The Princes in the Tower: Has 500-year-old murder mystery been solved?

A historian claims to have proof that the Princes in the Tower of London were not murdered by their uncle Richard III.

Most historians believe Richard killed his nephews in the summer of 1483 after their father, Edward IV, died unexpectedly, despite a lack of hard evidence linking him to the murders.

The boys, Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, were 12 and nine respectively when their father died. They were taken one by one to the Tower of London in expectation of Edward V’s coronation, but never emerged.

Philippa Langley, the historian and screenwriter who played a key role in uncovering Richard III’s remains in a Leicester car park, has spent the last ten years investigating the case.

Ms Langley teamed up with professional cold case investigators, some of whom work with the police on unsolved murder to join her Missing Princes Project.

Uncovering a treasure trove of never-before-seen documents and letters she believes she has built a strong enough case for the boys’ survival from the Tower of London.

The conventional narrative has always been Richard III’s loyal servant, Sir James Tyrell, was the boys’ killer, after a confession, obtained under torture, before his execution for treason in 1502. Ms Langley argues that for it to have been worthwhile for Richard to kill the princes, he had to display their bodies, “otherwise he did it for no reason”, putting himself in jeopardy.

Following the death of King Richard at the battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485, Henry VII became King but Ms Langley said the Princes rose again and challenged him for the throne.

She said: “But Henry attempted to cast the Yorkist Princes as impostors by giving them false names and reverse-engineering their stories: Edward V became a 10 year-old boy called ‘Lambert Simnel’, the son of a joiner, tailor, barber, baker, organ-maker or shoemaker, and Richard, Duke of York became ‘Perkin Warbeck’ the son of a French boatman.”

The documents she uncovered include letters supporting a rebellion by “Edward IV’s son” in 1487, the year of Simnel’s uprising – which ended in him being crowned in Ireland. They also found fresh references to a boy said to be “a son of King Edward”.

On Richard, three items signed with his seal have emerged in Europe, as well as letters allegedly written by him to James IV of Scotland and even a document from the Pope.

A biography of his life as an escaped prince also emerged but the author remains a mystery.

Simnel and Warbeck ultimately confessed to being impostors, but Ms Langley and her team of researchers insist these were false confessions extracted by Henry VII to discredit the challengers.

Asked by The Times if this amounted to proof, she said: “Had we supplied this amount of evidence in this book to say Richard III had murdered the Princes in the Tower, would you be asking me that question?”

“I would say that they now have to prove that Richard III murdered the Princes in the Tower.”

Officially, the princes’ remains were found in 1674, when workmen at the Tower dug up a wooden box containing two skeletons. Four years later, the bones were placed in an urn and interred in Westminster Abbey on the orders of King Charles II.

Richard III

The prime suspect, escorted Edward V to the Tower of London where he was last seen.

Motive – insecure hold on the Monarchy due to the way he obtained the crown, faced rebellions from the Yorkists loyal to Edward IV prior to Parliament conforming his title to the throne in January 1484.

Evidence – circumstantial. Ms Langley argues that it would have better served Richard III to display the dead bodies in public to prevent pretenders to the throne coming forward.

Henry VII (Henry Tudor)

Richard III’s rival who defeated his forces at the Battle of Bosworth.

Motive – executed rival claimants to the throne following his coronation.

Evidence – Henry Tudor was out of the country at the time of the princes’ disappearance and so could only have murdered them post-accession. Historians have called the theory the only plausible alternative to Richard III’s being the killer.

Henry Stafford

2nd Duke of Buckingham, kingmaker and breaker: played a major role in the rise and fall of Richard III.

Motive – held a claim to the throne through the House of Beaufort family.

Evidence – a manuscript found in the early 1980s in the College of Arms collection states that the princes were murdered “be [by] the vise” of the Duke of Buckingham. There is some argument over whether “vise” means “advice” or “devise”.

