Jury finds Sean Combs guilty of prostitution but clears him of most serious charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty on two counts tied to prostitution, but the rap mogul was acquitted on the most serious charges in his sex trafficking trial at a federal court in New York City.

The convictions cap his public downfall after a trial in which his penchant for kinky sex “freak-offs” was aired almost daily, but also serve as a win for the music icon, who escaped other charges that could have led to life imprisonment.

Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of a racketeering charge and two sex trafficking counts.

The guilty verdict comes nearly 10 months after federal prosecutors arrested the 55-year-old music tycoon, accusing him of running a criminal enterprise and of abusing, threatening and coercing victims to “fulfill his sexual desires” from 2004 to 2024.

The counts he was found guilty of carry a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

As the verdict came in, Combs sat and shook his fists victoriously. When each juror was asked if this was a “true and correct verdict,” Combs looked at each and nodded at them.

“Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury,” his lawyer told the court when he pleaded for his client to be released from custody and allowed to return to his home in Miami ahead of sentencing. The lawyer promised his client would not “run afoul” the opportunities this has given him.

Combs turned to his family, dropped to his knees and appeared to pray after the judge stopped talking. His family clapped and cheered after Diddy got up from his hands and knees.

Jurors reached their verdict after hearing eight weeks of testimony from Combs’s ex-girlfriends, associates and former employees that shed light on his dark private life, including decades of physical and sexual abuse toward women, drug addiction and graphic details about his sex life. His mother and children often sat in court listening to shocking witness accounts.

Cassie Ventura, a singer who was in an on-off relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018, testified about years of so-called “freak offs” — drug-fuelled, days-long sex marathons — and violence she endured at the hands of her boyfriend during their 11-year relationship.

Her testimony touched upon the infamous 2016 video capturing Combs beating her at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. She testified that she had been trying to leave a “freak off” early when he came out to the hall to kick and drag her.

He also threw a vase at her, she recalled. “I just remember it coming towards me. I remember it hitting a wall,” Ventura testified.

One security guard working at the hotel testified about how Combs offered him $50,000 to ensure the video was never released; the rapper ended up handing him a stack of cash worth twice that amount in a brown paper bag and had the guard sign a non-disclosure agreement.

These sex marathons typically occurred in hotels. Hotel records revealed Combs often booked suites under pseudonyms, including Frank Black and Ryan Lopez. His former assistants recalled setting up hotel rooms with candles, red lights, bottles of baby oil and lubricant. Over the years, the “freak offs” took place at an assortment of locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Ibiza and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Ventura had testified about how she feared that Combs would release video from the freak-offs and ruin her music career.

“I feared for my career. I feared for my family. It’s just embarrassing. It’s horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone,” Ventura said.

Both Ventura and Jane Doe, a pseudonymous woman Combs dated from 2021 until his arrest in 2024, told the court how they frequently arranged for male escorts to come over at Combs’s request. They testified that he would pay the escorts thousands of dollars in cash at the end of the sex sessions. Doe recalled booking flights for some of the escorts, for which Combs later reimbursed her.

Although Combs’s defense team emphasized text messages that showed Ventura and Doe expressing support for the sex marathons, both women testified about how they despised these nights. Ventura said “freak offs” made her feel “worthless” while Doe said they made her feel “like an animal”. Each woman also recalled feeling like a “sex worker.”

During opening statements, defense attorneys swiftly denounced Combs’s history of domestic abuse, but underscored that he was not on trial for that. They argued that this case was about “love, jealousy and money,” often pointing out that many of the witnesses had separately launched civil suits against their client. Ventura revealed that she settled her suit against Combs for $20 million.

“I can’t carry this any more. I can’t carry the shame, the guilt, the way I was guided to treat people like they were disposable,” Ventura said during her testimony about why she took years to come forward. “What’s right is right. What’s wrong is wrong. I’m here to do the right thing.”

Major new NHS plan vows to end ‘8am scramble’ for GP appointment

The NHS is set for a radical overhaul with a new 10-year plan aiming to “fundamentally rewire” the health service, shifting care directly to people’s doorsteps, the prime minister has announced.

