In many ways, the “naming of the racist royals” controversy was a convenient feint for the British media. While they claimed to be disgusted by Omid Scobie and Endgame, they certainly gave a lot of airtime to saying “racism” and blaming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for all of it. All of that happened so that no one in the British media would have to do a deeper dive into what Endgame really contained: comprehensive, well-researched stories about Prince William, Christian Jones, Dan Wootton and how the Sussexes were screwed over repeatedly in service of William’s ego and reputation. Well, to hear the British media tell it, Omid knew exactly what he was doing when the Dutch edition of the book published King Charles and Kate’s names as the racists cited in Meghan’s letter to Charles. Omid said repeated that he had no idea how the names got in there, despite the fact that at some point, an early draft likely contained the names. Well, now Scobie is doing some clean-up – here’s the relevant section from his new essay in i news, “Omid Scobie: Endgame backlash shows how unwilling we are to confront race issues.”

But the one story which dominated headlines during its release week ended up being about a piece of information not even in the book — the names of any Royal Family members who allegedly had “concerns” about the darkness of the Sussexes’ first child’s skin. While the finished manuscript reveals fresh details about the written correspondence between King Charles and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex regarding potential unconscious bias in the family, the identities of those who took part in these conversations were to remain a mystery.

I was in the middle of TV interviews in New York on 28 November when a single name surfaced on social media, after it was published in the Dutch edition. My stomach flipped. The 403 pages that I had carefully written, edited, and signed off to the printers made it very clear that any names would not be revealed due to legal reasons.

Still confused about what had happened, and unable to keep an eye on the unfolding story during my back-to-back press appearances, I was at the very least relieved to see the Netherlands publisher swiftly announce that copies containing what they described as a “translation error” would be removed from stores. As a second name started circulating, questions were coming in thick and fast; I had many too, but details at this point were still being pieced together and I don’t have the full story.

To be clear, the only publisher I worked directly with was the one covering the US and UK. I spent almost two months with independent British barristers and in-house legal counsel to ensure that every detail in the finished book was legally watertight. Unbeknownst to me at the time, early and uncleared text was provided to the Dutch publisher in order for them to start work on the translation, with the understanding that their translation would be updated to reflect the final version of the book I officially submitted.

Other foreign-language publishers, including in France and Italy, were also doing the same thing, though their versions perfectly replicated the completed work. What I can be sure of is that I edited carefully, took independent legal advice, and the finished book that I submitted was not the version published in the Netherlands.

By the time I wrapped up media efforts in the US, coverage in Britain had reached new levels of hysteria. When I landed in London, reporters were already banging on the doors of my parents’ homes, my car was being followed, violent threats were piling up, and some of the papers were baying for blood. False reports suggested that this was all part of some elaborate PR campaign (an offensive and ridiculous claim, especially given that the book had already been on the front pages for several days before this news had broken).

And here lies the problem. Time and time again I encounter this aggressive resistance to allowing proper discourse about the current state and role of the British monarchy to take place. It’s not as if much of the public don’t want it. The day after Endgame hit shelves, support for the monarchy had fallen to just 52 per cent. Have we really reached the point where any criticism of this publicly funded establishment is considered an “attack”? Shouldn’t we live in a world where we can scrutinise the royals like we do our politicians? Is freedom of speech only reserved for those who cleave to an approved narrative?

[From i news]

I feel sorry for him and I believe that none of this was a stunt or in any way intentional. I think it was as he describes, all the translators began work on very early drafts, drafts which had not gone through full legal, and while the other translations were changed to reflect the drafts which had cleared legal, the Dutch translation did not. When Omid swore that he had never signed off on a book with the names in it, he wasn’t referring to the drafts he turned in of the book. Besides, I fundamentally believe that the names should be out there, and I don’t understand why anyone would be in a legal bind about it, especially given the fact that the names were already well-known by reporters and editors for years. So much of the pearl-clutching in recent weeks has been over-the-top performative.

Photos courtesy of BBC screencap and Scobie’s IG.