Sir James Tyrell

English knight, loyal servant to Richard III.

Motive – following the orders of his King.

Evidence – said to have confessed under torture to the murder of the princes before his execution for treason in 1502, according to Sir Thomas More’s The History of King Richard III. The original document containing his confession was never produced. Shakespeare portrayed Tyrell as the murderer in his play Richard III.

Ukraine war: Zelensky shares photos of prisoner swap

Volodymyr Zelensky declared Ukraine was ‘bringing out people home’ after the first stage of a large-scale prisoner swap took place.

The Ukrainian president said 390 prisoners were returned on Friday, with more to follow over the weekend in the ‘1,000-for-1,000’ prisoner of war swap agreed with Russia in the first direct talks between the two countries in Turkey last week.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the countries swapped 270 prisoners of war and 120 civilians with each other, making it the largest such exchange in the whole of the three-year conflict.

The POW exchange came after Kyiv’s former military chief turned ambassador to the UK warned that Ukraine must abandon dreams of regaining all territory lost to Russia.

Valery Zaluzhnyi, 51, suggested the only way Ukraine could regain its land would be through a “miracle” and Ukraine was unlikely to regain the borders it had in 1991 or even 2022.

Zelensky and other public figures have long called for the eviction of Russian forces and a return to the 1991 borders, including Crimea.

But as efforts over recent months have focused on launching talks to secure a ceasefire, public statements by Kyiv have been more moderate on the question of ceding territory.

Peevish hereditary peers are not qualified to make rules

In the House of Lords they are still busy debating a bill that will decide whether 92 assorted dukes, earls, viscounts and hereditary barons should continue to have a role in making laws for the rest of us.

Talking of which, my eye was caught this week by a messy family saga involving the 8th Marquess of Ailesbury, who, along with 666 blue-blooded colleagues, was peremptorily booted out of the Upper Chamber in the great Blair purge of aristos in 1999. Only 92 hereditaries were left standing.

The current row among the Ailesbury clan is over money. Theirs is a complicated family tree, since the late marquess (aka Michael Brudenell-Bruce), who died last year aged 98, had been married and divorced three times before settling down with an exotic former fashion model who once dated Frank Sinatra, Teresa Marshall de Paoli.

Marshall de Paoli, 89, says members of the family have accused her of pushing her late husband, the marquess, out of the window – a claim she denies. But before we consider the subsequent unpleasantness over his estate, it is as well to retrace how the marquess inherited his title – and with it the honour of sitting in the House of Lords for 25 years.

Brudenell-Bruce, or MB-B, as we will shorthand him, is descended from Lord Cardigan, who led the Light Brigade into a smog of doom (“someone had blundered”) in Crimea in 1854. The historian Cecil Woodham-Smith’s definitive account of the battle described the Earl of Cardigan as handsome and gallant, but arrogant, snobbish and short-tempered – an almost caricature nobleman.

The Cardigan title dates back to 1611, when the first Earl picked up the title for £1,000. The first Marquess of Ailesbury was a modestly active MP in the early 19th century. He was also, in the way of the aristocracy, the holder of several other offices: the 1st Viscount Savernake of Savernake Forest (dating back to the Battle of Hastings) and the 1st Earl Bruce of Whorlton in Yorkshire. MB-B, therefore, had the pick of three titles and, initially at least, preferred to be known as Viscount Savernake.

Are you keeping up?

So far as the Ailesbury title goes, we can skip to the 7th Marquess, who also married three times, and who moved out of England for tax purposes in the late 1960s. By now a stockbroker, MB-B inherited the top title in 1974, but didn’t make his maiden speech as a marquess until five years later.

In a 1979 House of Lords debate on “The English Language: Deterioration in Usage,” MB-B told of his anguish at a British Leyland car advertisement that contained a split infinitive. He spoke of writing to the BL boss, Lord Stokes, to complain. He went on to deplore the words “ongoing” and “upcoming”, before sitting down after nine minutes. Hansard records few contributions in his subsequent quarter of a century in the Upper Chamber.

