The Princess of Wales did two events on Thursday, January 30. She took the helicopter to South Wales and visited the Ty Hafan children’s hospice, which is her new patronage. Then she visited a Welsh textiles manufacturer called Corgi. According to People Magazine’s excessive coverage, Kate “was relaxed, welcoming and stayed longer than expected” at the hospice. At Corgi, Kate basically played on some of the machines and acted like it was just a breezy field trip. I’ve been surprised to see that the photos are not everywhere, and there doesn’t seem to be some new palace briefing in which we are being told that Kate is obviously very brave and hard-working, but she will not continue to work herself to the bone like this. Then I happened upon this curious piece in the Spectator (written by Alexander Larman). The argument is that, obviously, Kate is incredibly popular and she’s the new Princess Diana, but that’s a bad thing! For real. An excerpt:

At a time of great difficulty for the Firm, Catherine remains their greatest reputational asset. The King, Queen and Princess Anne offer reliable dignity, and Prince William, when on form, can be relied upon for matey gravitas. But it is Kate Middleton who is the most straightforwardly likeable and relatable royal, someone who engages with ‘ordinary people’ on an immediate, non-patronising level.

Catherine is, of course, recovering from her own illness, and in an affecting recent trip to the Royal Marsden, spoke about the difficulties and privations that she had undergone in her treatment. While she is now in remission, this is not the same thing as being fully cured, and although she has talked about her hopes for a ‘fulfilling year ahead’, it is inevitable that her public schedule will be a lighter one, with events like the Ty Hafan visit taking place on set-piece occasions rather than with any kind of regularity.

In this, and in many other regards, those around the Princess of Wales could usefully learn from the example of the previous holder of that title, the late Princess Diana. Like Catherine, Diana had a natural rapport with the public that came from her genuine interest in people, and she especially excelled at her interactions with children and the sick. This was noted, and used to the full – some would say exploited – by those courtiers who were desperate for any favourable publicity for their employers. That is, until such time as Diana, tiring of her show pony status, went solo (or rogue) and became a freelance Queen of Hearts, showing up the more protocol-based Firm for the hidebound institution that it inevitably was back then.

The temptation, then, is to rebrand Catherine as the new Diana, a glamorous and photogenic woman who is naturally empathetic and who manages to bring harmony to potential discord through her charitable initiatives and public interactions. Yet as the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death approaches in 2027 – and as her younger son’s glowering estrangement from his family continues to remind us – it is hard to forget that the Firm’s eagerness to push the late princess into the limelight for favourable publicity ended up being catastrophic, both for her and for them. Those who are eagerly adding in future appointments to the Princess of Wales’s schedule should look back on history, and consider dialling it down accordingly.

[From The Spectator]

So much to unpack, my God. What offends me the most is that the royalists’ approach Kate’s PR by flatly telling everyone that of course Kate is the new Diana, despite all evidence to the contrary. But even if you go along with that fantasy… Diana’s story is tragic because of the way her husband mistreated her and the way the Firm mistreated her, the way they punished her, maligned her, gaslighted her and then threw her away. Her story isn’t tragic because she left a legacy of good works, compassion and actual change in her wake. Diana dove into work because that was the only thing she found fulfilling and she genuinely wanted to make a difference and help people. Diana was absolutely exploited by the Firm, but it wasn’t as simplistic as “they forced her to work so that they could get good press!” That’s a total rewrite – the Windsors were incredibly jealous of Diana’s natural charisma, grace, likeability and ease around people. They couldn’t figure it out and they still haven’t figured it out. Which is why they think if they just tell Kate to dress up in Diana cosplay and flash Big Blue, it’s all the same.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

