Queen Camilla was pretty busy last week. She was the most senior royal and de facto hostess for King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor last Tuesday. She hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. On Thursday, she was once again at Buckingham Palace, this time hosting a semi-private meeting with Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine. Sure, “working three days in a week” is not some huge deal for most people, but Camilla is basically the only royal who has been consistently doing events since mid-January. Everyone else (except Anne) has been MIA, on vacation or mysteriously disappearing for weeks at a time. All of which to say, Camilla’s orthopedic wedges have been worked down to the nub and she’s taking the next week off. No one will see her until Commonwealth Day (March 11).

The Queen will take a break from official duties after leading the monarchy in public since the King’s cancer diagnosis was revealed on February 5. Camilla, 76, has no engagements in her diary this week, and it is understood that she will spend a few days of private downtime with the King and her own family. She will resume engagements on March 11, when she will represent Charles and lead the royal family for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

Camilla has undertaken 13 official engagements since Charles’s cancer diagnosis was announced last month, ploughing on with her own diary and attending events solo where she was due to have been with her husband.

A royal source said: “Although she was not expecting to find herself in the position of leading the family, the Queen is absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution. She has been buoyed by the public’s reaction. She has found reserves of energy that even she didn’t think she had, and the estimation of her by those inside the palace has soared as she has put her shoulder to the wheel.”

Another source close to the Queen said: “Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to keep going while the King is off public duties. The King is proud and pleased to see the show is being kept on the road by the Queen and the wider family.”

During the Queen’s short break this week, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will all undertake public engagements. The Princess of Wales, who has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, is continuing to recover at home in Windsor after abdominal surgery in January, and is expected to resume public duties after Easter.

[From The Times]

You might assume, given the quotes provided to the Times, that Camilla is going to spend the next week sitting in her coziest recliner at Ray Mill with a Stanley Cup full of gin. You would be wrong! After spending a few days at Ray Mill, Camilla is jetting off “overseas” today, according to the Daily Mail. She’s “jetting off on a private flight” and no one is saying where? Given the quotes given to the Times – “Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to keep going” – you should assume the opposite, meaning Camilla is exhausted AND most of the people in the palace are unhappy that she’s jetting off.

I keep thinking about how Sophie and Edward quietly went on a ski holiday with friends, traveling by private jet and enjoying themselves in St. Moritz, the playground for the rich. Sophie and Ed skipped Constantine’s memorial service too, and honestly, the Edinburghs haven’t really been pulling their weight this year at all. Maybe Camilla was like “well, I deserve to have a week off too!”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Thomas Kingston passed away a week ago, on Sunday, February 25. His death was not announced until Tuesday, the 27th, just hours after King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor, a service which was attended by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Kingston’s parents-in-law. Kingston’s now-widow, Lady Gabriella, did not attend the memorial service, nor has she been seen in public since about a week before Kingston’s passing. On Friday, the inquest into Thomas Kington’s death officially began. The police and the coroner came out and said, flat out, that he died of a “catastrophic wound” to the head, with a gun closeby. The Telegraph was the first British outlet to say that it was suicide.

Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died from a gunshot wound to the head, a coroner has revealed. Mr Kingston, 45, took his own life at his parents’ home in a Cotswold village on Sunday.

Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said the financier, the son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, had lunch with his parents before his father, Martin Kingston, took the dogs out for a walk. As she opened an inquest into Mr Kingston’s death, Ms Skerett said: “On his return Mr Kingston was not in the house.”

His mother went to look for him before his father forced entry into an outbuilding. Ms Skerrett said Mr Kingston was found dead “with a catastrophic head injury. A gun was present at the scene.”

Mr Kingston was a committed Christian who once worked as a hostage negotiator in Iraq. Known as Tom, he read economic history at the University of Bristol before joining the diplomatic missions unit at the Foreign Office. He was seconded to Baghdad as project manager for the International Centre for Reconciliation, based at Coventry Cathedral, in 2003. The following year, he cheated death in a suicide bombing in the Iraqi capital that killed 22 people.

