An Erskine veteran has been awarded a commemorative medal by the UK Government in recognition of his selfless service during nuclear testing on Christmas Island in the 1950s.
03.10.2023 - 18:13 / dailyrecord.co.uk
King Charles III thanked workers at a sawmill in Aberdeenshire that has bought thousands of tonnes of timber from a nearby royal estate. The Monarch made his second visit to the James Jones and Sons Limited sawmill at Aboyne, which has bought timber from the Balmoral Estate for more than 34 years.
During the visit, he said he does not know whether he will “be around” for a further visit in another 24 years’ time. The sawmill opened in 1962 and primarily serves the Scottish market, but also exports to Australia and New Zealand.
It was rebuilt in 1991, and Charles visited eight years later when he was Prince of Wales, which some workers remembered. The King thanked “marvellous” workers for processing timber from Balmoral and asked about the price of it.
Company chairman Tom Bruce-Jones, whose father welcomed Charles in 1999, joked it was “too expensive”. Charles said: “Well done everybody thank you very much for all the efforts you made. Thank you for dealing with some of the Balmoral timber.”
“Whether I will be able to come back in another 24 years, I don’t know if I will be around. I hadn’t realised what an area you cover around the world, it depends on all the marvellous people who put so much into it.”
The sawmill has bought about 150,000 tonnes of timber from the Balmoral Estate over more than three decades. Charles wore a hard hat and hi-vis for most of the visit, which is believed to be the first time he has done so since becoming King.
The sawmill now trades indirectly with the Balmoral Estate, including high-quality pine, but the working relationship goes back decades. It recently had a £15 million investment to increase sustainability and produces construction timber, which can be used as a substitute for steel and
An Erskine veteran has been awarded a commemorative medal by the UK Government in recognition of his selfless service during nuclear testing on Christmas Island in the 1950s.
left no stone unturned with the release of his tell-all book “Spare,” in January, and it seems as though his words cut deep as his father is still fuming 10 months on.Royal biographer and expert Tom Quinn says that the general feeling towards Harry has not changed in the palace since his revelations came to light.“I have spoken to the people who worked for Meghan and Harry when they were in England and have also interviewed people who worked for William and Kate,” Quinn told the Express.“And they say that privately there’s a lot more anger than there is publicly.
King Charles mocked himself during his speech at Mansion House in the City of London yesterday as he recalled his fountain pen blunder just days into his reign.
King Charles wanted a 'slimmed down' monarchy, but sources say it’s now so thin that there aren’t enough royals to go around.The situation has become so bad, OK! can exclusively reveal that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are being considered for a number of engagements next year when the Royal Family embarks on a two-year tour of the Commonwealth. A source told us: “Emergency meetings have been held to come up with a solution to fulfil the growing number of royal engagements both here in the UK and abroad.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have decided to put their three kids first despite the growing pressure on them due to their highly active roles within the monarchy since becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales.
'Prince William and Kate Middleton turn backs on Australia' read the headline of a leading Aussie publication over the weekend, amid growing feeling that the Prince and Princess of Wales have abandoned Down Under during the Royal Family’s upcoming two-year tour of the Commonwealth. Not only does the rising negative sentiment towards the royals abroad underline the importance of stepping up and showing out, but also demonstrates how important William and Kate are to the future of the monarchy.
It was revealed earlier this year that senior members of the royal family are gearing up for two years of worldwide tours in a bid "to keep Commonwealth intact" in a "soft democracy" blitz. Among the most vital visits will be one to Australia, with it being predicted that a tour would be planned for next year to tie into King Charles' appearance at the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting in Samoa.
King Charles is said to have delivered a "hidden message" to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that hints at their re-entry back into the royal world, an expert has claimed.
King Charles' skills with a brush and watercolours have made him a top-selling artist, and other family members have also shown they are quick on the draw. Not only does Charles reign over the country, but he has proven himself to be a king in the art world too, as one of the UK’s most successful living painters.The King’s love of using watercolours first began at Gordonstoun school in Scotland, and signed copies of his work now sell at auction for four-figure sums.
Prince George will be "given all the help he needs" as he faces upcoming exams for entrance into the top schools, including the prestigious Eton College. The young heir to the throne, 10, returned to Lambrook School in September alongside his siblings Princess Charlotte, eight and Prince Louis, five following a summer spent at Balmoral in Scotland with their grandfather King Charles.The children first joined the independent preparatory school in Berkshire last September after the Wales family moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
The Royal Family has a number of properties at their disposal which stretch as far north as the Castle of Mey in Scotland and as far south as Tamarisk House on the Isles of Scilly. While the King has access to many royal residences up and down the country, did you know that the Prince and Princess of Wales can call four royal residences their own? Thought to be their favourite property, Anmer Hall was a wedding gift to the couple from the late Queen and is located on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Prince William holds many royal titles but one of them seems to be cursed due to its tragic history and may one day be inherited by his sons Prince George and Prince Louis.
When TOWIE star Gemma Collins met the King Charles and Queen Camilla back in June, it looked like the start of a budding - and unlikely - friendship. Now, in an exclusive interview with, the 42-year-old revealed how much she "loves them" and their work they do to help animals. "Charles and Camilla invited me to the Animal Ball, and I just thought it was amazing," Gemma said.
Actor Hugh Bonneville, star of Downton Abbey, has split from his wife after 25 years.
Mike Tindall has discussed his marriage with royal Zara in a new two-part programme Grand Slammers. In a rare conversation about the royal family, the former rugby international opened up about his relationship with the niece of King Charles. The comments were made as Mike appears alongside his old England teammates, including Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Phil Vickery on the new ITV reality show.
Rumours are swirling that King Charles is keen to "hit the reset button" and reconcile with Prince Harry, amid reports that the US-based Prince is looking to return to the UK.
Meghan Markle is unlikely to ever return to the royal fold as Prince William and Kate Middleton make her "uncomfortable", says one royal expert.
Fox News recently that “there was considerable animus between the houses of the queen and Prince Charles over Camilla.”Camilla, 76, and Charles, 74, met in the early 1970s; however, they subsequently married other people and had an on-again, off-again affair over the years.The former Prince of Wales wed Princess Diana in 1981 and Camilla tied the knot with army man Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973.According to Morton, the queen was at odds with Charles over Camilla “before [Princess] Diana died, and certainly after Diana died.”Diana died in 1997 at the age of 36 after perishing in a fiery Parisian car crash.“The queen and her advisers, her courtiers, her private secretary – they all believed that Prince Charles should give up Camilla,” the “Diana: Her True Story” author said. Morton went on: “He could love her, but he needed to leave her.
Prince Harry has been told he must "give notice" to King Charles if he wants to stay at Windsor Castle after he was denied a room earlier this month.
The King and Queen’s three-day state visit to France had it all – glitz, glamour and humour. The crowning event was the state banquet at the magnificent 2,300-room Palace of Versailles, where the couple rubbed shoulders with king of romcom Hugh Grant, Sex Education and Barbie star Emma Mackey and music royalty Sir Mick Jagger, among VIP guests from the worlds of sport, business and the arts. Queen Camilla, 76, was the picture of elegance in a midnight blue cape dress by Dior and the dazzling jewels known as the George VI Sapphire Victorian Suite that once belonged to Elizabeth II.