MARTIN Clunes’ latest ITV drama Out There has already had fans gripped thanks to its jaw-dropping scenes and grisly scenes.

Set on a rural farm, Out There provides the perfect backdrop for the dark stories that unfold when Martin‘s character goes to great lengths in order to protect his son who becomes mixed-up in a dark world.

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This is the real-life farm which the show overtook and the house they painted from pink to grey[/caption]

Filming for the programme took place in Carmarthenshire at Darrow Farm, a working fame owned by Gina-Lorraine Murray.

Gina opted to let Martin and the ITV crew use her whole property for the recording of the series and saw her home totally overhauled in the process.

The 55-year-old saw the opportunity to use her home for filming purposes as a way to make some quick cash as well as to see how the show bosses would spruce the 500-year old home up.

Gina admitted that she received a generous payment from ITV for the filming which allowed her to repair the ceiling in one of her bathrooms and transform it to have a new and updated feel.

Speaking to the Gazette about her decision to allow her home to be featured on the show, Gina confessed: “We’ve been at Darrow Farm for years – it’s been in the family a long time. 

“The house itself is 500 years old and has seen better days. It’s a working farm, so it’s always busy.

“I’d always liked the idea of putting it forward for TV work but had no idea where to start.”

She was eventually connected to Screen Wales, a project run in conjunction with the Welsh Government which provides support on filming projects in the country.

They then connected her with show bosses with Gina admitting: “It started with them just wanting to use the barn, but after they visited, they decided to use more of the property.

“Before I knew it, Martin Clunes’ wife, Philippa, turned up with a big group of people to look around.”

The home was then painted from pink to grey in order to fit the tone of the show.

Revealing her admiration for how they managed to transform the house and back for filming, Gina recalled: “Our pink house got turned grey for the filming, but they repainted it pink afterwards.

“Honestly, I didn’t mind – it needed the work anyway, so a refresh was welcome. They even built stables in one of the barns.

“It was quite exciting to see the house get a bit of a makeover. And the crew was brilliant – they left everything spotless when they were done.

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Martin posed alongside the owners of the farmhouse[/caption]

“It was like they were never here. I couldn’t believe it.”

She continued: “We stayed right here. They didn’t ask us to leave, so I just kept to the quieter parts of the house while they were filming.

“The cats were locked in one room, and the dogs went to my mum’s. It worked out fine.”

Although Gina remained coy on the exact amount she was paid to rent her home out, she revealed it was “worth it”.

She said: “I’m not going to say exactly how much, but it was enough to fix our bathroom ceiling after it collapsed. So, it was definitely worth it – especially for farmers.

“It’s a great way to bring in some extra money, and we met some lovely people along the way.

“You just have to be flexible and go with the flow.”

A WOMAN has revealed that she used to be a lesbian, but is now dating a man 28 years older than her.

Honey, 23, began seeing Shawn, 51, after a chance encounter – but now, they are very much in love.

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A 23-year-old has revealed that she was once a lesbian, but is now dating a man 28 years older than her[/caption]

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Honey opened up on her age gap relationship and claimed that people call their partnership a ‘recipe for disaster’[/caption]

Opening up about their age gap love, Honey explained that people assume she is a sugar baby and call their relationship a ‘recipe for disaster’, but she won’t listen or let the mean comments get her down. 

Chatting to Truly, on an episode of Love Don’t Judge, the couple confessed that they met in 2018, in a vegan restaurant, when Honey was just 17-years-old. 

The pair decided to sit in the same booth and things soon blossomed, with Honey admitting to finding “love at first sight”.

And despite their 28-year age difference, Shawn beamed: “It just felt right.”

Honey explained: “Before we got together I was a lesbian. 

“People tend to judge our relationship because I went from dating women to being engaged to a man.

“A lot of people see us and assume sugar daddy, sugar baby.” 

But this didn’t bother photographer Shawn, who is regularly mistaken for Honey’s father, as he conceded: “I don’t have a problem with it. She is old enough to be my daughter.”

