Downing Street party before Prince Philip's funeral was 'seven-hour drinking session with guests using Wilf's slide'

The Queen has started using Prince Philip's "favourite" walking stick on engagements in a subtle nod to her late husband, his biographer has revealed. Gyles Brandreth, 73, has written a number of books about the Duke of Edinburgh over the years, publishing a biography of his life just weeks after his death last year. And now the This Morning regular has noticed how his widow, who has been spotted seemingly less mobile in the wake of her husband's death, has been using his favourite aid.

Prince Andrew is reportedly set to appear alongside the Queen next month as he attends a remembrance service for Prince Philip.The Duke of York is expected to attend the ceremony for his late father at Westminster Abbey on 29 March, days after he is due to give his witness statement to US lawyers in his ongoing sexual assault case. Andrew, 61, was unsuccessful in an attempt to stop the case being brought to court earlier this year, on the basis of a financial settlement his accuser Virginia Roberts previously signed with Jeffrey Epstein.

Queen Elizabeth is keeping her late husband, Prince Philip, very close to her these days. The 95-year-old British monarch was spotted over the weekend using the same walking cane Philip used prior to his death in April 2021. Elizabeth made her first public appearance of the new year on Saturday, hosting a reception at her Sandringham House estate on the eve of her Accession Day.

Abba have distanced themselves from claim that Boris Johnson played their hits at a party.

ABBA have responded to reports that their music was played during one of the alleged lockdown-flouting parties that was held at 10 Downing Street in 2020.One of the 12 alleged gatherings which were the subject of senior civil servant Sue Gray’s recent report – and are now under police investigation – reportedly took place on November 13, 2020 following the departure of Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s controversial aide Dominic Cummings.Sky News reports that a “victory party” was allegedly held in Johnson’s flat on that date by friends of his now-wife Carrie Johnson, during which a number of ABBA tracks, including the 1980 single ‘The Winner Takes It All’, were played. Cummings also claimed last week that there would be “witnesses who say ‘we could all hear a party with ABBA playing’”.Both Boris and Carrie Johnson have denied the claims, while Downing Street said in a statement last week that the PM would “ask Sue Gray to update her work in light of what is found” by the Metropolitan Police when they have concluded their inquiries.In a new interview with PA (via i News), ABBA’s Benny Andersson has now given his reaction to the reports that his band’s music was apparently played at the alleged party.“You can’t call it an ABBA party,” he said.

Boris Johnson has told Greater Manchester residents, who were banned from mixing with other households indoors for a heartbreaking 391 days, he is 'sorry for any misjudgements' in the wake of 'partygate'.

The Mirror.Despite that, prosecutor Nathan Paine-Davey saidthat her offence was enough to charge her for being involved in holding the gathering.At the time the country was just days into a lockdown which prevented any sort of mass gatherings indoor and out.The prosecutor said: “This relates to November 7 and 8. The defendant has been charged with an offence against the public protection coronavirus restrictions regulations which were in force on November 5, 2020.”Eric Kawoya, defending, said Innerarity had been asked by two friends named if they could borrow her sound equipment.He told the court his client did not know the equipment would be used for a party.Mr Kawoya added: “She packed them in the car and drove to the venue.

Civil servant Sue Gray has published part of her long-awaited report into the partygate row. She has been investigating a number of rule breaking parties allegedly held during lockdown, including the 'bring your own booze' gathering on 20 May 2020. Now, an update from the report has been made available to the public. The inquiry covers a total of 16 separate gatherings on 12 different dates. Ms Gray is understood to have pared back the report following a request from the Metropolitan Police. The wording of a government statement issued on Monday (31 January) suggested that the official may wish to publish a fuller-version of the results of her inquiry after the Met completes its investigation. But Downing Street said it will publish the Gray report in the full form it has received from the inquiry team - and did not commit to publishing a fuller version in the future.

The Met Police says it has received new evidence from the Cabinet Office as part of its investigation into possible breaches of Covid regulations in Downing Street.

Demands are growing for the publication of the entire Sue Gray 'partygate' report amid claims that police interference in the process will lead to a whitewash.

There’s been significant backlash after Scotland Yard revealed that the Sue Gray inquiry has been asked to make ‘minimal reference’ to events being investigated by the police.

Boris Johnson is still waiting for Sue Gray’s partygate report to arrive on his desk.

Prince Harry has recently raised concerns about his safety during trips to the UK. He has even threatened legal action to acquire security for his family after his request to buy police protection was denied.Therefore, it is unknown if Harry, wife Meghan Markle and their two young children - Archie and Lilibet - will be attending Prince Philip's memorial service which is set to take place in the Spring, following his death in April last year at the age of 99.

Sue Gray's inquiry into a number of alleged parties held in Downing Street will not be published while the Metropolitan Police also investigate, reports suggest.

The SNP has made a fresh call on Boris Johnson to resign after the latest revelations in the partygate scandal allege the Prime Minister held a lockdown-breaking birthday bash in 2020.

Rest in peace. The celebrity deaths of 2022 include Sidney Poitier and more stars, actors and singers who have passed away this year.

Boris Johnson has claimed that he wasn’t informed that a Downing Street garden gathering that’s been alleged to have been party was against COVID rules at the time.The Prime Minister said in a new interview that he “humbly apologises” to people for “misjudgements” that were made, but that he wouldn’t have attended the gathering on May 20, 2020, if he thought it broke the rules.He told Sky News today (January 18): “I’m saying categorically that nobody told me, nobody said this was something that was against the rules, doing something that wasn’t a work event because frankly, I can’t imagine why it would have gone ahead, or it would have been allowed to go ahead if it was against the rules.”"I carry full responsibility for what took place, but nobody said to me that this was an event that is against the rules."Boris Johnson recalls what he remembers about an alleged party in the Downing Street garden during lockdown.Latest: https://t.co/lE3sSg2vbt pic.twitter.com/k50uWKeYmD— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 18, 2022Under the rules that applied at the time of the alleged party, which dozens of Downing Street staff were invited to in an email sent by principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, people in England were subject to “not meeting up with any more than one person from outside your household” [via FullFact].The law in May 2020 said “no person may participate in a gathering in a public place of more than two people” unless it was for one of a number of stated reasons. These included when the gathering was “essential for work purposes” or “all the persons in the gathering are members of the same household”.