While I’m extremely wary of Page Six’s royal coverage and their motives, even I have to admit that Page Six has run more than a few pro-Sussex stories over the past year. It’s pretty weird and I don’t know what’s going on. During the whole “controversy” over the paparazzi chase in New York this past May, Page Six even ran several confirmations of the Sussexes’ version of events. The outlet – part of The New York Post and owned by News Corp – has been running positive stories about what Meghan’s next business moves could be. Like, it feels as if they’re trying to be a more Sussex-friendly outlet. For what it’s worth. All of which to say, Page Six has an exclusive on the whole “Hugh Grosvenor won’t invite the Sussexes to his wedding next June” story. And Page Six’s version is A) very likely and B) hilarious.

Prince Harry declined to attend his posh pal the Duke of Westminster’s wedding to avoid an awkward clash with his brother Prince William and other family members amid their boiling family feud, Page Six can reveal.

He got a “Save the Date” card to the wedding next summer — but then called the Duke, Hugh Grosvenor, personally to say it would be best if he and his wife, Meghan Markle, didn’t come. It would have been the first meeting between Markle and Kate Middleton since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022. His decision was made well before new tensions with his brother caused by the publication of controversial author Omid Scobie’s “Endgame” last week, which launched new salvoes against William and his wife Kate Middleton, including naming her in a Dutch translation as one of the alleged “royal racists.”

Harry and Markle have kept silent over the book and the mounting storm over it.

Both Harry, 39, and his older brother Prince William, 41, are BFFs with Hugh Grosvenor, who is godfather to both their sons, Prince George and Prince Archie. However, a storm erupted when the Sunday Times claimed that Grosvenor chose future King William over Harry to attend his wedding to Olivia Henson next summer to avoid a clash among the warring brothers.

But a source told us: “Harry actually got a ‘save the date’ card a few months ago but called Hugh and said it would be too awkward if he and Meghan Markle attended, so he made his apologies and Hugh understood.”

[From Page Six]

Yeah, I think this is entirely possible. I think it’s highly probable that this is exactly what happened – that Hugh sent out invitations to the Sussexes and the Waleses, and Harry already told Hugh that they would be unlikely to attend. Then William heard about it and twisted the whole thing into “William threw a tantrum and Hugh succumbed, all to snub Harry!” I still say that William’s behavior has been utterly classless, and I would imagine that has not gone unnoticed by the aristos. William leaking all of this sh-t about the Grosvenor wedding to his favorite royal reporter is really tacky and obvious.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Spoilers from 2019 for Game of Thrones and Avengers: Endgame
The weekend of April 26, 2019 was an eventful one for us nerds. It was the weekend that The Avengers: Endgame opened in theaters and that the Season 8 episode of Game of Thrones, “The Long Night” aired. The Internet was abuzz trying to figure out which of our beloved characters from each franchise would survive the weekend. It was a whole thing. “The Long Night” ended up having one really cool moment for Ayra Stark, but otherwise, all of the main cast survived. The same could not be said for Avengers: Endgame. We *spoiler* lost the Black Widow and Iron Man, two superheroes that had basically been there since the beginning of Marvel’s incredible multi-phase journey. Both deaths, particularly Tony’s, were emotional.

Four years later, the MCU is struggling. My personal belief for that is threefold: 1. Fans gave their emotional-all over the course of 11 years for phases 1-3; 2. Phases 4 and 5 involved too much homework, requiring viewers to watch movies and subscription-only TV shows to understand everything going on; and 3. Superhero fatigue. Because of this, none of the newer MCU movies have really caught on with audiences. So, of course, rumors recently arose that the studio was trying to bring back the original Avengers, including Tony Stark/Iron Man, forcing Marvel’s captain Kevin Feige to release a statement denying this.

Marvel fans shouldn’t be checking for Robert Downey Jr. to reprise his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel universe. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that despite reports otherwise, there are no plans to resurrect the character after Downey Jr.’s last appearance in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

“We are going to keep that moment and not touch that moment again,” Feige said. “We all worked very hard for many years to get to that, and we would never want to magically undo it in any way.”

