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Newspaper headlines: 'Brothers apart' amid Queen's 'final tribute'

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionMany of the front pages focus on the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral plans. "Brothers at arms length" is the headline in the Sun, as it reports that the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex will be "kept apart" during the funeral procession.
image captionThe Daily Mail calls them "estranged brothers" and says they will be separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips, as they walk behind their grandfather's coffin. The top half of the paper's front page shows an image of the Prince of Wales viewing the floral tributes to his father, with the headline: "Agony of Charles, a picture of grief".
image caption"United in grief but so far apart" is the headline on the front of Metro, which covers the same story about Prince William and Prince Harry and recalls the younger prince's comment that the two brothers were on "different paths". A second headline describes the "tears of Charles for his papa".
image captionThe Daily Telegraph focuses on how Prince Philip planned his own funeral, saying he had mapped out the event with "military precision". It will culminate in the naval call Action Stations being sounded as his body is lowered into the Royal Vault, the paper reports.
image caption"One last look of love" is the Daily Mirror's description of a moment it expects to see at the funeral: the Queen pausing in reflection by the hearse carrying her husband's body. With members of the Royal Family having paid tribute to the duke's mischievous nature, the paper says he chose a modified Land Rover to bear his body as a final joke.
image captionThe Daily Express reports on the same "poignant moment of loving reflection" and describes the funeral as "the saddest ceremony of her life".
image captionAccusations from Britain and the US that Russia was behind a major cyber-attack on western government agencies make the lead story in the Times. The paper reports that Russia has been warned about its "pattern of malign activity" following the "SolarWinds" attack last year, which targeted Nato, the European Parliament and government agencies in Washington.
image captionThe i newspaper reports on the creation by scientists of a part-human, part-monkey embryo - a "major breakthrough" which could help to treat congenital illnesses, but which "raises ethical concerns". By mixing human cells with macaque embryos, which are then kept alive for only 19 days, researchers hope to better understand heart defects, Down syndrome and spina bifida, the paper says.
image caption"Urgent" concerns that the massive expansion of rapid coronavirus tests in the UK is leading to too many false positive results give the Guardian its lead story. The paper says in places with low Covid-19 rates, such as London, only between 2% and 10% of positive results are accurate.
image captionThe Financial Times' main story focuses on a battle over the future of UK drug manufacturing giant GSK. US hedge fund Elliott Management, known for using its shareholdings to put pressure on companies' management teams, has bought a multi-billion pound stake in GSK amid concerns by shareholders over the firm's pipeline of future drugs and its R&D spending.
image captionAnd the Daily Star reports on an unusual skirmish in the battle for free speech: a man in Austria who was fined for breaking wind on a policeman and who launched a failed appeal, arguing the act was covered by his right to freedom of expression. "Justice? It stinks" is the paper's verdict.

The front pages of most papers carry reports about the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral arrangements on Saturday with pictures of his grieving family members.

"Brothers at arms length" is the headline in the Sun, saying the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex will be kept twelve feet apart as they walk behind Prince Philip's coffin.

"United in grief but so apart" is how Metro puts it, with pictures of the two princes.

The Daily Mail has an image on its front page of the Prince of Wales inspecting the floral tributes to his father with the caption: "Agony of Charles, a picture of grief"

The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express say the Queen will pause for a moment of reflection by the hearse carrying Prince Philip's body.

The Daily Telegraph says the duke himself meticulously planned his final journey over 18 years, including the custom-built Land Rover Defender that will carry his coffin. The paper says he requested it to be repainted in military greens to reflect his association with the armed forces.

image copyrightReuters
image captionAs the hearse makes its journey to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, the Queen will pause for a moment of reflection, the papers say

The Times reports that the Queen faced some tough decisions to cut the number of guests from 800 to 30 because of the Covid-19 rules, but adds that she tried to represent all branches of the duke's family.

Away from the duke, the Guardian says senior government officials have raised "urgent" concerns about the accuracy of the mass coronavirus tests. According to the paper, the officials are worried that the rapid tests may be only 2% to 10% accurate in places with low Covid rates, such as London.

The Financial Times has a story about Boris Johnson's visit to India later this month to boost trade ties. The paper says Mr Johnson will urge his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to cut import tariffs on British whisky and cars as part of plans to agree an interim trade deal in under a year.

According to a document seen by the paper, the prime minister will announce a target to more than double trade with India to £50bn by 2030.

President Biden's decision to pull out all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11 continues to be analysed in papers and websites. Politico says the decision has triggered unease among Nato countries.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the former chairman of the Cobra Intelligence Group, Richard Kemp, calls the withdrawal a betrayal of Afghanistan and a surrender to Iran. But in the opinion of the Guardian, the US president's announcement exposes some of the limits of 21st century American power.

There are renewed calls on the government to increase funding for eating disorder services following a sharp spike in cases over lockdown, according to PoliticsHome.

The website says the calls by MPs and campaigners follow the death of the TV personality Nikki Grahame, who rose to fame as a contestant on Big Brother in 2006. She's reported to have died after many years of living with anorexia.

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The Financial Times has hailed Goldman Sachs' decision to open a technology base in Birmingham which it says will create hundreds of jobs.

The paper says the decision means that professional life, even for companies like the US banking giant, "need not ape its pre-pandemic form".

It also welcomes the move in the interest of diversification from London and says that similar moves across the country should also be encouraged by the government.

The Times has learnt that Myanmar's ousted ambassador to the UK will be offered asylum if he formally requests it.

The paper says Kyaw Zwar Minn is expected to make a statement on his future today. He was ordered to leave after Myanmar's military attaché locked him out of the office.

image copyrightReuters
image captionCould Prof Chris Whitty swap his charts for the cha-cha-cha? The Sun says Strictly Come Dancing insiders hope so

Several papers carry a report on a new research on obesity by the British Heart Foundation which says the number of people from the condition has nearly doubled since the 1990s. Daily Express says nearly 31,000 people are dying from obesity-triggered strokes and heart attacks every year, leading to renewed calls for ministers to curb junk food advertising.

And the Sun reports that England's Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Witty is being considered as a contestant for the BBC's next series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The paper claims a programme insider has said that Prof Witty is "top of the list and that discreet enquires will be made over the next few weeks".