Two weeks ago, something very notable happened at Royal Ascot: Carole and Michael Middleton made their grand reentry into British high society after Party Pieces collapsed into insolvency. Last year, the Middletons were exposed as con artists and habitual liars – Party Pieces’ collapse left a trail of financial destruction – they screwed over local Bucklebury businesses and British vendors, they defaulted on pandemic loans, and they basically went into hiding for months. After last year’s coronation, the Middletons only came out for one public event in the past year: Kate’s stupid Christmas carol thing in December. It was genuinely surprising and notable to see Carole and Michael Middleton at Royal Ascot, rubbing elbows with royals and society people and trying to act like their whole house of cards didn’t collapse.

Well, funny story. Carole and Michael went to Wimbledon on Thursday. Not only did they go to Wimbledon, they were seated in the Royal Box. This a big deal – even when the Middletons were in good standing and their house of cards was pre-collapse, they were rarely welcomed into the Royal Box. I remember one year, Carole begged Roger Federer’s wife Mirka for extra tickets in the players’ box area on Center Court. Speaking of, Roger was in town and I would guess that was the reason why the Middletons popped up. Carole has a thing for Roger and Roger sucks up to the British royals and royal-adjacents.

You know what we need to bring back as a society? Shame. How are the Middletons not ashamed to show their faces? How can they afford to keep up appearances at Wimbledon after screwing over so many people? Why were they even invited to sit in the Royal Box? Their appearance at Ascot sort of proved that whatever went down in the first six months of the year, the Middletons successfully negotiated whatever this is – a reentry into society, with the British media refusing to point out the Middletons’ grift and financial catastrophe.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

I guess it’s documentaries-on-fabulous-women season and someone forgot to tell me, because not only did Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story premiere at Tribeca this year, so did a new doc on the impossibly cool Diane von Furstenberg. And unlike Liza, we don’t have to wait to see the film on Diane! Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+, the release timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of her iconic DVF wrap dress. People Mag just interviewed Diane to talk about the anniversary, the film, her best style tip, and the markings of a fully lived life:

Fifty years after Diane von Furstenberg created the wrap dress, the cultural luminary’s presence in the fashion industry is still as palpable today.

To celebrate her creation’s milestone anniversary, von Furstenberg, who’s now cochair of her eponymous brand, recently launched a capsule collection featuring the silhouette in a new Crossword print. She also designed limited-edition sunglasses with Italian eyewear brand L.G.R. And, in addition, she launched a whopping 200-piece assortment with Target that ranged from apparel and accessories to home decor, including made-to-order furniture, that naturally sold out.

As she looked back on the history of the piece — and ahead to the premiere of her documentary, Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, during a recent chat with PEOPLE, the legendary designer shared that when she first thought up the garment, she hadn’t imagined it’d have such a lasting impact.

“I didn’t know when I made that little dress that it was going to be a social phenomenon and that people would be buying it 50 years later,” she says of her famous design.

“I made the wrap dress, but really the wrap dress made me. It just happened. I owe her as much as she owes me,” continued the author and philanthropist, 77.

Von Furstenberg added that the dress is “a vehicle” for her to honor women. “I care about [her],” von Furstenberg says.

Of its longtime popularity, she surmises, “I think it’s successful because it makes a woman feel confident.”

Von Furstenberg, who says she sees her wrap dress on women when she’s out and about “all the time,” shares that her best style tip is “be yourself.”

She continues, “It’s not trying to be who you are not. Embrace your imperfections. If you do, you turn them into assets. I can’t say it enough: There’s nothing more becoming than that.”

In the documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 5 and debuted on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally on June 25, von Furstenberg can be seen gracefully climbing into her sink to get a close-up of her skin while moisturizing her bare face.

It’s a striking moment that sums up her take on beauty and aging.

“I never had my hair or makeup done for [the documentary],” von Furstenberg explains.

“The point is: I think that people are too afraid of aging. But aging is a good thing. Aging proves that you have already lived. I never thought I would get to be my age. I used to think I was going to die by the time I was 30 because I had accomplished so much by the time I was 28. That’s why I say, instead of asking, ‘How old are you?’ you should ask, ‘How long have you lived?’ And then, all of a sudden you answer with pride.”