And so to his death in May last year. The police were called to his home after his partner (TMdP) claimed to have found her partner lying in a pool of blood while she was looking for their cat, Honeybun. PC Katherine Taylor told the inquest that TMdP’s “main concern at that point was the cat”.

MB-B had two belts around his arms, apparently to prevent him from trying to break his fall. Whether the belts were attached by himself or another hand was a matter of conjecture, since Honeybun, the only potential witness, was saying nothing.

Another police officer, Sergeant Carla McCrae, said she found it “unusual” when TMdP told her MB-B “must have fallen out of the window trying to save the cat”. According to TMdP, MB-B had previously talked about assisted dying, but complained that “lefty nurses” stopped doctors from helping people to die.

In a striking hereditary echo through the ages, the coroner said that MB-B was probably aware of the circumstances of the death of his mother, the Countess of Cardigan, who fell from a seventh-floor window at the Savoy Hotel in 1937. She reportedly left a note describing her family as a “feckless and unstable lot”.

The coroner in the present case returned a verdict of suicide, and then the family feud burst out into public view. It transpired that the 9th marquess, one David Brudenell-Bruce, was estranged from his father. DB-B has been involved in a number of legal actions over family assets over the years. At one point he was reported to be claiming jobseeker’s allowance while training to be a lorry driver.

Sadly, DB-B’s own son, Thomas B-B (aka, Viscount Savernake) appears to have taken TMdP’s side of the rows, which have been chronicled extensively by the Daily Mail. And he himself has been unsuccessfully fighting his sister, Bo Bruce (aka Lady Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce), who was a runner-up on the 2012 TV series The Voice, over a £2.4m house left to them by her mother, Lady Rosamond, former Countess of Cardigan.

Bo’s relationship with her father was a troubled one: she was arrested and cautioned for slashing the tyres of his silver Audi (“It was very therapeutic”). Space does not allow me to do full justice to the legal blood-letting over the years. Bo described her family to The Times as “eccentric and painfully dysfunctional”.

This is Shakespeare with a touch of Coronation Street. It is EastEnders as scripted by PG Wodehouse. Neighbours with a flick of Julian Fellowes.

The saga of the Ailesburys may be an unedifying one, but such family feuds and miseries are commonplace throughout society. The aristocracy are, arguably, no worse than the rest of us, but nor are they better than those of us without titles, hand-me-down wealth, ancient forestry or crumbling mansions.

The mystery is why the hereditary principle took such a hold on us for so long. Blair only managed to get most of the aristocracy out of the House of Lords in 1999 by accepting a compromise, whereby 92 of them remained – with periodic by-elections when one falls off the perch.

Not even Wodehouse could do justice to these plebiscites. In the most recent by-election, following the death of Lord Brougham and Vaux, there were 259 votes and 14 candidates. The winner, with 133 votes, was the 8th Baron Camoys. It makes the recent conclave in the Sistine Chapel look positively futuristic.

Lord Camoys, an Eton-educated conservative, is there because of someone called Ralph de Camoys (d. 1336), who was a favourite of Edward II. So, who better to call the shots for British citizens today?

And yet, we are still arguing about the latest proposal to dump the aristocracy from any role in making laws for the rest of us. Endless justifications are still being trundled out by peevish peers: hereditariness brings continuity and experience; geographical and social diversity (yes, really!); pragmatic stability; a public-minded sense of duty. And so on.

The bill is currently at the report stage and, notwithstanding these persuasive debating points, will almost certainly pass. And that will be the end of the road for the 8th Baron Camoys and his colleagues, along with the hereditary principle in British public life.

Apart, obviously, from the monarchy.

Harvard sues Trump administration over international student ban

Harvard University has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s decision to stop the institution from enrolling international students, arguing the move is unconstitutional and retaliatory.

