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Catch up with all the latest news from across the county with Kristin Hawthorne.
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00:00Well, hello and welcome to Kent Tonight Live on KMTV. I'm Kristen Hawthorne and here are
00:28your top stories on Tuesday the 23rd of September. Feeling blue on the hill, lane closures on
00:35one of Kent's most notorious roads set to last for 12 weeks. Officials say the improvements
00:41will help ease delays and congestion but just two days ago residents of Kent were stuck
00:47in traffic for up to two hours. All aboard for price increases. Stagecoach hikes bus
00:53fares across Kent again. I will walk into town most times clearly because it's just
00:59seems unnecessary the amount of money that we have to spend on the buses now. And dreaming
01:05of Diana, we meet a viral superfan of the late Princess of Wales. My teacher was talking about
01:12Princess Diana, so then obviously I went home, done my homework on her and things like that,
01:18and then I started making videos about her and they just started blowing up.
01:25First tonight, anger and frustration in Bluebell Hill as the busy dual carriageway is set for
01:3712 weeks of lane closures. The lanes being closed, all data to collect it in the hopes of reducing
01:45delays and improving road safety in the future. But residents throughout Kent are unhappy about
01:50the increased traffic in the area, particularly during school runs and in rush hour. Maisie
01:55Walker joins me now live from Bluebell Hill with the latest. So, Maisie, what can you tell
02:01us first of all? Yeah, so, well, you know, the weather could perhaps be foreshadowing these new plans
02:10with this evening's doom and rain. Kent County Council announced plans to improve the A229's Bluebell
02:20Hill, a key route connecting Maidstone and Medway. The project aims to reduce congestion, improve safety,
02:29and support future growth, including traffic from the upcoming Lower Thames crossing.
02:37Is the scheme bringing anything new? So, the scheme includes a new link from the M2 to Bluebell
02:48Hill, signal updates at Water Slade Woods, widening of key roads and enhancements to several roundabouts.
02:58And can you tell us about the works that have already started?
03:06Work has already started on ground and drainage surveys with lane closures, as you can see behind me,
03:15expected to continue for about 12 weeks. Officials say the improvements will help ease delays and create a safer,
03:24more reliable journey for drivers in the area.
03:28And then what has the reaction been from residents in the area?
03:34Yeah, so, residents have shown a lot of concern regarding this matter. In fact, just last Friday,
03:41Medway and Maidstone motorists were stuck in traffic for hours because of the traffic.
03:47And because of the work, sorry. Commuters were calling for a reconsidered plan due to the impact
03:55on their journeys to school, work and appointments just on day two.
04:01And what have the councillors said about the issue?
04:06Yes, so, Mr Osborne recently said, while everyone accepts the need for investment in this vital junction,
04:15the way this scheme has been managed is causing chaos for families, commuters and businesses.
04:21Well, thank you so much, Maisie. We will follow that story as it continues. But now,
04:26this week marks organ donation week and stats revealed from the NHS show that more than 480
04:32people have lost their lives waiting for a transplant in the South East. Across the UK,
04:37this number has reached over 12,000 people in the last decade. And the UK transplant waiting list
04:44has hit record levels with 8,000 people. NHS Blood and Transplant is urging people to confirm
04:50their decisions on the donor register to help save lives and speak a little more on it.
04:54We spoke with James Broughton, a lead nurse from South East.
04:59They are literally waiting for a phone call day or night. Some patients get delisted due to sickness,
05:09but it's literally just a question of waiting. You don't know when it's going to be. It's all about
05:12getting the correct match, the best match from the potential donor to the potential recipient to give
05:18it the best chance of functioning well. When they do get that phone call and they have a successful
05:24transplant, it's absolutely life changing for them. It's giving them back a life they've potentially
05:31lost. My daughter had been on the organ donor register from the age of two. And then when she
05:36got a bit older and we had the discussion and she said, yeah, of course, why would I not want to help
05:41people? And then when she turned 16, she went back on and re-registered herself. So you're never too
05:46young or too old to sign up. Now, Ofsted tells Meadowfield School in Sittingborn that it requires
05:55improvement after being rated outstanding just last year. In a report that was published two weeks ago,
06:01the Education Watchdog said Meadowfield School in Sittingborn needs to step up the quality of education
06:07it offers to pupils aged four to 19. Inspectors found that the Swan Street Avenue School has not
06:13ensured teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum consistently well,
06:18and that some teachers are also not consistent in their use of communication strategies.