[From People]

I cannot recommend this documentary enough. Admittedly, I’m easy to lure in with a panoply of bright, bold patterns. And in a brisk 97 minutes? Color me happy. But I actually didn’t know much of anything about DVF, and found myself utterly captivated not only by her story, but by her telling of it. She is so direct, and clear about herself. I imagine some of that comes with age, or excuse me, how long she’s lived. Yet after seeing the film, I also got the feeling that Diane has always had a knack for really knowing herself and reveling in that, and it’s like she’s made it her mission in life to pass on that wisdom: be yourself! Of course, not all of us were dealt the cards of somehow being effortlessly regal yet simultaneously casual like DVF, but don’t let me spoil a profound statement about celebrating oneself. One moment from the doc that I loved (it happens early on, so not a spoiler!) was Diane saying, “It wasn’t that I wanted to be a fashion designer. I wanted to be in charge, and fashion ended up being the way I could do that.” Here’s to women being in charge. Or as I call it, the natural order of things.

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photos credit: Cat Morley / Avalon, James Warren / Bang Showbiz / Avalon, Caroline Torem-Craig / Avalon

The Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell has written one of the most disgusting pieces I’ve ever read about Prince Harry. Usually, British commentators save this kind of contempt-riddled revisionist history for stories about Prince Harry’s wife. Platell has unsurprisingly latched on to her newspaper’s bizarre exclusive with Mary Tillman, the mother of the late Pat Tillman, following ESPN’s announcement that Prince Harry would receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. Platell gives away the game – I wondered last week whether there would be an immediate and furious reaction from the British media and the Windsors to the award. There wasn’t really – that’s how upset they were. They’ve quietly stewed in their hatred for days and it’s spilling out now. Platell cites Mary Tillman’s words criticizing Harry and then Platell says outright that Harry deserves to be excoriated for the “treachery” of “abandoning” his family and country after serving in the British military.

…Pat’s mother Mary Tillman is unimpressed and asks why he has been chosen over more deserving candidates: ‘I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award when there are recipients far more fitting,’ she said. And she is not alone. Mary Tillman is speaking for countless others, since social media comments condemning the decision have flooded the internet not just from disgusted Americans and Britons, but from countries as far away as Australia, India and elsewhere in the world.

All are aghast not just that Harry is to receive such a distinguished honour, but also that he has the gall to accept it. One British veteran who served for 40 years posted on X that he was ‘incensed’.

To understand why there is such anger, it helps to compare Pat Tillman and Harry’s attitudes towards fame, fortune and duty. The star American football player, gave up a £3million NFL contract to fight for his country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He joined the army and made the ultimate sacrifice, dying in Afghanistan in 2004, aged just 27.

Harry may also have fought for his country, but he then abandoned it, along with his duty as a member of the Royal family, for a life of money-grubbing opportunity in California off the back of his title. He then turned his guns on the monarchy – in that Oprah Winfrey interview, in the Netflix series about he and Meghan, and in his memoir Spare. All so he could cash in. It’s pure treachery!

As many have pointed out, including some of the 30,000 (and counting) Americans who have signed a petition in protest against Harry’s award, Pat Tillman walked away from money and fame for honour and duty, while Prince Harry walked away from honour and duty for money and fame.

[From The Daily Mail]

