It’s been four years of this exhausting, obvious and childish melodrama from the UK and it’s crazy that they don’t understand how juvenile and warped they sound all the time. The Windsors, the British media and seemingly a good chunk of the British populace have all agreed that the best way to talk about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is through a patronizing combination of hatred and projection. This week, in the wake of the Princess of Wales’s hospitalization and King Charles’s announcement about a prostate procedure, this group of people can’t simply say: we wish Prince Harry was around, we sort of miss that ginger, we treated him unfairly. Instead, it’s this convoluted and pathetic argument of “Harry should want to be back in the UK, but thank God he’s not around because we hate him, even if we really do need him!” Behold, an excerpt from Richard Kay’s latest Daily Mail column, “Charles’s slimmed down monarchy is coming apart at the seams – just as Anne predicted.”
Ordinarily at such a moment, King Charles’s son would be able to take up some of the royal slack. But Prince William has, understandably, put the welfare of his wife and children first and postponed his official engagements. That the three most important members of the Royal Family – Charles in his position as sovereign, William as heir to the throne and Kate as the monarchy’s most relatable figure — should all be absent from the public stage at the same time is alarming enough.
But what is far more striking — and should also be a cause for concern — is just what these medical emergencies mean for the ability of the House of Windsor to fully function when it is beset by unforeseen setbacks. For, if nothing else, these health alarms have exposed the consequences of a slimmed-down monarchy. Shorn of such dependable figures, even for a short time, they reveal just how empty the royal cupboard is.
More telling perhaps is how quickly a problem can turn into a crisis. For decades the royals glided serenely through many a difficulty because there were enough of them to deploy. If one family member was indisposed another would seamlessly step in. But the turbulence of recent years, from Megxit to Prince Andrew’s Epstein crisis and the death of Queen Elizabeth, has put resources under the heaviest of strains.
In private moments, Charles must surely wish he still had the box office draw of Prince Harry to call on. The ‘old’ Harry that is, the fun-loving prince who threw himself into royal duty with a verve and a popularity unmatched by any other family members. But that was before marriage, self-imposed exile to California and bitter estrangement from his own brother. Together with the forced exclusion of Prince Andrew as a working royal over the Jeffrey Epstein affair, the absence of Harry and Meghan has done more to slim down the monarchy than any kind of tinkering that Charles himself might once have envisioned.
When the late Queen marked her golden jubilee in 2002, the balcony heaved with royal hangers-on. Fast-forward ten years to her diamond jubilee in 2012 and that same balcony looked somewhat sparse. The handful that stood to acknowledge the cheers of the crowds were exactly as Charles had been advocating, a nucleus of royals representing the direct line of succession.
That same tableau was repeated in the summer of 2022 at Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee, but while the numbers alongside her increased because of the presence of William and Kate’s children, the absence of Harry was notable. Even Charles could never have dreamt that this slimmed-down vision would not include his younger son, daughter-in-law and their children Archie and Lilibet. Which is why today the sudden — if temporary — removal of three key figures exposes the limitations of this new look Royal Family.How prophetic Princess Anne’s words now seem when she was asked ten months ago about the new King’s plans to reduce the royal workforce. ‘I think “slimmed down” was said in a day when there were a few more people around,’ she observed. ‘It doesn’t sound like a good idea.’ Charles’s rationale was not just based on the physical presence of a bloated family, but also on confronting the public perception that it is kept afloat by the taxpayer. He is keen for the monarchy to be seen as value for money. Achieving all of this can only be done by reducing what the institution actually does.
This week’s events are testing the strategy in a way courtiers had perhaps not anticipated. It is fortunate therefore that these medical bombshells have come at a time when royal duties are traditionally lighter. Imagine if the alarm had occurred midway though a state visit when both the King and William and Kate would have been playing central roles. Despite these dramas, the public are entitled to ask how well Charles’s small-scale monarchy will cope. They may also question whether or not the royals’ extraordinary portfolio of houses may need to be slimmed as well.