For years now, British tabloids and newspapers have been sending reporters to Montecito, California to stalk the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It’s a cottage industry in the UK, and I guess it’s a plum assignment for Salt Island reporters. They get an all-expenses-paid trip to California, where they get to rent a car and wander around Montecito, begging people to say something about Harry and Meghan. Every single one of the articles has a judgmental vibe – judgmental about Americans, judgmental about how “their prince” would choose to live in a quiet, elite beach community. Well, right after the Murdochs settled out of court with Prince Harry, the Murdoch-owned Times of London published this piece: “Inside Montecito, Harry and Meghan’s super-rich home town.” Yes, the Times sent a reporter to Montecito to stalk the Sussexes too, just like the Mail and the Telegraph. And that dumb German documentary. This piece is just so sad…

I realise I must be nearing Montecito, the small, unassuming, ocean-side neighbourhood north of Los Angeles that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex call home, when I hear a helicopter purring overhead. The fifth most expensive zip code in the US, here Meghan and Harry’s neighbours include Katy Perry, Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas, Neil Young, Michael Keaton, Oprah and, until recently, Ellen DeGeneres. Their newest is Gwyneth Paltrow, who’s moving into her huge eco-house with her husband, Brad Falchuk. I listen to the whirring blades in the sky and wonder if it’s Harry doing the school run. But I daren’t look up. I am too petrified. I have hired a car in the US for the first time and am bowling along an eight-lane freeway out of LA.

I am here because I have watched the trailer for Meghan’s Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, an eight-part lifestyle series (coming in March) revolving around the Sussexes’ gorgeous, sun-drenched life in Montecito. In it the duchess, glowing with honey skin and white teeth, promises to show us how baking, tablescaping and arranging flowers can be conducted “in the pursuit of joy”, making every moment magical, from sifting flour to eating lettuce.

Convinced by the jaunty soundtrack and how good Meghan looks, I decide to head to Montecito in search of such joy-filled moments for myself. I rent a convertible and take Route 101 up the coast.

They call the Santa Barbara coast the American Riviera, so I imagined I’d pull up somewhere as glamorous as the Croisette in Cannes. Instead, I arrive at an uninspiring collection of low beige bungalows housing a collection of Mom and Pop shops — a post office, a hardware store, a needlepoint shop. Surely Harry and Meghan didn’t move halfway across the world for this?

[From The Times]

You get the idea – this woman flew thousands of miles to wander around Montecito, going into stores and telling herself “I bet Meghan has been here, I hate it so much.” And that’s the whole pathetic story – these papers send their reporters to California to simply be in proximity to the Sussexes, and they’d rather do that than cover the left-behind Windsors. Like, the Princess of Wales and Prince William have been out and about a lot this year. King Charles just became the first monarch to visit Auschwitz. Poor Princess Anne had a life-altering injury last year. Y’all wanna do deep dives on any of that?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Oof, the knives are certainly out for Emilia Perez during this Oscar Voting Szn. To be fair, Emilia Perez is probably the most controversial awards-contender we’ve seen in a while. GLAAD Media practically spat at it, Mexicans despise it, and there’s a growing body of evidence that Emilia Perez’s star is a terrible person. I’m talking about Karla Sofia Gascon, the first transgender actress to ever get an Oscar nomination. She’s Spanish, playing a Mexican character. There have already been so many controversies – the film used AI on Karla’s voice; Selena Gomez’s Spanish is apparently pretty terrible, and Karla blamed the backlash on… Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres. And now this… people did some digging on Karla’s social media, and she has a long history of saying offensive, bigoted and racist sh-t.

“Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón is under fire for a series of social media posts to her account on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which the actor appears to express controversial views on Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars.

The posts, many of which were deleted on Thursday after they were resurfaced by journalist Sarah Hagi, were largely posted between 2020 and 2021. One example, dated Nov. 22, 2020: “I’m Sorry, Is it just my impression or is there more muslims in Spain? Every time I go to pick up my daughter from school there are more women with their hair covered and their skirts down to their heels. Next year instead of English we’ll have to teach Arabic.” (Variety has independently translated the tweets.)