I guess it would surprise Amanda Platell to learn that Harry left the Army in 2015, a year before he even met Meghan. Reportedly, he was pressured to leave the Army because his lazy-ass brother needed someone to pick up his slack. Harry did not “abandon” the military at any point – he retired from active service after two tours and then his honorary military patronages were removed by QEII out of spite, because they were punishing him for the Oprah interview. Harry was neglected and abused, and watched as his family coordinated with the media to destroy his wife, just as they destroyed his mother. And along the way, Harry has devoted himself to helping and uplifting veterans and the military community. The British dumbf–ks using this moment to lie about Harry and his history deserve to rot in hell.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop has had a beauty line for years, making their own branded skincare and beauty products, sometimes in collaboration with existing beauty brands. Last year, Goop Beauty launched Good Clean Goop, a supposedly “affordable” beauty line with all of the core tenets of Goop: “clean” branding and eye-rolling at broke peasants. Gwyneth repeatedly looked down on consumers who cannot spend hundreds of dollars a month on skincare. She repeatedly made a point of saying that Good Clean Goop was basically a watered-down version of what she wanted because they couldn’t put expensive ingredients into the products because then the peasants wouldn’t be able to afford them. Is it a huge surprise that Good Clean Goop isn’t doing well? Perhaps not. But what surprised me is that, according to Puck, Goop Beauty is doing poorly across the board.

Goop’s overall sales, which include Goop Beauty, have been more or less flat since 2021, I’m told. Paltrow’s wholesale beauty businesses aren’t doing great, either. Despite WWD recently citing “Amazon overall and the wholesale business as key strengths for Goop Beauty,” I’ve heard that U.S. retail sales for the brand were only in the six figures at Amazon and Sephora for the month of May. (Summer Fridays did millions in sales at Sephora during the same period.) A spokesperson for Goop said that Goop Beauty’s sales overall are up 17 percent year-to-date.

Good.clean.goop, a more affordable and wholesale-only skincare brand that launched simultaneously at Target and on Amazon last October, also underperformed. I’ve heard the line is in the “bottom 15” at Target, which de-escalated some partnerships following the blowback to its LGBTQ+ Pride campaign last year. A source with firsthand knowledge of Target’s beauty business told me that the retailer had “reputational concerns” regarding Paltrow being a polarizing figure and decided to “take a step back” in terms of marketing and in-store placement of the brand.

“They got so conservative because of what was happening with Pride that everything was put on hold. Gwyneth ended up opening up the brand to Amazon, and it was not an exclusive launch. The brand lost momentum––it was put on a back endcap in the store, and it never really got traction,” this person said. (A spokesperson for Target declined to comment.)

There was also confusion around the market, pricing, and buyer for good.clean.goop. The line didn’t necessarily appeal to Paltrow’s wealthier core demographic, but it was still too expensive for the not-yet-Goop’d customer who doesn’t want to spend $30 to $40 on skincare, especially in the absence of serious marketing and prime placement in Target’s stores. “At the end of the day, it may not be priced correctly for what it is,” an executive at the retailer said.

Then the parody went mainstream. Goop Beauty lost its first-mover advantage when clean, nontoxic, and “free of” beauty marketing became inescapable. With every skincare brand chasing “clean” status––which, for the record, is purely a marketer’s gimmick since most ingredients on the “dirty” lists would never make it into beauty products in the first place––there was little setting Goop apart.

[From Puck]

I fundamentally believe that Gwyneth is a bandwagoner who merely takes credit for inventing/pioneering most things, but Puck correctly points out that Goop really missed so many opportunities to stake out their claim in the beauty/skincare market earlier on. Now the gap left by Goop has been filled by Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics, etc. Puck goes on to suggest that Goop’s “midlife crisis” is the result of Gwyneth failing to “install proper executive leadership, or even a seasoned C.E.O. with the operating chops to streamline the company’s various product lines.” I absolutely agree with that. Gwyneth has always expressed a desire for Goop to be a stand-alone entity eventually, and not be synonymous with Gwyneth’s name. But Gwyneth has still centered herself within the company, and for good reason – because she IS Goop. But that also means that she’s sort of half-assed it when it comes to building the company and ensuring the company’s independence.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

We still have not been able to spend our Sussex Bucks on one single item from the Duchess of Sussex’s American Riviera Orchard brand. She sent out strawberry jam and lemons, but there has been no real ARO launch or actual product reveal. I’m not “concerned,” I just want to be able to buy some ARO stuff. The ARO launch might have been paused for a few months while Meghan filmed her Netflix… cooking show? Entertaining show? Lifestyle show? All of the above, probably. Well, the Daily Beast’s Royalist got a hot tip that Meghan has wrapped filming the show, and of course Tom Sykes has to put the most negative spin on it:

Meghan Markle needs a hit. If she is lucky, she may have one soon. She has finished filming her new cookery and home show, The Daily Beast understands, meaning her as yet untitled new project could soon be appearing on Netflix. A Hollywood source told The Daily Beast: “It all went well and it is in the can.”

