I turned 40 earlier this year and as I’ve noticed the changes in my body over the past few years, menopause has been on my mind a lot. I really appreciate the celebrities like Naomi Watts, Sofia Vergara, Halle Berry, and Brooke Burke who have spoken up about their experiences and how our bodies change as we age.

Kate Winslet, who turns 49 on October 5, was a guest on the September 10 episode of the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. During her appearance, a listener asked about ways to “rekindle her sex drive” with her boyfriend. Kate responded by talking about the how testosterone levels in a woman’s body depletes as they age. She also shared her experience with testosterone therapy, which she credited with making her feel sexy again.

Kate Winslet is getting candid about her sex drive. The Lee actress, 48, said during a Sept. 10 episode of the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast that her libido got a major boost after undergoing testosterone replacement therapy. While answering a listener’s relationship question about how to rekindle her sex drive with her longtime boyfriend, Winslet gave advice and opened up about her health journey.

“Sometimes women have a real dip in libido because there might be stuff going on with their thyroid. There could also be stuff going on with your level of testosterone,” the Oscar winner said.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but women have testosterone in their body, when it runs out — like eggs — it’s gone,” Winslet added. “And once it’s gone you have to replace it, and that is something that can be done and you’ll feel sexy again … I know.”

Winslet also suggested that the listener should have her thyroid levels and testosterone levels checked: “Those things could have a direct impact on how you’re actually feeling. It’s not your fault, our bodies are weird and they behave in strange ways, especially as we get older.”

She continued: “So there could be a dip in those hormonal levels for you that is contributing much more than you think to how you’re feeling about having sex with your boyfriend, so I would definitely go ahead and do that.”

Winslet also noted that the listener should be easy on herself while navigating the situation.

The Titanic star also spoke about embracing body positivity during her podcast appearance, saying, “We have to own [our bodies], this is the thing.”

“We’re so conditioned, women, in our 40s to think, ‘Oh well I’m creeping closer to the end.’ You think you’re going into menopause and you’ll stop having sex, your boobs are going to sag and your skin’s going to go crepy,” she explained. “First of all, so what? And secondly, it’s just conditioning.”

“I think women as they get older get juicier and sexier and more embedded in their truth of who they are and more powerful, more able to walk through the world and care less and that is an empowering thing,” Winslet said. “I say to my friends all the time, ‘You look amazing.‘ ”

Winslet has been outspoken about aging and her physicality. She previously spoke about being “brave” when it came to on-screen nudity. “I know better than to waste precious energy on criticizing my physical self,” she told Vogue in a September 2023 interview.

“I think any woman is better off just saying: I believe in myself. It doesn’t matter what other people think; this is who I am — let’s get on with it,” Winslet said.

[From People]

Ignoring how she describes women’s bodies as getting “juicier” as they age (WTF does that even mean?!), I have always appreciated Kate’s honesty. How else are we going to find out about potential issues if they’re not actually talked about? This speaks to what I’ve always believed is why we need to destigmatize these topics. Otherwise, we suffer in silence and wonder what’s “wrong” with us when it doesn’t have to be like that. Has anyone had any experience with this? I’ve read up on hormone therapy during menopause but always thought that estrogen and progestin were the main focuses. Of course, as with everything, speak with your doctor and consider any potential side effects.

You can listen to Kate’s episode of How to Fail here.

photos credit: Aissaoui Nacer/Backgrid, Phil Lewis / Wenn / Avalon, Julie Edwards / Avalon

Last November, Cassie filed a federal lawsuit against Sean “Puffy” Combs. Her lawsuit was devastating – Combs violently abused Cassie for years, he trafficked her to other men, he exploited her, he medically and emotionally abused her. Combs settled out of court with her within 24 hours, but Cassie’s lawsuit got the ball rolling. Suddenly, multiple investigations popped up, and Combs’ other victims began speaking out and getting lawyers. In March of this year, federal authorities raided Combs’ properties in Florida and California. Months ago, we also heard that a federal grand jury was being impaneled. Well, the grand jury indicted, and Combs was arrested in Manhattan last night.

Sean Combs, the music mogul whose career has been upended by sexual assault lawsuits and a federal investigation, was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on Monday evening after a grand jury indicted him.

The indictment is sealed and the charges were not announced but Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mr. Combs, said he believed he was being charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.

A statement from Mr. Combs’s legal team said they were disappointed with the decision to prosecute him and noted that he had been cooperative with the investigation and had “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community,” the statement said. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal.”

Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement posted on social media late Monday that “we expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”

Mr. Agnifilo said Mr. Combs had been arrested by officers with Homeland Security Investigations at about 8:30 p.m. at the hotel where he was staying, the Park Hyatt New York on 57th Street. It is expected he will be held overnight and then arraigned on Tuesday.

[From The NY Times]

Arrested by Homeland Security, not FBI. Interesting. It feels like the indictment is very heavy on human trafficking and interstate sex crimes, although I’m sure the raids on Combs’ homes uncovered a wealth of crimes across the board. The arraignment should be interesting and I actually have some faith that Combs won’t be able to wriggle out of this. It feels like the feds did everything by the book and they built a strong case. But we’ll see. I hope Cassie is having a beautiful and peaceful day.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

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Last Week Tonight continued its well-deserved Emmy domination on Sunday night. After sweeping the Outstanding Variety Talk Series for seven years in a row, they were shuffled off to the Scripted Variety Series category at last year’s awards (which were held in January), and now they’ve won against SNL in back-to-back years (or eight months apart). John Oliver and his merry band of mischiefs cannot be stopped! A great show is a great show, however you label it. And when you think about it, John Oliver winning an award in primetime is really a gift to us all, because we get to enjoy him stumbling through delivering another acceptance speech in his endearing, awkward grace. This year was no exception. Oliver landed the requisite barb against business daddy HBO, inadvertently renamed his son while thanking his family, and then dedicated the win to the most worthiest of floofs: his family’s recently departed dog. But it’s John Oliver, so the moment didn’t go off without a hitch, or an f— bomb.

Oliver’s Last Week Tonight won outstanding scripted variety series at the 76th annual Emmy awards on Sunday, Sept. 15. While accepting the win, Oliver gave a speech thanking his team and family — but one slip up brought extra laughs from the audience.

“Thank you so much,” he began. “Thank you to my staff — some of them are here, others are in Brooklyn — whether they’re watching this, I know they are in Brooklyn, I hope you’re having fun. I’d particularly like to thank Liz Stanton and Tim Carvell. I’d like to say thank you to HBO for not canceling us over the last decade, that was never a guarantee, I appreciate it, please carry on.”

He continued: “I’d like to thank my wife, Kate and our kids, husband — ‘husband’ — Hudson, his name is Hudson. Ouch. That’s gonna come back to haunt me.”

Laughing at himself, Oliver, 47, dedicated his award to another family member.

“I also want to thank, may be silly, our dog,” he said. “We had the most fantastic dog, and she was at our wedding and she got us through a pandemic. She was with us, two pregnancies.”

As he spoke, playoff music came on, making the moment resemble a sad dog commercial.

“Perfect choice of music,” he said. “We had to say goodbye to her.”

“F–k you,” he joked. “I feel like Sarah McLachlan right now.”

Singer Sarah McLachlan famously starred in a tear-jerking commercial for the ASPCA set to her hit song “Angel.”

“She was an amazing dog,” Oliver added, despite being ushered off the stage. “This is for her, this is for all dogs. All dogs, you’re all very good girls. You’re all very good boys. You all deserve a treat. Play me off now. Thanks so much.”

[From People]

Let’s start off with Husband Oliver. ‘Husband’ is not the craziest baby name to come out of Hollywood! I realize the faux pas was in not remembering his son’s actual name, but I thought I’d throw Father Oliver a bone there. Especially after hearing him tell ET reporters that he’d only had an airline-proffered parfait ahead of the ceremony?! Heaven knows what would come out of my mouth if I got up on stage during a live broadcast without having ingested any solid food, is alls I’m sayin’. (And for the record, Oliver does also thank his second son — I’ve listened to the clip over and over and the best I can make out is ‘Marzy?’ Please chime in if you have better ears!)

But of course the big heart-wrencher was Oliver thanking his dog. Being only 37 days out from saying goodbye to my own pup My Girl, I was right there with Oliver. I loved the way he honored his very good girl as a genuine family member, because that is who our pets are. And yes, I also enjoy laughing at messy situations playing out on my TV, so I got a kick out of the orchestra sad-violining during the speech at exactly the wrong moment, and in turn watching Oliver react to that fumble. And seeing as how I failed to win an Emmy yet again this year, I appreciate Oliver extending his dedication to all the dogs out there, who do indeed all deserve treats. Though I’m still imagining My Girl sassily flapping her angel wings thinking, “I want a Golden Globe win in my honor or you never really loved me, Lady.”