Despite their age gap, Honey’s family fully accepted Shawn, as she acknowledged: “They were never the biggest fan of me being a lesbian because my family is Haitian, Christian. 

“It was never an issue on my end, even though he is older than me. 

“They were just happy that future kids were happening.” 

But the same couldn’t be said for Shawn’s loved ones, with many of his support network raising concerns. 

The couple sat down to discuss the initial reservations of the family, with Shawn’s cousin Dwain, and Dwain’s wife Carlette.

When asked about their thoughts on Honey and Shawn’s relationship, Carlette said: “It could be a recipe for disaster. Not only is she a former lesbian but she’s a lot younger than him.”

A lot of people see us and assume sugar daddy, sugar baby

Honey

But after a heated conversation with the age-gap couple, Carlette admitted: “I really like Honey, I think you are a great person. I love you both.” 

Whatever others think, Shawn knows that his love for Honey is real, and disregards criticism from the outside world.

He stressed: “To people who like to judge us, judge yourself, look at your own life. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, could you take being judged?” 

And Honey won’t listen to rude remarks either, as she added: “More of our judgment comes online – someone said ‘you need to crave this bible’. Some people are like, ‘is that your dad?’.

“Judgement honestly doesn’t really bother me. I know we’re different so I expect some judgements but I don’t really take it to heart.”

Big divide

YouTube users were left totally divided by Honey and Shawn’s relationship – with many eagerly flocking to the comments to share their thoughts. 

As someone with a sister that’s 21 and a dad in his 50s, this made me pretty uncomfortable

YouTube user

One person slammed: “The fact she was 17 when they met makes this weird to me…”

Another added: “She’s young enough to be your daughter.” 

They truly seem like a genuine couple who love and respect each other

YouTube user

A third commented: “As someone with a sister that’s 21 and a dad in his 50s, this made me pretty uncomfortable.” 

Whilst someone else chimed in: “That guy must be wealthy.”

But at the same time, not everyone was as negative, as one user said: “Be happy, do you, and don’t worry about the haters. Happy for you both! Love is love.” 

Meanwhile, a second claimed: “Despite their obvious age gap that many in society would raise their eyebrows to, they truly seem like a genuine couple who love and respect each other.”

WHEN most people hear Android they may think of Samsung or Google.

But there are so many more brands around that are creating stunning devices – and sometimes a lot cheaper too.

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It takes beautiful pics – but are they too good to be true? Look at that sun…[/caption]

Jamie Harris / The Sun

Magic7 Pro has a lot of AI to boost images[/caption]

• Honor Magic7 Pro – buy now for £1099 at honor.com

One such name that’s on the up is Honor.

As The Sun’s main Android smartphone reviewer I try all sorts of handsets all the time.

I’ve dabbled in Honor’s phones before but this time they’re going big on AI with the new Magic7 Pro.

And I have to say the photos it produced really wowed me – but they were almost too perfect, for reasons I explain below.

I took the Honor Magic7 Pro to the stunning Lake Bled in Slovenia to put the camera and more through its paces.

Honor Magic7 Pro: Look and feel

The first thing I notice when picking up a phone is the weight and the Magic7 Pro feels a bit on the heavy side.

But this mighty beast comes in at 223g, which is actually lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and only slightly heavier than the iPhone 15 Pro Max at 221g.

It does, however, feel pretty solid, having withstood drops and the tough screen has managed to stay scratch-free in my pocket rattling against keys.

A matte-textured glass back is always a personal favourite because it’s less prone to fingerprint smears and adds some extra grip.

However, the black colour I have is a bit safe – I much prefer the other colours, Lunar Shadow Grey and Breeze Blue which pack more character.

As for the display, it’s vibrant and mega bright, measuring in at 6.8-inches wide.

Honor Magic7 Pro: Performance and software

I used a number of everyday apps on the Magic7 Pro, including Google Chrome, WhatsApp and Netflix, as well as a bit of light gaming in the form of Transformers: Forged to Fight.