A spokesperson for Meghan declined to comment to The Daily Beast when asked if filming had finished. Neither the streamer nor Meghan’s team have said when the new series will air or what it will be called, however Meghan has said it will “celebrate the joys of cooking & gardening, entertaining, and friendship.”

Meghan was recently spotted by one TikTok user filming in a Beverly Hills park. The industry insider said that while it was possible that the show might need a few extra shots, they suspected that the filming uploaded to TikTok was unrelated to the home show project as the team had “got everything” they needed.

The Daily Beast has been told that filming has now ceased at a residential property just a few miles from Meghan and Prince Harry’s own home which was being used as a principal set for the show. While the decision on when to transmit the new show will ultimately be down to the streaming giant, Meghan will likely be eager to make a start on her new career as a home and lifestyle guru in the mold of Martha Stewart or Gwyneth Paltrow as soon as possible.

And there is no denying that a slam-dunk smash hit would be extremely helpful, after a perceived failure to follow through coherently and profitably with her various initiatives and businesses in recent years.

One expert on the intersection of talent and business, the PR consultant Mark Borkowski, told The Daily Beast, “The issue is Meghan’s ability to generate actual money. That is dependent on the quality of this new show. I suspect it won’t be a car crash; there is too much riding on it and she is being repped by the most powerful talent agency in the world, who will have gathered the right people around her. If she has listened and learnt and is comfortable in this new role as a kind of sub-Martha Stewart, sub-Oprah, this could be a relaunch to something new and interesting. If it is another fail, it will be more difficult, because she will have to pivot to yet another new direction. But the bottom line is that whatever Meghan Markle does will always generate massive interest, she brings eyeballs and that means there is a long line of people who would still want to align with her. She will always attract somebody who will want to leverage her brand.”

[From The Daily Beast]

I cut out a chunk of Sykes lamenting the lack of updates on the 40X40 mentorship project, because Sykes and all of the British commentators seem to think that it was actually an “initiative” rather than a suggestion Meghan made to fans for her 40th birthday. Anyway, I’m glad Meghan has wrapped on this show and I hope we get to see it soon. I’m not looking forward to the negativity around it, but I suspect that Meghan isn’t even going to breathe a word about the left-behinds. It’s going to be wholly positive and all about food and flowers and sh-t.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Cover Images and Archewell.

From CB: I bought the Roku I mentioned last week to replace my very annoying LG TV home screen and it works great! I set it as my default home screen and get one popup from LG instead of 10 and a bunch of LG ads. Roku is so easy to install and use – all I did was login and it remembered all my apps from my other Roku. I highly recommend one if you need to upgrade an older TV or if your TV’s built in software is slow or annoying. I also recently reordered the best dog waste bags that exist, from Earth Rated. They make an unpleasant task easier. Here are some Fourth of July sales and some more things Rosie and I are looking at on Amazon.

Fourth of July Sales and Deals
46% off With Prime Samsonite Omni 2 Hardside Expandable Luggage set
29% off Ninja QB3001SS Ninja Fit Compact Personal Blender
30% off SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker
49% off TOZO A1 Mini Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth 5.3 in Ear
34% off SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 6 40mm Bluetooth Smartwatch
15-49% off Bedsure Comforter Set – Bed in a Bag 7 Pieces
30% off Bwine F7 GPS Drones with Camera 4K Night Vision, 2Mile Range, 75Mins Flight Time
16% off YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike Brake Pad/Magnetic Stationary Bike
38% off REDTIGER Dash Cam Front Rear, 4K/2.5K Full HD Dash Camera for Cars
42% off Wavytalk Professional Ionic Hair Dryer Blow Dryer
33% off Nugget Ice Makers Countertop, 33 Lbs/Day Sonic Ice Maker
24% off KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer K45SS
21% off Cricut Explore 3 Smart Cutting Machine – Vinyl Starter Bundle