Another post from Sept. 2, 2020, attached to photo of a Muslim family in a restaurant, including a woman in a burka, reads: “Islam is marvelous, without any machismo. Women are respected, and when they are so respected they are left with a little squared hole on their faces for their eyes to be visible and their mouths, but only if she behaves. Although they dress this way for their own enjoyment. How DEEPLY DISGUSTING OF HUMANITY.”

The commentary appears to extend to other religions as well. In a post from Aug. 16, 2021, Gascón writes, “I am so sick of so much of this shit, of islam, of christianity, of catholicism and of all the f–king beliefs of morons that violate human rights.”

Along with her posts about Islam, Gascón posted a long thread about George Floyd just days after he was killed by a police officer, inspiring protests across the U.S. “I really think that very few people ever cared about George Floyd, a drug addict swindler, but his death has served to once again demonstrate that there are people who still consider black people to be monkeys Without rights and consider policemen to be assassins,” she posted. “They’re all wrong.”

In a follow-up post, Gascón added, “Too many things to reflect on regarding the behavior of our species every time an event occurs. Perhaps it is no longer a question of racism, but of social classes that feel threatened by each other. Maybe that’s the only real difference.”

Gascón, who is the first openly trans actor to be nominated for an Academy Award, also weighed in on the Oscar ceremony from 2021, the first held following the COVID pandemic in which “Nomadland” won best picture. “More and more the #Oscars are looking like a ceremony for independent and protest films, I didn’t know if I was watching an Afro-Korean festival, a Black Lives Matter demonstration or the 8M,” Gascón wrote. “Apart from that, an ugly, ugly gala.”

[From Variety]

I’m including Sarah Hagi’s screencaps of Karla’s tweets below. Karla really tweeted and said all of that. I remember when I covered Shakira and Gerard Pique’s split and falling out, and Pique said some really hostile sh-t about Shakira’s South American fans. Someone told me that many Spanish people still have a very colonialist attitude, mostly directed at Latin Americans, but it can go larger than that. It just feels like Karla is a very close-minded bigot and not some ally to marginalized communities in any way, shape or form. It’s like… Caitlyn Jenner, but Spanish. Also: Karla apologized last night, you can read it here – it’s not a good apology at all. They also found some horrible tweets about Angelina Jolie too.

it’s so insane that karla sofía gascón still has these tweets up. straight up have never seen tweets this racist from someone actively campaigning to win an ACADEMY AWARD. there are more than a dozen… pic.twitter.com/1rcNzkJXuo

— sarah hagi (@KindaHagi) January 30, 2025

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

It’s astounding that millions of people forgot what it was like in the first Trump term, the daily onslaught of incompetence, cruelty, bad policy, lies, bigotry, racism and hate. During the Biden administration, I could go weeks without thinking about the presidency, nor was I ever worried that President Biden would lose his temper and defund the government or fire every federal employee, or blame a plane crash on DEI. Apparently, that’s what millions of Americans wanted, so they’re getting what they asked for. So here we are… not even two full weeks into Donald Trump’s second term and his incompetence has already killed 67 people. 64 people died on the American Airlines plane, which crashed into a US Army blackhawk (with three people inside) over the Potomac. It’s actually looking more like the blackhawk crashed into the plane, btw. There are reportedly no survivors. It’s incredibly tragic and tributes and stories are coming in for the people who lost their lives.

On January 20, FAA administrator Michael Whitaker stepped down after Elon Musk demanded that he quit. Musk beefed with Whitaker because of the FAA’s oversight of Musk’s company, and Whitaker knew that he would be fired by Donald Trump anyway. Additionally, in the first 24 hours of the Trump presidency, Trump was already f–king with air traffic controllers and the FAA, and the effect was felt immediately – there was not adequate staffing at Reagan airport’s air-traffic-control station on the night of the crash.