The device ran smooth as butter throughout, even when gaming, thanks to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip inside which is one of the leading choices in Android smartphones and the 12GB of RAM.

Storage wise, you get 512GB which should be enough for most people to store plenty of apps as well as loads of videos and photos.

The handset runs on Android 15 with Honor’s own MagicOS 9 on top.

I’m quite hard to please when it comes to operating systems and always prefer a pure Android experience.

MagicOS isn’t bad on that front, it still feels very true Android, but I’m always anti pre-installed apps, of which there are a handful here.

Honor has committed to offering five years of OS updates and five years of security updates, which is good but not the best around.

Honor Magic7 Pro: Battery

Battery is always a big point for most people and fortunately the Magic7 Pro doesn’t disappointment.

Despite being smaller than last year’s Magic6 Pro, experts have clearly worked to optimise how far the power goes, with the added help of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip offering efficiencies too.

The battery is a massive winner, both in terms of how long it lasts and charging times

I easily went late into a second day without needing to charge after taking loads of photos, videos, on top of browsing, messaging, watching Netflix and playing games for a bit.

Even better is that it is able to charge mega fast with a 100W wired charger, going from zero to 100 per cent in about 35 minutes.

However, there is no charger in the box so you’ll have to buy the right one separately to achieve those kinds of speeds.

Honor Magic7 Pro: Camera

The camera is Honor’s main talking point for the Magic7 Pro and the results are really quite something – though perhaps a bit too good to be true.

I went with Honor to Lake Bled in Slovenia to test the camera out in a truly beautiful environment.

There are a dizzying array of camera options and settings to choose from and a lot of AI to enhance things.

For the most part, I found the images it takes to be pretty stunning.

I do love most of the photos taken on it and some are the best I’ve seen on a smartphone

Lots of colour, detail and vibrancy captured.

The main camera comes in at 50-megapixels but there’s also a 200-megapixel 3x telephoto camera and a 50-megapixel ultra wide camera.

As most people will know, zooming in can affect image quality so Honor has something called AI SuperZoom that comes into play when you try to zoom beyond 30x.

The detail is pretty impressive but some people also testing the phone with me had strange results where things were added that aren’t there – for example, leafs on a tree that’s currently bare.

I zoomed in on the moon one night and I’m still not sure whether the extremely good detail I got was AI or not – but given how good it is I’m inclined to believe AI helped.

Portrait mode also produces lovely shots with AI offering assistance though I feel like my skin softness is a little too inauthentic, as you will see in the examples below.

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I absolutely love the colours and detail here with that beautiful reflection[/caption]

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It takes lovely portrait shots too but my face looks a bit too softened[/caption]

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I also took this shot of the moon and can’t quite believe the level of detail[/caption]

A TEENAGER has tragically become the second killed in Storm Eowyn after 100mph winds caused a tree to fall on his car.

The 19-year-old’s vehicle was struck in Mauchline, East Ayrshire.

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Storm Eowyn caused destruction across Glasgow and Scotland[/caption]

The catastrophe happened prior to a red weather warning coming into force in Scotland due to the approaching Storm Eowyn. 

Cops attended the scene on Friday morning and the 19-year-old was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where he died yesterday.

It’s the second death related to the storm after 20-year-old Kacper Dudek died in County Donegal, Ireland, on Friday morning when a tree fell on his car.

The unfortunate disaster took place during the adverse weather conditions at Feddyglass, Raphoe in Co Donegal, early on Friday.

His body has now been removed from the scene to the mortuary in Letterkenny University Hospital.

A post-mortem examination will take place in due course, said Irish police who are investigating the incident.

It is thought the 20-year-old was driving in convoy with a friend but was forced to turn around after coming across a road accident.

He was reportedly trying to flee a danger area while making a U-turn when the tree fell and killed him.

Tributes on social media called Mr Dudek a “lovely decent young fella” who was “trying to make a life for himself”.

