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How to ask questions in the PAST SIMPLE tense

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Basic English Grammar - Past Tense Questions

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived back in Santa Barbara, California on Sunday after departing the UK

It is believed the couple left UK an hour before Jubilee Pageant began on Sunday and missed the Queen's appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace

Harry and Meghan attended the Thanksgiving service, but were absent from most key Jubilee moments

Their children Lilibet and Archie were not seen, but baby equipment could be seen being offloaded from the private jet when they arrived back in America

Latest Platinum Jubilee news as the Queen celebrates 70 years of service

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Queen's Platinum Jubilee early because the Royal Family has 'moved on' without them and the couple are not the stars that they think they are, experts told MailOnline today.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will have been 'really fed up' at being sidelined by the palace's 'men in suits' they have been so scathing about since quitting in 2020, it has been claimed.

And as they were met with some booing at their only public appearance at St Paul's on Friday, the couple will have learned that the British public believe being a royal is 'about service, not about self', one critic said. Another told MailOnline: 'Their attitude seems to be if we're not centre stage we don't really want to be here'.

Harry looked particularly glum as they landed back in California yesterday - with royal experts saying the sixth in line to the throne appeared angry, anxious and very uncomfortable during 'fleeting glimpses' of him and his wife during the UK visit. On Thursday they were relegated to the Major General's Office with minor royals for the Trooping the Colour, where they were photographed playfully shushing children. Their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, were not seen in public at all.

Investigative journalist Tom Bower, who is working on a biography of Meghan, told MailOnline that the Sussexes had been 'trounced' on their return to the UK.

Harry and Meghan's Platinum Jubilee

He said: 'I think Palace officials were unusually skilful in managing the Sussexes. Just enough exposure to please the Queen but at the same time so limited to show them that they have been sidelined. Harry's grim expression exposed and confirmed the troubles he now faces. Meghan now faces problems about her status. Netflix are left with a problem: The Sussexes are no longer stars'.

Harry's biographer Angela Levin said the couple were probably kept apart from Prince Charles and Prince William because of their ongoing rift and fears any private conversations could end up in Harry's memoirs or on a US TV chat show.

She said: 'I do wonder if they [Harry and Meghan] decided: "We've had enough of this, let's go early". I think they were furious. I think they believed they would come back and be welcomed with open arms - but the truth is that the world, and the Royal Family, has moved on without them. They thought that everyone would drop everything for them, but they didn't'.

She added: 'When Harry arrived at St Paul's, he had a growling face. It was there throughout. They were really really fed up. William and Charles have grown closer - they have filled the gap left by Harry, that must be hard for him. I suspect his brother and father will have been worried about speaking to him in private in case it ends up in his memoirs or on US TV'.

Harry, Meghan and their children reportedly flew out of Farnborough Airport, west of London, at 1.30pm yesterday, an hour before the Jubilee Pageant started in central London. It marked the end of their Jubilee, where they were left without any official role having quit as frontline royals in 2020.

Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: 'Their attitude seems to be if we're not centre stage we don't really want to be here.

'They must realise they are no longer popular with the general public, and travelling in and out by private jet hardly helps their so-called green credentials.

'I'm afraid that all the time Harry is writing a book and making Netflix fly on the wall programmes, Charles and William will not trust him. They would worry that any in depth conversations would be repeated in the media, and so I'm sure they are keeping him at arms length for the time'.

And after the Sussexes were met with some boos at St Paul's on Friday, commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: 'This was about the Queen and the future of the monarchy, which they opted out of as senior working royals. Yet they owe their entire profile and contracts to the institution. This fabulous four days showed now strong it is and also how wrong they were to do the interview on Oprah, which caused it to lose support among the young and ethnic minorities and aired when Prince Philip was ill.

'The Sussexes should have learnt a lesson over the last few days. When it actually comes to capturing hearts and minds it is about service, not about self'.

At lunchtime yesterday the Montecito-based couple were reportedly driven from Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, where they were staying since arriving in the UK on Wednesday.

And they were already crossing the Atlantic as Harry's grandmother, father, brother and nieces and nephews waved to the adoring crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace at the denouement of four days of wonderful celebrations marking the Queen's 70 years on the throne.

After they left an estimated 18million people also took part in Jubilee street parties yesterday, one of which was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in west London.

The Sussexes, who have been largely absent from the Jubilee fanfare, were last seen in public on Friday at the Thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral, where they were booed and cheered as they arrived and left.

On Thursday they were relegated to the Major General's Office with minor royals for the Trooping the Colour, where they were photographed playfully shushing children. Archie and Lilibet were not seen in public at all.

Instead they spent most of their stay at Frogmore Cottage with their children and hosted a 'relaxed' party for Lilibet's first birthday at the Windsor residence, believed to be attended by the one-year-old's British cousins.

