Peace protests, music royalty and one very expensive car... welcome to next week's headline makers

By royal appointment

It will be a newsroom but not quite as you’d know it. The Duchess of Cambridge will guest-edit the online news site The Huffington Post one day next week by turning part of Kensington Palace into a temporary editorial hub. Don’t expect any huge revelations from the Duchess, she’s there as part of her work to highlight the importance of children’s health. However, with the website having a reputation for stirring the pot, it could be an interesting 24 hours.

Licence to thrill

Empty the piggy bank, check down the back of the sofa - you’ll need all the spare pennies you can get your hands on. To mark the release of Spectre on DVD, Christie’s is holding of auction of the film’s memorabilia. There’s the usual scripts and photographs, but top items include Daniel Craig’s Day of the Dead costume (£12,000-£18,000) , the gold Spectre ring worn by Christopher Waltz’s villain (£4,00-£6,000)and best of all an Aston Martin DB10. It’s the first one ever to go on public sale, so it is likely to top the £1.5m estimate by some margin. Anyone interested should note bidding opens tomorrow.

Home comforts

If there’s been a man of 2016 so far it has to be Tim Peake. As the first British astronaut on the International Space Station, anyone and everyone has been trying to bask in a little of his reflected glory. Next up is Heston Blumenthal, who was challenged to create seven dishes Peake could eat during his mission which would remind him of home. The first screening of the resulting documentary will take place next week and so far the man who brought the world snail porridge has been tight-lipped about his menu, except to say. “The very least I could do was make sure Tim had a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie”.

Ban the Bomb (again)

CND was one of those acronyms which belong to the 1980s when the Cold War was at its height. Back then, it boasted 90,000 national members and a further 250,000 in local branches making it one of the largest political organisations in Britain. There’s unlikely to be a return to those giddy heights, but membership may get a boost with a planned rally in London next weekend against Trident nuclear weapons. There has been no confirmation yet as to whether CND celebrity supporters Annie Lennox, Bianca Jagger and Damon Albarn will be in attendance, but the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be on hand to deliver a few stirring words.

Back to basics

Ditch the wedges and the impossibly high heels, this year’s spring/summer fashion trends look unusually wearable. London Fashion week gets under way from Monday with everyone from Burberry to Marc Jacobs unveiling their latest collections. And before a single model has got to the end of the catwalk, we already know that this year it will be all about flat shoes, daywear as nightwear and colours which clash. Someone should tell those pyjama-wearing mums at the schoolgate that 2016 could yet be their year.

Lyrical qualities

Previous winners have included Ozzy Osbourne, Shaun Ryder and The Clash. Chris Martin and Co may not fit the hellraising model, but they will join the same hall of fame when they are presented with the Godlike Genius gong at the NME Awards. Is this sign that the annual shindig is becoming a little mellower in its old age? Well, perhaps, but the ceremony usual provides a few talking points and this year we suspect that organisers will also do a pretty splendid tribute to David Bowie.