His school, Holy Cross College, added: “The Holy Cross College community sends our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of our past student, Kacper Dudek who has sadly passed away. May Kacper’s gentle soul rest in peace.”

Met Office weather warnings are in place across the nation as Storm Herminia arrives.

The forecasters have warned of widespread damage following the aftermath of Storm Eowyn.

With snow and ice weather warnings also issued amidst the “danger to life” red alert, thousands were left without power.

Traffic chaos was seen nationwide with over one thousands flights cancelled.

Around 4.5 million received an emergency alert from their phone ahead of the dangerous weather.

Some even experienced a siren if their phone was switched to silent.

Others in Cornwall faced a mini tornado with roof tiles pulled off houses.

One man captured the near-miss he experienced when a tile from his own home narrowly missed his face.

After battling the strong gails and rain over the past few days, the weather may not ease for some with new yellow warnings in place.

Those in the North West, East and South East of England could all face adverse conditions.

Sunday will start “fine and dry” with a “decent amount of sunshine” in many parts of the country.

But a new low-pressure system is moving in from the south west bringing further strong winds and heavy rain.

Spanish meteorologists have dubbed it Storm Herminia, as the European country will feel the strongest winds.

Current estimations predict the heavy rain and likely local flooding to continue until tomorrow.

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The storm caused trees to fall in Dechmont, West Lothian[/caption]

A WOMAN has revealed a clever Pringles trick that stops annoying reclining passengers.

When someone puts their seat back on a flight, regardless of whether it’s long-haul or short, it can be frustrating.

tiktok/@clareduggan1982

Now, one woman has taken to TikTok to share her antidote.

In the video @clareduggan1982 has her foldable tray laid out.

A Pringle tube stands on the tray in-between the seat and works as a stopper.

If the person in front attempted to recline, the Pringle tube would ultimately prevent this.

Thousands of fans have jumped to the comment section to state their view.

One person said: “Clever! But they are entitled to put seat back.”

While a second commented: “This is ridiculous and quite frankly, you should be banned from flying.”

A third person pointed out an elephant in the room and said: “The tray moves with the seat.”

This sparked its own debate.

One person replied to the comment with: “Doesn’t on a lot of planes. I once got my tablet stuck when someone reclined.”

And another person added: “They don’t otherwise your drink or food falls on your lap while reclining.”

The debate as to recline or not to recline is generally an ongoing one.

In June 2024, Skyscanner posted to Facebook and asked: “To Recline or not to recline? That is the question!”

The post racked up dozens of comments.

One passengers said: “Yes of course. But not when meals are being served.”

Whereas another said: “In my opinion on everyday holiday flights seat back should not be adjustable.

“I am of average height but on a number of flights I have experienced very little knee movement between my seat and the seat in front.

“If the passenger in front had reclined their seat back it would have been unbearable.”

While a third said: “Have the decency to ask the person behind first, before making any move.”

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EKIN-SU Cülcüloğlu told Curtis Pritchard “it was nice knowing you” as they clashed during a heated Love Island All Stars debate.

The Love Island stars are currently coupled up but in last night’s episode of Unseen Bits Ekin-Su, 30, wasn’t impressed when Curtis, 28, didn’t believe her story about aliens.

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Ekin wasn’t impressed when Curtis didn’t believe her story[/caption]

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He told Ekin: ‘You chat absolute rubbish’[/caption]

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And the conversation didn’t end well for Curtis[/caption]

Bombshell Ekin was seen telling Curtis about the time she believes she communicated with extraterrestrials.

Curtis quipped: “You chat absolute rubbish.”

But Ekin insisted: “My brother was there… I was on FaceTime to my cousin and the call gets interrupted suddenly, goes purple and these three heads…

“I’m not lying. This isn’t a joke, I’m not hallucinating… three heads came up on my iPhone. Please believe me.”

While Curtis laughed Ekin looked very serious and repeated: “I’m not joking.”

She explained that her strange call came on the same evening many others on social media claimed to have spotted UFOs in the sky.

