Queen's 'perfect' engagement ring has fans gushing as staggering price revealed

kicked off the Platinum Party at the Palace tribute concert outside Buckingham Palace.But many viewers might not have known the real origins of the ursine celebrity who hails from “darkest Peru” — yet was actually inspired by Jewish refugee children.Author Michael Bond, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 91, decided to write a book about an orphaned cub sent to England after spotting a toy bear alone on a shelf at Selfridge’s department store on Christmas Eve in 1956.“It looked rather forlorn,” he told The Sunday Telegraph, so he purchased the bear as a stocking stuffer for his wife and began to write a story about it. Less than two weeks later, he had a completed novel which was sold for 75 pounds.Bond revealed that while writing the first book, “A Bear Called Paddington,” he was partly inspired by vivid memories he had of seeing Jewish refugee children pass through the train station in his hometown of London, on their way to London from Nazi-dominated Europe ahead of World War II.The Kindertransport was an organized rescue effort that saw nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland settled in British foster homes and farms.

Platinum Jubilee over the weekend. After the pair snacked on tea and marmalade sandwiches in a two-minute video, the British teddy is now being called out by “Downton Abbey” star Hugh Bonneville.Bonneville, 58, — who played Henry Brown in the “Paddington” films — jokingly accused the bear of stealing utensils from the 96-year-old monarch.The “Notting Hill” star tweeted Sunday, “Hmm @paddingtonbear, there’s an unfamiliar teaspoon in the kitchen drawer at 32 Windsor Gardens… any ideas?” The children’s literary icon denied any wrongdoing, tweeting back: “I’m sorry I don’t.

Pageantry pomp and spectacle were in full swing as the Queen's Jubilee concluded with a euphoric parade that saw supermodel royalty Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss pay homage to the Queen. Her Majesty, who managed to surprise family members with a Paddington Bear sketch, also surprised the crowd with an unexpected appearance on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony. She had been forced to withdraw from some engagements over the weekend after suffering "discomfort" during Trooping the Colour on Thursday.

With the BBC receiving major plaudits for its Saturday night Party at the Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, a peak of more than 13M viewers tuned in for the concert, which featured Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers and Queen.

Her Majesty looked regal as ever while donning a pale blue coat with white trim and a matching hat, along with a brooch, pearl earrings, and gloves.

Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations continue to unfold, Elizabeth Hurley is honoring Her Majesty the best way she knows how!MORE: Elizabeth Hurley ushers in summer in chain-link snakeskin swimsuitThe bombshell shared a new crop of bikini pictures, and though she's at a tropical beach and certainly miles away from England, she still made sure to give a sweet nod to her home country.The jaw-dropping images see her in a white triangle bikini with a diagonal textured print and gold accents, which she perfectly accessorized with a classic pair of aviator sunglasses.WATCH: Elizabeth soaks up the sun in black bikiniMORE: Elizabeth Hurley wows in figure-hugging summer dress – fans reactElizabeth appears fresh off of a dip in the ocean, and as she's seen having fun in the sand afterwards, she also managed to make her salty hair appear perfectly messy and tousled.The nod to England came via a saucer-shaped balloon with the Union Jack emblazoned on it, and the actress was all smiles as she posed with it and flew it into the air.She captioned the cheeky tribute with: "Bringing a bit of Blighty to the Caribbean on the momentous Platinum Jubilee. All hail HM Queen Elizabeth."The fun tributeFans flooded the comments section with compliments, writing: "What beautiful and lovely image," and: "Absolutely sensational as always," as well as: "Platinum celebrating platinum."MORE: Elizabeth Hurley announces new role in heartfelt video: 'It's an honor'MORE: Elizabeth Hurley poses in her underwear in throwback snapWhile the Queen's Jubilee celebrations have been full of joy and fun, it hasn't been without its fair share of unexpected changes.

She was two years into her fledgling reign. An early milestone had been reached with a spectacularly successful tour of Commonwealth countries.

Victoria Beckham, 48, sparked fury from her followers after she shared a series of snaps to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.The star posted eight pictures of herself alongside Queen Elizabeth, including her sipping a cup of tea in seductive black and white picture.Other snaps including her sitting on a gold throne at her wedding to husband David Beckham, as well as waving out of a car window and holding a dog.Victoria was also seen wearing a skimpy camel-coloured halterneck top with jeans and a Burberry bandana as she put it alongside a snap with a scarf wrapped around her neck and head to protect her from the cold.In a sweet caption, Victoria wrote: "70 years of being an inspiration to so many!"Including me, clearly!"Congratulations to Her Majesty The Queen on The Platinum Jubilee, what an achievement."However, Victoria's post sparked backlash from some social media users as they took to the comments to brand the montage as "inappropriate" and "narcissistic".One wrote: "Such a narcissistic post! Is it possible to celebrate someone else without turning it around for yourself? Unbelievably self-centred."Another added: "Inappropriate to make it about yourself."A third agreed: "What class of tribute is this? Dumbfounded."A fourth chipped in: "Don't compare yourself with photos like this that's not your place and never will be."However, other fans were more complimentary, as one branded her "Queen Victoria".Another posted: "Two Queen, Elisabeth the second, and Victoria the Queen of fashion."Meanwhile, David shared his own tribute to the Queen as he baked a cake for the Platinum Jubilee weekend, sharing a snap of it while not wearing a top.He captioned the picture: "Platinum jubilee Victoria sponge."Yes made by me! Fancy a

