In 2023, Angelina Jolie started Atelier Jolie. She signed an eight-year lease on Jean-Michel Basquiat?s old workspace/living space, and she dreamed of transforming the building into a half-business/half-charity which would provide resources and attention for refugee designers and creators. Originally, the idea was based on fashion ? as in, bring in refugee creatives to design eco-conscious clothing lines and capsule collections. They did that for more than a year, but it looks like that idea has been partially abandoned. Now the building is partly devoted to a cafe (Eat Offbeat) and a more freewheeling arts-and-advocacy space in which important discussions are facilitated, lectures are given and also, Angelina is now providing gallery space for artists? From Jolie?s interview/profile in the NY Times this week:

The original vision for Atelier Jolie: For a little over a year, she has endeavored to build Atelier Jolie into a hub for artists and makers ? and chefs, students and Broadway stars. The building comes with an almost unparalleled artistic pedigree: 57 Great Jones Street was once owned by Andy Warhol, and inhabited by Jean-Michel Basquiat, who had his studio there until his death in 1988. Jolie?s dream was for the space to once again be a cultural locus, a clubhouse full of inspired and international creatives, and also a magnet for a curious public ? to come and browse, take a class, refuel with a slice of orange almond cake at the global-cuisine cafe, Eat Offbeat. It did not immediately work out as she envisioned. ?It?s been tricky,? she said in a recent interview. ?I found that this has been a lot of what not to do.?

Atelier Jolie is no longer about fashion: Its initial incarnation was as a pop-up fashion studio for visiting designers, ?because I think the world?s most interested in that,? she said. ?People focus on fashion. But, it was very quickly clear to me that that wasn?t going to be my love,? in part because she rejected the environmental impact of the typical fashion cycle ? water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, landfill-fueling consumption. ?I don?t want to tell people that they need to buy something new every few months.?

Now she?s giving away space to artists for free: So she pivoted, expanding her web and sharing the rarest New York commodity: square footage. For free. The French multimedia artist Prune Nourry, who helped organize the Neshat event as part of an exhibition called ?Strand for Women,? has become the atelier?s artist-in-residence, with a second-floor studio where she expects to sculpt sometimes mammoth works over the next two years.

Angelina is a connector: In her circles, she is known as a connector, who is quick to open her home, offer help and learn one-on-one; she has painted, danced and attended silk-screening, felting and cooking classes at Atelier Jolie. ?I wanted a place where I could spend time with local artists,? she said. She hoped to conjure the vibe of a film set, she said, especially one with a crew from the far-flung corners of the world: ?You can feel that feeling of being purposeful with others.?

How Atelier Jolie is classified: Atelier Jolie, a for-profit public benefit corporation (a certified B Corp) with the goal of social good, is not charging Invisible Dog any rent for its yearlong residency. In Brooklyn, the gallery needed $500,000 annually ?just to open the door,? Zayan said, and regularly held fund-raisers. Now donations can support work directly. ?We?re doing well, and we?re building a new model,? Jolie said of the financial prospects of Atelier Jolie, which has an eight-year lease on the building. Zayan aims to make it a destination for downtown and beyond, just as Invisible Dog was in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. And Jolie has been an eager partner. They communicate almost daily, he said. ?When you email her, you never know where she is, what time zone, but she answers you immediately. She?s very involved.?

How she came to Basquiat?s old building: Jolie loved the squat, sprayed-up building (which had recently housed a restaurant) when she first saw it in 2023 with one of her daughters. ?I wasn?t interested in being on the Upper East Side,? she said, explaining why she sought out the downtown neighborhoods she had wound through in her 20s, while studying film at New York University. But, she said, ?I was also intimidated by the history.? She got in touch with Basquiat?s sisters, who gave the atelier their blessing, and turn up at events. In conversations this month, Jolie seemed frustrated that the atelier was viewed as another exclusive downtown boutique. ?The act of creation should be accessible to everyone,? she said.

Where she stays when she?s in NYC: She was speaking from a Manhattan hotel room; the New York apartment she bought in her 20s is now inhabited by one of her sons, and is a crash pad for his five siblings. Mom is welcome ? sometimes. ?The other day I said I was going to pop by, and he was like, can you just give me a day to clean?? she said. ?I thought, I appreciate that, you should clean up for your mother. But also, how bad is it??

