As we discussed, King Charles and Queen Camilla were the main event for the state opening of Parliament on Wednesday. While the new prime minister and the MPs were all dressed in business attire – befitting a daytime state event – Charles and Camilla were bizarrely expected to show up in all of their state regalia. Camilla wore a white gown, an ermine cape, and the Diamond Diadem. Charles wore one of his dress uniforms, then the ermine robe was added at Parliament, as was the Imperial State Crown. As such, I don’t think Charles had enough time to get comfortable in his heavy gear. When one of his page boys tried to “fix” something on the robe, Charles’s reaction was predictably ill-tempered.

Ahead of a speech in the House of Lords, a page boy tries to adjust King Charles’ robe. The King seemed to pull his hand back when the page boy tries to place the King’s robe around his throne.https://t.co/2dqSfWjmj0 pic.twitter.com/SsGdMdR8YC

— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 17, 2024

Now, do I honestly think this is the worst thing in the world? No, of course not. It was just an awkward moment between an ill-tempered king and a child who should have been enjoying his summer vacation rather than fuss about with an ermine robe in the middle of g–damn July. But it’s yet another in an increasingly long list of Charles being ill-tempered and rude in public. The man couldn’t even get through his big Proclamation Ceremony (the day after his mother died) without being ill-tempered at an ink pot. Days after that, he threw a tantrum about a leaky pen. Even earlier this week, Charles apparently “snapped” at an aide over Camilla’s coat when they were in Jersey. Maybe Charles is just a rude, unpleasant man, have you ever thought about that.

Camilla should have just handed someone the umbrella & focused on her coat.
How on earth did she think she could hold on to that umbrella & put her coat on with the other?
Where were her aides, friends & companions or whatever they’re called? pic.twitter.com/RhNuyZavtB

— Melanated Mona (@Melanated_Mona) July 17, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I said this on Twitter last night and I’ll say it here… my recommendation, if you already know that you’re voting for the Biden/Harris ticket, is to just do the mute challenge on network news, cable news and online news. Over the past month, the American national media has lost their collective hive-mind and they’re actively trying to hand the election to Donald Trump. Meanwhile, too many Democrats are suddenly shoot-themselves-in-the-d–k bed-wetters who want to throw out 14 million primary votes. I’ve seen a lot in recent weeks about how the viewership of American cable and network news has cratered – good. Keep it up. Because the next four months are going to be insane.

So, buck up, buttercup, because President Joe Biden has Covid-19. Another covid wave has hit America really hard in recent months and reportedly there are two variants spreading across the country: FLiRT and LB.1. It’s connected to the heat wave – more people are inside with the AC running, in closer quarters. For President Biden, that man has been running all over the place since the sh-tty debate three weeks ago, campaigning and shaking hands and running the NATO Summit. It feels inevitable that he would get Covid. That being said, he’s vaccinated and boosted and apparently he’s barely symptomatic.

President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday while he was in Las Vegas for a series of events, the White House said. In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden tested positive “following his first event in Las Vegas.”

“He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” Jean-Pierre said. “He will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation.”

Biden was already scheduled to head to Delaware after his trip to Las Vegas.

Biden was tested after he experienced upper respiratory symptoms, Biden’s doctor said in a statement released by the White House. Dr. Kevin O’Connor is the president’s physician; the White House did not attribute the statement to him by name. Biden’s symptoms included a runny nose, nonproductive cough and “general malaise,” the statement said.

His doctor said he has already taken his first dose of Paxlovid, a medication that is associated with reducing the chance of hospitalization or death. Biden does not have a fever, and his respiratory rate is normal, according to the doctor.

[From NBC News]

You mean to tell me that the White House got President Biden’s doctor to confirm the president’s condition and treatment within a couple of hours of the diagnosis, but it was days after the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally before that boozehound liar Ronny Jackson told reporters about the condition of Trump’s ear? Trump was rushed to a hospital after the shooting and we’ve yet to hear anything from the doctors who actually treated him after what was reported as an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, President Biden is doing full-disclosure on a case of Covid.

Meanwhile, the Biden team is having fun with it, and they also just released an extremely powerful new ad.

of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election.

And if you agree, pitch in here.https://t.co/V93cYUUFQu

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 17, 2024

Donald Trump has already unleashed cruel abortion bans across the country with no exceptions for rape or incest. Now, he and J.D. Vance want to go further and ban abortion nationwide.