The Sussexes arrived back in California at 6pm on Sunday. Equipment that appeared to be a high chair was seen being offloaded from the plane. Harry was then photographed in the passenger seat of a black Range Rover that had arrived to transport the family home, and looked very serious after almost five days away from the US.

The Duke and Duchess did not attend the Platinum Party and stayed in Windsor alongside the Queen to reportedly watch the concert with Her Majesty.

Harry and Meghan then drove, according to The Sun, to Farnborough Airport at 1.30pm, an hour before the Pageant started at 2.30pm and made their way back to California.

This was hours before the Queen - who sources say was 'determined' to bravely overcame her painful mobility issues - returned to Buckingham Palace to personally thank the thousands of well-wishers in the crowd who had turned out to express their own gratitude.

She was flanked by her three heirs - son, Prince Charles, grandson, Prince William, and great-grandson, Prince George - offering a glimpse into the monarchy's future.

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant was an afternoon of entertainment for members of the royal family, who all sat together alongside their siblings and cousins.

The parade told the story of her life, and the nation, with an eccentric, fun and imaginative carnival-like display.

Instead of attending this and a concert yesterday, Harry and Meghan celebrated their daughter Lilibet's first birthday in Windsor on Saturday with a 'relaxed' birthday party -with royal second cousins invited to the festivities.

The little girl's birthday party was open to Zara and Mike Tindall's three children, Mia, eight, Lena, three, and Lucas, one, as well as Savannah, 11, and Isla, 10, daughters of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly.

The couple were also seen at the Friday's thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral, where a huge cheer went up as Harry and Meghan arrived and they were greeted at the great west door by the Dean of St Paul's.

It was the first time that the couple were on full public view alongside the Windsors since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago.

They spent a few minutes talking to the senior cleric before they entered the place of worship and proceeded to greet the long line of clergy.

But before the festivities started an aide told The Telegraph: 'The media might try to make them prominent, but in reality they are not going to be playing a prominent role. A line has been drawn.'

Harry stopped to chat for a few moments with the Archbishop of York who later will give the sermon and is expected to praise the Queen's 70-year reign.

The Sussexes were also seen from a window at Thursday's Trooping the Colour, but were not on the balcony alongside working royals.

Neither Lilibet, nor her older brother three-year-old Archie, have been seen in public at any of the festivities.

An emotional Queen said she remains 'committed to serving' the nation to 'the best of my ability' after she concluded her Platinum Jubilee celebrations by greeting crowds of adoring fans on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The 96-year-old monarch was absent for much of the extended Bank Holiday weekend, after finding the first day enjoyable but tiring, and in a message of thanks acknowledged this but said her 'heart' had been with well-wishers.

The Duchess of Cornwall, patron of the Big Lunch, estimated that up to 18 million people could have taken part in Jubilee street parties, and the Queen expressed her hope this 'renewed sense of togetherness' would be felt for years to come.

After the outpouring of public affection during her balcony appearance, the Queen said she was 'humbled and deeply touched' so many people had taken part in celebrations marking her 70-year reign.

Surrounded by her family, including Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, George, Charlotte and Louis, she was cheered by thousands of well-wishers after stepping on to the balcony following the Platinum Pageant, which told the story of her life, and the nation, with an eccentric, fun and imaginative carnival-like display.

Smiling as she acknowledged the spectators, she looked down on The Mall where tens of thousands had waited in hope of seeing her.

The Queen said later in her message: 'When it comes to how to mark seventy years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow. It really is a first. But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.

'While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.

'I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.

'I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and for the part you have all played in these happy celebrations.'

The Queen 'committed' to serving nation

The Queen had not been seen since she made two balcony appearances on the first day of the Jubilee celebrations, when Trooping the Colour was held, and the Duchess of Cambridge later said she had found the day enjoyable but tiring.

But the Queen looked at ease on the balcony as the celebrations drew to a close, leaning on a walking stick, now a routine aid following her mobility issues, and acknowledging the crowds with a wave.

The Prince of Wales stood with the Queen along with the Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

After the national anthem was sung by a choir of celebrities including Sir David Jason, Harry Redknapp, Sir Cliff Richard, Sandie Shaw and Felicity Kendal, the Queen waved again at well-wishers and was joined by her great-grandchildren, with Louis waving with both hands.

The royal family had planned to see a display by the Red Arrows from their balcony vantage point, but it was called off due to the low clouds which had threatened rain all day.

Earlier in the day Charles had expressed the same sentiment as the Queen when he spoke about the camaraderie the Jubilee events had fostered.

He told revellers at The Big Lunch's flagship event in London, which he attended with Camilla, that he hoped 'bickering' did not return after the feeling of 'togetherness' across the nation.

Princess Eugenie described the Jubilee Pageant as 'incredible', writing on her Instagram: 'The Platinum Jubilee Pageant was just incredible. To all the people that took part, organised it, made it flawless for us all watching, Thank you. You made us all so proud.'

A post on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Twitter account read: 'Amazing display of street art, theatre, music, sport and more... What a joyous occasion at the #PlatinumJubile pageant!'

