Why residents are praising King Charles for saving their community - Inside the Palace

WHY RESIDENTS ARE PRAISING KING CHARLES FOR SAVING THEIR COMMUNITY

This week, I was invited to experience Dumfries House, the headquarters of The King's Foundation - His Majesty's charity that supports education, communities, heritage and sustainable living.

King Charles's ethos is all about living in harmony with nature, not against it.

Dumfries House is the setting of a major Amazon Prime documentary early next year, titled Finding Harmony: A King's Vision, which is narrated by Hollywood actor Kate Winslet.

Driving through the gates, I immediately got the sense that every outbuilding, landscaped garden and farming field had a purpose and had been part of the landscape for generations.

However, that is far from the case.

When King Charles led a consortium to buy the 300-year-old Dumfries House in Ayrshire, it was overgrown, run down, and (crucially) shut out the local community.

Local resident Gene told me: "We were never allowed into the grounds before; it was private. So it's amazing now it has been opened up for everybody to come in and use the facilities and wander the grounds. It's just lovely."

Another, Emma, said: "The transformation of the full estate is just unbelievable. It's amazing what's been happening. If you saw the Walled Garden from when this place was purchased, to see it now, is just amazing."

The local area surrounding the Dumfries House estate used to generate income through mining and traditional textile industries, but from the 1980s, it began to decline.

Through his charity, His Majesty wanted to regenerate the area by creating heritage skills and training programmes to support young people getting into work.

As I toured the outbuildings, I was introduced to students taking part in stone masonry, hospitality and other crafts.

Many were introduced to The King's Foundation courses via the local job centre, having been long-term unemployed - a majority go on to pursue successful careers.

In the evening, I was lucky enough to tour the house itself. while enjoying a glass of bubbly.

I was absolutely terrified, because I almost spilt my champagne next to a £20million Thomas Chippendale cabinet.

King Charles has saved one of the most important collections of Thomas Chippendale furniture from being sold off to private buyers around the world, when he bought Dumfries House in 2008.

The building has been decked out in thousands of festive decorations, which got me into the Christmas spirit.

Members of the public can book onto public tours, and I would recommend that if you're a fan of historical stately homes, the Royal Family, or keeping British heritage alive.

A FIRST FOR PRINCESS KATE'S CAROL SERVICE

More details have been released about the Princess of Wales's "Together at Christmas" carol service - including a live illustrator for the first time.

The Princess is hosting her annual carol service, filling Westminster Abbey with 1,600 people from across the country, "connected by the love and compassion which binds us all at Christmas and all year round".

A live illustrator is expected to be sketching snapshots of the atmosphere inside the Abbey in real time.

It is understood that no decision has been made about what will happen to the sketches.

Other members of the Royal Family are planning to join the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children for the service, but it's thought the King and Queen are not attending.

A-list stars are supporting the Princess of Wales by delivering readings during the service, described as "poignant" and "linked to the theme of love, compassion and connection."

Names include Prince William, Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Babatunde Aléshé and Joe Locke, whose reading will be accompanied by pianist Paul Gladstone Reid.

I have been invited to attend the Princess's carol service on Friday, and will be giving you a very special story next Saturday - so tune into GB News Breakfast!

PRINCE WILLIAM BACKS UK TO HOST 2035 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

The Prince of Wales will be hoping his global statesman label will pay off as he backs the UK’s bid to host the women’s football World Cup in 2035.

Prince William is President of the Football Association (FA), which has released a joint plan to host more than 100 games in all four nations - the first World Cup hosted by the UK since 1966.

Posting on X, William said there were “exciting times ahead!” - a future King known for his love of football.

During the 2023 women's World Cup, the Prince of Wales was criticised for not travelling to Australia to cheer on the Lionesses (England's national team) during the final.

It was understood at the time that he made the decision due to the long flight involved for such a short period of time.

Prince William continues to champion his environmental Earthshot Prize, and environmentalists could have accused the future King of hypocrisy if he chose to fly long-haul for a single football match.

If the United Kingdom were to win the bid, I suspect the Prince of Wales would attend as many matches as he possibly can.

He may even bring his equally football-loving children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to the matches to cheer on the Lionesses.