[From The NY Times]

??A for-profit public benefit corporation (a certified B Corp)? ? ah, well that sort of explains why it feels like Angelina is not interested in turning this into any kind of profit-generating anything. She came up with the concept of Atelier Jolie shortly after she finally sold her half of Chateau Miraval. As in, she found herself with $60 million and it was burning a hole in her pocket, so she put this together. That?s what it feels like too, that Angelina is just paying for everything and running the space as a not-for-profit art charity. It?s a shame too ? while I love that she?s doing this, I also wish Gen Xer Jolie would participate in ?hustle culture? a little bit, and just find a way to turn this into a revenue-generator. Sell Atelier Jolie merch, bring in creatives to make cool t-shirts which can be sold in the gift shop, SOMETHING. It?s giving ?rich woman becomes a patron to the arts? but Jolie thinks she?s reinventing the wheel.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Sweden?s Princess Madeleine is the youngest of King Carl XVI Gustaf?s children. She?s 42 years old and the mother of three. I?ve gotten vibes about Madeleine?s marriage to Christopher O?Neill, but they?re still together and if there?s any drama there, they keep it pretty quiet. That?s true of the Swedish royals overall ? Madeleine and her brother Carl Phillip have basically been shuffled aside to make more room for Crown Princess Victoria and her children. Various royal titles have been taken away and while it was notable, it didn?t turn into a huge scandal. Madeleine is the one who moved away ? she?s spent a huge chunk of the past decade living in America with her husband and children, although I think she and Christopher maintain a home in Sweden as well. Christopher has always had money ? he?s some kind of successful financier or something, and Madeleine basically became a stay-at-home mom with some big charitable patronages. But now Madeleine is doing something new: building her own skincare brand. And the Swedish royal house made a statement about how Maddy?s not using her royal titles for her business.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden is getting into the skincare game, but her royal title won?t be part of the branding. On March 24, King Carl XVI Gustaf?s younger daughter announced that she was starting a skincare line called minLen with Swiss company Weleda, but she clarified that she wouldn?t use her princess title in the business venture.

?I?m excited to share that I?m launching ?MinLen,? a natural skincare line, developed in collaboration with Weleda, a global leader in certified natural skincare. MinLen is the first natural, responsible, multi-generational skincare brand in Europe ? created with the needs of both young and growing families in mind,? Princess Madeleine, 42, said in a statement shared on her Instagram page. ?Our product range will officially launch at the end of the summer and as this is a private initiative, I will use my name Madeleine Bernadotte in my work with MinLen,? she continued. ?I look forward to sharing more with you very soon.?

Princess Madeleine is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, 78, and Queen Silvia, and the younger sibling of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip. While she conducts official engagements as necessary at the request of her father the King, Princess Madeleine does not focus on royal duties full-time, and the Swedish Royal Court said it was consulted on her new minLen business.

?Princess Madeleine is launching a new business with the brand minLen in collaboration with the Swiss company Weleda AG,? the court said in a statement on March 24. ?The decision to establish the company has been made in consultation with the Royal Court. The Office of the Marshal of the Realm has assessed that this private enterprise is compatible with Princess Madeleine?s role as a Royal Highness.?

?For many years, Princess Madeleine has not received any share of the appropriations from the Riksdag [Parliament] for the Head of State, and she participates in and carries out official engagements as needed and based on the King?s requests,? it continued, specifying that Madeleine doesn?t receive government money. ?Instead, she has been actively involved with the World Childhood Foundation and various patronages. This new business venture will not affect her continued dedication to these causes. The Princess? primary focus remains the well-being of children. As this is a private business venture, independent of her role within the Royal House, Princess Madeleine will use the name Madeleine Bernadotte in business contexts.?

[From People]

Not to make everything about the Sussexes, but I know people will compare and contrast, so let?s play that game. The whole ?Maddy consulted with the palace on this business venture? situation is what ?critics? will cite as an example of ?what the Sussexes should have done.? They?ll conveniently forget that if Harry and Meghan went to Buckingham Palace and asked for ?permission? to do anything, they would be turned down completely, and their request would be leaked and they would be torn to shreds. Note that the Swedish royals are also emphasizing that Madeleine is a ?royal highness? in good standing, even if she mostly lives abroad ? they?re basically like, yeah, she doesn?t receive any public money but she?s still royal, and so she can start this business and not use her title and it?s all fine.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

This week, Prince Harry and Lesotho?s Prince Seesio dramatically resigned from Sentebale, the charity they founded in 2006. I said in my earlier coverage that this whole situation ? which is largely unfolding through British reporting ? was pinging my conspiracy radar. Basically, Sentebale?s board of trustees were in total disagreement with the chairwoman of the board, Sophie Chandauka, over the future of Sentebale, Sentebale?s mission and Sentebale?s fundraising. The board of trustees asked for Chandauka?s resignation, and she not only refused, she sued them. The board of trustees then resigned en masse, and now Seesio and Harry have resigned as well. Chandauka ran to the Charity Commission in the UK to issue a complaint, and now the British charity authorities (??) are investigating the situation in a Lesotho-based charity. Well, now the Daily Mail?s Rebecca English has written a very odd piece about how obviously, this is all Prince Harry?s fault because he?s no longer a working royal. WTF is happening here?

How sad, then, that all of [Harry?s] hard work has seemingly come to an end just one year short of Sentebale?s 20th anniversary amid a storm of controversy and fears for the charity?s survival. Sad, but not entirely surprising. Although he last visited Lesotho in October 2024, it was actually the first time the prince had actually been there for six years. Even his regular fundraising events for the charity, mostly involving polo, had notably slowed down.