Prince Charles and Prince William each took the stage Saturday at the star-studded “Platinum Party” at Buckingham Palace and paid tribute to the weekend’s distinguished honouree, Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Charles and Prince William each took the stage Saturday at the star-studded «Platinum Party» at Buckingham Palace and paid tribute to the weekend's distinguished honoree, Queen Elizabeth II.Charles began his speech with, «Your Majesty, Mummy» before thinking her for her «lifetime of selfless service.» He added, «Your family now spans four generations. You are our Head of State. And you are also our mother.» Charles, 73, also brought up his late father, Prince Philip, in his speech.«My Papa would have enjoyed the show and joined us wholeheartedly in celebrating all you continue to do for your country and your people,» he said.

Queen Elizabeth sure knows how to get the party started. Her Majesty was joined by the lovable Paddington Bear character in a sketch to kick off the star-studded Platinum Party at the Palace.«In one of the videos, Elizabeth is sitting across Paddington as they are about to embark on an afternoon tea.

There are so many stars set to perform in honor of Queen Elizabeth!

The Epsom Derby, one of the largest and most significant U.K. sporting events, is always a big day for the queen as well as many other royals who have attended, from Princess Diana to Prince Philip.

Queen Elizabeth is being celebrated with a star-studded concert, and the guest list has been revealed.

Princess Royal has all the qualities capable of being given the “top job” of the Queen and has a “much better reputation than Prince Charles”, according to a royal expert.Princess Anne is one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family with most years taking the crown for most royal engagements attended. Anne was once again on hand for the Royal Family during the Jubilee as she watched her mother celebrate 70 years on the throne.Charles is the next in the line of succession but one of the Queen’s biggest contributions to the Royal Family was to bring equality.Throughout history, male royals had an advantage with the eldest son always being ahead of a female sibling, no matter their age.Just before the birth of Prince George, the Queen made changes in the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 to remove gender from the equation with succession being decided by birth.Although the changes will play a big part in the future for female royals, it would have had no bearing on Anne being the Queen’s second child.One royal expert believes Anne has demonstrated the qualities that would have made her an “incredible” monarch.Kinsey Schofield, founder of To Di For Daily and the To Di For Daily podcast, believes Anne has a “much better reputation than Prince Charles”.She said: “I certainly think that the Queen changing the line of ascension is a significant change.

Queen has reportedly finally met her great-granddaughter Lilibet — the child named in tribute to the monarch's own nickname.It is believed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took their children, including Archie, aged three, to Windsor Castle to see their great-grandmother soon after they arrived in the UK for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, due to the Queen’s current mobility problem.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's second child, born on June 4, 2021, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, was named in honour of the Queen. Lilibet is celebrating her first birthday in the UK and it was anticipated that, given that the Queen had cancelled her trip to the Epsom Derby and would not be attending the Party at the Palace, she would make time to see her grandson and his children.The Queen's childhood nickname was coined when the then Princess Elizabeth was a toddler in the 1920s and struggled to pronounce her own name properly.The Queen’s father George VI was quoted as saying of his daughters: "Lilibet is my pride.

Kim Kardashian is shutting down rumors that she and Pete Davidson were denied entry to Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.The Sun had previously reported that she was “refused” tickets to the Trooping the Colour parade yesterday. But a source told Page Six on Friday that they never even tried to attend.Queen Elizabeth’s birthday parade was truly, “the hottest ticket in town” but the Kardashian insider said she “didn’t even ask to go” to the historic event.

When Queen Elizabeth first appeared on the palace balcony during Thursday’s Trooping the Colour, she had one companion by her side. The 96-year-old, who is celebrating 70 years on the throne, was accompanied by her first cousin Edward, the Duke of Kent, who was dressed in his military uniform.The 86-year-old later joined the other senior members of the royal family as they watched the military flypast. This was the first time the queen appeared on the balcony without husband Prince Philip.The Duke of Edinburgh died in 2021 at age 99.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJohn Lydon — a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. — has written a brief and to-the-point editorial for the U.K.’s Times that ranges from his thoughts on the royal family to his wife’s struggle with Alzheimers, from Danny Boyle’s new biopic “Pistol” (which he fought legally) and his early struggles with fame.While the London-born Lydon, who has lived in Los Angeles for decades, courted controversy in recent years with statements in support of former President Trump, the editorial finds him as direct and unsentimental as ever.Yet the most striking statements are him effectively contradicting the world-shattering statements he made in the Sex Pistols’ first two singles, which laid the template for much of punk rock’s ethos: In it, he says “anarchy is a terrible idea” (defying the group’s first single, “Anarchy in the U.K.”) and “God bless the Queen,” which reverts the withering sarcasm of the group’s second single, “God Save the Queen” (“and the fascist regime”) as Britain observes Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

THE Morning viewers slammed pundit Matthew Wright as for his comments about Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The former The Wright Stuff host, 56, endured the wrath of royal-lovers on the ITV show as he slammed the celebrations to mark the popular monarch's 70th anniversary on the throne.

Royal fans were delighted to see Prince Louis wear the same sailor suit that his father, Prince William, did in 1985. The four year old royal made his Trooping the Colour carriage debut on Thursday ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, which marks her 70 years on the throne.