Thank you, Hadley, for speaking out about the consequences of Trump’s agenda. pic.twitter.com/S73iKRfJGV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 17, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

The British media is still absolutely furious about Prince Harry’s reception at the ESPYs and they’re doing everything they can to convince their domestic audience that Americans hate the Sussexes. Their latest salvo is promoting an unnamed, undocumented “survey” which apparently found that “nearly four out of 10 Americans think Prince Harry was wrong to receive the Pat Tillman Award.” Where is this survey? Where did it come from? LOL. Meanwhile, almost simultaneous with the trumpeting of this new survey, the Sussexes have been included in the Paley Center’s Honors Tribute Host Committee as the center plans to honor Tyler Perry:

The Paley Center for Media announced on Wednesday that it will honor Tyler Perry at its Paley Honors gala, taking place in Beverly Hills on Dec. 4.

The event, which will be held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, will serve as a celebration of Perry’s long and versatile career as an actor, writer, director, producer, studio owner and philanthropist. He has produced over 2,000 episodes of television and directed, written and produced 28 feature films; since 2019, Perry has also operated his Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.

The Paley Center has convened some of Perry’s closest friends and colleagues as part of its Paley Honors Tribute Host Committee, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle; Perry is godfather to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter, Lilibet, after offering up his house to the couple following their contentious exit from the royal family.

Ariel Emanuel, Jon Feltheimer, Whoopi Goldberg, Taraji P. Henson, Matt Johnson, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Gayle King, Debra L. Lee, Mellody Hobson, George Lucas, Scott Mills, Nicole Avant, Ted Sarandos, and Kerry Washington are also part of the committee.

“Throughout my career, I have strived to bring people together and to give a voice to those often underrepresented in media,” Perry said in a statement. “Media has served as a vital platform for this mission, and I’m honored to receive this award from The Paley Center for Media, an organization that has dedicated itself to spotlighting the power and importance of media.”

[From THR]

The Paley Center is right to honor Tyler Perry, and I love that the Sussexes are included in the honors committee. That means they’ll most likely attend the Paley Honors gala!! Yay, another red carpet! The Sussexes will probably skip the carpet and show up inside the event. Maybe one or both of them will be on stage, talking about what Tyler did for them in their time of need. I love this! Yet another incoming tantrum from the British media too…

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

We’ve talked about this before, but having your kids find you slightly embarrassing is one of those rites of passages for a parent. Every generation deals with this! Despite a parent’s best efforts, every kid knows what it means to be embarrassed by their parents. Earlier this year, Sheryl Crow shared a story about how her teenage sons find most of what she does publicly to be “cringey.” Poor Charlize Theron also knows what this is like. Charlize Theron is the mother of two daughters named Jackson, 11, and August, nine. During an event for her charity Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, Charlize told E! News that there’s “a lot of girl” in her house, and that her daughters are officially of the age where they’re “constantly” embarrassed by her.

“Oh, my God, they’re so embarrassed by me constantly,” she told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) 2024 Block Party July 13. “They’re kids, they’re girls, you know? I have a preteen and I feel like I have a nine year old who thinks she’s a 13 year old. It’s a lot of girl in our house.”

The 48-year-old continued, “I’m just trying to keep my head above water, because they are smart and they are witty and they are firecrackers, but they do not go, ‘Oh my god, Mom, you’re so amazing.’ They’re like, ‘Excuse me, I need. I want.’”

Because, as Charlize noted, they’re “normal kids,” quipping, “They’re a–holes, but they’re really nice. Other parents know what I’m talking about.”

[From E! News]

Oh man, it sounds like the Theron household is never quiet and always an adventure. I bet Jackson and August keep her on her toes! I have two sisters and no brothers, so I completely understand what Charlize is talking about when she says it’s a very “girl” household. I’m the oldest and my youngest sister and I had a tendency to talk back, but my middle sister knew how to play the game and work the refs. It made me so mad at the time, but looking back, I respect her game. That said, I’m beginning to think that the label is a bit misleading. I have two boys and have been surprised by just how much attitude my 10-year-old is starting to get! No one prepared me for this. Someone help me when he’s an actual tween/teen. Neither of them are routinely embarrassed by me yet, but I know it’s only a matter of time. I need to start planning what to do when that day comes.

