London:

Princess Anne, the sister of British head of state King Charles III, returned to public duties Friday, weeks after she was treated in hospital after being struck by a horse.

Anne, 73, presented awards and met winners at a charity horseriding event in Gloucestershire, southwestern England, in a reported phased return to public appearances.

The Princess Royal, as she is also known, suffered concussion and minor head injuries at her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire in late June and spent five nights in hospital in Bristol.

She has since been recovering at her home on the sprawling estate and following standard concussion protocols.

It is believed she was struck by a horse as she was walking within the protected perimeter of its grounds, which hosts equestrian events.

The princess’s medical team said at the time her injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.

She is a skilled horsewoman who competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and is the mother of British rider Zara Tindall, who won eventing team silver at the 2012 London Olympics.

Anne has stepped in to represent Charles while he postponed public engagements during his cancer treatment, and rode at his official birthday parade last month.

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London:

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive in Britain on Saturday ahead of a three-day state visit hosted by King Charles III.

The royal couple are due to touch down on a flight from Japan and spend Sunday and Monday at private engagements before the official programme begins on Tuesday.

The highlight will be a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, with all eyes on a possible appearance by the heir to the throne Prince William’s wife Catherine, rarely seen in recent months due to cancer treatment.

Naruhito, 64, will also go to Windsor Castle west of London to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, whose state funeral he and the empress, 60, attended in September 2022.

With Britain in the midst of a general election campaign, it was not immediately clear if there would be any meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Visiting heads of state have typically held talks with the premier and opposition leader, or addressed lawmakers in parliament.

But there are no MPs as parliament has been dissolved before the July 4 vote.

The trip will be the emperor’s second official state visit since his accession to the throne in 2019, following a visit to Indonesia last year.

For Charles, 75, it will be the third state visit he has hosted since he ascended to the throne following the death of his mother.

 ‘Fond memories’ 

Like Catherine, he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year but has made a limited return to public duties, and was seen this week with his wife Queen Camilla at the Royal Ascot horse racing meeting.

Catherine, a future queen who is widely known as Kate, is currently undergoing chemotherapy and has stepped back from public life to aid her recovery.

She made a tentative return to public life last week when she attended a military parade in London to mark Charles’ official birthday.

Elizabeth, whose 70-year reign began in 1952, hosted two Japanese state visits during her time on the throne: Emperor Hirohito in 1971 and his eldest son Emperor Akihito — Naruhito’s father — in 1998.

Speaking in Tokyo ahead of the trip, Naruhito said Britain’s royals treated him “like family” during his time studying in England in the 1980s.

Naruhito recalled that during his two years at Oxford University, he was invited to Balmoral Castle in Scotland for a few days.

“I have very fond memories of the queen driving a car and inviting me to a barbecue… and Prince Philip showing me around by driving a carriage himself,” he told reporters in a rare press conference.

The state visit’s programme will also include a Guard of Honour ceremony, a carriage procession at Buckingham Palace, and visits to museums and the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research centre in London.

Before leaving on Friday the Japanese emperor and empress will visit Oxford, where they both studied, for private engagements.

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London:

 An 18-year-old rickshaw driver from a village in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh is overjoyed on meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace after she collected a prestigious women’s empowerment award in London this week.

Arti received the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award, named after the world-renowned human rights barrister, at the Prince’s Trust Awards in London followed by a meeting with the 75-year-old monarch on Wednesday.

She was honoured for inspiring other young girls through her work with the government’s Pink E-rickshaw initiative, which provides safe transport for other women with a mission to drive change, quite literally.

“I take pride in being able to inspire other girls who face similar challenges. This newfound independence has allowed me to see the world in a different light. Now, I am able to fulfil not only my dreams but also those of my daughter,” said Arti, who has a five-year-old daughter for whom she has bought some cake and a pair of shoes on her very first visit to London.

“It has been an unbelievably amazing experience, meeting the King who was so nice and sent his namaste to my family back home too. He also listened carefully as I spoke about how much I love driving my e-rickshaw, which does not run on polluting diesel or petrol but one that I charge at home every night,” she shared, speaking in Hindi.

Founded by King Charles when he was the Prince of Wales, the Prince’s Trust International will now transform into the King’s Trust International as it continues its work supporting young people across 20 countries through employment, education and enterprise programmes. The Prince’s Trust women’s empowerment award recognises the global work of young women who have succeeded against the odds and made a lasting difference to those around them.