06:23Meadowfield School has declined to comment, however, at this time.
06:28But now the UK's biggest bus operator Stagecoach has raised their fare bus prices across East Kent,
06:35despite having just raised them earlier this year. The increase, although slight,
06:39comes as another blow for Kent residents already struggling with the cost of living.
06:44Stagecoach have explained that the increased fare revenue is necessary for covering the daily costs
06:49of running local bus services across Kent. Our reporter Megan Shaw has more.
06:54Oh, sorry, there's a technical error right now, but we've got lots of stories across Kent just like this one.
07:05She rang me from the toilet crying hysterically down the fight.
07:11This was the reality for Kola Glennie, when she found out her daughter was one student amongst dozens of
07:17those pulled out of class and placed into the school hall. The reason? Her skirt was said to be too short,
07:23after staff allegedly measured how high the girls' skirts were above the knee.
07:28School doesn't seem like a safe place to me. I can't do nothing there. It don't make me feel like
07:34I'm a human being. Like, I feel like I'm just a robot when I'm there. Like, I would walk into school
07:40and my whole appearance would have to change otherwise it wouldn't be good enough and I'd be
07:43sitting in isolation basically every day. But most of my friends that have went there today
07:47have literally been sent home again because of their skirts and because their mum picked them up
07:51because they were sitting in isolation. I don't want it to carry on because I don't want to go back
07:55to that school because it doesn't make me feel safe and I just don't want to feel like a robot no
07:58more and I don't feel like I can be myself. The school refuted the suggestions that the staff
08:04have been measuring skirts and said that the standards applied to all students and die in place
08:10to promote fairness, consistency and a positive learning environment. But the uniform Pearl's
08:15mum brought was from a shop advised by Hundreds of Who Secondary School. I don't think that I'm going
08:20to send her back to the school. I think mental health is more important than a uniform so I don't,
08:27she doesn't feel safe going back and I don't want to put my child in an environment where she doesn't
08:31feel safe so I will probably make the decision not to send her back if I'm honest. And Pearl wasn't the
08:37only student put into isolation for the hemline of her skirt being too short. Other parents who
08:43have spoken to us have said that their children have been left upset and humiliated. Other parents
08:49said despite buying the correct skirt they did not meet the requirements due to each child having
08:54different bodies. The school have said to help families they change their policies so parents
08:58can purchase skirts from a wide range of high street shops meaning that suitable skirts are more
09:04accessible and available in different variety of fits. Saying in this specific case they will be
09:09contacting parents directly to offer support and help source an appropriate skirt which meets their
09:14requirements. But with fears still lingering around students being put into isolation a more uniform
09:20approach to the rules may be needed to win back the parents trust. Daisy Page for KMTV in Who.
09:27We will get back to that story about the buses shortly later in the show but let's take a
09:32quick look at the weather. Tonight is looking cloudy in the east experiencing some showers while the
09:44west stays clear rain temperatures around the low teens into tomorrow morning then temperatures around
09:49the same with sun coming through up in the east partly cloudy weather in the west and then tomorrow
09:54afternoon 15 16 degrees with sun across the board temperatures rising to 16 17 degrees. Tuesday we
10:01have 16 degrees cloudy skies Friday 16 degrees sun peeking through the clouds and then on Saturday 18
10:07degrees and some peeking through the clouds again.
10:09And now a teen who was left waiting for her GCSE results for weeks has finally discovered that she passed.
10:23Leah Martin from Gillingham attended Cornfield School in Ashford up until their closure in July due to
10:28struggle to meet key standards highlighted in a November Ofsted inspection. She was assured by staff
10:35that she would receive her maths and English exam results by email on August the 21st after sitting
10:40them at Bellevue but they never arrived. It was only that when her story highlighted on Kent Online that
10:48her daughter's long-awaited grades appeared earlier this month. The mum of three said Leah found out that
10:53she passed and got the grades that she was expecting but she was very relieved to finally receive them.
10:58Time for a quick break now but coming up we will be speaking with Rob Bailey about the late night host
11:06of Jimmy Kimmel being taken off and on air and the questions it raises about media freedom. We also hear
11:13about a young superfan from Tunbridge who's reached millions of views on TikTok through his videos that
11:20he edited of Princess Diana and we will bring you that bus story as well about the fair increase rises.
11:26All that and more after the break but we will see you very very soon.