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in a Boston federal court, alleges the government’s action breaches the First Amendment and will have a “devastating effect” on Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.

Harvard’s legal action contends the administration’s decision effectively “erase[s] a quarter of Harvard’s student body,” compromising the university’s identity and mission.

The university emphasized the significant contributions of its international students, saying: “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”

It is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from implementing the ban.

The Trump administration’s move has thrown campus into disarray days before graduation, Harvard said in the suit.

International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors and participate in Harvard sports are now left deciding whether to transfer or risk losing legal status to stay in the country, according to the filing.

The impact is heaviest at graduate schools such as the Harvard Kennedy School, where almost half the student body comes from abroad, and Harvard Business School, which is made up of about one-third international students.

Along with its impact on current students, the move blocks thousands of students who were planning to come for classes in the summer and fall.

The Ivy League school says it is now at a disadvantage as it competes for the world’s top students. Even if it regains the ability to host students, “future applicants may shy away from applying out of fear of further reprisals from the government,” the suit said.

If the government’s action stands, Harvard said, the university would be unable to offer admission to new international students for at least the next two academic years.

Schools that have that certification withdrawn by the federal government are ineligible to reapply until one year afterward, Harvard said.

Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students and they come from more than 100 countries.

The department announced the action on Thursday, accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus.

It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, contending the school had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

Harvard President Alan Garber said earlier in May the university has made changes to its governance over the past year and a half, including a broad strategy to combat antisemitism.

He said Harvard would not budge on its “its core, legally- protected principles” over fears of retaliation.

Harvard has said it will respond at a later time to allegations first raised by House Republicans about coordination with the Chinese Communist Party.

The threat to Harvard’s international enrollment stems from a 16 April request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that Harvard provide information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.

Noem said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within 72 hours.

Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.

The suit is separate from the university’s earlier one challenging more than $2 billion in federal cuts imposed by the Republican administration.

Haunting moment Oceangate CEO’s wife hears Titan submersible implode

New video reveals the harrowing moment the wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush listened live as the Titan submersible imploded during its deep-sea voyage to the wreck of the Titanic.

Footage recently obtained by the U.S. Coast Guard shows Wendy Rush, an Oceangate company director, attempting to contact Titan on June 18, 2023, as the sub began to dive 2.4 miles towards the Titanic shipwreck, which lies 380 miles from St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada.

On board the sub’s support ship, Rush sat in front of a computer that sent and received text messages from Titan.

“What was that bang?” she said with a smile, unaware that the Titan had just suffered a catastrophic implosion.

Moments later, Rush received a message from the sub stating that it had dropped two eights, which appeared to have led her to believe that the dive was going according to plan.

To Rush, the grim reality of events remained unclear: the message had taken longer to arrive at the support ship than the sound of the implosion.

The video of Rush, first obtained by the BBC for its upcoming documentary Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster, has been presented as evidence to the USCG Marine Board of Investigation, which has spent the last two years investigating the sub’s catastrophic failure.

It took four days for parts of the sub to be discovered following the “catastrophic implosion,” with the sub’s last known position about 1,600 feet away from the Titanic. Debris was found as close as 900 feet away from the ship’s bow, the USCG revealed in a Titan Marine Board of Investigation inquiry in September last year.

All five crew members died, including OceanGate’s CEO, British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman, as well as French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who earned the nickname “Mr Titanic”.

Warning signs had been raised prior to the dive, according to testimony from several former employees at the USGC’s inquiry in September.

Matthew McCoy, who worked at OceanGate for six months in 2017, testified on the final day of the inquiry that the company’s engineering department was “full of college interns” at the time, adding that he “doesn’t believe” there was a professional engineer on staff.

Another former employee described the Titan’s design as an “abomination” and said the disaster was “inevitable.”

