HOLY SMOKES All the Royals Who’ve Been Caught with a Sneaky Fag & How Meghan Markle Served ‘200’ Marijuana Joints at First Wedding

THE SUN: ROYAL family members are typically the picture of elegance, but there have been moments when they’ve been spotted doing a rather unroyal habit – smoking.

From Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, members of the famous family have been known to love a crafty fag, even if they have given up now.

This is despite the late Queen being strongly against the bad habit, particularly as her father, King George VI, died of lung cancer in 1952.

This was after three previous monarchs, George V, Edward VII and Edward VIII, all passed away from smoking-related illnesses.

Meanwhile, the Queen’s own sister Princess Margaret was known to smoke up to 60 cigarettes a day, which led to a lung operation in 1985.

Never afraid of speaking her mind, the party-loving royal refused to bow down to pressure from both doctors and members of her family to ditch smoking. However, it is reported she cut down to 30 a day, rather than 60, before her death in 2002.

King Charles is reportedly responsible for revoking the royal warrant for tobacco firm Gallaher in 1998.

But, which nicotine-loving royal family members have been known to love a smoke… » | Becky Pemberton | Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Prince Edward’s ‘Ridiculous’ Mansion Deal Overshadows Epstein Scandal

Nov 29, 2025 | “The amount of money which they take from the public purse is extraordinary.”

A Times exclusive revealing that Prince Edward pays “peppercorn rent” for his Surrey mansion shows that the bigger scandal in the Royal family isn’t Epstein, but finances, says former Lib Dem MP Norman Baker.

Brits Outraged by What the Royal Family Costs Taxpayers Every Year – Norman Baker

Nov 12, 2025 | How much do the British public really pay for the Royal Family each year? In this explosive Heretics interview, former government minister, author, and royal expert Norman Baker pulls back the curtain on the monarchy’s finances, exposing the staggering sums taxpayers hand over annually — and why the system remains so controversial.

Baker, who has written extensively on royal spending and accountability, lays out how the monarchy makes its money, the murky details of the Sovereign Grant, and the hidden costs that never appear in official accounts.

Far from being self-sufficient, Baker argues that the Windsors rely heavily on public money, despite their vast personal wealth and sprawling estates.


WIKIPEDIA: Norman Baker »

The 19th Century Sex Scandal that Shook the Royal Family Like Prince Andrew & Epstein

Oct 21, 2025 | Historian AN Wilson joins Hugo Rifkind to compare the most recent Prince Andrew revelations with a historical royal scandal.

Virginia Giuffre’s Allegations against Prince Andrew, Explained | The Royals

Oct 19, 2025 | Virginia Giuffre's memoir - 'Nobody's Girl' - claims Prince Andrew felt ‘sex with me was his birthright’. He has denied all allegations that he had sex with the then 17 year old, but do the Epstein links again threaten the wider reputation of the monarchy? Andrew has already been stripped of any meaningful official role. He no longer receives public funds, and holds no royal patronages. He has had to relinquish his honorary military titles. But what do the British public think about this ongoing and ever more upsetting saga?

Recorded live in front of an audience at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on 16th October 2025.

British Royals & National Socialism | Royal Family

Mar 24, 2024 | British Royals & National Socialism - The film presents documents and footage proving the royal family’s and leading British aristocrats’ sympathy for National Socialism.

Prince William's Closest Aide Breaks His Silence | 60 Minutes Australia

Feb 23, 2025

Republic Campaign: The Man Who Shouldn't Be King

Mar 27, 2020 | A hard hitting new documentary which reveals Prince Charles as unfit to be King. The documentary looks at Charles's role as Duke of Cornwall and the way he treats Duchy tenants, as well as how he uses his power and influence to lobby government and other public bodies.

Please note that I post this documentary not because I am a convinced ‘Republican’, I am not, though I do sometimes wonder about whether we would be better off without a monarchy. My strongest objection to having a monarchy, apart from the incredible cost, is that having a royal family perpetuates the class system; so it holds people back. Moreover, other countries such as Switzerland, where I once had the privilege to live for four years many years ago, functions rather well without a royal family. In fact, it functions rather better than the United Kingdom does. But, when all is said and done, I am a firm believer in freedom of thought, freedom of opinion, and freedom of speech. We all have a right not only to express our views, but also to hear and assess the views of others. Enjoy this fascinating documentary. – © Mark Alexander

King Charles’ Bloodstained Crown | The Untold Story of UK Royals | Flashback with Palki Sharma

Premiered May 6, 2023 | King Charles’ Bloodstained Crown | The Untold Story of UK Royals | Flashback with Palki Sharma As King Charles III ascends to power, we take a look at the history of his throne. The bloody battles that kept his ancestors in power. The innocents they murdered and the foreign lands they looted. Britain's throne was forged by centuries of bloodshed and betrayals. Catch the story on Flashback with Palki Sharma.

A Republican’s Weltanschauung: “Why the Monarchy Should Have Died with the Queen”

Sep 24, 2024

Should you wish to do so, the ‘Cosmic Skeptic’ can be supported on PayPal here.

How The Royals Hoard Their Wealth

Dec 24, 2024

The Real Reason Prince Harry and the King Can’t ‘Sit Down and Talk’

Nov 28, 2024 | “If any...sort of hint of what the King thought about this were to come out in the open, it would be what they call legal jeopardy.”

