3 d. ago My beloved friend's cut me off. Can I repair it? There's two VERY telling statements in your letter, says BEL MOONEY... they say it all

At 49, I've just come to terms with the fact that my oldest friend - someone I've known since childhood due to family connections - has effectively cut me out of her life.

Politics

4 d. ago Princess Beatrice and Eugenie show royal loyalty as seven words reveal true commitment

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attended Christmas at Sandringham with King Charles while parents Andrew and Sarah stayed at Royal Lodge, with a family friend revealing their dedication to the monarchy

Politics

4 d. ago Gordon Ramsay 'makes brutal joke to Victoria Beckham over Brooklyn feud and Peaty clan'

The Beckham's family war rages on, but close friend Gordon Ramsay has reportedly tried to lighten the situation by sharing wisdom from his own family fall-outs

Politics

8 d. ago Child, five, died after being struck by electric vehicle that accelerated 'on its own accord' in London, court hears

Ashenafei Demisse, 52, was sitting in his electric car in a car park when it rapidly accelerated into Fareed Amir - the child of a family friend - and his own son Raphael, 12.

Events

1 week ago Liam Payne's sister suffers fresh heartbreak as 'best friend' who was like family dies

As Liam Payne's sister continues to navigate her grief following her younger brother's tragic death in 2024, the pet they shared so many memories with has been put to sleep

Events

1 week ago Former Labour MP and defence minister Sir Patrick Duffy dies aged 105

Duffy, believed to be UK’s longest-living former MP, survived a plane crash in Scotland during second world warThe former Labour MP and defence minister Sir Patrick Duffy has died aged 105 after a short illness, a family friend has said.He died on 2 January and is believed to have been the UK’s longest-living former MP. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Adam Peaty's family feud deepens as close friend also snubbed from lavish wedding

While Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay celebrate tying the knot on their honeymoon, a fresh 'snub' has emerged as one of the Olympian's closest pals has posted a cryptic message about being 'dropped'

Society

1 week ago Kate Middleton's true feelings on Prince Harry laid bare in new update from close pal

The Prince and Princess of Wales have never spoken out about their broken relationship with Prince Harry - but now a close friend of the family has shared Kate's true feelings over the Duke

Politics

1 week ago 'Everything crumbles' for family after friend saw subtle sign in photos of toddler

Capri was diagnosed after her mum Elissa sought medical attention - with initial assessments suggesting viral symptoms

Culture

2 w. ago Family friend of Anthony Joshua says 'I think he'll retire' after losing pals in fatal Nigeria crash

Lindsey Jacobs, whose daughter was close to crash victims Sina Ghami and Kevin Ayodele, said the tragedy will 'crucify' the boxer.

Events

2 w. ago Victoria Beckham and son Cruz recreate family friend Tom Cruise's iconic Risky Business dance moves

Victoria hilariously recreated Tom Cruise's iconic Risky Business dance in a new Instagram reel posted by her son Cruz.

Events

2 w. ago Nicola Peltz 'takes another swipe' at the Beckham family amid ongoing feud after husband Brooklyn skipped close friend Holly Ramsay's wedding

The heiress, 30, posted a stylish selfie with the caption 'Love being home' as she and her husband, 26, stayed in LA after skipping family friend Holly Ramsay's UK wedding.

Society

2 w. ago My weirdest Christmas: it was our first year in Sweden – but I insisted on having a big British celebration

When my family emigrated to Malmö, I wanted to stick to our traditions, but my husband was keen to embrace the local customs. Why were we butting heads?It was 3pm on Christmas Eve and already getting dark. As I stripped off on a wooden pier over the Baltic Sea in Malmö, Sweden, my husband and five-year-old boy, bundled up against the harsh wind, chanted: “Go Mummy, go Mummy, go Mummy!” Just as I was about to heroically slither out of my final layer, a bearded, completely naked man, who can only be described as Viking-esque, ascended the wooden ladder from the sea, looked at me with horror and possibly hypothermia in his eyes and shook his head. I put my five layers of clothing back on and, feeling deflated, suggested we crack open the Thermos. I knew I had failed at Swedish Christmas.My family and I emigrated to Sweden from the UK last winter, and while the days seemed impossibly short and dark, we were buoyed up by optimism, glögg (Swedish mulled wine) studded with almonds and rais...