Nor (I, would argue, significantly in the circumstances) had he ever taken his wife, Meghan, to visit. Instead they have focused their efforts since quitting royal duties on high-profile joint tours to Colombia and Nigeria, as well as their lives as professional victims of the Royal Family.

I hesitate to say Harry?s commitment has waned. I think that?s probably unfair given what I know to be his genuine passion for this beautiful but desperately poor mountain kingdom, recently mocked by Donald Trump as a country ?nobody has ever heard of? as he slashed its aid budget. But it has long been clear that something wasn?t quite right. And like so many of Harry?s long-standing projects, it does seem that his work in this field has stagnated since leaving the Royal Family, where he would have had a whole team of experienced palace private secretaries and press officers to corral his philanthropic efforts.

It is also worth noting that this is not the first scandal that has engulfed the charity, however well-meaning Harry?s intentions. In 2008 (just two years after Sentebale was founded) it emerged that just ?84,000 of the ?1.15million raised (through events including a concert in memory of his late mother and a high-profile television documentary on his travels there) had actually been spent on helping the Aids orphans that Harry had set out to save?The ensuing scandal almost brought Sentebale down. A new CEO was subsequently installed and a complete turnaround of the charity?s reputation and fortunes reigned for a significant while (I was again among a small group of media that travelled out there with him two years later to show us how much had changed).

But talk of behind-the-scenes conflict and resignations have never been far away, and have escalated rapidly in recent years with a string of high-profile supporters and executives quitting. This latest, devastating blow comes amid a complex row involving the current Africa-based chair, who is now suing the charity over moves by its trustees (who include a number of Harry?s close friends and supporters) to get her to stand down.

In an excoriating statement, she has hit back, claiming there has been a ?cover up? at the charity and accusing it of ?weak management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir [discrimination against black women]? against her as a whistleblower.

The irony that Harry will now be pursued at the High Court ? his own favored venue for combat in recent years ? will be lost on no one. The prince and his fellow co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, the younger brother of the country?s current king and in whose own mother?s memory Senteable was also set up, have now quit in solidarity together describing the situation as ?unthinkable? and ?untenable?, making clear how devastated they are. They have also firmly placed the blame at Ms Chandauka?s feet. Their statement does suggest the situation may not be permanent, but the future is far from assured ? not least because Sentebale is now, worryingly, the subject of a Charity Committee investigation in the UK.

It is a desperately sad situation personally given Harry?s good intentions when he first set foot in the country at the age of just 19, longing to atone for his very public sins and prove he was not the superficial playboy many assumed him to be. But it is ? and make no mistake about the gravity of this ? also a deeply humiliating set-back for the now adult prince who, while his wife clearly gets to work bringing home the financial bacon, has set his own sights on becoming a global humanitarian.

Instead he finds himself an ex-charity patron with a hugely toxic melt-down on his hands, one that threatens to overshadow one of the few genuine success stories of his life and tarnish his dreams of carving out a career as a much-lauded philanthropic crusader.

[From The Daily Mail]

?And like so many of Harry?s long-standing projects, it does seem that his work in this field has stagnated since leaving the Royal Family, where he would have had a whole team of experienced palace private secretaries and press officers to corral his philanthropic efforts.? And then she mentions the huge scandal that happened when Harry had a whole team of experienced palace private secretaries in 2008. As I said? there?s an agenda at play here, and I find it incredibly fishy that the larger story of ?a catastrophic bureaucratic mess at a charity? has instantly become ?this is all Harry?s fault, because he?s not a working royal!?

A few other things?the reason why Harry hadn?t traveled to Lesotho in many years was because of the pandemic, remember that? This is very telling too: ?Instead they have focused their efforts since quitting royal duties on high-profile joint tours to Colombia and Nigeria, as well as their lives as professional victims of the Royal Family.? Yeah? the Windsors have a hand in something here. I?m not saying they?re behind everything, but the way this story is being handled and reported? something is really ?off.? They?ve been doing everything they can to get Harry through Invictus, but they also found some kind of opening with Sentebale.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

On Monday, The Atlantic?s editor-in-chief revealed that Donald Trump?s national security team accidentally added him to their Signal war-plan groupchat. People keep saying variations of ?can you believe how stupid these people are?? Yes, I can, because I REMEMBER THE FIRST TRUMP TERM. It was extremely stupid, but millions of people apparently ?forgot? the absolute f?king clownshow that comes with all things Donald Trump.

Anyway, this has become an unfolding catastrophe in a million ways. First off, national security officials aren?t supposed to discuss war-plans on Signal, they work for the government and they?re supposed to use secure, government comms channels. But her emails, remember? As it turns out, one of the guys in the groupchat ? Steve Witkoff ? was talking about war plans in Signal as he was in Moscow, meeting Putin. Meanwhile, everyone has settled on Trump?s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz as the one to blame for this screwup. Waltz was, after all, the one who started the groupchat and the one who added The Atlantic?s EIC. Waltz is also taking the blame for it publicly? even if Donald Trump wants everyone to blame an unnamed staffer.

