Thrilling gang warfare drama Top Boy came to an explosive conclusion earlier this month after more than a decade – with Netflix and Canadian rapper Drake helping to see the series to a satisfying conclusion after it was dropped by Channel 4.

The show became one of Netflix’s most-viewed shows in the week that its third and final season post-renewal went out.

Viewers tuned in to see what became of Ashley Walters’ Dushane and Kane Robinson’s Sully as their warfare with other drug gangs in the fictional Summerhouse estate in Hackney, London, reached a dramatic climax.

But the show had humble beginnings on Channel 4 when it first aired in 2011 – and featured a number of actors who were relative unknowns at the time, and have since gone on to appear in huge Hollywood productions.

Michaela Coel, Letitia Wright and Benedict Wong are among the stars to have used Top Boy as a springboard to launch themselves into Marvel movies, while others have since starred in big dramas, Netflix films and other blockbusters. 

It bodes well for the breakout stars of the rebooted series such as Micheal Ward – some of whom are already picking up plaudits across the industry.

Michaela Coel 

The Ghanaian-British actress, 35, appeared in series two of the show in its Channel 4 era, as Kayla – a woman charged with killing her own boyfriend. 

Her 2013 appearance was brief – across just two episodes – but Coel went on to star in E4 sitcom Chewing Gum and Black Earth Rising before writing and starring in I May Destroy You – a powerful BBC drama about a woman seeking to rebuild her life after being raped on a night out that won BAFTAs and a Primetime Emmy.

She famously turned down $1million from Netflix for rights to the show after it refused to let her retain the ownership rights, and was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people. It noted: ‘You don’t just watch Michaela Coel shows; you experience them.’

She published a book, Misfits, based on her experiences of racism and misogyny, in 2021. And since then, she has appeared in Marvel blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Aneka, a member of the royal family’s bodyguards in the fictional African nation of Wakanda.

Letitia Wright

Letitia Wright, 29, appeared in the first series of Top Boy as Chantelle, a drug dealer on the Summerhouse estate. She left after the first series as her character goes to work for a rival gangster.

She also made other early career appearances in the likes of Casualty and Doctor Who – but came to the fore as the star of coming-of-age drama Urban Hymn, set against the backdrop of the 2011 London riots. 

An appearance in the Netflix reboot of Black Mirror was then followed by the role that many know her best for – as Shuri, the quick-witted inventor sister of superhero T’Chala in Marvel flick Black Panther. 

She made appearances in subsequent comic crossover films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – but she was unexpectedly thrust into the lead role of Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever when star Chadwick Boseman died of cancer and Shuri was written into an expanded role.

Benedict Wong

Wong, 52, was a prolific actor before appearing on Top Boy – in radio and on stage, with a role in 2002 thriller Dirty Pretty Things. His profile grew as he appeared in sitcom 15 Storeys High opposite the late Sean Lock with guest appearances on programmes such as The Bill and comedies like The Peter Serafinowicz Show and The IT Crowd.

But it was after his role in Top Boy, as scheming rival drug dealer Vincent, that he was catapulted into stardom and became a fan favourite with Marvel moviegoers as Wong, the sardonic and deadly serious sorcerer who befriends Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and helps him to master mystical powers.

Appearing in both seasons of the original Channel 4 programme, he recruited characters including Letitia Wright’s to run a cannabis farm.  

Around the same time, he began making appearances in big films like Johnny English: Reborn and Alien sci-fi prequel Prometheus. But it is his appearances as Wong in Doctor Strange, its sequel, and other interconnected Marvel films and TV shows that have brought him a huge new audience of adoring fans.

Micheal Ward 

The young actor first appeared in Top Boy in the rebooted Netflix series as Jamie – a fearsome rival gangster on the Summerhouse estate – in 2019, at the same time that he appeared in controversial crime drama Blue Story.

The film was at the centre of an incident in Birmingham in which police were attacked by a group armed with machetes; cinema chain Vue later said that 25 incidents of violence were reported in screenings on the first day.

However, Ward was praised for his performances in both Top Boy and the music-led gang film – the latter of which earned him a Rising Star BAFTA – and since then he has appeared opposite Colin Firth and Olivia Coleman in Sam Mendes’ racial drama Empire of Light, and worked with Steve McQueen on his BBC anthology series Small Axe.

Next year, he will appear in The Book of Clarence as part of a star-studded ensemble cast including the likes of David Oyelowo and James McAvoy, and will feature opposite Bill Nighy in sports drama The Beautiful Game.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster 

Duncan-Brewster, 47, was an established TV actor before appearing in Top Boy – appearing as central character Crystal in ITV prison drama Bad Girls, with parts in EastEnders as Trina as well as appearances on Holby City, Waking the Dead and Doctors.

