UK Papers Herald Future 'Queen Camilla'

Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos
Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos
TT

UK Papers Herald Future 'Queen Camilla'

Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos
Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: AFP Photos

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has announced that she wants daughter-in-law Camilla to hold the role of queen consort once her son Charles ascends to the throne, in a major statement timed to mark her unprecedented seventieth jubilee.

The move cemented a remarkable journey to public acceptance for Camilla, after being vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles' marriage to Princess Diana -- and shows that the Queen is planning for the future after her death.

Predictably the news dominated Sunday's front pages, with the Daily Mail -- Britain's highest-circulation newspaper -- declaring "Camilla WILL become Queen".

The move was a long time coming for the Mail, which splashed on its Sunday front page that the queen's statement "ends years of speculation" over the future role of the Duchess of Cambridge as well as quashing rumors that she might abdicate, AFP said.

The decision, the tabloid declared, represented "the clearest sign yet not just of the Queen's unswerving support for her daughter-in-law but proof of her enduring affection for the woman who has secured her eldest son's happiness".

The Mail's main conservative tabloid rival, The Sunday Express, also led with the story, describing it as the Queen's "Platinum Jubilee Gift to Charles" and offering readers a free eight-page souvenir special to mark Elizabeth II's 70 years as monarch.

The broadsheet Sunday Times, too, emphasized the significance of the decision, reporting that the Queen "anoints Queen Camilla" in a move that ended "years of controversy and confusion".

"It was the first time the Queen has given her view publicly on an issue that has divided opinion since Charles and Camilla wed in 2005," it said.



An 8-hour Russian Drone Barrage Keeps Kyiv on Edge as the War in Ukraine nears 1,000 Days

Firefighters work at a compound of a vegetable warehouse hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Firefighters work at a compound of a vegetable warehouse hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
TT

An 8-hour Russian Drone Barrage Keeps Kyiv on Edge as the War in Ukraine nears 1,000 Days

Firefighters work at a compound of a vegetable warehouse hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Firefighters work at a compound of a vegetable warehouse hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Dozens of Russian drones targeted the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a nighttime attack that lasted eight hours, authorities said Thursday, as Russia kept up its relentless pounding of Ukraine after almost 1,000 days of war.
Russian forces fired lone drones and swarms of drones that entered Ukrainian airspace from various directions and at a variety of altitudes, officials said, in an apparent attempt to stretch air defense systems and unnerve city residents, The Associated Press said.
Ukrainian air defenses “neutralized” three dozen drones, but falling debris caused damage to a hospital and residential and office buildings in the capital, local authorities said, including a blaze on the 33rd floor of an apartment building.
At least two people were reported injured.
Drone attacks on Kyiv have recently been occurring almost daily, with the nighttime explosions and the continuous buzzing sound of drones keeping the city on edge. Russia is deploying about 10 times more Iranian-made Shahed drones than it was this time last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week.
Ukraine’s forces are struggling to match the might of Russia’s military, which is much bigger and better equipped. Western support is crucial for Ukraine to sustain the costly war of attrition. The uncertainty over how long that aid will continue has deepened, however, with the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. He has repeatedly taken issue with US aid to Ukraine.
Russia, meanwhile, is trying to grind down Ukraine’s appetite for the fight and sap the West’s support for Kyiv by drawing out the conflict.
The Russian barrages mostly involve Shahed drones. They are suited to terrorizing civilians, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the state Center for Countering Disinformation.
Russia is aiming to save and stockpile its missiles, which are much more powerful than drones, Kovalenko claimed Thursday. Russia has used missiles effectively in its campaign to knock out Ukraine’s power grid.
Also, the drone attacks gradually wear down Ukraine’s air defenses, making it more vulnerable to future missile launches.
Power outages were reported in the Zhytomyr region, which borders Kyiv to the west, following a Russian attack there, according to the energy company Zhytomyroblenergo.
Another Russian drone attack injured one person in the southern city of Odesa, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said, as drone debris damaged an 11-story residential building.