14, September 2022

Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrives at Westminster to lie in state ⁰

Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin left Buckingham Palace for the last time Wednesday as it was taken amid somber pageantry on a horse-drawn gun carriage past crowds of mourners to the Houses of Parliament, where the late monarch will lie in state for four days.

Crowds began massing early along the flag-lined road outside the palace for the procession from the monarch’s official London residence to the historic Westminster Hall at Parliament. King Charles III and other members of the royal family walked behind the coffin.

Thousands of people gathered on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace and along the banks of the River Thames hours before the coffin procession began.

About a half-hour before the procession was due to start, the gun carriage passed through the palace’s wrought iron gates.

Joan Bucklehurst, a 50-year-old retail worker from Cheshire in northwestern England, said the queen “meant so much for everybody”.

“She was amazing, yeah,” she added, choking up with emotion. “So, we had to be here. We’ve been here a few times when there have been special occasions, but this one, I couldn’t miss this.”

The crowds are the latest manifestation of a nationwide outpouring of grief and respect for the only monarch most Britons have ever known, who died at her beloved Balmoral summer retreat on Thursday at age 96, ending a 70-year reign.

Outpouring of grief

“It’s a very sad day, but it’s our last opportunity to do our duty for the queen and it’s our first opportunity to do it for the king, and that makes us all very proud,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, of the Household division, who is responsible for organising the ceremonial aspects of the queen’s funeral.

London’s Heathrow Airport halted flights that could disturbing the procession. British Airways canceled 16 flights as a result of the changes.

The airport said in a statement that the changes would “ensure silence over central London as the ceremonial procession moves from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall”.

Troops involved in the procession have been preparing since the queen died. So have the horses of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

Sgt. Tom Jenks, from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, said that the horses have undergone special training, including how to handle weeping mourners, as well as flowers and flags being thrown onto streets as the procession passes by.

People stood behind metal barriers or sat on folding chairs, umbrellas at the ready, takeout coffees in hand under gray skies hours before the coffin was scheduled to leave the landmark palace at 2:22pm (13:22 GMT).

Crowds have lined the route of the queen’s coffin whenever it has been moved in its long journey from Scotland back to London.

On Tuesday night, thousands braved a typical London drizzle as the state hearse, with interior lights illuminating the sovereign’s flag-draped casket, drove slowly from a military air base into the heart of London.

Geoff Colgan, a taxi driver who took the day off to witness the moment, stood stunned in the moments after the queen’s coffin passed.

“It’s one of those things you know would happen, but when it does you can’t believe it,” he said, holding his toddler.

Crowds line the banks of the River Thames

Earlier, in Edinburgh, some 33,000 people filed in silent respect past her coffin as it lay for 24 hours at St. Giles’ Cathedral.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to do the same in London when the queen lies in state at the 900-year-old Westminster Hall, the oldest building in Parliament, for four days before her state funeral on Monday.

The hall is where Guy Fawkes and Charles I were tried, where kings and queens hosted magnificent medieval banquets, and where ceremonial addresses were presented to Queen Elizabeth II during her silver, golden and diamond jubilees.

Chris Bond, from Truro in southwest England, was among those lining up along the banks of the River Thames. He also attended the lying in state of the queen’s mother in 2002.

“Obviously, it’s quite difficult queuing all day long, but when you walk through those doors into Westminster Hall, that marvellous, historic building, there was a great sense of hush and one was told you take as much time as you like, and it’s just amazing,” he said.

“We know the queen was a good age and she served the country a long time, but we hoped this day would never come,” he added.

Chris Imafidon, secured the sixth place in the queue.

“I have 1,001 emotions when I see her,” he said. “I want to say, God, she was an angel, because she touched many good people and did so many good things.”

Source: AP

14, September 2022

General Bouba Dobékréo has no good military options to use in Southern Cameroons ⁰

According to supporters of the ill-considered war on Southern Cameroons, General Dobékréo is a battle-hardened soldier recently dispatched to crush the Ambazonia uprising.

Frankly speaking, General Bouba Dobékréo was on the frontline of almost every conflict Cameroon has faced in recent decades, and has battled highway bandits, pirates, and radical Islamists. Now he has been dispatched to lead the fight against Ambazonia Restoration Forces, and some reports have suggested that he plans to take a much less repressive approach than his predecessors.

