On March 12th, Stephen Colbert included a three-minute segment in his opening Late Show monologue about the rumors of an alleged affair between Prince William and Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The rumors have been around since 2019, when Dan Wootton and Richard Eden began reporting of a cryptic rural-rivalry between the then-Duchess of Cambridge and Rose. Bread crumbs were left out and before long, William was sending out legal threats to British media outlets and selling out the Sussexes to deflect. The Rose story – whether it’s true or false – is central to everything that’s happened with the Windsors in the past five years, including the Sussexit. Well, Colbert aired out all of that tea in the Late Show segment. The Telegraph even noted, in their coverage the next day, that Colbert didn’t “warn” Kensington Palace about the segment, which led to a lot of flag-waving patriotism from Americans. Well, here’s something interesting: Rose is apparently threatening to sue Colbert.

Rose Hanbury is prepared to take legal action to shut down speculation that she had an affair with Prince William. In Touch confirmed that Hanbury’s lawyers sent a legal notice to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after Stephen Colbert poked fun at rumors she was unfaithful with William in 2019 — and linked the alleged affair to speculation about Princess Kate Middleton‘s whereabouts as she recovers from surgery.

“The rumor appears to have entered into the mainstream media recently as a result of another joke made about it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Hanbury’s lawyers said in a statement. “We have written on our client’s behalf to CBS and various other reputable media organizations to confirm that the allegation is false.”

Colbert rehashed the drama on The Late Show on March 12. “Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband, and the future King of England, William, having an affair,” he began. “I think we all know who the alleged other woman is, say it with me, The Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Now there have been rumors of an affair between William and [Rose] since 2019. According to tabloids, back then, when Kate supposedly confronted him about it, he ‘laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it.’ Aha, always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating.”

[From Us Weekly]

Colbert is smart, his writers are smart and CBS’s lawyers are smart. These jokes likely made it through several layers of corporate bureaucracy, which is why they had such an impact in real time – it was the first time a major American talk show host even brought up the subject and Colbert threw in enough “allegedlys” and “guesses” to cover his tracks. Us Weekly also spoke to a defamation lawyer about whether Rose has a case:

“If you really go back and listen to what Stephen Colbert said, he was really just saying there are rumors and people are speculating no different than you and I are here,” attorney Neama Rahmani, who is not affiliated with the case and doesn’t represent either party, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 20. “We’re just reporting what other people are speculating. We’re not saying that it’s absolutely true that Rose had an affair with William or putting out a definitive statement because of the nuanced nature of what Colbert said.”

According to Rahmani, Colbert, 59, didn’t state the rumors as fact, which wouldn’t make a “a good defamation case” for Hanbury.

“She potentially can [sue], but I don’t think it’s going to be that good of a case,” Rahmani told Us. “These rumors have been going on for quite some time [and] obviously they resurfaced recently because of Kate’s disappearance and a doctored photo … Rose and [Princess] Kate [Middleton] have a relationship and there appears to have been a falling out.”

[From Us Weekly]

Yeah, as I said, I don’t think Rose would have much of a legal case, but it’s possible that she’s aiming for an on-air apology from Colbert or some kind of acknowledgement that she now claims the affair story is false, and let’s be real, she might get that. I could see Colbert agreeing to that, especially if he got corporate pressure from CBS. The thing is, if Colbert acknowledged it again – even if it was to apologize or say “Hanbury now says the rumors are false” – the Streisand Effect of this is kind of bonkers.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic’s Helen Lewis quickly published a piece called “I Hope You All Feel Terrible Now” in which she name-checked Colbert as some kind of ringleader for “why Kate had to announce.” Lewis wrote: “Stephen Colbert’s ‘spilling the tea’ monologue, which declared open season on the princess’s marriage, should probably be quietly interred somewhere.” Declared open season on Kate’s marriage? It was commentary on how William has treated Kate and William’s alleged lack of fidelity.