But after appearing in Top Boy as Lisa, mum of central character Ra’Nell in seasons one and two, the actress has appeared in Sex Education, Star Wars prequel Rogue One and even the FIFA series of football games, where she appears as the mother of fictional footballer Alex Hunter as he dreams of making it big in the game.

But she has received high praise following her appearance in Denis Villeneuve’s rebooted Dune as scientist Liet-Kynes. Her performance in the sci-fi flick led to Vanity Fair branding her ‘Dune’s secret weapon’ that ‘brings (her role) to life’. 

This year, she has continued her intergalactic ascension with a voice role in Disney+ sci-fi series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Nicholas Pinnock

Pinnock, 50, had long established himself as a stage actor but prior to Top Boy had made only guest appearances in UK programmes such as Casualty, Doctors, EastEnders and Holby City.

But it was when he appeared as central character Leon in series one of Top Boy that his career found new energy. His reformed gangster spent his episodes trying to warn others off of a life of drug-dealing, with tragic consequences. He then went on to appear in The Ice Cream Girls on ITV.

In 2020, he starred in legal drama For Life, as a man who obtains a law degree behind bars while serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, which was produced by rapper Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. Pinnock previously told Hollywood news website Gold Derby that Top Boy won him the role – because the musician was a fan.

He is currently appearing in Sky Atlantic series Django, a reimagining of the classic Italian spaghetti western from the 1960s.

Paul Anderson

Anderson, 44, appeared in Top Boy in 2013.as Mike, a psychotic would-be rival drug dealer to main character Dushane, fresh out of prison after committing armed robbery.

A year later, he starred in Troubles drama ’71 before appearing in The Revenant alongside Leonardo Di Caprio.

Now, he’s best known for starring opposite Cillian Murphy as his right-hand man, Arthur Shelby, in Peaky Blinders, and appeared in the modernised 2018 Hollywood retelling of Robin Hood.

Weruche Opia

Weruche Opia appeared in the second series of Top Boy as drug dealer Nafisa – before landing roles in hits like Bad Education and surreal BBC anthology series Inside No. 9.

These led to a leading role in Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You as Terry, the best friend of Coel’s character Arabella, who tries to help her piece together the events of the night that she was raped. Opia has since appeared in Netflix film Slumberland, and appeared as herself in an episode of the most recent series of Black Mirror.

Opia has since distanced herself from her Top Boy role as well as her appearance on Bad Education, disparaging the parts as ‘stereotypical young black girl’ roles. She told The Observer in 2020: ‘I did it for a while – in [the TV series] Bad Education, in Top Boy – but then I made a conscious decision and told my team I didn’t want to do those roles any more.’

Saffron Hocking  

Up-and-coming actress Hocking, 31, appeared in the rebooted Netflix series of Top Boy as Lauryn, a pregnant mum-to-be who suffers domestic abuse before taking matters into her own hands. She has been nominated for a TV BAFTA for her role.

Prior to her role in the series, she appeared in Strangeways Here We Come – but since taking to the Netflix drama she has appeared in Marvel Disney+ series Moon Knight as well as Prime Video series Riches and The Devil’s Hour. 

She also appeared as the cover star on the digital edition of this month’s Cosmopolitan UK, speaking about how she has become an ambassador for domestic abuse charity Refuge after consulting the non-profit while researching for her Top Boy role.

• Luka Doncic new Jordan sneakers were unveiled at the scenic event
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• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

By Jake Nisse For Dailymail.Com

Published: 21:06 EDT, 16 September 2023 | Updated: 21:12 EDT, 16 September 2023

Outside critics can endlessly debate whether innovation died with Steve Jobs, but at least one former Apple employee has taken to TikTok to blast the company’s flagging ingenuity and plummeting standards. 

The ex-employee, once an Apple sales specialist based in Los Angeles, called the launch of the new iPhone 15 ‘probably the most disappointing event I’ve seen.’ 

Despite touted changes, like USB-C charging and potentially life-saving new features like Roadside Assistance, the ex-sales rep called Apple’s latest just ‘the iPhone 14 Pro with titanium’ – a reference to the new device’s ‘aerospace‑grade titanium’ exterior.

Worse, the ex-employee said, the ‘colors suck.’ 

But, the new iPhone was not the only target of his withering criticisms: Everything from the new Series 9 Apple Watch to the Apple’s desktop displays were put in his crosshairs. 

Watch out for the iPhone SE, which he described as simply ‘Tim Cook’s way of scamming you.’

When it comes to the new iPhone 15, former Apple sales specialist Tyler Morgan, who goes by @hitomidocameraroll on TikTok, had little interest in new hardware features like the new ‘action button,’ which he described as ‘whatever.’

Mobile gamers will enjoy the new phone’s ability to perform ‘ray tracing,’ a graphics rendering feature that allows surface features like virtual reflections, lighting sources, and shadows behave more like they would in the real world.