The Trump administration may one day settle on a version of events regarding how a journalist got included in a Signal group chat about striking Houthis in Yemen, but Tuesday was not that day. White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, during a Fox News interview, took responsibility for the ?embarrassing? error, while suggesting that The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg could have somehow schemed his way into the chat. Goldberg reported that Waltz himself invited Goldberg to it.

Waltz said, ?We?re going to get to the bottom of it,? leaving much uncertain. But one thing he said did not happen was a staffer introducing Goldberg into the group.

?A staffer wasn?t responsible, and I take full responsibility,? he told Laura Ingraham. ?I built the group. My job is to make sure everything is coordinated.?

Ingraham followed up moments later, ?So, a staffer did not put [in] his contact information??

?No, no, no,? Waltz said. ?Of course not.?

Not so, according to Donald Trump. Just an hour later, in a pre-taped interview on Newsmax?s Greg Kelly Reports, Trump pointed the finger at a Waltz staffer.

?What it was, we believe, is somebody that was on the line with permission?somebody that was with Mike Waltz, worked for Mike Waltz at a lower level?had, I guess, Goldberg?s number, or called through the app, and somehow this guy ended up on the call,? Trump said. The method of communication was a group text, not a call.

?Now, it wasn?t classified, as I understand it,? Trump continued. ?There was no classified information. There was no problem, and the attack was a tremendous success. So I can only go by what I?ve been told. I wasn?t involved in it, but I was told by?and the other people weren?t involved at all. But I feel very comfortable, actually.?

Trump?s comments echoed those from an earlier appearance before reporters, claiming ?I don?t think he [Waltz] should apologize. I think he is doing his best. It?s equipment and technology that?s not perfect and probably he won?t be using it again, at least not in the near future.?

Tuesday?s mix-up hasn?t been the only instance of the administration not getting its story straight. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was also part of the group chat, on Monday denied texting about war plans, even though the White House National Security Council had confirmed the chat?s authenticity hours earlier. Hegseth appeared before the media again on Tuesday night at a briefing in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, again denying his involvement. ?Nobody?s texting war plans. I know exactly what I?m doing,? he said.

[From The Daily Beast]

I know this is all very serious but I?m laughing my ass off at ?Nobody?s texting war plans. I know exactly what I?m doing.? Perfect response after you?ve literally been caught texting war plans and it has been revealed that you have no idea what you?re doing. Anyway, the only reason why Trump hasn?t asked anyone to resign over this is because he has no idea how groupchats work and he also doesn?t give a sh-t what his staff are doing on any given day.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

We just saw Pedro Pascal and Jennifer Aniston out to dinner together, and I agree in thinking there?s zero going on romantically between the two. Aside from the fact they were part of a larger group of friends, I just don?t see those two as an item. And I?m not just saying that as a longtime swooning admirer of Pedro?s. (I?m not!) If anything, the biggest love vibe I get from Pedro is with his career. Not in an egotistical way, but the genuine love and deep gratitude of an actor who kept showing up for years until something (Game of Thrones) finally broke his way. He works so much now it?s amazing we?re not sick of him. (I?m not!) Next up for Pedro is season two of The Last of Us, which begins April 13 on HBO. Pedro just appeared on Jimmy Kimmel to promote the show (wearing a t-shirt that said ?Adult Content,? the man is out to kill us, I swear) and Jimmy asked about a two-year-old photo of Pedro that outed his go-to Starbucks order: six shots of espresso!

It?s been over two years since Pedro Pascal?s Starbucks coffee order went viral online, and he?s finally speaking out about it.

If you didn?t see, in March of 2023, a video of Pedro holding his Starbucks drink drew a ton of comments, because the sticker on the plastic cup revealed exactly what he ordered.

He was drinking an iced quad espresso in a venti cup with extra ice and six shots.

At the time, fans figured out that he was likely consuming around 384 mg of caffeine with this drink, at around 64 mg per shot.

Now, he?s speaking out about his morning brew.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Pedro said of his coffee order going viral, ?I cannot begin to tell you how violating this was!?

?There?s so much context to why it has become six shots of espresso. It was always a quad but then I feel like the cups got bigger and, I don?t know, the shots got less strong. At some point, it became six,? he said. ?It was an incredibly private morning ritual that I never wanted anyone to know about.?

?You sip it and you get really high, and you answer emails and stuff,? he added, noting that he doesn?t drink any additional coffee besides this drink.

