Camilla Teams Up with Geri Halliwell!

After ascended the throne in September 2022, dispensed with the centuries-old tradition of having ladies-in-waiting as part of her retinue.

Instead, her six women assistants would be known as ‘Queen’s companions’.

Now Her Majesty has found a new way to spice up her court.

I hear she has become increasingly close to , the former Spice Girl.

Geri has accompanied the Queen, 78, on several public engagements recently. She even gave a passionate speech about female empowerment and unity at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in March.

The 53-year-old, who rose to fame as Ginger Spice with songs such as Wannabe, is an ambassador for the Royal Commonwealth Society.

Two months earlier, Geri joined the Queen on a visit to cancer charity Maggie’s centre in Cheltenham, to mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary.

‘Geri supports most of her prominent causes and Camilla has taken her with her on a few visits to charities,’ a friend of the King and Queen tells me. ‘Like a lady-in-waiting, but more so. They arrive together in the royal style. Geri listens intently while people confide their stories to her, touching an arm or a hand.’

The friend adds: ‘They do have horses in common. I’d put money on her being at Royal Ascot in a carriage sometime.’

It will be fascinating to see whether Geri and her husband, ex-Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner, are invited to lunch at Windsor Castle this week, followed by a ride in the Royal Procession of horse-drawn landau down the Straight Mile to Ascot Racecourse.

Geri and Christian, 52, built stables for 14 horses at their home on the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border.

Composer Lord Lloyd-Webber and his wife, Madeleine, have been among the guests invited by the King and Queen to join the carriage processions.

Wearing friendship bracelets fit for the King, is Charles in his ‘Swiftie’ era?

It seems Taylor Swift’s friendship-bracelet craze has now reached the Buckingham Palace balcony.

When King Charles waved to the crowds after an RAF flypast for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, he revealed two colourful string bracelets on his wrist. They are thought to have been gifts from his 11-year-old granddaughter, Princess Charlotte.

Like thousands of other fans of the American pop superstar, 36, around the world, Charlotte made personalised bracelets. They are then swapped with fellow ‘Swifties’ at the singer’s concerts.

Charlotte met Taylor and her American football star fiancé Travis Kelce, also 36, backstage following one of her Eras Tour concerts at Wembley Stadium in 2024.

Charlotte’s father, Prince William, last month gave a cryptic response when asked if he and the Princess of Wales had been invited to Taylor and Travis’s wedding, which is set to take place in the US this summer.

Starring as American weather presenter Margaret Fairchild in sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day, London-born Emily Blunt can’t resist a dig at their British counterparts. Discussing researching her role for the film, Emily, 43, says of US meteorologists: ‘They have this way of making you feel a part of the weather, like, “Isn’t it exciting?” They make it fun, even if it’s going to be an absolute nightmare. Whereas in England, we’re a bit more defeatist about the weather – probably because it’s crap most of the time.’ 

Lights out in Notting Hill

You would expect a duke’s daughter to be able to avoid the dangers of Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s lawless London.

But it seems that is simply not the case, with Lady Eliza Manners’ Mercedes-Benz being a write-off after it was hit by a stolen car at the weekend. The 28-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland – whose family seat is Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire – had parked her car in Notting Hill, west London.

Posting a snap of the damage online, the jewellery specialist said with a hint of sarcasm: ‘I love Notting Hill.’

Ore's son facing new school blues

Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba’s son has been forced to leave his private prep school mid-term amid the fallout of his parents’ divorce.

Ore’s estranged wife, Portia, posted a photograph of her embracing their eight-year-old son yesterday as he set off for his first day at a new school.

‘I haven’t got this, but you have,’ she wrote. ‘First day at a new school and I couldn’t be prouder of how he’s handled all the changes. Let’s do this.’

Ore, 40, and the ex-TV researcher, 36, announced their separation in 2024 after nine years of marriage.

Bat experts were sent into a flap earlier this year when Oscar winner Cate Blanchett submitted plans to light up her Cornish home. Ecologists warned that the endangered nocturnal creatures could be harmed by the four different types of lighting the actress wanted to feature. It was thought that Cate, 57, had scrapped the idea. But I can reveal she is still forging ahead with the plans. She and her husband, Andrew Upton, have now submitted their proposals to the council – including the installation of ‘bat-friendly lighting’. Locals also fear the ‘eco-home’ will be too overbearing for the quaint village.