In recent weeks, Southern Cameroons fighters have carried out a series of deadly ambushes against the Cameroon government military which have been on a bigger scale than anything yet seen since the start of the conflict five years ago. President Biya and his so-called army high command want to change strategy but they are yet to say how they intend to proceed.

Whether reports on General Bouba Dobékréo’s soft approach to the war are true or not, we of the Cameroon Intelligence Report and the Cameroon Concord News are of the opinion that no one can win this war in Southern Cameroons on the basis of bluff and bluster, or by ignoring the sheer facts on the ground. This, however, is how the 89-year-old President Biya and his Francophone dominated supreme military council are currently approaching the five year running war in West Cameroon. To be sure, the Beti Ewondo political elites arguing for continuing the war have chosen to ignore the grim realities that are actually shaping the course of the fighting and what will happen in Yaoundé if Biya suddenly dies.

There is only one source of official reporting on the military course of the war in Southern Cameroons-it is the Cameroon government military spokesman Serge Cyrille Atongfack. Yaoundé does not allow any other official reporting by traditional rulers, DOs, SDOs including the Governors of the two English speaking regions of Southern Cameroons. This corrupt structure of informing the Cameroonian public opinion is an indication that Cameroon government army soldiers are dying like flies and that the war is at best a stalemate.

The International Crisis Group and other respectable media houses were forced by the regime in Yaoundé to stop reporting on the war and funeral rituals for fallen soldiers were also stopped abruptly, evidently because such reports and burial rites showed steady Ambazonian gains.

We of the Concord Group have raised critical issues about progress in either to secure a peace or to successfully keep fighting. We have also informed Yaoundé that the critical issue on the ground is not the total number of Francophone Special Forces, but the ability to implement appeasement policies as quick as possible. This is what General Bouba Dobékréo means when he speaks of a much less repressive approach than his predecessors and it is also a clear indication that he has no good military options to use in Southern Cameroons.

Discussion of peace talks no longer exist in the political discourse in Yaoundé. Staying in the war and providing heavy media coverage on Samuel Eto’o and FECAFOOT is now the Biya regime’s new strategy. And the government is spending hundreds of millions on a daily basis on the military, not counting support activity outside it. In short, there are no good military options in Southern Cameroons. Appointing General Bouba and signing a presidential decree deploying Special Forces after five years into a conflict simply creates a potential power vacuum in Yaoundé that the army can exploit if Biya suddenly bows out. Since there is no practical way to disarm an irregular Ambazonia Self Defense Group that does not maintain heavy weapons, it means that only dialogue can resolve the crisis in Southern Cameroons. Trusting the army to become a major player in Southern Cameroons and staying the course militarily means there is no clear path to lasting peace.

International indicators show that Biya regime is still one of the worst and most corrupt governments on the globe. Yaoundé is running the worst justice system in Africa and poverty is a huge problem.

Population issue is becoming intense in Cameroon as many people are leaving the country. Added to this difficult situation is a massive national and youth employment crisis that is further compounded by rising urbanization in cities such as Douala and Yaoundé without enough new jobs.

No one has projected what would happen in case President Biya suddenly leaves the political stage! Ultimately, all of the options in Yaoundé are bad. The choice, however, should be made between the best Southern Cameroons peace plan and the best plan for separation of the two Cameroons. This critical choice should be based on the grim realities on the ground, and offer the best steps forward it can. It should not be made on the basis of a hollow political gesture or on the basis of heated Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo rhetoric.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

14, September 2022

Schools Resumption: But not every child is in school in Southern Cameroons ⁰

The foundation of any state is the education of its youths. Unfortunately, this does not apply to Southern Cameroons where over a million children in the region’s rural areas have been held captive by Amba fighters who have very little faith in education and the Yaoundé government which does not really care if some of its citizens are in school or not.

For more than five years, many children in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions have been robbed of their right to education following a strike by lawyers and teachers which met with extreme violence from the Biya regime.

The violence which ensued has not only killed many young children, it is still having a huge impact on the most vulnerable segments of the society, especially children in rural regions of Southern Cameroons who are being threatened with death by Amba fighters who hold that no child should go to school until Southern Cameroons gets its independence from the Republic of Cameroon.

