Meghan Markle officially opened orders yesterday for As Ever’s first holiday collection, featuring $200 wicker hampers and a luxury advent calendar.

In an Instagram post celebrating the launch, the 45-year-old Duchess of Sussex reflected on the “entrepreneurial spirit” she discovered as an eight-year-old while selling lemonade and handmade scrunchies.

She also paid tribute to her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, and honoured her mother, Doria Ragland, in a video montage set to The Cranberries’ hit song Dreams, which she shared on Instagram on Tuesday.

The montage featured nostalgic photographs from Meghan’s childhood alongside footage of her daughter, Princess Lilibet, five, enthusiastically stirring a bowl of jelly and spending an afternoon beekeeping.

The video also offered a subtle reference to her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, which ran for two seasons before being cancelled, as well as a fresh glimpse inside Prince Harry and Meghan’s lavish Montecito mansion.

However, Meghan’s video journal appeared to contain an apparent cooking mishap as she looked back on the progress made by her domestic lifestyle brand, As Ever, since its launch last year.

Lili’s love of beekeeping…and Meghan’s stove mystery

Prince Harry and Meghan’s five-year-old daughter, Lilibet, appears to be following in her mother’s footsteps.

The little girl may have picked up her interest in cooking from watching Meghan, with the footage showing Lili stirring a pot of what seems to be orange jelly.

Meghan, apparently simmering berries to make one of her jams, asks in the brief Instagram clip: “What do you think, Lili?”

“I think it’s beautiful,” the youngster responds in an American accent.

There was, however, one curious detail: the gas beneath the saucepan Meghan was stirring did not appear to be turned on.

Lilibet is not only showing signs of becoming a young cook but is also learning the family’s beekeeping hobby. In a fleeting moment, she appears in a white apiarist’s suit and netted hat in the garden of the £11million Montecito mansion the family called home for six years.

Clearly fascinated, Meghan inspects one of her hives and says, “It’s so full,” before turning and adding, “Do you see Lili?”

The Duchess’s master beekeeper, Branden Aroyan, helped establish her hives, maintain the colony and collect honey. He previously told the Daily Mail that beekeeping had become a “family affair”.

“Harry loves it, and Archie and Lilibet are into it too. It’s a whole family affair. They all have their own beekeeper suits. They’re just all super-fascinated by it.”

Montecito hallway

The Duchess also gave fans a view of her and Prince Harry’s sprawling Montecito mansion in one of the stills of her Instagram video. 

The picture shows Prince Harry, dressed casually in shorts and a t-shirt, admiring the contents of one of her newly launched festive wicker hampers. 

Meghan, wearing black trousers and a matching tank top, is seated by an early sample of one of her Christmas hampers placed before a large French window – with the home’s pale pink walls visible beyond the glass. 

A message to her ‘squad’ 

In addition to thanking her ‘Tiglets’ for keeping the blog alive on Instagram, Meghan credited her ‘squad of support’ in what some X users felt was a thinly-veiled reference to the Sussex Squad – her army of online fans.  

The caption read: ‘As I shared years ago on The Tig (PS, love you ladies The Tiglets): “Behind every successful woman is herself” – and that’s true… but there’s more: a community of love, a squad of support, an amazing team.’ 

It comes after the Daily Mail reported that the Sussex Squad had ‘terrorised’ a group of British clergymen after they criticised her new advent calendar.

Meghan unveiled the £112 ($148) gourmet chocolate calendar in an online advert at the weekend while wearing a reported £75,000 worth of clothing and jewellery.

One British vicar who politely criticised the product has been forced to lock his X account after being branded a ‘demon’ and a ‘disgrace to the cloth’ by supporters – known colloquially as the Sussex Squad.

A new family portrait  

The Duchess gave followers a quick peek at a black-and-white family portrait while showing off her As Ever scented candles.

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The picture shows Harry and Meghan lying on the ground and laughing, as one of their children’s hands rests on the Duchess’ face. 