Basically, it took everyone a matter of minutes to compile comprehensive evidence of why the Potomac plane crash was Donald Trump’s fault. Which is why he panicked, threw on some burnt sienna makeup and waddled to the White House press room for a press conference on Thursday. He immediately blamed the Potomac crash on… DEI, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. That’s their latest “racist dog-whistle.” Previously, everything was blamed on “woke” or “critical race theory” or “Obama’s birth certificate.” Trump also blamed President Biden for the crash too. After the press conference, Trump waddled back into the Oval Office and they set up a little play for him. They had him sign a document assigning blame for the crash on Joe Biden and DEI.

Insanity — Trump signs an order blaming Biden and DEI for flight dangers pic.twitter.com/rsrxItGEkP

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2025

Vance also tried to do clean-up on Trump’s DEI-caused-a-plane-crash mess, telling reporters that DEI is absolutely to blame here, because white people get so stressed out by the thought of Black people existing, they crash planes.

Vance is saying that even if no black people were involved in the crash, the stress of having to work with black people makes the white employees blameless https://t.co/PUjVcvhL6G

— vituperativeerb (@vituperativeerb) January 30, 2025

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Unsurprisingly, Robert Kennedy Jr’s Senate confirmation hearing is going poorly. The man is a moron and a liar (also not a surprise). [Jezebel]
Are Dua Lipa & Callum Turner engaged? Did you see that video where they were dancing by the Eiffel Tower? They’re very cute together. [LaineyGossip]
What is the stupidly awesome twist in Hulu’s Paradise? [Pajiba]
I guess Demi Moore will wear Armani at the Oscars. [RCFA]
Oscar prediction poll! [Buzzfeed]
Anna Kournikova was seen publicly for the first time in two years. [JustJared]
Lynda Carter went to Paris Fashion Week! [Socialite Life]
These two Russian figure skaters were in the plane crash on the Potomac. [Hollywood Life]
How are we already on Terrifier 4? [Seriously OMG]
Charlie’s Angels reunited to campaign for Demi Moore. [OMG Blog]

On Tuesday, Prince William, aka Farmer Huevo, wore his country-gentleman cosplay and toured one of the many farms owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. William brought photographers to capture him playing on farm equipment, sniffing things and touching worms. He flew in on his helicopter, asked the farmers about the cost of living crisis, their environmental initiatives and their mental health, then he left by helicopter. All of that is just… typical Peg. But there was a wrinkle. Apparently, William was overheard speaking about “Harry.”

Prince William was overheard discussing someone named “Harry” being unwell during his visit to a Duchy of Cornwall estate yesterday.

“Harry’s better now… he’s been poorly,” the Prince of Wales said whilst walking alongside an unidentified man at Lower Blakemere Farm.

“Harry has?” the man replied.

“Yes he’s been under the weather,” William responded, according to video footage from the engagement.

The conversation took place as the pair entered the farm, where the Prince was due to meet local farmers.

Sources told the Mail that the Prince of Wales was not referring to his brother, the Duke of Sussex, during this exchange.

The clarification comes amid the ongoing distance between the royal siblings, who have maintained publicly frosty relations in recent years.

William, 42, was speaking with an unidentified gentleman during his tour of the Duchy estate in Hereford.

[From GB News]

I’ll criticize and mock William for just about anything, but I have no conspiracy tingles with this one. I believe William probably said something about “Harry is poorly” but he probably was referring to another Harry. It’s England – there are a lot of guys named Harry over there. Given that he was speaking to a farmer, the “Harry” in question was probably a mutual acquaintance, perhaps someone who works for the Duchy. That’s another thing – I can’t see one of William’s tenants asking him about his brother, nor do I believe that William would answer a question about his brother in this way. Besides, Prince Harry is looking fresh-faced and healthy whenever we see him these days.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Super Bowl LIX is happening on Sunday, February 9. I’ve never been a big football fan, but I enjoy having the excuse for a small gathering and the excuse to eat greasy food and drink beer. Super Bowl calories don’t count, right? Anyway, I’ve always been a big baseball fan, but never really got into football. Still, I always enjoy watching the Super Bowl, probably because I generally don’t care who wins.