Schools effectively started in Cameroon last week, but many children in Akwaya Subdivision, Mamfe Central Subdivision, Eyumojock Subdivision and Upper Bayang Subdivision, all of which are in Manyu Division, are still at home, hoping that a miracle will occur for the so-called Amba fighters to allow them to go to school.

Cameroon Concord News last week sent a team to Manyu Division to find out if rural kids were back in school, but it turned out that school resumption which is supposed to be national is indeed not national as many Manyu kids are still at home.

Children in Kendem, Ossing, Kembong, Ntenako, Ndekwai, Sumbe, Akriba, Mbinjong and Bakebe are still at home with many really worried about their future as the years go by.

According to the Cameroon Concord News team, the blame lies squarely with the separatists who are determined to rob the children of their right to education.

Many parents are very disappointed and mad at the separatists but they cannot speak up because of the presence of gun-toting irresponsible Amba fighters who still erroneously think that their country will be the best without its people going to school once the Yaoundé government grants independence to the two English-speaking regions of the country.

“We are really desperate. Our children have been at home for more than five years and there is no sign that the independence will ever come. We need help. Our liberators have become a huge problem onto us and our children. If the Biya government is really a problem as Amba fighters tell us, it at least allows children to go to school in East Cameroon. The new invisible administration, which manufactured false hope for us, is now a millstone around our necks,” an angry parent who brought two of his young children to Mamfe town for them to go to school said.

“We are stuck with this rogues who are permanently threatening to kill us if we send our children to school. Which nation has ever developed without its population being educated?” he asked.

In Ntenako and Ndekwai where the schools have been invaded by wild weeds, the parents have begun speaking up against the band of criminals who pass off as liberators.

Speaking to the Cameroon Concord News team, an agree parent who elected anonymity said that “we can longer allow this to continue. We must work with the government for these rogues to be arrested or killed by the military. They came here promising to protect us, but we now need protection against them. Our children cannot go to school and the idle criminals keep harvesting our crops without our permission. We are scared of talking but if the government could deploy more troops here we will report all those boys who are making life unbearable to us,” he said.

“Some of these criminals even sleep with our daughters and wives for free and many are even pregnant for these thieves. We are really frustrated and we are using this medium to call on the government to come and help us. We are stuck,” he said angrily.

Even if the separatists call for a resumption of schools in the rural areas of Southern Cameroons, it will take years for things to return to normal. Most teachers in those rural areas have fled and many cannot be accounted for. Some have even left the country, but they are still receiving their salaries.

Worst of all, some of the school infrastructure is decaying and some villagers are even stealing school property.

In Ossing in Manyu Division, a bunch of low class, ill-behaved commoners have taken off the roofing sheets of the Ossing Government Primary and Secondary Schools and sold to some villagers.

All the academic and other records have been soaked by rain because these criminals took off the roofing sheets.

Currently, the Ossing Village Council is working hard to bring those who have committed these odious crimes to justice.

Some of those who purchased the sheets have been identified and they are being made to pay hefty fines for purchasing stolen property, a city councilor who elected anonymity told the Cameroon Concord News team.

“It is unfortunate that our own people are destroying our own infrastructure. How can we ever develop if our own people cannot go to school. I have never known a worse revolution than this,” he regretted.

I hope time will bring some wisdom to this revolution which is completely off its rails. Its leaders are completely unhinged and they are simply unaware of the adverse consequences of their misguided actions, he concluded.

By Our senior international correspondent Dylan Tambe Ashu

13, September 2022

The Holy Father Pope Francis arrives in Kazakhstan to promote ‘dialogue’ ⁰

Pope Francis, warned by doctors not to travel to Ukraine, arrived in Kazakhstan in Central Asia on Tuesday for a three-day visit to promote dialogue and peace in the ex-Soviet region.

The Argentine pope, who is forced by knee pain to use a wheelchair and has admitted he must slow down or consider retirement, will take part in an inter-religious summit in the capital, Nur-Sultan.

His plane landed shortly after 5:15 pm (1115 GMT), an AFP journalist onboard said, and the 85-year-old pontiff was already meeting shortly after with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before giving a first speech to the authorities and the diplomatic corps.