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Early last year, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins back in October 2021. Hannah’s trial began in late February of this year, she was convicted two weeks later, and in May, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer gave Hannah the maximum possible sentence of 18 months in prison, where she is now. Then last week happened. Alec Baldwin’s trial for the same charge began before the same judge last Tuesday, and by Friday the entire case was dismissed because the prosecution (inexplicably) failed to disclose evidence to the defense. Anyone who’s seen My Cousin Vinny knows, “it’s called disclosure you d–khead!” Now, as expected, Hannah’s lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss her conviction:

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the Rust armorer who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the October 2021 on-set fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, is seeking to dismiss her conviction or have a new trial after Alec Baldwin’s criminal case was dismissed mid-trial.

In court documents filed in New Mexico on Tuesday, July 16, and obtained by PEOPLE, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys Jason Bowles and Monica L. Barreras sent a motion to the court asking for the armorer to either receive a new trial or have her conviction dismissed in the wake of “an egregious discovery violation” made by New Mexico’s special prosecutors.

Baldwin’s case was dismissed in a surprise twist on Friday, July 12 after the actor’s attorneys argued the prosecution buried evidence related to the case without the defense’s knowledge. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who also presided over Gutierrez-Reed’s criminal trial, dismissed Baldwin’s case with prejudice, meaning Baldwin, 66, cannot be charged with involuntary manslaughter again.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys argued in this new motion that prosecutors “withheld bombshell exculpatory evidence that it had a constitutional obligation to disclose and that would have resulted in a fundamentally different trial,” for the armorer, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death on March 6.

Gutierrez-Reed was in charge of prop weapons on the Western movie Rust, which Baldwin, 66, starred in and co-produced, when a gun Baldwin was holding discharged and killed Hutchins, 42, on Oct. 21, 2021, in New Mexico. On April 15, Gutierrez-Reed received the maximum sentence of 18 months of incarceration at a New Mexico women’s correctional facility. She was separately cleared on a separate charge of tampering with evidence during that trial.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys are asking the court to outright dismiss her conviction or grant her a new trial in light of misconduct discovered during Baldwin’s trial, per court documents obtained by PEOPLE. They also asked that the court alternatively release Gutierrez-Reed pending an appeal and that special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey be removed from the case.

Despite Gutierrez-Reed’s new motion, Emily D. Baker, a legal expert and former Los Angeles district attorney, tells PEOPLE the movie’s armorer “is in a much different position” to have her case dismissed or receive a new trial.

“With the swiftness of that conviction and the evidence, including Hannah’s own statements to police that she loaded the weapon, I don’t know if any of this coming forward would change the jury result that she didn’t do her job as the armorer,” Baker says. “The position of Baldwin was much stronger. Hannah’s position to get released and to get this overturned is not as good as Baldwin’s. It’s a much weaker argument for her.”

[From People]

So her defense lawyers are asking for Hannah’s conviction to be dismissed or at least retried, and they want the prosecutor off the case, oh and Hannah should be sprung from prison in the interim. Have I got all that right? Defense attorneys are gonna defend, I get that, and at this point the prosecution should also want a new lead attorney based on how badly Kari Morrissey bungled the other case. But Hannah’s attitude and behavior have been so off-putting that I hate the idea she could finagle her way out, here. Instead of taking real responsibility, she’s complained about how her own life has been affected. Other lives have been affected, too, like the lives of Halyna Hutchins, her family and friends.

Earlier this week I was more convinced that her conviction would be overturned, on the same Brady violation issue as Alec Baldwin. But between this reporting, and the thorough timelines y’all laid out in the comments, I’m more encouraged now that her conviction will stand. Back when the ruling came down in March, jurors were pretty clear that Hannah’s inconsistent safety checks on set were a big factor in their decision. If that’s so, then Judge Sommer can say that the withheld evidence from Alec’s trial would likely not have changed the outcome of Hannah’s case.

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Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jane Krakowski have each been a part of hit TV shows, but at heart they’re both Broadway Babes. They’ve known each other for decades, but haven’t yet worked together; even though Jane had a recurring guest role on Modern Family — including one episode where she avoids being hit in a game of dodgeball by jumping into midair splits, it was something — Jane and Jesse never shared a scene. Jesse just had Jane on his Dinner’s on Me podcast, where he recounted their meet-cute in the ‘90s, and it really is cute! Jane was already working on Broadway while Jesse was a fan with big dreams. After watching Jane in a revival of Company, Jesse waited at the stage door. When she emerged, Jane immediately recognized Jesse, she just couldn’t place from where. I’ll let Jesse take it from here:

In 1995, Ferguson waited at the stage door to see Krakowski after a performance of a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, in which she portrayed dim-witted flight attendant April. Ferguson had only moved to New York City the year prior. Though Ferguson was waiting as a fan, he was astonished to find Krakowski greeting him like an old friend.