Make microwave popcorn without having to buy the bags

From CB: I make microwave popcorn in paper lunch bags by adding about 1/3 cup kernels and setting the microwave for 2.5 minutes. The results are uneven and sometimes the bags split. This microwave popcorn maker by Ecolution is under $20 for the large 3 quart version and under $13 for the 1.5 quart snack size. It comes in six colors, is dishwasher safe and has a cover that has a built in measuring area for kernels and an area you can melt butter in. This listing has over 67,000 ratings, 4.3 stars and an A on Fakespot. People say it makes popcorn night easy and fun. “This is so easy to use. Lost the directions. so I accessed them on the web. Just measure the corn in the lid up to the line, pour in pot, add butter or what I used, plant-based spread in the top and micro for about 3 minutes. Very few kernels in the bottom of the bowl, I like that. And the popped corn is not chewy, it is fresh and easy to chew unlike bagged micro corn.” “This is my favorite popcorn popper of all time! Done from start to finish in 3 minutes, the butter goes on top so once done all you do is dump it into a bowl and add your salt. It’s perfect for one to two people and it comes in a variety of colors.”

50 no-pull hair ties for $6

From CB: I don’t know where my scrunchies and hair ties go, but I’m constantly losing them. You can get a set of 50 no-tug hair ties in either all black, shades of brown or multicolor, for just $6. They come in a little jar for easy storage. This listing has 3,734 ratings, 4.7 stars and an A on Fakespot. People say they hold their hair back well and don’t damage it at all. They’re also said to be great for kids. “These hair ties are the best I’ve ever purchased. There’s a lot of them, I love the fun colors, they don’t hurt in your hair, and they are just a win!” “I have thick long curly hair and it’s hard to find good elastic hair ties. These are so easy to use and you get so many I have them all over the place! I will definitely have them in my pocket all summer to put my hair on top of my head! The hold!”

$100 off a Dyson Airstraight

From CB: I bought a Dyson Airstraight about a month ago. It’s is a hybrid hair dryer and flat iron. You can close it and it blows like a typical dryer to dry your roots and then you separate your hair into sections to flat iron and dry it at the same time. It leaves my hair sleek looking and straight, but it looks more like a flat blowout than a flat iron. I have to go over a section about 2-3 times depending on how wet it is. This listing has 509 ratings, 4.3 stars and a B on Fakespot. Right now it’s on sale for $100 off, but it’s still quite pricey at $399. I like it but I don’t love it at the price, however I have very fine hair. Women with very curly/thick hair say it’s amazing and a real game changer. “I really wanted to hate it at this price. But, it’s all it says it is. My hair has never looked better or healthier. Be sure to use a blow dry cream just like you would with blow drying your hair normally. When closed, it works like a hair dryer to dry your roots and almost get it dry. Like 70% focused at the roots. Then run it through, small sections slowly. It comes out dry, straight, smooth, and so shiny! I wish it was less expensive but it’s worth every penny.” “I have frizzy wavy/curly hair that is difficult to manage in a time crunch. My normal routine is wash, blow dry (15 mins or more), straighten (20 mins). I’ve kept my hair short to minimize the effort it takes. Now, with this product, my routine from wet to straight is done in 15 mins total! The effect is a little less sleek compared to a flat iron, but for most days, this is just what I need.”

Waterproof Uno cards for hours of poolside fun

From Rosie: My family and I love playing Uno, and since we’re going to spend time at both the beach and pool this summer, I picked up these waterproof Uno cards that my friend recommended. Her daughter plays Uno with her friends on the swim team in between races. Uno Splash is the same as the regular game, but with waterproof cards. You can also pick up a pack of waterproof Uno Splash Flip, which puts a more challenging spin on the game. It has a 4.7 star rating, more than 16,000 reviews, and a B on Fakespot. Users say it’s the perfect addition to their outdoor activities. “I got this for our summer vacation and it’s been a hit. We have several versions of Uno, but the plastic cards of this set make shuffling so easy…100% recommend.” “Great product for water and outdoor activity…The travel clip worked well and was able to clip on to different hooks and bags to take anywhere..very giftable materials were sturdy would recommend and buy again” “We love uno, so having this to bring along for downtime or rainy days while we are camping without worry that the cards will be ruined is great! I also love that they come with a storage clip instead of a box.”