President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated the monarch, saying he was 'grateful [to Britain] for supporting Ukraine in the fight for our freedom and independence'.

It comes after she stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony for nearly three minutes, in her first public appearance since Platinum Jubilee celebrations began on Thursday.

The monarch, 96, was greeted by roars from thousands of spectators gathered on The Mall as Britain's longest-serving head of state was helped onto the balcony by Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, George, Charlotte and Louis.

The royals then joined the crowd in a spine-tingling chorus of God Save The Queen shortly after 5pm, bringing the the Jubilee celebrations to a close.

Her Majesty, dressed in green, was missing from the royal box but arrived at the Palace from Windsor Castle at around 4.30pm, when the royal standard was raised. She was last seen four days ago after pulling out of two Jubilee events amid growing concerns for her health.

Pomp and pageantry kicked off the final day of Jubilee celebrations celebrating the Queen's astonishing 70-year reign as a hologram of the young monarch waving at royal fans and a ceremonial military procession launched the 2½-hour pageant.

Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their children George, Charlotte and Louis, Princess Anne, and Zara and Mike Tindall are all seated in the royal box alongside Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan to watch the two-mile procession through central London.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are visiting the UK together for the first time since they acrimoniously quit royal duties, were absent for a second day running. Yesterday they celebrated their daughter Lilibet's 1st birthday, and introduced the child to her namesake.

The pageant was split into four acts: For Queen and Country with a military parade; The Time of Our Lives progressing through seven decades of culture, music and fashion; Let's Celebrate telling the story of the Queen's life in 12 chapters with corgi puppets and carnival creations; and the Happy and Glorious musical spectacle.

Close to 200 national treasures including Sir David Jason, Harry Redknapp, Sandie Shaw, Felicity Kendal, Joe Wicks and Holly Willoughby joined pop sensation Ed Sheeran in a mass rendition of God Save The Queen outside Buckingham Palace at the end of the pageant.

Guardsmen, Gurkhas, Royal Marines and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in their breastplates and plumed feathers were among the hundreds of servicemen and women who led the way marching along the streets around Buckingham Palace.

Charles took the salute of various military units when they passed the royal box and he stood to acknowledge the servicemen and women as they passed.

Some 10,000 people including a cast of 6,000 performers are involved in staging the carnival route from Horse Guards, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, echoing Her Majesty's1953 coronation procession.

British eccentricity was soon to the fore when the cyclists on a menagerie of bikes rode past Buckingham Palace, including a biker dressed as the character Elliot from the sci-fi Movie ET, complete with the Extra Terrestrial in the cycle's basket.

As the decades flashed by revellers in period 1940s clothes danced the Lambeth Walk and further down The Mall jiving performers represented the 1950s.

Interspersed were iconic vehicles from Morris Minors, rockers on classic motorbikes and Mods on scooters, while the national treasures - celebrities from across the years including Katherine Jenkins, Bonnie Langford, Alan Titchmarsh, Basil Brush, Kate Garraway and RuPaul's Drag Race stars Baga Chipz and Blu Hydrangea, and fashion royalty Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell - travelled on buses.

Sir Cliff Richard sang from the 1950s bus, former boxer Chris Eubank posed from the open top-deck of another, and TV presenter Johnny Ball joked on the BBC about the experience on the 1970s bus: 'It's all right, but I'm worried I haven't paid my fare'.

A peloton of 300 cyclists travelled down The Mall led by Sir Chris Hoy and cycling golden couple Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny.

The Queen's three-minute appearance on the balcony delighted the crowd who were not sure whether she would be there.

It came after Ed Sheeran took to the stage to play his hit song Perfect, against a moving back-drop of a montage of video clips of the Queen throughout the years.

Paula and Patrick Queenan, from Radlett in Hertfordshire, said the Queen and the royal family coming out on to the balcony was the best part of the Jubilee celebrations.

Mrs Queenan, 57, said: 'Seeing the Queen come out on the balcony was amazing.

'We didn't know if she'd come or not. This was the first day that I've been here and this was the real highlight.'

Mr Queenan, 58, added: 'I came for the fly past on Thursday and the atmosphere was fantastic.

'Our daughter and her fiance came down from Sheffield today. They're both doctors and so they're going to head back now and they're on duty tonight.

'We had a street party on Friday, the whole street came to ours and sang the national anthem. Seeing the Queen has been the best bit of this week.'

Charles spoke about the camaraderie the Jubilee celebrations have fostered, telling revellers at The Big Lunch's flagship event in London he hoped 'bickering' does not return after the feeling of 'togetherness' across the nation.

Sadiq Khan hailed the Queen's Jubilee Pageant as 'spectacular' as celebrations draw to a close.

The Mayor of London tweeted: 'Wasn't that spectacular?'

'It was moving to see so many of London's performers, service people, key workers and school children involved in today's #PlatinumJubilee Pageant to tell the story of the Queen's historic 70-year reign.'