Downey Jr. was hesitant to even do reshoots for “Endgame,” according to the film’s co-director Joe Russo. “We’d already said tearful goodbyes on the last day of shooting. Everybody had moved on emotionally,” Russo told publication. “We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it — ever.”

His brother Anthony Russo, who co-directed “Endgame,” added, “That was a difficult thing for him to do, to come back to pick up that line.”

“When he (Downey Jr.) did come back, we were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark,” Anthony Russo said. “So his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role.”

[From CNN]

One of the things that made Tony’s death so sad was that his very last line was a repeat of the line that closed out the very first Iron Man movie. It came full circle. To me, that made it all the more final. I know Marvel is trying to go the comic book route in keeping its main players around by taking advantage of the multiverse. That may (emphasis on may) have worked if they hadn’t expanded to Disney+ shows, but it appears they may have f–ked around and found out by putting those shows (with complicated plots) behind paywall.

All that said, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I really liked RDJ as Tony Stark, Chris Evans as Capt. America, and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Part of me would love to see them all come back again. But, all good things must end and we got pretty satisfying conclusions for two-out-of-three of those characters. I felt the same for Loki at the end of the second season of Loki and even that show was a multiverse of mindf–kery. Honestly, I think that Marvel Studios needs to regroup and make things simpler for viewers again. Salud to RDJ, ScarJo, Evans, and (I think?) Tom Hiddleston for all they gave to fans.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Avengers (@avengers)

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: David Acosta/Image Press Agency/Avalon, James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Getty

Here’s a holiday story that makes my vintage heart happy: the nostalgic hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” has just topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the first time in its 65-year history. Recorded in 1958, the rollicking tune made it to No. 14 in 1960. Over the last few years it’s risen to No. 2, beaten out by, you know it, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The two songs have switched places for the moment, and 78-year-old singer Brenda Lee is getting a sentimental feeling in the new old-fashioned way:

On Monday, Billboard confirmed that Lee’s classic holiday tune had appeared atop this week’s Hot 100 chart, which measures the 100 most popular songs in the U.S. Not surprisingly, the list is populated at the moment by a number of Christmas staples, including Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Lee celebrated the achievement with a short note on her Instagram Stories.

“We did it, Brendanators!” she wrote.

At 78, Lee becomes the oldest performer in history to top the Hot 100. Her tune also sets a new record for the longest gap between a song’s release and its appearance in the top spot. The previous record holder was “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which took 25 years to make the journey.

Though many assume her raspy, rockabilly voice to be that of a more mature performer, Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958. The song was written by Johnny Marks, who also wrote the holiday standards “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Silver and Gold,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “I Hear the Bells on Christmas Day.”

Two years after its initial release, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” entered Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first time, coming in at No. 14.

Much like “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” the song skyrockets in airplay annually between Thanksgiving and Christmas. For the past four years, it’s reached a peak position of No. 2, kept from the top spot by — what else? — “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is Lee’s third No. 1 song. The Georgia-born singer previously topped the Hot 100 chart with “I’m Sorry” and “I Want To Be Wanted.” Both songs were released in 1960.

“I would’ve never thought in my wildest dreams that ‘Rockin’’ would be my signature song,” Lee, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, told The New York Times in an interview published last month.

After joking that she and Carey were Christmas competitors, Lee added: “Oh, there’s room for everybody. Her song’s good, too. I love her singing.”

[From HuffPost]

“Her song’s good, too.” That just about killed me. The shade of it all! No, I know Brenda was merely joking (probably). But it’s still a ballsy move to take on Ms. Mariah Carey in her peak season. And for that chutzpah, she’s converted me to a Brendanator! Billboard reported that “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” became only the third holiday song ever to reach No. 1, joining “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” And what is the remaining of the three songs? Of all the varied and fine Christmas music in the world? Come on, you know. The only other holiday song to hit No. 1 is none other than “The Chipmunk Song.” I kind of love that we live in a world where this is true.