“This year’s winner, Arti, is an inspirational example of someone whose trailblazing work in a typically male arena makes women in her community safer. Arti is determined to create a world where her daughter will not face the obstacles that she has faced, and she is already making a difference through her example,” said Amal Clooney, the British activist-barrister after whom the award is named.

For the reception at Buckingham Palace, Arti arrived in a pink rickshaw – showcasing it not only as a sustainable mode of transport but also an idea and a movement.

In July 2023, Project Lehar, delivered in partnership with Prince’s Trust International and the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), introduced Arti to the Indian government’s Pink E-Rickshaw scheme, an initiative aimed at empowering women and expanding their income earning opportunities across the country. Under the innovative scheme, pink e-rickshaws were provided by the Bahraich district administration with a subsidy for women drivers.

The scheme aims to increase employment opportunities for vulnerable women, especially widows and single mothers like Arti, while also improving women’s access to safe transport, thereby increasing their mobility and independence.

“Arti truly embodies the courage, perseverance and determination to succeed against all odds, emerging as a role model for women in her village. We are immensely grateful for our partnership with the Prince’s Trust International that has enabled us to support young women to realise their dreams and aspirations. Here’s to many more Arti’s – believe in yourself, and never let anything dim the light of your ambitions,” said Tinni Sawhney, CEO of AKF (India), who accompanied Arti to the award ceremony and also helped interpret for her.

Will Straw, CEO of the Prince’s Trust International, added: “I am so proud of Arti on winning this year’s women’s empowerment award. She is breaking societal barriers and setting an example through her strength and determination.

“Our work in India gives young people the opportunity to build valuable life skills and find meaningful work. Through Project Lehar and our partnerships with the Aga Khan Foundation, we will continue supporting young women to achieve their ambitions.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

King Charles III on Friday thanked the public for their support in his first year as monarch, as he marked the one-year anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In a short statement, the 74-year-old British head of state recalled the “great affection” for his mother, her life and public service.

“I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all,” he added.

Commemorations will be low key on Friday, with the king — who is at his sprawling Scottish Highland estate of Balmoral — not expected at any official engagement.

His mother, who was on the throne for a record-breaking 70 years, died at Balmoral aged 96 after a period of declining health.

Throughout her reign she did not publicly mark her accession, as it was also the anniversary of her own father King George VI’s death in 1952.

Last year, when she began her Platinum Jubilee year on February 6, she spent the day in private at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England.

– Gun salutes –

In London, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will mark Charles’s accession by firing a 41-gun ceremonial salute in Hyde Park from 12:00 pm (1100 GMT).

Members of the Honourable Artillery Company — the oldest regiment in the British Army — will fire a 62-gun salute from the Tower of London from 1:00 pm.

Both regiments were involved in firing the Death Gun salutes to mark the queen’s death, and the Proclamation salutes to mark Charles’s new reign.

The king’s eldest son and heir, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, are expected to carry out royal duties and deliver a message in honour of the late queen.

William’s estranged younger brother, Prince Harry, was in the UK for a charity event on Thursday but was not expected to meet members of his family.

“As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,” Harry told the charity event.

“She would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her, and that’s precisely why I know exactly one year on that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we’re together.”

Relations between Harry and his father and brother have been strained since he and his wife, Meghan, quit royal life and moved to North America in 2020.

Ties have been frayed further by their criticisms of the family in television interviews, a docuseries and Harry’s autobiography.

– Memorial –

Elizabeth II’s death was a seismic event in British life. For most Britons alive, the queen was the only monarch and head of state they had ever known.

During the 10-day official mourning period, tens of thousands of people queued for up to 25 hours to file past her flag-shrouded coffin as it lay in state in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament.

Even more packed the streets of London and the route west to Windsor Castle for the state funeral, which was beamed around the world to a television audience of millions.

The queen was interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, Windsor, alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021, her father and mother and the ashes of her younger sister, Princess Margaret.

Earlier this week, the government announced that a national memorial to the late monarch will be commissioned “in due course”.

In London on Thursday, there were mixed views about Charles’s first year.

Some felt he had been right not to introduce sweeping reform too early. “He’s got a hard act to follow but he will I think change things,” Joanne Hughes, 61, told AFP outside Buckingham Palace.

But despite 161 official engagements and tours of all four nations of the United Kingdom, others were indifferent about the new king — and the monarchy in general.

“The monarchy is dying,” said nursing student Mimi Jaffer-Clarke.

“If he wants it to not die, then he needs to try to get the younger generation to like him — and we just don’t.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)