‘Royal effect’ sparks upsurge in will writing

More people wrote a will when Prince Phillip was admitted to hospital than on any other day last year, according to the will writer and funeral service provider Farewill. When the Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital in February 2021, the number of wills produced increased by 131%. This “royal effect” was seen again when the Queen went into hospital on 22 October, with a 26% increase. Farewill said that Monday at 2pm is the most popular time of the week to write a will.

Aliens ‘would love Queen but hate Andrew’

Aliens would see “look at the Queen and see a true leader, staying strong for decades, despite the chaos unfolding around her”, a UFO expert has claimed. Nick Pope, who worked with the Ministry of Defence for 21 years, added that extra-terrestrials wouldn’t be so keen on Prince Andrew because he “got [himself] bogged down in scandal”. Pope has previously called for the defunct government programme which looked into UFO sightings to re-launch, saying that “fascinating incidents are currently getting only a cursory glance from amateur hobbyists”.

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Pilot loses space flight spot due to weight

An airline pilot who won a seat on a SpaceX flight said he was “insanely disappointed” after he missed out on the trip because he exceeded the company’s weight limit. Kyle Hippchen won the seat after buying about $600 of sweepstakes entries. The 43-year-old, who weighs 150kg (more than 23 stone), decided to give his seat to his former college roommate, who offered to take personal items into space for Hippchen.