HELLO! magazine 1662

‘When Louise and I got together, I’d been through a really tough time. We’re even more of a team now… stronger than ever’ Throwing open the doors to his sprawling Cheshire home exclusively for HELLO! , Russell Watson looks the picture of health and happiness – and with good reason. It has been more than a decade since the gifted tenor overcame two potentially life-threatening brain tumours, and now he is celebrating 20 years as one of the world’s best-loved classical singers with a new album, as well as toasting five blissful years of marriage with his wife Louise, who joins Russell – and their many pets – for this exclusive photoshoot. “Life is flying by so quickly. Louise and I have been together for nearly 11 years and married for five and…

The Queen led the royal family and the nation in honouring the fallen as the annual Remembrance Sunday service took place at the Cenotaph in London last week. Her Majesty watched from a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as the ceremony she has attended for the past seven decades played out in a different but no less poignant way amid a second lockdown across England. It was the first time she has been pictured with her family since they attended the Commonwealth Day service in March, but strict Covid-19 guidelines saw them standing socially distanced from each other. Dressed in black, with a cluster of five poppies pinned to her coat above the Dorset Bow Brooch, the monarch, 94, was joined by her lady-in-waiting Susan Rhodes, daughter-in-law of her late…

‘In this challenging year, we have perhaps come to realise that the freedoms for which those who served fought are more precious than we knew’ Since it began in 1923, the Royal British Legion’s annual Festival of Remembrance has seen London’s Royal Albert Hall filled with members of the armed forces standing shoulder to shoulder. Last week, coronavirus measures meant that only 49 people could take part or observe instead of the usual thousands, and they had to remain socially distanced. But the spectacle of a million poppy petals fluttering from the ceiling, symbolising British and Commonwealth war dead since 1914, remained as powerful as ever. Normally attended by all senior royals, this year – the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War – the Prince of Wales and the…

‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ Wearing her poppies with pride, the Duchess of Cornwall joined the Prince of Wales and the entire nation to fall silent on Remembrance Day. Camilla, 73, sported a Royal British Legion mask emblazoned with the scarlet flower as she and Prince Charles led tributes at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey to mark 100 years to the day since the unidentified soldier was laid to rest. Following the two-minute silence at 11am, Charles, 71, placed a wreath of red roses and bay leaves on the black marble gravestone, the same floral tribute lain on the casket by his great-grandfather George V in 1920. He also gave a reading from John 15:12-17, saying: “Greater love…

They may not have been with the rest of the royal family, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were determined to mark Remembrance Sunday in their own way last week. The couple made a poignant visit to the Los Angeles National Cemetery to lay a wreath, hours after the commemorations at the Cenotaph in London. Wearing a navy suit and his service medals, army veteran Prince Harry solemnly placed the tribute at the foot of a granite obelisk honouring war dead, inscribed with the words: “In memory of the men who offered their lives in defense of their country.” His card read: “To all of those who have served and are serving. Thank you.” Meghan stood at his side as they bowed their heads in reflection. Walking hand in hand through the graveyard, the…

Her love for the royal family is well known, and now Geri Horner has been transformed into the original queen of girl power for a new project. Launching her YouTube series Rainbow Woman, which will follow her adventures and feature her music, the former Spice Girl – who dons an elaborate costume to pay tribute to Elizabeth I – tells HELLO! : “I think we are living in an age where we want to connect. We want something real. I just want to share what I love, and I like telling stories. “When we go on these adventures, I hope you find them empowering and hopeful.” The first episode, The Queen Speaks, which was filmed at Ashridge House in Hertfordshire, sees Geri dress up as Elizabeth I. “I’ve always instinctively loved her because…