14:56Now you've probably heard about this story but late night host Jimmy Kimmel being taken
15:16off and on air again has sparked global headlines but here in Kent it raises bigger questions about
15:22media freedom closer to home. If high profile figures in the US can be silenced so suddenly
15:28what does this mean for local journalism here in the county? Rob Bailey director of education at the
15:33centre of journalism joined me earlier to discuss this. So to start us off then Rob what's the difference
15:39between freedom of speech in America and then here in the UK? We've seen an absolutely perfect example
15:44of this haven't we over the last few days with with Jimmy Kimmel. What Jimmy Kimmel did was stand up in a
15:49monologue of his entertainment programme that he did he criticised the Republican reaction to Charlie
15:55Kirk's assassination. Now under the American constitution there is an absolute enshrined right
16:00to freedom of speech which means that any American citizen including the ones on television can basically
16:05say whatever they want and they can be offensive they can be divisive and the difference is of course
16:10that if something like that were to happen here in the UK where there isn't the same enshrined right to
16:15freedom of speech and the broadcasters have a obligation a duty to be impartial that a news
16:22presenter couldn't just stand up and give an opinion like that to be inflammatory as some people might
16:27see it like that and we've seen examples we've seen Gary Lineker for example who ended up losing his job
16:32at the BBC because he kept expressing political opinions in this country that's very that puts a
16:37broadcaster in a very difficult position in America strictly speaking it shouldn't but for Jimmy Kimmel it did
16:43you might say that it would be harder to be biased here in the UK and you know part of the conversation
16:50is that he has taken public funding away from the public broadcasting service and places that he
16:56believes would be bias do you think that that is then something that couldn't come here to Kent or could
17:02it maybe? So you're talking about Donald Trump there who obviously is changing the funding of how public
17:07service broadcasters kind of get money in America and absolutely so Jimmy Kimmel faced problems not
17:12because of media regulation in the US but he faced problems because of political pressure and that
17:19the environment that we're working in now is that politicians are looking at broadcasters who they
17:24disagree with who that who are saying things that they don't like and thinking how can I silence that
17:29voice and and that's absolutely what's happened to Jimmy Kimmel and in fact obviously he's coming back on air
17:34that's why we're talking about it today partly because Disney has had to react to defend freedom
17:40of speech to defend its political kind of impartiality its independence because Donald Trump was gloating
17:46so often about how he'd successfully got Jimmy Kimmel off air in this country could the same thing happen
17:52in a different way absolutely there are constant questions about the BBC's funding and those questions
17:58are particularly sharp when thinking about whether the conservative party or whether reform
18:03will form the next government there's an awful lot of people who think that if that were to happen
18:07BBC funding might change and that would have consequences for the way it does its job if you
18:12look at the more local level in Nottinghamshire at the moment one of the main newspapers in in that
18:19area has been banned from speaking to reform councillors who run the county council there over a perceived
18:24difference of opinion politically and that's not a unique situation there's another council a conservative
18:29run council in London that's done something similar to the local democracy reporter there so we do see
18:35political pressure being wielded to try to make journalists lives harder and with that there are then
18:43pressures on democracy on the ability of voters to get reliable information that they can use to hold
18:50people to account and make good decisions at the ballot box and there is I mean there's so many so much news
18:55nowadays you've got social media lots of different channels and so with things happening in Kent it
19:01might would you agree maybe that people are finding the news that suits their views or less than maybe
19:09choosing the the news that's true one of the reasons that this is happening that the politicians feel
19:14able to talk to journalists this way to attack journalists this way it's because they have their own channels
19:20of communication now they can speak directly to their base and they can do that through social media they can do that
19:25through youtube they can do that in America through friendly tv companies and just avoid the ones that
19:30they don't like and they feel that's more effective because they can get away with more they can say the
19:35things that their base want to hear regardless of whether it's true and that's yeah that's politicians
19:39on all sides that are guilty of that um so yes that you know we live in a very different media environment
19:45now and and truth-telling journalists who are trying to hold everybody to account ask the difficult
19:49questions to try and and and kind of scrutinize the people who make decisions on our behalf
19:56we are seen as the obstacles to those people just getting it done you know and and so why would they
20:02not try to avoid things and that's the battle for journalists now we are performing an incredibly
20:08important role as watchdogs for the public and helping the public to get the information that they need