It is displayed in a simple white frame on a dresser in what looks like the Sussexes’ Californian abode. 

The candles are a recent addition to As Ever’s range; they include two candles inspired by Archie and Lilibet that the Duchess released as part of a Mother’s Day Edit earlier this year. 

Signature Candle No. 506 references ‘Prince Archie of Sussex’s birthdate’, May 6, and Signature Candle No. 604 is an homage to Princess Lilibet’s June 4 birthday.

Nod to Netflix 

Meghan also acknowledged her lifestyle series on Netflix, which was not renewed when the Sussexes’s $10million deal with the streamer ended last year. 

One of the pictures in Meghan’s video journal showed her popping open a bottle of champagne in the first episode of series two of ‘With Love, Meghan’ that featured celebrated cookbook author Samin Nosrat. 

For the episode, Meghan dressed in a Carolina Herrera sundress, worth $2,490, and paired it with her Lorraine Schwartz emerald-cut pinky ring and gold stud earrings.   

Elizabeth Knapp’s poem 

Meghan’s post also paid tribute to American poet Elizabeth Knapp by including an excerpt from one of her ‘Did I Tell You’ books. 

She reflected on a passage that declared ‘there is growth and satisfaction in being part of something larger than yourself’ on the page that was clipped with one of her As Ever leather bookmarks. 

The navy blue accessory is inscribed with the words ‘It only gets better’ in Meghan’s distinct penmanship and was launched last month.  

The Tig nostalgia 

Meghan’s post was steeped in nostalgia for The Tig, the lifestyle blog she founded in 2014 and ran for almost three years. 

A ‘passion project’ she developed while starring in the US drama series Suits, The Tig became a well-known platform where Meghan shared personal insights alongside content on travel, food, fashion and dining recommendations. 

Meghan shut down The Tig in April 2017, but the website continues to inspire her brand As Ever, she said in the caption of her latest post.

The Duchess thanked the community of readers, dubbed ‘The Tiglets’, and reflected on an early message on her blog that read ‘Behind every successful woman is herself’. 

She included a video from the time she was still running The Tig that showed Meghan eating 10 raspberries off her fingers in quick succession. 

Meghan’s blog, which closed nine years ago, was named after her favourite Tignanello wine.

Embracing the role of editor-in-chief, she used the website to share her views on topics ranging from feminism to her passion for philanthropy.

She also shared recipes, make-up and beauty tips, travel advice, and interviews with celebrity friends, including Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra.

Childhood pictures 

In the ode to her ‘entrepreneurship’ journey – from selling scrunchies and lemonade during her younger years to running her As Ever – the Duchess included a number of new childhood photos in the montage. 

One of them appeared to have been taken on a skiing holiday, with Meghan bundled up in a lilac windcheater and wearing pink faux fur ear muffs, a bright purple scarf and thick gloves. 

Meghan also subtly honoured her mother, Doria Ragland, with a sweet picture of the pair that she first shared on International Women’s Day last April. 

The black-and-white snap showed the mother-daughter duo enjoying a snack together, as baby Meghan reached for the bag of treats in Doria’s arms. 

Prince Harry’s wife reminisced about her early experiences selling Girl Scout biscuits as a child that also inspired her to produce a documentary about the historic American tradition, Cookie Queens. 

The Duchess took the opportunity to reshare a childhood image of herself, smiling as she pokes her head around Doria – who was a Girl Scout troop leader – with an arm around a friend as they posed with the rest of her group in Los Angeles. 

Two migrants accused of slashing an off-duty NYPD detective during an attempted robbery in the Bronx were arrested while hiding in a Massachusetts basement, police said Wednesday.

D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24, both Dominican Republic nationals, were located in the basement of a home in Lynn by the US Marshals Service and taken into custody overnight, according to the NYPD.

The suspects will be returned to New York City, where they are expected to face attempted murder charges, the department said.