“I was waiting by the stage door, and then you came out, and you come out and you walk right over to me, and you’re like, ‘How are you? How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while!’” Ferguson recounted to Krakowski when she guested on his podcast, Dinner’s on Me With Jesse Tyler Ferguson. “And you give me a great big hug. Meanwhile, I’m thinking, ‘I do not know this woman.’ I mean, I know who you are. I was a fan. And I had already, like I’d been a fan of yours since Grand Hotel.”

“But I was like, oh my gosh, Jane’s hugging me,” he continued. “And, and then you were, you said, ‘I don’t remember, where did we meet? Where do we know you from?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know,’ and so you started naming, ‘Well, maybe we did a commercial together’ and you were trying to like place it. And you’re like, ‘Well, I don’t know. I’ll figure it out later, but it was good to see you. Thanks for coming.’ And I was just sort of speechless.”

“I was very touchy feely,” Krakowski quipped in response to the memory.

Ferguson left the encounter feeling verklempt, but still utterly befuddled by how Krakowski recognised him. The answer finally came a few days later while Krakowski was on her coffee run.

“I was very taken by the encounter,” he finished. “And so then fast forward, I don’t know, a week or two later, and I’m working my job at Starbucks on 79th and Broadway, and you come in, and you see me and you say, ‘This is where I know you from!’”

Ferguson was particularly touched that Krakowski then recognized him as a fellow actor trying to make his dreams come true. “You went right into like, ‘How are auditions going?’” he added. “I felt so seen by you because I was like, I don’t want to be a barista forever. I had such high dreams and hopes for myself. Having you ask me how things were going was really powerful, and that was one of the first times I realized the Broadway community is actually a community of people. I have such fond memories of you before I ever really knew you.”

[From EW]

Thank you Jane & Jesse, this was precisely the sweet, unadulterated tonic I needed this week! It’s nice to hear a story where a celeb is kind and gracious in real life. It makes me happy that each of them have found the TV success that’s allowed them to dip back into the theater community they clearly love. I haven’t had the privilege of seeing Jane live on stage (yet!), but I vividly remember seeing Jesse — well before Modern Family. I was in high school visiting NYC and my mother and I went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It’s a real gem of a show! Imaginative, and then sneaks up on you with pathos. And Jesse was utterly charming as Leaf Coneybear, an 11-year-old spelling bee contestant, clad in his makeshift cape. His big number was “I’m Not That Smart,” and he just so adorably captured being in the head of a kid. Now someone please give these two musical theater kids a gig together!

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Drake posted footage of his flooded Toronto home, which he calls the Embassy. Toronto is experiencing a really terrible situation, I hope you guys stay safe. But yeah… Drake is having the worst year of his life. I hope he’s insured. [Just Jared]
More hate for Katy Perry’s disastrous new music. [LaineyGossip]
This is so depressing – don’t do this to your dogs. [OMG Blog]
This dress on Emma Corrin is amazing!! [RCFA]
Harry Styles & Stevie Nicks performed “Landslide” together. [Socialite Life]
A review of Sorry/Not Sorry, a documentary about the accusations against Louis CK and how his career was barely affected by his predations. [Pajiba]
Emma Roberts is engaged to Cody John. [Hollywood Life]
Badgley Mischka’s new collection is really pretty. [Go Fug Yourself]
Fox releases their fall premiere dates. [Seriously OMG]
Tamara Judge’s oldest daughter doesn’t speak to her. [Starcasm]
The new Twisters movie doesn’t address climate change?? LMAO. [Buzzfeed]

Severe rainfall has flooded parts of Toronto, including what appears to be Drake’s mansion

“This better be Espresso Martini,” he wrote on IG: pic.twitter.com/65054b6A1E

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 16, 2024

The Princess of Wales has now been seen at two public events this year, Trooping the Colour and the Wimbledon men’s final. In previous years, Kate’s appearance at the men’s final marked the start of her summer holiday. There have been years where no one hears anything about Kate or sees her in public for over two months of her “summer holiday.” I would imagine it will be the same this year – her Wimbledon appearance will be the last time we see her until September or October. But she’s given royal commentators enough to proclaim that Kate is “back” and we’ll be seeing more of her from here on out. Yeah… I doubt it.