20:13um but we're having to battle every day for the access and for the right to do that job well it's
20:19i mean it's certainly very interesting and a conversation that we will have well into the future
20:23i'm sure thank you so much for joining us now the uk's biggest bus operator stagecoach has raised
20:30their fare bus prices across east kent despite having raised them just earlier this year the increase
20:35although slight comes as another blow for kent residents already struggling with the rising costs of
20:40living stagecoach have explained that the increased fare revenue is necessary for covering the daily
20:45costs of running local bus services across kent so our reporter megan shaw has more as the rising cost
20:53of living continues to affect all elements of daily life across kent the last thing we need is a more
21:00expensive bus ticket into town stagecoach the uk's largest bus operator and a major transport provider
21:07across east kent increased the price of their bus fares last sunday now a short journey will cost
21:13£1.90 up from £1.80 a medium length journey will cost £2.70 from £2.60 and longer length journeys will
21:22stay the same at £3 as per the new £3 bus cap that came into force early this year the increases
21:29though marginal are the second price shake-ups from stagecoach this year following changes that
21:34coincided with the government's decision to up the maximum spend for one journey on a bus from £2 to
21:41three in january 2025 a local day rider went from £5.70 to £6 now a local day rider has increased again
21:51to £6.30 buses form a vital part of local infrastructure particularly important for young
21:58people the elderly and families even a small increase in prices over time will compound if
22:05if me and my kids want to come into town it's the same as getting a taxi each way i will walk into town
22:12most times purely because it's just seems unnecessary the amount of money that we have to spend on the
22:17buses now it's good idea because they do provide a good service they always turn up on time they come
22:24from canterbury ashwood symbol wherever they're on time not like this lot behind you stagecoach on
22:30their website explain they understand frustration but such an increase in fares is necessary to cover
22:36the daily costs of running bus services such as higher fuel prices and investing in customer service
22:43stagecoach has been unable to give a more comprehensive comment at this time but some people feel a more
22:50detailed explanation from bus companies might make them more sympathetic to rising fare prices
22:56people can't um object it's just false don't we were to know why they're putting the bus fares up
23:04because they need this out of the other then maybe we'd be more understanding but um i think
23:09sometimes we just kind of see the price increases and we never kind of know why we just go oh yeah
23:14you're gonna pay more that's it so 10 pence for most people might not make a difference
23:20but 10 pence a day can quickly become an extra one pound 40 a week and five pounds 60 a month for those
23:27on the poverty line having already needed to accommodate additional changes earlier this year
23:32this money adds up this is megan shaw for kmtv in maidstone well megan joins us now to tell us a
23:40little bit more about this issue so i think you've got an updated comment from stagecoach they did
23:45they reached out to me to clarify their stance and their reasoning they say from sunday 21st
23:50september fares and our kent services increased we know any rise is difficult which is why we've
23:55kept the maximum change to just 10p thanks to the government's fair cap no single journey now costs
24:00more than three pounds like many sectors we're facing higher costs for fuel maintenance and staffing
24:06fair income is essential to cover these expenses and ensure local bus services remain sustainable
24:12we've also reduced group group ticket prices to make travel more affordable for families and friends
24:18while flexi tickets continue to offer the best value for regular customers thank you megan thank you
24:24okay now a young fan from tunbridge has reached millions of views from people worldwide through his
24:29fan pages of princess diana 19 year old kieran lee has used tick tock and instagram to create fan
24:35pages of the princess using edited footage to create short videos that connect with other like-minded
24:40fans our reporter holly spires has more on the story she was the people's princess a global icon
24:47remembered for her compassion style and quiet rebellion against royal tradition but for 19 year
24:53old kieran lee from tunbridge diana is more than just history she's a personal fascination turned social
25:00media phenomenon and with nearly 700 000 fans on tiktok kieran has created a fan club that has attracted
25:06the attention of millions so back in like year 10 which is about 2021 2022 me and my friends started a
25:14royal family page and then my uh teacher was talking about princess diana so then obviously i went home
25:21done like my homework on her everything's like that and then i started making videos about her and they just
25:26started blowing up so then i started watching more documentaries and things like that and then i don't
25:32know she like kind of went from there to be honest sometimes like being quite like gay in um schools as
25:39well i felt like quite like an outcast if you know what i mean just exactly how she did so it felt like
25:45kind of like a connection level with her with that as well kieran's fan pages on social media reached