But Curtis replied: “I believe it will have been some sort of hack or bug.”

Ekin didn’t seem pleased with his response and said: “Nice knowing you Curtis.”

It comes after Ekin clashed with Ronnie Vint as he desperately tried to deny calling his relationship with Harriett Blackmore a “showmance”.

After Harriett returned as a bombshell the girls informed her of Ronnie‘s comment.

When she questioned him on it he stormed over the group and furiously denied it.

Jumping to her feet, Ekin appeared to have a lightbulb moment and claimed she could remember when Ronnie said it.

“You f***ing said it, mate, don’t lie!” Ekin yelled across the garden to him.

“It was at the red flag game, at the fire pit!”

Ronnie shot back: “Ekin you weren’t even there! No, you weren’t! Why are you even getting involved?!”

IT was once the world’s most famous prison – now Dartmoor is an empty shell.

Murderers, serial killers, gangsters, spies – and even the president of Ireland – have done time there.

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Dartmoor Prison is one of the most infamous jails in the world[/caption]

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The prison now lays empty after it was shut down last summer[/caption]

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Even former Irish president Eamon de Valera has served time in the prison[/caption]

But the jail closed last summer after a health scare and its future now hangs in the balance.

Which could mean a multi-million headache for Prince William.

The sprawling stone complex which holds 650 inmates is owned by the prince’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, and the Home Office now looks likely to cancel its lease and hand the keys back to William.

As heir to the throne, William is owner of 135,000 acres of land and property which provide him with a whopping income – accounts for 2023-4 show he trousered £23.6 million from the estate.

But Dartmoor – immortalised in the Sherlock Holmes mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles – is a whopping white elephant.

Nobody wants it.

Back in 2019, the government announced plans to close Dartmoor in 2023. It was considered old, ramshackle and colossally expensive to run.

But as jails across the country continued to be full to bursting, the decision was reversed.

However, last year high levels of radon, a radioactive gas, were discovered in the rocks surrounding the prison. Over 600 inmates were quickly shipped out to other locations.

Ironically, breaking up those same Dartmoor rocks was part of the ‘hard labour’ punishment handed down by judges up till 1948, when the practice – along with flogging – was abolished.

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The Ministry of Defence signed a new 25-year lease on the prison last year[/caption]

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It was originally built in 1809 to house French prisoners during the Napoleonic wars[/caption]

No doubt the few lags and lifers who’ve been detained in the Moor at the sovereign’s pleasure would be surprised that nitpicky health rules should shut down the toughest slammer in Britain.

The Ministry of Justice signed a new 25-year lease on the prison in 2023 but will now be regretting that decision – health and safety requirements meaning that, according to one local, “it’d be cheaper to build a new jail than fix this one.”

Dartmoor was built in 1809 to house French prisoners in the Napoleonic wars. Soon they were replaced by troops captured during America’s war with Britain which kicked off in 1812.

At one stage the massive stone prison blocks, surrounded a by high circular wall, were crammed with up to 6,500 detainees. Inevitably some managed to escape.

But the terrain outside – miles and miles of exposed moorland with no shelter – meant few got away. Locals were offered a bounty of a guinea per head for every absconder they collared.

Violent convicts

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Frank Mitchell, known as the ‘Mad Axeman’ is one of Dartmoor Prison’s most infamous inmates[/caption]

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Escaping the prison was never an easy task but Mitchell managed to[/caption]

One who did get away in the 20th century was notorious gangster Frank Mitchell, known as The Mad Axeman.

With a reputation for violent robbery, Mitchell claimed there wasn’t a lock he couldn’t pick – he escaped several times from prisons and psychiatric wards.

So strong he could lift a grand piano unaided, his party trick was to pick two grown men up by the scruff of the neck – one in each hand.

In an earlier escape he’d held a couple hostage, threatening them with an axe – hence his nickname. He became known as Britain’s most violent convict.