ICYMI, this year’s Super Bowl is a rematch from two years ago when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles. The big deal in 2023 was the showdown between the Kelce brothers, who were playing on opposite teams. This year, however, Jason Kelce is retired, but his wife, Kylie, is still a Philly girl at heart. Naturally, everyone is super curious to know if Jason is going to root for his former team or for his brother’s team. I’ve also been wondering that myself. Well, on the most recent episode of Jason and Travis’ podcast, New Heights, Jason set the record straight: He’s not going to say which team he’s rooting for this year, but he is rooting for… Cher?!

Jason Kelce knows exactly who he is cheering on at this year’s Super Bowl! And it’s not who you’d expect.

The retired Philadelphia Eagles center, 37, said on the latest episode of his New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast released on Wednesday, Jan. 29 that he is supporting legendary singer Cher at the Super Bowl instead of his former team or his brother Travis Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jason said as a surprise fan of the music icon, “Anytime somebody asks me who I’m rooting for, I’m gonna say I’m rooting for Cher,” while also discussing the singer’s recent iHeart Radio Music Awards nomination in competition with Travis, 35, for best surprise guest.

Travis understood the sentiment raving over Cher’s 1998 hit “Believe,” saying, “The one song, man, will be forever one of my favorite songs.”

Jason also jammed out to the track multiple times throughout Wednesday’s episode as he got excited for the upcoming Super Bowl. Moments earlier in the episode, Travis shared his reaction to the nomination he received for his cameo at his girlfriend Taylor Swift’s London Eras show in June 2024. “Thank you for the nomination, iHeart. I had a blast, surprising everyone over there in London,” he said.

Switching back to the Super Bowl, Jason said in the episode that in reality, he is rooting for both his former team and for his younger brother Travis — who will aim for a record-breaking third-straight win with the Chiefs — in what is sure to be a night of mixed emotions.

“That’s the reality of it. No matter what on game day, I’m gonna be happy for one of those sides, and I’m gonna be sad for the other side,” Jason, who was decked out in Eagles gear during the episode, said. “And it’s similar to the last time we played. I mean, maybe a little bit less intense because I’m not playing now, but I think it’s gonna be very, very similar. I really do.”

Jason, who lives in Philadelphia with his wife Kylie Kelce and their children, went on to say that he “still feel[s] like I am a Philadelphia Eagle and that I’m a part of all of these people that root and cheer on our team.”

While the retired NFL star shared that he will be happy to see both teams win the Super Bowl, he admitted that he “can’t bring himself” to wear the Chiefs’ color red.

Jason’s wife Kylie, who is expecting their fourth child, will also not be wearing red as a longtime Eagles fan, he shared. Noting that he plans to wear New Heights merchandise instead, Jason said of his wife, “I don’t even think she’s gonna be [wearing red] this time around,” to which Travis jokingly exclaimed, “Kylie!”

[From People]

I totally don’t blame Jason/am not surprised that he won’t say who he is rooting for. Why should he? He really does have the best of both worlds right now, doesn’t he? I completely understand still having allegiance to your former team, especially having just left it a year ago. I bet it’s also really relaxing for their parents, Donna and Ed, to not have to worry about which son to root for this year. I have two sons and it’s stressful for me to even hypothetically imagine them playing against each other in such a big game. I am totally going to pay attention to Kylie’s reactions during the game, though. You know she doesn’t give a f-ck and will be rooting for her hometown Eagles. All that said, I think Jason is on the right track with his choice of songs. “Believe” *is* a jam. Since I have no horse in this race, so I’m gonna root for Cher now, too.

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Photos are screenshots from YouTube/New Heights Podcast and credit Getty

Tomorrow is Carole Middleton’s 70th birthday. The Daily Mail has been celebrating like Carole is a full-time working royal in need of embiggening. They’ve published several bizarre pieces about Carole this week, including a piece about her diet and figure, and one about how Carole is so much like Queen Elizabeth II. They come close to calling Carole part of the Greatest Generation, I swear to God. But nothing beats this lengthy piece which serves as a mulligan on Carole’s shameful financial catastrophe, like it never even happened, and her poor management and house of cards didn’t leave a trail of destruction. This Mail piece ends by suggesting, yet again, that Carole is due for an honorary title. *wipes tear away* She is the queen mother, after all.

