Prince Harry is being sued for defamation by a charity he co-founded, court records show.

Sentable, which was founded by the British roal in 2006 to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, has lodged a defamation complaint.

Harry had resigned as patron in March 2025 after a falling out with chair of the board Dr Sophie Chadauka.

Former trustee Mark Dyer has also been named in the claim, according to the High court record made public today.

A mum has died days after a pony and trap crash that also killed her husband and three-year-old daughter.

Rita Connors was left critically injured in the collision on the A228 near Tonbridge, Kent, at around 6.30pm last Wednesday.

Her husband Francie Connors and their young daughter Ka both died in the crash, which also involved a white DAF tipper truck.

Police have now confirmed that Rita has also died from her injuries.

The family had been travelling together in the cart at the time of the crash.

Francie and the pony both died at the scene, while Rita and Ka were rushed to hospital where they both later died.

Tributes have been paid to the ‘beautiful angel’.

One woman wrote: ‘Never heard of anything like this. RIP Rita Francie Connors. God mind and look over your three boys.’

Another added: ‘God love their poor little boys. RIP Francie and his wife Rita and their little girl. Never seen anything like this.’

Floral tributes have been laid at the scene of the collision, with more kind words from others pouring in on social media.

Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty was among the many to pay tribute and shared a heartfelt video on social media urging people to keep the family in their thoughts.

Last week he said: ‘Went for a drive, him and his wife and his baby, him and his baby’s dead. So sad, God bless.’

Hundreds of people commented on social media to share their prayers, sympathy and well wishes, with many writing: ‘Healing prayers and love going out to you.’

One said: ‘Really can’t believe this, the most happiest little family, best mommy and daddy to their beautiful children, RIP our good friend and his beautiful little girl.’

The driver of the white DAF tipper, a 29-year-old man from Kent, was arrested in connection with the crash but has since been released on bail.

Police said the truck was being driven on the southbound carriageway, between the junctions of Branbridges Road and Hale Street, when it was involved in the collision with the pony and trap travelling in the same direction.

The force confirmed the pony also died at the scene.

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A child has been killed in a dog attack at a home in North Yorkshire.

Armed police were called to the address in Hardale Grove, Redcar, shortly after 1.30pm yesterday over reports of concern for a child.

The youngster was already dead by the time they arrived, police said, adding it was believed to have been the result of a dog bite.

Neighbours said they were asked to stay indoors while one dog from the property was shot by police outside. Another was recovered by officers.

Emily Harrison, District Commander for Redcar and Cleveland, said an inquiry has been launched into the child’s death.

She said: ‘Understandably this is a distressing and tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the child’s family.

‘There is a scene in place at the address while an investigation into the child’s death begins.

‘I would encourage anyone who has concerns or information to please speak to an officer.’

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: ‘Shortly after 1.30pm on Thursday, April 9, police were called to Hardale Grove following concerns for a child.

‘Upon arriving at the property, the child had sadly died.

‘The child is believed to have died as a result of a dog bite.

‘Armed officers attended and one dog was destroyed on the street while another dog at the property has been recovered by police.’

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Since 1977 there have been 24 different champions, most recently China’s Zhao Xintong who lifted the trophy in 2025, becoming the first champion from Asia. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record of seven crowns apiece.