“Rockin’” reaching No. 1 was likely helped along by the fact that its first-ever music video was released last month, starring Brenda Lee (of course) with appearances by Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood. Golden oldie fans and new Brendanators like me can catch Brenda performing her chart-topping hit December 7 in Christmas at the Opry on NBC.

Photos credit: Judy Eddy/Cover Images, London Features/Avalon and screenshots from YouTube

Cardi B & Offset unfollowed each other… are they breaking up? [Hollywood Life]
Andrew Scott & Claire Foy looked amazing at the British Independent Film Awards. They should do a movie together!! [GFY]
Again, stop throwing stuff at celebrities! [Socialite Life]
Lily Gladstone is so beautiful but this dress is meh!! [LaineyGossip]
I totally forgot that Sean Austin is a nepo baby. [Pajiba]
Non-Americans cannot comprehend the American way of life – our tipping culture, our abundant flags, our beautiful, patriotic ice. [Buzzfeed]
Dominic West reveals why his son isn’t in The Crown anymore. [JustJared]
Horoscopes for December! [OMG Blog]
Lisa Rinna looks crazy & hilarious in this pic. [Seriously OMG]
Lupita Nyong’o wore Chanel to the Academy Museum gala (we didn’t have these pics or else I would have covered the event). [RCFA]
Tracey Edmonds & Deion Sanders called off their engagement. [The Root]

The Princess of Wales stepped out today for her first solo event since being accidentally named as one of the “racist royals” in a mistranslated edition of Omid Scobie’s Endgame. Kate was out last week, but she was with William when they attended the Royal Variety show. Today, Kate stepped out at St Thomas’ Hospital to open up the Evelina London Children’s Day Surgery Unit. Kate has been patron of Evelina London since 2018, part of the larger move to put Kate in positions where she gets photo-ops with kids.

Kate wore a McQueen suit, and she has this exact pantsuit cut in a half-dozen colors. This might be the first time I’m seeing the teal/blue version, but she also has this identical suit in white, pale pink, eggplant purple and I think she has it in black as well. All of those pantsuits were bought after the Duchess of Sussex began wearing pants at royal events.

Predictably, this Karen made sure that she got photos with a Black woman. See, you guys? She can’t be racist, she made sure she had a diversity prop in photos! “Hello, nice to meet you, how dark are your children? I have concerns.”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

This is truly one of the biggest scandals of the month: the Duchess of Sussex was pap’d in Montecito on Monday and, in the photos, she’s smiling. The Windsors have been outed as racists in a mistranslated Dutch edition of Endgame and you’re smiling?? The British monarchy is in crisis and they’re openly begging Meghan to save their asses and she’s just wandering around Montecito without a care in the world?? LMAO. The Daily Mail ran the photos as an exclusive (my guess: the pics cost six figures) with this hysterical headline: “Not a care in the world? Meghan Markle is pictured SMILING in first sighting since royals accused of racism were named in Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s new book.” Hahahahaha.

A smiling Meghan Markle was out and about in California on Monday, seemingly without a care in the world as the furor over the ‘racist royals’ continues back in England. The 42-year-old was spotted in Santa Barbara, a few miles from her Montecito mansion, seemingly oblivious to the firestorm raging in her husband Prince Harry’s home country.

The California-born mother-of-two was dressed down in black leggings and a black long-sleeved t-shirt, with a green baseball cap. Markle wore a pair of $100 New Balance 327 sneakers, and her favorite Krewe sunglasses, which retail for around $400.

It wasn’t clear if she was en route to the gym: her husband has been spotted working out in a Santa Barbara gym, and Markle is known for her love of yoga. As she strolled the beachfront Californian city, 5,000 miles away the royal row sparked by her former ally’s book rumbled on.

[From The Daily Mail]

‘Atta girl. Keep smiling, Meg. I hope she’s having a great holiday season. Does anyone want to talk about her shoes? I still love New Balance, by far the most comfortable sneaker brand. But the problem I’ve always had with New Balance is that the shoes are basically unwearable after a couple of months, mostly because of the poor quality of the shoe’s interior. I moved to Asics for my walks and hikes and one pair can last for a lot longer than New Balance.