The 2024 Golden Globes nominations were announced today, and I guess that means that the Globes are back to being a real event? TBD. The Globes will air on January 7th on CBS, from 8 pm to 11 pm. Considering how many friggin’ awards they have to give out, I bet the show goes over by an hour, easily. In any case, the SAG-AFTRA strike really shook up the Oscar campaigns, and weirdly, it does feel like people are simply judging movies and performances on their merit, rather than how much promotion was done. That being said, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro got nominated for a bunch of awards, so the HFPA is probably still getting payoffs. Here are the film nominees (I’m only including the two big TV nominees):

Best Picture (Drama)
Anatomy of a Fall
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
The Zone of Interest

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Air
American Fiction
Barbie
The Holdovers
May December
Poor Things

Best Actress (Drama)
Annette Bening, Nyad
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy)
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Jennifer Lawrence, No Hard Feelings
Natalie Portman, May December
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things

Best Actor (Drama)
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy)
Nicolas Cage, Dream Scenario
Timothée Chalamet, Wonka
Matt Damon, Air
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Joaquin Phoenix, Beau Is Afraid
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Julianne Moore, May December
Rosamund Pike, Saltburn
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe, Poor Things
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Charles Melton, May December
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Best Director
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Celine Song, Past Lives

Best Original Song
“Addicted to Romance” by Bruce Springsteen – She Came to Me
“Dance the Night” by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa and Caroline Ailin – Barbie
“I’m Just Ken” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt – Barbie
“Peaches” by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond and John Spiker – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
“Road to Freedom” by Lenny Kravitz – Rustin
“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell – Barbie

Best Drama Series
1923
The Crown
The Diplomat
The Last of Us
The Morning Show
Succession

Best Musical or Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
Barry
The Bear
Jury Duty
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso

[Via People]

It’s nice to see Lily Gladstone as Best Actress, it’s nice to see so much love for May December (although no nomination for Todd Haynes). I’ve heard terrible things about Saltburn so I wonder if that one will stand up throughout the season. Lots of love for Barbenheimer and I would assume that those two films are the front-runners in the awards season. Notably, no nomination for Halle Bailey for The Little Mermaid? I’m glad Jeffrey Wright is getting love though! Also: My big TV prediction is that Succession sweeps every award it’s up for.

Photos courtesy of AppleTV+, Netflix and HBO.

During this week’s Gossip with Celebitchy podcast, CB brought up the fact that it would be so easy for King Charles and the rest of the Windsors to wriggle out of accountability and start to make peace with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In effect, a good manager would simply say: of course we still have work to do on unconscious bias, we reacted poorly to the Sussexes but we welcome a further dialogue and we will continue to work on all of this publicly and privately. Like, it would be that easy to turn the page at this point. It says something about a whole-ass king that he can’t figure out how to problem-solve the one crisis which has stalked the family for years. Speaking of, a “source” close to the king now claims that Harry is trying to “emotionally blackmail” his father.

King Charles is refusing to let himself be “emotionally blackmailed” by Prince Harry over the ‘royal race row’ scandal, The Sun can reveal. A Dutch version of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame named the King as one of “two identities” Meghan accused of raising “concerns” about the colour of Archie’s skin. Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the drama and Harry and Meghan have remained silent.

But sources close to King Charles say he was “not concerned” by his name appearing in the Dutch version and remains “full of energy”. He has told friends that he “will not be emotionally blackmailed by his own son” after Harry appeared to be using his children in his ongoing battle with the Royal Family.

Last month, the couple made everyone aware that they would accept an invitation from the King to spend Christmas at Sandringham this year. But it’s highly unlikely they’ll get an invite this Christmas – or any Christmas – after the bombshell Omid Scobie book.

Scobie’s book also alleged Harry called his father after being evicted from Frogmore Cottage to plead “don’t you want to see your grandchildren?”

A source said: “The King has said that will not be emotionally blackmailed by his own son. He is not concerned by the book and remains full of energy.”