His sentiment was echoed by Pageant Master Adrian Evans, who has spent 18 months planning the £15 million event, featuring some 10,000 people including a cast of 6,000 performers.

Mr Evans told BBC News: 'I hope at the end of the day people will feel a great sense of pride in what they've seen, enjoyment in what they've seen, humour and joy is an important part of what we're doing today but also connected, that we are much more connected then we think we are.'

He told Sky News: 'What I wanted to do first and foremost was provide an opportunity for people to express themselves in their own wonderful, idiosyncratic, quirky way and that to the iconic streets around Buckingham Palace.'

Close to 200 national treasures will take to the stage to serenade the Queen, if she makes an appearance, by singing the national anthem at the grand finale of the Platinum Jubilee festivities.

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'Harry and Meghan are no stars', experts say after they left Jubilee

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived back in Santa Barbara, California on Sunday after departing the UK It is believed the couple left UK an hour before Jubilee Pageant began on Sunday and missed the Queen's appearance on the balcony at Buckingham Palace Harry and Meghan attended the Thanksgiving

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The thanksgiving service marked the first time Harry and Meghan have been on full public view alongside the Windsors since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago.

Royal fans have reacted to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being given their own procession at St Paul's Cathedral today.

The couple walked through the nave of the church hand in hand, with the Duchess of Sussex smiling and her husband biting his lip at times as other attendees looked on.

They were then escorted to their seats, beside other members of the royal family, in the second row from the front. Prince Harry sat next to Jack Brooksbank and Meghan next to Lady Sarah Chatto.

Meanwhile the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who was wearing a pale yellow Emilia Wickstead dress and a Philip Treacy hat, walked in the main procession with Charles and Camilla.

Social media users commented on Harry and Meghan's solo entrance, with some describing it as "majestic" and others saying it appeared "carefully coordinated" with "all eyes" on the pair.

It was the first time the pair had been on full public view alongside the Windsors since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago.
Follow the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in our live blog here
One person wrote: "Love the loud cheers for Harry and Meghan, and that they got their own little solo procession. And she looks stunning, as always!"

Another said: "Look at Harry and Meghan's majestic 'solo' entrance. Look at the crowd, look at our Meg looking like a million dollars. Look at Prince Harry wearing his Military medals and looking amazing! Look. At. Them."

A third added: "Harry and Meghan given a carefully coordinated procession up the aisle on their own. Look at [eyes emoji] around them."

And a fourth tweeted: "ALL eyes are on Harry and Meghan! Quite literally! They got their own procession!!!"

Harry and Meghan joined the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as nearly 40 royals gathered for the celebration in St Paul's Cathedral in London.

The high-profile event on Friday fell on the second day of the national commemorations marking the monarch's milestone 70 year reign.

The 96-year-old Queen was absent, watching on television from Windsor Castle instead, after she suffered "discomfort" following a busy first day of festivities including a double balcony appearance and a beacon lighting.

The Sussexes attended the Trooping celebrations at Horse Guards on Thursday, but stayed out of the spotlight inside the Duke of Wellington's former office with more than 30 members of the family.

More than 2,000 people filled the historic church including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was booed by the crowd outside, Cabinet ministers, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, first ministers of the devolved governments and every living former prime minister.

Public service is the theme at the heart of the religious event, with 400 people who are recipients of honours, including NHS and key workers who were recognised for their work during the pandemic, invited.

Hundreds of people gathered, some wearing Union flag hats and others hanging flags and bunting over the railings on the approach to the cathedral.

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Harry and Meghan given own procession as royal fans celebrate couple's return

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The thanksgiving service marked the first time Harry and Meghan have been on full public view alongside the Windsors since they quit the monarchy for a new life in the US two years ago. Royal fans have reacted to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being given their own procession at St Paul's Cathedral today.

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Jurors are deliberating in the high-profile defamation case that has been fought for over a month between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in the US state of Virginia.

For six weeks, the court heard the tawdry details of Mr Depp and Ms Heard's volatile relationship, and its ultimate, unhappy end.

Mr Depp sued his ex-wife for defamation over an opinion article she wrote for the Washington Post, alleging she was a domestic abuse victim, though it did not mention him by name. Ms Heard counter-sued.

Here is a look back at 10 key moments from court, which helped define this closely watched stand-off.

This story contains descriptions of violence readers may find upsetting.

To some observers, the relationship between Ms Heard and Mr Depp could be summed up in these two words: mutual abuse.

This was the description used by clinical psychologist Laurel Anderson, Ms Heard and Mr Depp's former marriage counsellor.

Called to the stand by Mr Depp's team, Dr Anderson described a volatile relationship, with both parties threatening to walk out of sessions amid arguments. But in Dr Anderson's view, Ms Heard was often the instigator of these fights.