Never forget what James Palmer, the deputy editor of Foreign Policy, tweeted in 2021. This wasn’t some story randomly thought up by Stephen Colbert.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

What a moment for Gary Goldsmith to give a tell-all interview to the Times of London. The Times actually put a disclaimer on this piece, that the interview was conducted on March 14th, a full week before the Princess of Wales’s cancer and chemotherapy announcement. The Times still published it in the wake of Kate’s video, and honestly, I can see why. Dodgy Uncle Gary was extremely chatty and he was doing all of the Windsors’ dirty work. That’s what we saw during Gary’s four days on Celebrity Big Brother as well – he toed the company line, bad-mouthing the Sussexes and treating the Princess of Wales and the other royals like they are god’s gift. In retrospect, he did all of the CBB stuff while Kate was dealing with her cancer diagnosis too. In this piece, Gary once again has a lot of nasty sh-t to say about the Sussexes, quelle surprise. I wish the Middletons and Waleses understood that Gary makes them all look crass and tacky. Some highlights:

How much he was paid to appear on CBB: “Half a watch. £100,000. That’s a half a watch. I collect them.” Goldsmith shows me his beautiful blue Rolex. It’s 1.30pm. He has already drunk at least one bottle of champagne.

Changing perceptions: “I’m the uncle to the future queen of England and yet the perceptions I want to change are that I’m this wife-beating, drug-dealer pimp. Will you help me do that?”

The Mother’s Day frankenphoto: “Can we just agree that my Kate photoshopping a beautiful family photo is not the crime of the century?”

The Goldsmiths are not racist: “That’s why it makes me so angry about what Meghan said about Kate. Me and Carole grew up in a community as diverse as a Woolies pick’n’mix counter. All the cultures you can think of. The idea that Laughing Girl says Kate is racist makes me furious. Kate knows her family’s roots and is proud of them. I’m sorry, but Laughing Girl is not good people.” Occasionally we’ll need a glossary to get through this interview. Laughing Girl is Meghan Markle. “Not good people” obviously means Goldsmith is not a fan.

He told Carole to take Party Pieces online: “I said to her, ‘Why haven’t you taken it online?’ She says, ‘Women don’t go on the internet.’ Can you believe that?” he marvels. Party Pieces was sold but guess what: Goldsmith knows the guy at Teddy Tastic Bear Co who bought it. “He’s a mate and he picked it up for less than the six weeks’ rent I got for my villa last summer. I mentioned that to Carole; it didn’t go down well. I can be somewhat of a dick sometimes.”

Is Kate OK? “Yes. I called Carole before I did CBB. And no, she didn’t read me the riot act like the papers said, didn’t even ask about it. I just asked about how Kate was doing. She’s getting the best care imaginable. Leave her be.”

Whether William & Kate are still happy: “Great question. And I’m going to be as honest as I can be. Our beloved Queen Elizabeth dies and they lose the security of their grandmother. Then Will’s father has only just had his bloody coins printed and suddenly he’s got significant health worries too. Then they’ve also got this bloody uncle that no one would want, because the arrogance and naivety of Andrew is just beyond me. I’ve been in the same room as him and, believe me, that was enough. I’ve got more chance of making it onto the Palace balcony than he has. And then you’ve got Harry. F*** me! He and that woman are chasing the American corporate dollar and that is so, so ugly. William, Harry and Kate were such a happy little trio and it got totally ruined. With all that going on — and there is other stuff going on that is not in the public domain — are they at their absolute happiest? No. Their kids bring them a lot of joy, but no.”

More about the Sussexes: “No, I don’t have insider knowledge but my sense is the fam will never turn their back on Harry fully. He’s naive to think he can throw his family under the bus and still get invited for Christmas at Sandringham. I mean, how stupid can you be? Harry wouldn’t even make my pub quiz team, but he was loved by us all and he had the best job in the world. He had all the privilege but with diminished duties. He had the house, the money, the polo and could choose his royal patronages, with everyone accepting he was a bit fruit bat with the whole prince thing. I think he’ll be back but only if he says sorry. He upset his nan and that is unforgivable. But let’s face it, Laughing Girl isn’t going to be around for ever, is she? I think she’s fickle. And I think she’s so bad for Harry and for our country.”

His thoughts on ‘Spare’: “Spare was a joke. It’s pathetic. A frontline soldier for this country getting tearful because he broke his string necklace and landed in the dog bowl. [In Spare, Harry recounted how, when William called Meghan “rude” and “abrasive”, they got into a physical fight in which Harry’s bracelet was broken and he fell into a ceramic dog bowl.] Putin will be laughing at us, if that’s the best we’ve got.”

Whether Carole masterminded William & Kate’s relationship: “All that stuff about Carole trying to get Kate and William together in a house in Hungerford was bollocks. Yes, my sister is quite cunning and devious. She’s like me — that’s how you run a business. If you haven’t got that wily attitude in you, you are not going to make things happen. But 100 per cent there was no dastardly plan to put William and Kate together. And all that stuff about them meeting at St Andrews is wrong too. They met at school. The Marlborough girls and Eton boys do a lot of stuff together. But even when there were events where Kate knew William would be there, she sometimes didn’t go. Always puts family first, that girl.”

