Messages of love and support are flooding in to Buckingham Palace after Kate Middleton announced that she has been diagnosed with cancer.
The Princess of Wales ended weeks of speculation about her health - and endless internet conspiracy theories - with a personal statement outlining her ‘huge shock’ at the diagnosis.
You can post your message of goodwill to Kate via our interactive map which shows messages from around the world. Simply fill in your name, the first part of your postcode, and a personal message to the Princes of Wales and the Royal Family.
Kate’s announcement came after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January. She has been recovering at her Windsor home ever since.
In a video statement, she said: “It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.”
She is now being supported by her husband William, the Prince of Wales, and children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, who will turn six in April.
She can also rely on the support of her father-in-law, King Charles III, who is facing his own battle with cancer.
West Yorkshire Police are investigating alleged racist comments made by Tory party donor Frank Hester about Diane Abbott at a meeting in 2019.
The force said it was working to establish whether a crime had been committed after the businessman allegedly said that Ms Abbott, Britain's longest-serving black MP, made him "want to hate all black women" and that she "should be shot". The investigation was passed over from the Metropolitan Police as the meeting took place in Horsforth, Leeds.
A spokesperson said officers were now "working to establish the facts and to ultimately ascertain whether a crime has been committed". They added that the Metropolitan Police had been contacted on March 11 about a report in The Guardian, and that this was the first time the comments had been brought to the attention of police.
The force said it was working to establish whether a crime had been committed (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
The force said: "We recognise the strong reaction to these allegations and appreciate everyone who has contacted us since the article was published."
"As we continue our inquiry, we are keen to hear from anyone who could directly assist our investigation."
Any information can be reported through 101 or via the West Yorkshire Police website, using reference number 13240137018 or quoting "Operation Brassminster".
Mr Hester has apologised for making "rude" comments about Ms Abbott, but claimed they had "nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin".
Rishi Sunak has been criticised for his handling of the fallout from the emergence of Mr Hester's alleged comments.
The Prime Minister eventually condemned the remarks as "racist", but only after Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch broke ranks with Downing Street to call them out as such.
Mr Sunak has resisted previous calls to pay back Mr Hester's money and argued that the healthcare tech entrepreneur's "remorse should be accepted".
Reports emerged last week that Mr Hester may have offered £5 million more, which has not yet been published by the Electoral Commission.
Ms Abbott has said "no Conservative has apologised" to her after the emergence of the remarks.
The veteran MP told Channel 4 News: "They keep saying that the Hester guy, he's apologised. He's not apologised. He's apologised for being rude, whereas in fact he was racist, and he's not apologised for that." In fact, he was inciting violence. He's not apologised for that."
Over the years, Medik8 has built up a name for itself as one of the best derm-approved brands on the market thanks to its results-driven formals bursting with high-performing ingredients to ‘transform skin.’
While it’s not the cheapest skincare brand out there, it’s certainly one of the most effective - and with the Amazon Spring Deal Days sale in full swing, we’ve spotted a way on how to stock your cupboard with three Medik8 bestsellers for less.
Shoppers looking to up their skincare game can now get this Medik8 Skin Perfecting 3-Piece Collection for £49 down from £65 - and it includes everything you need to achieve a youthful, radiant-looking complexion.
The perfect powerhouse trio is made up of three Medik8 bestsellers, known for their smoothing and brightening results. Here’s everything you’ll get inside the kit:
The kit contains three Medik8 bestsellers - with two being full-sized!
AHAs and BHAs join forces in this powerful cleanser to provide rapid surface exfoliation while also decongesting impurities residing in the skin, resulting in a visibly smoother, evenly toned complexion.
It’s bursting with skin-loving antioxidants too including mangosteen and raspberry extracts which work together to help promote a healthy-looking complexion.
We all want that gorgeous glow all year round, and Medik8's toner uses exfoliating poly hydroxy acids to help you achieve a dazzling complexion. With ingredients including PHA Gluconolactone, Prickly Pear Extract, Aloe Vera, Acai Extract it's been clinically proven to improve skin glow by 20% in just four weeks. It's recommended that it's best used in conjunction with vitamin A.
