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Pre-season games, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, contract, transfer, rumours, updates

Cristiano Ronaldo played 45 minutes as he made his first Manchester United appearance in 12 weeks during a 1-1 pre-season draw with Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford and later proclaimed: “Happy to be back”.

The 37-year-old Portugal forward, who missed the club’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, reportedly wants to leave the club he rejoined last year.

Former Real Madrid and Juventus star Ronaldo finished as United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals.

Ronaldo returns to Manchester at last | 00:36

But the campaign as a whole was a huge disappointment for the club, with a sixth-place finish in the Premier League meaning they missed out on qualification for the Champions League.

Ronaldo was left out of United’s squad for Saturday’s friendly with Atletico Madrid in Oslo.

But, commenting on a post on a fan page about him missing the game in Norway, Ronaldo wrote Friday: “Domingo o rei joga” which translates as “Sunday the king plays”.

Ronaldo applauded fans on both sides of the ground as he led the team out for their pre-match warm-up on Sunday.

The veteran forward had one clear chance during his 45-minute appearance but drove over the bar after running on to Donny van de Beek’s lay-off.

LATEST ON RONALDO: Man Utd star chases stunning reunion with Sporting Lisbon

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the Pre-Season Friendly match.  (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the Pre-Season Friendly match. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

After the match, Ronaldo posted a photograph of himself playing in the game on his Twitter feed beneath a caption of “Happy to be back”.

“I cannot tell at this moment [how fit Ronaldo is],” Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag said pre-game.

“He is not on the level of the rest of the squad because he has missed a lot of weeks.

“But he needs games and he needs training, a lot.”

New signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez both featured for an hour in a game set up by Ten Hag for the players who did not have major roles in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Atletico.

Amad Diallo, who was on loan at Rangers last season, gave United the lead early in the second half when the 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger fired in the rebound after a shot from Alex Telles had been saved.

United’s lead, however, lasted just nine minutes before Alvaro Garcia equalized in similar fashion after Tom Heaton had saved Isaac Palazon Camacho’s initial effort.

United start their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton on August 7.

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Entertainment

Margot Robbie sent Neighbors cast champagne for finale

Hollywood star Margot Robbie has told how she will be “eternally grateful” to soap Neighbors after it launched her acting career.

Margot, 32, who began her TV career as Ramsay Street’s Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011, appeared in the show’s finale, which aired last Thursday.

While the A-lister filmed her scenes for the final show in Los Angeles, she made a sweet gesture to her fellow castmates, sending 37 bottles of champagne to the Melbourne set, as revealed by Neighbors actress Christie Whelan on social media last week, The Sun reports.

Robbie said that the final episode marks “the end of an era”.

Now Hollywood’s highest-paid actress, she said: “I owe so much to neighbors.

“There are so many of us that owe [the show] for giving us a big break.

“It wasn’t just about giving me a break either – it gave me a real chance to work on my craft. It was the perfect training for Hollywood and I will always be eternally grateful.”

thursday’s neighbors finale saw Robbie return alongside a host of other fan favourites, including Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Holly Valance and Natalie Imbruglia.

Anne Charleston, who played Ramsay Street legend Madge Bishop, also returned – with her late character appearing as a ghost.

Remembering her time on the soap, Robbie said it was only when she moved to London that she realized how widespread neighbors‘popularity was.

“It really is an end of an era for fans. When I lived in London, I understood at its peak how big it was. People would come up to me and tell me how they watched it every day after school.”

From fruit farm to Hollywood Hills

The actress, who grew up on a fruit farm on the Gold Coast, moved to LA after leaving neighbors in 2011 and landed a role in US TV show Pan Am.

But it was her part opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf Of Wall Street that caught the eye of movie bosses in 2013.

Soon after, she moved to South London where she shared a four-bedroom pad in Clapham with six other friends that they dubbed “The Manor”.

Her housemates were friends she had met filming wartime flick French Suite – including the assistant director and her now-husband Tom Ackerley.

Robbie went on to star in 2015’s focus opposite Will Smith and played The Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn in 2016 hitSuicide Squad.

In 2016, she and Ackerley also married, and the following year they swapped their Clapham flat for a $3.6 million villa in Hollywood.

But she said leaving London had not been an easy move for the couple.

She said: “It was such a hard decision to leave, but I just couldn’t keep living out of a suitcase.”