[From The Times]

Excuse me? “He and that woman are chasing the American corporate dollar and that is so, so ugly. William, Harry and Kate were such a happy little trio and it got totally ruined. With all that going on — and there is other stuff going on that is not in the public domain — are they at their absolute happiest? No. Their kids bring them a lot of joy, but no.” That is… a lot to unpack. Finally, an acknowledgement that William and Kate are pretty unhappy, although it does seem like Gary knew something about Kate’s health at this point. The whole thing with Gary – and many other people – being so obsessed with Harry “coming back” to be with William and Kate is so unhealthy and gross too. They really want Harry to leave his wife and children, all to be William’s doormat and fall guy? The stuff about William’s violent assault on Harry too, the way people continue to minimize it is really creepy. Anyway, the world would be a much better place if Gary Goldsmith took Harry and Meghan’s names out of his f–king mouth.

Photos/screencaps courtesy of Celebrity Big Brother.

Just a few hours after the Princess of Wales’s video was released last Friday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued their simple and compassionate public message of support. Soon, we also heard that Harry and Meghan had “reached out” to Prince William and Kate privately. I tried to track down which outlet had that information first, or whether the “contacted privately” line was simply a mass assumption, mostly by British media. Someone said it, but I could not find one original citation. We also know that Harry is likely to visit England in May for some kind of church service for the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, and perhaps Meghan will join him, who knows. So, obviously, the British media put those two stories together and spent the weekend claiming that Harry and Meghan will try to reconcile with the Waleses in May. Obviously, Kensington Palace is currently doing the most to once again say that William and Kate will thwart any attempt at reconciliation or olive-brand-extension from the Sussexes. The same Sussexes who (once again) have not offered anything but a simple statement of support.

Prince Harry’s decision to contact the Prince and Princess of Wales privately in the wake of her cancer diagnosis may have signalled a thaw in fraternal relations. Such devastating health scares often change perspectives and priorities. However, if the Duke of Sussex harbours any hopes of reconciling with his brother and sister-in-law during an expected return to the UK in May, he will likely be disappointed.

Harry is hoping to attend a service at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games. His travel plans have not yet been confirmed. But having recently lost his legal battle with the Government over his right to automatic police protection, he is unlikely to be joined by Meghan or their children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.

The solo visit could therefore prove an opportune moment to build bridges with his brother, from whom he has been estranged for many months. But such a development would require will on both sides. And sources close to the Waleses suggest that, with everything else the family is coping with, the “Harry problem” is the very last thing on their minds.

They have made abundantly clear to their staff, the wider family and the public that they need time and space to focus on each other and the Princess’s recovery. William “has always done all he can to protect his family”, a royal source told The Telegraph this weekend. Now, more than ever, he is focused on ensuring her privacy and shielding their children.

The very notion that they would have the mental capacity to face the Duke is roundly rejected by insiders, who note that the couple now have far more significant concerns requiring their full attention.

Trust in the Sussexes has been well and truly shattered. If there was a moment they could envisage letting Harry back into their inner sanctum, now is not the time.

Prince William currently has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He, more than anyone, was furious with his brother for the array of barbs and slingshots fired from across the pond in recent years.

[From The Telegraph]

One, it speaks volumes about William’s character and mindset that in the midst of his wife and father’s dual cancer battles, he spent yet another weekend full of rage about his brother. Another round of incandescent briefings about how much William hates Harry and how Harry needs to do this or that and beg William for forgiveness. Two, William “has always done all he can to protect his family” – which does not include “managing the public relations around his wife’s health issues” and yet does include “throwing Kate under the bus for manipulating a photo.” Also: I’m pretty sure Harry is the one who did everything he could to protect his wife and children too – protect them from William and Charles and this cruel, vile institution.

Last thing: the mention of the Sussexes’ security issues in the UK in the same breath as Harry’s potential May visit TO HONOR INVICTUS. The point is that they want to demand that Harry should come back so they can put him in physical danger. All while Britain is making this major bid to host the Invictus Games in 2027.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Introduction: Minutes 0 to 5:15
Note that most of this video was recorded on Thursday. We will be off for a couple of weeks due to Easter. I watched Dream Scenario on HBO with Nicolas Cage. He’s a great actor but I don’t recommend it. I really liked The Map of Tiny Perfect Things on Amazon. It reminds Chandra of The Summer I Turned Pretty. She’s been watching Tennis but her favorite, Daniil Medvedev, didn’t win Indian Wells. You can listen below or on YouTube and most major platforms.