20% off a portable beach tent to get out of the sun

From Rosie: This beach tent/sun shelter is a must-have if you’re planning on spending a lot of time outside this summer. Offering UPF 50+ UV protection, it’s lightweight and is easy to transport, set up, and take down. This tent comes in five different colors, but the sky blue version is currently 20% off in the four- and six- person sizes and almost 40% off in the two-person size. It has a 4.2 star rating, more than 4,200 reviews, and an A on Fakespot. In reviews, people mention that it’s very portable and super handy to have when you need to get out of the sun. “Brought this to the beach and it’s very easy to assemble. It’s very roomy and can accommodate 3 people as it says, 1 being a child. It’s very portable and takes very little space in the car. For the price, quality seems great and did what it’s supposed to do.” “We use it frequently and in our back yard for the kids to play. Easy to put together. Great sun blocker.” “We went to the lake on Memorial Day, and this saved our trip! Allowing a safe place for our baby to play out of the sun, and nap! It’s big enough for the whole family to sit in the shade! Absolutely love!”

$30 off a rowing machine for a full-body workout at home

From Rosie: If you’re looking for a full-body workout that you can do indoors, rowing is a great form of exercise. It engages your core, arms, legs, back, and glutes. Sunny Health and Fitness’s adjustable rowing machine is currently on-sale for $90, when it’s usually $130. There’s also a smart version that lets you hook up to workouts via your phone/TV that’s on sale for $130 (usually $160). It has a 4.4 star rating, more than 18,600 reviews, and an A on Fakespot. Users say it’s a great addition to their home gyms. “This Rowing Machine is a solid choice for anyone looking for an affordable yet effective rowing machine. It offers a smooth rowing experience with adjustable resistance levels to cater to users of varying fitness levels. The machine is well-built and sturdy, providing a stable platform for your workouts.” “After every workout, I feel it in my body. That’s a good thing! This rower is an excellent addition to your home gym. I do my 10K steps per day and this rower daily.” “This is an effective leg, back and arm workout combo machine. Enough to keep you in shape if that’s your goal… For the money and convenience it’s definitely worth the price.”

Packing cubes for easier, more organized packing and travel

From Rosie: Headed out of town this summer? It’s my semi-annual reminder that packing cubes are the BEST. I bought these for a trip to Europe earlier this year, but have gotten so much use out of them since. For example, my kids and I visited my parents for a few days and I used one packing cube for each of our clothes, which kept things organized and let us only have to bring one suitcase. There are 14 different colors to choose from. Depending on which color you get, they’re between 10% and 20% off. There is also a deal going right now where you get an additional 5% off if you buy two sets. They have a 4.7 star rating, more than 19,200 reviews, and a B on Fakespot. People call them a “game-changer.” “These cubes are a game-changer, making packing and organizing my suitcase a breeze…I love how easy it is to separate my outfits and essentials, which saves me so much time and hassle when I reach my destination.” “These made traveling easier. They help keep clothes organized and we were able to fit a lot more.” “I was able to pack 7 days plus worth of clothing in these bags and my suitcase still had room for more and managed to maintain the weight restrictions. I felt way more organized and was able to stay that way throughout the entire trip. i loved the toiletry bag and its hanging function as well as the laundry bag.”