1977 John Spencer bt Cliff Thorburn 25-21

1978 Ray Reardon bt Perrie Mans 25-18

1979 Terry Griffiths bt Dennis Taylor 24-16

1980 Cliff Thorburn bt Alex Higgins 18-16

1981 Steve Davis bt Doug Mountjoy 18-12

1982 Alex Higgins bt Ray Reardon 18-15

1983 Steve Davis bt Cliff Thorburn 18-6

1984 Steve Davis bt Jimmy White 18-16

1985 Dennis Taylor bt Steve Davis 18-17

1986 Joe Johnson bt Steve Davis 18-12

1987 Steve Davis bt Joe Johnson 18-14

1988 Steve Davis bt Terry Griffiths 18-11

1989 Steve Davis bt John Parrott 18-3

1990 Stephen Hendry bt Jimmy White 18-12

1991 John Parrott bt Jimmy White 18-11

1992 Stephen Hendry bt Jimmy White 18-14

1993 Stephen Hendry bt Jimmy White 18-5

1994 Stephen Hendry bt Jimmy White 18-17

1995 Stephen Hendry bt Nigel Bond 18-9

1996 Stephen Hendry bt Peter Ebdon 18-12

1997 Ken Doherty bt Stephen Hendry 18-12

1998 John Higgins bt Ken Doherty 18-12

1999 Stephen Hendry bt Mark Williams 18-11

2000 Mark Williams bt Matthew Stevens 18-16

2001 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt John Higgins 18-14

2002 Peter Ebdon bt Stephen Hendry 18- 17

2003 Mark Williams bt Ken Doherty 18-16

2004 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt Graeme Dott 18-8

2005 Shaun Murphy bt Matthew Stevens 18-16

2006 Graeme Dott bt Peter Ebdon 18-14

2007 John Higgins bt Mark Selby 18-13

2008 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt Ali Carter 18-8

2009 John Higgins bt Shaun Murphy 18-9

2010 Neil Robertson bt Graeme Dott 18-13

2011 John Higgins bt Judd Trump 18-15

2012 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt Ali Carter 18-11

2013 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt Barry Hawkins 18-12

2014 Mark Selby bt Ronnie O’Sullivan 18-14

2015 Stuart Bingham bt Shaun Murphy 18-15

2016 Mark Selby bt Ding Junhui 18-14

2017 Mark Selby bt John Higgins 18-15

2018 Mark Williams bt John Higgins 18-16

2019 Judd Trump bt John Higgins 18-9

2020 Ronnie O‘Sullivan bt Kyren Wilson 18-8

2021 Mark Selby bt Shaun Murphy 18-15

2022 Ronnie O’Sullivan bt Judd Trump 18-13

2023 Luca Brecel bt Mark Selby 18-15

2024 Kyren Wilson bt Jak Jones 18-14

2025 Zhao Xintong bt Mark Williams 18-12

People living on a new estate say they’ve been charged £33,000 for trees that keep dying.

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has had two unsuccessful attempts at planting a nature reserve behind its site at Langley Park, in Kent.

But trees have quickly withered away or been destroyed by vandals and the process is now being started for the third time.

Homeowners have been told they have to cover the cost at a charge of £70 each, which has sparked an angry backlash as the trees were a stipulation Taylor Wimpey had to adhere to when given planning permission in 2013.

Victoria Barnard said that she and her neighbours did not object to the amount but the principle.

‘Why are we paying for something that was part of the developer’s planning obligation?’ she said.

‘This is now the third time the trees will be planted. What’s to say they won’t die again, and we’ll be asked to pay again?

‘The parish council reported the (dying tree) situation to Maidstone council last year, and planning officers came out and issued an enforcement notice because the developer had failed to adhere to planning conditions.’

Although Taylor Wimpey agreed to replace the tress at its own cost, there was more trouble ahead.

Victoria said: ‘They replanted them in April, which was the wrong time of year. That’s why they also died.

‘The maintenance team we had at the time were shockingly bad, and the majority of the trees died because they weren’t looked after properly.’

Homeowners were made aware they were being forced to pay for replacement trees in January when they received their annual estate management charge from the private company HML.

The statement included a £70 tree fee, totalling £33,000 for the whole estate.

Victoria already pays the firm more than £250 a year for upkeep around the 600-home estate near Maidstone, while the entire estate pays just under £200,000 in total.

Dean Newell, who has lived in Langley Park since 2016, said: ‘We just need transparency. We want to know what we are paying for and why.

‘We knew when we bought our houses we would have to pay maintenance, but there’s something not right, and it just doesn’t sit well.’

Peoplecontacted Taylor Wimpey and HML for answers and asked to see the results of an arborist’s investigation into the matter.

Victoria said: ‘We were told we are not allowed to see the report. The arborist also said he couldn’t talk to us.