Target the appearance of expression lines and deep-set wrinkles with this award-winning 30% peptide cocktail. Liquid Peptides absorbs quickly to deliver visible youth-renewing results, including a refined skin texture.
Seeing as one product alone is worth £55, and you’ll be grabbing three for £49 - you’re essentially getting Medik8 goodies for free!
You can pick up the radiance-boosting Medik8 kit whilst it’s on sale at Amazon here.
If you’re after more beauty goodies to treat your yourself to this Spring, Look Fantastic has released its dreamy Beauty Egg for Easter - and it’s bursting with products worth over £206, but yours for just £60.
From quenching your skin with the NEW Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench Body Butter to revealing your radiance with the full-size Anastasia Beverly Hills Dewy Set Setting Spray, it’s the perfect opportunity to stock your beauty shelf for less this Easter.
As part of their Amazon Spring Deal Days, Amazon have slashed the price of the Lefant M210 Robot Vacuum Cleaner. Originally £229.99, the robot vacuum is now £99.97.
Elsewhere, you can get the Lefant vacuum for £143.33 from eBay. The robot vacuum boasts up to 120 minutes' battery life before it automatically returns to its charging station.
The robot has four cleaning modes: automatic, fixed point, edge, and planning. In planning mode, you can map out your home via the accompanying app for a complete clean.
The robot can clean in several different patterns (Image: Amazon)
The small vacuum is designed to fit in tight spaces and under furniture. It's also got a sensor that detects its surroundings to avoid collisions, and its bin only needs emptying every five to seven days.
The vacuum cleaner has 4.3 stars on Amazon from 677 reviews. One person said: "Amazing; it will change your life. Absolutely thrilled with this robot cleaner; floor looked noticeably cleaner after first use (and I’ve got a Shark manual vacuum); it’s worth its weight in gold. Recommended it to my friend and she says the same too. I’m saving up to buy one with the mopping facility now!"
To see all the best Deals, Sales and Bargains in London, check out our Facebook group.
Another wrote "I got my parents one for Christmas and used it in my place for a day. Brilliant machine. In February I got myself one. It's great picking up cat hair and other bits.
"You can switch it on and let it do its thing." Of the negative reviews, one person wrote "This guides itself home really well but has poor suction power and didn't leave the house clean and fresh as you would expect after a vacuum."
Get the best deals, sales and bargains sent straight to your phone
You can now join MyLondon's new WhatsApp Community to get the best deals, sales, bargains and much more.
Through WhatsApp, we'll send the latest exciting new products and bargains straight to your phone, both across London and online.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the MyLondon team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Arguably the most famous robot vacuum cleaner on the market is the Roomba. The Roomba j9+ is currently £749 at iRobot, down from its original £949.
The powerful vacuum is self-emptying, and builds its own map of your home so it knows where to clean. The new Roomba was only launched late last year, so there are no reviews on their website yet.
Voters will need to bring extra documentation with them to their polling station on May 2 as they seek to cast their ballot. A form of photo ID to prove your identity needs to be shown.
This means that some Londoners may be turned away if they do not make the appropriate preparations. Data collected by the Electoral Commission (EC) in polling stations during the last round of local elections in 2023 showed that at least 0.25 per cent of people who tried to vote across the country were not issued with a ballot paper because of the ID requirement.
This means approximately 14,000 voters were reportedly not issued with a ballot paper because they could not show an accepted form of identification. But, it was noted that this was an 'underestimate', partly as a result of 'data quality issues' but also because some people would have been 'reminded of the ID requirement before they could be recorded in the data'.
Sadiq Khan has said that this mayoral context will be the 'closest ever' (Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
The turnout for London's last local elections when the capital's mayor and London Assembly members were elected was 42 per cent, according to London Elects. There were 2,589,268 votes cast for Assembly Members and 2,531,357 first choice ballots for the mayor.