Mr Kingston returned to the UK to work for Schroders, the global asset management firm, as an equity analyst before becoming the managing director of Voltan Capital Management and later a director of Devonport Capital, which provides short-term loans to businesses operating in the developing world. His father, Martin, was a hugely successful barrister, specialising in planning law. Also a devout Chrisitan, he was elected to the General Synod in 2016. His mother, Jill, is a trustee of a Chrsitian healing centre and runs the Nadezhda Charitable Trust, which supports projects in Zimbabwe.

[From The Telegraph]

Before this past week, I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about Kingston’s background and, considering his romantic life, I always assumed he was just some random posh bloke with a good education but few real-world experiences. Hearing all of these stories about his time in Iraq, it makes me realize that he had been in some really dire situations and was probably quite haunted by them. This whole situation is so sad and confusing. His parents must be devastated, and poor Ella as well. We hope that they have friends and family around them at this difficult time.

Incidentally, the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay and Sam Greenhill also did a somewhat strange eulogy in which they seemingly used this man’s suicide as a way to bash Prince Harry, writing in part: “[Gabriella and Thomas] did not live extravagant lives or find themselves the target of the paparazzi. In many ways their unfussy approach — home is a modest flat in fashionable Notting Hill which they had recently put on the market pending a move somewhere larger — would serve as a valuable life lesson for some of Ella’s royal cousins.” Ah, yes, how dare Ella’s royal cousin move away from his toxic, abusive family for his own mental health when he could have lived a modest, unfussy life in England… like Thomas Kingston.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Last Friday (March 1st) was St. David’s Day. Prince William, the Prince of Wales, went to Wales to mark the day in honor of the patron saint of Wales. One of the weirdest things about William’s Friday events is that he actually had several smaller events, all in a row, but he started his day in a Wrexham pub, taking shots and pulling pints with an American actor, Rob McElhenney. Like, shouldn’t that come at the end of the day? I guess William wanted to have a buzz for his next events, including a trip to an elementary school. Anyway, here’s more about just how liquor-soaked William’s first event was:

The Prince of Wales has celebrated St David’s Day by pulling a “terrible” pint in the pub made famous by Welcome to Wrexham, the television series. The programme charts the fortunes of Wrexham Football Club under its new Hollywood owners, the actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Visiting the Turf pub, William and McElhenney chatted behind the bar while the prince tried his hand at being the barman.

Pulling a pint of lager which was mostly froth, William described his efforts as “horrendous”, adding: “That might settle in a couple of hours, talk among yourselves. It’s still got a horrible head on it, that’s why I don’t work behind the bar.”

The landlord joked that William was “terrible”, but felt he could “soon knock him into shape”.

McElhenney referred to his role in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a TV show, and said: “I play a bartender but I’m not actually a bartender.” He then poured a shot of whisky and said: “This is much easier.”

William also told McElhenney that he ‘loves’ cider. After he poured a poor pint, he downed a shot instead and joked ‘That’s a better idea. I like the stronger stuff’.

Ryan Reynolds was in New York and could not be present while he edits the next Deadpool film, but MailOnline understands he hopes to meet William later this year. McElhenney told William that Reynolds had wanted to be there today, but the Prince [said]: ‘Because Ryan’s not here you can tell him I think Hugh Jackman is funnier.’

[From The Daily Mail & The Times]

“Because Ryan’s not here you can tell him I think Hugh Jackman is funnier.” William thinks he’s being so witty but whenever he tries to make these kinds of friendly-banter jokes, he comes across as arrogant, mean, ungrateful, spiteful and stupid. Probably because he is all of those things. When I tweeted out the bar story on Friday, it became one of my most-viewed tweets (ever) – people were really outraged that William would rather booze it up with American actors than attend his godfather’s memorial service. Plus, the optics of William staggering around at yet another daytime event while his wife has been missing for over two months is still a really poor choice from Kensington Palace. Last week would not have gone so badly for William if he had simply attended his godfather’s memorial service. But now it just looks like William is too much of a lightweight, that he’s so unserious that he can only do events like “be a dumbass at the BAFTAs” and “get drunk with an actor in Wales.”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Natalie Portman is one of the actors on the cover of Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue. I enjoyed Natalie in May December, and I enjoyed the film overall. I wish Charles Melton had gotten some big nominations but I wasn’t surprised that Natalie and Julianne Moore were largely snubbed. Still, Natalie and Charles both ended up on the VF cover, which meant that they both got stand-alone profiles in the magazine. Natalie chatted with VF about the film, about how she’s not really a Method actress, but she also said some interesting stuff about the bifurcation of her identity. VF asks about her marriage too – last year, the French tabloids caught Benjamin Millepied engaged in an affair with a young Frenchwoman, and reportedly Natalie and Benjamin are sort of separated and maybe even getting a divorce (no one has filed anything though). Some highlights from VF:

Dealing with the public interest in her life: “I got very protective of it very early on. I chose a different name when I started, which was kind of an interesting way that I separated identities. I would get upset if someone at school called me Natalie Portman. I was like, if you know me, you know me as Natalie Hershlag at school. It was kind of an extreme bifurcation of identity that I’ve tried to integrate a little bit more as an adult. I felt like it was not accepting that both were part of me, that there wasn’t a “real” me and a “pretend” me, and that they didn’t necessarily have different names… As I started having kids and a family, I started realizing that maybe it was not helpful to be like, there’s two of me. I have many interactions during my day as a public person. To exclude that from my experience is not real.

On people writing about her marriage: “It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute to it.

Living in Paris & LA: “I find them very complementary cities. I love having both in my life. I lead a very non-Hollywood life in LA. I live on the east side. I have some friends who are in the entertainment industry, but many friends who are not, and we don’t do industry things when we hang out. We’re not going to Hollywood parties, we’re having dinners at home in the backyard. I actually found that living there made my experience of LA much less “Hollywood.” When I would visit, it would only be for work, and I’d be staying somewhere in Beverly Hills, and I’d be having industry meetings and going to industry parties. Living there made my experience much more rounded and appreciative of all the city has to offer, from nature to the arts, food to music, and of course, the people. And Paris, of course, is just a dream. I’m so lucky to get to live here and have an enormously stimulating city life with incredible friends.

Watching Hollywood change: “The striking thing has been the decline of film as a primary form of entertainment. It feels much more niche now. If you ask someone my kids’ age about movie stars, they don’t know anyone compared to YouTube stars, or whatever. There’s a liberation to it, in having your art not be a popular art. You can really explore what’s interesting to you. It becomes much more about passion than about commerce. And interesting, too, to beware of it becoming something elitist. I think all of these art forms, when they become less popularized, you have to start being like, okay, who are we making this for anymore? And then amazing, too, because there’s also been this democratization of creativity, where gatekeepers have been demoted and everyone can make things and incredible talents come up. And the accessibility is incredible. If you lived in a small town, you might not have been able to access great art cinema when I was growing up. Now it feels like if you’ve got an internet connection, you can get access to anything. It’s pretty wild that you also feel like at the same time, more people than ever might see your weird art film because of his extraordinary access. So it’s this two-sided coin.

She loves word games: “I do a lot of word games. I really like all the New York Times crossword and Connections and Wordle and Spelling Bee. Actually, Julianne [Moore] is also a word-game obsessive. And she gets Queen Bee almost every day. I mean, I thought I was already impressed by what a good actress she was, but that will really top it for me.

[From Vanity Fair]

I like what she says here about the democratization of art and how people have greater access to a wider variety of all kinds of films and television shows, and that people can “come up” in different ways. That’s all true. But… there are still gatekeepers and films are not “niche” entertainment. But I get what she’s saying. Gen Z experiences TV, films and “content” so differently than the generations before them. I like what she says about living in LA – she’s not an LA-basher and I do think that’s because she actually lives there and she’s not just flying in for work.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Vanity Fair.

Less than a month ago, “royal expert” Tom Bower said the quiet part out loud: that the future of the monarchy depends on “obliterating the Sussexes.” Prince Harry and Meghan cannot be allowed to live, work and thrive outside the institution because they will expose the uselessness of the whole exercise. Bower has targeted Meghan for years, using vile, dehumanizing language, but here’s something new. This week, Bower appeared on TalkTV and he claimed that he actually knows what’s going on with the Princess of Wales and that it’s pretty serious. While he hasn’t turned on the Waleses, we’re going to see more of this in the coming days, weeks and months:

On Kate’s surgery & recovery: “We’re not being told what the surgery was. As I understand it, it was very serious. I won’t reveal what I’ve been told it was, but she is seriously ill. It is not fatal. She will recover, but it’s a long healing process and that’s why she’s disappeared from view.”