“Charles’s rationale was not just based on the physical presence of a bloated family, but also on confronting the public perception that it is kept afloat by the taxpayer. He is keen for the monarchy to be seen as value for money.” Instead, there’s a smaller number of people with more Sovereign Grant money, spread out across more than a dozen castles, palaces, forts, cottages and mansions, and the newly slimmed-monarchy is now saying they need to do less, be seen less and you can’t count on them in a crisis either. “Charles must surely wish he still had the box office draw of Prince Harry to call on.” If Harry was still around, he would be used in much the same way he’s being used now – as a deflection from the larger issue of an extravagantly financed family out of touch with the issues Britain faces. And guess what? Harry is never coming back, and he’s said that repeatedly with his whole chest. Instead of acknowledging that and giving royal commentary in good faith, Kay and the others are lamenting “why did jolly old Harry have to leave us, he should be back here to ease some of the workload off Charles and William!”
It took less than 48 hours for the British media to drag Prince Harry into his father and sister-in-law’s medical issues. Now that the shock has worn off, I’m really not concerned about King Charles or his giant prostate. All of the medical professionals have said that Charles’s prostate issue is very common, very manageable and that he’ll be back to work in two to three weeks. Meaning, it’s not a “constitutional issue,” and Charles was actually wise to do a full public disclosure about it. There is no reason why Charles or the palace would have to consult or inform the king’s California-dwelling son. And yet, that’s the big headline in the Telegraph: how did Prince Harry learn of his father’s enlarged prostate?? Will Harry devote a chapter in Spare Volume 2 to his dad’s prostate? Why won’t Archewell confirm or deny their knowledge of a king’s prostate??
The Duke of Sussex may not have found out about the King’s prostate diagnosis before the news was made public, the Telegraph understands. Buckingham Palace did make efforts to inform all senior members of the Royal family and that included relaying a message to Prince Harry.
However, the public announcement was made at 3.25pm UK time, which is 7.25am in California, and it is thought the Duke may have seen the news alerts before any private message. Both the palace and a spokesman for the Sussexes declined to comment.
Each side is keen not to stir up further tensions, aware that any kind of declaration could plunge relations to a new low.
But the development was reminiscent of the breakdown in communications when Elizabeth II died in September 2022. As first revealed by the Telegraph, the Duke found out via a news alert, as he was mid-air en route to Scotland when the public announcement was made.
LOL, no one died in this situation and again, a relatively routine prostate procedure – which hasn’t even happened yet! – is not a constitutional issue. It sounds like Buckingham Palace briefed the Telegraph and included a sly little reference to how they tried to get in touch with Harry. Perhaps they sent him an email (which would actually be fine). But that’s not all! One royal expert is begging Harry to get in contact with his father:
Soon after the announcement of Kate’s hospitalisation, Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles, 75, will undergo a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate next week. Now royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has told The Sun that the wayward Duke, 39, should “approach” Charles and Kate under the circumstances.
He said: “There is a very deep rift in the royal family. As far as anyone is aware, Harry and William aren’t speaking. It’s very unfortunate this has happened. Not only the King with an enlarged prostate but Catherine has also had an operation of some magnitude. Given the sensitivities involved, it is hoped some approach would be made by Harry but the best thing, and the only thing, would be a quiet or private approach. So basically we don’t hear.”
Fitzwilliams added: “I would have thought Harry will approach his father, brother and also Catherine.”
In Spare, Harry wrote about texting his brother when their grandmother died and William blanking him and refusing to allow Harry to catch a ride on the royal plane. So.. if Harry texted his brother again, I kind of doubt William would respond anyway. Now, maybe Harry has contacted his father. We’ll only hear about it when Charles leaks it.
Here are some photos of French actor Vincent Cassel and his girlfriend Narah Baptista in Paris on Thursday. They attended the Alexandre Mattiussi Menswear show during Paris Fashion Week – I think Cassel is a personal friend of the designer, and Cassel had previously walked the runway for Mattiussi’s collection last year.