Back in LA, the actress went on to star as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya – which she also produced – and alongside Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron in Bombshell.

Both roles won her Oscar nominations.

She also starred as rising movie star Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywoodappearing with former co-star DiCaprio as well as Brad Pitt.

Next year will see her hit the big screen in neon pink and sky-high heels after she was cast as Barbie in a romantic comedy about the iconic doll.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film also stars Ryan Gosling as Barbie‘s love interest Ken.

Robbie said: “When I read the script, I genuinely thought, ‘This is one of the best scripts I have ever read.’ I needed to be part of this story.

“I remember speaking with Ryan before we started shooting and we were just so excited to be part of this incredible script.

“Whatever people expect the Barbie movie to be like, they need to totally rethink it because Greta has done something special here.

“And Barbie is such a role model. She was a surgeon back in the early ’70s when a tiny percentage of females were applying for medical school.”

It is expected that in the hands of director Greta – whose last films were Lady Bird and Little Women – Barbie will get a thoroughly modern makeover.

‘Things have changed a lot’

It comes after Hollywood’s own makeover in recent years following the #MeToo scandals.

That movement was the focus of 2019 movie Bombshell, which was based on the sexual harassment of women working at Fox News.

Robbie, who starred as Kayla Pospisil, told at the time that it was only while working on the film that she realized what sexual harassment was.

She told Net-A-Porter: “I’m in my late twenties, I’m educated, I’m worldly, I’ve travelled, I have my own business – and I didn’t know. That’s insane.

“I didn’t know that you could say, ‘I have been sexually harassed,’ without someone physically touching you.

“That you could say, ‘That’s not OK.’ I had no idea.”

The actress also said that she has experienced harassment, but “not in Hollywood”, adding: “I struggle to find many women who haven’t experienced sexual harassment on some level.

“So yes, lots of times. And to varying degrees of severity throughout my life.”

Speaking last week, Robbie said: “I think things have changed in Hollywood over the past few years.

“There have been some difficult conversations and very brave people.

“We live in hope that all this courage that has been shown means nothing like this ever happens again.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished here with permission

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Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: Shayna Jack bronze medal in 50m freestyle result, star breaks down in tears

Shayna Jack almost apologized for saying she was about to get emotional after her bronze medal swim. The 23-year-old comeback star has nothing to apologize for.

After a string of cruel injuries and a two-year doping ban, Jack on Monday morning enjoyed the single sweetest moment of her swimming career and was overcome with emotion.

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Jack missed out on gold in the women’s 50m freestyle final to Aussie superstar Emma McKeon, who won a mind-boggling 11th career gold medal.

It was an astonishing medal sweep for Australia with Meg Harris taking the silver, just 0.04 seconds ahead of Jack.

Jack has previously won world championship gold medals and a Commonwealth Games gold medal in relay events — but this was her first ever major individual swimming medal. You could tell as she fronted the press after the swim that it meant everything,

Jack had qualified fastest for the final and had some regret about missing out on the gold — but falling short against one of the greatest athletes of all time is nothing to be disappointed by.

She started her brief press conference by saying: “I’m just going to get emotional.

“Like it might not have been the result I wanted tonight, but I have to be really proud of how far I’ve come.

“It’s not been an easy journey. It’s been two major hiccups. Just to be standing here today and to be able to get on the podium with these two girls is actually such an honor. I probably can’t put into words how amazing it feels to be here.”

Jack said winning a gold medal in an individual event is the next thing for her to chase with plenty of fire in her belly.

“I have always loved being part of the relays but to progress and to be on the podium as an individual swimmer is second to none,” she said.

“I’m so proud of myself and these girls tonight. We gave it our all.

“I don’t think I’ve given myself that time to recognize how far I’ve come.”

It was an emotional night for the Aussie team with McKeon also briefly breaking down in tears after her historic achievement.

Jack’s emotion shows how far she has come.

She last month became a world champion after anchoring the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to gold in Budapest.

Jack was returning after the shock moment on the eve of the 2019 World Championships where it was revealed she had tested positive to anabolic agent Ligandrol.

Jack continually maintained her innocence and had her suspension cut in half by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in November 2020.

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Sports

Tolu Latu returns to Australia, Tom Horton joins Leicester Tigers, Rugby World Cup 2023, Rugby Championship

Tolu Latu is once again a Waratah, and the hooker could yet emerge as a player of national interest should he keep on the straight and narrow over the next 16 months.