Not a care in the world? Meghan Markle is pictured SMILING in first sighting since royals accused of racism were named in Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s new book https://t.co/Am6BkTdmAD pic.twitter.com/vJypAsOgAC

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) December 5, 2023

Meghan Markle seen SMILING in first sighting since royals accused of racism were named https://t.co/jwrXaOXXGC

— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) December 5, 2023

Photos courtesy of Instar.

As many have noted, we’re in the middle of yet another “Panic! At the Palace” newscycle. Kensington Palace is in full meltdown mode and Kate’s people have sent out talking points to all of their friendliest media allies. The thing is, the game is pretty tired and Camilla Tominey is one of the few who took the bait. The Middletons’ big “tell” for their panic is when they authorize Gary Goldsmith to put his name on some Daily Mail screed. Dodgy Uncle Gary, a convicted domestic abuser, is trotted out every few months to verbally canonize his niece and clap back on Kate’s enemies. The thing is, I doubt Gary even writes this drivel. Some highlights from messy Gary’s latest screed:

His feelings on Omid Scobie’s Endgame: His book made me feel nauseous. I had to put it down many times because the content made me so angry and I haven’t even been able to finish it. It’s such a character assassination of William and Kate in particular, who is mentioned an extraordinary 291 times. There is even a chapter devoted to her, Kate, my niece! And now we’re even being told that Kate has been ‘accidentally’ named as the supposed royal racist, along with her father-in-law, King Charles, in the Dutch translation of the book.

Racist Kate: Somehow, the names of two of the most upstanding members of the Royal Family were in the manuscript when it was sent to Dutch translators, in a passage about an exchange of letters between Meghan and Charles regarding members of the Royal Family and unconscious bias. It’s utterly ridiculous to consider that Kate is a racist. Racism isn’t something which is inherent in anyone. It comes from an environment. Both Kate’s mum Carole and I grew up in Southall, West London. Colour, race, age, creed and religious beliefs have never been a factor in our friendships or values. To think Kate would buck that trend is totally bonkers.

Old news! The whole book is just a tapestry of gibber and falsehoods sewn together with his personal opinion. It is Scobie milking his relationship with the Sussexes for every cent it’s worth and stirring up a pot which has been stirred enough. Let’s face it, this one-sided snidey account will make it even harder for any of the Royal Family to reach out to Harry and Meghan now or in the short-term future. From the first page to the last, all Scobie does is re-tell well-worn stories, but with a particularly vicious slant, using terms such as ‘pliable’, ‘tightly controlled’ and ‘carefully assembled’ to scoff at Kate.

Carole never orchestrated anything! He even pursues the laughable theory that Carole orchestrated Kate’s relationship with William, pushing her daughter to choose St Andrews University in a bid to meet William when, in fact, she would rather have gone to Edinburgh. ‘The Middleton strategy involved more than just aristocratic affectation — Carole calculatingly placed Kate right at the centre of young Prince William’s world,’ he writes. What rubbish. St Andrew’s is the best university for history of art and Kate did well to get in. Does Scobie really believe that Carole was sitting there in a war room down in the basement of Bucklebury planning out some devious strategy saying: ‘Right. If we put her in the right place on this day then bang… fireworks’?

[From The Daily Mail]

“Colour, race, age, creed and religious beliefs have never been a factor in our friendships or values.” Kate literally has zero brown or Black friends OR aides and she only uses Black children as props. And she spearheaded a national smear campaign against her Black sister-in-law. William and Kate’s jealousy of a Black woman is the root of so many of the problems facing the monarchy today – that is one of the Windsors’ “original sins” of the modern era, the fact that Will and Kate lost their everloving f–king minds the very second they learned that Harry was dating Meghan. Nothing was ever the same. As for Gary’s denial of Carole’s orchestrations… yeah, even Kate-friendly journalists fully admit that Carole was the brains behind Operation Big Blue, and the facts are not on Gary’s side. From Kate trying to copy William’s gap year to Kate changing schools to go to St. Andrews once William’s choice was confirmed, it’s silly to try to deny the Middletons’ “orchestration” at this point.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Richard Eden (@edenconfidential)