25:51millions even princess diana's own butler paul burrell he followed me from one of my edits and
25:58he texted me saying that the edit was really good and then just from there he started liking all my
26:02posts like on my videos like following my actual personal account as well and then messaging me and
26:08then he invited me to a book signing of his because he made a book of princess diana and queen elizabeth
26:14and um yeah i think that was like quite surreal and like when i went up to him he knew who i was as well
26:20princess diana captured hearts in the 80s and 90s and now nearly three decades later she's found a
26:26new generation of loyal followers one viral post at a time holly spires for kmtv in medway well
26:34unfortunately it's time for a quick break now but coming up we're going to be giving you a recap
26:38of your top stories including a live report from one of our journalists at blue bell hill where lane
26:43closures are set to last for 12 weeks so in the meantime you could have a cup of tea and meet us back
26:48here in a few minutes see you then bye
27:18you
31:55and then can you tell us which works have started already earlier on you said that there was a lane
32:00closed behind you yeah so work has already started on ground and drainage surveys with
32:12lane closures as you can see behind me expected to continue for 12 weeks officials say the
32:20improvements will help ease the delays and create a safer more reliable journey for drivers in the
32:27area and then have any have any councillors said anything about this
32:32yeah so residents have shown concerns about the works in fact just last friday medway and
32:42made stone motorists were stuck in traffic for hours because of the works commuters were calling
32:48are calling currently for a reconsidered plan due to the impact on their journeys to things like
32:55school work and appointments all right maizey thank you so much we will follow that story as it
33:01continues on the topic of bluebell hill then there are delays after a car and a lorry have crashed on
33:11taddington roundabout near the bluebell hill and the m2 long delays are expected on the roundabout
33:17because a lane has been closed with kent highways urging drivers to approach that area with caution
33:23a spokesperson said that officers are on the scene and assisting while the vehicles are being cleared
33:28but no injuries have been reported and now a rugby referee was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed
33:36during a match in dover and about i suppose about five minutes in i started to realize i was i really
33:42really wasn't right this wasn't just something that was um i was going to run off and then i think
33:48that's when then i guess a little bit of pride kicked in or i'm not really sure yeah i do remember her
33:56saying you know is you know are you all right is this serious and i was like and you again you
34:02you just don't want to admit that you're not right a bit of a shock to me really when um they kept
34:09me in hospital and i sort of realized how serious it was or how serious it could have been really
34:13and i think that would be my message to anyone really if you know listen to your body if you know
34:19it's not right then you know don't be brave don't be stupid um really because i think i've certainly
34:26learned my lesson on that that was him speaking to us earlier today but now the uk's biggest bus
34:33operator stagecoach has raised their bus fare prices across east kent despite having raised them
34:38just earlier this year the increase although slight comes as another blow for kent residents
34:43already struggling with rising costs of living stagecoach have explained that the fair revenue
34:49increase is necessary for covering the daily cost of running local bus services across kent so
34:54our reporter megan shaw has more as the rising cost of living continues to affect all elements of daily
35:01life across kent the last thing we need is a more expensive bus ticket into town stagecoach the uk's
35:09largest bus operator and a major transport provider across east kent increased the price of their bus
35:15fares last sunday now a short journey will cost one pound 90 up from one pound 80 a medium length
35:22journey will cost two pound 70 from two pound sixty and longer length journeys will stay the same at
35:28three pound as per the new three pound bus cap that came into force early this year the increases
35:34though marginal are the second price shake-ups from stagecoach this year following changes that
35:40coincided with the government's decision to up the maximum spend for one journey on a bus
35:45from two pounds to three in january 2025 a local day rider went from five pound 70 to six pounds
35:53now a local deer rider has increased again to six pound 30 buses form a vital part of local
36:00infrastructure particularly important for young people the elderly and families even a small
36:07increase in prices over time will compound if me and my kids want to come into town it's the same as
36:13getting a taxi each way i will walk into town most times purely because it's just seems unnecessary the
36:20amount of money that we have to spend on the buses now uh it's good idea because they do provide a
36:26good service they always turn up on time they come from canterbury ashwood symbol wherever they're on
36:31time not like this lot behind you stagecoach on their website explain they understand frustration
36:38but such an increase in fares is necessary to cover the daily costs of running bus services
36:44such as higher fuel prices and investing in customer service stagecoach has been unable to give a more