Published by the government on Thursday, the ambitious strategy outlines “three big shifts” in how the NHS will operate.

These include a transition from analogue to digital services, a greater emphasis on prevention over treatment, and a significant move from hospital-centric care towards community-based provision.

The plan signals an end to the “status quo of hospital by default”, with a clear intention to relocate care into local neighbourhoods and individuals’ homes.

By 2035, the majority of outpatient services are expected to be delivered outside traditional hospital settings, reducing the need for hospital appointments for conditions such as eye care, cardiology, respiratory medicine, and mental health.

To facilitate this transformation, new neighbourhood health services are set to be rolled out nationwide.

These will bring essential services like diagnostic tests, post-operative care, nursing support, and mental health teams closer to communities, making healthcare more accessible and integrated into daily life.

The announcement comes as Sir Keir Starmer is also expected to unveil his own vision for the NHS later on Thursday, which will focus on “three big shifts” in the health service.

The aim is to give people access to a full range of services, leaving hospitals to focus on the sickest, with neighbourhood health centres opening at evenings and weekends.

These will be staffed by teams including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff and paramedics.

New services will also include debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or obesity services – all of which affect people’s health.

Community outreach, with people going door to door, could also reduce pressure on GPs and A&E, the government said.

The plans also outline training for thousands more GPs, as the government pledges to “bring back the family doctor” and end the “8am scramble” to get an appointment.

Sir Keir said: “The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.

“But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.

“That ends now. Because it’s reform or die. Our 10-year health plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people’s doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.

“That means giving everyone access to GPs, nurses and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood – rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round.

“This is not an overnight fix, but our Plan for Change is already turning the tide on years of decline with over 4 million extra appointments, 1,900 more GPs, and waiting lists at their lowest level for two years.

“But there’s more to come. This government is giving patients easier, quicker and more convenient care, wherever they live.”

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said the plan would deliver “one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history”.

He added: “By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.

“This government’s Plan for Change is creating an NHS truly fit for the future, keeping patients healthy and out of hospital, with care closer to home and in the home.”

In a bid to free up time, GPs will be encouraged to use artificial intelligence to take notes, while technology will be used to speed up the answering of calls to surgeries.

Dental therapists, who tend to carry out some of the straightforward work of dentists, could undertake check-ups, treatment and referrals, according to the plan.

And there will be a new requirement for newly-qualified dentists to practise in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be three years, according to the government.

Ministers also want to improve access to dental care for children, such as by allowing dental nurses to give fluoride varnish to children in between check-ups.

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary, Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “A neighbourhood health service is a bold vision and it needs nursing staff in the driving seat.

“The prime minister must back up his plan with a clear one to turn around the shortage of nurses in all local communities.

“Moving care away from overcrowded hospitals is urgent and necessary but it will prove impossible whilst this part of the healthcare workforce is so depleted and undervalued.

“Crucial teams of district nursing and health visiting staff, who keep patients well and safe at home, have fallen by thousands in the last decade or more.”

Thea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, said: “Top quality community services, like district nursing, end of life care and rehabilitation, are, in pockets of the country, already working around the clock to fit care around patients’ needs, working closely with GPs, charities and council staff.

“This approach is essential if we want to end the disjointed ways of working that too often leave patients to do the time-consuming and often bewildering job of joining up their own care.”

She said, however, that a lack of detail on how it will all work “casts doubt on whether it will stick”.

She added: “What’s more, care closer to home doesn’t mean care on the cheap.

“While ministers are always keen to cite examples of community services saving money, often this kind of care costs more, not less… let’s be under no illusion, this is not a money-saving measure.”

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund, said: “As the government publishes its 10-year plan for health today [Thursday], what patients, the public and those working in the NHS will want to know is, why it will be different this time, and how soon it will lead to improvements?

“When will it mean people can see a GP more easily, or get mental health support for their child, or not wait hours in A&E?

“There is plenty to welcome in the details we’ve seen so far, with the biggest changes outlined being about how people access NHS services, with the rollout of new neighbourhood health centres and a much greater role for the NHS app.