Labour's City Hall incumbent, Sadiq Khan, has expressed concern about the voter ID rule. His team claims that more than 900,000 could be turned away from ballot box as a result.
Mr Khan said on Friday (March 15): "I'm under no illusion, I could lose in May. With the Tory Government introducing new voter ID laws as well as the new voting system, it's likely to be the closest contest we've ever seen since the London Mayoralty was established."
Acceptable forms of ID
Below is a full list of acceptable forms of ID, according to the Electoral Commission.
International travel
Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)
Driving and Parking
Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
A Blue Badge
Get London's biggest stories straight in your inbox
Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city?
MyLondon's brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted.
You'll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. It’s the perfect lunchtime read.
And what's more - it's FREE!
The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. Our journalists cover all the news you need - from City Hall to your local streets, so you'll never miss a moment.
Don't skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here.
Local travel
Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
Oyster 60+ Card funded by the funded by the UK Government
Freedom Pass
Scottish National Entitlement Card issued for the purpose of concessionary travel (including a 60+, disabled or under 22s bus pass)
60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
Proof of age
Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
Other government issued documents
Susan Hall is Mr Khan's Tory rival (Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
List of candidates
As well as Mr Khan, there are 10 other candidates for the London mayoral election.
Try MyLondon Premium for FREE without ads and brilliant new features
No adverts or pop-ups! Just our brilliant MyLondon stories, breaking news and features presented in the best way possible.
Get your free one-month trial by visiting the 'Premium' tab on the MyLondon app now (auto renews annually at £19.99).
If you haven't got the app already, get started by downloading it here on iPhone or here on Android. If you already have the app but can't see the 'Premium' section, you'll need to check for the latest update. More info here.
John Mayer is coming to The O2 for a huge two dates this week. The shows are part of its current ‘Solo Acoustic’ European tour.
He'll perform at the Greenwich venue on Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19. The tour features solo performances by the singer, leaning heavily on his acoustic guitar work with special performances on piano and electric guitar.
Also playing both nights in support will be folky singer and songwriter Madison Cunningham. If you're planning to attend any of the American artist's London shows, here at MyLondon, we've rounded up everything you need to know about them.
There's no official set list for John Mayer's London shows, but he played the following songs at a recent concert in Stockholm, according to Setlist.fm :
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Shot in the Dark
Queen of California
Shouldn’t Matter but It Does
No Such Thing
Who Says
Waitin’ on the Day
Neon
In Your Atmosphere
You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me
Changing
Stop This Train
The Age of Worry
Your Body Is a Wonderland
In the Blood
Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967
If I Ever Get Around to Living
Edge of Desire
The Heart of Life
Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
When concert finishes
The warm-up usually starts around 8pm at The O2, with John Meyer expected at 8.30pm. With a curfew set for 11pm, the concert should last no more than three hours.
To get to The O2, you can get the Jubilee line on the London Underground to North Greenwich. You can also get the cable cars to North Greenwich, or the Thames Clippers to North Greenwich Pier.
Stay up to date with London's most exciting events, newest restaurants and latest deals with our What's On newsletter, Going Out Out. You can sign up HERE.
A murder investigation has been launched after a woman who was found unconscious died in a London hospital days later. She was found unconscious at a Basildon address and raced to a London hospital last Sunday (March 10).
The woman, in her 30s, died on Thursday (March 14). Essex Policesay her initial injuries suggest she had been attacked.
A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police remain at the Basildon home where investigations are being carried out.
Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe, of our Serious Crime Directorate at Essex Police, who leads the investigation, said: "We know that this will shock the Basildon community, but at this stage of our investigation, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the woman's death.
"We will be carrying out enquiries to help us establish the events that took place before the woman was taken to hospital and I’d ask anyone who holds information that could help our investigation to contact us. Our officers will be in the area today and you can approach any of them and tell them what you know. Any detail, no matter how small it may seem at this stage, could help us."
Got a story? Please get in touch at rafi.benady@reachplc.com