Royals: Minutes 5:15 to 22:45
Over the weekend we got a cover story in the Sun that Kate was seen out shopping with William at a farmer’s market. Then on Monday we got a super grainy faraway video where the person supposed to be Kate is kind of bouncing around carrying a large bag. The woman in the video didn’t exactly look or walk like Kate. Assuming that was Kate, it reflects poorly on the Waleses because she hasn’t done any events since Christmas. Also, if that was Kate in the photo in the car with her mom, her face has since thinned out. After TMZ published the video of Kate at the farmer’s market, their executive producer said he wasn’t sure it was her.

There’s still fallout from the Frankenphoto too. Before we got the whole fake Kate video, Kensington Palace did a sourced story with the Times of London again explaining that Kate edited that photo, that she feels bad about the fallout and that she’s just trying to make her family look good. The quote that really stood out is where they called out the press agencies for noticing how janky that photo was. As Obama’s photographer Pete Souza said on Instagram, there’s a difference between adjusting the lighting or cropping a photo and pasting in different people. The royal rota tried to accuse Harry and Meghan of editing their photos, but the photographers of the images, Misan Harriman and Chris Allerton, said that wasn’t true.

Part of the Frankenphoto fallout is that the wire agencies are reviewing all the photos ever submitted to them by Kensington Palace. One photo that’s particularly bad was released after the Queen’s death on what would have been her 97th birthday in 2023. It shows her at Balmoral on a couch with a bunch of her great grandchildren posing around her. That was obviously cobbled together from several photos. Getty added an editor’s note that “the image has been digitally enhanced at source,” and Reuters has announced that it’s “updating its procedures related to vetting images from Kensington Palace.” Another really janky photo featuring the great grandchildren was released after Philip died.

As we talked about last week, there’s renewed interest in Prince William’s alleged 2019 affair with Rose Hanbury. Rose’s lawyer went on the record to Business Insider last weekend to say the rumors are false. Other pundits are also defending her. Chandra thinks that the affair has been over a while. As part of the fallout from that, people have noticed stolen Qing Dynasty artifacts in family photos taken of Rose and her husband, David Rocksavage. We talk about the $10 million brooch that Camilla wore for an outing, which seemed meant to troll Kate.

Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles and Camilla’s office, seems pleased that Kensington Palace, Kate and William’s office, is screwing this up so badly. They don’t understand that it reflects poorly on them too and that most people don’t get the distinction.

Meghan has announced her new lifestyle brand, it’s called American Riviera Orchard. I will definitely buy what she’s selling and so will so many other people. So far she has just shown the logo and they have a one page website with an email signup.

We also heard this week that three hospital staffers are under investigation for trying to access Kate’s medical records at the London clinic where she was treated.

Kate’s cancer announcement: Minutes 22:45 to 27:30
We recorded this section on Friday after Kate made the announcement that she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Comments of the Week: Minutes 22:45 to 27:30
Chandra’s comment of the week is from ML on the post about Archie’s Christening pics being called out incorrectly for edits.

My comment of the week is from Olivia on Rosie’s post about Kevin James losing 60 pounds by not eating for 40 days.

Thanks for listening bitches!

I’ve already seen some of the TikToks and tweets claiming that the Princess of Wales’s cancer announcement video was manipulated or that it was AI. While I absolutely believe there has been a wealth of shenanigans over “images of Kate” this year, my personal opinion is that the video is authentic. As in, that’s really Kate sitting there, speaking to camera. To me, the story is that someone – possibly Kate herself – realized that it was necessary to put Kate in front of a camera and show people that she’s alive and she can speak for herself. I don’t blame people for wondering if there’s some kind of conspiracy with this video too, because (as I said), it’s been nonstop bullsh-t from Kensington Palace all year. Which is why I’m glad that the palace didn’t do the video in-house, with like Jason Knauf on his iPhone or whatever. They brought in a BBC team:

A BBC staff member who shot the video message of the Princess of Wales announcing her cancer diagnosis has opened about the filming of the announcement and suggestions the footage was edited.