Morgan described this addition as simply ‘okay.’

The iPhone camera’s ability to do five-times zoom was described as ‘measly’ – and, adding insult to injury, only available on the iPhone Pro Max.

He also blasted the mobile device’s drab, professional new colors: beige and blue.

The critique was a stark contrast from the bells and whistles emphasized at Apple’s launch event for the iPhone 15 this past Tuesday. 

Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said: ‘iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus represent a huge leap forward with exciting camera innovations that inspire creativity, the intuitive Dynamic Island, and features like Roadside Assistance via satellite that make a real difference in users’ lives.

‘We’re also pushing the power of computational photography to new levels this year with a 48MP Main camera featuring a new 24MP default for super-high-resolution photos, a new 2x Telephoto option, and next-generation portraits.’

The iPhone 15 and the larger iPhone 15 Plus, which starts at $899, feature a 48-megapixel main camera, capable of twice the telephoto option for capturing photos and 4K video, and the new A16 bionic chips.

The iPhone 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch display but the same features as the flagship model, which has a 6.1-inch screen.

Both smartphones feature new capabilities that let users take portraits without switching to Portrait mode.

An Apple executive said the company used machine learning to detect a person in the frame, allowing users to turn a picture into a portrait immediately or later in the Photos app.

‘When there’s a person, dog, or cat in the frame, or when a user taps to focus, iPhone automatically captures depth information, so users can turn photos into stunning portraits later in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac,’ Apple shared.

The new model has the Dynamic Island, a ‘pill-shaped’ cutout at the top of the display that shows notifications and activities – a feature only available in the high-end iPhone 14 lineup.

‘The elegant experience fluidly expands and adapts so users can see the next direction in Maps; easily control music; and, with third-party app integrations, get real-time updates on food delivery, ride-sharing, sports scores, travel plans, and more,’ Apple shared on Tuesday.

The iPhone 15 also has an OLED Super Retina display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 nits of brightness.

But, on TikTok, Morgan was having none of it. 

The former employee advised Apple users to avoid upgrading not just to the new iPhone 15, but to many of their other products as well.

Hold off on the iMac, until the company finishes a long-gestating upgrade. Avoid later generations of the AirPod, which he opines has gotten progressively worse. And never bother buying an Apply display monitor for your desktop.

‘I know they look nice, okay’ Morgan said, ‘but my 14-inch MacBook has a better refresh rate than both of these.’

‘I’m just trying to help people man,’ as he explained beneath one follow-up post. 

Just six hours before the eagerly anticipated iPhone 15 launch event, the Apple Store website has gone down. 

While users can usually browse an array of devices when visiting the website, they’re now greeted with a disclaimer that reads: ‘Be right back. 

‘We’re making updates to the Apple Store. Check back soon.’

A blue and grey version of the Apple logo is also displayed, hinting that the outage is linked to the iPhone 15 launch. 

The event, titled Wanderlust, will take place in Cupertino, California, at 10:00 PT (18:00 BST). 

While Apple has made no mention of a new iPhone, the company has revealed a new device every year around autumn for over a decade now.

Apple will be livestreaming the event on its website later today.

MailOnline will also be covering it live, so make sure you check back in for all the latest Apple action.

As for when the iPhone 15 will actually hit the shelves, Apple insider Mark Gurman thinks the release will come less than two weeks after the event.

He said he’s been told by an unnamed source that it will go on sale on September 22, which means Apple will ‘get about a week of iPhone 15 sales in its fiscal fourth quarter’. 

Apple is expected to unveil four variations of the iPhone 15 – the standard iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and what may or may not be called the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

According to leaker Andrew O’Hara, Apple has decided to change the name of the iPhone Pro Max (the top end version) to ‘iPhone Ultra’.

Whatever its name, it’s still considered one of its two ‘Pro’ models, meaning it will have more power and greater capabilities – as well as a higher price-tag.

A few features will be exclusive to the higher-end versions, although the biggest design tweaks will likely come to the entire iPhone 15 family. 

Gurman says the iPhone 15 ‘promises to be the biggest update to the device in three years’ – since the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020.

The biggest change to the iPhone 15 will be a new USB-C charging port, which is already commonly used for Android phones, laptops and more. 

Apple has made the switch to USB-C and away from its own charging design called Lightning (discernible by its eight pins) due to an EU law.  

The new legislation aims to make a single charging design the common standard – and ultimately reduce electronic waste.

Apple has effectively been forced to make this design change due to the EU law, although it technically could have manufactured iPhones with Lightning ports if they were sold in non-EU countries.

Along with a new charging port, the iPhone 15 will support faster charging speeds of up to 35W – significantly more than the iPhone 14, which has a charging speed of just 20W, another leaker claims.

