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CHRISTINE Lampard has given a rare glimpse of her children Patricia and Freddie during a luxury family holiday.

The Loose Women anchor and husband Frank, both 46, jetted to Dubai with little ones for half term.

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And Christine – who keeps her children out of the spotlight – couldn’t resist giving fans a little glimpse inside their fun.

She posted a video montage from the break, showing Patricia, six, swimming while dressed as a mermaid.

The video also saw Freddie, four, copying his famous dad’s pose as they went out for dinner.

Posting the clip on Instagram, Christine wrote: “A half term dose of sunshine and mermaids.”

Frank is also dad to Luna, 19, and Isla, 17, from his relationship with Elen Rivas.

Christine and Frank tied the knot in 2015.

As well as her work on Loose Women, Christine often steps in for Lorraine Kelly on her chat show.

During a recent run as guest host, Christine interviewed Kate Ferdinand – and was quick to ask the former Towie star about life with a blended family and made a rare revelation about her own.

She said: “What do your two little ones think about the big ones in your household?

“Because I know my two little ones, their big sisters walk in, and it’s like god-like female creatures have walked into the house.”

June 1 (UPI) — The famed anonymous street artist Banksy has claimed credit for new graffiti that is believed to offer a rare moment of introspection and vulnerability by the artist.

The new graffiti was claimed by Banksy on his Instagram account last week and depicts a painted black lighthouse with white beams of light extending horizontally from it as well as the stenciled white text. “I want to be what you saw in me.”

The street artist used a real metal bollard in the foreground as part of the artwork. The bollard’s shadow is cast onto the wall, aligned with the base of the painted lighthouse, creating a sort-of three-dimensional effect.

While Banksy’s true identity remains unconfirmed, he is widely believed to be a white British male from Bristol, active since the early 1990s, possibly a man named Robin Gunningham. His work has often been political and aimed at critiquing societal power structures and politics, as well as commenting on consumerism and the concept of surveillance.

With his access, the artist has been able to make his galvanizing work even in war-torn Ukraine and in Gaza.

But Banksy has faced a slew of recent criticism suggesting that his work is starting to lose its edge.

For example, a Sky News article last year questioned if the public was falling out of love with Banksy after the lukewarm reception of his recent animal-themed murals in London.

“While Banksy’s messages have always been anti-capitalist, many of his works have brazenly succumbed to the very workings of capitalism. So it is difficult to know what exactly the artist’s intentions are,” Lala Singian wrote in an article published by Asia News Network after a recent museum exhibition of his work.

The presence of Banksy’s graffiti can also pose challenges for property owners: a mural in London last year was defaced quickly after it went up, the building housing his big Brexit mural was demolished, and another on a farmhouse was accidentally demolished, and plans to renovate a mural located on Venice’s Grand Canal faced backlash from artists.

Because the artist rarely discusses his work, it can be hard to ascertain his true intentions with the most recent work. In an op-ed, Hyperallergic criticized the work as a “beacon of nope” and called it a “bit jarring” to see him refer to himself in first-person and self-conscious.

“But even with all of that,” journalist Rhea Nayyar wrote for the online art magazine, “the work comes across as overly sentimental for something so … empty? So obvious?”

A RARE mourning ring commissioned by King George IV has been found in a charity shop – and snapped up for just £15.

The gold band, engraved with the touching words “Remember me”, was created to honour the death of Princess Amelia, youngest daughter of King George III.

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The historic piece was discovered in a charity shop in Leicester and is now set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, where it could fetch between £3,000 and £5,000.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “It’s the most important charity shop find I’ve heard about in a decade.”

The unsuspecting buyer had picked up the ring from a local shop, unaware of its royal connection.

Mr Hanson recalled: “I was stunned and dazzled. From a simple box emerged a piece of deeply personal Royal history – commissioned by the Royal family itself to honour a lost loved one.”

Princess Amelia was born on 7 August 1783 and died aged 27 in 1810 after a long battle with tuberculosis.

Her death is thought to have devastated King George III, accelerating his mental decline. She was believed to be his favourite child.

The ring, crafted by top royal jewellers Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, was one of only 52 made on the orders of the Prince Regent – who later became King George IV.

They were handed out to close family and friends after her funeral in Windsor.

“The white enamel used in the ring denotes that Amelia was unmarried at the time of her death,” Mr Hanson said.

“White enamel symbolised purity and innocence in mourning jewellery, particularly for those who died young or unmarried.

“It contrasts with the more commonly used black enamel, which signified general mourning.”

In a final act of love, Princess Amelia is said to have pressed a ring containing a lock of her hair into her father’s hand as she lay dying, whispering the words now inscribed on the newly discovered ring – “remember me”.

A matching mourning ring was later bought by Queen Mary in 1935. Back in 1810, each ring cost 58 shillings to make.

“This find proves treasures still lie hidden on our high streets,” said Mr Hanson.

“It’s not just the monetary value – it’s the emotion, history and humanity behind this ring that truly moves you.”

Experts believe the ring could attract international interest when it goes under the hammer, thanks to its royal provenance and remarkable condition.

Collectors of royal memorabilia are expected to watch the auction closely.

Jewellery historian Alexandra Michell said: “It’s incredibly rare to find such a piece outside of established collections.

“Mourning jewellery from this era, especially tied to a royal figure, is both historically and emotionally valuable.”

The ring has now been placed in secure storage until its auction day to ensure its protection.

It will feature as a highlight item in Hansons’ Summer Fine Art Jewellery Auction.