Of all the absurd portrayals in Netflix’s multi-million- pound series The Crown, Carole Middleton’s must be up there with the silliest and cruellest. ‘Heels not flats,’ she barks at her daughter on the phone, ahead of the famous St Andrews University fashion show in 2002, where Kate supposedly wowed her future husband by strolling down the catwalk in a see-through dress.
‘You still want to show off those legs. It’s our duty to make use of the assets God has given us.’

Carole is immortalised throughout the final series, released in 2023, as a grasping, scheming, ruthless social climber who repeatedly tried to fling her eldest daughter in Prince William’s path from childhood. It’s so ludicrously pantomime dame, it’s almost comedic. But then Carole Middleton, the real Carole Middleton, is no stranger to barbs and character assassinations.

‘She’s pushy, rather twee and incredibly middle class,’ one particularly snotty source said of Carole at the time. ‘She uses words such as ‘pleased to meet you’, ‘toilet’ and ‘pardon’.’ Carole was sniggered at for growing up in a council house, becoming a British Airways air hostess and reportedly chewing nicotine gum at Prince William’s Sandhurst passing-out ceremony in 2006.

Looking back now, on Carole Middleton’s 70th birthday, the flak that was thrown her way seems almost unbelievable given how admired she has become as the Middleton matriarch, especially after Kate’s cancer diagnosis, and the solid and unwavering role she’s played, particularly in the past year. When Kate was first spotted in public two months after her surgery last January, it was sitting beside her mother in the car.

In Kate’s personal Instagram video, released last September after her chemotherapy finished, there were scenes of the children on the swings at home in Norfolk, her and William lying on a blanket on the nearby beach, but notably also Kate’s parents – Carole and Michael – playing card games around the table. This appearance of the Middleton parents was very ‘telling’, a source reveals, adding that Carole was the family linchpin who often did the school run during this period, driving the children – and her daughter – there and back so that Kate could still be part of their daily routine.

I wonder what her critics would have preferred: that William had married a Sloaney blonde whose mother spent most of her time looking after the Labradors and arranging flowers at church?

The only question now is whether the Middletons will be granted a title – as grandparents of a future king, and to reward them for their unstinting loyalty and discretion over the past two decades. Middleton family friend and business tycoon Sir John Madejski has previously called for this. ‘They should be the Earl and Countess of Bucklebury,’ he said in 2014. ‘They deserve it. They are great people and really good role models.’

When Prince George was born in 2013, there were rumours of tension between the-then Prince Charles and the Middletons over who saw the new baby first. Classic grandparent stuff. But in recent years, the King is said simply to be grateful for the support they’ve shown his son, so perhaps an earldom is somewhere down the line, although insiders say this is more likely to happen when William becomes king. I can’t imagine it would change anything other than Carole’s notepaper, because she understands all too well that her role is to be the soft power behind the throne.

[From The Daily Mail]

I said last year, when the Middletons were suddenly allowed back into society events, that a deal had been struck between the Middletons and the Windsors. I still believe that, and I believe we’re seeing the deal continue to play out this week, with these old-school, sugary briefings from Middleton HQ. The Middletons suddenly had cards to play last year and they played their hand to ensure that they were allowed back at Wimbledon and Royal Ascot, and that Carole would get credit for being the “linchpin” holding this mess together. This reads to me like Carole is pushing for even more. That being said, the Mail is definitely mocking Carole – the Sloaney blonde crack was so pointed, you know Carole’s skin got pierced. That IS what many people wanted, for William to not marry into this tacky grifter family.