Robert Hardman reveals the real reason why the King and Prince Harry cannot “just sit down and talk.”


WIKIPEDIA: Silouan the Athonite »

‘Obscene’: Anger after Cost of King Charles’s Coronation Revealed

THE GUARDIAN: Official figures put price of event at £72m but anti-monarchy group Republic says real cost is likely much more

The coronation of King Charles in May 2023 cost taxpayers at least £72m, official figures have revealed.

The cost of policing the ceremony was £21.7m, with a further £50.3m in costs racked up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

About 20 million people in Britain watched Charles crowned at Westminster Abbey on TV, substantially fewer than the 29 million Britons who had watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

The coronation ceremony was attended by dignitaries from around the world, and a star-studded concert took place at Windsor Castle the following night. » | Donna Ferguson | Thursday, November 21, 2024

The Property Empires that Make Charles and William Millions

Nov 20. 2024 | An investigation by the Sunday Times’ Insight team has revealed for the first time the extensive property empires of the King and Prince of Wales. The information includes details of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall’s business deals with the NHS, schools and military that help fund the royals.

How splendid it is to be able to live as a serf in this kingdom! Who wouldn’t be cock-a-hoop at being given the privilege? – © Mark Alexander

Princess Diana's Former Chauffeur Breaks 30-year Silence over Martin Bashir's Panorama Lies

Nov 11, 2024 | It was rogue BBC journalist Martin Bashir who ended the royal career of Diana's personal chauffeur Steve Davies. But it would take a quarter of a century before he discovered that, learning the truth by chance from an episode of The Crown. The driver was frozen out of the Princess's inner circle at Kensington Palace in late 1995. 'It happened overnight,' he says. 'From driving her everywhere I was banned from the wheel of her car. After the Christmas break I was told she didn't want me near it, I wasn't even allowed to wash or hoover it. 'I was still on her payroll but all I could do was sit in the garage for ten hours a day, my official shift, doing nothing, and then go home. I was heartbroken, humiliated. She shunned me.'

King's ‘Tentacles’ Stretch across the UK Charging People ‘Millions’

Nov 3, 2024 | “Their tentacles stretch just about everywhere across the UK.”

The King and Prince William are earning millions from charging councils and government departments, with some of these charges being “really petty”, says @JCalvertST.

Revealed: King Charging Millions for NHS to Use His Land

Nov 2, 2024 | All of what they've uncovered doesn't pass the public smell test of ethical behaviour."

An investigation by the Sunday Times Insight team has uncovered the "secret business deals" that the king are using to maintain their "multi-millionaire status", says The Sunday Times's George Arbuthnott.


THE GUARDIAN:

King and Prince William’s estates ‘making millions from charities and public services’: Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster likely to make at least £50m from leasing land to services such as NHS and schools, according to investigation »

Does Australia Need a Monarchy? King Charles Commences First Royal Tour

Oct 19, 2024 | King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be in Australia this week — their first visit here since taking the throne. Given the king's ongoing cancer treatment, and recent drastic changes to the British Royal Family, the trip won't be as busy as previous royal tours.

So, this will be a slimmed-down tour - but is Australia's fever for the Monarchy still as passionate? Three experts from The Australian discuss whether King Charles has a bright future - or whether we'll be heading toward another shot at the Republic.

Prince Harry Claims He Was ‘Forced’ to Step Back from Royal Duties

THE TELEGRAPH: Duke of Sussex disputes suggestion that it was his choice to stop being ‘full time working member of Royal family’, High Court hears

The Duke of Sussex leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in central London during a hearing in March CREDIT: AFP
The Duke of Sussex was “forced” to step back from royal duties and leave the UK, he has told the High Court.

Prince Harry disputed a suggestion, made during his legal challenge against the Government decision to deny him automatic police protection in the UK, that he had chosen to stop being “a full-time working member of the Royal family”.

His barrister, Shaheed Fatima KC, said she wanted to make it “quite clear” that this was not the case.

She read an excerpt from the Duke’s witness statement in which he said: “It was with great sadness for the both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. » | Victoria Ward, Deputy Royal Editor | THursday, December 7, 2023

Demand Soars for Dutch First Editions of Book Naming UK Royals in Race Row

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Copies of book about British monarchy changing hands on resale websites for up to €175

A woman reads Eindstrijd (Endgame) by Omid Scobie. Photograph: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters
Dutch first editions of the book Endgame, which names two members of the British royal family alleged to have discussed the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unborn baby, are selling online for many times above the original retail price of €22.99.

As parts of the British press reached fever pitch trying to find out whether the Dutch version had contained a mistranslation, or had failed to adopt final excisions or was running a strange publicity stunt, bids for a Dutch version on Marktplaats on Thursday reached €175 (£150).

After first editions of Eindstrijd, the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s Endgame, went on sale, Dutch journalists said the book contained the names of two senior royals in connection with speculation about the potential skin colour of Harry and Megan’s son, Archie, on pages 128 and 334. » | Senay Boztas in Amsterdam | Saturday, December 2, 2023

Prince Harry and Meghan urged to back King amid racism row: Duke and Duchess told to end 'deafening silence' as supporters come forward to defend royals after fallout from Omid Scobie book »