“At the King’s Fund our call for a fundamental shift of care from hospital to community and a more people-first approach has been echoed by successive governments, so, whilst welcome, the vision itself is not new, the radical change would be delivering the vision.”

Angela Rayner reveals why she’d never want to be prime minister

Angela Rayner has said she would never want to be prime minister because “it would age me by 10 years within six months”.

“Have you ever seen a prime minister after a year or two in government?” the deputy prime minister joked.

The morning after Sir Keir Starmer scraped through a major rebellion over his watered-down welfare reforms, Ms Rayner was asked whether she is waiting in the wings to take the embattled PM’s place.

“Not a chance,” she told ITV’s Lorraine.

She said: “It would age me by 10 years within six months, it does, anyone who has been prime minister it is a very challenging job.”

Amid mounting questions about the prime minister’s future following a disastrous first year in power, she defended Sir Keir, saying he is “doing the job for Britain”, adding “there’s been a lot going on” in the 12 months since the PM entered Downing Street.

She said: “He’s been all around the world trying to repair the relationships in Europe. We’ve got the trade deals that the previous government wasn’t able to do, tackling the things like the tariffs that the president in the US wanted to put onto the UK, which would have damaged our economy again.

“There’s a lot going on, and the prime minister’s been […] here, there and everywhere, doing the job for Britain.”

It comes after polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice referred to Sir Keir’s first year in office as “the worst start for any newly elected prime minister”.

He told Times Radio that the prime minister was “never especially popular” and that “the public still don’t know what he stands for.”

Asked if she would be interested in being prime minister at some point, Ms Rayner told the ITV programme: “No”.

She said that she is “passionate” about issues including workers’ rights and council housing.

“I’m very interested in delivering for the people of this country, because … to be elected as an MP from my background was incredible,” she said.

“Having that opportunity to serve my community that have raised me, looked after me, given me opportunities, and I don’t forget that. And to be deputy prime minister of this country … it’s got to count for something.”

Has Badenoch shown the killer instinct to save her as Tory leader?

Ever since Kemi Badenoch became Tory leader, her many Conservative critics have claimed she has failed to make any impact. Any number of backbenchers have been only too willing, albeit usually under the cowardly cover of anonymity, to claim she is going nowhere.

Principal among their complaints is that she never seems to get the better of her weekly parliamentary jousts with Keir Starmer. Time and again, she asks the wrong question, chooses the wrong topic, and lacks the wit to seize on any missteps by the Prime Minister, they moan. Why can’t she give Starmer and co both barrels – just like showman Nigel Farage does on a regular basis?

It is not a criticism likely to be made of her again anytime soon. Not after her comprehensive filleting of Starmer over his defeat by Labour welfare rebels.

Initially, Starmer fended off Badenoch’s barbs at him. It looked as though she would be repulsed yet again. You could imagine her Tory detractors already licking their lips, muttering, “She can’t even score an open goal.” But Badenoch wasn’t finished. Starmer was merely the hors d’oeuvres. She took her knife to the person sitting behind Starmer, Rachel Reeves, asking him to guarantee she was safe in her job.

Starmer the lawyer should have seen it coming a mile off. It’s the oldest trick in the political book: he could have answered with a categorical yes. But he didn’t. In political terms, he left Reeves drifting in the wind. The chancellor’s emotional and distraught response signalled that Badenoch had scored a direct hit.

A rare moment in such parliamentary exchanges, which, for the most part, have nothing to do with democracy or debate and are all about posturing, platitudes and pantomime politics. Knockout blows are about as common as someone scoring in the Eton Wall Game – about one per decade. Badenoch didn’t just score, she smashed the ball through the back of the net.

The most important consequence of today’s events is how, indeed whether, Reeves can survive such a harrowing and humbling public ordeal. And whether Starmer can re-establish his and his administration’s personal and political authority. That is all in the balance. But there can be no doubt that eight months after becoming opposition leader, Badenoch has arrived on the big stage.

Her stock reply to complaints that she has not made her mark as a leader has been that it took heroine Margaret Thatcher years to do so. Thatcher became a formidable parliamentary performer, but it took her a long time. In her early years as opposition leader, she was frequently outwitted by Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Thatcher’s Tory critics said it showed she wasn’t up to it. Just like Badenoch’s Conservative critics. They won’t be making the same criticism again anytime soon.