Politics

2 w. ago My weirdest Christmas: on Boxing Day I vomited in the sink – and began to suspect I had a mysterious condition

At first I thought my spinning head and nausea were symptoms of a hangover. But could they be connected to a documentary I had made on Havana syndrome?Waking foggy-headed and with the room spinning on 26 December is surely not an uncommon condition. Who among us hasn’t felt the effects of overindulgence on Christmas Day?These were my immediate thoughts when I rose in such a state in my parents’ house in Dublin two years ago. An hour later, the room continued its relentless swirl, nausea was building and it was becoming hard to stand. So far, so Christmas hangover. I remained in bed and waited for things to blow over. They didn’t. Gradually, family members stuck their heads into my childhood bedroom and wondered if everything was OK. I could only say that I felt quite strange. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago My weirdest Christmas: the oven was broken, the turkey was raw and all the crisps had been eaten

It wasn’t until 7pm that anyone noticed the unfolding crisis. As our hunger grew, my Mum came up with an unlikely and audacious planThe first sign that something was amiss was the smell – or rather, the lack of it. The roasted turkey aroma that usually wafted throughout the house on Christmas Day was conspicuous by its absence. My mum had spent the morning meticulously plucking fresh herbs and seasoning our plump bird but, so far, no scent.It was 2010 and the entire family, including aunts and cousins, had come to our house for dinner. After a morning gorging on chocolate and an afternoon snacking on picky bits (mainly crisps), appetites were peaking. The much-anticipated Christmas roast had been in the oven for about four hours and it was nearing 7pm. My mum, who had been busy keeping everybody happy by handing out snacks and managing the festive playlist, had taken only a scant look through the oven doors and assumed the meal was progressing nicely. As dinner time approached, she ...

Politics

2 w. ago My weirdest Christmas: I was 11 and braced for tension. Then I found my parents and step

It was our first joint family Christmas, and I watched fearfully as my mum walked into the kitchen she had once called hers. The next 48 hours were full of surprisesThere are still moments I pinch myself: when, over the remnants of turkey and red wine, my divorced parents regale us all with an in-joke from their previous life. When, on the pre-lunch walk, my dad and stepdad stroll in lockstep and talk about finance and even feelings, occasionally. When we’ve all exchanged gifts, and the most thoughtful gifts are not between husband and wife or parent and child, but ones the divorced and remarried couples have given each other.We’ve been doing this for 25 years now, this joint family Christmas, complete with step-parents, parents and siblings. But every so often, I remember how weird it all once felt. The first time, when I was 11 years old, I watched fearfully as, on Christmas Eve, my mum walked into the kitchen she once called hers. Despite her initial efforts to pretend otherwise,...

Events

2 w. ago The Osbournes suffer more tragedy before Christmas as Jack and Kelly share pictures with family friend James Ransone following his death aged 46

The Osbourne family have suffered more tragedy before Christmas as they mourn the loss of The Wire star Jack Ransone.

Events

2 w. ago My weirdest Christmas: I insisted, through gritted teeth, that it would be fun to eat outside

It was 2020, and I hired a gazebo and heaters so we could have a festive feast with my mum in the garden. What could possibly go wrong?We called it “diffmas”, because it was going to be a different kind of Christmas. Our son was five, so we were trying to package it appealingly for him. But we might have done that anyway, given the kind of year we’d had – and by “we” I don’t just mean my family, I mean the world.It was 2020. When the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, had announced, in March, that we “must stay at home”, it left my mum, who had lived on her own since my dad died in 2012, completely alone, like many people, for months on end. Her work had involved travelling all over the country, having meetings, organising events, networking. Then, in lockdown, everything stopped. She was Zooming with the best of them, but it was clearly extremely difficult. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago My weirdest Christmas: I sat on a desk chair watching the strangest film I’ve ever seen

Away from our families, my flatmate and I hung out in his bedroom, Christmas lunch on our laps, watching a poorly written, jarringly inappropriate movieIn 2022, I was living in a flat in north London above a chicken shop, with two flatmates and a cockroach infestation (what did we expect, said the landlord, living above a takeaway?). My flatmate was from Lithuania, and was due to go home in January, and our other flatmate, his girlfriend, was away for Christmas. I’d been home to Canada the month before, so for Christmas Day itself it was just the two of us.I bought a small chicken to roast, and served it with stuffing I’d brought back from Canada – it’s the same concept as the stuffing in the UK but somehow fluffier and with more texture – and some pasta. I made brussels sprouts, trying to recreate a dish I like from a restaurant in my home town by cooking them with bacon, maple syrup, parmesan and a mayonnaise drizzle. It wasn’t very nice. We had some prosecco that my flatmate had ...

Politics

3 w. ago The 12 weirdest and most wonderful Christmas traditions from around the world

Here are some of the unusual ways countries around the world celebrate the festive season

Politics