[From The Sun]

The “and remains full of energy” is super-weird, right? The one thing absolutely no one accused Charles of was “being low energy.” No one has said that the problem between Charles and Harry is one of the king’s lack of energy. Charles is a dogshit father, neglectful, financially abusive, petty, sadistic, childish and more… but he has plenty of energy. Or so we thought. As for Charles seemingly finding a new “thing” to complain about… one of these men is a blackmailer but it’s not Harry. Harry has repeatedly tried to have a real relationship with the father he loves. Charles is the one dodging his calls and pulling Harry’s security and refusing to make space to see his grandchildren.

These are photos of Charles at Highgrove on Friday, where he went to avoid Kate’s piano recital in London.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Introduction: Minutes 0 to 6:00
We should have an episode out next week and will be off three weeks for the holidays. I watched a cult documentary I paid $4 for on Amazon called The Deep End. Chandra is watching The Gilded Age and still loves it. You can listen below!

Royals: Minutes 6:00 to 24:00
As we mentioned last week, the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s Endgame named the racist royals who had concerns about the baby’s skin color. Harry and Meghan first mentioned that in their Oprah interview and did not name the royal racists. To recap, Meghan named the two royal racists in her correspondence with Charles, but those names were not in any of the editions of Endgames except the Dutch one. Scobie claimed he never submitted a book that had their names in it. He said that most of the Fleet Street reporters know who they are, however. Scobie’s publisher, HarperCollins, is going to conduct an inquiry as to how the names got into the Dutch translation. We know Meghan has the receipts.

Meanwhile the royals are doing the most to show they’re not racist except own up to it. Kate’s dodgy uncle Gary did a column for The Daily Mail where he defended Kate by saying she can’t be racist because he and Kate’s mom grew up in West London. Sir Kenneth Olisa, the first black Lord-Lieutenant of London, also defended the royals.

The Daily Mail has said that the royals are taking a “charm offensive” approach to the racism allegations. Kate opened a new Children’s Day Surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London this week where she was photographed with people of color. Charles, William and Kate also had crisis talks. These seem to have worked somewhat in that coverage is no longer focused on Endgame.

The Telegraph claimed a royal source is urging the Sussexes to defend the Windsors against the racism claims. This is ridiculous considering the Windsor’s “recollections may vary” response to the Oprah interview. Meanwhile Omid Scobie was asked in a BBC interview if he would apologize to the Windsors.

Harry’s old friend Hugh Grosevenor, the Duke of Westminster, is getting married this June. Hugh is close to Harry and William and is Louis’s godfather. An initial report from Roya Nikkhah in The Times claimed that Hugh didn’t invite Harry and Meghan to his wedding to “avoid a family clash in the House of Windsor.” Then the Daily Mail and The Telegraph did follow ups claiming that Hugh was sad about having to snub the Sussexes but that it’s all Harry’s fault. Page Six blew the lid off all that when they said that Harry got a “save the date” card for Hugh’s wedding a few months ago and then called Hugh to tell him it was best that he didn’t go. This was very tacky of William to use the Duke of Westminster to bash his brother. We wonder how the aristos will get get back at William. We also wonder if William will ever be king.

Comments of the Week: Minutes 24:00 to end
Chandra’s comment of the week is from girl_ninja on Taylor Swift’s Time Magazine person of the year article.

My comment of the week is from DaveW on the post where Angie Harmon said her daughters play Rizzoli and Isles for her dogs when she’s away.

Thanks for listening bitches!

Photos credit: Cover Images, Backgrid, Avalon.red and via Instagram

Behold, the Wales family Christmas card for 2023. I cannot believe this is real and something which William and Kate both signed off on. Everybody’s already made the jokes – it’s giving Olan Mills 1984, it’s giving JC Penney mall studio, it’s giving no imagination whatsoever. While many can make a case for the Wales family copy-keening the Sussexes’ 2021 Christmas card, a better case could probably be made for the Wales family copying the Danish royals, who did a similar card a few years ago. One thing that flies under the radar is that Kate really does copy everything Crown Princess Mary does, it’s just that Kate also style-stalks Meghan constantly too.