In the video, which was said to have been recorded on Wednesday, the future queen said: “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”

A BBC Studios insider said there had been no editing of the video and what viewers saw was what was shot by the team, who were also responsible for covering the King’s Coronation and Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. BBC Studios had no editorial input into the message that was conveyed and were non involved in the distribution of the video and made no edits to the recording.

This followed controversy over a ‘manipulated’ Mother’s Day photo of Kate with her children which was later withdrawn with a ‘kill’ notice by international agencies after there were suspicions that it had been digitally altered.

After the video was aired, BBC Studios issued a short statement, which read: “BBC Studios filmed a message from the Princess of Wales at Windsor this week. We would like to wish Her Royal Highness a speedy recovery.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

Would it be even more credible if someone from the BBC went on the record as a named source and said “I was there, we shot on such-and-such camera and we filmed it at 3:13 pm on Wednesday?” For sure. But British media can’t help themselves – even in moments where a named source would simply lend credibility to the palace awash in shenanigans, they can’t stop hiding behind anonymity. The unnamed-sourcing within the British media reflects the poor state of journalism over there. As for questions about the backdrop… my first viewing was that they absolutely shot it outdoors on a bench. But maybe it really was a backdrop, that I don’t know.

Screencaps courtesy of Kensington Palace.

Unsurprisingly, Roya Nikkhah at the Times of London got another exclusive this weekend. This is a piece which provides major cover for Kensington Palace’s mismanagement in recent months and answers every single outstanding question over the Princess of Wales with “this is the way Kate wanted it.” It might even be true in certain situations but it reeks of convenience in other places. On Friday, March 22, the Princess of Wales announced that she was going through chemotherapy to deal with the remaining cancer found after her abdominal surgery. Roya’s new piece is all about a royal family working together, in lockstep, except for the Sussexes (who get a prominent mention in this piece). We’ll see.

Charles visited Kate at the London Clinic: “There is a very strong relationship between their majesties and the Waleses. They are very close, even more so at the moment,” a senior royal source said. A source close to Charles said: “The King has always had a close, warm and unique relationship with the princess. She has a great love and respect for him and his position. When they were in hospital together there was a lot of toddling down the corridor to spend time with her. He has been encouraging and supporting her throughout.”

Some of the oldest family tensions have fallen away. William and Camilla, whose relationship was strained for many years, have also become closer. The two have been in regular phone contact in recent weeks. Many royal watchers noted the genuine warmth and affection between the pair as they walked shoulder to shoulder at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey this month.

The Sussexes: The tighter bond between the King’s family and his heir’s only highlights the wide gulf remaining between the Waleses and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose Californian exile seemed further away than ever on Friday. It is understood that Kate’s cancer diagnosis was not shared in advance with Harry and Meghan, whose short statement soon after the announcement said: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.” A Kensington Palace spokesman would only say: “We do not comment on private conversations.” However, several sources confirm that there were no such conversations and it is thought Harry found out about Kate’s diagnosis from television, at the same time as the public.

Why Kate made such a personal statement: “It allowed her to speak directly to the public who, overwhelmingly, have always been with her and her family and who don’t buy into the noise and gossip,” said a close friend. “It was all her, she wrote every word of it, it came together very quickly.” Her candour in delivering a video message with so much detail about how she and William have processed the news and handled it with their children, Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, surprised even those closest to her. “I didn’t expect this,” said a close friend who Kate turned to for advice when she had decided to make the statement.

Kate knew she needed more time: The timing was determined by Kate’s keenness to quell further speculation about her health and her marriage, since her cancer diagnosis meant she would not be returning to royal duties as quickly as expected. “What had shifted in the last few weeks was the sense that she felt: ‘I’m not going to have a normal return to work after Easter that everyone is expecting,’ and everyone was anticipating some kind of update around Easter.” More profoundly, Kate felt a duty to share her condition with the public to offer hope and solidarity for others experiencing the same challenges and to reassure the world that she is “well and getting stronger every day”.

Why Kate did the video: The friend said: “It wasn’t really about the drama of the last few weeks, though obviously that has been upsetting. She felt she had to do it because of who she is. It was more that she knows she is a public figure and has a wider leadership responsibility. She knew she had to share the news because of how it was going to affect her work and her short-term future role, and [it was about] what was the most compassionate way she could deliver the news, so that it would land with the public in the least shocking way. A written statement, she felt, would be too jarring. It was about people seeing her, and her reassuring people that she was positive about it. Knowing it was news that was going to shock people, she wanted to do it as compassionately as possible. When things are really tough, that gratitude to the public for their support is their mantra.”

