London visitor

Five institutions from across the UK engaged in “vital issues of today” have been shortlisted for the £120,000 Museum Of The Year prize.

The Natural History Museum in London, The Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) in Belfast and Glasgow’s The Burrell Collection are among those competing in the 10th year of the world’s largest museum prize.

Scapa Flow Museum in Orkney and Leighton House in London complete the list of finalists for the Art Fund award, which celebrates the resilience, creativity and imagination of UK museums.

Organisers said the nominees “demonstrate transformational impact, redeveloping their offers with diverse and inspiring stories at their heart and responding to vital issues of today”.

The Natural History Museum is known for showcasing some of the country’s best collections of science and nature, while The MAC homes evolving exhibitions and theatre performances.

The Scapa Flow Museum tells the story of the area’s role during the two world wars – and Leighton House is the former home and studio of the leading Victorian artist Lord Frederic Leighton.

The Burrell Collection also holds the art collection of Sir William Burrell and his wife Lady Constance.

Speaking on behalf of the judges, Jenny Waldman, the director of the Art Fund, said: “The five Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023 finalists are at the top of their game, offering inspirational collections and programmes for their communities, for visitors from across the UK and around the world.

“From transformational redevelopment to community involvement to addressing the major issues of today, the shortlisted museums may operate at very different scales, but all show astonishing ambition and boundless creativity.

“Each is a blueprint for future innovation in museums. Visit them if you possibly can.”

Alongside Ms Waldman, the panel also includes artist Larry Achiampong, historian and broadcaster Dame Mary Beard, author Abadesi Osunsade, and Laura Pye, the director of National Museums Liverpool.

The judges will visit each of the finalists to inform their decision-making, while each museum will make the most of being shortlisted over the summer through events and activities for new and current visitors.

2023 marks 10 years of the prize, which is grounded in 50 years of championing the UK’s 2,500 museums, galleries and heritage sites.

This year the prize fund has been increased by £20,000 from the past £100,000 amount to mark 120 years of the Art Fund supporting museums.

The other nominees will each be given £15,000.

The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum in London on July 12.

Last year, The Horniman Museum and Gardens in London was crowned museum of the year.

The Princess of Wales has praised as inspirational a new “anxiety toolkit” developed by a leading mental health charity after collaborating with schoolchildren.

Kate visited the Anna Freud Centre to learn about the project, launched on Thursday by the research and development organisation, and meet some of the children who helped develop the initiative.

She wore a green Suzannah tea dress after the Mental Health Foundation encouraged people to dress in clothes of the same colour on Thursday to raise awareness about mental wellbeing, as the date fell within Mental Health Awareness Week.

When the princess went on a brief walkabout after leaving the institution, based in central London, she met a group of children and their parents outside and told them: “I’m leaving feeling inspired – I’ve learned lots from young people.”

The princess then sat down with pupils from St Richard’s Catholic College, Bexhill on Sea, and was shown a range of activity cards that provide practical advice to youngsters who may be affected by issues like anxiety.

The children helped to develop Anna Freud’s “let’s talk about anxiety” new animation and teacher toolkit, which typifies the charity’s vision to empower young people with the knowledge, confidence and skills to manage their mental wellbeing.

When one of the pupils mentioned her interest in sport, Kate replied: “So much in sport is mental as well as the physical skills and abilities, to have these sort of skills and these sorts of things in your toolbox will really help you, probably not just in school but home life and school life and other things as well.”

Kate also joined a series of round table discussions with health professionals and academics from Anna Freud, which Kate supports as patron, and those from the wider community with experience of mental health.

Among the group was Tom Chapman, a Torquay-based barber who founded the Lion’s Barber Collective in 2015, a group of international barbers who raise awareness about mental health and provide training for barbers to engage with customers at a low ebb.

He said after the visit: “I found out recently, it seems 2% of people who end their life have had no contact with mental health services in the 12 months before they died.

“I think that they’ve probably had a haircut or beauty treatment or gone to the pub – it’s about providing as many opportunities as possible for these conversations and interventions to happen.”

Sir Walter Scott’s desk seal, likely to have been the one used in correspondence to King George IV, is to go under the hammer this week where it could sell for as much as £18,000.

The item is just one of the 100 seals with Scottish connections set to be sold off by Edinburgh-based auction house Lyon & Turnbull on Friday.

Sir Walter’s personal desk seal from Abbotsford House in the Scottish Borders has been valued by auctioneers as being worth between £12,000 and £18,000.