Mr Depp had been "well controlled" for decades before meeting Ms Heard, Dr Anderson said, and did not engage in violence with past partners. "With Ms Heard, he was triggered. They engaged in what I saw as mutual abuse," she told the jury.

On more than one occasion Ms Heard initiated violent interactions in an effort to prevent Mr Depp from leaving, she said.

"It was a point of pride to her, if she felt disrespected, to initiate a fight," the court heard.

Over four days of testimony, Mr Depp was pressed on a number of his text messages and emails featuring graphic insults of his ex-wife.

In one instance, he was asked about a 2013 text exchange with British actor Paul Bettany.

"Let's burn her," Mr Depp had written, referring to Ms Heard. "Let's drown her before we burn her". He then made a further obscene suggestion "to make sure she is dead".

The actor said told jurors was "ashamed" of the messages, and that they were an attempt at humour based on a Monty Python sketch.

"This is a film we'd all watch when we were 10 - it's just irreverent and abstract humour," he said.

Called to the stand by Mr Depp's team, forensic psychologist Dr Shannon Curry told jurors she believed Amber Heard suffered from twin diagnoses: borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.

Dr Curry said she had reached her conclusion after spending about 12 hours with Ms Heard in December 2021, conducting mental health tests and reviewing her medical records.

Borderline personality is a disease of instability, Dr Curry said, marked by "a lot of anger, cruelty toward people less powerful and attention seeking".

The behaviours are "driven by an underlying fear of abandonment", she said, following audio shared in court of Ms Heard begging Mr Depp not to leave her.

But Dr Curry's diagnoses were rejected by psychologist Dr Dawn Hughes, who was called by Ms Heard's team. Instead, Dr Hughes diagnosed Ms Heard with post-traumatic stress disorder, caused by "intimate partner violence by Mr Depp".

Rampant substance abuse

Throughout the trial, jurors heard two competing accounts of Mr Depp's substance use.

To hear Mr Depp tell it, he was sober for much of his relationship with Ms Heard after detoxing from the opioid Oxycodone in 2014.

But Ms Heard's described a different Mr Depp - one prone to alcohol and drug binges despite her repeated pleas for him to get clean. According to Ms Heard, Mr Depp frequently abused alcohol, cocaine and painkillers.

"He would pass out, get sick, lose control of himself," she said.

According to testimony, this behaviour occurred in front of Mr Depp's children. In one instance raised at trial, the long-time manager of the actor's private island in the Bahamas said she recalled seeing Mr Depp passed out in the sand in front of his son.

Mr Depp rejected Ms Heard's account of his drug use, saying her characterisation was "grossly embellished" and "plainly false". His team pointed out that she also drank and sometimes used drugs.

It depends who is asked. Again, jurors were presented two very different pictures of the trial's central characters.

Ms Heard told the court the 'Monster' was the dark side of her ex-husband, the volatile and violent version of him, who emerged when Mr Depp was drunk or high.

Text messages sent by Mr Depp to staff and friends seemed to support this description. "Amber and I have been absolutely perfect... I have locked my monster child away in a cage deep within and it has worked," he wrote on one occasion.

But while on the stand, Mr Depp said the "monster" was a phrase he used just to mollify his then-wife in an attempt to avoid conflict.

Asked why he used the phrase himself, he responded: "Because I heard it all the time."

While on the stand, Mr Depp rejected his former partner's claims of abuse outright, telling jurors he had "never struck Ms Heard in that way, nor have I struck any woman in my life".

Instead, Mr Depp alleged that he suffered at the hands of Ms Heard, who abused and demeaned him.

"It could begin with a slap, it could begin with a shove. it could begin with throwing a TV remote at my head," he said. "She [Ms Heard] has a need for conflict, she has a need for violence. It erupts out of nowhere".

Mr Depp's team used Ms Heard's own words - audio recordings and handwritten notes - to underline these claims.

In one recording, Ms Heard can be heard admitting to "hitting" Mr Depp, before mocking him and calling him a baby. And in a letter to Mr Depp she apologised for getting "crazy".

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Ms Heard wrote. "I can get wicked when I'm hurt".

A doomed trip to Australia

Jurors heard several accounts - some overlapping, many contradictory - of a 2015 trip to Australia, where Mr Depp was shooting a film for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

According Mr Depp, he lost the tip of his middle finger during an explosive fight with his then-wife, when she threw a vodka bottle at him, which smashed.

Mr Depp told jurors he went into shock and used blood from his injury to write messages to Heard on the wall. "I don't know what a nervous breakdown feels like, but that's probably the closest I've ever been," he said.

Ms Heard denied injuring his finger and said Mr Depp sexually assaulted her that night with a liquor bottle.

A surgeon called by Ms Heard's team also disputed Mr Depp's account, saying his description of events was unlikely, in large part because his fingernail remained in tact. Dr Richard Moore said that if events occurred like Mr Depp had described, his fingernail would have been damaged by the bottle.