Other motivations. “She also wants to be able to carry on with as active and normal a routine as possible and not have it become a huge issue when she goes to a farm shop near their home in Windsor, with people then suggesting that’s a PR move. Moving forwards, they will be very strict on enforcing their right to privacy.”

How William felt about Kate’s statement: While William was closely involved in Kate’s decision, it was one he dearly wished she had not felt compelled to make. “She did it with his full support and advice, he joined all the conversations around it,” a close friend said. “On every level he wishes she didn’t have to do it. But it was her decision, it wasn’t begrudged and he fully supported it.” Some commentators questioned, on social media, why William wasn’t sitting with Kate when she made her shock announcement. “This was her as a strong woman sharing an innately strong message to the nation. She didn’t need anyone sitting next to her,” said a royal source. “He has been supporting her and the family in the background.”

[From The Times]

“…And not have it become a huge issue when she goes to a farm shop near their home in Windsor, with people then suggesting that’s a PR move.” Yeah, how do I say this? Kate should not have been put in a position where people were constantly asking for proof of life, nor should have felt forced into announcing anything before she was ready. But those pressures and forces were the result of the incredibly clownish operations from Kensington Palace. The conspiracies about the Windsor Farm Shop video were based on the fact that not one week prior, a half-dozen photo agencies killed a manipulated image which came out of Kensington Palace. People didn’t believe the video because it was genuinely weird and questionable. Kate has been poorly served by her staff, advisors and her husband, all of whom thought it was a grand idea to throw her under the bus for the manipulated-photo debacle. Those same people are continuing to say it was all on Kate, she was the one making these decisions AND that Kate felt she had no other choice. And that she didn’t want William by her side on that bench??

A few more things from this piece… King Charles has tentative plans to go to church on Easter Sunday in Windsor, and after Easter, Charles and Camilla will be off for a short break. Then Charles plans to do some events, probably in May and June. KP aides also say that Kate “may attend some engagements in the coming weeks if she feels well enough.” Yeah… everyone’s fine with Kate taking time away from everything and just focusing on her recovery. That’s sort of why this whole thing could have been managed better from the start, so this past month of unforced error after unforced error wouldn’t have led to a choked-up princess sitting alone on a bench, telling people she has cancer. As for the aside about the Sussexes… maybe just stop mentioning the Sussexes in the same breath as the Windsors? Try that.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Megan Fox started getting cosmetic surgery when she was pretty young. I remember when she first hit the scene and men were falling all over themselves about her beauty, especially in the Transformers era (2007-09). Around that same time, she started messing with her face, little tweaks here and there. I feel like Botox was definitely involved, plus lip injections, plus a really obvious breast augmentation. For years and years, Megan has never really talked about that stuff, but that’s all changing. She went on the Call Her Daddy podcast and host Alex Cooper asked Megan what all she had done. Megan was pretty honest:

What she hasn’t done: “Here’s things I haven’t done that I have been accused of doing. I’ve never had a face lift of any kind, so no mid-face lift, no lateral brow lift, although I would like one. I’ve never done threads. I’ve never had buccal fat done. I’ll never have any fat done, I’m a very lean person that doesn’t have enough body fat or fat in my face, so I’ll only ever put fat in, I will never be taking fat out. Which leads me to I’ve never had any liposuction, or body contouring or anything like that.”

Three different boob jobs: And while she said she had a rhinoplasty around age 23 and has had her breasts done on three separate occasions—the first when she was in her early 20s, the second after she’d finished breastfeeding and the third more recently—there is one reason she hasn’t had more procedures done. “I don’t like surgery. My body doesn’t react well to general anesthesia, and so when I go to have a surgery it’s a very big deal. I’m very afraid of dying under general anesthesia, so I don’t take surgery lightly and therefore I have not had many of them because of that.”

She had one more surgery which she’s gatekeeping: “There’s one thing I had done that I’m gatekeeping. It was really good, and it’s not a known plastic surgery, people don’t even really know about it. I wanted it really badly.”

No shame in getting work done: “I don’t understand the point of shaming people for getting stuff done. Granted, I’m not encouraging anyone to do anything crazy. Like I said, you need to be very safe and very careful when you do any of this stuff. But it’s a very weird thing to shame people for….The more that I’ve taken control of my body and done the things that I’ve always wanted to do, the more comfortable I am in my body. And the more freedom I have.”

