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Britain's Prince William Pulls Out of Event Due to Personal Matter

20 February 2024, United Kingdom, London: Prince William of Wales visits the headquarters of the British Red Cross, to hear about the humanitarian efforts taking place to support those affected by the conflict in Gaza. Photo: Kin Cheung/PA Wire/dpa
20 February 2024, United Kingdom, London: Prince William of Wales visits the headquarters of the British Red Cross, to hear about the humanitarian efforts taking place to support those affected by the conflict in Gaza. Photo: Kin Cheung/PA Wire/dpa
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Britain's Prince William Pulls Out of Event Due to Personal Matter

20 February 2024, United Kingdom, London: Prince William of Wales visits the headquarters of the British Red Cross, to hear about the humanitarian efforts taking place to support those affected by the conflict in Gaza. Photo: Kin Cheung/PA Wire/dpa
20 February 2024, United Kingdom, London: Prince William of Wales visits the headquarters of the British Red Cross, to hear about the humanitarian efforts taking place to support those affected by the conflict in Gaza. Photo: Kin Cheung/PA Wire/dpa

Britain's Prince William has pulled out of attending a memorial service at Windsor Castle for the late King Constantine of Greece because of an unspecified personal matter, his office said Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, the Prince of Wales is no longer able to attend the King Constantine Memorial Service this morning due to a personal matter," Kensington Palace said, according to Reuters.
The palace declined to give any further details, but it comes after his wife Kate, 42, underwent abdominal surgery last month. However, a royal source said Kate was continuing to do well.
Following Kate's operation, William, the 41-year-old heir to the throne, postponed official duties to care for her and their three children, before resuming public engagements earlier this month.
His absence comes as his father King Charles is also absent from his public role as he undergoes treatment for an unspecified form of cancer.
In Charles' absence, his wife Camilla has become the most senior royal performing engagements.

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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.