The journalist and Princess Diana became close friends after he began covering the royal beat and reporting on her life. She would brief him privately when she wanted her perspective conveyed in the often-critical newspapers of the time, and the two even went to the movies together.

Diana died in August 1997 at age 36 following a car crash in Paris, and Kay has spoken before about how he and the princess shared a phone call on the previous evening.

In his interview for Palace Confidential, Kay was looking back on a 40-year career, much of which has been reporting on the royal family.

Prince William and Prince Harry, who are estranged, are last known to have reunited in August 2024 at the memorial service for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, held at St. Mary’s Church in Norfolk. However, sources revealed the brothers kept their distance, sitting apart and avoiding interaction throughout the event.

The brothers came together when they unveiled a statue of their late mother in July 2021, on the day that would have been her 60th birthday, and also reunited during the funeral events for Queen Elizabeth in September 2022. However, when Harry was visiting Britain and some of his charities in September 2025, the princes were only eight miles apart at one point and did not meet up.

The theme is said to have been inspired by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026 theme of Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth.

A traditional Scottish Ceilidh band and the Melodians Steel Drum Orchestra also contributed their unique talent to the service.

Although the BBC traditionally broadcasts the Commonwealth Day service, the network did not do so this year for the first time since 1989. Instead, an episode of Escape to the Country, a long-running reality TV show that follows prospective homeowners leaving city life, aired.

“Our decision not to broadcast the Commonwealth Day Ceremony in the same way we’ve done in previous years reflects the difficult choices we have to make in light of our funding challenges,” the BBC said in a statement, per Hello! magazine. “We can confirm BBC News plans to cover the service across its platforms, including the BBC One bulletins and rolling news channel.”

King Charles also releases a message in honor of Commonwealth Day, with this year’s address focusing on being a “force for good” amid the world’s challenges.

“We join together on this Commonwealth Day at a time of great challenge and great possibility,” the King says in a preview of the full speech released over the weekend. “Across our world, communities and nations face the increasing pressures of conflict, climate change and rapid transformation. Yet it is often in such testing moments that the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth is most clearly revealed.”

He continues, “Working together, we can ensure that the Commonwealth continues to stand as a force for good — grounded in community, committed to the kind of restorative sustainability that has a return on investment, enriched by culture, steadfast in its care for our planet, and united in friendship and in the service of its people.”

Griffiths elsewhere elaborated on separating her private and professional life.

“I draw a line between my professional and own personal social life (as compared to my attending events as a journalist). If I am at an event working and chatting in a social context, I make clear that I am asking questions as a journalist by telling the person that I work for the Mail on Sunday. If I’m attending a private dinner with friends and am told something in confidence, then I treat it as such,” she said.

The account about Princess Kate’s morning sickness was not the only royal encounter Griffiths shared in her witness statement, as she also claimed that she attended a party that Prince Harry started in June 2012.

Griffiths said that call records show a 2:50 a.m. phone call and three texts between her and Harry on June 9, 2012, claiming, “I have never hacked or tapped a phone” and “The records I have been shown had nothing to do with a story or my job.”

As mentioned earlier in her testimony, Griffiths said that she “socialized in some of the same circles as the younger royals, having gone to Leeds University with some of their group and attended the same parties in Ibiza, and continued to spend time with those people after moving to London in my twenties. Our social life at the time tended to revolve around night clubs and house parties.”

The journalist said that Harry had friended her on Facebook and sent her his number in 2011, but that she “did not know Prince Harry particularly well and do not remember messaging him often.”

Elaborating on the context of their June 2012 communication, Griffiths said, “I do remember that around that date I had been out at a club night with our mutual friend — Arthur — who then invited me back to his house for an afterparty. Arthur hadn’t made it home by the time that I arrived but told me Prince Harry was staying at the flat and that the party had already started under Prince Harry’s watch. He told me that Prince Harry would let me in if I made it there first.”

“The music was loud, and they didn’t hear the doorbell, so Arthur advised me to call and text to be let in. That particular night stuck in my mind as I remember it was around the time of the Trooping of the Colour, and we all thought it was quite funny that Prince Harry had stayed up all night and said he had to go to that or something related in the morning,” she continued, referencing the British Army’s annual military parade to commemorate the monarch’s official birthday.

“I remember joking with another friend who was at the party that we should go along to watch, and so I think my text to him in the morning would have either been to see if he made it or to tell him that we weren’t coming as we had only got to bed in the early hours of the morning,” she said. “I don’t think I ever called or texted him again.”

In 2012, Trooping the Colour was held on Saturday, June 16, making June 9 — a Saturday — one week before the celebration.

In January, Prince Harry countered the Mail’s claim that their reporters were part of his inner circle of friends when he testified against ANL in court in London.

The publisher claimed that the prince contacted Griffiths using a Facebook profile with the name “Mr. Mischief,” an allegation that Harry denied. The Duke of Sussex said that he “never used the name Mr. Mischief” and had “no idea” if he had ever messaged Griffiths.

It was also claimed that Harry and Griffiths had met at a house party on the Spanish island of Ibiza, but Harry replied, “The only time I have been to Ibiza is with my wife and son.” (Harry and Meghan Markle visited Ibiza in 2019, with their son, Prince Archie, now 6.)

The Duke of Sussex claimed the only time he ever met Griffiths was at a house party thrown by his friend, Arthur Landon, and immediately cut contact with her once he learned she was a journalist.

“My social circles were not leaky,” he insisted in court.

Prince Harry’s lawsuit against ANL is his last in a series of lawsuits against the British media, following years of litigation over alleged, unlawful tabloid practices. ANL has strenuously denied the allegations lodged against it, arguing that its ​​reporting was sourced legitimately.

The trial began in London’s High Court on Jan. 19 and is due to conclude this month.