I did a double-take when I saw these photos – while Narah is not a carbon copy of Vincent’s most recent ex-wife, Narah certainly bears a passing resemblance to Tina Kunakey. As we discussed previously, Vincent and Tina had a dramatic falling out a little less than a year ago. She deleted all of her IG photos of him and he did the same. Then he basically refused to stop banging women in Brazil. They apparently divorced pretty quietly last year, and for months, Vincent has been loved up with Narah in Brazil. I always thought his marriage to Tina fell apart when she gave birth to their daughter, and now he’s with someone who looks like she could be Tina’s childfree sister? Tina and Narah are close in age too – both are 26/27. Vincent is 57. A dirty old man, truly.
Mandy Moore has two young boys with husband Taylor Goldsmith. Their names are Gus, age two, and Ozzie, one. While celebrities have different levels of exposure for their kids being in the public eye, Mandy has always been pretty open with her children’s lives when it’s in the context of her motherhood journey. She’s outspoken, but not to the level of overshare. Mandy’s talked about not feeling good enough as a mother, having two under two-year-olds being overwhelming, shared her potty training journey, and more. Honestly, most of what Mandy shares is pretty relatable.
I didn’t realize this but at some point, doctors told Mandy that she may not be able to get pregnant. They suspected that Mandy possibly had endometriosis and was planning on getting surgery to “fix” it so that she could get pregnant. But as the Universe would have it, Mandy ended up getting pregnant before her surgery happened.
Mandy Moore thought she’d have a difficult time getting pregnant before conceiving her two boys. On Tuesday, the actress reflected on her uncertain road to motherhood and being told she had a “slim chance” of conception in a candid Instagram post.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Before bringing my two boys into the world with my love, @taylordawesgoldsmith, I was a mom to many many cats and at times, just as many dogs,” she began alongside a throwback video of her much younger self sitting on a couch with a cat under each arm.
“But there was a time when I thought I might not be able to have kids,” she continued. “I remember when the doctor told me there was a slim chance of getting pregnant… and then lo and behold to our surprise, I became pregnant with Gus.”
The “A Walk to Remember” star, 39, went on to call motherhood a “beautiful, messy, sleepless gift.”
It turns out that Moore, who shares her boys, August “Gus,” 2, and Oscar “Ozzie,” 1, with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, prepared for her real-life role as a mother through her “This Is Us” character of Rebecca Pearson.
“Playing Rebecca on #ThisIsUs actually prepared me for it a bit — like changing a diaper for the first time and running around set with ‘triplets,’” she wrote in the vulnerable post.
“Being a mom on This Is Us to triplets at various stages of life and now being a mom to Gus and Ozzie, well, I’ve learned that as hard as you try and as good intentioned as you may be, it is impossible to ‘get it right’ all of the time.”
She wrapped up her candid note with a touching quote from the Pearson family matriarch.
“‘It’s my job to keep standing there with my arms wide open, waiting for you to maybe someday fall inside if you needed it,’” she wrote. “And if you do, I’ll love you. And if you don’t I’ll love you too — because that’s what it means to be a parent. You’ll see one day.’”
Moore enthusiastically concluded, “And to that I say, Rebecca, I see it!”
Moore previously opened up about the shock she felt when she learned she was pregnant in a 2021 interview with Romper. She revealed at the time that she had planned to get surgery to “fix” her “uterus issues” and potential endometriosis before learning of her pregnancy.
“Because of this issue with my uterus, I was very hesitant to believe it and put any stock in it,” she recalled. “I sort of was holding my breath until 12 weeks.”
After hearing her reproductive backstory, I’m so happy for Mandy. I know so many women who have had issues getting pregnant, but managed to do so despite the odds. Both of my SILs needed Clomid and my best friend went through several rounds of IVF, one of which resulted in an 11-week loss that almost broke her. She delivered to term two rounds later. If you’ve experienced difficulty getting pregnant and/or a loss, I’m so sorry. Please know that you aren’t alone.