The finely carved hand seal is believed to date to Sir Walter’s knighthood in 1820. Set in lapis lazuli, gold and amethyst stones, it bears the Scott family armorial.

Sir Walter was a prolific letter writer, and the Ivanhoe author will have sent off many a note to the great and good of society which were sealed with the tool.

And it was likely it was used for letters penned to George IV which helped to pave the way for the reigning monarch’s return to Scotland – the first since 1650 when Charles II stayed in Holyroodhouse.

Sir Walter helped organise the royal visit, which was just two years after the Scottish insurrection of 1820, and the King’s arrival was complete with tartan pageantry which is said to have helped secure the kilt’s place as the country’s national dress.

The seals are part of the Matrix Collection, which were gathered over several decades by the late David Morris.

Other notable items in the collection include an unusual desk seal in gilt and metal in the shape of an armoured arm wielding a dagger, which belonged to the Wallace family, the seal of Archbishop John Spottiswoode, and Lady Mary Douglas Hamilton’s desk seal.

Kier Mulholland, of the auction house, said it was “an exceptional collection of historic and elegant objects”.

“David Morris went to great lengths to acquire these significant works, which offer a glimpse into a time when family crests and armorials were of great importance,” the auctioneer said.

“Perhaps most tantalising is that each piece tells us a different story, which is the reason they were collected by Mr Morris.”

Wax seals were widely used from the Middle Ages until the 19th century when letters could be safely sealed with glue.

As well as becoming elegant and prestigious objects to own, they had a practical use too by making a unique impression when dipped in hot wax to prove authenticity and to prevent letters from being opened.

The memorable moment TV Bafta award has been given to Paddington bear having tea with the late Queen during the Platinum Jubilee: Party At The Palace celebrations on the BBC.

Actor Simon Farnaby, who played a footman in the video and went on stage to accept the gong, called the segment a “lovingly handcrafted moment” that also served as “a farewell” to the longest serving British monarch.

Farnaby added: “She had a very joyful Jubilee tea that day… The person who most deserve this award is no longer with us, we can only accept it on her behalf and say ‘Thank you, ma’am, for everything.”

Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw who also appeared on stage at the Bafta, was seen in the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee sketch.

The cartoon bear visited Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea and the Queen produced a marmalade sandwich from her handbag.

After the Queen’s death in September, mourners left teddy bears and marmalade sandwiches among the floral tributes which amassed outside royal residences.

The moment beat the finale of comedy series Derry Girls, where the people of Northern Ireland vote overwhelmingly for peace, and Nick and Charlie’s first kiss in LGBT+ series Heartstopper.

Stranger Things, where Max is rescued from the demonic Vecna through the playing of her favourite song Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, The Real Mo Farah’s revealing he was illegally trafficked to the UK and The Traitors final roundtable were also among the nominees.

Historic England is appealing for hidden histories to be shared and for overlooked places to be celebrated as part of its Missing Pieces Project.

The heritage body is calling for people to upload to its website photos or stories about any of the more than 400,000 places on the National Heritage List for England.

Submissions by users, intended to give people a fuller picture of historic locations, will be added to the list entry for the place that is being celebrated.

List entries have three tabs – an overview, an official list entry, and a third tab for comments and photos.

Everyone looking at that list entry can see other people’s additions, such as information, drawings, an audio clip of memories, a film clip, a scan of a document or more.

Rachel Prothero, of Historic England, said: “The Missing Pieces Project is a great way for people to get out and about and discover the historic places where they live, work or visit.

“There’s a fascinating range of places on the National Heritage List for England and we’re learning about these special spaces every day.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the memories, photos and gems of information that celebrate the places that people love, and, together, discovering more about them.”

Comedian Angela Barnes, who appears in a video to mark the Missing Pieces Project, has added to the listing for the Grade II* listed Meeting House at the University of Sussex in Brighton.

The Brutalist building, designed by Sir Basil Spence, holds special memories for her as a student and first-time voter, and was the venue for her wedding.

“I’m a fan of Brutalist architecture,” she said.

“I even chose it as my specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind.

“You can’t look at a space like this and not think that it’s beautiful.”

Rhiane Fatinikun, founder of the Black Girls Hike group, which provides a safe space for black women to explore the outdoors, added to the list entry for Grade II protected Heaton Park in Manchester.

