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LONDON/DUBAI, May 26 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that negotiating a deal with Iran could "take a few days," dimming hopes for an imminent end to the conflict after the U.S. conducted what it called defensive strikes in southern Iran.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said earlier that conclusions had been reached on ‌many topics discussed in a potential 14-point memorandum of understanding, but this did not mean a deal to end the war would be reached soon.

AT WHAT STAGE ARE THE DISCUSSIONS?

Following ‌a ceasefire in early April, the two sides have remained at odds on difficult issues including Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israel's war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Tehran's demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen ​assets.

After weeks of mainly indirect talks, both sides say they have made progress on a memorandum of understanding that would halt the war and give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.

The framework is focused on an end to the war and a U.S. naval blockade, in exchange for Tehran taking steps to ensure safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei.

Senior Iranian diplomat Hossein Nooshabadi told ISNA news agency that the possible framework deal included the end of the war on all fronts including Lebanon, the release of blocked Iranian assets, the lifting of the U.S. ‌naval blockade and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, the ⁠withdrawal of U.S. forces from the vicinity of Iran and freedom to sell Iranian oil.

Nooshabadi said Iran's draft for an initial agreement contained no commitments on Iran's nuclear programme.

A senior official in U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Iran had agreed "in principle" to open the Strait ⁠of Hormuz, in exchange for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade, and to dispose of Tehran's highly enriched uranium.

Iranian sources said a framework deal is only about ending the war on all fronts, establishing a 30-day framework for movement through Hormuz and shipping, and possibly providing some financial relief.

It would then be followed by negotiations on the more difficult issues, such as the status of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and details concerning the Strait, ​and ​the sequencing of the many points mentioned in the preliminary deal such as sanctions relief and security measures.

HOW COULD ​A DEAL MOVE FORWARD?

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If Iran's Supreme National Security Council approves the memorandum of ‌understanding, it will then be sent to the country's supreme leader for final approval.

The U.S. understood Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had endorsed the broad template of the deal, the senior U.S. official said.

If the first phase of the agreement progressed, the nuclear issue could be reviewed and negotiated during the 60-day period, Baghaei and Nooshabadi said.

The last deal over the nuclear programme - struck in 2015 and torn up by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 - took years of negotiations between large teams of technical experts.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISSUES?

HORMUZ AND GULF BLOCKADE - Tehran sees its control of Hormuz and Washington views its blockade of Iranian ports as their chief points of leverage.

NUCLEAR - The United States believes Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied this, saying its atomic programme is for ‌peaceful purposes only. The focus is on its enrichment of uranium, which generates fuel for nuclear power but can ​also make material for a warhead. An agreement may eventually be possible including a lengthy moratorium on enrichment and the export ​or dilution of the stockpile.

The nuclear question is extremely complicated. Iran might eventually agree to ​dilute part of its highly enriched uranium in a friendly country into uranium enriched to 5% purity and then have it returned, Iranian sources said.

But many ‌other issues would still need to be addressed: how long the nuclear program ​would be halted, whether nuclear sites would be dismantled ​during that period, what happens to stockpiles of uranium enriched to 20% and 5%, and the future of Iran’s advanced centrifuges and research and development programs, among others.

BALLISTIC MISSILES - A main U.S. demand before the war was that Iran limit the range of its ballistic missiles so that they could not reach Israel. Iran has always refused to discuss its ​ballistic missiles, saying its right to conventional weapons cannot be on the ‌table and that it still has a large arsenal.

SANCTIONS AND FROZEN ASSETS - Iran's economy has been hurt by sanctions for years, contributing to the nationwide unrest in January. ​Tehran badly needs them to be lifted and tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks to be released. It also wants reparations ​for war damage.

(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi; Writing by Angus McDowall and Michael Georgy; Editing by Aidan Lewis)

An unearthed letter from Princess Diana to a former school friend is coming up for auction in July.

The Gist

• The letter was written on September 27, 1981, as Diana and Prince Charles remained on their honeymoon following their July 29 royal wedding that year.

• “Its [sic] wonderful being married,” Diana wrote. “I think its [sic] safe to say that after two months…!”