I did love it when Mandy said, “I’ve learned that as hard as you try and as good intentioned as you may be, it is impossible to ‘get it right’ all of the time.” Say it louder for the people in the back, Mandy! I try to be open with my children when I make a mistake, which is not something I saw older generations in my family do. I want them to understand that I’m human too and that I’m making the best decisions I can regarding the situation and the information I have. Some scenarios may repeat but as they get older, there will be new ones that we’re all figuring out together. I think that’s the one thing to take away from life in general, that we’re all in this together.
Photos credit: IMAGO/RW / Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon and via Instagram
Pierce Brosnan was charged with two counts of trespassing at Yellowstone National Park, specifically for walking on thermal springs in a restricted area. And how was he found out? Thanks to a photo posted to @touronsofyellowstone, wherein Tourist + Moron = Touron. The Instagram page is run by a Wyoming resident who is continually dumbfounded by the behavior of visitors to the park. It’s a chronicle of people getting too close to the animals (usually to take selfies), walking on land instead of designated boardwalks, bringing household pets that are not permitted, and so on. So that’s how James Bond was snapped standing atop snow-covered thermal springs in Yellowstone, where he was most definitely not licensed to chill. Now he’s pleaded not guilty:
Brosnan pleads not guilty: Pierce Brosnan has pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges after he was cited for hiking off-trail in November around the Mammoth Terraces area of Yellowstone National Park. The “GoldenEye” actor, 70, was charged with violating travel restrictions near the thermal feature, according to the documents filed in the US District Court in Wyoming. Despite seemingly being pictured standing in the protected area at the time of the alleged violation, Brosnan entered a not-guilty plea, Cowboy State Daily reported citing documents filed on Jan. 4. The “Mamma Mia” star could face time in jail, a fine, or be banned from the area if he is found guilty.
Even though there’s a photo: The Irish actor was visiting the national park for pleasure rather than business as previously reported, the US Attorney’s Office for Wyoming has said. The alleged violations took place on Nov 1, 2023. Brosnan received two citations; one for walking into a restricted thermal area, and the other for wandering into Mammoth Terraces. A photo uploaded to “Tourons of Yellowstone” Instagram account, which exposes tourists who allegedly violate the park’s laws, appears to show the actor posing on the snow-encrusted springs. He is seen throwing up a peace sign in the image.
Precautions are there for a reason: The thermal areas of Yellowstone have “delicate, breakable crusts that can sit atop scalding water,” according to the park’s website. Park guests are to use specific boardwalks and trails to navigate around Yellowstone’s thermal areas. Other safety precautions include staying away from water in the hot springs as they can cause severe or fatal burns. At least five people have been injured in Yellowstone’s thermal areas in recent years, and at least 22 people have died from burns sustained from the park’s geysers, according to the park’s official website.
Generally speaking, the equation holds true that the greater the congregation, the greater the potential for stupid. I cite Tourons of Yellowstone as my evidence. One post that got to me was about “Limpy the Coyote.” Limpy earned his nickname thanks to being hit by a car, and he was heading out towards the cars because he knew tourons would give him food! The post acknowledges that some people believe the story to be a fiction, and claim that Limpy fakes his ailment when he has an audience. Whether it’s true or not, his head (if not his body) has still been utterly messed with by our species. And we all know the job of taunting coyotes belongs to road runners.
As for Pierce, I’ll say this for him: going with “not guilty” when they’ve got a photo of him at the site is a bold choice. It appears he’s neither shaken nor stirred about being caught. What’s the legal strategy? Why wouldn’t he just want to pay the fine and make it go away? Or maybe he plans to charm his way out of a conviction, a la Thomas Crowne. We’ll see when he has a virtual hearing on February 20, so stay tuned. Personally I’m hoping for a video of Mr. James Bond entering his plea as “Guilty. Not Guilty.”