The vibe around this whole Hugh Grosvenor story is very strange. It’s possible that Hugh, the Duke of Westminster and the inheritor of a $10 billion fortune, would willingly involve himself in the Windsors’ increasingly clownish PR. It’s possible that Hugh decided, on his own, to exclude the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from an invitation to his June 2024 wedding and then chose to announce the snub to a royal reporter. But this whole thing absolutely has the feel of Prince William overstepping across the board – that William threw a tantrum to Hugh about snubbing the Sussexes, then William leaked the news to the Sunday Times as a way to box in the Grosvenor family and use their name for his own bullsh-t. If I was in Hugh’s place, I would find William’s actions and behavior really tacky, inappropriate and gauche. But that’s just me. According to the Telegraph, Hugh is very mad that Prince Harry would be so mean to the Windsors. Mmhm.

The wedding snub: Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, have allegedly been excluded from Hugh’s wedding guest list to avoid a family clash in the House of Windsor (after all, what bride wants a royal feud to upstage her big day?). But it is quite a snub and illustrates just how distant Harry now is from the world that he was brought up in. He and Hugh know each other very well – in 2015 the pair travelled together in South Africa with the aim of fighting rhino poaching – and this lack of an invitation is likely to be a nail in the coffin of an important friendship.

The consequences: But it seems that Harry is once again discovering how bad-mouthing the Royal family in public can have consequences on relationships beyond just those within his family. The Grosvenor ties to the royals are entrenched: while Hugh is King Charles’s godson; he in turn was made godfather to Prince George when he was born and later to Prince Archie.

Hugh and his fiance: The couple themselves are said to have met through friends and the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales are firmly on the invitation list for their June wedding – and there is a good chance all of them will attend (Charles is likely to be in the country as the following weekend is the Trooping the Colour).

Hugh’s loyalty: “You have to remember that people like this are very traditional – and while they wouldn’t be at all bothered by a drunken uncle or some overt snogging on the dance floor, they don’t like it when people criticise their way of life in public, which is exactly what Harry and Meghan have been doing for the last few years,” says a source who knows the Grosvenors. “And given who he is, Hugh’s loyalty would always have to be to the current King and the future King.”

Do these people think the Sussexes would have displayed a wedding invitation?? The absence of a stiff white invitation to prop up on a Montecito mantelpiece will sting even more when it becomes clear that the Waleses might play a major role in the day itself. William is apparently in the running to be best man (a role he last took on in public at Harry’s wedding) while Prince George, as one of Hugh’s godsons, is likely to be a pageboy. Given Hugh is thought to be the only friend of William and Harry’s chosen to be a godparent by both, this could fan even more flames over in California.

Hugh likes to keep it low-key?? As for the couple themselves – they are unusually low-key given their wealth and connections, as evidenced by the fact that only one engagement photograph of them was released in which they are wearing very casual clothes. “They are very, very private,” says a high-society contact. “Nobody has any good gossip on them.”

Meghan would have disapproved! …The day itself will probably follow the rhythms of a classic upper-crust English country wedding, rather than anything billionaire-like: men in morning suits and women in pretty florals with hats, children as bridesmaids rather than adults, and a service filled with hymns and carefully chosen readings. Speeches at dinner will likely be dominated by men (something Meghan would possibly disapprove of) while the rule of thumb when it comes to the music will probably be: the cheesier the better. When all is said and done, though, the fact that Harry and Meghan won’t be strutting their stuff to Sweet Caroline and Come on Eileen is incredibly sad. Given how deep the links are between the two families, it is an outcome neither side would have wanted.

