home” as they stepped off their RAF flight from the UK.

Their whirlwind two-day trip to Canada has been hailed as “momentous” — seen as a bold show of solidarity with the country as it locks horns with Donald Trump over sovereignty.

8

8

Charles was previously reported to be “concerned” about the growing discord between the US and Canada.

The King and Queen were met at Ottawa’s airport by new Prime Minister Mark Carney, who swept to power following outrage over Trump calling Canada “America’s 51st state.”

Carney called the royal visit “a reminder of the bond between Canada and the Crown… shaped by shared histories, and grounded in common values.”

Charles, on his 20th visit to Canada, took time to meet crowds under the hot midday sun, hearing thanks and cheers from the public.

The King, who is head of state for Canada, is also expected to meet with Indigenous leaders and veterans during the trip, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen ties and support reconciliation efforts.

8

8