This means the upcoming smartphone could charge from 0 to 100 per cent in just one hour, saving precious time for users if they’re in a hurry.

Other details about Apple’s new flagship have been gradually leaked based on insider knowledge and clues from ‘dummy units’ (accurate models given to third parties to design their phone accessories).

The iPhone 15 will allegedly have curvier edges, so it fits better in the hand, and titanium frames instead of stainless steel.

The back of the new phone, meanwhile, is covered with matt glass rather than polished glass, according to one YouTuber who accessed dummy units.

It’s possible that the design of the Apple logo in the official promo image is a nod to the new materials. 

While Apple is not expecting to increase the size of the iPhone’s screen this year, it will shrink the border that goes around the edge – known as the ‘bezel’.

Gurman has claimed the border size around the display will be 1.5 millimeters, down from about 2.2 millimeters on current iPhones.

Long term, Apple wants to release an iPhone that is ‘truly all-screen’ with no borders around the display and no cutouts for cameras or sensors, he says – and iPhone 15 is a step towards that goal.

Apple has already filed a patent for an all-glass phone, which may indicate the secretive company’s longer-term plans. 

According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu based in Hong Kong, the two iPhone 15 Pro models will be more expensive than previous iPhone Pros.

Apple has raised the prices for the Pros this year due to big hardware updates, including the titanium frame and the A17 Bionic chip, he claims.

Although Pu didn’t reveal exact price-tags, it’s worth noting that last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively.

Tim Long, an analyst at Barclays, also expects price hikes for the two more expensive iPhone 15 models, while the standard and Plus models will be about the same as last year.

iPhone 14’s standard model was £799/$849, while the iPhone 14 Plus was £949/$899.

Prince Harry was all smiles as he arrived for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games in Germany – and a mix of royal fans and protestors gathered.

An excited crowed of royal fans eagerly awaited the arrival of Prince Harry at the ceremony being held in Dusseldorf Town Hall. He was joined by Stephen Keller, Mayor of Dusseldorf.

Over 500 people stood in the blazing sunshine as they stood behind barriers hoping the Prince would go on a walkabout and greet them. They shouted his name as he walked in a lightweight blue suit, white shirt and silver tie.

Representatives from the 21 nations competing in the Invictus Games waited inside the town hall for his arrival.

A small group of demonstrators shouted out anti military slogans but as soon as Harry’s car pulled into the market square in front of the town hall they were drowned out by cheers from his fans.

Prince Harry’s bodyguard, ex Secret Service agent Chris Sanchez kept a close eye on Harry as he walked the short distance from his car to the town hall.

Among the crowd was 20-year-old superfan Madeleine Durant who had driven two hours from her home in Dortmund to see Harry.

She held up a yellow banner saying ‘Harry, I came all the way to take a photo with you’. She said: ‘I am a big fan of Harry and hope that he sees the banner and comes over. I really do like him as he speaks the truth.’

About six people demonstrating against the German military’s involved in the games for disabled and wounded military vets held a demonstration in a corner of the market square.

Police outnumbered the half dozen demonstrators who have claimed the Games will be used by the military to enlist new recruits.

One of the demonstrators held a banner with the words ‘Bomber Harry’ – a reference to his time in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter gunner.

The estranged royal, who founded the sporting event for wounded and injured servicemen, also posed for a picture with volunteers and competitors just a day after he attended a private memorial for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

Wearing a black T-shirt and looking relaxed Harry stood the middle of the group. The visit to the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf was unannounced.

The Duke of Sussex, who went on the solo whirlwind trip to the UK without his wife and children, was spotted leaving St George’s Chapel in Windsor at lunchtime yesterday.

The fifth in the line to the throne was photographed paying respects to the Queen by a tourist in a shock secret visit to the church, where the late monarch was laid to rest. 

He then flew last night to Dusseldorf in Germany for the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games. 

The Duke is booked into a £2,000 night suite with stunning views across The Rhine and will be joined later in the luxurious residence next week by his wife Meghan.

The expansive suite on the 17th floor of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dusseldorf will be their base for the next eight days.

The Invictus Foundation posted a photo of the team group shot on their Twitter account. The group Harry posed with carry out assessments of the athletes and their recovery.

With temperatures expected to be in the high 80s there has been concern among organisers for those taking part in outdoor events, such as the athletics and archery.

Many of the sports for disabled and wounded military veterans will take place inside the indoor arena.

Tonight he will launch the sports event for wounded and disabled military veterans and attend the week long event, dropping in to cheer of competitors in events such as archery, swimming and wheelchair rugby. 

Over 500 competitors from 21 countries are taking part in the games which are sponsored by the US based Boeing firm.

Organisers predict up to 100,000 people will attend the games which will close with a speech from Prince Harry and a set of six songs from singer Rita Ora.