[From The Telegraph]

The ghastly pattern is familiar to all of the royal-watchers – someone in the UK will make a big deal about snubbing Harry and Meghan from a hat party or biscuit tournament, then there are days of stories where sources insist that the snub must sting the Sussexes, that they must be beside themselves with misery, but that’s what they get for pointing out that the Windsors are racist and sadistic morons. Again, what’s fascinating about this particular cycle is that the royals have roped in one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. They’re using a billionaire’s name in their petty little drama. As I said, it’s possible that Hugh Grosvenor genuinely feels this way – but if he’s so humble, low-key and no-drama, why would he willingly take part in this despicable royal soap opera?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

Review of May-December – I thought it was an excellent film, just FYI. The three core performances were incredible & Charles Melton deserves the buzz! [Pajiba]
I cannot wait for Variety to release their Margot Robbie & Cillian Murphy actor-on-actor video and interview. I bet it will be really good! [LaineyGossip]
The Gilded Age’s photocall is as bonkers as the show. [Go Fug Yourself]
Joey King reacts to Jacob Elordi. [Just Jared]
Timothee Chalamet vs. Coleman Domingo: who has the better style? [RCFA]
Beyonce released a new single for World AIDS Day. [OMG Blog]
Trailer for The Boys Season 4. [Seriously OMG]
Should I watch Fellow Travelers? [Tom & Lorenzo]
Bhad Bhabie is pregnant! Congrats. [Hollywood Life]
Dubai Bling Season 2 trailer. [Starcasm]
A very good AITA – I don’t think the landlady is TA. [Buzzfeed]

Photos courtesy of Backgrid and Netflix.

As CB always notes, the royals love to tell on themselves. Their royalist defenders do as well – it’s clear that Kensington Palace has sent out an SOS to all of their biggest rota cheerleaders, demanding that the Princess of Wales must be centered and embiggened no matter what. Absent from all of these defenses is any credible excuse or rationale for why Kate was apparently openly discussing her “concerns” over the skin color of Meghan’s babies. Instead, we’re getting stuff like Camilla Tominey’s latest, “Why has Meghan never really taken to Kate?” This is supposed to be some hamfisted rebuke, an argument that Meghan was the aggressor, that she was “rude” to Kate, that Meghan didn’t “know her place.” What’s crazy is that there are some new pieces of information in this piece which… make Meghan look good and make Kate look like an a–hole. Of course, that’s not supposed to be the takeaway but…

The Sussexes & Cambridges’ first joint appearance at the foundation event in 2018: “‘Women don’t need to find a voice. They have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it,” Meghan quotably exhorted as Harry looked on with awe and his brother and Kate stood by with expressionless irritation.” The event was supposed to be about promoting better mental health, and here was the Duchess, seemingly politicising it. The quartet would never appear together again, except in the context of larger royal engagements, such as Trooping the Colour, the Platinum Jubilee, and of course, the late Queen’s funeral. But the awkwardness on display that frosty day provides an insight into the many reasons why Meghan appears never to have taken to Kate – and vice versa.

The foundation event was the real turning point: Although some believe the royal sisterhood broke down following a tearful row over a bridesmaids’ dress fitting for Princess Charlotte in the run-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018 – that Royal Foundation Forum proved to be a significant pinch point. At the time the Beast from the East was sweeping through the UK, leading to freezing temperatures, heavy snow and heavy winds. Royal aides were therefore surprised to find Meghan had dressed in a summer dress for the summit – as Kate, who was seven months pregnant with Prince Louis at the time, opted for something rather more conservative.

Meghan didn’t bow & scrape around William & Kate: According to an insider with knowledge of the engagement, Meghan seemed uncomfortable having to so publicly play “second fiddle” to William and Kate as the superior royals in the palace hierarchy. “I think there was always a sense that Meghan felt she was a self-made woman whereas Kate hadn’t really had her own career. She seemed to feel like she had more of a right to speak than her sister-in-law, who had married into the family as an unknown whereas Meghan regarded herself as a philanthropist who could teach the royals a thing or two about charity. I think she found it difficult that the Royal Foundation was already a well oiled machine by the time she got there,” said the source.