What bugs me about this card is the same thing that bugged me about last year’s Christmas card, which was so obviously taken in the summer months: it’s not festive or Christmasy or seasonal in the least. If you’re going to do family photos in a studio – why would you even do that if you’re royal – then can you at least make the backdrop festive or seasonally appropriate? Put the family next to a Christmas tree or a green-and-red background. Something else besides all of this grey dead space. My guess is that we’re supposed to think that they’re so modern, doing this edgy black-and-white card. But it looks dated and like an image from a true-crime docuseries.

Also: the British papers have decided, en masse, to call this Kate’s attempt at “California cool.” Which is… weird. I guess it’s their way of saying that Kate & William stalk everything Harry & Meghan do and wear.

I’m including some pics from Kate’s Christmas concert – for many of the bigger events these days, photo agencies include black-and-white images for some reason. I guess the palace is dictating that? Also: at the Together at Christmas event, Kate had a little mailbox set up so all of the rich children could send holiday cards to poor children. Like… does the UK not have Angel Trees? This was a perfect opportunity to ask people to bring gifts for poor kids.

2023 Christmas card courtesy of Josh Shinner for Kensington Palace, additional photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

The Beatles released their last song “Now and Then” in early November. It’s a good match tonally, as the song is very wistful and melancholic in a way that seems fitting for winter and end-of-the-year reflections. It was also a smart move for stats, giving “Now and Then” a chance to break records — which it’s still doing — before the Christmas catalogues started dominating the charts. With this new, final Beatles record, Paul McCartney is naturally thinking about his time in the band, and of course John Lennon, who wrote and recorded the first demo for “Now and Then.” On his McCartney: A Life in Lyrics podcast this week, Paul noted how grateful he is that he and John had come together (yes, I did that) again as friends before John’s untimely death.

Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s tumultuous relationship has been a sore spot since The Beatles broke up, and now, McCartney is contemplating the possibilities of what would have happened had the pair not rekindled their friendship.

McCartney, 81, opened up about the “what ifs” surrounding the situation in the Wednesday, Dec. 6, episode of iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries’ new podcast, McCartney: A Life in Lyrics.

In it, he described the pair’s reconciliation as being “super, super painful,” noting that he was “glad” he was able to mend the friendship before Lennon was murdered in 1980.

“It was super, super painful,” McCartney shared. “In the end, there was something I was very glad of when he got murdered, was that I had had some really good times with him before that happened.”

“It would have been the worst thing in the world… Had he just been killed and we still had a bad relationship. I would have just thought, ‘Oh, I should have, I should have, I should have,’” he continued. “That would have been a big guilt trip for me.”

In 1969, Lennon privately told the band we would be departing in an angry letter. It wasn’t until a year later that the rift between McCartney and Lennon — which was primarily based in a divergence of creative opinions — became public knowledge and officially led to the Beatles’ break up.

At the time, many fans blamed Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono for driving a wedge between the band members, however McCartney has previously addressed this rumor, vehemently denying that Ono was at all involved in the artists’ decision to disband.

[From Parade]

Oh man, something in the way (yes, I did it again) Paul describes “I should have, I should have, I should have,” gives me chills. That fear is so relatable. And yeah, that would have been so brutal on Paul if things had been left heated and unresolved when John was murdered. They weren’t romantic partners, but they were involved in a deeply dynamic, creative, world-changing relationship. If they hadn’t begun even the barest of a rapprochement, Paul would’ve had to carry that weight (last one, I swear) for the rest of his life. I guess Paul’s holiday gift to us is the reminder to make peace with those we love, cause we don’t know the time any of us have. (Ugh, I hate it when cheeseball sentiments are proven true! Can’t the world leave me to my sass and sarcasm?!)