After weeks of negotiations with the Waratahs, the 21-Test hooker signed a one-year deal with the Super Rugby franchise last week.

By doing so, Darren Coleman has opted for the immense capability of Latu over rising hooker Tom Horton to compete with Wallabies incumbent hooker Dave Porecki and Mahe Vailanu.

It can be revealed Horton, 25, will instead join up with England Premiership champions Leicester, who are coached by Eddie Jones’ former right-hand man Steve Borthwick.

Tom Horton is heading to Leicester and won’t return to the Waratahs for 2023 after Tolu Latu signed with Darren Coleman’s men. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

With Argentine international Julian Montoya unavailable, Tom Youngs retired and Sydney-born England squad member Nic Dolly injured, Borthwick needs a hooker and Horton will compete for the role once his visa is approved and he touches down in the region.

The short-term deal is the perfect opportunity for Horton to grow after a frustrating few years where injuries have slowed his development.

But the Sydney Uni hooker need only look at his former teammate Porecki for inspiration, with the 29-year-old plying his trade in England for years before an opening popped up back at the Waratahs last year. Porecki’s Wallabies debut was delayed by a year because of an injury, but the experienced rake was one of Dave Rennie’s best players against England in July.

Latu’s return is hardly surprising.

He has been linked to a return with the Waratahs ever since he was let go by Stade Francais earlier in the year.

The Waratahs will have two Test hookers at the franchise with Tolu Latu joining Dave Porecki. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

His departure from the Paris-based Top 14 outfit came after more ill-discipline off the pitch and reckless moments on it, which ultimately saw the 21-Test hooker farewelled.

But his incredible potential, where he is one of the best in Australian rugby over the ball and at the scrum, has seen Australian rugby give the cat with nine lives another chance.

It shapes as his last, with Latu to be shown the door if he puts one foot wrong given his history.

Wallaby Tolu Latu has been handed a lifeline by the Waratahs. Photo: AAPSource: AAP

Latu has joined on a contract worth barely six figures, but if he manages to keep on the right side of the boot greater riches lay ahead.

He is unlikely to come into the reckoning for the Wallabies this year unless a number of injuries, but given his outstanding World Cup campaign in 2019 he is a bolter for next year’s tournament in France.

He will compete with Porecki, Folau Fainga’a and Lachlan Lonergan – all three of whom are in Argentina ahead of the Wallabies’ opening Rugby Championship fixture against Michael Cheika’s Los Pumas in Mendoza on Sunday (AEST).

Argentina’s Australian coach Michael Cheika looks on before the series-deciding international against Scotland at the Madre de Ciudades Stadium in Santiago del Estero. Photo: AFPSource: AFP

Sunday’s Test shapes as a season defining one, especially with the All Blacks fighting fires on a number of fronts.

Not only do the All Blacks have the immense challenge of taking on the Springboks twice in South Africa, they are likely playing for coach Ian Foster’s future.

Foster, unlike two of his assistants, might have been spared the ax following their first series loss on home soil since 1994, but New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson hardly filled him with confidence when he stopped short of saying he would lead the All Blacks through to next year’s World Cup.

“He’s certainly the person to lead the team to South Africa, and we’re making sure they’ve got everything possible in the way of resourcing and support to make sure that’s successful,” Robinson told Newstalk ZB from Birmingham.

Robinson’s comments came after former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said relations between the New Zealand Rugby board and the players were at their lowest ebb.

“The relationship between the board and the [executive] with the players at the moment is probably the worst it’s ever been,” he said on local radio.

“I don’t think they’re doing their job right at the moment.”

While former NZR boss David Moffett called for Robinson to stand down.

The rumblings in the front office, and the lingering feeling the All Blacks have the wrong man coaching with Scott Robertson waiting in the wings, have left the feeling the All Blacks are at their most vulnerable in two decades ahead of the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup .

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England beats Germany, wins women’s Euros: Football news, reaction

England won a major women’s football tournament for the first time as Chloe Kelly’s extra-time goal secured a 2-1 victory over Germany at a sold out Wembley on Monday morning (AEST).

In front of a record crowd of 87,192 for any match in the history of the European Championships, Kelly prodded home a loose ball from close range to end English football’s 56-year wait for a World Cup or Euro victory.

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England looked set for victory in the 90 minutes when substitute Ella Toone’s sublime chip over Merle Frohms put the hosts in front.