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Embed from Getty Images

More photos from the 2024 Emmy Awards and afterparties. Here’s Jon Hamm and his wife Anna at the Disney party. [Hollywood Life]
The men of the Emmys – so happy for Lamorne Morris! [LaineyGossip]
Emily In Paris has been renewed for a fifth season! [Just Jared]
Fantastic headline over at Socialite Life. [Socialite Life]
Review of Cate Blanchett’s new AppleTV series. [Pajiba]
Kate Hudson at TIFF. [Go Fug Yourself]
FKA Twigs has new music! [OMG Blog]
Taylor Zakhar Perez is such a cutie. [RCFA]
I’m glad Steve-O still listens to reason. [Seriously OMG]
Preview of Bravo’s fall reality line-up. [Starcasm]
The funniest tweets from the Emmys. [Buzzfeed]

On September 9th, Kensington Palace published a new statement from the Princess of Wales in which she announced that she was done with chemotherapy and the next stage of her life was about doing what she could to “stay cancer free.” With the statement came a three-minute video which was, in a word, cringe. It featured Kate, William and their kids rolling around on a beach and Kate playing with a butterfly in between groping various ferns. The message was complicated, and no one really knew what to make of it beyond “this is gruesome.” Kate and William are always doing these things which they believe will earn them widespread praise, and then even the most ardent royalist is like: YIKES. King Charles and Camilla apparently hated the video too, which we learned days later, and was likely one of the reasons why so many outlets felt comfortable expressing skepticism over all of it. Anyway, one of the still-unanswered questions is “what comes next” and/or “is Kate ever going to work again?” Given all of KP’s briefings, it seems like what comes next is a whole lotta nothing. From The Telegraph:

The video was ALL Kate: The film, one suspects, will become a treasured family memento to be watched fondly together in years and decades to come. This was not a video filmed by committee, workshopped by Kensington Palace aides and edited with the help of focus groups. It was, sources said, a “creative outlet” for the Princess, who has chosen to take control of her own message in a public life which has seen her cede so much. “This is her,” says a friend. The Princess is now, they say, working out what is right for her future, and that of her family.

Kate’s confidence: “This is a personal message from her,” says one source, who notes approvingly that her voice has grown in confidence since first setting out to speak directly to the public, when she revealed details of her illness in a video message released in March.

The future of Kate’s public role: What that will look like is uncertain. Save for two key appearances – Remembrance Sunday and her annual carol concert at Westminster Abbey, which will take place unless her health changes – the rest of her diary over the coming months is unconfirmed for obvious reasons, to allow for cancellations without causing alarm.

The Early Years work: The Princess’s work, including her many public appearances and a flagship project focused on improving the lives of young children, is the constant that has run through her public life, says one palace source, who describes the Wales’ approach to Royal life as an “unwavering commitment to duty and service”. “She’s said on many occasions that her work does bring her great joy,” adds one who knows the couple. “Whether it will be work in the same way now as it was in 2023, time will tell. For now, it’s going to have to be different.”

So many sources are kicking the can down the road: “Perhaps there will be a new approach and a different balance,” says a second source. “But the important thing is, she’ll be back.” Another source said: “The public understands the position she’s in, I think they get it. People want her to balance and not rush back.”

No support groups for Kate: Multiple charities offer specific help for the period of life after a patient’s treatment has ended, from support groups to “cancer coaches”. One, Life after Cancer, says 92 per cent of its users admit to finding life after cancer harder than cancer treatment. Its support system is designed to alleviate the “risk of serious mental distress” after treatment and help people “build a positive life after their cancer experience”. If the Princess cannot join a support group with such a high public profile, she appears to have absorbed their messages. In the case of the Prince and Princess of Wales, one source says: “As she says herself, this has changed their perspective on everything.”

The intimacy of the video: If the public, including those who have followed the monarchy for decades, were taken aback by the intimacy of the Wales family video, those who have spent time with them recently are not. “I think this personal approach is something you will see going forward,” says a source. There is no change in policy on the Wales children’s privacy, a palace source emphasised. The Prince and Princess, like any parents, will continue to decide how much they are willing to share with the public – albeit on a worldwide scale.

How William feels about Kate’s journey: Prince William, who has this year come to terms with cancer diagnoses for his father and his wife, wants nothing more than to protect her, friends say, and give her peace as she recovers. “Like any husband, he wants to support his wife,” says a source. “And at this stage, a big part of that is supporting her to do the things that bring her joy while she is on this journey.”