In an unearthed letter written from her 1981 honeymoon withPrince Charles,Princess Dianawrote of how “wonderful” married life was, perThe Telegraph.

In the previously unpublished letter—written to a school friend named Katherine Hanbury—the Princess of Wales wrote that she enjoyed “endless sun” and “calm seas” as the couple cruised on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Diana and Hanbury were classmates at West Heath Girls’ School in Kent, and the letter was written as Charles and Diana’s honeymoon continued at Balmoral Castle.

Diana, then just 20 years old, wrote the letter on royal-crested paper and added, “We had a blissful honeymoon.” She continued that they were “now up in Scotland until the end of October, which is a big treat for us—I adore being outside all day and hate London!”

“Its [sic] wonderful being married,” she wrote. “I think its [sic] safe to say that after two months…!”

After their July 29, 1981 royal wedding, Charles and Diana sailed on the Royal Yacht Britannia for 12 days, cruising the Mediterranean before heading off to Balmoral. Of her new life in the royal family, Diana wrote, “Its [sic] a case of playing with grown ups!”

The letter is dated September 27 and is part of a collection of items being auctioned off by Hanbury. The items also include photos of Diana at school, like a photo of her sitting with a number of friends; the group includes actress Tilda Swinton. The collection will come up for auction in July, and its estimated value is between £4,000-£6,000.

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The timing of the sale coincides with what would have been the 45th anniversary of Charles and Diana’s wedding.

“This intimate archive offers a rare glimpse of Diana, Princess of Wales before duty and fame had the final say,” said Albert Radford, books and manuscripts specialist at Gorringe’s Fine Art & Interiors, who is conducting the sale. “Through our client’s recollections from West Heath Girls’ School, Diana comes across as deeply unassuming and domestically minded—someone whose real ambition was simply to have a family and take pride in ordinary things.”

“She remembers Diana volunteering to clean the house of the headmistress, and it is memories like this and the collection that has come to light that present the real young Diana in a way that is completely at odds with the public persona that was created by others,” he continued. “She appears here as a young woman suspended between love and history—hopeful, unguarded, and not yet entirely claimed by the institution that would come to define her. In these small, fragile traces, innocence lingers—along with a quiet, stubborn belief in something as simple and elusive as love.”

Though Charles and Diana’s marriage has come to be known for strife and heartbreak—ultimately ending in separation in 1992 and divorce in 1996, one year before her death—royal biographer Ingrid Seward previously said that Diana wanted the world to see her love letters with Charles as proof that the love between them was genuine.

“Diana told me very shortly before she died that she wished people could see the love letters that she had from Charles,” Seward said, perThe Times. “She really wanted people to know that she loved Charles, and he loved her. And I always remembered that. And she wanted the boys [Prince WilliamandPrince Harry] to know that.”

“There was a period of great love between them,” Seward added.

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A landmark exhibition of the late Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe shared an exciting announcement

NEED TO KNOW

• The display at the King's Gallery contains more than 300 items from the late Queen's collection

• It is on pace to be the most-visited exhibition in the history of the Royal Collection

The lateQueen Elizabethis still breaking records.

The exhibition of the history-making monarch's outfits, hats and other accessories, which went on show around her 100th birthday in April, has sold out its initial run. And now, curators have announced that it will run for another six months at the King's Gallery, adjacent to Buckingham Palace.

The initial dates sold out within weeks, meaning around 200,000 visitors will see it before the original close date of Oct. 18. Now, there could be another 200,000visitors in the period until April 18, 2027, when it is now scheduled to close. It means it will be the most visited exhibition in the history of the Royal Collection Trust, which looks after and manages the royals' garments and other historic items and heirlooms.

TheQueen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Styleshow contains never-before-seen childhood dresses to the Queen's wedding necklaces, tiaras and even the dress worn by her stunt double for the London 2012 Olympics ceremony. Around half of the items are on display for the first time.

“With over 300 pieces in the exhibition, it is the most thorough examination of her clothing collection, which I hope will help visitors understand why fashion was so important in the Queen’s role,” Caroline de Guitaut, curator of the exhibition, told PEOPLE around the launch in April.