Titan had never undergone an independent safety assessment, and a key concern was that the main body of the sub, the hull, where the passengers sat, was made of layers of carbon fibre mixed with resin, which was deemed unreliable under pressure.

The USCG said sensors fitted to Titan show that the bang was caused by delamination, the separation of layered materials.

Family holiday guide: why the Costa Dorada ticks every travel box

If there’s one thing every parent knows, it’s that children can sometimes (as much as we love them) be hard to please. So the key to any family holiday destination is variety: somewhere you can spend a sunny day by the sea, but where you can also enjoy breathtaking nature, as well as fascinating culture and history.

The brilliant news? The Costa Dorada (known locally as Costa Daurada) delivers all of this in spades, offering everything from theme parks and waterparks to stunning beaches, picturesque hiking and cycling trails, and incredible historical sites. What’s more, with Jet2holidays flying to the Costa Dorada from 12 UK airports and a range of two to five-star accommodation, it’s easy to get your family getaway in the bag. Jet2holidays is always giving you more, to help make planning and booking as smooth as possible. That goes for the PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments** option, 22kg baggage and 10kg hand luggage for all the kids’ stuff, and return transfers† that are included. Look out for Free Child Places***, while infants under two go free‡.

Here’s what to look forward to on your family getaway…

With 50 miles of coastline and 26 Blue Flag beaches, families are spoilt for choice when it comes to somewhere to pitch up at with a unicorn-shaped inflatable and a bucket and spade. The stretches of soft sand are long and golden, with safe, calm and shallow waters perfect for little ones. And in many places, water sports and beach activities to suit older children.

Some of the most popular seaside resorts include Salou, which houses the charming Platja Llarga, surrounded by a small pine forest. And there’s Cambrils, where you’ll find Platja del Cavet, which boasts a water sports school and open water swimming channel. Vila-seca, la Pineda Platja, is known for its nearly two miles of fine, champagne-sand beach, fronted by a long promenade, while Tarragona has a range of fantastic options, including Platja del Miracle in the heart of the city. There, you’ll find a great range of bars and restaurants and Platja de la Savinosa, a quieter beach enveloped by imposing cliffs. Many of these can be reached by easy coastal paths.

Another advantage of the Costa Dorada is its many theme parks and waterparks. For a real all-rounder, head to PortAventura World in Vila-seca, la Pineda Platja, a three-in-one park that’s one of Europe’s largest. Here you can enjoy everything from thrilling rollercoasters, rides (don’t miss Dragon Khan, which reaches over 68 miles per hour) and live entertainment. Then pop your swimmers on to enjoy waterfalls, pools and beaches at Caribe Aquatic Park. After you’ve had fun splashing around, head to Ferrari Land, which has a range of spectacular attractions that will make you feel like a real F1 driver.

Get even more thrills at nearby Aquopolis Costa Dorada. It has a range of attractions for all ages, from toddler-friendly and gentle – like the Mini-Park playground and Treasure Island – to more high-octane rides, such as the Boomerang, a speedy waterslide. Or there’s the Kamikaze that older kids will love. Alternatively, Náutic Park offers a range of fun activities and experiences spanning a coastal area of nearly 60 miles including those in Salou, Cambrils, Vandellós – l’Hospitalet de l’Infant and Mont-roig – Miami Platja. Whether you want to rent a sailing boat for the day, try a water bike or even take part in an escape room on the beach, Nàutic Park has it all.

Finally, Aqualeon, near Tarragona, has plenty of enjoyable rides and slides too. The Rapid River is fun for all the family, where you’ll feel like you’re gently ‘flying’ over the water. All the while, the Crazy Race pits you against grown-ups and siblings to see who can get down the slide first. Do you dare to ride the Anaconda? Featuring two intertwined tubes, it’s suitable only for the bravest…

Getting the kids out into the fresh air can sometimes feel like a struggle, but when the scenery in the Costa Dorada is this beautiful, nobody will feel it’s a hardship. Head inland to the striking Prades Mountains, which has a wealth of hiking and cycling trails in the area. These are filled with quaint villages and jaw-dropping viewpoints, where you can get active, immerse yourself in nature, and explore the distinctive, rocky landscape. Don’t miss the Gorgs route, near La Febro, known for its scenic natural pools and waterfalls.