Top 10 stories about the Middletons’ shady finances

Party Pieces, the Middletons’ business, owed £2.6 million to creditors and hadn’t paid their landlord or suppliers in months! Get the top 10 stories about the Middletons’ shady finances when you sign up for our mailing list. I only send one email a day on weekdays. 

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Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Netflix.

There’s been a rash of royal stories in recent weeks about “royal warrants.” This is the Windsors’ version of endorsements – when they give a company, fashion house or particular person a royal warrant, that company gets to use some kind of fancy seal and tell everyone that they provide lotions, chocolate or buttons to the royal household. In the Carolean era, it’s taken this long for new warrants to be issued (and various QEII-era warrants to be removed). Well, Queen Camilla issued a slew of royal warrants in 2025: warrants for three of her dressmakers, Roy Allen, Fiona Clare and Anna Valentine; one for her hairdresser Jo Hansford; one for her milliner Philip Treacy, and one for Camilla’s facialist Deborah Mitchell. I know for a fact that Jo Hansford is a petty B who loves to gossip (remember this interview?), but I didn’t know that Camilla would also give her facialist the green light to give interviews. That’s what happened – Mitchell gave an exclusive to People Magazine, and I was laughing out loud at some of these sycophantic quotes. Did Camilla write these talking points herself?

Camilla is a beautiful person: “The Queen is just amazing,” Deborah Mitchell, the British facialist and skincare expert whose healing hands are regularly called upon at the palace, tells PEOPLE. “I’ve known for 18 years what a beautiful person she is. She’s beautiful on both the inside and outside and always has been.”

Receiving her new royal warrant: “It’s just such a wonderful feeling, and to have it for both my products and my treatments, it’s so special,” says the 59-year-old businesswoman, who started her company as an 18-year-old beautician making beauty products from her kitchen table because she couldn’t afford the premium brands. “I’m flying high!” Mitchell exclaims.

Camilla loves a bee venom product: “When I first met the Queen, I couldn’t even tell my Mum! I would go off to Clarence House and all these other places in secret,” she says. “She thought I was doing another celebrity! Nobody knew, I couldn’t say a word, but occasionally she would say how much she loved my bee venom products, and eventually the palace confirmed it to the press.” In fact, Camilla was one of Mitchell’s first ever clients to try her signature anti-aging bee venom products, which combine honey and her patented ingredient — organic Abeetoxin, derived from milking bees to extract their healing venom.

Camilla loves the Bee Venom Facial: “When she first had my Bee Venom Facial, she absolutely loved it, and it’s still her favorite,” Mitchell says. “She buys everything from the range!” Camilla’s ultimate favorite is the Gold Bee Venom Mask (which is made in limited supplies of 500 pots per country), which contains rare venom from the Queen bee. “There’s a little tingle when it goes onto the skin, but it doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t harm the bees,” Mitchell says. “It’s an incredible ingredient as it’s smooths your face, even the static lines, something even Botox can’t do. It’s pretty astounding.”

Camilla spends a fortune for her skin to look like that: In between appointments — which Mitchell reveals occur “more than once a month” — she says Camilla has an impressive at-home beauty routine, using her entire range of products. “I can do a treatment and so many weeks later, I’ll go back and just go ‘Wow’ because she really looks after her skin,” she says. “I honestly think she is going back in time! She has incredibly young skin.”

Mitchell has other royal clients: In addition to Camilla, the beauty expert says she does have other clients within the royal family. “I do see the King, and when I get a royal warrant from him, I’ll be allowed to say more!”