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

photos credit: STARSTOCK/Photoshot / Avalon, Public Address Presseagentur / Avalon, SKR-LONDON FEATURES / Avalon and Getty

Keanu Reeves had a scary incident happen last week when a team of burglars in ski masks broke into his home and stole a firearm. According to the police, they were first called to check on the house earlier in the evening, when someone reported possible intruders. They found nothing and left. However, the alarm was tripped several hours later, sending the police back there to discover the armed intruders had already fled. It doesn’t appear that Reeves or his partner Alexandra Grant were home at the time.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told ABC7 that authorities responded to a call about possible trespassers at the “Matrix” star’s property in the Hollywood Hills at around 7 p.m. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that officers found no one there after receiving the anonymous call, but ended up heading back to the property at around 1 a.m. when an alarm sounded at the house.

Authorities reportedly said that multiple men in ski masks were seen on security cameras smashing a window and entering the property, per the report. They fled before police arrived. TMZ’s sources told the publication that the men took off with a firearm. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.

It’s not the first time that the “John Wick” star’s home has been targeted by intruders. In September 2014, the actor’s home was hit by two intruders in two days.

On the first occasion, Reeves was awoken at 4 a.m. to find a woman sleeping in his library chair, TMZ reported at the time. He woke her up and spoke to her before calling 911. The second woman walked into the property the next day when Reeves was not home, before showering and skinny-dipping in his pool. She was removed after the actor’s cleaning staff called Reeves, who called police.

Reeves and his partner, Alexandra Grant, also obtained a temporary restraining order earlier this year against a man claiming to be a relative who reportedly trespassed onto the actor’s home six times between November 2022 and Jan 2023.

[From Yahoo]

I had no idea that Keanu Reeves’ house was such a hotbed of intruder activity. I wonder if they can trace a serial number on the firearm to see if it gets sold or turns up somewhere. It’s also so Keanu to find someone sleeping in his library chair and wake them up to chat with them first. He just seems like such a kind soul.

I’m glad that each time, Reeves and now Alexandra, have been okay. However, the caper heist fan in me is curious about the call about intruders coming in first at 7:00 p.m. but the alarm going off at 1:00 a.m. What was going on at that house for six hours? Was it the perps scoping it out to time how long it would take the police to arrive or was it something more Ocean’s 11-y? I’ve seen enough movies and TV shows to create my own head canon in which it was both. USA, I think we found a potential premise for your ‘breezy drama’ revival era.

Photos credit: Vasquez/Lagossiptv/Backgrid, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, BauerGriffin/INSTARimages

Here are some photos from the LA premiere of Wonka, which was held last night. You know how Fashion Girls get the studio to pay for their stylist for promotional tours and the studio does so gladly, because it means that the premieres and promotional events will get more attention when a well-dressed woman is part of the tour? Yeah, I think Timothee Chalamet got the same deal. Timmy has really been serving at all of the Wonka premieres. He’s been wearing a lot of Tom Ford, and I suspect that this alligator-skin suit is another Ford look. It looks cool, I cannot lie. Meanwhile, Kylie Jenner came out to support Timmy at his premiere, but she did not walk the carpet. Kris Jenner was there as well, how did you think we found out about this?

Kylie Jenner is supporting boyfriend Timothée Chalamet during his big night in Los Angeles — alongside her mom, Kris Jenner! The Kylie Cosmetics founder, 26, and her mother, 68, stepped out Sunday night to attend the premiere of the actor’s new movie Wonka at the Regency Village Theatre, a source tells PEOPLE.

According to the insider, Kylie and Kris slipped into the theater following the film’s opening credits.

A source told PEOPLE on Monday that Kylie is “incredibly happy” with Chalamet and has even put a label on their romance, calling him “her boyfriend.”

As for the Dune: Part Two actor, the insider said he’s “in awe of everything” The Kardashians star “is accomplishing,” and “especially thinks she is an amazing mom.”

“He is very supportive of her career and she of his,” the source continued. “They both try to attend important events for each other. He is very good for Kylie. Since dating him, she seems very content, relaxed and focused. Her family loves him,” they added of Chalamet.