Photos credit: Avalon.red, Getty Images for Netflix and via Instagram
I only started paying attention to Jacob Elordi as a stand-alone actor in the past year. I realize that Euphoria fans knew his name years ago, plus fans of The Kissing Booth movies. I remember hearing about him when he was dating Kaia Gerber, circa 2020-21 as well. As it turns out, he’s been cutting a wide swath through 20-something celebrity women. There was the Kaia Gerber romance, which lasted for more than a year. Before that, he dated Zendaya and before Z, he dated Joey King. In recent years, he’s had an on-and-off thing with Olivia Giannulli, famously one of the “students” involved in the huge college admissions and SAT fraud. Olivia is Lori Loughlin’s older daughter, and Olivia only attended USC for a year before she was (likely) expelled in the wake of all the fraud. Olivia is still around – she’s a YouTuber/influencer and, yeah, obviously she was banging Jacob Elordi for a while. Now it’s over!
Jacob Elordi and Olivia Jade Giannulli have called it quits again, Us Weekly can confirm. The pair were first spotted together in December 2021, one month after Elordi’s split from Kaia Gerber. The following May, Us confirmed that Elordi, 26, and Giannulli, 24, were dating.
“They both got out of relationships recently, so they’re not rushing into anything serious,” a source told Us at the time, referring to Elordi’s romance with Gerber, 22, and Giannulli’s August 2021 split from Jackson Guthy. “So far it’s going well and there’s sparks between them.”
Elordi and Giannulli parted ways in August 2022, with a source telling Us at the time that Elordi was “not looking for a serious relationship at the moment” although he and Giannulli “enjoyed spending time together.” The breakup didn’t last long, though. The twosome were seen walking around Los Angeles together in September 2022, and their public outings continued over the next several months. As reconciliation rumors swirled, a source told Us in June 2023 that Elordi and Giannulli were getting along great.
“They’ve been getting close again the past month or two and have traveled together quite a bit,” the insider shared. “This month they’ve been to New York and decided to go to Italy to get away from it all.”
Interesting… it doesn’t actually sound like they were committed to each other whatsoever? Like, a lot of breakups and backslides, hangouts and vibes, but never a move to say “this is serious, this is real!” Anyway, I’m interested to see who Jacob dates next, because you know she’ll be super-famous. Incidentally, I loved him in Priscilla. He did an amazing job as Elvis and I was shocked by how well he did the Elvis voice.
PS… right after everyone talked about how Jacob and Olivia broke up, there were seen together in New York. Whoops, looks like they’re back on! For now.
This year’s Coachella lineup includes No Doubt, Lana del Rey, Doja Cat and Tyler the Creator. That sounds pretty good? [Socialite Life]
There was some kind of AFI Awards event last weekend too. [GFY]
Anthony Anderson’s reputation makeover. [LaineyGossip]
Every clip I see of Renee Rapp’s interviews, she seems amazing. [Pajiba]
These cheating-partner stories are bonkers. [Buzzfeed]
Who will be the new host of The Daily Show? [JustJared]
Kim Kardashian did a TikTok photo dump. [Hollywood Life]
Joel McHale will host House of Villains again. [Seriously OMG]
Donald Glover wore Zegna to the Mr. & Mrs. Smith premiere. [RCFA]
The strangest homes on Zillow. [OMG Blog]
— No Doubt (@nodoubt) January 16, 2024
Coachella 2024
We’ll see you in the desert this April!!!
Register now for access to passes at https://t.co/qwiRGJ4hzE. Presale begins Friday, 1/19 at 11am PT. #coachella pic.twitter.com/oOlSRxZCuq
— No Doubt (@nodoubt) January 17, 2024
I’m still wondering about the timing of the royal hospitalization announcements on Wednesday. First, Kensington Palace announced that the Princess of Wales would be hospitalized for two weeks, and then out of commission for months. Not even two hours later, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would be hospitalized next week for an enlarged prostate. I actually respect the fact that Charles is doing some version of “full disclosure,” and his disclosure is in stark contrast to the mystery surrounding Kate’s health. Queen Camilla just came out today and said that Charles is “fine” and he’s looking forward to getting back to work, which will probably happen after a few weeks of recovery post-prostate procedure. Meanwhile, the one-two punch of dueling hospitalization announcements has made Charles’s slimmed-down monarchy look especially weak. From the Royalist column in the Daily Beast:
Buckingham Palace has insisted that the health crisis gripping the British royal family will not require Prince Andrew or Prince Harry to take up roles they still retain as “counsellors of state”—family members who can stand in for the king.