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Last week, ESPN announced that Prince Harry will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service, specifically because he’s a combat veteran who founded the Invictus Games. The “backlash” to Harry receiving the award has a throughline: the biggest critics are taking pains to avoid mentioning Harry’s military service and the Invictus Games. Pat Tillman’s mother Mary Tillman gave exclusive comments to the Mail on Sunday, saying that she was “surprised” that someone so “controversial and divisive” would receive the award and that the award should go to unsung heroes. Like Marcus Rashford, a famous British footballer who received the award in 2021, I guess. I knew the British media’s outrage would be loud, but even I wasn’t expecting the turn it’s taken over the past week, with people outright lying about Harry’s service and ignoring Invictus. Currently, the anti-Sussex people are arguing that Harry should “turn down” the award, for reasons.

What’s also been curious about all of this is that there’s been some interesting pushback on the critics and the lunatics. TMZ ran a story yesterday about previous Pat Tillman Award recipients backing Harry. One of the recipients is Jake Wood, a former college football player and US Marine who served in Afghanistan. Wood received the Pat Tillman Award in 2018. He appeared on TMZ Live yesterday and defended Harry receiving the award:

I’m really glad that veterans like Jake Wood are coming out to simply tell the truth, because it’s gotten really f–king wacky to try to sift through the lies and the performative outrage. All of the critics’ arguments fall apart upon closer examination. ESPN is standing by their decision, as is the Pat Tillman Foundation. There’s going to be national, if not international, coverage of the ESPYs giving a platform to Harry and the Invictus Games.

From Jake’s IG Stories:

Photos courtesy of Jake Wood’s IG, Cover Images, screencap from TMZ.

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh were in Scotland on Tuesday to officially kick off Holyrood Week. This year’s Holyrood Week is abbreviated because of the UK’s general election tomorrow, the Fourth of July. The Windsors are using the election as an excuse to not do much, even though there have been plenty of events in recent weeks where they looked especially cozy with the Tories. I hope British people get out to vote! I’ve already seen some Tory scare tactics in the British tabloids, lots of screaming about how Labour will raise your taxes. Is that all they’ve got?

Holyrood Week is supposed to be a week where the king is based in Edinburgh and living in Holyrood Palace. King Charles started the “week” with a ceremony in which he was symbolically “given the key” to the city of Edinburgh (there is a physical key, but Charles only touched the key rather than put the key on his key chain). According to the BBC, Charles also did an inspection of the guard of honour at the palace, then he did an investiture ceremony. Queen Camilla held a reception for Scottish literacy.

After all of that, Camilla and Charles hosted a garden party at Holyrood Palace, and they were joined by Sophie and Edward. The papers are making a big deal about how Camilla and Sophie “coordinated” in shades of blue, but this is just lowkey flag-dressing (the Scottish flag is blue and white). Plus, Sophie’s whole look was AWFUL. I actually think she was trying to look frumpy so she wouldn’t outshine She Who Neighs. Speaking of, Camilla wore a Fiona Clare coatdress and a special brooch from the Royal Collection. This is a diamond thistle brooch which once belonged to Queen Mary (wife of King George V). A minor peeve of mine is that Camilla wears gloves too often when the occasion really doesn’t call for it. This is a garden party in July – ditch the gloves.

Last thing: Prince William will be in Edinburgh today and he’ll join the rest of this crew at St. Giles’ Cathedral. He’ll watch as Charles appoints Prince Edward and Queen Camilla to the Order of the Thistle, a special Scottish chivalry order. William is already part of the Thistle cult. The only thing I really know about the Order of the Thistle is that they have the prettiest velvet capes in a lovely, rich shade of hunter green. William’s wife is not expected to join him in Scotland.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

TW: SA, SI

The last time we discussed Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s presidential campaign is when the New York Times suddenly revealed that RFK Jr. admitted, in a deposition, that a worm ate part of his brain and died in his skull, and the worm’s carcass is still in there, somewhere. It really does explain a lot. Recently, I read some stuff about how RFK Jr. treated his second wife Mary Richardson, how he screwed around on her, dumped her and then cut her off financially, and she died by suicide. Basically, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that RFK Jr’s past deserves more examination, especially given that there’s such a concerted effort to make his ratf–king campaign “happen.”