Tim Knox, the director of the Royal Collection, said in a statement on May 22, "The response to this exhibition has been unprecedented. We are delighted to extend its run, ensuring that even more people from across the UK and around the world will have the chance to experience this once-in-a-generation tribute to Queen Elizabeth II’s life and legacy, in line with our charitable aim to share the Royal Collection as widely as possible."

What de Guitaut calls an "exciting discovery" was a pair of gold lame dresses made by Jeanne Lanvin for the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister,Princess Margaret.

“They are fascinating from a fashion history perspective, and they beautifully illustrate that interface between Paris and London at that time,” the curator, who has worked for the Royal Collection Trust for over three decades and organized many royal clothing exhibitions during her career, added.

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There were also treasured items from the royal's childhood, including some of her very first pieces of couture. One of those is a silver lame bridesmaid dress, designed by Edward Molyneux, that the princess wore at age 8 to the wedding of her uncle the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece in 1934. There is also Elizabeth's dress from her wedding to Prince Philip and the coronation gown from 1953.

Another standout was a cornflower blue skirt, appliqued with little figures of Romeo and Juliet and intricate trailing roses, which was gifted to the Queen on her visit to Ottawa, Canada, in 1951. The Queen wore it that same evening and was photographed being twirled on the dance floor byPrince Philip(who wore jeans and a neckerchief!).

“Considering its age, it’s so pristine, and it’s just a really fun piece,” the art historian and curator explained. “You can interpret it however you want, but I think it does perhaps indicate someone who is prepared to dress up and have fun with clothes.”

De Guitaut told PEOPLE what she hopes visitors will learn from the groundbreaking exhibition. “She was so often compared to her sister, Princess Margaret, who was wearing Dior and considered to be the more fashionable of the two princesses,” de Guitaut said. “Something that has been interesting to me is hopefully debunking that myth because clearly she really did care what she looked like, and she absolutely was involved and interested. And it’s that level, the personal connection and the degree of that personal connection with her designers, has been quite revelatory.”

With demand high and ongoing, visitors are encouraged to book tickets in advance For those who can't make it to the exhibition at the King's Gallery in London,there is an official accompanying bookQueen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, by de Guitaut.

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In another marking of the centenary of the Queen's birthday, the Royal Collection has opened the private apartments used by the Queen when she was in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. It's the first time they have been able to be seen by visitors,and the tours will run for 100 days.

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May 25 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson ‌said on Monday ‌that conclusions have been ​reached on many topics discussed in a potential memorandum of understanding ‌with ⁠the U.S., but this does not ⁠mean Tehran is close to signing ​an agreement.

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The ​spokesperson, ​Esmaeil Baghaei, ‌added that Iran is negotiating an end to the war and is not currently ‌discussing nuclear ​issues, and ​repeated ​that changes in ‌the positions of ​U.S. ​officials create problems for any agreement.

(Reporting ​by ‌Elwely Elwelly and Tala ​Ramadan; Editing by ​Andrew Cawthorne)

Officers investigatingAndrew Mountbatten-Windsorare reportedly looking into an allegation that hebehaved inappropriately towardsa woman atRoyal Ascot.

The alleged incident is said to have happened at the racing event inBerkshirein 2002,The Sunday Timesreported.

Royal Ascotis a cornerstone of the royal family’s summer calendar, andQueen Elizabeth IIwas also at the event in 2002, the year of herGolden Jubilee.

The Sunday Timessaid it is not clear whether the claim about alleged inappropriate behaviour by Andrew was reported to officers at the time or more recently.

A Thames ValleyPolice(TVP) spokesperson said: “We cannot go into specifics of the investigation, but we are following all reasonable lines of inquiry.”

The force, which covers Windsor and Ascot inBerkshire, is continuing its investigation into the former duke, and on Friday, it was confirmed that they will consider allegations of sexual misconduct in their inquiry into potential misconduct in public office.

Detectives at TVP are understood to be concerned that the public believes they are only focused on accusations that Andrew shared information while a trade envoy, when in fact the legal terms of the offence under investigation are much broader.