Courtiers have insisted that it will not be necessary to nominate constitutional deputies, despite the fact that procedures on an enlarged prostate gland are often carried out under general anesthetic, and that King Charles will continue to perform his constitutional duties over the coming weeks. Even if it was necessary to appoint counsellors of state, Princess Anne and Prince Edward could be called on before needing to summon Andrew or Harry. Nonetheless, the double health scare has exposed the risks inherent in the king’s grand strategic plan to “slim down” the royal family by reducing the numbers of working royals, and will likely lead to renewed calls for Andrew’s children, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, to be given constitutional roles.
With Kate and Charles receiving hospital treatment, and William taking time off to support his wife, there are now just four working royals on call: Camilla, 76, Edward, 59, Sophie, 58, and Anne, 73. The irony of there now not being enough royal bodies to man the pumps will not be lost on critics of Charles, for although the numbers of aunts and uncles on the BP balcony had perhaps got out of hand in the 2000s and 2010s, it was quite clear that numbers were going to decline naturally anyway.
Indeed, “slimming down” was originally understood by many observers to be code for getting rid of the Yorks—Andrew, Fergie, and their children—from royal life. Observers often attributed this wish to sibling enmity between the brothers, and a nervousness on the part of Charles about Andrew’s lifestyle. In the end, Charles didn’t actually have to do anything to achieve Andrew’s defenestration, as Andrew removed himself over his sex abuse scandal.
When the plans to reduce numbers first began to emerge around the turn of the century, it was never imagined that Harry would abandon his royal duties. But Harry’s departure from the working family left it in something of a personnel bind, which the double royal hospitalization graphically illustrates.
Lady Colin Campbell, the royal author, YouTuber, and friend of the late Princess Diana, told The Daily Beast: “I have often warned that it was a grievous mistake to reduce the numbers of working royals as enormously as Charles has done. So much of their work is never reported on in the media, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important, and now there are simply not enough people available to fulfill its functions. Many people in the family agree with me, although Princess Anne is the only who has said so publicly.”
Campbell says the answer to the problem is staring the king in the face: reinstate Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice as working royals. “I would like them brought back in. They are dutiful girls, they are good at public duties, down to earth and natural, and Queen Elizabeth adored them. I think it’s a great shame that the sins of their parents have been visited on their heads.”
I enjoy the fact that no one ever considers the idea of “we should demand that Future King William do more.” Like, even before Kate’s hospitalization, there were concerns and conversations about the monarchy becoming too old and too slimmed-down, and how the York princesses should be given more to do. All of those conversations ignored the fact that William is the laziest heir in history, that he is profoundly incapable and unwilling to do more. As many have noted on Twitter, with William and Kate “out of commission” for months and Charles dealing with his own health issues, the British media is going to be desperate for new content and storylines. I absolutely believe that the next three months are going to be full of all kinds of attacks on the Montecito royals.
We learned this week that the Princess of Wales was admitted into a London hospital on Tuesday for a scheduled surgery. Kate is still in the hospital, and she will be there for the next two weeks or so, then she will have a lengthy recovery. One commenter correctly pointed out that something was missing from Kensington Palace’s statement on the matter: an assertion that Kate would make a full recovery. They’re actually telegraphing the fact that this is incredibly serious, which does beg the question: why aren’t they disclosing more information?