She never had a BBL either: Fox quipped that her fear of anesthesia is “probably a saving grace” because “God knows what I would have been up to,” and earlier in the podcast, joked about why she’s never had a Brazilian butt lift. “I would be so flattered if somebody thought I had a BBL.”

Fillers & a nose job: Fox says she’s gotten injectables like Botox and dermal filler, but the only other major cosmetic surgery she’s gotten is a rhinoplasty — and only once. “I had my nose done when I was in my early twenties,” she says, adding that she’s heard people assume she’s had multiple nose jobs. “I haven’t had a rhinoplasty since I was, I’m going to say, 23. It’s been well over a decade. I’ve not touched my nose since then.”

[From E! News & People & Allure]

She also said that she asked her surgeon to give her the biggest implants he could fit in her body, but then she ended up redoing them and getting smaller implants because the bigger ones were too obvious, especially with the “rippling.” As for her confessions… yeah, I believe that she’s only done implants to her body. No BBL, no lipo, she’s just naturally slim. Her face on the other hand? Yeah – the nose job, Botox, fillers, and she’s done a lot to her lips. I understand that she has body dysmorphia but my god, she started out as such a natural beauty and it’s crazy that she really wanted to look like a plastic doll.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

A few hours of the Princess of Wales sat alone and vulnerable on a bench and told the public that she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a very simple and compassionate public message: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.” The statement was signed off by both Meghan and Harry. I think it was an elegant solution for a public statement – they weren’t dripping with fake sincerity or pretending that all hatchets have been buried. No matter what, Kate is still a mother to three small children. Which is why I also believe that Harry likely called William and/or Kate too:

Harry and Meghan have reached out to Prince William and Kate after her shock cancer diagnosis. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were understood to have made contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales ‘privately’ last night.

It is not clear if the contact was a phone, video call or some messages of support. The possibility of whether Harry would fly back to the UK is not known.

It was also claimed in the United States last night that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex only learnt about Kate’s condition at the same time the world heard the news. In addition, sources also told the New York Post that the couple had ‘no idea’ about Kate’s illness.

The contact between the two brothers was disclosed by ITV Royal Editor Chris Ship.

[From The Daily Mail]

Just a few days ago, royal sources were telling People Magazine that the Sussexes were purposefully being kept “out of the loop” on the Windsors’ health crises because of the trust issue. Which I believe, in general – I don’t think that the Sussexes are getting any kind of regular briefings from England, and I totally believe that the Sussexes found out about Kate’s cancer at the same time as everyone else. I would also be very surprised if Harry and his father have had more than a couple of brief phone calls since Harry’s February visit to the UK. But making it about “trust issues with the Sussexes” when Kensington Palace was openly lying and dissembling is pretty rich. Still, I trust that the Sussexes will always “do the right thing,” even if they’re met with incandescent rage and furious briefings at every turn.

After Kate’s video announcement, without skipping a beat, the British media began shaming anyone questioning the palace clownshow while simultaneously writing twenty million stories about the Sussexes and what Harry and Meghan should do or say or how Harry should absolutely fly back to England to be with Kate or something. This piece in the Mail, full of supposition about how Harry should *want* to fly into England to see Kate, is also arguing that the Windsors should go out of their way to punish Harry if he did fly back. The coverage in the Express was even worse.

The news about Kate was released 16 hours ago.

Let’s take a stroll through all the ways the Express have trolled Meghan and Harry since the announcement was made…

(Long tweet. Please expand. Thanks.)

REMINDER: The ONLY thing Harry and Meghan have done since Kate’s bombshell…

— Edwin Hayward (@edwinhayward) March 23, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Over the next weeks and months, there will be a lot of analysis of “why the internet was bad for talking about the Princess of Wales” and blame-gaming about who did what wrong. Multiple things can be true all at once: the online speculation about Kate absolutely became rude and unpleasant; Kensington Palace grossly mismanaged everything for months; and Buckingham Palace did little to step in and right the ship or provide cover, guidance or support for King Charles’s cancer-stricken daughter-in-law. If anything, we heard and saw repeatedly that Buckingham Palace was “quite enjoying” Kensington Palace’s disastrous public relations fiascoes, and Queen Camilla seemed downright gleeful at times as the “last royal standing.” I guess my point is that a lot of people are backtracking, including the king:

King Charles is supporting his daughter-in-law Kate Middleton amid her cancer diagnosis. On Friday, the Princess of Wales, 42, shared a personal video message that she is undergoing treatment after post-operative tests following her abdominal surgery in January “found cancer had been present.”