36:51comprehensive comment at this time but some people feel a more detailed explanation from bus companies
36:58might make them more sympathetic to rising fare prices people can't um object it's just false done
37:07were to know why they're putting the bus fares out because they need this out the other then maybe we'd
37:12be more understanding but um i think sometimes we just kind of see the price increases and we never
37:17kind of know why we just go oh yeah you're gonna pay more that's it so 10 pence for most people might
37:24not make a difference but 10 pence a day can quickly become an extra 1.40 a week and 5.60 a month for
37:32those on the poverty line having already needed to accommodate additional changes earlier this year
37:38this money adds up this is megan shaw for kmtv in maidstone next a shocking new video released by
37:46kemp police reveals the sale of alcohol to children at several shops across the county the footage reveals
37:53how shopkeepers used illicit tactics such as leading underage customers away from the till to complete
37:59illegal sales compiled as part of a year-long clampdown kmtv can now show the video released by kemp police
38:08which is the police and criminal evidence act we were investigating an offence
38:24of an underage cell i don't believe that it's not recording
38:27um and and because i don't believe that i believe that there's evidence of an offence on that
38:38i'm joined now by alfie roe who has more details about the revelations that have been discovered so
38:46can you tell me exactly what's been discovered here well this is as you've seen from the video we
38:51just watched the illegal and sometimes intentional sale of alcohol to children at multiple premises
38:58across the county of kent now there are several areas affected everywhere from dover and deal to
39:04canterbury herne bay and new romney as was shown in the video as well the police have spent the party
39:10trying to clamp down on these underage cells of alcohol because obviously these offenses pose a
39:16serious risk to young people across the county i mean just to pick one example the shop we see behind
39:22us upper deal convenience store um is it which is in the town of deal as the name suggests in this
39:29premises vodka was sold to a 15 year old boy now after the sale after the sale the boy became ill and
39:35required an ambulance service wow and then how did the uh shopkeepers get away with these seals
39:41well according to the statement released by the licensing sergeant pete ballard several tactics have
39:46been used to complete these sales one is that a shopkeeper led an underage buyer outside to complete
39:52the sale as we watched in that video as well another is that um yes as we can see in this video here
39:57taken away yeah exactly and then eventually outside the premises to hide the sale in a surreptitious
40:03sort of way right um this is just one of many though however um another hid vodka in a pre-arranged
40:08spot for children to pick up after the fact however they're not always so um you know illicit to be
40:16fair in some cases it's just staff simply failing to provide the proper checks for id now across these
40:21shops it is advised that there is a challenge 21 policy which means that you're encouraged to perform
40:27id checks for anyone who appears under the age of 25. this is to make sure that everyone who is
40:33eventually buying the alcohol is above the legal age of 18. and then we've seen in the video that uh
40:39the man the shopkeeper said that his cctv wasn't on i believe can you explain maybe has there been
40:45repercussions and can you go into that further yeah so there's been some repercussions obviously it's
40:50difficult to peg out the full extent of the problem but what has been reported is that seven premises
40:56in the last year have had their alcohol licenses completely revoked now one of these has once again
41:01been upper deal convenience store in the town of deal is license was removed earlier this year by the
41:07dover district council after the police accused the bosses of this premises of putting children's health
41:13quote in jeopardy now many other businesses have also received warning letters across the county
41:20and in maidstone alone it was reported that 11 businesses have received this warning now for
41:26their part the kent police have promised swift and decisive action against future violations and present
41:32one however i think it's important to stress at the end of all of this that the majority of the
41:37shopkeepers do take their responsibility and the license to sell alcohol incredibly seriously and
41:43these reports are the exception not the rule thank you alfie we will see in just a few minutes
42:13one week
42:30one
49:39And now let's take a quick look at the weather forecast.
52:06Even Princess Diana's own butler, Paul Burrell.
52:10He followed me from one of my edits and he texted me saying that the edit was really good.
52:15And then just from there he started liking all my posts, liking all my videos,
52:19following my actual personal account as well, and then messaging me.
52:23And then he invited me to a book signing of his because he made a book of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth.
52:29And yeah, I think that was quite surreal.
52:32And when I went up to him, he knew who I was as well.
52:34Princess Diana captured hearts in the 80s and 90s.
52:38And now, nearly three decades later, she's found a new generation of loyal followers.
52:43One viral post at a time.
52:45Holly Spires for KMTV in Medway.
52:48And Holly Spires joins me now to tell us a little bit more.
52:51So why do you think Princess Diana has had such a strong impact on people today?