The auction will take place on 12 June 2025, and bids are expected to come in from across the UK and abroad.

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WASHINGTON — Republicans advanced their massive tax cut and border security package out of a key House committee during a rare Sunday night vote as conservatives who blocked the measure two days earlier reversed course after gaining commitments on the package’s spending cuts.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met with Republican lawmakers shortly before the meeting, telling reporters that the changes agreed to were “just some minor modifications. Not a huge thing.”

Democrats on the panel pressed for more details about the changes that Republicans had agreed to in the private negotiations. But Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Budget Committee, said he could not do so.

“Deliberations continue at this very moment,” Arrington said. “They will continue on into the week, and I suspect right up until the time we put this big, beautiful bill on the floor of the House.”

The first time Republicans tried advancing the bill out of the Budget Committee, hard-right Republicans joined with Democrats in voting against sending the measure to the full House. Five Republicans voted no, one on procedural grounds, the other four voicing concerns about the bill’s effect on federal budget deficits.

On Sunday evening, the four voicing concerns about the deficit voted present, and the measure passed by a vote of 17 to 16.

Johnson is looking to put the bill on the House floor before the end of the week.

“This is the vehicle through which we will deliver on the mandate that the American people gave us in the last election,” he said on “Fox News Sunday” in advance of the vote.

The Republicans who criticized the measure noted that the bill’s new spending and tax cuts are front-loaded in the bill, while the measures to offset the cost are back-loaded. For example, they are looking to speed up the new work requirements that Republicans want to enact for Medicaid recipients. Those requirements would not kick in until 2029 under the current bill.

“We are writing checks we cannot cash, and our children are going to pay the price,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the committee. “Something needs to change, or you’re not going to get my support.”

Johnson said the start date for the work requirements was designed to give states time to “retool their systems” and to “make sure that all the new laws and all the new safeguards that we’re placing can actually be enforced.”

Roy was joined in voting no by Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia. Rep. Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania switched his vote to no in a procedural step so it could be reconsidered later.

The vote against advancing the bill had come after President Trump urged Republicans in a social media post to unite behind it.

At its core, the sprawling package permanently extends the existing income tax cuts that were approved during Trump’s first term, in 2017, and adds temporary new ones that the president campaigned on in 2024, including no taxes on tips, overtime pay and auto loan interest payments. The measure also proposes big spending increases for border security and defense.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog group, estimates that the House bill is shaping up to add roughly $3.3 trillion to the debt over the next decade.

Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to the measure, which Republicans have labeled “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called it “one big, beautiful betrayal” in Friday’s hearing.

“This spending bill is terrible, and I think the American people know that,” Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on CNN’s “State of the Union’’ on Sunday. “There is nothing wrong with us bringing the government in balance. But there is a problem when that balance comes on the back of working men and women. And that’s what is happening here.”

Johnson is not just having to address the concerns of those in his conference who raised concerns about the deficit. He’s also facing pressure from centrists who will be warily eyeing the proposed changes to Medicaid, food assistance programs and the rolling back of clean energy tax credits. Republican lawmakers from New York and elsewhere are also demanding a much large state and local tax deduction.

As it stands, the bill proposes tripling what’s currently a $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction, increasing it to $30,000 for joint filers with incomes up to $400,000 a year.

Rep. Nick LaLota, one of the New York GOP lawmakers leading the effort to lift the cap, said they have proposed a deduction of $62,000 for single filers and $124,000 for joint filers.

If the bill passes the House this week, it would move to the Senate, where Republicans are seeking additional changes that could make final passage in the House more difficult.

Johnson said: “The package that we send over there will be one that was very carefully negotiated and delicately balanced, and we hope that they don’t make many modifications to it because that will ensure its passage quickly.”

Freking and Mascaro write for the Associated Press.

LEGENDARY British actor Tim Curry was seen on a rare outing in Los Angeles today, 13 years after suffering a major stroke.

The 79-year-old was spotted leaving Gelson’s supermarket wearing a red sweater, matching trainers, and black trousers.

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Also sporting dark sunglasses and clutching a paper bag, Tim was pushed in a wheelchair by his carer.

Tim’s 2012 stroke left him partially paralysed on one side of his body and affected his speech.

The health crisis forced him to step away from acting and public life for several years.

A celebrated actor, Tim is known for his charismatic performances in film, television, and theatre.

He became a cult icon playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

His other notable roles include Wadsworth the butler in the cult classic Clue and Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s It.

The stroke had a severe impact on Tim’s mobility, leaving him reliant on a wheelchair and carers for support with everyday tasks.

Since 2012, Tim has undergone extensive physical therapy and rehabilitation to regain as much movement and speech as possible.

He has kept a low profile in recent years, rarely seen in public and not active in major acting projects.

However, Tim has made some notable appearances and engaged with fans through interviews and virtual events.

In 2015, almost three years after his stroke, he made a rare public appearance at the Actors Fund Tony Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles.

There, he received a lifetime achievement award and spoke openly about his recovery, highlighting how maintaining his sense of humor was vital to coping with his health challenges.

More recently, since 2023, Tim has participated in virtual video chats with fans through conventions like GalaxyCon.

He has also shared occasional video messages on social media, providing insight into his life post-stroke and answering fan questions about his recovery and career.

In addition to these appearances, Tim marked a notable return to acting in 2024 with a role in the horror film Stream – his first feature film role in 14 years.

The film was released in select theaters in August 2024.

He has also remained active in voice acting, lending his talents to animated series and projects, further demonstrating his enduring passion for performance.

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