Mitchell escaped from a Dartmoor work-party in 1966 in a plot engineered by the Kray brothers, who had him whisked away to London in a getaway car.

While the bleak winter moorland was being combed by 200 police officers, 100 Royal Marines, and an RAF helicopter, Mitchell was happily feasting on his dinner in East London.

Confined for his own safety to a Kray safe house, he became argumentative and violent. So the Krays had him shot, the Axeman taking 12 bullets before he finally died.

His body was never found.

Local retired teacher Carolyn Cullum says: “I remember when the Mad Axeman escaped. Sirens were blaring and we were all told to stay indoors and lock our doors.”

He was one of the rare ones that got away – most of the escapees would get lost or give up through cold and exposure.

Sometimes they would go and hide in the woods nearby, not realising that the authorities had placed sensors in there to detect human movement.

“The best thing to do if you were banged up in Dartmoor was – do your porridge, keep your nose clean, speak nicely to the warders and you’ll be out in no time,” one local commented.

Acid bath murderer John Haigh did time in Dartmoor before being released to kill six (he claimed nine) innocent people.

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John Haigh served time in Dartmoor before going on a killing spree after his release[/caption]

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Haigh brutally murdered Amy McSwan and her son William Donald[/caption]

The accountant battered to death or shot his victims, and disposed of their bodies using sulphuric acid. He then went on to forge their signatures so he could sell their possessions and collect the money.

Before slaughtering his first victim, a wealthy rent collector, Haigh experimented with field-mice and discovered that it took only 30 minutes for their bodies to dissolve.

It actually took two days for the body of William McSwan to evaporate in a 40-gallon drum – but so encouraged was he by the results that Haigh then moved on to McSwan’s parents before picking off more victims.

After his 1949 arrest, police discovered 28lb of human body fat, part of a human foot, gallstones and some false teeth outside his workshop.

Haigh’s big mistake was to believe he could not be found guilty of murder if the bodies could not be found.

Former Dartmoor inmate Jack McVitie, known as Jack The Hat, was a notorious enforcer and hitman during the reign of the Kray Brothers in the 1950s and 60s.

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Jack McVitie, who was an enforcer for the Kray Brothers also served time at Dartmoor[/caption]

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But having fallen out with the twins, he made the crucial error of going round London pubs saying he was going to kill them.

Their response was to invite him to a party with the idea of shooting him as he entered the room.

Reggie would pull the trigger. But Reggie’s gun jammed, so instead he knifed McVitie in the face, chest and stomach.

“Jack got silly,” recalled his friend Joey Pyle later. “He knew he was going to get it. I can’t blame the twins for what they did – if someone goes around saying they’re going to kill you, you don’t have a lot of choice – you have to do them first.

“But Jack should never have gone the way he did. He died like a ****ing rat.”

Less lurid, but possibly the most high-profile prisoner Dartmoor ever had was Eamon de Valera, later to become President of Ireland.

The politician was a prisoner in Dartmoor for a short time before being released in 1917. He’d been a leader of the Easter Rising in 1916 and was originally sentenced to death.

But his time in Dartmoor convinced him that prison was not for him, and when he was re-arrested and sent to Lincoln jail he was determined to escape.

He did – by getting friends in Dublin to send him lock-picking materials baked in a cake. You couldn’t make it up.

But the days of the hard men of Dartmoor are long gone. Most recently the place has been designated Category C, a training and resettlement establishment only one step away from an open prison.

Now, the once-notorious Dartmoor stands empty. And unless the cash-strapped Starmer administration can find the millions to refurbish the place – this week the Prison Service stated that a decision will be taken later in the year – its 216-year run as the world’s most famous jail will be over.

And as Duke of Cornwall, Prince William will be left with a multi-million pound headache.

What do you do with a prison nobody wants?

Various ideas have been floated locally, including converting the old stone buildings into a hotel – as happened successfully in Oxford in 2006.

But that might cost William’s Duchy much more than the site is actually worth, since it’s too remote to be turned into housing and, stuck right in the middle of Dartmoor’s 50,000 acres, there are few other options left.