In blasting open the fault line between Starmer and Reeves with a lethal precision, a skill most thought was not in her armoury, Badenoch has at long last given demoralised Conservatives reasons to be cheerful.

Inside Trump’s Gaza truce deal between Israel and Hamas

Senior officials briefed on truce talks for Gaza said they were “cautiously optimistic” that a new initiative announced by Donald Trump could pave the way to a long-term ceasefire deal, and the end of the devastating 21-month war.

Trump said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the “necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day truce to allow negotiations “to end the war” and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsened.

The US president has been piling pressure on both sides to broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, promising that a deal could come together as soon as next week.

One of the main sticking points has been whether the agreement would lay the groundwork for ending the ruinous war permanently. Israel has said it won’t accept a deal until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas has said it would never agree to temporary truce terms.

Despite this, senior officials briefed on the talks between Netanyahu’s senior aide Ron Dermer and Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, described a mood of “cautious optimism”. That is because among points approved by the Israeli side was that a ceasefire deal would contain US and mediator guarantees that discussions to end the war completely would take place.

The Independent understands the current 60-day structure on the table would lead to the release of 10 living captives and 15 bodies of those killed in Gaza. In exchange, there would be a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza, more aid would be allowed in, and talks would begin for a permanent ceasefire.

Progress has already begun. A Hamas delegation is expected to meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal.

One official, who requested anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media, told The Independent this round of talks felt “different”, particularly after Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign in Iran crippled Iran’s military leadership and caused “extensive” damage to Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Iran is one of Hamas’s closest allies.

“There is great American pressure on Israel to reach a deal,” the official told The Independent. “There is more flexibility from the Israeli side – I can say there is cautious optimism.”

“There is a different kind of atmosphere altogether after Iran. Netanyahu is in a mindset to go for a deal,” the official added, saying that off the back of the Gaza deal Netanyahu expects more Middle Eastern states would join the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in signing the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic and trade deal normalising relations with Israel.

Another official briefed on negotiations in Qatar called the talks in Washington “very fruitful” and said the US guarantees on a longer-term solution to the conflict – even beyond a permanent ceasefire – may assuage Hamas’s fears.

Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal. Hamas has said it is willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less than half of whom are believed to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do.

An Israeli official, again not authorised to speak to the media, said Israel agreed to a “framework that is the basis to start proximity talks”. Proximity talks mean negotiations where Hamas and Israeli officials are in the same location but not in the same room, with mediators bouncing between the parties to hammer out the details.

Mediators involved in the previous ceasefire agreement in January described how, in the final stages of talks in Doha, the Qatari prime minister himself shuttled in a lift between different floors of the same building, conveying the final frantic messages between rival factions.

As well as the hostage release, Israel would also agree to withdraw from certain areas of Gaza during that time and for a surge in humanitarian aid. The Independent understands this will not include the strategic Philadelphi Corridor, a ribbon of land around nine miles long that runs along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

“In this framework, there are US and mediator assurances to Hamas – guarantees for the next phases to discuss ending the war,” the Israeli official said. Netanyahu is expected to meet his cabinet to discuss the upcoming visit to the US on Saturday, before flying to Washington DC on Sunday. He is likely to meet Trump on Monday.

Hamas has yet to publicly respond to Trump’s ceasefire proposal. However, a senior Hamas official told The Independent that the group believed “so far the formula is not satisfactory”.

A key problem is the two-month time limit on the deal and what happens after it expires, the official explained, asking to remain anonymous.

“There are three pending issues: aid, the withdrawal of the Israeli army, and the continuation of negotiations after the 60 days,” he told The Independent. “The most important thing is to guarantee an end to the hostilities and the prevention of the continuation of fighting after the 60 days. This is what Israel rejects.”

In Gaza, civilians suffering famine-like conditions and daily, relentless bombardment tentatively welcomed the news. However, some said they did not trust the US president after many conflicting promises, and after he has continued to arm Israel and even join Israel in its bombing campaign in Iran.