[From Just Jared]

Holy heart rate, Mister Fantastic! No really, have Pedro?s doctors weighed in on his daily caffeine consumption? Because it?s nearly the same amount as Dakota Johnson was unwittingly imbibing when she was downing two energy drinks a day (and then not sleeping at night). I?m not judging, I just care! This daily habit doesn?t sound sustainable, which in itself is incompatible with my need to have Pedro around for a very long life. I will say, though, the context of his super-charged caffeine high does add a new element to Pedro?s ?psycho? (his word, not mine) technique for learning lines. Last year Pedro revealed he writes out the first letter of each word of his dialogue, resulting in handwritten notes that look like a copycat Zodiac Killer in training (my words, not his). Now I?m picturing Pedro sitting at the Starbucks, sipping his iced hypertension-in-a-cup, and setting to work on his coded scripts, possibly/probably freaking out staff and other onlookers in the process.

Anyway, I?m sorry Pedro felt violated during his deeply private ritual? at a Starbucks. So here?s a tip from one iced coffee drinker ? no espresso at all for me; cream & sweetener ? to another: I always peel the order-identifying sticker off the cup first thing, before I even take a sip. (What, me paranoid?)

pedro put the 6 shots of espresso on ice DOWN pic.twitter.com/q4WqDO77Oq

? jesse (@bIuesykes) February 17, 2023

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon

Soon after With Love, Meghan debuted, Women?s Wear Daily noted that WLM-watchers were hunting down fashion IDs on practically everything the Duchess of Sussex wore on the show. Without even identifying what she wore, Meghan gave millions of dollars worth of ?value? to various brands, who all felt the ?Meghan Effect.? It?s been the same for years, basically ever since 2017. People are obsessed with Meghan?s style and whatever she wears sells out. Now the Wall Street Journal is doing a deeper dive into how Meghan?s fashion choices on WLM ? not to mention her new ShopMy page ? are bringing huge sales to every brand featured.

Meghan?s WLM fashion: What?s not up for debate is Markle?s fashion-selling power. Her breezy Ulla Johnson dresses, S?zane button-down shirts, muted J.Crew vests and Jenni Kayne cashmere sweaters are just some of the items from her TV wardrobe that are now sold out and accruing wait lists. Both aspirational and laid-back, her style is a commercial force.

A league of her own: ?She is in a league of her own,? said Lyndie Benson, founder and CEO of the luxury-basics brand Bleusalt, which sold over 300 T-shirts in one day after Markle wore one on the show.

People are even obsessed with Meghan?s manicure: Netflix viewers have been flooding websites and Instagram accounts dedicated to Markle?s fashion and beauty in search of product credits. They pay attention to details as minute as Markle?s manicure. ?I go back and forth on whether I want longer nails or shorter nails, and then I see her and I?m like, ?Should I go back to shorter nails??? said Alexandra McCormick, a beauty brand director in Los Angeles. ?She has this effortless yet put-together look.? McCormick, 41, said she has friends in London who dislike Markle out of allegiance to the royal family yet still take style directives from her. ?They are like, ?Meghan can?t do anything right. Also, I just bought her sweater!??

WSJ just throws this in: After several TV ideas were canceled or rejected, and the couple ended a podcasting deal with Spotify, people familiar with Harry and Meghan?s projects told The Wall Street Journal that Netflix was unlikely to renew its contract, which expires this year.

Expect more on Meghan?s ShopMy page: Following a flood of interest in Markle?s wardrobe and fan nostalgia for her pre-royal lifestyle blog, The Tig, the duchess started a ShopMy page on Monday, where she can make affiliate revenue from product recommendations. A spokesman said that the page has more to come, including beauty, fashion, kids and home products. Her fashion fans will likely be pleased to hear this.

Something for everyone: Andrea Gillespie, a 44-year-old real estate publicist in Lake Forest, Ill., she said she combed the web in search of a pair of white Aquazzura sneakers she saw Markle wear recently. ?I?m surprised we?re all left to our internet sleuthing to find this stuff,? she said. As Ever, Markle?s yet-to-be-launched line of teas and preserves, ?is not scratching my purchasing itch,? Gillespie said, ?but all this other stuff is.?

The Meghan Effect: Brands are feeling the Meghan Effect. New York fashion brand La Ligne saw a pair of its jeans sell out within a few days of Markle wearing them on the show, said co-founder and CEO Molly Howard. The brand had sent the jeans to Markle, Howard said, and after the episode dropped, the company sold over 500 pairs of the pants in about two weeks. A pair of $40 clogs Markle wore during an episode where she feeds her chicken sold out online in most women?s sizes, and searches for the shoes on the Crocs website increased by 70%, compared to last month, a company spokesperson said. A $395 striped beige sweater from Jenni Kayne has been around since July of 2023, but it sold out this month after Markle draped it over her shoulders on the show, according to Lauren Anderson, the label?s vice president of brand and creative. Over 1,000 people signed up to join the wait list for the $950 Ulla Johnson blue dress Markle wears in her show?s promo image, according to a brand spokeswoman.

