Apple has announced a new financing scheme named “Flexible Finance Account” in the United Kingdom, replacing the popular iPhone Upgrade Program.

The move marks a major shift for customers accustomed to the old program, which enabled users to pay a monthly fee and upgrade to the latest iPhone on an annual basis after making 12 payments.

Another major news for iPhone users is the new program include AppleCare+ at 0%.

Apple’s U.K. website confirmed the end of the iPhone Upgrade Programme, stating, “We think you’ll love what’s next.”

The new Flexible Finance Account is referred to as a line of credit that provides “even more options” and flexibility for future Apple Store purchases.

Although some of the major offers are still interest-free, such as all the current iPhone 17 models and all the iPhone 16 models over certain terms like 20 or 24 months, the new system now applies interest rates for financing over longer terms for other products.

For instance, financing an iPad or Apple Vision Pro over 36 months will now incur a 14.9% APR.

Although the upgrade plan changes in the U.K., it will remain the same in the U.S. and other markets.

Customers in the U.K. who are already using the service are encouraged to continue with their current payments until they qualify for an upgrade, at which point they will be moved to the new system. 

Apple points out that the new account system enables one-time approval for future purchases.

The former Duke of York has finally packed up and moved on but his change of address is doing little to quiet the noise around him.

After months of whispers, he has vacated Royal Lodge and taken up residence at Wood Farm Cottage on the Sandringham Estate, where he’ll stay until nearby Marsh Farm is prepared. 

The relocation, however, hasn’t gone down smoothly with everyone in the area.

Visitors and locals alike have been quick to voice their disbelief at the arrangement, questioning why the King’s troubled brother is being housed on a royal estate at all. 

One elderly visitor wondered how someone described as sidelined can truly be so when he’s still being given a roof within palace grounds. 

Another scoffed that the move hardly looks like a step down, it sounds more like a return to comfort than a retreat.

Others are more annoyed by the sudden spotlight on their normally peaceful surroundings. 

One resident complained that the influx of cameras and reporters has shattered village calm. 

Though Wood Farm Cottage lacks the grandeur of Andrew’s former home, it’s no bare-bones bolthole. 

The property has reportedly been given a security heavy makeover, including the installation of a towering six foot fence to replace the original wire barrier. 

Prince Harry had been pursuing a case against the Daily Mail Publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited, along with seven other high-profile claimants.

The Duke of Sussex had accused the publisher for acquiring private information via ‘unlawful’ means and had given a detailed testimony in the Royal Courts of Justice last month.

When asked why he hadn’t complained about some of the articles at the heart of his claim, Harry responded that “to a certain extent” he believed the information in the articles came from legitimate sources.

He also thought that “the institution” would not have allowed him to complain anyway.

While Harry’s case is still ongoing, a surprise Jeffery Epstein connection emerged in which the convicted paedophile claimed “the Palace” asked him to take legal action against a newspaper for alleged phone hacking.

In the email, dated July 12, 2011, Epstein was getting legal advice on how he should open the case against the New York Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group in New York.

“If you have been following the issues of Rupert Murdoch, and News intl. He closed one of his newspapers in London, after it was caught hacking phone,” the email reads.

“Well, there is no love lost in the palace for him. They say they have evidence that the NY post hacked my phones, to get to Prince Andrew.”

It continued, “The palace has asked if i would bring an action in new york. a.) I am not a sympathetic figure, but the girl who accused Andrew is even less credible than Strauss Kahn’s maid b.) I’m not sure if I want the battle. c) I’m not sure if you would be conflicted.”

It is unclear what is being referred to as “the Palace” in the email. It could have been Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor or it could be the institution itself.

The email in question comes from the latest tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice. It was sent two days after News of the World closed down after its owners, News International, admitted to hacking for their work.

This appears to have a similar tone to Prince Harry’s lawsuit but it is possible that these two events could have a connection. It remains to be seen how things unfold in the case.