Meanwhile, there’s been some chatter in the British media about how they (the media) were blindsided by the news. The Mail pointed out that Kate has not been seen since Christmas Day, 23 (now 24) days ago. As I said yesterday, that’s quite normal – Kate rarely works post-Christmas, and she can go a full month or longer without being seen or doing any events this time of year. Interestingly, the Mail also had an article about how William has only been seen once post Christmas – he did an event last week, his first and only event of 2024. Now they’re saying William will miss a slew of appearances in February, including the BAFTAs.
Prince William will likely miss the BAFTAs among other engagements to stay by his wife’s side as she recovers from abdominal surgery. The Princess of Wales is being treated in hospital after undergoing a successful abdominal operation, Kensington Palace revealed today.
Kate Middleton, 42, was admitted to The London Clinic in Marylebone yesterday for the planned procedure and is expected to remain in hospital for ten to 14 days, and then recover at home in Windsor. The Prince of Wales will stay by his wife’s and children’s side throughout and will not undertake official duties while his wife is in hospital, and during the immediate period following her return home.
He therefore postpone a number of engagements, including the BAFTAs on 18th February, the Six Nations which kicks off in two weeks and various charity events. William, who is the Patron of Welsh Rugby team, will likely miss any Six Nations Games. Next month, France and Ireland will kick off this year’s Six Nations Championship on February 2, for a game at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille. That weekend will also see games from England versus Italy in Rome and Wales versus Scotland in Cardiff – which the Prince and Princess of Wales are not expected to attend.
William was also due to undertake Investitures through January and February which he will now miss. Princess Anne is likely to step in his place. Last year William also made an appearance at the BAFTAs, he has been President of the Academy since February 2010, but he will likely miss out this year.
Last week, the Prince of Wales, without Kate, met rugby legend Rob Burrow to present him his CBE.
The royals usually return to work from the Christmas break in mid-January. Last year, William and Kate opened Royal Liverpool University Hospital on January 12th.
And we’re unlike to see the Prince of Shrove Tuesday this year either – unless the couple have perhaps filmed anything for a segment in advance. The Prince and Princess of Wales were also set to be making a high-profile visit to Rome in the spring as part of a European charm offensive, which now may also be cancelled. Last month, The Mail revealed that talks were under way at the highest level about William and Kate’s first trip to Italy and a date had been ‘pencilled in’.
Re: the BAFTAs… that’s why the BAFTA president should have been showing up to the BAFTAs this whole time, since he assumed the presidency in 2010. Instead, he’s skipped the ceremony SEVEN times, usually for no particular reason other than “I didn’t feel like it.” Now that he actually has a legitimate reason – his wife’s poor health – it’s like the boy who cried wolf. He will be sad to miss the rugby games, although it would have been iffy for him to travel to France anyway, especially given his reticence to do his job as Football Association President and attend the Women’s World Cup last year (when England made the final).
Above ^ is a photo of Prince William today, driving away from the London Clinic, which is where his wife is recovering from abdominal surgery. As soon as Kensington Palace made the announcement yesterday, media outlets and photographers camped outside the London Clinic, hoping to get photos of William and anyone else. This photo seems to be the first time he was seen. Which makes me wonder if he was with Kate at all yesterday, and whether he was with her on Tuesday, when she had the “planned” surgery? It’s possible he slipped in and out of the clinic yesterday and just successfully avoided the cameras, but it seems unlikely. I don’t know. This whole story is so mysterious.
Given the cameras and media outlets all around the clinic, it also seems weird that none of the Middletons have been photographed thus far? Kate and Carole are so close – it seems weird that Carole isn’t there. I’ve talked so much sh-t about Carole and Kate’s relationship, but this is the moment (post-surgery) where I would have thought that Carole would be there immediately.
People Magazine once again emphasized that William is “planning to spend as much time as possible with Kate as she recovers following her hospitalization and will balance daytime visits with looking after their three children.” It seems William did the kids’ school drop-off, then went to the clinic, and then he’ll be back in time to pick up the kids? Also: there’s been some confusion in the comments and on social media – when they say “Kate will return home to Windsor,” they don’t mean Windsor Castle, they mean Adelaide Cottage, which is within the Royal Windsor Estate.