[From People]

For some of this, I was doing a double-take… like, we’re talking about CAMILLA, right? Not QEII, who had lovely skin well into her 90s? The same Camilla who has notoriously bad skin and does not look like she spends a fortune on her skincare? I’m as shocked as everyone else that Camilla even has a permanent facialist on retainer. Like… that’s a royal warrant which might come back to bite poor Deborah Mitchell on the ass. “You’re a royal facialist to whom? CAMILLA?? Oh, that’s your work? Nevermind.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

The Princess of Wales covered last week’s People Mag, all about her “life in remission.” It had the feel of something organized by Kensington Palace, full of vague statements about Kate’s solitary bravery and how she’s “drawn a line under the last year” but will not be back to work as usual for the foreseeable future. There was also that weird suggestion that Kate always went to chemotherapy alone, with no support from her husband, mother, sister or friends. Well, I guess Us Weekly also got a call, because Kate is a “Princess Under Pressure” this week. The pressure? People want Kate to work and she doesn’t want to. I sh-t you not. Some highlights from the cover story:

Kate has become “Britain’s most revered royal”: But adoration also breeds expectations. And now that Kate is in remission, jubilant news she also announced on January 14, the pressure is on for more face time with the public. “All eyes are on Kate for when she returns to work,” a source tells Us Weekly in the latest cover story. And that could become stressful. “Part of the issue is she’s so popular and gets so much attention. It’s like any royal event she attends has a halo around it and goes well, so the public wants as much of her as possible.”

The palace wants more Keen: The palace may also be keen for more Kate time for strategic reasons: Her star power is a publicity bonanza for the embattled sovereign family, which is still reeling from Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 death, the defection of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, to California and the taint of Prince Andrew’s connection with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Charles’s uncertain health: There’s also the shadow of uncertainty over King Charles’ health. His shocking cancer diagnosis in February 2024 cast a new sense of urgency on William, 42, and Kate, the reigning monarchs-in-waiting. “Knowing that Catherine is available, supporting William and also supporting the monarchy, is, I think, really important to him right now,” royals expert Ed Owens tells Us of Charles, 76. “He knows the institution is only as strong as the personalities that front it.”

Kate’s steel will: According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, the massive focus on Kate could be a two-edged sword. “There’s enormous support and public sympathy for Catherine,” he notes. “However, nothing alters the pressure in the ‘royal goldfish bowl’ of the world’s most high-profile monarchy.” Still, royal expert Christopher Andersen tells Us Kate has “a will of steel, and the palace knows it. So they are wisely sitting back and letting her determine when and how and at what pace she is returning to public life.”

Kate’s not actually under any pressure: While some insiders fear that Kate may be too quick to jump back into the royal fray, she appears to be using trademark good judgment and taking things slow so as not to jeopardize her ongoing recovery. (A second source agrees her return is gradual and that the princess isn’t feeling “under pressure.”)

This is completely false: However, Kate is “not a person who likes to sit on her hands,” royal historian Marlene Koenig tells Us. “She’s shown such grace. Even in her illness, she recognized the responsibility of her privilege and did what she could, whether it was just a word of comfort or a message or speaking to people involved with her different charities.”

Kate still lives at Adelaide?? At Adelaide Cottage, the tranquil four-bedroom home in Windsor where she and William moved in 2022 to escape the chaos of London, she’s settled into a steady post-crisis routine. “They’re spending this time to give their three children a foundation of stability for when they’re far more on the public stage,” says Koenig. “They will have responsibilities that they don’t have now.”

The longevity of the role?? As she prepares to step into the role of queen one day, Kate also relies on her husband to keep her best interests at heart. “William has always been fiercely protective of [Kate], and if anyone is going to slow her down, it’s going to be William telling her to take it easy,” notes Koenig. “He knows it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And the longevity of her role as the Princess of Wales is most important.”

[From Us Weekly]

“Her star power is a publicity bonanza for the embattled sovereign family.” Yes and no. Kate is by far the most well-known and well-liked royal woman over there. That’s what happens when you wage a racist hate campaign against your only real “competition.” But what astounds me is that Kate’s “star power” has never been valued by the royal establishment whatsoever, and even less so these days. In fact, there have been several moments where it feels like Kate is being purposefully benched and hidden away because they hate how much attention she gets. Alongside that… Kate isn’t under pressure. No one in the Firm is demanding more Kate, and the royal rota has been successfully placated by a handful of public appearances and a purposefully vague-yet-still-shifting cover story.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.