“When individuals commit violent, unprovoked acts against members of law enforcement, there is nowhere they can hide,” United States Marshal Ricky J. Patel said, describing how the task force worked “around the clock” to track down the pair.

“We will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our police officers to hold violent offenders fully accountable,” Patel added.

Authorities said the two men, who had previously been arrested in New York City, approached off-duty Detective Jose Mercedes on an e-bike in broad daylight Friday afternoon and tried to steal his gold chain in the Bronx.

Mercedes fought back, but the attackers allegedly stabbed him seven times before speeding away and leaving him bleeding on the sidewalk, police said.

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The detective, who is assigned to the NYPD’s 44th Precinct in the Bronx, survived the attack because the knife missed his vital organs, according to sources.

He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center for treatment and released Monday.

Authorities released the suspects’ identities Tuesday as a major manhunt continued across multiple states.

Surveillance footage captured the alleged robbers near the crime scene. Mejia, identified as the driver, was seen racing along the sidewalk, while Caraballo—the suspected stabber—sat shirtless behind him.

Both men entered the United States illegally during the Biden administration and had previously been arrested in New York for various alleged offenses. Critics of the city’s sanctuary policies say those policies limited local law-enforcement cooperation with ICE and allowed the suspects to remain free.

“Both of these suspects were released into the country by the Biden administration, and despite multiple prior arrests in New York, sanctuary politicians refused to cooperate with ICE and released them,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.

A downtown Ithaca bar named in the lawsuit driving Cornell University’s sexual assault controversy is challenging the alleged victim’s claim that it served her alcohol while she was underage. The business has now made the denial part of its formal court response.

Moonies Bar & Nightclub, a venue popular with Cornell students, told Fox News that underage attendees at a private Tri Delta sorority event on Oct. 19, 2024, had an “X” placed on their hands. Guests who were at least 21 received wristbands, and the bar said its bartenders served alcohol only to those wearing them.

Both Doe’s complaint and Moonies’ account agree that she was identified as underage. The two accounts diverge, however, over whether she was served alcohol after being marked.

In her lawsuit, Doe alleges that a Moonies bouncer marked both hands of the then-20-year-old with an “X” to show she was under 21. She claims she was nevertheless served and drank at least one alcoholic beverage inside the club.

“No alcohol was served to anyone who had mark on their hands,” Moonies said in a statement to Fox News Tuesday, rejecting Doe’s allegation.

Moonies also said Doe worked for the company from February through March 2025 and spoke with staff about the October 2024 incident during that time.

The bar said Doe did not tell employees in those conversations that she had been intoxicated at Moonies or that one of its bartenders had served her alcohol.

News Media reached out to Doe’s attorney for a response to both claims made by Moonies.

In an answer filed Sunday in New York Supreme Court, Zareen Enterprises LLC, which operates as Moonies Bar & Nightclub, denied illegally selling or providing alcohol to anyone under the legal drinking age. The company also denied serving alcohol to anyone who appeared visibly intoxicated.

The filing directly rejects the portion of Doe’s complaint alleging that Moonies served her despite the underage marking on her hands. The company further denied that any action or failure to act by its employees caused the injuries she alleges.

Moonies has asked the court to dismiss all claims against the bar.

The dispute unfolds as the broader case continues to shake Cornell and attract national scrutiny. Thousands of people rallied on campus Monday, while faculty senators advanced a no-confidence resolution targeting the university’s central administration over its handling of sexual assault. Gov. Kathy Hochul has also designated the New York Attorney General’s Office as special prosecutor, with Attorney General Letitia James overseeing what she has described as an “active criminal investigation.”

Moonies said the private Tri Delta event ran from 9 to 11 p.m. and drew approximately 185 people. About 150 attendees were over 21, while 35 were underage, according to the bar.

The company said it had a contract with the sorority and used hand markings to identify underage guests, while giving wristbands to attendees who were legally permitted to drink.