52:56So Diana is obviously so relatable.
52:58She's touched so many people's lives over her, sadly, quite short life.
53:02But she's done so much charity work for people.
53:05You know, her, with the aids that she did, just everything.
53:09She's had such an impact on people's lives.
53:11And still to this day, people are just obsessed with her and they want to see more about her life.
53:15And, you know, people my age want to know more about her because she was such an influential person.
53:20And what made Ciaran's account stand out then compared to others?
53:24What made him, what made people go to his account?
53:27He has such a wide variety of different videos and photos and they're so, like, they're so lovely.
53:33And as you can see, yeah, they're so, they're so beautiful.
53:36The images that he's got are just really, really lovely to see.
53:39Especially if you're, you know, as I said before, like myself, if you're young and you didn't know much about Diana when we were young.
53:46Because obviously she wasn't, she sadly wasn't here.
53:48But to see it, like, fresh from our eyes is just so lovely.
53:51And his account is just so, like, it makes everyone so happy.
53:55When I first saw it, I was like, wow, this is such a lovely thing to see.
53:58Especially from someone so young.
54:01It's really refreshing, I think.
54:03And as well, I mean, she's been a big ally during her life for LGBTQ+.
54:07How have the fans interacted then with the fan pages?
54:11Do they say similar sorts of things?
54:13Yeah, so so many fans are just gripped on this sort of thing.
54:16From all different ages, all different countries.
54:19Because obviously she travelled around the world.
54:20So so many people have stumbled across Kieran's page and thought, wow, this is something I want to keep watching.
54:25Because Diana was just such a kind lady.
54:28People want to keep watching her.
54:30And I think if you're a kind person, people will want to watch you.
54:34Especially when you're not here.
54:35People will want to watch you for so long.
54:37So I think that's why so many fans just love Kieran's page.
54:40Because there's so much content on there.
54:43It's so diverse.
54:43There's so much different content.
54:45And I just think it's reached them particular audiences.
54:48I think it's lovely.
54:49Yeah, certainly.
54:50And, you know, if they've got so much different content, they don't have to look anywhere else.
54:54No, exactly.
54:55Exactly.
54:55Yes, I've heard you've got a bit of a quiz for me.
54:57We do have a little quiz for you, Kristen.
54:59I hope that's OK.
55:00So it is.
55:01We are going to play a little game of Guess the Royal.
55:03OK.
55:04Gosh.
55:04The first one, hopefully on the screen.
55:07Who is this?
55:08Oh, my gosh.
55:11Loving the outfit, I can say that.
55:13Uniform, probably, I should say.
55:15Yeah.
55:15I'm not sure who that is.
55:16Don't even have a guess.
55:17Really?
55:17Yeah.
55:18So this is Princess Anne, the Princess Royal.
55:21Oh.
55:21This is Prince Charles, oh, sorry, King Charles.
55:24Yes.
55:24King Charles' brother.
55:26And a little fun fact about Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, that's her full title.
55:29She is the first member of the British Royal family to compete in the Olympic Games.
55:34I'm not sure.
55:35I think she does something with horses.
55:37Sorry.
55:37Correct me if I'm wrong.
55:38She does something with horses.
55:39So this is King Charles' sister.
55:41Sister.
55:42Sister.
55:42Yeah.
55:42So next person.
55:46Oh, my goodness, you're testing me here.
55:48I don't know who this is at all.
55:49Do you not?
55:50No.
55:51So this is Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
55:54So this is Princess Anne's brother, King Charles' brother.
55:58There's four of them.
55:59So he's the fourth sibling.
56:01He's the youngest.
56:02So a little fun fact about him, he's currently 11th in the line for the throne.
56:07So he's very far down, bless him.
56:09Likely won't make it to the throne.
56:11No, sadly not.
56:12But the next one, you might get this one.
56:15Okay.
56:15Fingers crossed.
56:17Oh, my goodness, this is embarrassing.
56:19Maybe you might not.
56:21I, is it Victoria?
56:24It is.
56:25That is correct.
56:26Well done.
56:26Okay.
56:27So Queen Victoria survived multiple assassination attempts and Victoria was the target of at least eight assassination attempts during her reign as Queen.
56:38All right.
56:39Crazy.
56:39Very interesting.
56:40Thank you so much, Holly.
56:40That's all we have for this evening, but we'll see you very soon at 8pm.
56:45Bye-bye.
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