Charles, 75, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, is “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

King Charles and Princess Kate were both hospitalized at The London Clinic in January, and the monarch has “remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks,” the spokesperson adds. Both King Charles and Queen Camilla “will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time.”

[From People]

Something I keep thinking about is how few times Charles has seen William and Kate in person this year. Charles reportedly checked in on Kate at the London Clinic in January and no one said William was there. There were also reports that Charles and William saw each other in Sandringham in February. But beyond that… are they just emailing? Talking to each other through staff? Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also released a statement:

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday that Kate, the Princess of Wales, should be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her family, following news that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

“The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country as she continues her recovery,” Sunak said in a statement. “She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today. In recent weeks she has been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media. When it comes to matters of health, like everyone else, she must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her loving family.”

[From Reuters]

There were other public statements of support for Kate, including tweets from President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as well. The Bidens regularly contact public figures dealing with cancer, especially after Beau’s death.

Jill and I join millions around the world in praying for your full recovery, Princess Kate. https://t.co/jtLp8Uo23d

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 23, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

Gossip history: Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani’s marriage fell apart in the summer of 2015 and the immediate rumors involved Gwen being sick of his cheating, specifically his alleged years-long affair with their children’s nanny. While Gavin never publicly admitted to bangin’ the nanny, Gwen made it pretty clear at the time that she had learned something which shook her to her core and did irreparable harm to their marriage. Within a few months, Gwen moved on quickly with Blake Shelton and the rest is history – Blake loves her sons fiercely and Gwen is (in my opinion) a million times happier with Blake than she ever was with Gavin. The only one salty about any of this is Gavin. For years, there have been occasional reports that Gavin hates that his sons adore Blake, and Gavin doesn’t appreciate the fact that Gwen and the boys spend so much time in Oklahoma. Their divorce was not a happy “conscious uncoupling” where everyone gets along for the sake of the kids. There’s bitterness there, and it’s on Gavin’s side. Speaking of:

Gavin Rossdale wishes he had “more of a connection” with ex-wife Gwen Stefani. The Bush frontman, who shares three kids with the “Rich Girl” songstress, said in a new interview that he felt “handcuffed” because he didn’t want to “say anything negative” about his ex.

“I never thought I’d ever get divorced. So there’s a simple shame in my life,” Rossdale, 58, said on Wednesday’s episode of the “Amy & T.J.” podcast with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes. “I feel bad for my kids, that’s it,” he went on, noting that both of his parents had been married three times and he never wanted his kids to have a similar experience.

“I wish I could have found a way to not have that in their lives. It wasn’t fun for me to come from a broken home. It can be quite debilitating for kids … the overriding things is you don’t want to let your kids down,” he said of sons Kingston, 17, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, 10.

The British hitmaker, who wed Stefani, 54, in 2002, split from her in 2015 amid rumors he cheated on her with their nanny.

“The biggest thing would be when you see the kids that sometimes there’s a loss. It’d be nice if there was more of a connection with the person who made them with me,” Rossdale added, without naming the No Doubt singer directly.

“I go to a lot of events where there’s ‘the other team,’ so to speak, and I just feel really proud of myself in my consistency as a father. I know in my heart that I’m super consistent,” Rossdale said, seemingly referencing Stefani and Shelton, 47.

He went on to describe their “debilitating” divorce as a “very contentious, hugely emotional, flared-up situation.”

“Less said, soonest mended and I said nothing,” he went on. “I’m handcuffed because I would never want to overly say anything negative about [my sons’] mom. That’s just not right.”

He added, “I think that there’s no accidents in life so you are where you’re meant to be. So I don’t live in regret … life just unfolds how it should.”

[From Page Six]

The undercurrent of this seems to be “how could SHE leave ME” with a heavy dash of “why is she so much happier with HIM?” I’ll be generous to Gavin – apart from the alleged nanny-banging, no one ever accused him of being a bad father. He loves his kids and wants to be a big part of their lives and that’s nice. But Gavin’s complaints about his divorce and how there’s still some acrimony between he and Gwen… like, you’re not the victim here. She never would have divorced you if you weren’t f–king around so much. What really bugs me the most is that he’s positioning himself as the more mature one – “Less said, soonest mended and I said nothing.” GMAFB.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.