Moonies described Doe’s account of being served alcohol as “completely inaccurate,” maintaining that its staff “strictly followed the rules and did not serve alcohol to any underaged guests.”

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In its legal response, Moonies raised additional defenses, arguing that Doe cannot prove the bar unlawfully sold alcohol to an underage or visibly intoxicated person or that any such sale caused her alleged injuries. The company said it complied with all laws and regulations governing alcohol service.

The disagreement addresses one portion of Doe’s account of the hours before the alleged assault, including what occurred at Moonies before she went to Chi Phi.

Doe’s lawsuit says she began drinking vodka at the Tri Delta sorority house before a housemother accompanied her to Moonies. She later went to another Ithaca bar, left by herself at about 11 p.m. and walked to the Chi Phi fraternity house, where she planned to meet a friend who belonged to the fraternity.

According to the complaint, Doe had consumed about 10 standard drinks over three hours and appeared visibly intoxicated when she arrived at Chi Phi.

Once inside, Doe alleges she was given another beer before going upstairs, where two fraternity members pressured her into snorting what they said was ketamine, a drug she says she had never previously taken. She alleges they also gave her marijuana and high-proof liquor before sexual activity began.

Doe alleges other fraternity members became involved as the night progressed and that she eventually became “completely incapacitated.” Seven former Chi Phi fraternity brothers are accused in her lawsuit of sexual assault and rape.

The men have denied wrongdoing, with some maintaining that sexual activity was consensual and others denying they participated. No criminal charges have been filed against the seven men.

The case burst into public view when Doe filed the 101-page lawsuit Sept. 16, nearly two years after the alleged encounter.

In addition to the seven former fraternity members, Doe sued Cornell University, Chi Phi and affiliated entities, her own Tri Delta sorority and Moonies, among others, alleging that institutions around her failed to protect her before, during and after the events of that night.

The lawsuit’s allegations prompted renewed scrutiny of the original criminal investigation.

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who initially declined to pursue charges, has said the six-page sworn statement his office received from Cornell University Police in 2024 did not allege that Doe was drugged against her will or gang-raped and instead described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as “voluntary, conscious, and consensual.”

A fuller transcript of Doe’s November 2024 police interviews later obtained by CBS New York included statements in which she distinguished the initial sexual encounter from later activity and explicitly told investigators she had been raped.

Van Houten said his office had never received that transcript.

Experts recently raised a surprising concern about one of Britain’s favourite afternoon bakes: banana bread.

Scientists at a biotechnology company in Norwich have developed non-browning bananas, genetically modified fruit designed to remain yellow and edible for several extra days.

Tropic, the firm responsible for the development, says the bananas could significantly reduce food waste. If adopted on a large scale, the company estimates they could help cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by 9million tonnes.

Yet experienced home bakers know there is a downside: without soft, overripe bananas, a loaf can lose much of its characteristic sweetness and flavour.

The development also raises another question: should we be eating less of this popular bake, which is often considered a healthier choice than a standard slice of chocolate cake?

‘Banana bread has a healthy image because it contains fruit, but it can actually provide similar levels of sugar, fat and calories to other cakes,’ explains Nichola Ludlam-Raine, dietitian and author of How Not To Eat Ultra Processed.

So how nutritious is banana bread really, and can a few simple changes make a homemade loaf kinder to your waistline? Nutrition experts share their verdict.

What’s in banana bread? 

Banana bread first emerged in 1930s America, when home cooks began looking for ways to use overripe bananas, which had become increasingly easy to buy.

At the same time, baking powder was becoming a more familiar supermarket staple, encouraging households to try new methods and recipes in the kitchen.

Although banana bread is widely available in shops and cafés, many people still prefer to bake a loaf at home.

A traditional recipe usually combines butter, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, a little salt and very ripe bananas.