It’s not a PR problem, it’s an illness problem: “It’s far worse than news management… we have a crisis for the monarchy at the moment. The king is ill, probably more serious than we realize, the Princess of Wales, who is the future of the monarchy… is seriously ill too. We have the constant problem of Harry and Meghan, the reappearance of Andrew is catastrophic, it’s a very bad time for the monarchy and a bad time for Britain…it’s not so much the news management, it’s literally the facts. The facts are that the royal family at the moment is besieged by bad health and unfortunately by scandal too.”

The timeline for Kate & Charles’s recovery: “I think it’s months rather than weeks. I think Kate’s recovery will be much longer than they originally anticipated, and I think the king is rightly taking his cancer treatment very seriously.”

[Transcribed from TalkTV video]

While Bower talks out of his ass a lot of the time and he’s truly one of the most vile people I’ve ever seen, he often gives a glimpse into the general mindset of the royalist media. Between Bower’s statements and the Daily Mail’s columnists freaking out all week, it definitely seems like there’s a lot of panic going around the royal establishment and their media handlers. All of this to say, I actually think Bower has got it right in this narrow instance, that Kate’s condition is much more serious than the palace has led people to believe, and that she’s not going to pop up on Easter Sunday with a fresh wiglet and a BBL. We probably won’t see her until Trooping the Colour in June, if that.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

In this week’s Gossip with Celebitchy podcast (out tomorrow morning!), CB and I talked about whether King Charles and the Princess of Wales need to disclose further details about their health issues. I ended up sort of defending Charles – I’ve been surprised by how much he’s disclosed already, and I’ve been surprised by how often he has been seen in the past two months. It’s clear that his cancer treatments have knocked him on his ass, but instead of hiding away for months, he’s been sort of openly vulnerable. I will criticize Charles for a lot of things, but I think he’s handled his health problems well enough for a head of state, although sure, he could and probably should disclose more about his cancer and treatment. But compared to Kate, Charles has been Mr. Disclosure and Mr. Visible.

Obviously, Kate absolutely needs to disclose more, or failing that, Kensington Palace needs to stop being so squirrelly. KP looks like they’ve created a web of lies and they’re terrified that someone will start pulling at those strings. Speaking of, the Daily Mail’s A.N. Wilson is now calling for both Charles and Kate to disclose a lot more – this isn’t some tantrum by a Mail columnist, it’s actually a pretty sober analysis about how the lack of disclosures are destabilizing the monarchy. Some highlights:

The Windsors have lost control of the narrative: They might hope to control what is said about them. But they cannot stop rumour-mongers, and if they are clumsy about handling information about themselves, they only make the speculation more sensationalist, and do more damage. That is what is happening now with the Royal Family and those who control their ‘PR’. It is no exaggeration to say that, earlier this week, the internet exploded with wild, sometimes distressing, theories about the health of the royals.

William’s indecently short-notice cancellation: The immediate cause of the surge in interest was the comparatively trivial news that, at indecently short notice, Prince William had missed his godfather King Constantine’s memorial service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, five minutes down the road from his home. Trivial it seemed, at least, until Kensington Palace made a thing of it by saying his absence was due to a mysterious ‘personal matter’. Inevitably, this put the wind up all of us, not least the rumour-mongers. Was Kate more ill than we had been told? Was all well with their marriage? A whole cluster of questions which never needed to have been asked came to the public mind. Not because the public is nosy, or prurient, but because they had been fed half-truths by the Palace.

