8 h. ago The best luxury hotels in Barcelona for a lavish stay in the coastal Spanish city

Whether its views of the Sagrada Familia or over the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, the best luxury hotels in Barcelona are found in prime spots around the city

Politics

65 h. ago ‘Our director is a madman’: a century on, Gloria Swanson’s disastrous film Queen Kelly is finished

The Hollywood icon played a convent girl falling for a prince in this bizarre film directed by Erich von Stroheim. Decades after it was abandoned, Queen Kelly will now be shown at the Venice film festivalIn the long history of Hollywood excess, there is no tale as torrid as that of Queen Kelly. This lavish silent melodrama starring Gloria Swanson and directed by Erich von Stroheim will screen as the pre-opening event at this year’s Venice film festival, with a new score by composer Eli Denson. The film is an outlandish saga of illicit love in sordid surroundings – and so is the story of its production.Queen Kelly is set in Europe before the first world war and tells the story of Patricia Kelly (Swanson), a convent girl who falls in love with a prince (British actor Walter Byron) who is engaged to a deranged queen. Patricia is sent away to Tanzania, where she is forced into marriage with a vile character called Jan, later earning the nickname Queen Kelly. It’s a far-fetched tale, whi...

Politics

3 d. ago I visited this British brand's flagship store after Meghan Markle endorsed their boyfriend shirts

The Daily Mail's Senior Features Writer Rebekah Absalom visits the flagship store of a British brand loved by Meghan Markle.

Politics

4 d. ago Married British Airways pilot and colleague lover demoted after fixing rota for Venice affair

The airline launched an internal investigation after a whistleblower reported the fling

Politics

6 d. ago Lavender 'blooms and looks amazing' when fed one homemade fertiliser

Lavender is a staple in British gardens - the hardy perennial herb is loved for its delicate purple blooms and its ability to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies

Politics

1 week ago ‘A psychological umbilical cord’: Why fiction loves difficult mothers

As the film of Deborah Levy’s novel Hot Milk is released, author Abigail Bergstrom explores the literary fascination with inaccessible, emotionally distant maternal figures‘My love for my mother is like an axe,” the narrator of Deborah Levy’s 2016 novel Hot Milk tells us. “It cuts very deep”. Set in the Spanish coastal city of Almería, the book – which has now been made into a film starring Sex Education’s Emma Mackey – is a sun-drenched unravelling of a daughter tethered to her ailing mother.Hot Milk fits into a growing canon of literature exploring the absent, or fading, or otherwise inaccessible mother – stories in which the maternal figure is pulled to the edge of the frame, so that the daughter can take centre stage. Books such as Gwendoline Riley’s My Phantoms and First Love, both featuring mother-daughter relationships marked by emotional distance and strained communication. Or The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante, where the protagonist, Leda, is both unseen daughter and deser...

Science

3 w. ago ‘I love England so much’: From TV to pop, film to fashion, the UK is enjoying a cultural resurgence

Three decades on from Blur and Oasis, a new and more diverse wave of stars is celebrating British identityIn the opening episode of Lena Dunham’s Netflix show Too Much, a heartbroken New Yorker moves to London to live out her fantasy of British life and love stories. Jess is quickly swept up in her feelings for an indie musician, dreamily referring to him as “My Mr Darcy, my Rochester, my Alan Rickman”.Produced by the team behind Bridget Jones, Notting Hill and Love Actually, the show was inspired by Dunham’s own move to London in 2021. Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago Cheapest holiday town where food is half the price of popular resort

Families could bag a whole three-course meal for under £70 or a week's shopping for £130 less than Spanish island

Politics

3 w. ago Holiday hotspot 'half the price of Ibiza' named cheapest destination for Brit tourists

The port city has the lowest prices out of 16 popular locations for a basket of 10 tourist items, a Post Office investigation said. The holiday hotspot came in at almost half the price of Ibiza

Politics

3 w. ago The overlooked city crowned cheapest for a summer holiday revealed

For travellers craving a summer escape that won't burn a hole through their pockets, one overlooked city has emerged as Europe's top budget-friendly hotspot.

Politics

3 w. ago Lovely British coastal city is among cheapest places to go on holiday in UK at £108

A new study has uncovered that one particular UK coastal city is a burgeoning hot spot for summer staycations, with Aqua's analysis finding that it's among the cheapest destinations for a weekend away

Economics

4 w. ago Margot Robbie Is Wearing The Exact Look Every London Girl Loves

Margot Robbie Is Wearing The Exact Look Every London Girl Loves  British Vogue

Events

4 w. ago Heartbreaking reason Patrick Grant keeps partner private after 'ordeal'

The Great British Sewing Bee judge is notoriously private about his love life, but has previously spoken out about his past relationship with a well-known fashion designer

Economics