‘When we then started questioning it further and mentioned getting our own specialist, people came and removed the dead trees.’

MP Helen Whately, Conservative MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, has now become involved in the situation and has called a meeting to try and resolve it.

She has described the Langley Park situation as an example of ‘fleecehold’, where new-build estate residents are hit with unfair charges.

Taylor Wimpey was asked to explain why residents were being charged for something it had been ordered to do.

In a statement the company said its involvement had largely ended after it planted around 300 trees in 2021, later replanting 103 trees following an enforcement notice last year.

A spokesperson said: ‘We understand some residents have concerns, and we are sorry for any worry this has caused.

‘The reserve was planted during the final stage of the multi-phase development, completed in 2022.

‘As can happen with new planting, some trees did not thrive and we replanted a significant number during the 2024/25 planting season, with a number subsequently replaced due to vandalism.

‘As a responsible developer, we take our environmental and planning obligations seriously.

‘We have fully funded the tree replacement works to date and continue to work closely with Maidstone council and the site’s management company to ensure the nature reserve meets planning requirements.’

HML was contacted for comment on five separate occasions but did not respond.

A Maidstone council spokesperson said: ‘Our planning enforcement team is currently reviewing the matter.

‘As this relates to an active case, we are unable to comment further at this time.’

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Michal Szubarczyk, 15, makes snooker history after becoming the youngest winner of a World Snooker Championship match; this year’s ​tournament begins on April 18 and runs until ⁠May 4 at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield

Michal Szubarczyk became the youngest winner of a World Snooker Championship match in the first qualifying round.

Aged just 15 years, two months, and 25 days, the Polish prodigy beat the previous record that was set by Liam Davies in 2022 as he defeated Hong Kong star Ng On Yee 10-7 on day one of the World Championship qualifiers at the English Institute of Sport.

Three-time women’s world snooker champion, Ng, came into the match on a high after claiming wins on the women’s tour in February and March.

“I feel very proud,” Szubarczyk told the World Snooker Tour.

“I’m very excited to play the next match, and maybe this year or next year, I can become the youngest Crucible player.

“For me, it’s the first goal of every player in professional snooker [to play in the World Championship]. I’m enjoying the pressure. It doesn’t work in a bad way for me.

“I even like it, and I think that’s good. For the last six years, I have been dreaming about playing at the Crucible.

“I love representing Poland. Without the Polish events I wouldn’t be here, because I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play at European or World Championships.”

Szubarczyk has to win three more matches to become the youngest qualifier for the Crucible Theatre.

If he does, he will surpass the record held by Luca Brecel, who made his Crucible debut in 2012 aged 17 years and 45 days.

Six-time World Snooker Championship finalist Jimmy White bowed out in the first qualifying round to Gao Yang in agonising fashion.

The snooker legend, who turns 64 next month, established an early 5-1, but the 21 year-old from China battled back with the match decided in a final-frame thriller, won by Gao.

It means White’s 20-year wait to return to the Crucible continues – despite attempting to qualify every year.

An Epstein survivor has said she is prepared to wait outside the White House to meet with King Charles during his state visit.

Rina Oh is willing to hold a mock tea party with other Epstein victims at the White House gates, with an empty chair reserved for the Monarch to sit down and talk with them.

The campaigner, who was groomed and sexually assaulted by Epstein from the age of 21, wants the Royals to prove they care about survivors by funding their therapy costs.

Her calls for the King to donate to mental health care for Epstein’s victims have been supported by the US’s leading anti-trafficking organisation, World Without Exploitation.

Charles will visit the US with Queen Camilla at the end of April to mark the 250th anniversary of American Independence, where he will meet President Trump and address Congress.

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who spearheaded the release of the Epstein Files, wrote to the King last week asking him to meet the sex offender’s victims.

However, it is understood that Charles will not be able to meet survivors during the trip.

Oh, who lives in New Jersey, said that would not stop her from visiting Washington DC to see the Monarch.

She told Metro: ‘If the King and Queen really do support the victims, then it would be a nice gesture to meet with some of them. It would show that he cared.

