Watch as James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, receives a knighthood from the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle.
The 43-year-old pace bowler took 704 wickets in 188 Tests during an international career spanning 22 years.
READ MORE: England legend Anderson receives knighthood
Now, the side face the prospect of taking on the group favourites without their best player.
Bradley, who has also been booked three times in five Premier League appearances this term, was shown his second yellow card of the qualifying campaign in the 76th minute for a tackle on Lukas Haraslin.
O’Neill described the decision as “extremely disappointing” and felt his player had tried to pull out of the challenge.
“There were worse tackles in the game and one just before that was particularly poor on Isaac Price that the referee let go,” he said. “To produce a yellow card for that was disappointing.”
Speaking on BBC Sport NI, former Northern Ireland and Leeds United defender Stuart Dallas said Bradley had given “the referee a decision to make” but agreed with his old international boss that the decision ultimately was harsh.
If not for the resulting suspension, it would have been a mere footnote in an otherwise excellent performance.
Bradley was one of four players in the starting XI who went into the game knowing a booking would rule them out of Monday’s game, but Hume said they do not wish to curb his aggressive edge.
“We spoke before the game about the boys who were on yellows trying not to get one, but it’s one of those things,” he explained.
“You can’t go into a game trying not to get booked. You’ve got to play to your strengths.
“He’s full throttle. He’s 100% all the time.”
Since making his full Premier League debut in January 2024, Bradley has started 15 of his country’s 17 games, missing only the friendlies against Sweden and Switzerland in March.
Quite how to compensate for his loss gives O’Neill yet another thing to consider as he plots how to pull off what would be the biggest result of his second spell in charge.
While there is no like-for-like replacement in the squad, Oxford United’s Brodie Spencer figures to fill the void at right wing-back against the four-time World Cup winners.
“You’ve seen Brodie play left wing-back, right wing-back, he’s even played in a back three. We know how strong and athletic he is,” added Hume.
“Obviously Conor is going to be a big miss, but we’re a big group, we’re a strong team and we’re all together.
“It’s something we have to deal with and we’ll be ready.”
When the qualifying draw was made in December, there was an understandable assumption that Germany would top the group and seal automatic qualification with Northern Ireland, Slovakia and Luxembourg fighting among themselves for the play-off spot afforded to the runner-up.
Slovakia’s victory over the four-time World Cup winners to kick things off last month has instead opened up myriad possibilities.
Friday night’s visitors to Windsor Park, who followed up their shock result against the Germans with late victory in Luxembourg, know that another three points in Belfast would be a huge step towards booking their place at next summer’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
While the side ranked 42nd in the world did not make the tournament in 2022, they reached the European Championships either side and were beaten by England at the last-16 stage in 2024 only after Jude Bellingham’s spectacular 96th-minute overhead kick.
Manager Francesco Calzona is the first foreign boss in the country’s history and came recommended by Slovakian legend Marek Hamsik from their time together at Napoli, where the Italian was an assistant coach.
Ties to the Serie A champions do not stop there with midfielder Stanislav Lobotka the side’s key player. The 30-year-old, however, has emerged as a major injury doubt for the game on Friday.
Another with recent Champions League experience, Atletico Madrid full back David Hancko, is another who could miss out.
While O’Neill said he would not believe their absences until the pair were missing when the anthems are played at Windsor Park, should Slovakia be without both then Middlesbrough striker David Strelec will be expected to carry a greater load.
The performances of 19-year-old Feyenoord winger Leo Sauer for the national side have sparked excitement too.
GOLF star Charley Hull stunned in an elegant dress as she attended Donald Trump’s state banquet at Windsor Castle.
The US president is on a state visit to the UK and met King Charles on Wednesday.
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He also hosted a state banquet at Windsor Castle with 150 guests, including golf royalty.
Sir Nick Faldo was in attendance along with Hull, who wowed with her outfit choice.
The world No.10 caught the eye in a silk gown and posted a selfie on Instagram ahead of the dinner.
She captioned the post: “Swapped the golf gear for something a little more fancy.”
Hull, who won the Kroger Queen City Championship at the weekend, is a big Trump supporter.
She said of the American president: “I love Trump. I think he’s brilliant.’
“I like how he just says things, he doesn’t care what people think and he’s straight to the point.