Princess Kate dazzled at Wimbledon as cheering fans welcomed her with a well-deserved standing ovation, a royal expert says. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said he thought we’d be seeing more of Kate from now on.

He told The Sun: “I think it meant a tremendous amount for the Princess of Wales to firstly be there, carry out her duty as patron of the all England tennis club, and there’s no question that Wimbledon is very close to her heart, as is the game of tennis. It was also a very significant moment when she had a standing ovation because this shows how people have cared so deeply for her during these very difficult months, when she’s after a major abdominal operation, undertaking preventative chemotherapy, which is so daunting.”

The commentator described Princess Kate as “relaxed and at ease” during the event – and hailed her appearance as vital and “very joyous” for the royal family.

“I think if you wear a dress that purple as stunning as that, and carry it off with the poise and beauty that only she can, she knew where the main attention, apart from on the tennis court, of course, was going to be,” he added.

Looking ahead, Mr Fitzwilliams also believed more appearances “might very well” be on the horizon.

“It is a very difficult time for the royal family with two senior royals including the King battling cancer, and this is undoubtedly a step forward, a step forward that makes people happy that everyone could welcome, and where a standing ovation was so well deserved,” he added.

[From The Sun]

Don’t get me wrong, I was surprised by the standing ovation for Kate as well and I genuinely think that her Wimbledon appearance was a net positive for Kate and for the monarchy. Average people haven’t paid close attention to all of the completely bonkers sh-t that’s gone down this year in the royal world and all they know is what the palace tells them. Which is a win for the palace and for Kate. Now Kate will disappear for months again and they’ll say “well, the poor sausage is allowed to have a summer vacation!” But will the conversation change in the fall? I wonder.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Several months ago, Brad Pitt’s lawyers were on a tear, demanding that Angelina Jolie disclose (to the court) all of the NDAs signed by people who work for her in various capacities. The NDA issue was an important one, given that Brad wanted to make Angelina sign an NDA as part of the sale of Nouvel, her half of Chateau Miraval. Brad wanted Jolie to sign the NDA to keep her silent about his physical, emotional and financial abuse. Jolie balked and walked away from selling Nouvel to Pitt, and later on, she sold Nouvel to Stoli/Tenute del Mondo. Pitt’s legal argument is that the NDA he demanded was nothing more than the kind of boilerplate NDA Jolie asks her employees to sign. Pitt won a minor legal battle when the court told Jolie to provide her NDAs. Well, funny story. Now Jolie’s lawyers want all of Brad’s communications around the 2016 plane incident which caused all of this, the same incident which Pitt has been desperate to hush up for eight years.

Brad Pitt is accusing Angelina Jolie of taking “intrusive” measures in their ongoing winery case. In the legal battle over Jolie’s sale of the former couple’s French winery Château Miraval, her legal team has requested Pitt disclose third-party communications he had about the 2016 family plane ride that led to Jolie filing for divorce.

Pitt’s lawyers, in new court documents obtained by PEOPLE, call Jolie’s requests “wide-ranging and intrusive,” as well as a “sensationalist fishing expedition.” They asked for her motion to be denied.

They claim Pitt “voluntarily offered to produce documents sufficient to show everything that occurred on the flight that precipitated the ex-couple’s divorce — the event that Jolie alleges made Pitt’s NDA request so offensive here.”

His lawyers added, “Jolie, however, rejected Pitt’s compromise and moved to compel his communications with third parties — including his most trusted advisors — about such sensitive issues as the therapy he voluntarily undertook after the flight incident in an effort to better himself, ‘drug and alcohol testing’ he has allegedly undergone, his alleged ‘overuse or abuse of alcohol,’ and other actions taken in the aftermath of the flight.”

Pitt’s lawyers argued that his “private, third-party communications” from that time shouldn’t be relevant to this winery sale dispute: “Jolie, however, wants them anyway as part of her efforts to turn this business dispute into a re-litigation of the former couple’s divorce case.”