While Mr Depp and Ms Heard brought an unusual amount of star power to the Fairfax courthouse, it was Mr Depp's lawyer, Camille Vasquez, who turned out to be the trial's breakout star.

The young lawyer from California caught the attention of millions amid the defamation trial. T-shirts adorned with her name and hashtags praising her made the rounds on social media.

Ms Vasquez's sharp style became especially apparent in her cross-examination of Amber Heard. Exchanges between the two occasionally turned tense.

In one instance, the two sparred over an image of spilled wine. It is one of several pictures Ms Heard has presented, allegedly from a huge fight the couple had in 2016 which ended with Mr Depp assaulting her. During Ms Vasquez's questioning, Ms Heard turned to jurors and claimed the photos had been redacted or edited by Mr Depp's lawyers to benefit her ex-husband's case.

"I'd appreciate if you wouldn't be making arguments to the jury," Ms Vasquez said sternly. "I didn't ask you about anything".

British supermodel Kate Moss was a last-minute addition to the witness list.

Ms Moss, who was in a relationship with Mr Depp between 1994 and 1998, was called by the actor's team in the last week of trial to rebut a rumour invoked by Ms Heard suggesting that her ex-husband had shoved the model down the stairs in the 1990s.

Ms Heard had described a fight in 2015 with Mr Depp in which she said she hit Mr Depp because he had swung at her sister while she was standing at the top of a staircase.

"I just, in my head, instantly think of Kate Moss and the stairs and I swung at him," Ms Heard said.

In her brief testimony over video call, Ms Moss denied that Mr Depp had ever pushed her down the stairs.

"There had been a rainstorm and as I left the room I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back," Ms. Moss said. "He came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention."

"He never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs," Ms. Moss said.

'Hundreds of death threats'

On the last day of testimony, Ms Heard delivered emotional testimony about the harassment she said she has endured following her divorce from Mr Depp.

"I receive hundreds of death threats regularly if not daily. Thousands since this trial has started. People mocking, mocking my testimony about being assaulted," she said. "Every single day I have to relive the trauma".

She called the court case "horrible" and "humiliating".

"Perhaps it's easy to forget, but I am a human being," she said. "As I stand here today, I can't have a career. I can't even have people associate with me because of the threats and the attacks that they will have to endure".

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Ten moments that defined the Depp-Heard trial

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Jurors are deliberating in the high-profile defamation case that has been fought for over a month between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in the US state of Virginia. For six weeks, the court heard the tawdry details of Mr Depp and Ms Heard's volatile relationship, and its ultimate, unhappy end.

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"I DON'T BELIEVE HER" - Friend of Kate Moss Janice Dickinson on Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp

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By Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,
The last time the Royal Family appeared on the balcony was in 2019 - including Prince Harry, his wife Meghan, and Prince Andrew

From royal wedding kisses to celebrations at the end of wars, the balcony at Buckingham Palace in London has been the stage for national moments since Queen Victoria first stepped out there in 1851.

For the Platinum Jubilee, the balcony will once again provide the photo frame for a big occasion, with Queen Elizabeth II and 17 other members of the Royal Family due to appear on Thursday after Trooping the Colour.

"There's been a lot of chat about who is going to be there and who is not," says Pauline Maclaran of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Only "working royals" and their children will appear, which excludes the Queen's son Prince Andrew, and her grandson Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Image source, Getty Images

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The whole of the Royal Family appeared for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,
A smaller group of royals gathered for her Golden Jubilee in 2002

Image source, Getty Images

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Only six of them appeared for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012

This is a "tactful" way of dealing with controversies surrounding the trio, says Prof Maclaran. Prince Andrew stepped down in the wake of the US sex assault civil court case; Prince Harry and Meghan withdrew from their royal roles and have moved to the US.

"Balcony displays are used very strategically by the Royal Family. They're very well aware this makes a statement, it's so important," says Prof Maclaran.

"This is one element they can control, so there are no ambiguous signals," she says. "If they allowed Prince Andrew, you can imagine the response," she says. And for Harry and Meghan it shows there are no "half-in, half-out" royals.

The main players

There have been more than 40 people on the balcony on previous occasions, so limiting the numbers overall is also a deliberate choice.

It sends a message about who are the most important players on the royal stage. It's not just a line up, but a line of succession.

There are suggestions the Queen could make a second balcony appearance on Sunday, putting the succession in tight focus, alongside her heir Prince Charles, her grandson Prince William and great-grandson Prince George.

"It's all very symbolic. It shows the durability of the monarchy, even though the faces change," says Prof Maclaran.

The balcony is very much a royal space. Only two prime ministers have made it on to the balcony - Neville Chamberlain, after negotiating the Munich Agreement with Germany in 1938, and Sir Winston Churchill as crowds celebrated the end of war in Europe in 1945.

There are no formal rules for where people stand, but Prof Maclaran says a clear pattern is discernible.