“I see Trump as part of the conflict, not a mediator to stop the war or solve our problems. How can he be a guarantor of an agreement when they are participants in it? ” said Khaled Hajjaj, 36, displaced from the destroyed east of Gaza and now living in a makeshift camp along the coast. “We in Gaza are living the harsh, devastating reality. We don’t just watch events – we have lived them for two years. There have been a lot of negotiations that have taken place – dozens of times – without success. I see this time as just another attempt, and so I am pessimistic.”

Muhannad, 32, also displaced from the north, said that previous statements from Trump “have made us distrust him”.

“Two months ago, Trump promised that there would be good news for Gaza within days. The exact opposite has happened: more massacres, hunger, a blockade and the ongoing escalation,” he added.

Samira Abdel-Aziz, 48, also displaced from the north, said he hoped it was “not just idle statements”.

“I have hope for that after the announcement of the participation of the Egyptian and Qatari sides. I trust the Egyptian side regarding the Palestinian issue and the extent of its concern for Palestinian interests.”

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.

Israel’s unprecedented bombardment of the tiny strip has killed more than 56,000 people according to Gaza’s health ministry and a blockade on aid has pushed the entire 2.3 million population to the edge of famine.

More than 90 perc ent of the population has been displaced, often multiple times.

How to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning like you’ve never seen before

What comes to mind when you think of a fundraising coffee morning? Soggy digestives, weak tea and sitting in a school hall having forced fun? Think again.

Macmillan Cancer Support are celebrating 35 years of the iconic Coffee Morning fundraiser, and we’re here to help you give your next Coffee Morning a glow-up. Behind the fun, Coffee Mornings help raise vital funds for people facing one of the toughest challenges of their lives.

Almost one in two people in the UK will get cancer in their lifetime, and no two experiences are the same. Where you live, who you are, or whether you have another health condition can all affect the care you receive – and that’s not fair. Macmillan is working to change that, doing whatever it takes to make sure everyone gets the best possible care, whoever and wherever they are.

So while tasty treats and fundraising fun of course get to stay, we’re leveling up the atmosphere with fresh ideas to keep everyone entertained.

Want to be a Coffee Morning Host?

Best of all, these new ways of raising vital funds don’t have to be expensive. In fact, they might even save you a bit of time, wardrobe space and money. Here’s how to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning like you’ve never seen before…

Organise a ‘style swap shop’

Clear out your wardrobe, raise money and bring your community together all at the same time by organising a ‘style swap shop’ – with all your finest, unworn or unwanted clothes and accessories.

Pack up the majestic hats you bought for a wedding but only wore once, the satin gloves that make you feel like Audrey Hepburn but don’t go with anything you own, or maybe that lace vintage dress your aunty wore to Glastonbury in the 70s, which now lives in an unexplored drawer in your bedroom.

Fill up a bag with your best cast-offs and get your friends, family and neighbours to do the same. Everyone pays £5 entry to the ‘style swap shop’ and then you all get to browse through each other’s preloved treasures – grabbing what takes your fancy.

One person’s hand-me-down is another person’s new look – so elbows at the ready! Want to raise extra cash? Add a £1-£2 price tag on each item that’s been donated.

Strut your stuff at a cake walk

We know that staying healthy and being physically active can reduce the risk of cancer, so why not combine the classic Coffee Morning with a walk around the block? Creative costumes, silly hats and streamers at the ready as we leave behind the school hall and instead take our cakes and cookies for a little jaunt to stretch our legs.

Up the fun, and the stakes, by upgrading from a cake walk to a cake race – the bigger and messier the dessert, the better!  And get the kids involved in the baking and racing too.

Or if you want to keep it indoors, turn your catwalk into a cake walk and give your best strut with your favourite pudding in hand. It’s giving egg and spoon race, jelly wobbling on a plate and doubling over with laughter as you sashay along clutching a platter filled with your finest roulade.

Dance away the morning at a sober rave

Why sit or stand when you can dance? Sober raves are all the rage – and ideal for a morning of fun with friends, family and neighbours. There’s no hangover, no late night and the kids can join in too – so, no need for a babysitter.