Germany showed remarkable resilience to bounce back as Lina Magull leveled 11 minutes from time.

But for once, England were not to be denied a major tournament success. Kelly fought back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear to be fit in time for the tournament and made herself a national hero by being in the right place to pounce when Germany failed to clear a corner in the 110th minute.

The Manchester City winger tore her shirt off in celebration in scenes reminiscent of Mia Hamm’s famous reaction to scoring the winning penalty for the USA at the 1999 World Cup.

Fortune did not favor Germany, who lost captain and top goalscorer Alexandra Popp to a muscle injury in the warm-up.

But England will feel their time for some luck was due as 12 months on from the Three Lions’ defeat on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 men’s final, the nation’s women went one better.

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Max Verstappen wins, Daniel Ricciardo position, Ferrari strategy blunder, standings, points

World champion Max Verstappen fully exploited another Ferrari flop to pull 80 points clear of Charles Leclerc in this year’s title race with an emphatic Red Bull triumph in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Just a week after his crushing win at the French Grand Prix, where Leclerc crashed out of the lead, the 24-year-old Dutchman scored his first win at the Hungaroring, his eighth this year and the 28th of his career.

Starting from 10th on the grid, after engine problems in qualifying on Saturday required a new power unit, he sliced ​​through the field to finish 7.8 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who had started from his maiden pole position.

That was despite a 360 degree spin on lap 40 from which he managed to recover from.

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‘LET’S F***ING GO!’ Ricciardo nails insane double overtake before penalty drama strikes

“When we woke up this morning who would have thought we would win this race?” said the Dutchman.

With Russell on pole and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Leclerc second and third on the grid, pre-race forecasts made the Italian team favorites to control and win with some ease as the Red Bulls were 10th and 11th.

But a combination of poor tire management, slow pit-stops and questionable strategy saw them finish fifth and sixth, behind Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, who started 11th, after looking likely winners.

“I was hoping I could get close to a podium, but it was very tricky out there,” said Verstappen.

Max Verstappen is running away with the championship.
Max Verstappen is running away with the championship.Source: AFP

“But we had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right time.” Hamilton, who started seventh was seeking to increase his record haul of eight Hungarian wins, registered his fifth consecutive podium and a successive second position.

“I was definitely struggling at the beginning, but bit by bit I got more comfortable with the balance,” he said.

“I had a really good start so I want to acknowledge my team. We’ve had a tough year and for both cars to be on the podium is an amazing way to go into the summer break.

“The other guys have an edge, but we are clearly closing the gap. Hopefully, we can bring some more into the second half of the season and start fighting with them.”

It was an up-and-down race for Daniel Ricciardo who executed a stunning double overtake on both Alpines and yelled “let’s f***ing go”, but had his race ruined after an incident with Lance Stroll.

Ricciardo made contact with the Aston Martin and was handed a five-second penalty for causing the collision. He also struggled with the harder tire and continued to slip down the field, eventually finishing in a lowly 15th position.

His teammate Lando Norris finished seventh.

– ‘I was confused’ –

Russell, who led for 30 laps, said he had a strong first stint, but that he struggled on the medium compound tires and lost temperature in the closing laps.

“But it’s been an amazing job by the team to have pole position and a double podium – we are definitely making progress. I am really proud of the work everyone has done.”

Both Sainz and Leclerc were disappointed by their results.

“I felt very strong and very comfortable on the mediums,” said Leclerc who led the race and looked likely to win before a pit-stop to switch unexpectedly to hard tyres.

“I wanted to stay out and I don’t know why I was called in. I was confused by that.

“I lost the race on the hard tires and I don’t know why. We need to speak about this inside the team.”

He added: “Honestly, the pace on my side, I was pretty happy, the only thing is that everybody will remember the last part of the race where it was a disaster for me, especially the hard – that’s why I lost the race basically .”

Sainz said he felt he was slower than expected.

“It is what it is,” he said. “We struggled as a team and in the lower temperatures the track changed and the car and the tires did not perform.

“We need to analyze this to see what we did wrong and, after the summer break, come back with a better package. We have to speak about it inside the team to get to do this better.” Ferrari team chief Mattia Binotto defended the team’s decisions.

“We didn’t have the performance we expected and the car was not performing well in the cooler conditions,” he said. “It’s the first time this season.

“We did not have the edge today. We believed we could do it, but it did not work out as we were expecting. Sometimes, we can make mistakes, but I fully support the team.”

HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS

1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 1hr 39min 35.912sec

2. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) at 7.834sec

3. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 12,337

4. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 14,579

5. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) 15,688

6. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 16,047

7. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:18.300

8. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1 lap

9. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 1 lap

10. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1 lap

11. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1 lap

12. Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 1 lap

13. Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo) 1 lap

14. Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap

15. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 1 lap

16. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap

17. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap

18. Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap

19. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 2 laps

20. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo) 5 laps

Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:21.386 on 57th lap (average speed: 260.580 km/h)

Did not finish: Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo)

World championship standings (after 13 races)

drivers

1. Max Verstappen (NED) 258pts

2. Charles Leclerc (MON) 178

3. Sergio Perez (MEX) 173

4. George Russell (GBR) 158

5. Carlos Sainz (ESP) 156

6. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 146

7. Lando Norris (GBR) 76

8. Esteban Ocon (FRA) 58

9. Valtteri Bottas (END) 46

10. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 41

11. Kevin Magnussen (DEN) 22

12. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) 19

13. Pierre Gasly (FRA) 16

14. Sebastian Vettel (GER) 16

15. Mick Schumacher (GER) 12

16. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) 11

17. Zhou Guanyu (CHN) 5

18. Lance Stroll (CAN) 4

19. Alexander Albon (THA) 3

20. Nicholas Latifi (CAN) 0

21. Nico Hulkenberg (GER) 0

builders

1. Red Bull 431pts

2.Ferrari 334

3.Mercedes 304

4.Alpine-Renault 99

5. McLaren-Mercedes 95

6.Alfa Romeo 51

7. Haas-Ferrari 34

8. AlphaTauri-Red Bull 27

9. Aston Martin-Mercedes 20

10. Williams-Mercedes 3

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Horror cycling crash in Men’s 15km Scratch, Matt Walls, Matt Bostock, news

English cyclist Matt Walls was involved in a horror crash at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday when he was catapulted over the barriers and into the crowds at the Lee Valley VeloPark.

The Olympic omnium champion, competing in the men’s 15km scratch qualifiers at the London venue, received treatment for more than 40 minutes before being taken away by ambulance.

Spectators were also hurt after Walls and his bike came over the top of the barriers on the high banking of a corner.

Two other riders — the Isle of Man’s Matt Bostock and Canada’s Derek Gee — were also taken to hospital, while two spectators were treated for minor injuries at the velodrome.

A statement from Team England said: “Following medical treatment in hospital, Matt Walls has been discharged with stitches in his forehead, scrapes and bruises but thankfully no major injuries.”

The Isle of Man team said Bostock had a CT scan from which the initial prognosis was positive.

General view of a crash in the Men's 15km Scratch Race Qualifying Round.
General view of a crash in the Men’s 15km Scratch Race Qualifying Round.Source: Supplied

Witnesses said that because of the gradient of the banking, spectators in the front row had been unsighted for the crash.

One man received treatment for cuts to his arm while a young girl also received medical attention.

Walls had been trying to avoid riders who had failed. The stricken pair of New Zealand’s George Jackson and Australia’s Josh Duffy slid up the banking, forcing Walls up on to the barrier and then over it.

Gee also surfed the top of the barrier but managed to avoid following Walls into the stands but he fell heavily.

A Birmingham 2022 spokesman said in a statement that three cyclists and two spectators had been treated by the on-site medical team.

“The three cyclists have been taken to hospital. The two spectators did not require hospital treatment,” the statement added.

Canadian Mathias Guillemette was disqualified from the race for causing the initial crash and the rest of the morning session was cancelled.

British five-time Olympic gold medalist Laura Kenny, who is competing for England at the Commonwealths, called for bigger barriers or screens to be fitted in velodromes to improve safety.

Kenny, speaking a day after England’s Joe Truman was knocked unconscious in a crash, fears the sport is growing more dangerous.

“I think the crashes are getting worse and it’s because the speeds are getting higher, the positions (on the bike) are getting more extreme,” she said.

“Some of the pursuit positions people are getting in, you see people crashing into the back of people.

“At some point the UCI (cycling’s governing body) are going to have to put a cap on these positions. Maybe there should be screens because Matt should not have been able to go over the top and into the crowd — that’s pretty damn dangerous.” Australia dominated the afternoon session, with Georgia Baker taking gold in the women’s 25km points race and Kristina Clonan winning the women’s 500m time trial in a time of 33.234sec.