Based on a typical recipe, one slice contains approximately 268 calories, 13g of fat, including 8g of saturated fat, 24g of sugar, 3.8g of protein and 0.5g of salt. It also provides just 1g of fibre, which is important for healthy digestion.

‘Some of the roughly six teaspoons of sugar in a slice comes naturally from the bananas and therefore does not count towards the daily 30g limit for “free” sugars,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine. However, she points out that the recipe also contains a substantial amount of added sugar, meaning the natural fruit sugar may account for only about a third of the total.

In practical terms, a single slice can therefore contain more than half of the recommended daily allowance for free sugars.

The saturated fat content is also significant, equating to around 40 per cent of a woman’s recommended daily limit and approximately a quarter of a man’s. Eating too much saturated fat can affect heart health.

Even so, that amount is broadly comparable to the saturated fat found in a serving of Greek yoghurt.

How does it compare to more indulgent cakes?

Good news if you’re a carrot cake fan – there’s little difference, nutrition-wise, between the two, apart from a teaspoon extra sugar. 

A slice of homemade carrot cake contains around 279 calories, 6-7g of saturated fat, 28g of sugar, 3g of protein and a small 1g of fibre. 

Both carrot and banana bread are far better options than chocolate cake, says Ro Huntriss, a consultant dietitian and chief nutrition officer at weight-loss platform Simple Life App.

‘Victoria sponge and chocolate cake are the most indulgent per portion, with around twice the calories of the banana bread and considerably more sugar and saturated fat,’ she says. 

‘However, people tend to have larger portions of cake, compared to banana bread because of the way you cut it. So consider eating a much smaller slice.’ 

A slice of Victoria sponge contains around 435 calories, 18g of saturated fat, 24g of sugar and 1.5g of fibre while a slice of chocolate cake contains 523 calories, 18g of saturated fat, 47g of sugar and 2g of fibre.

If you fancy a biscuit that won’t have too much of an impact on the scale, Ms Huntriss suggests opting for a Rich Tea or Digestive.

A Rich Tea contains a small 38 calories, 0.6g of saturated fat and 1.5g of sugar.  Meanwhile, a Digestive contains a modest 76 calories, 1.5g of saturated fat and 2.5g of sugar.

‘But keep to two or three biscuits. Eating half a packet will make the swap pointless,’ says Ms Huntriss.

How do you make banana bread healthy? 

Adding more bananas is one simple way to up the fibre – which we all need more of – and reduce the added sugar in your weekly slice. 

‘Fruit can add fibre but also potassium. This means you’re getting benefits you wouldn’t get with similar cake without fruit,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine.

In the UK, most adults only get about 18g of fibre a day, according to the British Dietetic Association (BDA) – considerably lower than the recommended 30g per day.

Low fibre can cause problems with digestion that raise the risk of bowel cancer. 

Fibre – found in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains – has also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Potassium, meanwhile, is crucial for healthy blood pressure.

A typical banana contains around 3g of fibre, meaning you might get an extra half a gram or so depending on the size of your slice. But making sure you lose some of the sugar is key.

‘Very ripe bananas provide sweetness and moisture, which can allow you to use less added sugar,’ adds Ms Ludlam-Raine.

‘But it isn’t necessarily a straight gram-for-gram swap, because sugar also affects texture and browning, so I’d start with a recipe designed to use less added sugar.’

As well as fruit, adding nuts, seeds, oats and/or wholemeal flour to your bake can boost the fibre content. 

Although this may increase the calorie content slightly, experts say it’s likely to be worth it for the extra nutrients. 

With banana bread’s fairly high saturated fat content, you might also want to consider swapping out some of the butter.

‘Try using rapeseed oil or natural yoghurt instead of large amounts of butter which can lower the saturated fat content,’ says Ms Huntriss.

Greek yoghurt can be a good partial substitute too, plus it also provides some protein to help keep you fuller for longer.

A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments Wednesday over whether Saudi Arabia can avoid a lawsuit accusing the kingdom of supporting the 9/11 hijackers, as relatives of New Yorkers killed in the attacks closely follow the proceedings.