Teams from around the globe have all arrived in Dusseldorf and were met at the airport by the mascot of the Games, a brown bear with the name Buddy.

The UK team and friends and family flew from Birmingham on a RAF transport jet. The 59 members of the include 15 who are still serving in the military while the others are retired from service.

The team UK Captain, Lt Commander James Rogers said: ‘ Whether a veteran or still serving, we are one team heading into the Games and I am immensely proud of how much everyone has achieved in this process. It has brought with it a sense of camaraderie and excitement, as well as noticeable physical and mental health benefits.’

Wearing a white shirt and smart trousers, Harry looked sombre yesterday as he left a side entrance of St George’s Chapel as family, Britain and the world again mourned the Queen’s passing. It is not known if he went to Her Majesty’s grave in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which sits within the walls of the church.

Harry was seen by the public leaving the church where his grandparents are both buried at around Midday. An executive Range Rover was waiting for him with his bodyguard waiting to open the door. 

A number of members of the Royal Family are understood to have visited the chapel yesterday. Harry remains close to his cousins Beatrice and Eugenie but it is not yet known if they and others paid their respects together. MailOnline has asked Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex to comment. 

The warring brothers are spending the first anniversary of their grandmother’s death in the same country – but still couldn’t be farther apart and did not meet before Harry jetted off to Germany last night.

The Duke of Sussex was at his personable best in London on Thursday as he met winners of the WellChild Awards – a charity he has been patron of for 15 years and stayed with after his acrimonious departure from the Royal Family.

Harry flew in for the engagement from his home in California, making his first appearance in the UK since June.

But despite the long flight, the duke cut a relaxed figure as he sat with the youngsters and their families during a pre-ceremony reception at The Hurlingham Club in south-west London.

It was as Harry prepared for the awards this time last year that news began filtering through that his grandmother was seriously ill before passing away hours later. The duke took a flight to Scotland but landed too late to see the Queen before she passed away.

‘As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,’ he told the audience.

‘As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And that’s precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we’re together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.’

2021: HEALTH ISSUES, 10 MONTHS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ADMISSION TO A SWISS TREATMENT FACILITY 

January 27 – Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco.

March 18 – Charlene is pictured at the memorial for the late Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma, South Africa

April 2 – Charlene posts an Instagram picture of herself, Albert and their twins Jacques and Gabriella for Easter from an unknown locatoin. 

May 8 – Albert, Jacques and Gabriella attend a Grand Prix event in Monaco without Charlene

May 18 – Charlene shares her first picture from her conservation trip in South Africa

June 3 – New photos emerge of Charlene on her conservation trip

June 5 – Charlene puts on a united front as she shares a photo with her family to mark her niece’s fifth birthday with her brother’s family and Albert and the twins in South Africa

June 24 – Charlene’s foundation releases a statement saying the royal is unable to travel and is undergoing procedures for an ear, nose and throat infection

July 2 – Charlene and Albert mark their 10th anniversary separately. ‘This year will be the first time that I’m not with my husband on our anniversary in July, which is difficult, and it saddens me,’ Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene said in a statement.

August 13 – Charlene undergoes a four-hour operation. The reason is not announced

August 25 – Charlene shares photos of Prince Albert, Gabriella and Jacques visiting her in South Africa

September 1 – Charlene is admitted under an alias to the Netcare Alberlito Hospital after suddenly ‘collapsing’

September 2 – Charlene is discharged, with a statement from the Palais Princier reading: ‘Her Highness is closely monitored by Her medical team who said that Her condition was not worrying’

September 30 – Charlene releases a stylish video promoting her anti-poaching campaign from her South African bolthole

October 3 – Princess Charlene shares a photograph of herself smiling in front of a bible in her first snap since being discharged from hospital following her health scare

October 6 – Albert tells RMC radio Charlene is ‘ready to come home’

October 8 2021 – Princess undergoes more surgery in South Africa

November 8 – Charlene arrives back in Monaco. Prince Albert said within hours it became clear she was ‘unwell’

November 13 2021  – Prince Albert attends Expo 2020 in Dubai without Princess Charlene. Following his return from the trip, Prince Albert holds an intervention with Charlene’s brothers and a sister-in-law in which Charlene ‘confirmed’ she would seek ‘real medically-framed treatment’ outside of Monaco

November 16 – Royal household confirms Princess Charlene will not attend National Day celebrations on November 19

November 17 – Prince Albert reveals Princess Charlene has left Monaco and is recovering in a secret location

November 19 – Prince Albert reveals Charlene is in a treatment facility ‘elsewhere in Europe’ after a family intervention

November 25 – Sources tell Page Six Princess Charlene ‘almost died’ after sinus surgery and ‘lost nearly half her body weight’ due to being ‘unable to swallow’. They also said it was ‘unfair’ to portray her as struggling with mental health issues 