The solution: The only way to stop this kind of frenzy in our ugly social media age is, I am afraid, for the Palace to come clean about the health of the royals. And I say this as a monarchist who admires both the King and the Princess of Wales. You could ask why don’t we all mind our own business and leave the Royal Family in peace? But there are reasons for that which will not go away. The first is that all this guesswork and scandal-mongering on the internet feeds on itself and destabilises the monarchy that we hold dear. As gossip and hearsay swirl about it, seldom can I remember the institution — no King, no Princess of Wales, and a sudden disappearance by Prince William — looking so vulnerable. The second reason is that, whether they like it or not, the King and his family are public figures, funded by taxpayers’ money. What happens to them is not private in the sense that the rest of us have private lives.

The head of state’s health is of national concern: In other countries, such as France or the U.S., the health of the head of state is a public matter, and bulletins are issued of a fairly detailed kind. People are entitled to know about the health of their head of state. But, of course, the royals may find it difficult to adapt, for things used to be very different…We do not live in that world any more, but one of information and, worse, disinformation overload. A world in which the Royal Family complain about rumour and speculation, but unfortunately encourage it by giving only partial bulletins about health matters.

Charles should disclose more: The King has, at least been more straightforward than William and Kate. We were told about his treatment for an enlarged prostate, and then informed that he is suffering from cancer. This information, we are led to believe, is part of an unprecedented new openness from the royals about their health. It may well be. But I believe we should know more. Feeding the public with tit-bits was always going to encourage grubby hypotheses. What was needed was a candid, simple statement: ‘In the course of treatment at the London Clinic, the King was found to be suffering from cancer of X. He is undergoing treatment. Further bulletins will be issued when the state of His Majesty’s health is known.’

William, as the future head of state, needs a different approach: Clearly, we cannot expect that approach from William and Kate, who have been very much less transparent, perhaps in view of the fact William is not yet King. Of course, a delicate balance has to be struck. Their many admirers and well-wishers do not want to intrude on private sorrows. And they and their children are entitled to our respect. What William is not entitled to is the kind of private life we take for granted. He is heir to the throne, and taxpayers are entitled to know about their next Head of State.

Can Will & Kate cope if they need to step up soon? We all hope King Charles will make a speedy recovery from his cancer, and reign over us for a long time to come. But he is a 75-year-old man with a serious illness. At the moment, rumours fly around about the Prince and Princess of Wales, which make us question if he and Kate are in a position to take over, should this dire duty be thrust upon them. Our heart goes out to them, but they are not, unfortunately, in a position to hide from us the harsh realities about their health — however much they may want to.

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, I agree with all of this. Wilson’s solution is that Charles basically needs to say what kind of cancer he has and what kind of treatment he’s receiving, and I agree – that information would help dampen a lot of the rumors. Unless, of course, his cancer is much more serious than the palace has already led us to believe, in which case further disclosures might lead to some panic. But really, this is more about the Waleses and their stubborn refusal to disclose anything. And for this to come out in the Mail as well… it feels like the worm might be turning. I hope so.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

It never fails to be hilarious to me, to remember how everyone in the British royal/aristocratic establishment looked down their noses at then-Meghan Markle because she was a “celebrity” and “actress,” when all of those people are desperate to hang out with celebrities. Prince William is one of the worst when it comes to clout-chasing celebrities. He will do anything for a photo-op with an actor, singer or reality star. And that’s basically the only way to get him to do work for two days in a row: tell him he’ll get to meet an American celebrity.

So, here are photos of Prince William in Wrexham, Wales for St. David’s Day. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales. William, the Prince of Wales, refuses to learn Welsh or buy a Welsh home or have a Prince of Wales investiture or spend time in Wales. But they managed to roll him out of bed today, all so he could do a photo-op at a Wrexham bar (“pub”) with Rob McElhenney. As many probably know by now, Rob and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham Football Club and they’ve been investing in the club and the Welsh community of Wrexham. Rob is the Chairman of Wrexham FC, so that’s why he likely had to fly in for this fakakta photo-op with Peggington. Incidentally, this is not the first time the Windsors have used McElhenney for a photo-op – in December 2022, Charles and Camilla also visited Wrexham specifically for a celebrity photo-op too.