Meghan kept Doria away from the white supremacists: Around the same time as the Forum, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland flew to London for her daughter’s baptism and other wedding preparations but, curiously, she was never introduced to William and Kate – despite the Prince and Princess repeatedly asking to meet her. “It was all very bizarre,” said one source. “Meghan seemed to want to put a separation between them.” In truth, there had been a degree of frisson almost as soon as Meghan officially arrived on the royal scene in 2016 to a lukewarm reception from “formal” William and Kate, who as well as finding her “a little full on”, had no idea she would be a keeper, having met a succession of Harry’s girlfriends.

William & Kate were influenced by their bigoted friends: The Prince and Princess of Wales may well have been influenced by mutual friends raising concerns following a shooting party at Sandringham when Meghan apparently clashed with 16 invited guests over issues including the imminent election of Donald Trump as US President in January 2017. As Tom Bower revealed in his 2022 book Revenge: “Without hesitation, Meghan challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values. Beyond Harry’s hearing, some friends questioned Meghan’s “wokery”. Meghan was a dampener on the party, they concluded. She lacked any sense of humour. Driving home after Sunday lunch, the texts pinged between the cars: “OMG what about HER?” said one; “Harry must be f***ing nuts.”

Meghan called her Kate, not Catherine: To add insult to injury, as Harry revealed in Spare, when he first introduced Meghan to his brother – Kate remained in the garden, playing with the children – hardly the welcome they both wanted. From that point onwards, Meghan always pointedly insisted on calling the Princess of Wales “Kate” even though the rest of the family referred to her as “Catherine”.

Meghan saw that the Middletons were grifters: The Middletons also soon proved to be a bone of contention for the Duchess. She mistakenly believed that Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole, were cashing in on their royal connections to get special treatment. Harry had apparently already voiced concern about Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton publishing a book on entertaining called Celebrate in 2012, rather ironically accusing her of commercialising her links to the monarchy. The Sussexes were then upset when Pippa declined to invite them to her wedding to James Matthews in May 2017, perhaps fearing she would be upstaged by Harry’s new girlfriend. She later relented and invited them to the evening reception “to keep the peace”. According to Harry in Spare, William and Kate then took exception to the couple moving the name places at the table – before being accused of doing the same when the Sussexes got married.

Meghan hated that Will & Kate got along with Charles & Camilla? Having developed a habit of regularly exchanging letters with her father-in-law the King, parcels would arrive for Meghan in Queen Camilla’s distinctive bespoke wrapping paper, which rather runs contrary to the suggestion that they were all but abandoned by their royal relatives. While she certainly got on well with her father and mother-in-law, there was perhaps also a sense that William and Kate got on with them even better – and sometimes even gossiped about the Sussexes over dinner, as Harry suggested in Spare. Kate was also adored by the late Queen for the very reasons Scobie seeks to denigrate her in Endgame. She was “coachable”, “comfortable in her role” and “willing to bring the requisite smile and elegance to her duties as princess”.

Meghan was mad about Kate’s buttons!!!! Despite being comparatively less charismatic and an inferior public speaker, Kate was loved by the public for “never putting a foot wrong” – and carrying the mystique of someone who has never given much away about themselves. She was also a renowned clothes horse – and as a self-styled trend setter, the endless focus on her wardrobe appears to have irritated Meghan, who subsequently complained she had less help with her clothes and was forced to wear muted tones – even though she appeared in a vast array of colourful outfits.

[From The Telegraph]

Hector Projector Tominey got briefed by Kate’s people about all of the different “reasons” why Kate hated Meghan and treated Meghan like sh-t, so Tominey wrote it all up from the perspective of “this is why Meghan disliked Kate!” When even Kate’s biggest cheerleaders are basically admitting that Kate hated Meghan because Meghan was smart, well-spoken, politically progressive, well-dressed and happy, that’s not the slam dunk Kate thinks it is. The thing about Doria is so weird – why the f–k were William and Kate demanding to meet Doria, and did Meghan avoid introducing them to Doria because Meghan already knew that W&K sucked?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.