Well, now Vanity Fair has tried to do a deeper dive, but their framing is infuriating – VF’s main argument is “why hasn’t the Kennedy family exposed Robert publicly?” Because they’re the Kennedys and they don’t want family scandals to become THE story, especially when the rest of the family is loudly supporting Joe Biden. Very few Kennedys spoke to VF, but VF spoke to a lot of people who have been in RFK Jr’s orbit over the years, and there are some shocking stories. He’s a crass meathead (wormhead) who ate a dog and sexually assaulted his kids’ babysitter, among many other stories. You can read the full Vanity Fair piece here. Some highlights:

Kerry Kennedy on trying to convince Robert to drop out: “I’ve spoken to Bobby about this race, about what’s at stake, about the importance of supporting Joe Biden, of the impact of the Trump presidency on our country and on the world… and I was clearly unpersuasive.” Asked to share insight into her brother’s motives and psychology, she begs off: “Well, you need to have a degree, which I don’t have.”

The barbecued dog: Last year Robert Kennedy Jr. texted a photograph to a friend. In the photo RFK Jr. was posing, alongside an unidentified woman, with the barbecued remains of what appears to be a dog. Kennedy told the person, who was traveling to Asia, that he might enjoy a restaurant in Korea that served dog on the menu, suggesting Kennedy had sampled dog. The photo was taken in 2010, according to the digital file’s metadata—the same year he was diagnosed with a dead tapeworm in his brain. The picture’s intent seems to have been comedic—Kennedy and his companion are pantomiming—but for the recipient it was disturbing evidence of Kennedy’s poor judgment and thoughtlessness, simultaneously mocking Korean culture, reveling in animal cruelty, and needlessly risking his reputation and that of his family.

He used to text photos of his mistresses/conquests to friends: When Kennedy was married to his second wife, Mary Richardson, he was known to text other damning images to friends as well—of nude women. Those friends assumed Kennedy himself had taken the pictures, but they didn’t know whether the subjects had consented to having their genitalia photographed, let alone shared with other people.

His brain fog isn’t just about the brain-eating worm: But more often his family points to Kennedy’s 14 years as a heroin user, which began when Kennedy was 15 and didn’t end until he was 29. Kennedy has made his history of addiction part of his campaign narrative, arguing that he is more equipped to fix America’s addiction problem. Critics in his family feel otherwise. One Kennedy has circulated a report from the National Institutes of Health on the impact of long-term heroin abuse, which surmises that the damage can alter the physiology of the brain, “creating long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems that are not easily reversed” and “which may affect decision-making abilities, the ability to regulate behavior, and responses to stressful situations.”

He sexually assaulted a babysitter: In the fall of 1998, the Kennedys hired a 23-year-old woman, Eliza Cooney, as their part-time babysitter….One night Cooney attended a meeting in the family kitchen with Kennedy and another young Riverkeeper volunteer named Murray Fisher to discuss business when she felt Kennedy’s hand moving up and down her leg under the table. A few months later, Cooney says, she was rifling through the kitchen pantry for lunch after a yoga class, still in her sports bra and leggings, when Kennedy came up behind her, blocked her inside the room, and began groping her, putting his hands on her hips and sliding them up along her rib cage and breasts. “My back was to the door of the pantry, and he came up behind me,” she says, describing the alleged sexual assault. “I was frozen. Shocked.”

[From Vanity Fair]

Kennedy was asked about Cooney’s accusation of sexual assault this week, and I’m including his response below, which is sickening. Basically, VF is accusing the Kennedy family of not doing enough to fully expose the extent of what they know about RFK Jr and how absolutely awful he is. It really isn’t just the dead worm which ate part of his brain. It’s also the more than a decade of heroin and cocaine abuse, plus a lifetime of pathological lying, decades of infidelity and predatory behavior and yeah, the dog thing. My god.

BREAKING: When asked about the allegations that RFK Jr. sexually assualted his then 23 year old babysitter, his answer?

“I am not a church boy … I said [there are] skeletons in my closet.”

He then refused to comment. https://t.co/gpBUU52T7j pic.twitter.com/W9O6szExIb

— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) July 2, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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