Francis said Sunday that the 38th trip abroad since his election in 2013 would be “an opportunity… to (have a) dialogue as brothers, animated by the common desire for peace, peace that our world is thirsty for”.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, was initially expected but has pulled out of the September 14-15 event, dashing hopes of a meeting with Francis over the Ukraine conflict.

While the pope has called for peace and denounced a “cruel and senseless war”, Kirill has defended Putin’s “military operation” and the fight against Russia’s “external and internal enemies”.

About 100 delegations from 50 countries are expected to take part in the event in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic that gained independence in 1991.

“Dialogue, a coming together, the search for peace between different religious and cultural worlds are at the heart of this trip,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Monday.

Tensions

Tokayev, 69, is an ally of Russia, though there have been tensions between the two countries since Moscow launched the invasion in February.

He has refused to support the war and the presence of a large Russian community in the north of Kazakhstan has sparked fears of a revival of Moscow’s imperial ambitions in the area.

Kazakhstan borders other former Soviet republics, as well as China and the Caspian Sea.

Lyudmila, a 74-year-old pensioner who declined to give her last name, said she hoped the Papal visit would encourage people around the world to learn more about Kazakhstan.

“Maybe it will raise the profile of our country, that such a great spiritual figure is visiting us,” she told AFP.

On Wednesday, Francis will address the opening of the plenary session of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, before celebrating a mass in the afternoon and winding up his trip Thursday by meeting Catholic leaders.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in the country at the same time as Francis at a time when the Vatican is hoping to renew a historic accord appointing bishops in China.

Asked by journalists during the flight about a possible meeting with Xi, Francis said he had “no information” about any possible talks.

He added, however, that he was “always ready to go to China”.

Energy-rich Kazakhstan has 19 million inhabitants, 70 percent of whom are Sunni Muslims, while 26 percent are Christians — mainly Russian Orthodox. Less than one percent are Catholic.

Tokayev began a series of reforms after his election in 2019, but the country was rocked by protests over fuel prices earlier this year that left more than 200 people dead and shattered its image of stability.

Francis is the second pope to visit Kazakhstan after John Paul II’s trip in September 2001.

He said last week that doctors had forbidden him from travelling to Ukraine or Moscow for now, as he recovers from a knee problem that has forced him to cancel numerous events at the Vatican.

Source: AFP

13, September 2022

African bishops remember Queen Elizabeth as ‘pillar of stability’ ⁰

Queen Elizabeth II was remembered for “certain lasting values of discipline, hard work, a sense of duty, honesty and meritocracy” by bishops in Africa after her death on Thursday at the age of 96.

When she ascended the throne in 1952, the United Kingdom still ruled over much of Africa, and her reign saw the era of decolonizing the British Empire. Most of English-speaking Africa now belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of mostly former British colonies headed by the British monarch.

Bishop George Nkuo of the Kumbo Diocese in Cameroon’s troubled North West region told Crux that Queen Elizabeth stood as “a symbol for royalty and of good and lasting values.”

“She certainly will be remembered as one who despite the changes brought about by the Android age, continued to remind the world of certain lasting values of discipline, hard work, a sense of duty, honesty, and meritocracy.”

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja in Nigeria told Crux that he received the news of the Queen’s passing with “great sorrow and sadness,” noting that “news of the demise of the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and the oldest and longest-serving head of state in the world, came as a shock.”

He recalled that Elizabeth came to the throne promising to devote her whole life to the service of the British people.

“The queen reigned with grace, elegance, and a tireless work ethic to fulfill this declaration,” Kaigama said.

He said Elizabeth was the only British monarch the vast majority of Nigerians had ever known, and had developed “great admiration and filial affection for her.”

“What made Queen Elizabeth so special was that she grasped the full spiritual weight and responsibility of her office, and sought to execute it with that in mind,” Kaigama said.

He asserted that the queen put her Christian faith at the center of all that she did, “and this made her a pillar of stability in an ever-changing world.”

“Her Majesty was, indeed, the epitome of duty, stability, wisdom and grace. The axiom, ‘Service Untiringly done. Duty faithfully fulfilled,’ encapsulates her reign,” the Nigerian prelate continued.