The Queen is prominently at the front. Around her and never standing far away will be the core group of senior royals, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

There might be young children stealing the limelight by pulling faces, and there may be suspicions about some jockeying for a spot close to the Queen, but there is an underlying "order of precedence", says Prof Maclaran.

Image source, Anwar Hussein

Image caption,
The only exception to the Queen being centre-stage is a royal wedding

Image source, Tim Graham

Image caption,
Although children can sometimes steal the limelight by pulling faces

It's an unspoken choreography that senior royals take their places at the central area of the balcony while the rest of the family fan out around the edges, like they're being organised into place by an invisible wedding photographer.

The only exception to the Queen being centre-stage is a royal wedding when the married couple are the balcony stars.

For the jubilee, among the 17 invited to appear will include the Queen's son and daughter-in-law Earl and Countess of Wessex and their two children, and her daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. There will also be the Queen's cousins the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, who carry out royal engagements on her behalf.

This is more than there were for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012. In the shadow of austerity, there were only six people on the balcony, which was seen as showing a frugal, pared-down image of royalty.

'National moments'

There is another important character not on the balcony - and that's the crowd.

Balcony moments are about "the public honouring the royals and royals honouring the public," says Heather Jones, author and history professor at University College London.

For a monarchy that depends on public consent, this is one of the biggest symbolic stages where the royal family and the public can connect.

Prof Jones says that on big occasions, such as the outbreak of the First World War, it has been the crowd that has demanded the appearance of the Royal Family. She says in 1914 King George V recorded in his diary that he felt the crowd had forced him to appear on the balcony, as the country prepared for war.

When crowds were celebrating the defeat of Hitler in the Second World War, the public were so insistent that there were eight separate balcony appearances.

"There's a sense of running to Buckingham Palace, for these big national moments," she says.

Image source, PA

Image caption,
The Queen aged one on the balcony in 1927 with her parents and grandparents

Image source, PA Media

Image caption,
And in 1937, centre, on the balcony for her father's coronation

The balcony works well as a platform for projecting the monarchy, says Prof Jones. It makes the royals visible but at the same time keeps a sense of distance.

"There's a kind of remoteness that's really important," believes Prof Jones.

They might seem accessible, but the balcony remains high and out of reach. It helps maintain that royal balancing act of wanting to be relatable as the "national family", but at the same elevated and special.

The crowds this weekend will expect a wave back from the balcony. But that wasn't always the case.

Royal historian Ed Owens says it wasn't until 1934 that the first wave to the crowd came from Princess Marina, the current Queen's aunt by marriage. Until then acknowledging the crowd below had been limited to "bowing a little and smiling awkwardly".

On newsreels after that date you can see royals experimenting with different forms of waving, including the Queen as a girl trying out the type of rotating wave that looks like unscrewing an light bulb.

There are more recent rituals. Prince Charles and Diana became the first to kiss on the balcony after their royal wedding, beginning a tradition followed by Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York and then Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Collectively these balcony images become like a national family photograph album. Changing generations of royals mark the milestones of family life and mime their thanks to the crowd. Fashions and faces change, but the impression stays the same.

"It's such an expertly choreographed moment," says Mr Owens. It takes decades of practice to look so spontaneous.

More on this story

Related Topics

Queen Victoria

UK Royal Family

Buckingham Palace

London

The Royal Family and the media

Queen Elizabeth II

Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II

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Platinum Jubilee: Who is on - and off - the world’s most famous balcony

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The Queen is due to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Who appears with her will be carefully choreographed, writes the BBC’s Sean Coughlan.

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Preparations in Full Swing for Queen’s Jubilee Extravaganza

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are due in the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations - and according to a royal expert, palace courtiers have been trying to avoid any "flashpoints" with the couple

Palace courtiers fear another 'Sussex bomb' will land as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle head to the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a royal expert has said.

The couple confirmed earlier this month that t hey would travel to Britain from California with three-year-old Archie and Lilibet, who turns one on Saturday, for the celebrations that start on Thursday.

Harry and Meghan quit the UK in early 2020 after stepping down as senior royals and have now carved out new lives for themselves and their family in the United States.

However, they've also spoken out about their time in the Royal Family, giving a bombshell tell-all interview to Oprah Winfrey.

Meanwhile, Harry is currently writing a tell-all book of his life, which is due to be released later this year.

And according to royal expert Camilla Tominey, palace courtiers are keen to "diffuse" any flashpoints with the couple.

Writing in the Telegraph, she said: "Amid fears that another "Sussex bomb" is about to be dropped on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, after their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview and news of the Duke's forthcoming, warts-and-all autobiography, courtiers have been doing everything in their power to diffuse any potential flashpoints."
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She adds that Harry and Meghan's reps have been "busily playing down any suggestion" they will upstage the Queen during the Jubilee celebrations - and says a source claims the couple will be "avoiding visits elsewhere".

It is believed they may make an appearance at Trooping the Colour - but not on the Buckingham Palace balcony. They are also expected to attend a service of thanksgiving for the Queen at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday.