Measured in decades: As aides have pointed out repeatedly over the years, the Princess’s work will be measured in decades – a lifelong dedication to duty unlike any other career. Now, this logic acts as a reminder that she must be allowed to heal fully – physically and emotionally – before she considers a wholesale return.

[From The Telegraph]

“It was, sources said, a ‘creative outlet’ for the Princess, who has chosen to take control of her own message in a public life.” The video announcing she is cancer-free was her creative outlet? Can she not paint or make a quilt? But really, one gets the sense that Kate is being thrown under the bus yet again. They’re going on and on about how the video was important to Kate, this was her message, this is all about her journey… William was in the video too, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else. Was it a creative outlet for William too? And calling it “creative” is an interesting choice, almost like they were creating a cringefest fictional work of art. As for Kate’s schedule… they’ve successfully kicked the can down the road for another four months. In January, we’ll hear a new story for why Kate is doing f–k all.

Photos courtesy of Will Warr/Kensington Palace.

Just like at this year’s Oscars, there was a major non-entertainment story breaking alongside an awards show last night. While many people were focused on the Emmys, an absolutely bonkers political story was unfolding. First of all, Sunday was an awful day for Republicans. JD Vance made an ass out of himself on the Sunday morning shows, then Donald Trump followed that up by declaring “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” on Truth Social, his Nazi social media platform. Hours later, Secret Service agents detailed to Trump confronted a would-be assassin at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club.

The F.B.I. said it was investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of former President Donald J. Trump after the Secret Service fired on an armed man at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday, just over two months after he was wounded during an attempt on his life.

Mr. Trump was on the course, a few hundred yards away, when Secret Service personnel spotted a person concealed in the bushes and opened fire, law enforcement officials said at a briefing. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle and was taken into custody during a traffic stop, and a rifle with a scope was recovered from the bushes, along with a camera and two backpacks. It was not yet clear whether the suspect had fired any shots, according to the Secret Service.

A U.S. law enforcement official identified the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. Mr. Routh was interviewed by The New York Times in 2023 for an article about Americans volunteering to aid the war effort in Ukraine. Mr. Routh, who had no military experience, said he had traveled there after Russia’s invasion in 2022 to recruit Afghan soldiers for the fight. He told The Times he once visited Washington to meet with politicians to strengthen support for Ukraine. “I’m just a U.S. citizen that’s helping out,” he said.

[From The NY Times]

People quickly found Routh’s social media and went through all of his old Twitter posts. It was a portrait of a former MAGA Republican – he supported Trump in 2016, then he switched his allegiance to Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, and he seemingly did not want Trump to be the Republican nominee. Journalists were in the process of looking through his Twitter account when Twitter’s unhinged owner Elon Musk deleted the account. Not only that, Musk questioned why Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were not being similarly targeted. That’s the kind of question which SHOULD lead to the Secret Service crawling up Elon Musk’s ass for years. Musk ended up deleting the post… but only after millions of people saw it. Then he followed up with some “it was just jokes” tweets.

Who else here feels that Elon Musk should be stripped of his security clearance, and U.S. citizenship and then deported back to his home nation of South Africa? pic.twitter.com/wk16pG4y1g

— Lakota Man (@LakotaMan1) September 16, 2024

Pretty confident this post will get more swifties involved in the election than Taylor’s endorsement would. Sure they love to do whatever she says but more importantly, they love to ruin the lives of her enemies. pic.twitter.com/ukr48JiElN

— Travis Helwig (@travishelwig) September 15, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

When we last checked in on Jennifer Lopez, she was (as always) doing the most. J.Lo’s brand is extra. Two weekends ago, she was in Toronto to promote Unstoppable, a film produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. She and Matt actually spent some time together, and at one point, they held hands as they were deep in conversation. Jennifer’s TIFF appearance came after she spent more than a week getting her narrative out there about why she filed for divorce and how Ben completely disengaged from the marriage. Incidentally, we haven’t heard anything about Ben and Kick Kennedy in weeks either – allegedly, they were seeing each other over the summer.

So, I genuinely thought J.Lo was doing a lot to project that she was totally over Ben and their marriage. While she still has a lot of love for him, she was done with his mood swings and refusal to communicate. Well, what if that was all a lie? What if everything she’s done in the past month was an effort to get Ben to wake up and recommit to their marriage? I don’t know. But I do know that Ben, Jen and their kids were out together on Saturday and it looked like The Reunification of Bennifer.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have reunited amid their divorce. The estranged couple was spotted having brunch together with their children at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday.