December 11 – Royal breaks her silence on Instagram to wish her twins Jacques and Gabriella a happy seventh birthday

December 24 – Princess Charlene of Monaco is still ‘months from recovery’ but will reunite with Prince Albert and their twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriela for Christmas at treatment centre

2022: ROAD TO RECOVERY

January 25 – Princess Charlene celebrates her 44th birthday alone: Royal shares slideshow of snaps from happier times featuring Prince Albert, their children and her swimming career as she continues to receive treatment outside of Monaco

March 14 – Palace announces that Charlene is back in Monaco but will take time to ‘further strengthen her health before gradually resuming her official duties’

April 17 – Charlene is pictured for the first time in a family portrait to celebrate Easter

April 30 – Charlene makes her first public appearance since leaving a treatment facility as she attends Monaco E-Prix with Prince Albert

May 7 – The royal makes her second public appearance at the Sainte Dévote Rugby Tournament 

May 10 – French media claims Prince Albert has agreed to pay his wife £10million a year to make sure she fulfils her consort role 

May 25 – Princess Charlene continues her return to public life at Monte Carlo Fashion Awards with daughter Princess Gabriella 

May 28 – Princess Charlene continues her return to public life as she joins Prince Albert at F1 in Monaco for the first time since 2019 

June 6 – Prince Albert says he was hurt by the ‘vicious’ rumours about his wife’s absence from Monaco and his family ‘missed the princess a lot’ 

June 16 – Princess Charlene appears sombre in all-black ensemble for Catholic festival 

June 18 – Princess Charlene of Monaco looks glamorous in all-green ensemble as she steps out with Prince Albert for the Monte Carlo TV Festival opening ceremony 

June 23 – Albert and Charlene attend a science exhibition opening with their children in Oslo – her first overseas visit since returning to public duties

July 4 – Albert and Charlene! Monaco royals hold hands in new portrait to mark 11 years of marriage

July 5 – Charlene visits the Princess Grace Hospital Centre in her first solo engagement since her return to Monaco 

July 9 – Albert attends Monaco’s Rose Ball without his wife, despite it being the highlight of the social calendar

July 18 – Royal joins Prince Albert at the 73rd Red Cross Gala in Monte Carlo 

July 20 – Couple visit The Vatican for a private audience with Pope Francis 

September 4 – Charlene joins Prince Albert and their children Gabriella and Jacques for a rare family appearance at traditional picnic in Monaco 

September 6 – Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco take their twins Jacques and Gabriella, 7, to class for their first day back after the summer holiday

September 12 – Couple attend a memorial service for the late Queen Elizabeth II

September 19 – Princess Charlene attends the Queen’s funeral in London alongside her husband Prince Albert 

October 4-5 – Princess Charlene wows on a solo surprise visit to Paris Fashion Week

October 21 – Princess Charlene of Monaco makes emotional solo visit to an animal shelter as she sends ‘all her love’ to fans following her return to royal duties

November 8 – Royal couple attend the annual Princess Grace Awards in New York 

November 16 – Princess Charlene attends Monaco’s Red Cross Christmas gift distribution with Prince Albert 

November 19-20 – Princess Charlene attends Monaco National Day celebrations with Prince Albert and presents awards at 2022 World Rugby Awards ceremony

December 2 – Princess Charlene takes her seven-year-old twins to Monaco Christmas village along with her model niece Charlotte Casiraghi

December 13 – Attends Monaco’s Red Cross Christmas gift distribution with her husband Prince Albert 

December 14 – Family attend Christmas tree ceremony in Monaco 

December 15 – Princess Charlene of Monaco reveals she feels ‘much better’ and has ‘much more energy’ after lengthy health crisis in an interview with Monaco Matin – the first since returning to royal duties

December 21 – Royals release a stylish family Christmas card

December 23 – ‘Proud’ Prince Albert praises Princess Charlene for ‘turning it around in an incredible way’ after lengthy health crisis, saying she had a ‘very tough year’ 

Pentagon to launch ‘one-stop shop’ UFO website for the public

By Alex Hammer

Updated: 06:22 EDT, 1 September 2023

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The Department of Defense has unveiled a new website that will provide official declassified information on UFOs – about a month after a prominent UFO whistleblower delivered bombshell testimony before Congress.

Still under construction, the web page will offer pictures and videos for the public to easily peruse once completed, with several already online just hours after its release.

Its existence was announced Thursday during a briefing from Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, weeks after former intelligence official David Grusch claimed the Pentagon is covering up evidence related to extraterrestrials.  

Other information the will soon be available, the general said, includes reports and frequently asked questions about unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), as well as links to reports, transcripts, and other resources that’s been declassified.   