“The queen touched the hearts of many with her dedicated service especially to the Commonwealth which remains an important trade partner, investor and development partner in many African countries, the biggest being South Africa and Nigeria. It is our hope that the Commonwealth could continue to offer stability and continuity in years to come, especially, during the reign of King Charles III,” the archbishop added.

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, the president of the South African bishops’ conference, told Crux that Queen Elizabeth was “a source of cohesion and identity for her people.”

“With all the moral failures that have been noted both in the royal family and in the country, Queen Elizabeth was regarded as a moral barometer and an ideal of good behavior,” Sipuka said.

The Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, headed by Pope Tawadros II, issued a statement saying the queen leaves behind “a great legacy of noble humanitarian work and huge support to human rights and religious freedom.”

“We particularly remember her relationship with our Coptic Church and her support to its existence in Britain to serve the church’s children living there, and this support was manifested in decorating Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox in the UK with the Order of the British Empire (OBE),” the Egyptian church said in a statement.

Queen Elizabeth has been succeeded by her eldest child, Charles III. She will be laid to rest on Sept. 19.

Culled from Crux

13, September 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Six Amba fighters killed in Bui County ⁰

At least six Amba fighters were killed in weekend clashes in the Northwest, locals and security sources said Monday.

The clashes took place between the army and the Ambazonian fighters in Bui County, a division of the region where Southern Cameroons Self Defense Forces have set up several camps.

Six Amba fighters, including a commander, were killed in the clashes Saturday and Sunday, said a military official in the region who asked not to be named.

No casualties were reported from the government forces.

Southern Cameroons saw renewed clashes in the past week as Amba fighters attempted to impose blockades and disrupt schools, according to security reports.

Since 2017, government forces have been clashing with the Ambazonian fighters who attempt to establish an independent state they call “The Federal Republic of Ambazonia.”

By Fon Lawrence with files from Xinhuanet

13, September 2022

CPDM Crime Syndicate: Customs revenues reach CFA564bln at the end of August 2022 ⁰

Cameroon’s customs collected CFA564 billion in revenues as of August 31, 2022. Over the same period last year, the revenue was CFA543 billion, down 3.9% or CFA21 billion.

The higher amount in 2022 is the result of the technological innovations recently implemented by the customs administration to optimize the mobilization of resources. An example is the “Cosmos” app that now enables better tracking of non-cleared vehicles. Another app called “portrans.cm” allows authenticating the clearance slip of the vehicle applying for registration. This reduces the chances of fraudsters and saves the customs revenue that was lost due to fraud.

Moreover, the special “Halcomi III” (Stop Illegal Trade) teams cover the whole territory to make up for any shortcomings in physical customs controls. For 2022, the Directorate General of Customs targets CFA863.9 billion, 1.4% (+CFA11.6 billion) more than 2021. Achieving this goal will require the mobilization of CFA299.9 billion for the rest of the year. “Strategies will be outlined […], to achieve, or even exceed, the annual revenue target,” says the customs administration.

Source: Business in Cameroon

13, September 2022

Indomitable Lions: Rigobert Song names 26-man squad for pre-World Cup friendlies ⁰

Cameroon’s national football team head coach Rigobert Song named on Monday his 26-man squad for friendlies against South Korea and Uzbekistan.

Vincent Aboubakar will captain the team, which also includes Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, who switched his international allegiance from France to Cameroon in August. Mbeumo will be making his first appearance for the Indomitable Lions.

“We need players with experience. Georges Mandjeck and Nicolas Nkoulou are very dynamic. They will help the new generation of players grow,” Song told a press conference. “They are a plus to the team, and they are passionate and ready to serve the nation.”

Cameroon will play against Uzbekistan in Goyang, a northern city of South Korea on September 23 before facing South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 27.

“South Korea also qualified for the World Cup. The game will be a plus for both teams. There is quality in both teams and the friendly game in the days ahead will be an opportunity for the South Koreans and Cameroonians to work on their adjustments ahead of the World Cup,” Song added.

Cameroon has been drawn in Group G with Switzerland, Serbia and five-time world champions Brazil at the FIFA World Cup and will kick off their campaign against Switzerland on November 24.