A source exclusively tells Page Six, “Ben and JLo are currently at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel holding hands and kissing. The kids are with them, but at a separate table.”

Reps for Lopez and Affleck did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.

At one point, the pair was photographed having what appeared to be an intense conversation in a car parked outside of the building. Lopez wore a long-sleeved black crop top and flared dark-wash jeans for the outing, while Affleck sported a blue button-down shirt and jeans with Nike sneakers. The “Hustlers” star, 55, also notably wore her engagement ring on her pinky finger and a “Jennifer” ring on her wedding finger.

Affleck’s children Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, as well as Lopez’s twins, Emme and Max, 16, were photographed entering the hotel with them. The family outing was punctuated by an appearance from Affleck’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner, who was seen leaving the hotel with her kids after grabbing brunch.

[From Page Six]

From what I’m seeing, other outlets don’t know what to call this other than “they had lunch together.” Page Six seems to be the only one saying they were kissing and holding hands. From the photos, it looks a lot like what they were doing back in May and June – family outings, kid-focused outings, where they gave the appearance of “working on their marriage.”

Ah, a day after these photos came out, someone in J.Lo’s camp went to People Magazine to explain – it was a “fun lunch” for their kids, and Jen is “trying to be friendly with Ben. They are still moving forward with the divorce though. They are working out financial details amicably. A divorce is never easy, but Jennifer doesn’t want to be selfish about it. The kids always got along and have fun together. It makes her happy seeing the kids happy together. Happy kids are her priority.” So the divorce is still on!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Sunday afternoon, the Secret Service apprehended a would-be assassin at Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club. Trump was golfing at the time, because of course. The would-be shooter did not even take a shot at Trump. The whole thing is bonkers, but I’ll keep my mouth shut until we know more – after all, there are still way too many open questions over the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting back in July. We still don’t know exactly what happened and why. I suspect it will be the same here, although we know now that both “shooters” were Republicans.

I bring this up because the Trump storyline overshadowed everything that’s happened in Ohio since last week’s debate. At the debate, Trump screamed out a MAGA lie/conspiracy that Haitian-Americans and Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating dogs and cats. The whole thing was based on a completely random lie made by a white woman in Ohio and she’s now taken back the lie and said that she never meant it to go this far. That didn’t stop Ohio’s Senator JD Vance – who is also Trump’s running mate – to amplify the lie constantly. Since the debate, there have been threats and attacks on the Haitian-American community in Ohio, and those f–king Proud Boys even marched in Springfield. It’s all turned into a violent anti-immigrant and racist emergency. Sunday morning, Vance did an interview on CNN with Dana Bash. Vance admitted to “creating” the racist story which has harmed Ohio communities:

JD Vance straight up admits to making up the eating cats and dogs hoax to get the media to talk about immigration.

“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.” pic.twitter.com/SMqmcEKLmu

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) September 15, 2024

I actually watched about ten minutes of the full interview, and it was just as insane as all of this – he spent ten minutes trying to say that he is not personally responsible for inciting racist violence against Haitians, that he was just amplifying the concerns of his constituents… and then he admitted that he created the lie about people eating cats and dogs. He created a story to harm, target and foment violence against HIS OWN CONSTITUENTS. The Ohio senator is harming Ohio cities and Ohioians.

Over the weekend, vice presidential candidate and sitting Ohio senator JD Vance admitted that he lied to incite violence against Haitian immigrants, including his own constituents. There are no words.https://t.co/YokSIzAXl8 pic.twitter.com/wn9DVbCFPR

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Can anyone explain why so many of these “Prince Harry’s 40th birthday” stories are about how much his brother hates him? It’s so weird, right? Almost as if Harry’s birthday is being used by a certain someone to scream, cry and rage about how much he hates Harry. The latest delulu “birthday article” comes from Rebecca English at the Daily Mail. They’re not even trying to maintain an illusion of “we don’t care about Harry, he left us and we’re over it!” They’ve actually creating an increasingly tangled web of projections, lies and fantasies to justify their continued obsession with all things Sussex. Currently, they still feel ownership of Harry because he spent his 30th birthday in England, and because he still wants to do charity work in the UK, and because everyone in Windsorville is still incandescent with rage. Some highlights from Becky’s piece:

The toxic fallout! Harry not only turned his back on everything he once knew, but pressed the nuclear button. He blew his home, his friends and his duties as a royal – but, above all, his family. And the toxic fall-out simply won’t go away. In the weeks running up to his milestone birthday, I have been speaking to those with inside knowledge of this intractable breakdown. One of the major problems, they tell me, is that Harry has never been one for saying sorry, or even admitting he was wrong. ‘Maybe he’ll feel some sorrow at the way things have turned out, but he’ll never admit that any of it was his fault,’ says one insider who has known him since childhood.

