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Astonishing new wax figure of Queen Camilla Consort unveiled

<p>A new tribute to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla has been unveiled in London ahead of the highly-anticipated coronation.</p> <p>As the Queen Consort prepares for a crowning of her own, Madame Tussauds London has created a wax figure of the 75-year-old wearing a tiara, gown and sash.</p> <p>The statue was first shown on April 27, ahead of being displayed beside one of King Charles’ waxworks.</p> <p>Queen Camilla’s wax figure shows her in a midnight blue dress, made by one of her favourite designers, Anna Valentine, and decked with a royal blue sash and star of the Order of the Garter.</p> <p>The royal is also seen in a replica of the late Queen’s Belgian sapphire tiara and matching George VI sapphire necklace.</p> <p>The necklace was a wedding gift from her father, King George VI when she married Prince Philip in 1947.</p> <p>The Queen Consort was seen in the Belgian tiara at the first state banquet of King Charles’ reign, where they hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at Buckingham Palace in November 2022.</p> <p>Both the royal’s Art Deco engagement ring and Welsh gold wedding band are seen on the figure.</p> <p>"Whilst for many people this will be their first experience of a coronation, the Coronation of King Charles III will be the eighth that Madame Tussauds London has celebrated," General Manager Tim Waters said.</p> <p>"We're incredibly proud of our centuries long link with The Palace and what better way to mark the official start of this new chapter in the history of the British Monarchy than with the creation of our brand new soon-to-be Queen Camilla to stand alongside her husband, The King."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Art

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King Charles’ wax figure vandalised by climate activists

<p dir="ltr">A group of activists have thrown chocolate cake at King Charles III wax figure in London.</p> <p dir="ltr">Just Stop Oil activists shared footage of themselves throwing chocolate cake into the face of King Charles waxwork at Madame Tussauds.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two supporters, Eilidh McFadden, 20, and Tom Johnson 29, were seen stepping closer to the King’s figure before taking off their jumpers to show the “Just Stop Oil” shirts.</p> <p dir="ltr">Eilidh first smashes the cake at King Charles’ figure before Tom does the same thing just after 10.30am (8.30pm AEDT) on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">A woman could be heard shouting stop at the pair but they ignored her. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The science is clear. The demand is simple: just stop new oil and gas. It’s a piece of cake,” their tweet reads.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">🎂 BREAKING: JUST STOP OIL CAKES THE KING 🎂</p> <p>👑 Two supporters of Just Stop Oil have covered a Madame Tussauds waxwork model of King Charles III with chocolate cake, demanding that the Government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreeLouis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreeLouis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FreeJosh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FreeJosh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/A22Network?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#A22Network</a> <a href="https://t.co/p0DJ8v3XVB">pic.twitter.com/p0DJ8v3XVB</a></p> <p>— Just Stop Oil ⚖️💀🛢 (@JustStop_Oil) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1584491199771316225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed four people were arrested for criminal damage in relation to the incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We responded quickly to an incident at Madame Tussauds after two people threw food at a statue at approximately 10.50am,” they said in a statement. </p> <p dir="ltr">The activists’ actions comes just weeks after two people from the same group <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/climate-activists-attack-van-gogh-s-sunflowers-with-soup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attempted to destroy an iconic Van Gogh artwork</a> in London’s National Gallery in the name of climate activism. </p> <p dir="ltr">They threw cans of tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888), the museum confirmed in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">Luckily, the painting was saved by the glass covering, with the frame only suffering minor damage.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

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Russian superyacht spotted chilling in Dubai

<p dir="ltr">A lavish $156 million superyacht belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch has been spotted at a port in Dubai. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 96m long <em>Madame Gu</em> owned by steel magnate Andrei Skoch has moored off Dubai’s Port Rashid.</p> <p dir="ltr">With an estimated fortune of a whopping $6.6 billion, Skoch’s superyacht could be causing an issue to Western Governments who continue to sanction Russia.</p> <p dir="ltr">The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have refused to take sides in the Russian and Ukraine war and are remaining neutral. </p> <p dir="ltr">The country is welcoming the increase of money coming in from Russians who are enjoying a comfortable stay at the beach-front villas and luxury hotels, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-dubai-23140fb7a4348c84e33157fe9a237fec?utm_medium=APMiddleEast&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=SocialFlow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said she was “not happy” with the neutral position of the UAE.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not happy at all with the record at this point and I plan to make this a priority to drive to a better alignment, shall we say, of effort,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo has also warned of possible threats from Russians who are seeking refuge in the UAE.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Despite this commitment (to prevent money laundering), the UAE — and other global financial hubs — continue to face the threat of illicit financial flows.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Cruising

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Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan removed from royal family wax display

<p>Wax figures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been taken from the display featuring other members of the royal family at Madame Tussauds in London. </p> <p>The museum’s move follows after both Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan announced they would be stepping down as “senior” members of the royal family while simultaneously working to become financially independent. </p> <p>The display featured a number of prominent figures including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.</p> <p>However, since the couple’s surprising announcement, the models have since been relocated in the museum to reflect their “progressive new role within the royal institution”.</p> <p>“Alongside the rest of the world we are reacting to the surprising news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be stepping back as senior royals,” said Steve Davies, general manager of Madame Tussauds London.</p> <p>“From today Meghan and Harry’s figures will no longer appear in our royal family set.”</p> <p>Mr Davies added that the couple will still be a main fixture at the wax museum. </p> <p>“As two of our most popular and well-loved figures they will of course remain an important feature at Madame Tussauds London as we watch to see what the next chapter holds for them,” Mr Davies stated</p> <p>The Duke and Duchess’ of Sussex issued a statement on Instagram which outlined their intention to split their time between the UK and North America while also continuing to honour their commitment to the Queen, the Commonwealth and their royal patronages.</p> <p>A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said discussions with the couple on the issue remained “at an early stage”.</p> <p>“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” they stated.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see the royal family at Madame Tussauds in London. </p>

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