[From People]

LMAO. While I’m not a legal scholar, it seems to me like Pitt should have to comply with Angelina’s request. He wanted to make this whole fakakta sale about silencing Angelina about his abuse. Okay, let’s talk about the abuse, let’s talk about the NDAs, and let’s talk about how it’s all connected to the sale of Nouvel. While there may be some issues of privileged communications – I’m sure Pitt would not have to submit his communications with his lawyers or his doctors – everything else should be up for grabs. Including Pitt’s crisis management team, which he hired in 2016 just after he terrorized his family on the plane. There is no abuser/publicist confidentiality.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

The United Kingdom elected a new prime minister this month and Keir Starmer’s honeymoon period seemed especially brief. The Telegraph is already bitching about Keir Starmer’s warmth towards his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. As in, British people are very upset that the Starmers hold hands in public and seem to have an affectionate and close marriage. This is not the British way!! I would ordinarily just chalk this up to differences in national politics, but then the Telegraph decided to drag the Duke and Duchess of Sussex into the conversation about Why Married Couples Should Never Hold Hands. I sh-t you not. Some highlights from this absolutely insane Telegraph piece:

Hand-holding as a political issue: Some couples prefer to do it in private. Others only ever do it in public. Others still never do it at all. So who’s to judge which is best? The entire world, if you happen to be a new G7 leader and their other half, surrounded by photographers. No sooner had our NATO-bound Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appeared on the steps of the plane holding hands with his wife Lady Victoria – known as Vic – than the social media equivalent of the parish pump went into overdrive. “Political preferences aside… does anybody else find it weird how in every single photo they are holding hands or kissing?!” wrote outraged Mumsnetter ApplesOrangesBananas. “I don’t remember any other PM doing so. I find it really strange, especially the last photo of them on the plane. To me it connotes holding the hand of a child and helping them down the stairs.. what do you guys think?” Her fellow Mumsnetters variously suggested they thought this comment was indeed bananas and also nuts.

They genuinely consulted a psychologist over this: “Whenever you see a politician holding hands with their wife or husband you can rest assured they have been told to do it,” asserts Joan Harvey, chartered psychologist at Newcastle University and a member of the British Psychological Society. “It might be something they do already but the bottom line is that everyone entering political life is coached in all aspects of their public appearances. The only notable exception was Gordon Brown who famously refused to take any advice and look how that ended up.”

Starmer is projecting the image of family man: Harvey is under no illusions about the importance of looking the part in any profession: “Keir Starmer comes across as an honest, upstanding and trustworthy man. He’s staid, not flamboyant; there’s a possibility that he quite likes holding his wife’s hand although that’s not what you necessarily associate with a straight-laced lawyer, but that’s irrelevant. He needs to project an image of reliability in front of the cameras and it’s working.”

Prince Harry & Meghan’s hand-holding nearly brought down the royal family: But when it comes to our royals, less has always been more. The House of Windsor famously refrains from public displays of affection when on duty. At least that was the rule until self-confessed “hugger” Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, appeared on the scene in 2016 and married into The Firm two years later. Both touchy and feely, she kept Prince Harry conspicuously close at all times but it was after the pair left Britain for California in 2020 that the hand-holding escalated. Whatever the occasion – launching the Invictus Games, at press conferences or UN speeches their fingers were interlocked tighter than an LA pre-nup. On occasion it has been genuinely hard to discern who is supporting whom as they conspicuously signal their inseparability.

Hand-holding has done the Sussexes no favors: The effect, very often, was gauche and needy rather than heart-warming or aspirational. According to PR guru and commentator Mark Borkwski, it has done them no favours. “Meghan never understood the job of a royal spouse, which is very much a supporting role, instead she was clingy, up front and centre,” says Borkowski. “There’s no shame in being in the background because that can be a very powerful position – behind every successful man, or indeed successful woman, and all that. Dennis Thatcher made an immense contribution as a diplomat and one half of their double act.
“But two people literally clinging on to one another’s hands does not inspire – quite the reverse.”

Borkowski predicts Victoria Starmer is being groomed for “first lady” status: “With Kate, Princess of Wales being off the scene, there’s a gap in public life and a real desire to have someone fill that,” he says. “Rishi’s wife shunned publicity but it looks very much as though Vic is going to have a far more important presence – and I think she will be brilliant. When she and Keir held hands as they walked into Downing Street and as they touched down in the US capital, they were presenting themselves as a team, a united front. In terms of visual metaphor, that image is impossible to beat.”

[From The Telegraph]

So… when the Starmers hold hands, they’re projecting an image of a united front and a team, but when the Sussexes hold hands, Meghan looks needy, clingy and desperate? Gee, I wonder what the difference is between the two couples? Personally, I love how insanely salty these people still are about Meghan and Harry, especially when it’s over sh-t like hand-holding. These people are exposing themselves as bitter haters who throw tantrums over everything the Sussexes do. Plus, it just reminds everyone of how unaffectionate and cold the left-behind Windsors are. Charles and Camilla are going to absolutely loathe the Starmers’ warmth too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.