Australia’s Matthew Richardson won the men’s sprint, denying Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul a second gold of the Games.

New Zealand’s Corbin Strong won the men’s 15km scratch to leave the Kiwis on six cycling golds, one behind Australia.

Most of the events at the Commonwealths are being held in Birmingham but the track cycling is taking place in London.

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Entertainment

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s unprecedented pressure after 12 hellish days

The very best thing about being Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, right now, as far as I can tell, is that no one is going to make them go to Birmingham. On Friday, the Commonwealth Games opened in the Midlands city and in the coming days, various members of the royal family will be sent forth to do their flag-waving best.

Never mind that much of Europe is busy slathering on the SPF 50 or that the Queen has begun her usual summer hols or that the beaches of Mustique are calling. To be a working member of the British monarchy this week requires that all available HRHs front up while looking jolly pleased to have to wear a Team GB polo shirt and watch badminton.

Having absconded more than two and a half years ago for sunnier climes and fatter bank accounts, this sort of tedious duty is no longer part of the Sussexes’ lives.

Small mercies, huh?

However, aside from the fact that the couple won’t have to contend with so much polyester and so many hours of archery anytime soon, things are not exactly looking that rosy over Montecito way, with the couple having taken hit after hit over the last 12 days or so.

Rewind to July 18 and Harry and Meghan were jetting into New York where they had an appointment at the UN, with the duke having been asked to give the address to mark Nelson Mandela Day. In the couple strode to the famed building’s foyer, a masterful demonstration of what has become a hallmark of their post-royal careers – purposefully marching into the important buildings for supposedly important meetings and events after which … nothing much would seem to happen.

Anyway, they were back! Back at doing their quasi-royal darnedest! Harry had a speech, Meghan had a Jackie O-esque black dress – what could possibly go wrong?

Well, for one thing, not that many people turned up. As the Duke of Sussex gave his address to him, talking about climate change (conveniently forgetting that the family uses private jets on the reg), disinformation and abortion rights (all the good stars on these fronts) the vast majority of the seats were visibly empty.

For whatever reason, the bulk of the great and good of the international body would seem to have decided to be elsewhere and not watch the sixth in line to the throne have a crack at international statesmanship. (Maybe the UN cafeteria was serving waffles?)

If Harry looked grim when the couple was caught by the paparazzi leaving Italian restaurant Locanda Verde, he had every reason to look sour. That week saw the publication of biographer Tom Bower’s Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors.

Bower’s book is a largely unrelenting, highly unflattering take on the Sussexes, casting them as fueled by ego and some misguided notion that Meghan was going to be Diana mark two, aside from the fact that, in the biographer’s telling, she seemed to have no interest in the monarchy, no willingness to learn its fusty ropes and little enthusiasm for the boring parts of HRH-dom.

As the week progressed, Bower did the press rounds, offering a series of caustic takes including that he thought “they pose a real threat to the royal family” and labeling the duchess “a very scheming” person.

What is surprising has been the reaction from Montecito, with the Sussexes having so far not commented. While in the past, the duo have filed multiple court cases against various media outlets and sent out legal letters during the storm over their daughter Lilibet’s name, however in this instance they have remained staunchly silent.

Then came the development playing out in a court in Florida when lawyers for the duchess got into the “subjective” nature of truth. Earlier this year, the former actress was sued by her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle for allegedly telling “false and malicious lies” during her bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview last year.

This week, the Duchess of Sussex’s lawyers moved to dismiss the case, with legal papers filed by their side arguing that Meghan’s description of growing up “as an only child” during the interview was “obviously not meant to be a statement of objective fact” and was “a textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood.”

While it’s an argument that has more than a tinge of Philosophy 101 (what is truth?) this strategy then raises an obvious question: If Meghan’s characterization about her upbringing was “subjective” then were any of the other devastating claims she made during the two -hour tell-all “subjective” too?

One bright spot on the horizon for the duo during all this was Harry’s successful appeal to the High Court for a judicial review over the Home Office’s decision to no longer automatically grant him full-time bodyguards when he is in the UK.

Except, even this was not exactly a slam dunk; just because the review was granted does not mean it will automatically be successful.