‘I don’t mind gathering a group and going to Washington. We’ll just sit in and have afternoon tea in front of the White House gates.

‘I’ll just sit outside and wait for him.’

She added that they’ll set up a guest chair, with a sign reading ‘reserved for King Charles’.

Metro understands the King and Queen’s position is that they will not be able to meet with survivors due to ongoing UK police investigations into matters related to Epstein.

The King’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

There are fears any Royal meeting with victims would risk prejudicing these investigations into Andrew.

Virginia Giuffre accused Andrew of sexual abuse, which he denies.

The King and Queen said in a statement in October that ‘their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.’

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Survivor Teresa Helm told Metro last week she was disappointed the King will not be able to meet survivors, saying a gathering would help police investigations.

Oh has one clear request of the King if she met him: fund therapy for survivors.

‘We want action’

The mum-of-two, who was lured into Epstein’s orbit with promises of an art scholarship before he began abusing her, said: ‘We don’t need any apologies. We want action.

‘If he were really sorry, he would support the victims by making sure they get proper mental health treatment.

‘I know the royal family is very big into mental health care.

‘Some victims are a complete mess. There are lots of non-functional survivors.’

The US Virgin Islands is currently running a $10 million mental health fund for some Epstein survivors, financed by a settlement from JPMorgan Chase Bank over their alleged links to Epstein’s trafficking.

However, only a limited number of survivors- Oh estimates around 200 – who were involved in past Epstein-related lawsuits are eligible, and the fund is due to expire in 2028.

The FBI and Department of Justice estimate that Jeffrey Epstein had more than 1,000 victims.

Oh says that the Royal Family should begin funding therapy for survivors not covered by the Virgin Islands programme and replace that fund when it expires in 2028.

She said: ‘New victims are coming forward every day. The more we speak out, the more people come forward.

‘I know a decent number of women have not joined these lawsuits and are not getting therapy.

‘Victims need continuing mental health care. If they have to stop and go cold Turkey in 2028, it may actually cause them to regress.

‘If you really feel sorry, you will help the victims rehabilitate.

‘It would not be an admission of wrongdoing, but it would mean that the King’s words are not in vain when he said that he supports the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. We would probably respect him.’

Anti-trafficking organisation World Without Exploitation, one of the lead groups supporting Epstein survivors, said they ‘absolutely support’ Oh’s demand.

Their national director, Lauren Hersh, said: ‘For decades, many survivors have carried the weight of unimaginable trauma without acknowledgment or compensation.

‘Providing comprehensive mental health support is not only necessary—it is a moral obligation. If the royal family were to fund these services, it would send a powerful and long-overdue message: that survivors are heard, their suffering is recognized, and accountability matters.’

Oh also pointed to the Royal Family’s long history of supporting mental health causes as a reason why they would want to help Epstein’s survivors.

The King is patron of Combat Stress, where he has taken an active interest in their work to provide specialist mental health treatment to former service personnel with military-related trauma. 

He is also the ‘highlight[s] the importance of mental health’ as patron of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are particular advocates for mental health support.

Their Royal Foundation is contributing £1m to develop a National Suicide Prevention Network, and they launched a ‘Heads Together’ campaign to end stigma around mental health in 2016.

Oh also said the Royal Family could set up a scholarship fund for vocational training and higher education for survivors.

She added: ‘Before they met Jeffrey Epstein, a lot of these girls had career aspirations and dreams, and he crushed them. That is what he did with me.

‘A lot of victims never graduated from high school or went to college or had a career.’

The mum says she knows the importance of finding this purpose as she is due to begin a Master’s in Fine Arts in June.

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After having a pint of blood drained from your arm, most donors would be forgiven if they enjoy the complimentary snack and get on with their day.

But your blood is at the beginning of its journey – through freezers, high-tech machines, and across countries – to produce life-saving medicines.

Metro went behind the scenes at one of the UK’s three blood manufacturing sites in Colindale, north London, to find out what happens to your bag of blood after you donate it.