[From People]

I’m genuinely surprised that Kyliothee has lasted this long, something like eight months. They’re not hiding, but they’re also not flaunting their relationship all over the place. They haven’t even gone Instagram Official yet! But Kylie has been supporting him – she reportedly flew to London last week for his premiere and promotion there. What’s remarkable is that Kylie really is able to slip in and out of premieres without ever being photographed. Anyway, I’m rooting for them.

Also: I would totally eat that “chocolate bar” backdrop at the LA premiere.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d say: Mariah Carey and I have something in common. Unfortunately, it’s not the Hot 100 No. 1 oops I mean No. 2 Christmas song of the season. It’s that neither of us knew about White Elephant Gift Parties. These gift exchanging parties — sometimes called Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap — date back to the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries (according to the New York Times) and can have extensive rules and variations. The main gist is that the gifts exchanged are wacky, unnecessary, unwanted, or burdensome. Sounds like a party to me. In a recent interview with People Magazine, a reporter asked Mariah if she liked white elephant parties, to which Ms. Carey responded, “Say what now?”

Sure, Mariah Carey is the Queen of Christmas, but there’s one seasonal pastime she’s clueless about.

The “All I Want For Christmas Is You” singer was unaware of “white elephant parties” until a reporter for People explained them to her during an interview about her thoughts on various Christmas traditions.

Carey drew a blank when asked about “white elephant parties,” which, for the uninitiated, are parties where people trade bizarre, tacky or unwanted gifts with each other.

However, her response was sort of a gift in itself.

“I don’t know of said White Elephant Gift Party. Can you tell me about it?” Carey asked.

Once the reporter explained the concept, Carey admitted she had never participated in one, but added, “I’m always looking for a new game. Something’s fun, it’s good.”

However, she didn’t seem to be a fan of “secret Santa” gift exchanges.

“It’s just like, why? I don’t know,” she said.

Perhaps she just has other things to focus on in December. Her holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is currently the No. 2 song in the country, after Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.”

[From HuffPost]

Of course Mariah has other things to focus on right now. She’s the “Queen of Christmas” and her holiday anthem is only at No. 2 — that might as well be No. Nothing!!! Don’t pester the Queen with peasant party trivia when there’s a crisis afoot! No, I jest (kind of) about Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” being dethroned (for the time being) by a 65-year-old classic. And like I said, in this instance I totally relate to Ms. Carey. If someone had asked me before reading this news item what a White Elephant Gift Party was, my pithy reply would’ve been “a soiree for those who are unable to see Pink Elephants On Parade.” Personally, I think mine sounds like more fun. Of course, as soon as I finished writing this post I got an email from Etsy with the subject line “White elephant gifts that wow.”

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On Friday, the Princess of Wales hosted her third annual Together at Christmas piano recital. We haven’t heard anything about Kate gracing the world with her piano-key plunking yet again, but it’s completely possible that she went for a pre-taped skit which could air during the Christmas Eve broadcast, you just never know.

This was the first time all three of the Wales kids came out for the event – last year, it was just Charlotte and George, this year Louis finally got to come. Louis promptly reminded everyone why his parents rarely bring him for public events! You know he got wax everywhere and the photos of him leaning over to blow out his sister’s candle made it to all of the papers. At one point, Louis also looked like he was about to f–k with his dad’s candle. One thing I enjoy about Louis is that you can see Kate’s lacquered-on facade begin to crumble in slow-motion as her youngest acts up. Also: I really wish George didn’t have to dress up like a little stockbroker wherever he goes. Let the kid wear a Santa sweater!

As for Kate… she’s been updating her Meghan Lookbook all year, noting how many times Meghan wore all-white ensembles. Kate was particularly fond of Meghan’s Cuyana ensemble at the Invictus Games in September, which is why Kate had to put her own keen stink on it. Kate’s trousers are from Holland Cooper, her bag is by Strathberry and her earrings are Van Cleef & Arpels. The British papers made several references to a “White Christmas,” and even an “all-white Christmas,” because get it, only white royals are allowed in the UK. I’m surprised someone didn’t call it a white-power suit again. A bit on the nose for one of the royal racists.

Note by CB: Get the Top 10 stories about Kate copying Meghan’s style when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.