Then there is the cost of the whole legal imbroglio. the Sun has reported that the UK government has spent $156,000 on the case from September last year to May 2020. If Harry’s costs are similar then that would mean he has also spent well into the six figures to argue the case over his security arrangements which only pertain to the handful of days per year he has spent, on average, in the UK since quitting.

That bill could only go up if he ultimately loses the case, with the Home Office having previously said it will look to recover costs if they win.

While August is a traditionally quiet month on the Planet Royal, the rest of the year is shaping up to be a barnstormer of a doozy.

Harry is looking down the barrel of some of the most monumental months of his life since the sonic boom of Megxit, with news his memoir will be published before Christmas and with Page Six having reported that Netflix wants the couple’s “at home” docu series (shush you in the back there yelling “reality show”!) to hit screens this year too.

This book and show will very likely prove to be huge commercial successes for the couple, much needed professional wins after having released exactly no content up until this point for the streaming giant, since 2020 – but at what cost?

If either or both of these projects are focused on little more than the Sussexes launching a fresh volley of complaints about their treatment by the royal family, interspersed with some vignettes of them doing some caring, then they could be playing with fire.

If this scenario came to pass, they would run the risk of looking dangerously like little more than perpetual whingers who are clinging to the self-appointed victim status inside their $20 million mansion at a time when war, fire, floods and monkeypox are blighting the world.

Then there is what toll these two releases could take for his tattered relationship with House of Windsor, a bond that is reportedly hanging by a thread.

as the Sun’s former royal editor Duncan Lacrombe recently told the Daily Beast: “Once the book is out, William will have to make a decision about what he is going to do about Harry, but he is not going to do a thing until he knows what is on.” every page of that book. The reality is that if, as a senior member of the royal family, you have written a tell-all book, you have broken rule No. 1 of the royal family.”

If Harry’s book and/or their Netflix series sees them paint big fresh targets on the monarchy’s backs then will Queen & co. sit idly by and suffer through a fresh hellish round of monarchical character assassinations?

Thus far the Sussexes’ repeated media provocations have been met with a certain imperiousness and contrived dismissiveness from London but should the duke and duchess continue to bait the royal family but we might soon discover that The Firm has some very sharp teeth.

For example, the duo do still, of course, use their gifted Sussex titles from the Queen, day in and day out. While only parliament could officially revoke those titles, that is not to say the weight of the Crown and Harry’s father and brother could not be brought to bear pressure on them to no longer use them.

Would Prince Harry and Meghan Mountbatten-Windsor (or Prince Harry and Princess Henry of Wales) as they could only then call themselves be quite so marketable for Hollywood?

There is so much on the line for them in the coming month – their image, reputations, careers and potentially even a large chunk of money. But, there is always a sliver lining: At least no one is going to be making them sit through a table tennis match any time soon.

Daniela Elser is a royal expert and a writer with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.

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Business

RLB forecasts emerging construction cost inflation will ease in 2023

The rate at which construction costs are soaring – contributing to a spate of high-profile building company collapses – will ease next year, according to new forecasts from global consultancy firm RLB.

Construction cost inflation in Melbourne is forecast to halve, dropping from 8 per cent this year to 4 per cent in 2023, and in Sydney it is predicted to slow from 6.9 per cent to 3.9 per cent.

An even bigger decline is forecast for the Gold Coast with cost growth dropping from 11.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent. Similarly, in Brisbane it should drop from 10.5 per cent this year to 5.1 per cent in 2023, according to forecasts published this week in RLB’s second quarter 2022 International Report.

RLB research and development director Domenic Schiafone said the expectation that costing will ease through next year was due to curtailing demand, likely to be caused by inflationary pressures.

“This easing of demand should allow manufacturing and logistics to get back to ‘normality’ or pre-Covid levels,” he said.

“The easing of demand should also see a softening of material prices with the high level of ‘demand-led price premiums’ reducing.”

Association of Professional Builders co-founder Russ Stephens, whose clients are residential home builders, agreed to escalate costs could halve next year, but off a much higher base.

He said the cost to build a residential home had increased a lot more than non-residential or commercial builds due to the larger percentage of timber used, and that temporary price hikes created by supply and demand were not reflected in the reports we were seeing.

Australia’s typical house build cost has soared more than $94,000 in 15 months, according to figures revealed in analysis by the Housing Industry Association and News Corp Australia earlier this month.

The national inflation rate hit 6.1 per cent in the year to June with new dwellings and automotive fuel the most significant contributors, new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week showed. New dwellings were up 20.3 per cent.