For fascinating grottoes and gorges, head to Serra de Montsant Natural Park, which has dozens of walking trails which offer spectacular views. Back at ground level, in Cambrils, Parc Samà is a lovely botanical garden where kids will enjoy visiting the aviary, filled with exotic birds, as well as looking out for the deer, pheasants and peacocks which also call this place home.

With its rich history, there are stacks of captivating sights in the Costa Dorada that will grab your kids’ imaginations. Take them back to Roman times at archaeological sites, such as the amphitheatre of Tarragona; it was used for fights between wild beasts, races and gladiatorial combat. All these are brought excitingly to life by guided tours and interactive exhibits. Children will also love walking the Roman walls, and exploring the Circus and Forum, with the open-air setting making for the ultimate mix of education and adventure.

In a quiet spot at the end of a valley, nestled under the Montsant hills, you’ll find Cartoixa d’Escaladei (see main image), a 12th-century monastery founded by French monks at a site where a shepherd had dreamt of angels coming down from the sky. Here you can enjoy guided tours around its three cloisters, church and refectory, while learning the history and purpose of each building.

Finally, stoke their creativity with a visit to the Gaudí Centre in Reus, where the architect Antoni Gaudí was born. It offers an interactive and engaging experience that brings his genius to life in a way that appeals to all ages. You’ll find real objects related to him, detailed mock-ups of his iconic works, and a special effects room that immerses visitors in his groundbreakingly imaginative world.

With Jet2holidays, it’s a doddle to book your family getaway to the Costa Dorada. From a low £60 per person deposit* to PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments**, 22kg baggage for all the kids’ stuff to return transfers†, it’s all included. Families can make the most of Free Child Places*** and infants under two going free‡. And with flights included and the choice of two to five-star hotels, Jet2holidays is always giving you more. For more Costa Dorada travel inspiration, and to find and book your ultimate family holiday, visit Jet2holidays. Plus, right now, myJet2 members can save £100 per person§ in The Big Jet2 Price Drop (correct at original publish date).

*On bookings made ten weeks or more before departure. Full payment required by balance due date. **Spread the cost over three interest-free payments. Available when booked online, for holidays under £2,000, departing within ten weeks. ***One free child place per two paying passengers. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#FCP2025 for further details. †Unless otherwise stated. ‡Applicable for all infants under the age of two years on the date of return. Infants are not entitled to a flight seat (they must be seated with a parent or guardian) or a 22kg baggage allowance. §£100 per person off holidays for myJet2 members departing until 15 November 2026. myJet2 members will need to be logged into their account at the time of booking for the discount to automatically apply. Book online, via our app, through our call centre or with your travel agent. Please note the discount is not applied to children travelling on a free child place. Terms and conditions apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#100APRIL2025 for details.

‘I went to hospital with flu symptoms – and ended a quadruple amputee’

A student who went into hospital thinking she had the flu ended up losing all four of her limbs to a rare but aggressive infection.

Lily McGarry, 23, had flu-like symptoms on 14 January when her flatmates took her to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff – but she rapidly deteriorated within hours.

The 23-year-old developed a rash while waiting in A&E, which signalled alarm bells for medical staff, who hurriedly treated her for septic shock. She was later diagnosed with meningococcal septicaemia, a severe type of blood poisoning that is caused by the same kind of bacteria that cause the most common form of bacterial meningitis.

The Cardiff University medical student suffered two cardiac arrests, spent two weeks in a coma, and suffered brain, spleen and liver damage. She also had to have all four of her limbs shortened in surgeries that took place over five weeks. She is still in hospital.

