‘Royal race row’ and Covid jabs warning

Many front pages lead with Lady Susan Hussey’s resignation as a royal aide. The Daily Mail describes the incident as “a new Palace race storm”. It says the black British charity boss, Ngozi Fulani, felt “violated” after being “interrogated” by Prince William’s godmother about where she came from. The paper runs what it calls “the inside story” of how Lady Susan’s 60 years of royal service ended in five hours. It quotes a royal insider who claims she was “thrown under the bus”.

The Daily Telegraph is warning of a “new winter of discontent”, claiming that millions of people across the country face disruption from strikes. The paper says rail workers, nurses, teachers, security guards, driving examiners and rural payments officers are all planning industrial action that will disrupt every day until Christmas. The Financial Times says planned strikes by ambulance crews will add to the wave of unrest.

The Guardian says 70% of England’s water firms are now in foreign hands. Its research has revealed what it calls a “complex web of ownership” that involves foreign investment firms, pension funds and businesses lodged in tax havens. The paper says there are increasing calls for the industry to be held accountable for sewage dumping and water shortages, but the ownership structures make transparency difficult.

Luxury handbag maker Mulberry has warned that foreign tourists are avoiding London and heading to other European cities after the UK scrapped tax-free shopping, according to the Financial Times. The head of the brand is calling on the government to bring back the scheme to attract high-spending visitors.

Pictures of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie – who has died at the age of 79 – feature on the cover of a number of papers. The Guardian quotes its recent interview with McVie, who was speaking about the period when Fleetwood Mac’s best-selling album Rumours was released; she said the band “were having a blast” and it felt incredible that they were writing such songs.

In its obituary, the Times said those songs “resembled pages ripped” from intimate diaries, and highlighted McVie’s contrasting but close relationship with Stevie Nicks, which it says resulted in some of “the most compelling and irresistible rock music of its era”.