Several papers lead with King Charles III and Queen Camilla's decision to not live at Buckingham Palace, instead opting to remain at Clarence House. "The buck stops here!" is the Daily Star's take, adding "no monarch to live at Palace".
"King will never live at the Palace" is the Daily Telegraph's lead, saying it is "the first change to the monarch's residence in nearly 200 years". Additionally, "Royal accounts show sovereign paid £30m in tax since ascending to throne" in 2022, the paper reports. It says he joined the Prince of Wales who revealed his tax bill was "£7.76m in the last financial year".
"Big bucks for an empty home" says the Daily Mirror. Published royal accounts reveal "billionaire [Prince] William is richer than his dad" because of land inheritance, the paper writes. It quotes former Liberal Democrat MP and royal critic Norman Baker who says the royals are "hugely expensive".
"A palace not fit for a King," continues the Daily Express, as King Charles "shuns" Buckingham Palace "despite £369m refurbishment".
"King and Queen to quit palace" writes the Sun, quipping: "Buck stops here". If you think that you have read that pun already, that is because you have.
"The monarchy's core funding will double within three years, rising to £100 million a year," the Times says, explaining: "Under an adjustment set out before parliament, new formula has been agreed whereby the royal household will receive 20.5 per cent of Crown Estate profits, up from 12 per cent." Elsewhere, the paper leads with "hundreds feared dead after double earthquake in Venezuela", where "near-simultaneous magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck within 39 seconds".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan's "Heat Ready London plan" leads the Metro. It says the blueprint contains a proposal for the British capital to "become hot-weather ready – like the desert-locked US city Phoenix". To visually take us there, it uses the headline "prickly heat", calling to mind the cacti of Arizona. As temperatures rise to 36.7C in London, the paper says "it felt even hotter for Londoners baking on buses, sweltering on Tubes or sheltering at home".
"Heatwave UK: 50-year record broken again" reports the i Paper, as the Met Office forecasts 37C on Friday. London's ambulance service callouts saw their "busiest day ever" as critical incidents rose, while "more than 1,2000 schools shut" amid the heatwave. "Extreme weather warning extended to third day for the first time and hosepipe ban imposed in Kent," the paper says.
The Financial Times leads with suggestions from one of Labour MP Andy Burnham's "key economic advisers", Andy Haldane, on how he could "boost growth" if he becomes prime minister. A Burnham-led government should look at cutting the "thicket of regulation" and simplify the "stupendously complex" tax code, Haldane believes. While Burnham is widely tipped to replace departing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, he still faces the possibility of a Labour leadership challenge, although he is the only candidate so far.
The Guardian leads with its specialist report on a case it titles "Degrading: How did a US pilot avoid UK trial after strangling a woman in England?" It also leads with the latest damage caused by the Venezuela earthquakes, saying: "Rescue teams were racing to Venezuela's shattered northern coast yesterday after almost simultaneous earthquakes reduced dozens of buildings to rubble."
Finally, the Daily Mail leads with the Ministry of Justice's "release programme" designed to "free up prison space", which it says "could mean hundreds of serious criminals being freed in large batches – potentially even on the same day – heightening police fears of a surge of offenders on the streets".