In the lab, scientists are working around the clock to extract the ‘liquid gold’in a little-known process vital to the future of the NHS.

As many as 2,000 bags of whole blood arrive at the doors of NHS Blood and Transplant’s Colindale hub every day.

The race is then on to process the packs within 27 hours of donation to maintain the quality of the final products.

One of these is red blood cells, which are used to treat people who have suffered blood loss, trauma and surgery.

But 55 per cent of our blood is a yellowish fluid called plasma.

Dubbed ‘liquid gold’, it contains vital antibodies that can be made into medicines that save and improve lives. But that is a few steps away.

Your 470ml bag of blood is firstly strung up and filtered to remove the white blood cells, which fight infections and foreign invaders.

Staff – often working throughout the night – then place the filtered blood into a large spinning machine called a centrifuge.

Once your bag is spun around, you’ll suddenly see the yellow plasma has separated from the red blood cells.

A fancy press is used to pump these two products into different bags.

Those red cells are then stored at 4C until test results – taken when you give blood and analysed in Bristol – confirm the blood is safe to give to hospitals.

When your blood is used, you’ll get a text saying which hospital your blood went to.

Your plasma, on the hand, needs to be blast frozen in a rapid freezer, reaching -20C in one hour.

Some of those bags of plasma are also sent to hospitals to help treat severe bleeding.

But the other bags of plasma get a whole lot chillier, as they are destined to be made into crucial new medicines.

Plasma is used to produce – long word incoming – immunoglobulins, which treat more than 50 devastating autoimmune conditions, as well as albumins, which treat severe burns and traumatic injuries.

More than 17,000 people rely on immunoglobulins every year.

Up until 2021, there was a 25-year ban on plasma from Brits being used to create these medicines because of concerns around ‘mad cow’s disease’, or Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease.

In March last year – four years after that ban was lifted – the first immunoglobulins from a UK donor went into the arms of an NHS patient.

But the health service doesn’t yet have the tech to process our plasma into these small vials of medicine, so they have to be shipped to Europe instead.

So while the bags of plasma wait to leave the UK, they are kept at a bone-chilling -40C, which requires industrial-sized coats and gloves to stop workers – and the odd journalist – from being frozen stiff.

Once the removal van arrives, staff at the Colindale hub have just minutes to move boxes of plasma into mobile freezers, which will drive them out of London.

Thousands of vulnerable NHS patients have now received life-saving medicines made from British-donated plasma since March 2025.

Despite this success, the UK is still more than 75% reliant on immunoglobulin from other countries.

Jan Majkowski, who is Plasma Performance and Efficient Lead at the Colindale site and showed Metro around, said: ‘Plasma is instrumental to the process of blood donation and blood services.

‘The fractions of plasma are invaluable. They are critical in treating rare diseases and common diseases like haemophilia and immune diseases.

‘The only support for these people is to receive these plasma transfusions.’

NHSBT say they still need more donations to make the health service more self-sufficient.

It is an important part of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan ambition to build an NHS that is resilient to shocks by reducing the UK’s dependence on imported medicines.

It will also be crucial to the around 17,000 NHS patients who rely on plasma-derived immunoglobulin every year.

There are even plasma-only donation centres, located in Birmingham, Reading and Twickenham, which means donors can come back every two weeks instead of the normal four for blood donors.

Your bag of plasma also has other purposes too.

Sometimes it will be thawed for more than 16 hours to form vital clotting factors, which are separated from the plasma and used to treat bleeding disorders like haemophilia.

The Colindale blood hub can take fragments in our blood – called platelets – and combine them for use in cancer treatments and surgical procedures.

These platelets have to be kept on constantly moving agitators to keep them viable.

As many as 800,000 people donate blood every year, but more are still needed.

NHSBT analysis revealed last year that there is an annual shortfall of over 200,000 donors to meet growing demand.

The NHS urgently needs more donors of Black heritage, because they are more likely to have the Ro blood subtype which is vital for treating sickle cell disorder.

Sickle cell is most common amongst people from Black African, Black Caribbean and Mixed heritage.