Her mother Jo Gorrod, 54, told The Independent of the “terrifying” moment she found out what had happened to her daughter. The 54-year-old was in Melbourne, Australia, visiting her other daughter, having spoken to the 23-year-old on the phone who said she was feeling unwell but being taken care of.

But just hours later, Ms Gorrod, of Jersey, said: “I had a phone call from the hospital asking for consent for her to intubated, and at the time they had to put her into an induced coma.

“We were there within 48 hours with her.

“You don’t sleep – you just, every moment, I’m not a religious person, but pray in whatever way, just thinking ‘hang in, just hang in till I get there’.

“Since that point we’ve lost her probably about five times, she’s been very close to not making it – so it’s not as if you’re going through it once but multiple times.”

The family are now fundraising for Ms McGarry’s treatment, including for prosthetic limbs, having so far raised more than £378,000 on their GoFundMe page.

Ms McGarry was an avid swimmer, runner, and surfer before her illness and is determined to return to doing these sports again – as well as to complete her medical degree.

Her family are also calling on people to ensure they get the meningitis vaccine, including for the B strain, which is not a routine injection.

And they are aiming to raise awareness of sepsis, urging people to look out for the warning signs, such as discoloured skin or a rash that does not fade, flu-like symptoms, and breathing difficulties. Ms Gorrod explained that had her daughter gone to A&E any earlier or later then she may not have made it due to the rapid onset of the infection and how difficult it is to spot.

But the 23-year-old is determined in her recovery journey, described as an “optimist, strong and funny” by her mother. “She has a smile which lights up the room,” said Ms Gorrod. “She is genuinely happy to see people, always asking other people how they’re doing, and grateful for the care she’s had.

“‘Yes, there are going to be challenges, but it doesn’t stop me from trying’ – Lily is of that mindset, she wants to do things herself, she wants her independence.”

You can donate to Lily McGarry’s fundraiser here

Outcry as Denmark’s retirement age to become highest in Europe

Denmark will increase its retirement age to 70 by 2040 making it the highest in Europe, after its parliament adopted a controversial new law.

Since 2006, retirement age in Denmark has been tied to life expectancy, which is currently 81.7 years. It is revised every five years and is set to rise to 68 in 2030 and 69 in 2035.

Passed in the Danish parliament with 81 votes for and 21 against, the increase has prompted anger among Danes who hoped the retirement age would not reach a symbolic milestone, forcing many to work until they reach their eighth decade.

Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s Social Democrat prime minister, has made clear that the policy is not sustainable long term.

“We no longer believe that the retirement age should be increased automatically,” she said, according to the BBC. “You can’t just keep saying that people have to work a year longer.”

Many voters have reacted angrily, fearful of being forced to “keep going” even when their bodies are not up to it.

The policy is “unrealistic and unreasonable”, 47-year-old roofer Tommas Jensen told public broadcaster Danmarks Radio. “We work and work and work, but we can’t keep going.”

While it might be different for those with desk jobs, Mr Jensen added, workers with physically demanding jobs would struggle with the changes.

“I’ve paid my taxes all my life. There should also be time to be with children and grandchildren,” Mr Jensen told outlet DK.

According to the Times, however, surveys show that more than half of Danes want to keep working beyond the state pension age, gradually phasing themselves into retirement over several years during their 60s rather than cutting off entirely once they reach retirement.

Jesper Ettrup Rasmussen, chair of the Danish trade union confederation, said the change was “completely unfair”, according to the BBC.

“Denmark has a healthy economy and yet the EU’s highest retirement age,” he said.

“A higher retirement age means that [people will] lose the right to a dignified senior life.”

Some Danes have angrily noted the retirement age of 60 for many of their politicians on parliamentary pensions, including Ms Frederiksen, 47, and 26 MPs elected before 2007. They need only to have worked as an elected MP for one year to be eligible for this pension.