King and Queen postpone their engagement following the surprise decision of the general election

The royal family has postponed appointments 'which could distract or distract from the election campaign' after Rishi Sunak called a surprise general election for the summer.

Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen have sent their "sincerest apologies" to those affected after Charles agreed on Wednesday to the Prime Minister's request to dissolve Parliament for an election - for the first time in his government.

The King and Queen's 80th anniversary performances on D-Day in Portsmouth and Normandy in June are expected to go ahead as planned, but the announcement of a July 4 vote disrupted other events in the ...