More than two decades after the terrorist attacks, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan will review a major August 2025 ruling by a lower-court judge that left Saudi Arabia potentially liable for damages in the long-running civil case.

Judges Guido Calabresi, William Nardini and Eunice Lee are scheduled to hear presentations from attorneys representing both the Saudi government and families of the 9/11 victims.

US District Judge George Daniels ruled that the families had uncovered “reasonable evidence” suggesting the Saudi government operated a support network for the hijackers. Riyadh has consistently denied having any involvement in the attacks.

Daniels said a jury could reasonably conclude that Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national who helped arrange housing in California for two American Airlines Flight 77 hijackers, may have been working in coordination with Saudi officials.

Court filings describe al-Bayoumi as a suspected Saudi intelligence operative who hosted a “welcome party” for the two hijackers. He also possessed flight calculations that could have been used to steer an aircraft toward targets and was reportedly captured on video “casing” the US Capitol.

Saudi officials are challenging Daniels’ ruling and are expected to repeat their argument that the kingdom, as a sovereign nation, is protected from being sued in a US courtroom.

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The defense has intensified the anger of families who have spent years seeking accountability for the attacks.

“The Kingdom continues to lie in court and deny any culpability, when the evidence shows that their agents were directly involved in the attacks,” said Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United. Her husband, Tom, worked as a bond broker at Cantor Fitzgerald and died in the north tower.

Filed in 2004, the families’ lawsuit alleges that religious extremists gained access to influential positions within the Saudi government and used that support to assist the hijackers.

“Saudi Arabia is a supposed ally and a friend of ours. Friends don’t treat friends like that,” said Brett Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed in the attacks.

The September 11, 2001, attacks claimed the lives of 2,977 civilians. Nineteen al Qaeda members — including 15 Saudi citizens — seized four commercial planes, crashing them into New York’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Osama bin Laden, the terrorist organization’s leader, came from one of Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest families. The kingdom later revoked his citizenship after he became an outspoken critic of both the United States and the Saudi government.

The case has undergone years of legal delays and reversals, including the passage of a federal law that expanded the ability of 9/11 families to sue foreign governments accused of supporting terrorism. Multiple lawsuits were eventually combined, with the claims focusing more directly on whether Saudi officials assisted the hijackers after they arrived in the United States in early 2000.

Wednesday’s oral arguments are expected to run for roughly 45 minutes. The appeals court will issue its decision in a written ruling at a later date.

South Carolina prosecutors are pushing back against Alex Murdaugh’s claim that the state failed to turn over crucial “raw” cellphone evidence, according to newly filed court documents.

The state’s response, filed Tuesday, addresses a motion submitted by Murdaugh’s defense in September. His attorneys argued that they had not received extraction files, keychain files or extraction logs from smartphones seized during the investigation.

Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of killing his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, in 2021.

He received two life sentences. But in May 2026, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill improperly influenced jurors.

Murdaugh’s retrial is set to begin in April 2027.

In the latest filings, prosecutors contend that Murdaugh’s attorneys had already received the disputed material—sometimes more than once. The state characterized the defense’s new allegations as “false” and “manufactured,” saying they conflict with the team’s own emails.

The prosecution included 40 pages of emails, screenshots of file folders and signed discovery receipts covering the period from late 2022 through early 2023.

The records indicate that South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigators gave defense experts complete, unredacted cellphone extractions, password logs, keychain files and related reports as early as October and November 2022.

Prosecutors also cited emails exchanged Jan. 20, 2023—just three days before jury selection in the original trial. In those messages, the defense asked for another copy of Murdaugh’s phone extraction, saying the original had been misplaced.

“The State will be glad to send the cell phone evidence to the defense yet one more time if they have somehow messed up or lost their copies again,” prosecutors wrote in the motion.

News Media has contacted Murdaugh’s defense team for comment.