Source: Xinhuanet

13, September 2022

Samuel Eto’o says Africans must defend continent and Nations Cup timing ⁰

Former Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o says it is the duty of Africans to defend the scheduling of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 2021 tournament was held in Cameroon in January and February this year, in the middle of the European season, to avoid the rainy season in the Central African nation.

The timing of the Nations Cup has led to repeated disputes with clubs who have been forced to release players, and the issue will persist after the 2023 finals in Ivory Coast were moved to early 2024 because of weather concerns.

Napoli owner and President Aurelio de Laurentiis said the Italian club would avoid signing any more Africans unless they agree not to play in the biennial tournament – with Senegal coach Aliou Cisse hitting back that international football should never play second fiddle to club commitments.

Eto’o, who had spells at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan and won the Nations Cup twice with the Indomitable Lions, has backed Cisse’s stance.

“We are Africans – nobody else can defend our continent better than ourselves,” Eto’o, who is now president of Cameroon’s football federation (Fecafoot), told BBC Sport Africa.

“Before the Nations Cup in Cameroon, I said that it’s important to play in January-February, something that obviously didn’t please some other people.

“But this is a fact in Africa. We have the rainy season in June, July, August, even early September in our continent. It’s just a matter of getting on the same page with others and explaining things.”

“I am rather happy to see children of this continent being aware that nobody else will defend our continent for us.”

However, Eto’o says that staging this year’s World Cup in the middle of the European season shows that concessions can be made by clubs.

Players must be released for the finals in Qatar on 14 November, with the first match six days later and the final on 18 December.

England’s Premier League will have its last pre-World Cup fixtures on the weekend of 12-13 November, and then resume on 26 December.

“We can notice for the first time in history that the World Cup will be played in November and December,” Eto’o, 41, said.

“It’s possible to make it happen.”

Culled from the BBC

12, September 2022

Prince Harry calls Queen Elizabeth II his ‘guiding compass’ ⁰

Prince Harry on Monday paid an emotional tribute to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, calling her his “guiding compass”, and vowing to “honour” his father in his new role as king.

In his first public comments since the queen’s death last week aged 96, Harry said he was “forever grateful” to her and said she was “sorely missed”.

Harry and his wife Meghan stunned the monarchy by announcing they were quitting royal duties and moving to the United States in early 2020.

From there, they launched a series of broadsides criticising their life in the institution, including claims of racism.

That exacerbated tensions with his older brother, heir to the throne Prince William — with whom he is reported to be barely on speaking terms — and their father, now King Charles III.

But Harry, who was on a whistlestop visit to Britain with Meghan when the queen died, was handed an olive branch by Charles in his first speech as king, when he spoke of his “love” for the couple.

William also invited his brother and sister-in-law to join them for an impromptu walkabout to view floral tributes at Windsor Castle on Saturday.

Harry, a former British Army captain who saw service in Afghanistan, said the queen was his commander-in-chief but also his “granny”.

He said he would cherish the memory of the first time she met Meghan and hugged the couple’s young children, Archie, aged three, and Lilibet, one.

“I cherish these times shared with you, and the many other special moments in between. You are already sorely missed, not just by us, but by the world over,” he added.

“We now honour my father in his new role as King Charles III. Thank you for your commitment to service. Thank you for your sound advice.

“Thank you for your infectious smile. We, too, smile knowing that you and grandpa (Prince Philip) are reunited now, and both together in peace.”

Close

Harry and Meghan jetted in from their new home in California last week to attend a series of charity functions in Britain and Germany, where the next Invictus Games for disabled veterans takes place.

Queen Elizabeth II joined her grandson in a 2016 spoof video before the first edition of the multi-sports event, poking fun at playful jibes from the former US president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle.

The video indicated a close relationship between Harry and his grandmother, which persisted despite the bombshell announcement that he was leaving royal life.

She allowed the couple to retain their official titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and said they would remain “much-loved members of the family”.

The late monarch also held back from publicly rejecting the couple’s claims of racism, stating that “some recollections may vary”, but promising an investigation.

Harry rushed to the Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highland last Thursday after an announcement about the queen’s health.

But he travelled separately from his brother and other senior royals, arriving several hours after the death was announced.

Harry, who is expected to stay on Britain for the queen’s funeral next Monday, is believed to have last met her in private during the public celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee in June.

Source: AFP