Mark Renders, who owns Princetown’s post office and shop, and is a local councillor and member of the Dartmoor National Park Authority says: “Closure has been hanging over us since the 1960s. Re-opening the prison will depend on whether the government will spend money on it when they review their finances later in the year.

“But it would be a tragedy to see such an iconic building closed and left to fall down.

“Princetown is the highest village in the country and we get around 30,000 visitors a year and that will have an effect on the locals if the closure is permanent.

“The Duchy are playing their cards very close to their chest so we don’t know what their plans are when the prison closes. A lot of people locally feel the Duchy is using the Radon scare as an excuse to mothball the place, and that the problem is not as bad as all that.

“We live on a huge block of granite here and though I’ve lived here for 13 years, I’ve never heard of anyone dropping dead from Radon.”

“But if the closure’s permanent, Princetown will take it on the chin.”

Maybe it’s time for William to pay his first visit – unlock a cell door, sit down with a bowl of porridge and work out what’s to be done next.

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In 2018, the then Prince Charles visited Dartmoor Prison[/caption]

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Its future now hangs in the balance after a radioactive gas forced it to close[/caption]

SOPHIE Wessex has rightfully climbed the royal ranks, becoming a ‘secret weapon’ for the family.

And so it may not come as a surprise that Prince William, 42, has ‘major plans’ for The Duchess of Edinburgh, who recently turned 60, when he ascends the throne. 

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Prince William has ‘major’ plans for ‘secret weapon’ Sophie Wessex when he gets the throne[/caption]

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Royal insiders have recognised the Duchess’ ‘prominent role’[/caption]

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Sources claimed William would be ‘foolish’ to ignore Sophie’s role when he eventually becomes King[/caption]

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Sophie is frequently sent abroad to carry out politically sensitive and high-profile trips to war-torn countries[/caption]

Sophie has become one of the most popular working royals who backs difficult causes which previously received very little global attention.

Not only does she have a close bond with the likes of King Charles, 76, Queen Camilla, 77, and The Princess of Wales, 43, but her wide recognition as a ‘secret weapon’ for the Firm has led experts to say she will have a coveted role when Prince William‘s time on the throne arrives.

Reports that William will give his aunt a key role were provoked after a royal insider spoke to The Sunday Times and said: “They [the Waleses and the Edinburghs] get on very well.” 

The source then added that they believe that the Prince of Wales will be “eager for his aunt and uncle to play a more prominent role in public life”.

Not only this, but speaking to OK!, former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond said: “By any measure, Sophie has proved herself to be a major asset to the royal family, and William would be foolish to ignore the value she brings.”

Whilst William isn’t afraid to shy away from challenging subjects like mental health and male suicide rates, Sophie is eager to focus on the difficult subjects of the eradication of sexual violence in conflict areas, female genital mutilation and gender equality.

Praising Sophie further, Jennie added: “She is dignified and elegant, and yet still the same Sophie she was when she met Edward: unpretentious, generous and with a natural charm.

“She has worked below the radar for many years, neither expecting nor receiving the publicity she deserves. 

“Recently though, with the slimmed down royal family, the public have come to recognise how important the Duchess is to the work of the monarchy.”

One of the reasons behind Sophie’s impressive rise is the role she has assumed as a talented diplomat who is frequently sent abroad to carry out politically sensitive and high-profile trips to war-torn or otherwise troubled areas of the world.

She has been on tours to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Baghdad, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and, more recently, Ukraine.

Jennie recognised: “The Government have deployed her to use the monarchy’s soft power in a number of very delicate situations.

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Jennie recognsied “the public have come to recognise how important the Duchess is to the work of the monarchy”[/caption]

“She is always well prepared and confident to take on more responsibilities. And she has taken on some highly sensitive issues in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.

“At just sixty, she is a relatively young member of the senior royals…so I am sure there will be a major role for her in the future, and King William will be leaning heavily on both Sophie and Edward to support the monarchy in all it does in the future.”