Le Creuset is seeing a huge bump too: Viewers are also buying the home goods Markle uses in her show, said Amanda Dishaw, who runs the Markle style archive Meghan?s Mirror. Within the last two weeks, Dishaw has sold 306 Le Creuset enamel dishes in the cream color Markle uses, as well as 187 glass Crate & Barrel bowls that Markle uses to make yogurt parfait.

[From WSJ]

Peppered within this WSJ piece are quotes from women who hunted down IDs on various pieces Meghan wore, only to find out that the pieces were all sold out. Like, it?s apparently a pretty universal experience. Which is why Meghan?s ShopMy page is such a great idea, and I?m so pleased that she?ll be adding more to it (she already added some beauty stuff yesterday). I wonder if there are additional ways to monetize this extreme interest in everything Meghan wears? Capsule collections associated with WLM, or loose-but-lucrative brand ambassadorships, something. It feels like Meghan is still leaving money on the table, I?m just saying! Also: ?people familiar with Harry and Meghan?s projects told The Wall Street Journal that Netflix was unlikely to renew its contract, which expires this year.? Yeah, that?s totally why Ted Sarandos backed up the Sussexes and invested in Meghan?s As Ever brand. Because Netflix doesn?t see a future with the woman who can sell out any article of clothing and any homeware item. Netflix is going to say ?no thanks? to all of that!

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

Embed from Getty Images

Over the past year or so, there?s been a lot of drama within Sentebale, the Lesotho charity which was started by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in 2006. Sentebale?s mission is supporting the children of Lesotho, mostly through funding health and education programs within the kingdom. Harry and Seesio have always been very involved in Sentebale, and Harry?s charity polo events are always fundraisers in support of Sentebale. Well, both Harry and Seesio are now resigning from the charity they founded, and they?re following the resignations of the board of trustees. There?s been a huge dispute, with the board of trustees and the princes on one side versus the chairwoman of the charity, Sophie Chandauka. The board asked Chandauka to step down after she made some horrendous decisions for Sentebale, and she refused, so now everyone is resigning. This story is insane and it?s wild to see everyone twist it around so it sounds like Harry is to blame in some way.

The Duke of Sussex has made the ?devastating? decision to resign from his charity Sentebale amid ?unthinkable? infighting in the organisation. Prince Harry, who established the African charity in 2006, has quit in solidarity with his co-founder and the entire board of trustees after ?the relationship between the charity?s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation?.

In an extraordinary joint statement which is yet to be officially released, Harry and his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho wrote: ?What?s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this.? Sentebale, which means ?Forget me not?, is in a state of crisis and The Times understands that it is now the subject of a Charity Commission investigation.

In a joint statement, Harry and Seesio said: ?Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means ?forget-me-not? in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it?s what we?ve always promised for the young people we?ve served through this charity. Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. It is devastating that the relationship between the charity?s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.?

It is understood that the row is centred around the chair of the board of trustees and a decision to focus fundraising largely in Africa. Sophie Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer, was appointed to the post last year and is understood to be suing the trustees after they questioned whether she was best placed to chair the board. Siding with the departing trustees, the princes? statement said: ?These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship. We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they?ve had to follow through with this act.?

?What?s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale?s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about. Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care.?

The Charity Commission confirmed on Tuesday that an investigation was under way. A spokesman said: ?We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.?

Chandauka has refused to step down, forcing the resignation of the charity?s trustees including Mark Dyer, who served as an equerry to the King in the 1990s and has been a lifelong friend of Prince Harry.

[From The Times]

Peppered within this report (and other reporting) are quotes and statements from ?a Sentebale spokesperson? ? which means Chandauka and the few remaining staff of Sentebale. As Harry and Seesio say in their statement, this is a voluntary position and Chandauka is treating Sentebale like it?s her own personal fiefdom, refusing to resign even with the resignations of the entire board of trustees AND THE TWO FOUNDERS. (Something is pinging on my conspiracy radar, but it?s going to take a minute to put everything together.)

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In February, it really seemed like Pope Francis was not long for this world. Francis was hospitalized on February 14th for bronchitis and pneumonia, and the Vatican kept briefing stuff about how Franny was barely surviving each and every day. After Conclave lost the Best Picture Oscar, suddenly Franny?s health rebounded, although we?re now learning just how bad it was ? apparently, Vatican doctors considered stopping treatment so he could go peacefully. But, as I said, his health rebounded and he was finally released from the hospital over the weekend. As it turns out, after that very serious medical ordeal, Pope Francis has absolutely zero interest in spending any time with King Charles and Queen Camilla next month. LMAO.

King Charles and Queen Camilla won?t meet with Pope Francis as planned during their upcoming trip to Italy. On March 25, Buckingham Palace announced that the King and Queen?s visit to the Holy See has been postponed by mutual agreement in light of medical advice for the leader of the Catholic church. Pope Francis, 88, has been advised to rest after being discharged from the hospital on March 23 following a 38-day stay.