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The former prince served as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 until 2011, when he stepped down amid controversy over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

He has denied any wrongdoing over his links to the convicted sex offender.

TVP’s major investigation is expected to be lengthy, and will face obstacles including trying to prove whether Andrew held a public office at the time of the allegations, something that is not clearly legally defined.

However, it is understood that if this were found not to be the case, the force would continue investigating any evidence of other, separate offences.

Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19 and interviewed under caution before being released under investigation.

Searches were also carried out at his former homes in Windsor and Norfolk.

Detectives are understood to be working through evidence recovered during the operation.

They have also made a formal request to the United States Department of Justice for the original versions of the Epstein files, but have not yet received any information.

In a recent interview, Kathy Garver reflected on how Brian Keith's limited filming schedule shaped the production of Family Affair

NEED TO KNOW

• Because Keith was contracted to leave after a set number of shooting days, the entire series had to be fully scripted and tightly scheduled before filming began

• Despite the demanding pace, Garver said Keith's grounded presence helped balance the show's tone and kept it from becoming overly sentimental

Kathy Garver is best known for her role onFamily Affair, and in a recent interview withWoman's World, the now-80-year-old actress discussed the unusual production rhythm shaped in part by her costar Brian Keith.

In order to accommodate his limited availability and busy schedule, the studio created a tightly coordinated workflow behind the scenes that impacted the way the entire series was planned and filmed.

“It was a crazy production schedule. We had a brilliant associate producer who was just so good at arranging the scenes and where we were going to be shooting and at what time,” Garver told the outlet.

“Now, Brian had this special thing that he had to be out in 60 days because at that time, movie stars did not do TV. Oh my God, not that little box," she continued. "So they made a deal with Brian and he could just shoot his scenes and then go off and do his movies.”

That agreement, Garver explained, placed an unusual amount of pressure on the production team from the very start.

With Keith's time on set strictly limited, every episode had to be fully prepared before filming even began, leaving little room for improvisation once cameras rolled.

Garver noted that the workload extended across the entire cast and crew, especially the younger actors whose schedules were carefully regulated.

“What that meant was all 39 scripts had to be finished before we even started,” she revealed. “Then the children could only work four hours a day because they had to go to school for three hours and there was an hour for lunch.”

Even with those pressures, Garver remembered the set as remarkably efficient and professionally run. The pace was fast but organized, with a cast and crew experienced enough to keep production moving smoothly day after day.

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“We were boom, boom, boom,” she recalled. “We were working with such professionals — Brian and Sebastian and our directors, who had done all the Abbott and Costello films.”

That level of experience behind the camera helped the series maintain consistency despite its unusual logistical constraints.

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And at the center of it all was Keith himself, whose presence helped shape both the tone of the show and the atmosphere on set.

During her interview withWoman's World, Garver spoke warmly about working with him, noting that he brought humor, strengthand a grounded sensibility to the production. She described him as someone who was not only entertaining but also genuinely kind, particularly with the younger cast members.

“I really liked Brian a lot,” she admitted. “He was just a great guy. He was handsome, anecdotal, funny and he was good. He was very kind to children. He loved kids. He spoke his mind when he didn't like some of the guest stars on the show, but he was the real thing.”

For Garver, Keith's grounded presence prevented the show from becoming overly sentimental, instead adding a sense of realism to its family dynamic.

“What really kept it from being too saccharine — because some of the scripts kind of leaned to it — was Brian. He was a wonderful antidote to too much sugar. He was a manly man… very realistic,” she told the outlet. “That was Brian.”

Read the original article onPeople

NEW DELHI, May 24 (Reuters) - U.S. ‌Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio ​held talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar ‌on ⁠Sunday, as the two ⁠sides discussed the Middle ​East, trade, ​visas, ​maritime security ‌and energy supplies.

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Rubio said progress had been made in the ‌past 48 ​hours ​on ​efforts towards ‌resolving the Iran ​conflict.

(Reporting ​by Michael Martina Saurabh ​Sharma; ‌writing by Mayank ​Bhardwaj;Editing by ​Bernadette Baum)