Camilla adds: "The palace also appears to be unaware of any potential competing engagements, with one insider revealing: 'I don't think they're doing much. I wouldn't be surprised if they just do Trooping and the service and that's it."

Also during their stay in the UK, Harry and Meghan will be marking a very special day - daughter Lilibet's first birthday.

She turns one on Saturday - and as she's never been brought to the UK yet - she has not met the Queen, her grandfather Prince Charles or many other of her royal relatives.

However, reports have suggested that her birthday will be the day the couple will finally formally introduce Lilibet to the Queen.

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Palace fears 'Sussex bomb' when Harry and Meghan arrive for Jubilee - expert

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are due in the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations - and according to a royal expert, palace courtiers have been trying to avoid any "flashpoints" with the couple Palace courtiers fear another 'Sussex bomb' will land as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle head to the UK for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a royal expert has said.

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TOP 10 Polite English Expressions: Advanced Vocabulary Lesson

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Polite requests and questions | Spoken English

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READING SKILLS

Please see new final slides

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Telling the Time in English | Learn how to tell the time in English with Pronunciation

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Cardinal and ORDINAL numbers - A - written

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Cardinal and ORDINAL numbers - A - written

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Ordinal numbers - B  Pronunciation practice 

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Ordinal numbers - B  Pronunciation practice 

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Also see Lucy's video on dates below.

This video is American English but her accent is fine for British English too.

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How to Pronounce Ordinal Numbers - Pronounce Ordinal Numbers 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th (1st - 100th)

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More minimal pairs pronunciation practice.

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An EnglishClub Site of the Month (May 2015)

Ship or Sheep is a useful website for practising pronunciation. This site focuses solely on minimal pairs. Minimal pairs are words that vary by a single sound. On this very simple site, you can listen to minimal pairs for many different sounds. First click on a pair from the chart on the homepage. Then mouse over the words to hear them. You will hear male and female voices in British English.

The pairs also have pictures in case you aren't familiar with the vocabulary. As you study minimal pairs, you can also learn the IPA symbols. This will help you understand the pronunciation of a word that you find in a dictionary. To use this site, you will need audio and Flash.

shiporsheep.com

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Ship or Sheep is a useful website for practising pronunciation. This site focuses solely on minimal pairs. Minimal pairs are words that vary by a single sound. On this very simple site, you can listen to minimal pairs for many different sounds. First click on a pair from the chart on the homepage.

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Some great advice from Lucy, summarizing today's lesson.

EG:

My date of birth is the twelfth of December nineteen ninety seven.

Today is the eighteenth of May two thousand and two.

Concentrate on the British way of saying dates. (Although you will recognise the American way from films - most Brits find this very confusing!)

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DATES & YEARS in British & American English

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Below is a list of words that vary only by one starting with the sound /v/ and the other starting with the sound /w/. You can use this list to practise the sounds, or as a list of words to be careful in pronouncing.

/v/ is pronounced with the top teeth biting the bottom lip. /w/ is produced with rounded lips.

If you are practising on your own, try saying both words and making sure your pronunciation of each is different, for example by looking at your mouth shape in the mirror.

Pre-Intermediate

V we

vent went

vest west

vet wet

Intermediate

vary wary

veil whale

verse worse

Vick wick

vile while

vine wine

vow wow

Upper-Intermediate

vie why

vine whine

volley wally

V's wheeze

Advanced

V wee

vein wane

versed worst

Written for EnglishClub by Alex Case

Voiced by Jonathan Taylor

Next: final /k/ and /g/

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Useful minimal pairs practice of /v/ and /w/ as in VEST and WEST, useful practice for speakers of many languages. Minimal pairs are words that vary by only a single sound. Pronunciation for learners of English.

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Ukraine wins 2022 Eurovision song contest as UK finishes second in Turin – report

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Comparing three tenses:

Simple Present
Simple Past
Simple Future

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1  Alina - What did you do in work today

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Pronunciation of regular endings for Simple Past tense

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-ED pronunciation - /t/ /d/ or /id/? (pronounce PERFECTLY every time!) (+ Free PDF & Quiz)

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When making polite requests, the modals 'could' and 'would' are very useful. Starting your request with these two modals immediately makes your request a lot more polite. Another word that should be used when making a polite request is 'please'.

Could I have ..., please?
EG:
Could I have the menu, please?
Could I have a glass of wine, please?

Also:
I'd like ..., please.
Could you ... me ..., please?
Would you mind + gerund, please?

EG:
I'd like the menu, please.
I'd like a glass of white wine, please.

Could you bring me the menu, please.
Could you bring me a glass of white wine, please.

Would you mind bringing me the menu, please?
Would you mind pouring me a glass of wine, please?

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Gmail is email that's intuitive, efficient, and useful. 15 GB of storage, less spam, and mobile access.

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Meghan Markle's Half Sister Slams Claims She Tried To Reach Out To Her Father After His Stroke | GMB

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