Not only this, but in recent years, The Duchess of Edinburgh has proved herself as an engaging and empathetic senior member of the Royal Family – with many referring to her as King Charles‘ ‘secret weapon’.

She’s also been seen as a ‘helping hand’ to Princess Kate after her recent cancer diagnosis.

Sophie has proved herself to be a major asset to the royal family, and William would be foolish to ignore the value she brings

Jennie Bond

When Kate stepped back from public life, Sophie was the first to take on some of her engagements.

“That sort of pragmatism, a genuine desire to help and support someone who has been knocked off kilter, is pure Sophie,” says a senior royal source. 

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Sophie has two children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn[/caption]

“It really helped William and Kate, obviously in a practical way, but also knowing Sophie could always be relied upon to give her support whenever it was needed.”

And that support was extended to the Wales’s children, with ‘Aunt Sophie’ arranging picnics and play dates at Bagshot for George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, during the times when Kate needed to rest after her debilitating sessions of chemotherapy.

Away from the spotlight, she and Prince Edward live at Bagshot Park in Surrey with their two children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, Earl of Wessex, 17, when they are not away at university and school.

She and Edward marked their 25th wedding anniversary last year, and their love for one another was clear to see as Sophie paid tribute to him in a heartfelt speech in which she called him “the best of fathers, the most loving of husbands and still is my best friend.”

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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, has supported Princess Kate through her cancer treatment[/caption]

A GRAN has slammed car park bosses after she was charged a whopping £170 for staying 65 seconds too long.

Angela Jones, 60, said that she was forced to ask a friend to help her pay the fine which left her feeling “humiliated”.

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Angela Jones (pictured) from Alvechurch, was fined for parking in Kings Heath High Street Car Park for six minutes[/caption]

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She had been charged for overstaying the free parking period at a local car park[/caption]

The 60-year-old parked her Nissan Juke in Kings Heath High Street car park, Birmingham, but was unsure about how to pay for her spot. 

A fellow motorist told her that she needed to download an app to pay, but Angela quickly deleted it from her phone as she was concerned that it could be a scam. 

QR scams have become increasingly common in the UK, with crooks using fake codes to lead drivers to dodgy websites.

Once drivers enter their payment details, the criminals then drain their accounts. 

Angela left the car park at 15:29:50, believing that she was still within the free five minute parking period. 

However, unbeknownst to her, she had overstayed by 65 seconds, leading her to be slapped with a £100 fine. 

She appealed to Parking Charge Collections Ltd (PCC) but had her appeal rejected. 

That launched a legal battle which almost “finished” Angela “off”, as she was already struggling to pay her bills despite working three jobs. 

Sadly, her plea was rejected a second time after she did not correctly verify her email address with the IAS.

After receiving a letter from solicitors acting on behalf of PCC demanding payment, Angela said she felt “intimidated” to pay up.

Angela, who has five grown-up children and one granddaughter, said: “It affected my mental health greatly and left me in the position where I was so scared that I paid it before any legal action was taken.

“I was waking up in the night, terrified there would be bailiffs knocking at me door.

“I had to borrow the money from a friend which was humiliating.”

Eventually, Angela contacted her MP Bradley Thomas who contacted the trade association for private parking firms, the International Parking Community (IPC).

After several weeks of letters being exchanged, Angela’s fine was eventually cancelled but, weeks on, she is still waiting for a refund.

In light of the events, IPC said it is working to ensure private car parks do not hand out similar fines.

PCC has been approached for comment.

It comes as a woman revealed how she was scammed out of £100s at a car park after scanning a fake QR code.

In a video posted to social media, the duped car owner picked at a QR code sticker over the top of the real QR code.

SWNS: South West News Service

SWNS: South West News Service

Australia have outlasted New Zealand in a thrilling women’s final at the World Series SVNS in Perth, overcoming the absence of injured duo Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan to hold on and win 28-26 at HBF Park.