“I wish he was head of the UK. I just like him as a person. He’s a little better than our Prime Minister.”
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Trump, who is a big golf fan, shared the message Hull wrote on Truth Social.
He also invited Faldo along to the banquet, who attended alongside his wife Lindsay De Marco.
ReutersFour men who were arrested after images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle have been bailed, police have said.
The four were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including malicious communications and public nuisance, over the projection of the US president and the late convicted sex offender ahead of the state visit to the UK.
Thames Valley Police said the men had been released on conditional bail until 12 December while the investigation continues.
Those arrested were a 60-year-old from East Sussex, a 36-year-old and a 50-year-old from London, and a 37-year-old from Kent.
Sept. 17 (UPI) — Authorities in London have arrested four adults accused of being responsible for the projection of photos and videos of President Donald Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle on Tuesday night.
Uncorroborated video of the projection posted online shows it appeared to be a video detailing the connections and friends between Trump and Epstein involving videos and photos of them together.
The video was projected on London’s famed Windsor Castle ahead of Trump’s visit to London for a state visit.
Thames Valley Police said Tuesday night that four adults were arrested on “suspicion of malicious communications,” while describing the video protest as a “public stunt.”
“Our officers responded swiftly to stop the projection and four people have been arrested. We are conducting a thorough investigation with our partners into the circumstances surrounding this incident and will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so,” Chief Superintendent Felicity Parker of Thames Valley Police said in a statement.
All four suspects, whose identities have not been made public, remained in police custody as of Tuesday night.
Epstein died by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex-trafficking offenses.
The disgraced New York financier was a longtime assocaite of the president, and their relationship and questions surrounding it have dogged Trump for much of his second term.
Trump, who campaigned on releasing federal investigation files on Epstein, has received strong criticism from not only Democrats but from members of his on base for not making those documents public.
Late last month, a House committee released records from Epstein’s estate that included a birthday letter to Epstein from Peter Mandelson, resulting in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer firing him as London’s ambassador to the United States.
The committee last week also released a lewd, decades-old birthday note allegedly from Trump to Epstein.
Trump has attempted to brush the issue aside, calling it a “Democratic hoax” and the birthday note a “fake.”
The American president has sued both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal over their reporting on the letter.
Trump is scheduled to be in Britain from Wednesday through Friday, during which he is to visit Windsor Castle, where King Charles III will host him and first lady Melania Trump.
This will be Trump’s second state visit to Britain, following his first in 2019.
Five jockeys have been banned for 10 days after they failed to pull up in a chaotic flat race at Windsor where a blindfolded loose horse crashed into a plastic running rail.
The five-furlong handicap for apprentice jockeys at 16:52 BST on Monday featured a field of seven, but the result was declared void following a false start.
Master Zack, trained by Martin Dunne, was blindfolded to go into the stalls but reared up just before the gates opened.
Jockey Ryan Kavanagh remained in the stalls but riderless Master Zack set off with his vision obscured by the blindfold.
The three-year-old then veered to the right and crashed into a running rail before being caught with no major injuries reported.
Jockeys Tommie Jakes, Jack Doughty, Jack Dace, Taryn Langley and Alec Voikhansky all completed the course on their respective mounts but according to chief stipendiary steward Richard Westropp, ignored requests to stop.
Westropp said: “Our footage is very clear, the recall man is stood in the middle of the track and blowing his whistle. I think all the procedures were followed correctly.”
All five jockeys will have the opportunity to lodge an appeal.
Royal correspondent
Heritage Images/Getty ImagesThe Prince and Princess of Wales are set to move into a new home in Windsor.
William and Catherine will move to the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, with their children George, Charlotte and Louis.
The family have been living in Adelaide Cottage in the castle grounds since August 2022 but after a challenging 18 months that has seen the princess deal with a cancer diagnosis and treatment they have now decided to make a change.
“Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times,” a royal source told the BBC.
“Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter.
“It’s an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind,” the source said.
The royal couple see this as a move for the long-term and view Forest Lodge as their forever home.
It will be where they plan to live as a family when the Prince and Princess of Wales becomes King and Queen.
As with their four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage, it is understood they will not have any live-in staff as they focus on creating as private a family home as is possible.
William and Catherine announced they were moving from Kensington Palace in London to Windsor in August 2022.