“A park is really the heart of the community because for a lot of people it’s their only opportunity to get outside and it’s the only green space that they have,” she said.

“A lot of people probably don’t realise that there’s so many important and significant things that are actually on their doorstep with loads of history to them.”

History PhD student Patrick Hegarty Morrish, who also appeared in the video about the Missing Pieces Project, has added details of London’s Grade II listed Alexandra Palace.

“It was used in World War One as a camp for German and Austrian internees,” he said.

“The Internee Orchestra is perhaps the most interesting part of the place.

“It was founded in 1915, I believe, so a year into the war, and included, at its peak, nearly 40-something musicians.

“We’ve all got different stories to tell about places and they’re all an important part of the picture.”

Ed Sheeran has beaten Lana Del Rey’s record to secure the UK’s fastest-selling album of 2023 so far, the Official Charts Company has said.

The album – (Subtract) is on the way to earning the 32-year-old pop superstar a sixth consecutive number one album at the midweek mark, securing more than 56,000 chart units, which is more than any other album released this year, it was announced on Tuesday.

The previous record was held by American singer Del Rey’s album Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd which scored 41,000 chart units in total during its first week.

Subtract is set to follow the success of Sheeran’s other albums Plus, Multiply, Divide, No 6 Collaborations Project and Equals – which featured number one singles Bad Habits and Shivers.

The newest album comes after his UK number one single Eyes Closed, which was released alongside a four-part Disney+ documentary The Sum Of It All, which marks the end of his decade-long mathematics era.

The chart-topping singer wrote and recorded the 14-track offering after a series of difficult events impacted his life last year, including his wife Cherry Seaborn being diagnosed with a tumour while pregnant and the death of his close friend Jamal Edwards.

During the same time period, Sheeran won a high court battle after two songwriters claimed his 2017 hit Shape Of You infringed copyright of their song Oh Why, later speaking openly about the mental strain the case caused him.

The new album was also released after Sheeran won a US copyright lawsuit which alleged he used parts of Marvin Gaye’s hit song Let’s Get It On for his own track, Thinking Out Loud.

A wisteria plant more than 100 years old is in bloom at the University of Cambridge, although the lightly scented flowers have appeared later than usual.

The hardy shrub at Jesus College is flowering later this year due to the colder start to 2023.

Native to China, the climbing vine is more than 120 years old and was inspected on Wednesday by gardeners Danny Lawler and Mike Morris.

Wisteria sinensis can reach more than 10 metres with the right support, and has pea-shaped lilac flowers.

Are you a tea enthusiast looking for a new addition to your collection? Look no further than the Anglotopia store, where we have three new products that are sure to delight any tea lover, including a new blend from Cornish Tea! We’ve got some exciting new imports in the Anglotopia store we wanted to share with you – and we have limited quantities of them!

First up, we have Cornish Tea Great British Tea Britannia Brew. This tea blend is a true taste of Britain, featuring a combination of Assam, Kenyan, and Ceylon teas. The result is a bold and flavorful cup of tea that is perfect for any time of day. Whether you prefer your tea with milk and sugar or just a splash of lemon, Cornish Tea Great British Tea Britannia Brew is sure to please. If you loved Cornish Tea, then you will love this blend – it’s quickly become a favorite in Anglotopia towers as we’ve been testing it!

Next, we have the London Red Bus Ceramic Teapot. This teapot is not only functional, but it’s also a charming piece of decor for any kitchen. The teapot is shaped like a classic London red bus, complete with the iconic double-decker design. It’s made of high-quality ceramic and has a generous capacity, so you can brew up a whole pot of tea for yourself or to share with friends.

Last but not least, we have the English Bulldog Teapot. This whimsical teapot is shaped like an adorable bulldog, complete with a cute little tongue sticking out. It’s made of high-quality ceramic and has a generous capacity, so you can brew up a whole pot of tea for yourself or to share with friends. This teapot is sure to be a conversation starter and a beloved addition to your collection.

A host of global superstars came together at Windsor Castle on Sunday night for a star-studded concert to mark the coronation.

The Coronation Concert, beamed onto large screens across the country, saw the Prince of Wales make a speech honouring his father the King before performances by Katy Perry, Take That, Lionel Richie, and Nicole Scherzinger.

Stars including Hugh Jackman, Pierce Brosnan, Dame Joan Collins, Bear Grylls OBE, Alan Titchmarsh, and Sir Tom Jones gave pre-recorded video messages in honour of the King throughout the concert, which was hosted by Hugh Bonneville.