Grab your glow sticks for a Coffee Morning like no other, and you can still eat cake and have a brew or a cold drink. It’s a club night where nobody has to worry about the morning-after-the-night-before! You can host it in any hall, all you need is music and a disco ball.

You might feel silly at first, but soon you’ll be grinning with joy as dancing is proven to release endorphins (natural painkillers and mood boosters) as well as reducing stress and keeping you fit. Now, who does a good Big fish, little fish, cardboard box?

Run an Is it cake? competition

If you haven’t seen the Netflix hit Is it cake? – an American game show-style cooking competition, you’re missing a treat. Contestants compete to both identify and recreate their best version of everyday items – in cake form.

That could be fire hoses made from vanilla sponge and icing, kitchen utensils that cut open to reveal red velvet cake, replica designer handbags that are actually edible, and even other food items such as burgers, which are of course, cake.

Up the baking ante by running your own cake lookalike competition inspired by the show. The best thing about it is that even if your cake looks like a pair of stinky old sports shoes, it’ll still taste great!

Whether you’re swapping styles, raving sober or sculpting a sponge handbag, every slice of fun helps Macmillan Cancer Support do whatever it takes to help everyone living with cancer.

Signing up to host your own Macmillan Coffee Morning this year couldn’t be easier! Find out more today on the Macmillan website

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.

Kate Middleton reveals ‘life-changing’ cancer journey

The Princess of Wales openly discussed her “life-changing” cancer journey and “rollercoaster” recovery on a visit to an Essex hospital.

Speaking at Colchester Hospital, Kate Middleton revealed the toll cancer takes on family and friends.

“It is a life-changing experience both for the individual patient, but also for the families as well – and actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, you don’t appreciate how much impact it is going to have,” the princess told a group of users, volunteers and staff at the Cancer Wellbeing Centre.

The princess was diagnosed with an unknown form of cancer in March last year, in the same year as the King was also diagnosed with cancer.

After the diagnosis, she faced a nine-month battle and underwent “preventative chemotherapy”.

On 14 January, she confirmed that she is officially in remission for cancer, on the same day that she made a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated.

On her recent visit to the Essex hospital, the princess praised the centre’s “holistic” approach to the support it offers patients, relatives and carers, which includes counselling and dietary advice.

“There is this whole phase when you finish your treatment that you, yourself, everybody expects you, right you’ve finished your time, go, you’re better, and that’s not the case at all,” she added.

“You have to find your new normal and that takes time.”

After visiting the centre, the princess planted several coral-pink Catherine’s Rose plants in the hospital’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing garden, which offers a restorative space for staff, patients and visitors.

The RHS named the flower after her to raise awareness about the importance of spending time outdoors for people’s physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

Discussing her rollercoaster healing journey, the princess added that a support network is invaluable.

“Someone described the sort of healing, recovery journey to me as being like a sort of zig-zag,” she said.

“It’s a rollercoaster, it’s not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be, but the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times and to have a place like this, to have the support network, whether its through creativity and singing or gardening, whatever it might be, is so valuable and it’s great that this community has it.

“It would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”

Proceeds from the sale of Catherine’s Rose, bred by Harkness Roses, will support a national training programme for clinical teams to help patients who need intensive support live well with and after cancer.

Harkness Roses and Kensington Palace are donating 500 roses to wellbeing and community gardens across the UK this summer.

North Korea to ‘send 30,000 more troops to support Russia’

North Korea is preparing to send up to 30,000 extra troops to boost Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, Kyiv has claimed.

The troops could arrive in the coming months and may be used to fight in parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine, according to an intelligence assessment seen by Kyiv.

They come on top of the roughly 12,000 sent to Russia in November, who are so far only believed to have fought on Russian territory as Moscow looked to expel Ukrainian troops from its Kursk region.

North Korean troops will be used “to strengthen the Russian contingent, including during the large-scale offensive operations”, the assessment says.

Moscow, it adds, is capable of providing the necessary equipment and weaponry for the extra troops.

The news comes after Washington decided to partially suspend some shipments of air defence missiles and other munitions to Ukraine over concerns about low stockpiles at home.

A senior Kyiv MP has described the decision as “painful”, while the Kremlin says it will bring the war to a quicker end.