In a Thursday statement about the website, federal officials said the release shows how ‘committed’ the Defense Department is to ‘transparency with the American people’ about their work on UAPs – the government’s term for UFOs.

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‘This website will serve as a one-stop shop for all publicly available information related to the Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and UAP,’ the release reads,

Defense officials said the ‘AARO will regularly update the website with its most recent activities and findings as new information is cleared for public release.’  

The new site can be accessed via the domain aaro.mil, the department added – where users will be able to also find links to other available government aircraft, balloon, and satellite tracking sites.

Its release comes as the government has been forced to take the presence of unknown flying objects more seriously in recent months, especially after Grusch in July testified under oath that the Pentagon had firsthand encounters or knowledge about secret government programs involving technology that is ‘non-human.’

‘My testimony is based on information I’ve been given by individuals with a long-standing track record of legitimacy… whom have shared compelling evidence in the form of photography, official documentation and classified oral testimony to myself and many various colleagues,’ Grusch said, adding that he was driven to share by a ‘commitment to truth and transparency.’

‘I am asking Congress to hold our government to this standard and thoroughly investigate these claims,’ he told lawmakers at the time. ‘But as I stand here under oath now, I am speaking to the facts as I have been told them.’

He told the committee that he and more than 30 aircrew members and veterans have experienced UAPs, unidentified aerial phenomena, along with members of Congress who have confided in him.

He also claimed the government currently has in their possession, ‘intact and partially intact’ extraterrestrial vehicles, though provided no evidence to support that or any of his other assertions.

Suggesting the American people for nearly a century have been left in the dark, he claimed the first recovery of a UFO was in Magenta, Italy, in 1933.

He said Mussolini’s Italian government held it until 1944 through 1945 when Pope Pius XII tipped America off about it. 

When asked if he firmly believes the government has possession of UAPs, Grusch responded, ‘absolutely.’

He said that is based on interviews with at least 40 witnesses.

Asked where the craft are, he said: ‘I know the exact locations and those locations were provided to the inspector general … I actually had the people with the firsthand knowledge provide a protected disclosure to the Inspector General.’ 

He further claimed he has faced brutal retaliation after coming forward about his firsthand accounts of UFOs.

‘I do have knowledge of active planned reprisal activity against myself and other colleagues,’ Grusch said.

‘There were certain colleagues of mine that were brutally administratively attacked. It makes me very upset as a leader to see that happen to other co-workers and superiors of mine in the last three years.’

He was among three military whistleblowers who testified under oath in July that they had firsthand encounters or knowledge about secret government programs involving technology that is ‘non-human.’

His remarks, however, were condemned, by the head of the Pentagon’s UFO office, Sean Kirkpatrick, who slammed Grusch’s claims about alleged secret programs that retrieve crashed UFOs and reverse engineer the technology as ‘insulting’. 

Grusch alluded to both programs in his statements, which were there bolstered by testimonies Navy Commander and veteran fighter pilot David Fravor and Ryan Graves, also a former pilot.

Graves said, as an F-18 pilot in the Red Rippers, their squadron was ‘split by UAP’ during a training mission near Virginia Beach in 2014.

He described the object as ‘dark gray or black inside a transparent sphere.’ It was about 15 feet in diameter and came within 50 feet of the lead aircraft.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Fravor, meanwhile recalled  his experience seeing what he described as a ‘Tic Tac-looking object’ while on a flight back in 2004, during a routine training mission with the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the California coast.

The object was ‘far superior to anything we had at the time, have today or are looking to develop in the next 10-plus years,’ Fravor said in his statement. 

When asked whether the U.S. has been concealing evidence of non-human aircraft. The commander of the F/A-18F squadron on the USS Nimitz said he spotted the object and later told his superiors, but that there was never any official investigation 

When asked if any reporting took place after the incident, Fravor said there was just a standard debrief, but no more. 

All three men were sworn in and made their assertions under oath, with Grusch openly testifying that he knows colleagues who were injured while reverse-engineering UFO tech.

He further accused the government of ‘absolutely’ hording UFO tech and ‘biologics’ of ‘non-human origins’ since the 30s, and claimed to known the exact locations where they’re being held.

He added that he would be willing provide specifics in a classified setting. 

The testimonies the way for six members of Congress – Reps. Tim Burchett, (R-Tenn.), Jared Moskowitz, (D-Fla.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn) – to pen a letter to Inspector General Thomas Monheim this past week demanding details about alleged secret programs.

Within six days, the DoD unveiled its new website, which, while unfinished, already has several videos showing UFO-involved cases over the years, with real-time UAP reporting soon to come.

The site can be accessed here. 