Given the fact that William seemed visibly under the influence at a recent daytime investiture ceremony and given all the chatter about his drinking (in general) recently, you would think that William’s staff would avoid all of the staging around alcohol and pubs. But no, William surrounds himself with incompetent people, so we’re getting photos of him pulling a pint and throwing back drinks in the middle of the day. These days, I’m quite flabbergasted by the baseline incompetence on display. Also: the photos just look like that, like the photographer smeared vaseline on the lens. Maybe Peggington demanded a softer focus so no one would see his bloodshot eyes and visible neck bruises.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

The Daily Mail’s editors have given free rein to their columnists and royal experts to criticize Prince William this week. The only catch is that the Mail columnists have to find a way to couch their criticism with bleating about Prince Andrew and, as always, Prince Harry. Jan Moir was up to the task in her latest piece, where she tries to put Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William in the same “terrible princes” boat. Obviously, I don’t give a f–k what she’s written about Andrew (he can choke) or Harry. But the fact that the Mail is allowing these kinds of things to be written about the golden, wispy-combovered, rage-monster heir is pretty remarkable and notable.

Call it what you will, but the gilt is slowly peeling off this soured game of thrones, this line of succession in terminal recession. For every so often the three masks slip and we see these princes for who and what they really are: a trio of spoilt man-children who demand accountability from everyone else while doing as they please themselves, an unholy trinity who still can’t quite believe the age of deference is over.

Prince William is by far the best of them, not least because it is upon his shoulders that the burden of royal responsibility must lie. In his rather passive-aggressive way he has never made any secret of the fact that he finds this an onerous task, but who could blame him for brooding, or seeing his birthright as a velvet bind?

As his stricken father and recuperating wife keep out of the spotlight, this is William’s moment of truth. Yet instead of stepping up to the challenge, he seems to be all over the place. That ill-advised statement on the Israel-Hamas conflict for a start; now going awol from a royal event at short notice and without a proper explanation?

It is all very odd. If William has a good reason for his absence, then he should tell us or even drop a comforting hint — the public would understand and sympathise. Of course he is entitled to a private life, but he is not some movie star bleating about privacy in a moment of crisis. He is the heir to the British throne — a man with a unique set of public responsibilities.

One day soon he will be the head of the nation, a focus for national identity, unity and pride. So maybe he should stop behaving like a celebrity flake and reign in that impervious attitude along with his indulgent fondness for obsessive secrecy. If this is a sign of what is to come when he ascends the throne, it is very worrying one.

[From The Daily Mail]

Well well, how the turn tables. Passive-aggressive? Spoilt man-children? Bleating about privacy? Celebrity flake? Indulgent fondness for obsessive secrecy? The Mail is rattled, and in turn, they’re yanking on Peg’s chain as hard as they can while still trying to keep him on the leash. The invisible contract probably means that the Mail on Sunday will get some big exclusives this weekend straight from Kensington Palace. Just not about Kate – it will either be some new tantrum about how much William hates his brother, or something else involving the Sussexes. Wait for it and count on it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

Here are more photos of Prince William on Thursday, during his visit to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London. This was not some spur-of-the-moment visit – this visit was previewed last week, when William made his big “statesman” statement about Israel and Gaza. He was supposed to make a public appearance on Tuesday at his godfather’s memorial, but alas, he canceled at the last minute. The photographer assigned to his synagogue event was really fascinated by a prince wearing a yarmulke, and there are numerous extreme closeups on William’s bald head and his profile. So much so, people remarked on what seemed like a visible bruise on the left side of William’s neck, close to his ear. I’ve zoomed in on some of the photos and I can’t tell if it’s really a bruise or just a very strange shadow.

From what I’ve seen of the coverage of the event, gaffe-machine William managed to get in and out of there without saying anything gross, inappropriate or offensive. That being said, there are multiple reports of what people said TO William but not his replies. William was given a large bouquet of flowers to take home to Kate and no one recorded his reaction. One of the Holocaust survivors – who has met Kate before – told him, “I’m sorry, I’m sure that if your wife would’ve been well, she would’ve been here. I miss her so much. Give her my best wishes, please.” Once again, William’s response was not recorded. But still, Britain’s Jewish community appreciated William’s efforts to at least talk about the rise in antisemitism in recent months:

During his visit to the synagogue, the Prince met young ambassadors from different backgrounds and faiths who have taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s flagship “Lessons from Auschwitz”. Through the project, young people from across the UK learn the history of the Holocaust and visit the site of the former Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is intended to show them where anti-Semitism can lead, creating powerful advocates for the future.