Warning to Australians wanting to build

While construction cost inflation is expected to ease sometime next year, in the meantime the pain will continue.

Mr Stephens said because costs were increasing so quickly, consumers needed to be aware prices quoted for builds would not last long.

“If they’ve had a price quoted that is older than 30 days they should expect to have that price renegotiated,” he said.

He also said consumers would see more builders including rise and fall clauses, also known as cost escalation clauses, in contracts.

“It gives the ability for a builder to pass an increase in cost of materials on to the consumer,” Mr Stephens explained, adding it was common in other countries but Australia didn’t typically use them.

“What I would say to consumers is that’s not necessarily a negative thing because if the builders don’t put those clauses in they’ll have to put more contingency in to the price to protect themselves against potential increases.

“So rise and fall clauses are probably a good thing for consumers because it means they will only pay the cost of the increase rather than an inflated prediction of what increases might be, especially as we’re seeing evidence now that the increases will start to slow down next year.”

Factors contributing to the construction industry crisis

The construction industry is facing challenges so great that high-profile building companies are dropping like flies.

Mr Schiafone said fragmented supply chain issues were not resolved and labor shortages across the nation have continued as a result of the pandemic.

The consultancy’s report noted lead times for some products from overseas were currently

16 to 20 weeks, when traditionally they were half that at eight to 10 weeks.

Additionally, the need for construction labor and materials after recent flood damage will enhance existing shortages across the country, he said.

Mr Schiafone said higher fuel prices, increasing power costs and timber shortages were all symptoms of the war in Ukraine and were likely to linger for some time yet.

RLB global chairman Andrew Reynolds said significant cost escalation, global delivery uncertainty, aberrant weather events causing significant construction delays, and labor shortages were common challenges in the industry across the world.

Failed building companies

The latest company to collapse was prominent Melbourne apartment developer Caydon earlier this week, blaming “one difficult market situation after another”.

The next day, on Wednesday, ASX-listed developer Cedar Woods shelved a major inner-city Brisbane townhouse and apartment project due to rising costs and delays.

It came less than a week after Perth developer Sirona Urban killed off a $165 million luxury tower, where more than 50 per cent of apartments had been bought off the plan, blaming skyrocketing construction costs and labor shortages.

It was the second major apartment project to fall over in Australia last week.

A Melbourne developer, Central Equity, abandoned plans to build a $500 million apartment tower on the Gold Coast, blaming the crisis in the building industry and surging construction costs for making the project unprofitable.

Earlier this year, two major Australian construction companies, Gold Coast-based Condev and industry giant Probuild, went into liquidation.

The grim list has continued to grow from there as a number of other high-profile companies also collapsed, including Inside Out Construction, Dyldam Developments, Home Innovation Builders, ABG Group, New Sensation Homes, Next, Pindan, ABD Group and Pivotal Homes.

Others joined the list too including Solido Builders, Waterford Homes, Affordable Modular Homes and Statement Builders.

Then two Victorian building companies were further casualties of the crisis, having gone into liquidation at the end of June, with one homeowner having forked out $300,000 for a now half-built house.

Hotondo Homes Horsham, which was a franchisee of a national construction firm, collapsed a fortnight ago affecting 11 homeowners with $1.2 million in outstanding debt.

It is the second Hotondo Homes franchisee to go under this year, with its Hobart branch collapsing in January owing $1.3 million to creditors, according to a report from liquidator Revive Financial.

Meanwhile, a Sydney family face never being able to build their dream home after their builder Jada Group collapsed in March owing $2.4 million and the cost of their home’s construction jumped to $1.9 million, a whopping $800,000 more than the original quote.

Snowdon Developments was ordered into liquidation by the Supreme Court with 52 staff members, 550 homes and more than 250 creditors owed just under $18 million, although it was partially bought out less than 24 hours after going bust.

Dozens of homeowners and hundreds of tradies were left reeling after a Victorian building firm called Langford Jones Homes went into liquidation on July 4 owing $14.2 million to 300 creditors.

News.com.au also raised questions about NSW builder Willoughby Homes, which is under investigation by the Government after builds stalled and debts blew out to 90 days.

There are between 10,000 to 12,000 residential building companies in Australia undertaking new homes or large renovation projects, a figure estimated by the Association of Professional Builders.

– with Sarah Sharples

Read related topics:Cost Of Living

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