Chelsea could face a points deduction as Premier League launch investigation into MILLIONS paid to secret offshore companies in the Roman Abramovich era, after new owners reported the issues

• Chelsea could face heavy fines or points deductions if found in breach of rules
• Todd Boehly alerted the Premier League to discrepancies in their accounts
• Chelsea received a £8.6m fine by UEFA last month for the same irregularities 

By Mike Keegan For Mailonline

Updated: 14:22 EDT, 8 August 2023

This is the moment the crew on board Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane celebrated with a fist-bump during the company’s first commercial mission.

Italian researcher Walter Villadei and the company’s astronaut instructor Colin Bennett shared a celebratory moment inside the craft that left Earth’s atmosphere and soared to the edge of space to conduct science experiments in weightless conditions.

It is a landmark moment for Virgin Galactic, which was founded by Richard Branson in 2004 with the goal of offering commercial space flights – a feat that has taken just shy of 20 years to achieve.

Today marked the company’s first ‘purchased’ mission, instead of just a test flight. The 90-minute mission took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at around 8.30am local time.

The rocket plane, known as Unity, was strapped to a ‘mothership’ a carrier aircraft called VMS Eve. 

Eve is a type of carrier plane that took Unity 44,500 feet above Earth’s surface to release it.

Unity ignited its thruster and shut off once it reached space.

At the apex of the flight, the spaceplane ‘feathered’ its wings open and hovered above our planet’s atmosphere, allowing the men to experience weightlessness and epic views of the final frontier for a few minutes.

The crew also held an Italian flag as they floated inside the cabin. 

‘Welcome to space, astronauts,’ Virgin Galactic’s Sirisha Bandla said in a livestream. 

The mission, dubbed Galactic 01, landed back on the New Mexico runway at 11:50.

Also onboard for the epic journey were Pantaleone Carlucci and Lt. Col. Angelo Landolfi.

Unlike Branson’s rivals, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, this flight was not crewed by wealthy individuals or celebrities who dish out hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for the experience.

The focus of the Galactic 01 mission was to test 13 experiments in zero gravity, which collected biometric data, measured cognitive performance and recorded how certain liquids and solids mix in microgravity conditions. 

And the three Italian researchers did not pay for their seats.

The cost for future tickets was originally slated as $250,000 each, though Virgin Galactic recently raised that price to $450,000. 

Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin also use rockets to launch capsules into space, while Branson chose to take a different approach with mid-air launches. 

Once Virgin Galactic’s planes reach an altitude of about 45,000 feet, the mothership will release the spaceplane, which will then shoot off to the final frontier. 

The technique has been explored over several decades of flight research, including the X-1, the first plane to break the sound barrier, and the X-15, the fastest-piloted aircraft ever flown, topping out at 4,520 miles an hour during a 1967 flight.

And it reduces the need for massive amounts of fuel since the craft is not using force from the rocket to crawl through the dense lower atmosphere. 

Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane was powered by two pilots while the four passengers sat in the cabin bracing for space.

For Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei, designated as commander, the flight aboard the spaceplane was part of his astronaut training for a future mission to the International Space Station. 

Joining him on Thursday were two Italian colleagues – Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Angelo Landolfi, a physician and flight surgeon, and Pantaleone Carlucci, a research council member acting as a flight engineer and payload specialist.

Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company’s lead ‘astronaut instructor,’ and Unity’s two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile.

One of the Italian researchers was wearing a special suit that measures biometric data and physiological responses, while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. 

And the third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.

The gleaming white spaceplane is designed to separate from its dual-fuselage mothership, then fall away as the pilots ignite the vehicle’s engine to send the rocket plane streaking in a near-vertical climb at about three times the speed of sound to the blackness of space.

At the apex of the flight, the crew experienced a few minutes of weightlessness with the engine shut off before the craft shifted into re-entry mode and glided back to the spaceport for a runway landing. 

The flight, from takeoff to touchdown, lasted about 90 minutes.

Branson became the first billionaire in space when he took the maiden voyage of the VSS Unity on July 11, 2021.

The Virgin Galactic founder was one of six Virgin Galactic employees aboard VSS Unity.

However, the spaceplane was grounded shortly after the flight due to an investigation when it veered off course during its descent back to the runway in the New Mexico desert.

Branson became the first billionaire in space when he took the maiden voyage of the VSS Unity on July 11, 2021.

The Virgin Galactic founder was one of six Virgin Galactic employees aboard VSS Unity.

However, the spaceplane was grounded shortly after the flight due to an investigation when it veered off course during its descent back to the runway in the New Mexico desert.

In September 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was investigating a deviation in the descent of the flight.

The FAA, which oversees commercial air and spaceflight in the US, found the spaceplane ‘deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance’ and did so for about a minute and 41 seconds.

Branson and his team have since worked out the issue and recently sent a test crew of four employees 54.2 miles above Earth’s surface in May, paving the way for Virgin Galactic’s first commercial, Galactic 01.