The Prince heard from young people about how they are trying to call out any anti-Semitism they encounter in society as well as listening to their own experiences of racism. A palace spokesman said: “It was very important to the Prince that he hears directly from those who have been impacted by the rise of hatred and anti-Semitism.”

Karen Pollock CBE, the chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust said: “Today His Royal Highness reminded us that anti-Semitism is not only a problem for the Jewish community but for all [of] society. He listened to young Jewish students who are facing a deluge of anti-Semitic hate on campus, share their personal experiences of this anti-Jewish hate and he met young Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassadors, who are campaigning against anti-Semitism despite not being Jewish themselves.”

“He spent time with Holocaust survivor Renee Salt BEM. When she was liberated nearly 80 years ago, she never could have imagined that once again, within her lifetime, there would be a global explosion of anti-Semitism. His Royal Highness’s visit sends a powerful message that Britain is a country where Jews, whether Holocaust survivors who came to find sanctuary or young Jewish students – are welcome and celebrated. He reminds us that even in the darkest days, the Jewish community is not alone. We thank His Royal Highness for his leadership on this issue and we are so grateful for his unwavering support for our cause and our community.”

[From The Telegraph]

It’s interesting that William is putting himself out there as some kind of big ally to the Jewish community, especially since his father is the one who has spent decades nurturing his relations with multifaith leaders. While William and Kate – more Kate, surprisingly enough – have done some work with Holocaust survivors and Shoah education/awareness, King Charles is the one who would have done this kind of event, if 2024 was a normal year. It would not surprise me if William was “assigned” this visit by Buckingham Palace and William is just taking credit for thinking this up all on his own.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Last December, Oprah Winfrey stepped out to promote The Color Purple and she looked dramatically different and much slimmer. We soon learned how and why – Oprah appeared on the cover of People and she spoke about how she started taking a weight loss drug last fall. She did so after thinking it over for months and consulting with her doctors, and she sounded very happy with her decision and with her weight loss. She spoke about how it wasn’t just about the weight-loss drug either, that she was trying to be more active and, as always, watching what she eats. At the time, Oprah was still on the board of directors of Weight Watchers and I guess she got some pushback on that, which is strange. You can take weight loss drugs AND use WW’s point-system and methods. They are compatible, it’s not either/or, and WW has even started selling Ozempic. But I guess people didn’t think so, and now Oprah is stepping down from WW’s board.

Oprah Winfrey is leaving the board of WeightWatchers, ending a nearly decade-long stint as a director of the beleaguered company that has faced sudden competition from Ozempic. Winfrey notified the company of her decision earlier this week, telling them she won’t be standing for re-election at its annual shareholder meeting coming up in May. A reason wasn’t revealed, but a WeightWatchers regulatory statement said that her “decision was not the result of any disagreement” or “any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies or practices.”

“Oprah is an inspiring presence and passionate advocate both for our members and for society at large, in elevating the conversation around weight health,” said Sima Sistani, CEO of WeightWatchers, on a call with investors this week. “While I and the rest of our directors will certainly miss her in our board meetings following the end of her current term, she remains a strong strategic voice and collaborator with WeightWatchers.”

Winfrey will also be selling off her sizeable stake in the company: She said in a statement that she’s donating all of her stock to National Museum of African American History and Culture.

WeightWatchers shares (WW) plunged as much as 25% in premarket trading Thursday and are down nearly 70%. Winfrey’s exit is a year earlier than expected, with the media mogul in 2019 signing an extension until 2025.

“I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity,” Winfrey said in a statement.

Winfrey joined the board in 2015 and bought a 10% stake, immediately giving the beleaguered company relevance as more people shifted to easier diets rather than counting points.

[From CNN]

Okay, this sounds less like Oprah is stepping down because of the (asinine) backlash against her use of weight-loss drugs and it sounds more like Oprah is kind of done with WW. She’s moved on, she wasn’t pushed out.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.