They also have homes at Anmer Hall in Norfolk where they spend much of the school holidays and their offices remain at Kensington Palace.
The move to Windsor two years has been a successful one and afforded them the privacy and freedom that was more difficult to find in London.
It is understood the family are settled and the children are happy at Lambrook school where all three currently attend.
Any work carried out on Forest Lodge will not come from the Sovereign Grant which provides state funding for the monarchy.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are funding the move privately and they will pay market rent on the property.
Alberto Pezzali/PA WireIn 2001, Forest Lodge underwent £1.5m restoration works and was put on the rental market for £15,000 a month.
Images inside the home taken at the time showed original stonework, elaborate plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, plus a half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling.
Redacted planning applications lodged with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead show permission for minor internal and external alterations was granted earlier this month.
The council’s decision notice refers to the removal of a window and works to a fireplace.
Forest Lodge is nestled in the heart of the 4,800-acre Windsor Great Park.
Kate has spoken of her belief in the healing power of the natural world and described nature as her “sanctuary”, while opening up about her “life-changing” cancer treatment.
She further showed her love for nature in the Mother Nature video series, which she launched in May.
The family hopes to move into the new property by Christmas and are said to be looking forward to creating many happy memories in their new home.
King Charles will say the UK and France must stand united in the face of a “multitude of complex threats”, when he speaks at a state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron and his wife Brigitte will be welcomed by the King and Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they arrive for a three-day state visit – the first by a French president since 2008, and the first by a European Union leader since Brexit.
The banquet will be a highlight of the trip, with famous faces, a showcase menu and a message from the King about the “shared history and culture between our two peoples”.
The King’s speech will warn of threats in defence, technology and climate change.
“For centuries our citizens have admired each other, amused each other, and imitated each other,” the King will say at Tuesday evening’s banquet, which will be held at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is being renovated.
He will warn of current risks “emanating from multiple directions” and challenges that “know no borders” from which “no fortress can protect us”.
“Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world,” the state banquet speech will say.
Defence, growth, security, migration and French efforts to tackle small boats are all expected to be discussed during the state visit.
Sylvie Bermann, who was the French Ambassador to the UK from 2014 to 2017, described the small boats issue as difficult but said that France was “making progress” on it.
Responding to criticism within the UK that the British government has given too much money to France to try and deter small boat crossings without seeing any results so far, Ms Bermann said: “The UK is paying because we [France] is doing the job for the UK… you can’t prevent all of them [small boats] but we are doing our best.”
A state visit is a “soft power” opportunity to strengthen partnerships, with the French visit set to reinforce links with the UK in trade, diplomacy and defence, at a time of uncertainty about the US stance on issues such as military backing for Ukraine.
A UK-France summit at Downing Street on Thursday, hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is also likely to discuss ways of stopping illegal migration on small boats across the Channel.
Starmer and Macron are also expected to speak by phone to other allied nations who are looking to support any future peace deal in Ukraine.
The start of the visit on Tuesday will see ceremonial spectacles, with senior members of the Royal Family ready to greet the French visitors and to celebrate the “entente cordiale”, in the first French state visit since 2008.
Prince William and Catherine will greet the French president and his wife when their plane touches down at RAF Northolt.
King Charles and the Queen will then formally welcome them on a dais that has been built in Windsor town centre.
There will be horses, as well as political horse-trading, with a carriage procession through Windsor, ahead of a royal salute and military parade at Windsor Castle.
On Wednesday, Macron will see a horse that he gave to the late Queen Elizabeth II, to mark her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
The French president and his wife are also set to visit the tomb of the late Queen, during their stay in Windsor.
The UK government has spoken of wanting to “re-set” post-Brexit relations with European neighbours and Macron’s visit will be a public endorsement of the longstanding alliance with France.
MPs and peers will be able to hear Macron when he gives a speech to the Houses of Parliament.
Advances in science will be highlighted during the visit, with examples of artificial intelligence and innovative technology being shown to the French visitors at Imperial College London.
King Charles and Queen Camilla carried out a state visit to France in 2023, where he received a standing ovation for his speech to the French Senate.
He had given a strongly worded message of support for Ukraine after Russia’s “horrifying” invasion. The King had also highlighted the “existential challenge” of climate change.