King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, are understood to have sent the Pope their wishes for his recuperation and hope to visit him at the Vatican once he has recovered.

The King and Queen were due to meet with the Pope during their upcoming trip to the Holy See and Italy from Monday, April 7 to Thursday, April 10, in a visit that will overlap with their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9.

It?s understood that the royal couple will continue with the visit to Italy, though the itinerary might shift amid the latest change.

It emerged last week that the King wrote a letter to Pope Francis for his recovery. A palace source said then it was their ?hopes and prayers that Pope Francis? health will enable the visit to go ahead,? in sentiments echoed by the King and Queen, sources say.

As sovereign, King Charles is the head of the Church of England, and his meeting with the Pope was highly anticipated in the year of a Papal Jubilee, which occur every 25 years.

[From People]

While I think Pope Francis was genuinely near death and he absolutely needs to take it easy, I also think he was probably looking for an excuse to cancel this royal drive-by. Charles and Camilla have met Franny before, the last time they were all in the same room was 2017. That?s enough. ?Postponed by mutual agreement? is palace-speak for ?the Vatican canceled.? Not surprised that they?re still going to Italy though and it will be interesting to see the new itinerary. I bet an Italian wine tasting is on the agenda! Remember, this trip was originally supposed to happen last year, and Prince William and Kate were the ones who were supposed to go to Rome. The trip was postponed, and then Charles and Camilla jacked it from the Keens.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Over the weekend, the Human Rights Campaign held their annual LA dinner, which was well-attended by various LGBTQ celebrities. Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett attended the event and gave a 20-minute-long speech. Rep. Crockett has been getting a lot of heat in the past year or so, and she?s definitely on the political rise. She?s an attractive Black woman who represents a congressional district in the heart of Texas ? she knows how to talk, she knows how to give a good TV interview, and she knows how to make news in congressional hearings (she originated ?bleach-blonde bad built butch body? re: Marjorie Taylor Greene). Well, Rep. Crockett?s address at the HRC dinner is now getting a lot of attention. Here?s the full video of her remarks, but I?ve cued it to the 4:25-mark because that?s when she said the thing about the governor of Texas.

This is what?s making news this week: ?I can tell you that Morgan has always been one of those people that will ask, ?What is it that you need?? You know, a lot of people see you out front, fighting, but nobody?s really asks you ?what do you need to maintain that fight?? So, thank you so much Morgan, because we in these hot-ass Texas streets, honey. Y?all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, come on! And the only thing hot about him is that he?s a hot-ass mess, honey!? The ?Governor Hot Wheels? she?s referencing is Texas governor Greg Abbott, who has been in a wheelchair since 1984, when a tree fell on him.

I?ll be honest, I winced at the nickname, but before I looked into where Rep. Crockett said it, I honestly thought she said it in a congressional hearing. I was originally like ?well, that?s inappropriate.? But finding out that she said it offhand in her speech at the HRC dinner lessens the pearl-clutching from my end. Also lessening the pearl-clutching from me: the fact that millions of Americans voted for the ?grab ?em by the p-ssy? adjudicated rapist and his merry band of ?we get to say the r-word now? cult members. Also a factor: Greg Abbott is a f?king douchebag who has spent years actively harming Texas women, Texas children and Texas?s marginalized communities. F?k him. Rep. Crockett also posted a statement about the ?controversy,? writing:

I wasn?t thinking about the governor?s condition?I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable.

Literally, the next line I said was that he was a ?Hot A** Mess,? referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition. So, I?m even more appalled that the very people who unequivocally support Trump?a man known for racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities?are now outraged.

Keep that same energy for all people, not just your political adversaries.

Finally, this is yet another distraction. Instead of obsessing over and hanging on to my every word, maybe my political foes should focus on doing the work of the people who elected us to improve their lives.

[From Rep. Crockett?s Twitter]

An excellent statement. Now, do I believe that ?Governor Hot Wheels? was genuinely a reference to busing/flying migrants into Black-led communities? Not really. But I also think there are much bigger fish to fry and the same people who are crying about ?Governor Hot Wheels? are the same ones who are trying to distract from the grotesque national security catastrophe at the heart of the Trump administration.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

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As of March 20, there have been 378 confirmed cases of the measles in the United States. The latest outbreak began in West Texas and quickly spread into New Mexico. There are now measles cases in 18 different states, including Alaska. Sadly, two people have already died from their illness, including a six-year-old child. Both people who died were not vaccinated against measles and were the first to die from it in the US since 2015.

Last week, the parents of the child who passed away gave an interview to RFK Jr?s anti-vax group. They believe their daughter, who ended up developing pneumonia, died because ?it was her time? and that she was ?too good for this earth.? They also basically said that the measles were ?not that bad? and that they would ?absolutely not? get the MMR vaccine because their four other children got better thanks to ?alternative? treatments. Yeah. There?s a lot of misinformation out there about the measles, the MMR vaccine, and ways to treat it, so People released an interview with pediatrician Dr. Adam Ratner, who is also an infectious disease specialist.