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A ‘fun, bright, and athletic’ boy has been named as the teenager killed in a horror crash that left two others seriously injured.

Noah Campbell, 13, died in the crash between a car, a bike and a scooter on Greenfield Road, Flitwick, at 11.50pm on Friday.

Two other teenage boys were taken to hospital to be treated for serious injuries.

In a statement issued by Bedfordshire Police on Sunday, Noah’s family said: ‘Noah was a fun, bright, handsome, athletic and incredibly well-liked boy.

‘Above all else, he cherished spending time with his friends and family; they were the heart of his world.

‘Noah was a talented and versatile sportsman. While football was his favourite sport — playing for many local teams — he was a gifted all-rounder who excelled in rugby, cricket and athletics. Outside of organised sports, Noah stayed active and adventurous; he loved challenging himself at the gym and spending time at the bike park.

‘Some of his happiest memories were made enjoying attending Liverpool FC and Luton Town FC matches alongside his dad.

‘We would like to thank everyone for their kind words and support during this incredibly difficult time.

‘We are utterly devastated; Noah’s death has left a hole in our lives that will remain forever.’

It comes as Jamie Fountain, 24, and Ellie Ireland, 23, were charged in connection with the crash.

Fountain, of Fir Tree Close, Flitwick, was charged with causing death by careless driving, and an additional charge of causing death by careless driving while over the legal limit for alcohol and drugs, police said on Sunday.

He was also charged with two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving in relation to two other boys who were injured in the incident.

Fountain has been further charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Ireland, of Wingate Drive, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, has been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

They have both been remanded in custody to appear before Luton Magistrates’ Court on Monday, officers said.

Of the two other boys who were injured, one remains in hospital in a serious condition.

The other was treated for serious injuries and has been discharged, police said.

Detective Sergeant Shona Searle, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire serious collision investigation unit, said: ‘This incident has sent shockwaves through the small community of Flitwick and the surrounding area, and we maintain a community policing presence around the scene for reassurance.

‘While we understand the strong feeling associated with the loss of a young life, and the serious injury of others, we would ask that people do not speculate on the circumstances of the situation.

‘The families of the victims, who we are supporting through family liaison officers, have requested that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.’

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A teacher at a Church of England school secretly filmed the bottoms and legs of women in public for ‘sexual gratification’.

Andrew Winkworth admitted to covertly videoing women walking the streets of Norwich over two years, zooming in on their lower parts.

The class teacher was busted after he uploaded the graphic content to his Google Drive account, which he could access from his school iPad.

A total of 31 videos of women and groups of women, including some duplicates, were found on Winkworth’s laptops at Worlingham CEVC Primary School in Beccles.

Many of the clips, taken between August 2020 and January 2022, focused on the bottoms and legs of women wearing leggings and trousers.

On at least one video, Winkworth appeared to ‘increase his pace’ to catch up with a woman before slowing down to keep a set distance.

Winkworth, now 45, was also shown following the same woman for up to ten minutes on four occasions.

Other clips included women accompanied by young children.

A school investigation found that because the graphic videos were on school iPads, they could have been found by pupils, although there is no evidence that any students were exposed to the content.

In its findings, a teacher misconduct panel said Winkworth had shown ‘poor judgement, failed to uphold the dignity and rights of others, and was inconsistent with the expectations placed on teachers as role models for children and young people’.

It added that his conduct risked undermining public confidence in the teaching profession.

In his own submissions, Winkworth said he was a hardworking and dedicated teacher and that his actions were ‘out of character’.

But he admitted his decision to film women in public was both ‘unusual and unacceptable’ and required corrective action.

The panel noted Winkworth had shown ‘limited evidence of reflection on the impact of his behaviour on the women involved or on public confidence in the profession’.

Outlining his decision to ban Winkworth from teaching indefinitely, DavidOatley said the teacher had shown a ‘lack of insight’

Winkworth has 28 days to appeal the decision, after which he will have to wait at least four years before being able to apply for his teaching suspension to be lifted.

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