Top Gun star Tom Cruise delivered a video message from his War Bird plane, saying: “Pilot to pilot. Your Majesty, you can be my wingman any time,” before saluting and banking off.

Muppets stars Kermit and Miss Piggy also gave speeches, with the frog saying he was “honoured” to have been invited to the coronation.

At the same time, 10 towns and cities across the country were treated to “spectacular” light displays, while 1,000 drones took to the sky for a UK-first “multi-location drone show”.

The light display included the Welsh dragon, spanning 140m, beamed into the sky above Cardiff to the soundtrack of Paloma Faith singing Lullaby, while James Nesbitt performed a spoken word piece written by Daljit Nagra, chair of the Royal Society of Literature.

Hit makers including Katy Perry, who sang Roar and Firework, and Lionel Richie, who played renditions of Easy and All Night Long, entertained the 20,000 strong audience backed by a world-class 70-piece orchestra.

Take That then took to the stage with Greatest Day, Shine and, to close the show, Never Forget, featuring an intro from The Choristers of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The 300-strong Coronation Choir, conducted by Gareth Malone, performed an uplifting version of the Emeli Sande song Brighter Days, while Steve Winwood sang his hit song Higher Love, accompanied by the Commonwealth virtual choir, with singers from more than 40 Commonwealth countries.

The evening also saw a collaboration between five Royal patronages – The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal College of Music and The Royal College of Art – who came together for the first time to perform Somewhere from West Side Story.

Other collaborations included Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel, who sang You’ll Never Walk Alone, and Lang Lang and Nicole Scherzinger, who performed Reflection from Mulan.

Prince Louis stealing the show, a touching moment between the King and his eldest son and a wobbly crown were among the key moments of the day.

The crowning

During the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury spent several seconds adjusting the crown as the King was officially crowned.

He placed it on the King’s head firmly, before giving it a twist in an attempt to keep it on.

But after the twist failed to work he lifted the crown up again, before having another go at securing it in position.

After his second attempt the crown tipped forwards on the King’s head.

Mr Welby then tilted it to the side before he was happy to remove his hands from the crown, leaning forward and carefully inspecting it before eventually retreating.

A little later, as the Queen was seen adjusting her hair around her face as her crown was placed on her head.

Louis steals the show

Prince Louis grabbed everyone’s attention again as he joined his siblings and parents at Westminster Abbey for his grandfather’s coronation.

The young royal failed to stifle several yawns during the historic ceremony and at one point took a break away from the service before returning for the national anthem.

He also took the opportunity to point out interesting things to his sister, Charlotte, as they sat before the high altar.

As the service drew to a close, the royal children sang God Save The King as their grandfather walked past.

Five-year-old Louis held hands with Charlotte, eight, as they left the abbey.

Tender moment between King and heir

There was a touching moment between the King and Prince of Wales as William paid homage, the only blood prince to do so, in a break with tradition.

William appeared to avoid eye contact with his father through much of the homage.

He then kissed Charles on the cheek and the King was seen to say a few words to his elder son.

Penny and the sword

Penny Mordaunt was praised for her conduct during the King’s coronation ceremony, which saw her hold ceremonial swords for more than an hour.

As Lord President of the Council she was responsible for bearing The Sword of State and presenting The Jewelled Sword of Offering to the King – the first time it has been carried and presented by a woman.

Dressed in a custom-made teal outfit with a matching cape and headband with gold feather embroidery, she held and carried the pieces for the majority of the service.

Speaking to The Times’ Red Box Politics podcast ahead of the ceremony, Ms Mordaunt disclosed she had been “doing some press-ups” in preparation for her sword-carrying role.

Notable figures including a number of fellow MPs praised her, with Labour MP Emily Thornberry tweeting: “Got to say it, @PennyMordaunt looks damn fine! The sword bearer steals the show. #Coronation.”

Waving to crowds from the balcony

Charles and Camilla – joined by family members including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal – stepped out into the rain at 2.25pm.

The sound of cheers swelled when the royals appeared on the balcony and shouts of “God save the King” could be heard.

There were even screams from the thousands of excited fans and the volume of the cheers turned up a notch when Charles and Camilla waved.

Louis once again stole the show, waving enthusiastically from the balcony.

And the excitement was not over when the royal family made their way back inside – as the sodden crowds started to disperse, the King and Queen came out for a second appearance.