Vaccines protect everyone: ?In a lot of cases, we don?t know why one particular child will get sicker than another. There?s not usually a good way of predicting that, and that?s one of the reasons why it?s so important for everyone to get vaccinated, because if you protect everybody, then you don?t have to worry about that,? Dr. Ratner explained. While ?the vast majority? of kids are sick for about a week, he says, ?some kids, including this six-year-old who died, can develop pneumonia or other adverse events, and they can end up needing to be hospitalized and can be sick for much longer ? or, as she did, can go on to die.?

Regarding claims that measles are ?good? and offer protection from cancer: ?None of that is true. Measles are not good for people in any way. They put children in grave danger as they did for that family?s daughter. They put children at risk of other infections for a couple of years after measles. And there is no evidence that measles has any effect on risk for cancer or risk for anything else later on.?

It can cause issues later: ?We now know that there are also some later onset issues that can come up with measles. There?s a degenerative neurological condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis or SSPE,? which he explained can begin as early as seven years after a measles infection. ?That is a very serious disease that leads to death in almost all cases.?

Secondary infections: ?You can get pneumonia from measles or kids with measles can develop a super infection, meaning bacterial pneumonia on top of measles,? Dr. Ratner tells PEOPLE, explaining that they could also get influenza or COVID. ?It?s because they have the original viral infection. That sets them up to have a bacterial infection on top of it. This is a very typical story. Kids with measles can seem like they?re getting better and then can develop pneumonia later. Pneumonia can be from measles alone or measles plus a bacterial infection. But in either case, this whole course is preventable by vaccination.?

On breathing treatments: ?There?s no evidence for either inhaled steroids, which is what budesonide is, or inhaled beta agonists like albuterol in measles. There?s simply no evidence that they do anything.? As for the other children, whom the parents said benefitted from treatments, Dr. Ratner said ?it sounds like the other children had a more benign course so I think they were simply not as sick.?

A ?kernel of truth? about Vitamin A: ?The vitamin A thing is a little complicated because there?s a kernel of truth in there. Children who are malnourished are at higher risk of severe courses and death from measles, and we know from studies from decades ago that vitamin A supplementation for people who have measles can decrease ? but not eliminate? the risk of death and severe disease.?

Too much Vitamin A is bad: Dr. Ratner explained that if you?re treating a patient with measles, ?it is reasonable to give two doses of vitamin A ? just 2 doses, and under the supervision of a doctor ? and that can help decrease the risk of severe disease and death from measles. It doesn?t prevent either of those things, and it certainly does not prevent people from getting measles. There is also the risk of taking too much vitamin A. It accumulates in the body. It can cause liver damage. It can cause central nervous system damage. It can cause issues with skin ? it is not a benign treatment.?

No evidence that cod liver oil is helpful: And as for cod liver oil, while it ?does, in fact, contain some vitamin A? Dr. Ratner explained, there is ?no evidence that that helps in any way and giving a supplement that has an unknown amount of things in it is unlikely to be helpful.?

Why the child?s mom had symptoms despite being vaccinated: ?Especially for someone who got a single dose of vaccine, there is some chance that, if they are exposed to measles, they can develop measles,? said Dr. Ratner, who explained that one dose of the MMR vaccine is ?about 93% effective,? and the two-dose regimen is ?about 97% effective. Often those people have milder disease than people who haven?t been vaccinated,? he said, ?and it sounds like her course was pretty mild.?

Don?t want to get the measles? Vaccinate!: ?The only way to prevent measles is by vaccination. The vaccine is safe and it is highly effective, and we have been using it for 60 years at this point. There is a lot of misinformation out there and what happens when you have that level of misinformation, is that vaccine rates drop, you end up with large outbreaks like you have in West Texas now. We?ve lost a child already in this outbreak and an adult has died in New Mexico. Both of those deaths were preventable. Measles is not supposed to be causing deaths in people in the U.S. in 2025, and so this is all preventable.?

[From People]

Like I said earlier, there is so much misinformation going around right now. I also cannot believe that this family is out there claiming that the disease that killed their child is ?not that bad? and good for the body because it prevents cancer somewhere down the timeline. The misinformation is scary and it?s going to get more people killed. I think knowing why Vitamin A can be helpful on the margins is good, because having that knowledge equips you to engage with someone who is out there touting it. But, it?s even more important to stress that there is no viable alternative to getting vaccinated.

This reminds me of the arguments against the chickenpox vaccine, where people think that getting them isn?t a big deal because we all got them as kids and turned out just fine. No one stops to think, ?Hey, maybe we can keep generations of kids from getting the shingles when they?re older.? It?s wild and it boggles the mind. Remember, you can always ask for a measles booster if you?re worried about your exposure.

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