Harry is the hurt & angry one, they swear! Turning 40 may prompt him to reflect on his life but, astonishingly, they believe Harry remains hurt and angry that no one is begging him to come back into the royal fold – and this is yet another impasse to any rapprochement in the near future. For their part, some in Royal circles admit that the Palace machinery didn’t handle the whole ‘Sussex situation’ terribly well – at the same time, strongly emphasising that it’s actually rather hard to help a couple who make everything so ‘exhaustingly difficult’, seeing conspiracy at every turn. Indeed, the situation got so bad that many believe leaving Britain was the right thing for the prince to do. ‘He wasn’t happy, he couldn’t hide that and he needed to make a break. It was a horrible, toxic atmosphere,’ says one insider who lived through the crisis.

William is still incandescent: So is there any chance of Harry ever being welcomed back? Can shattered relations be restored? Where William is concerned, one well-placed source told me that even after the infamous Oprah interview in March 2021, they could envisage a time when the brothers would find a way to make up eventually. They don’t think that now, following the continued barrage of attacks in the Sussex’s Netflix documentary, the interviews and podcasts and his vitriolic 2023 memoir Spare, which they say was the final nail in the coffin. ‘The relationship [between the brothers] is non-existent,’ another admits. ‘William feels betrayed and has other priorities.’

Charles & Harry’s relationship: Royal officials are notably shying away from even discussing the Sussexes in the hope it will give father and son space to see if they can save anything from their relationship. The Royal household and the family remain nervous, of course, and wary, it’s fair to say. Trust is so low that Harry was the last family member to be given the news of his father’s cancer diagnosis in February, and then only just as it was about to break globally. (He was not even informed in advance of his sister-in-law’s health crisis weeks later). The King was also left disappointed last November after his son called to wish him happy 75th birthday. Just hours later, details of their conversation, including the fact that his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet, had sent a video message to him singing happy birthday, was leaked by Team Sussex to journalists. ‘A deeply private call between the King and his grandchildren and it ends up in a newspaper the next day. Really?’ another source said, emphasising just how much this was considered to have crossed a line.

The king and RAVEC: The idea the king can resolve the protection issue is plain wrong, according to those who know. He has no sway over what the committee decides. To seemingly suggest the monarch could only get to see his grandchildren again if he intervened in the matter comes across as particularly silly and naive. It’s genuinely feared that Harry is so blinkered over the issue that he could even try to lobby his father if they were ever to speak privately. For the King, who is already facing considerable embarrassment at his own son suing his government, in his courts, that could be constitutionally damaging. ‘It’s really tricky to have any conversation [with Harry] in which the subject of security could be raised. It would put the King on the spot and if anything he said were to be leaked – not that he would say anything, mind you – it could heavily impact a live court case. There are serious constitutional issues here at stake outside of any family dramas,’ a source explains.

Does Harry really want to come back to the UK? Not permanently, I am told. His life now is in Montecito with his wife and children. ‘He’s always full of the joys of the life he has in California and, yes, I do think he’s happy,’ says one who speaks to him fairly regularly. But they also reveal he is looking at ways to facilitate coming back more regularly and easily. ‘He has various touch points in the UK, a handful of charities such as WellChild, and the Invictus Games which will come to Birmingham in a few years time. There will be more reasons and requirements [for him] to visit and the easier that can be done, the better. It’s not a satisfactory situation at the moment, for all sorts of reasons.’ Will that include visits to see family? ‘That’s more tricky, but potentially,’ another insider says. ‘The UK is his home, it’s where he grew up, it’s where his family and friends and a lot of his interests are. The sense I get is that there is a desire for some kind rapprochement. Clearly that will take time and patience. Let’s just say there’s a hope there will be more positive conversations in the future.’

[From The Daily Mail]

The thing about Charles’s birthday last year and the briefings… the briefings didn’t come from the Sussexes. They came from Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. William was making mischief because he was mad that Charles and Harry spoke. Charles’s people were making mischief because they were mad that Charles and Harry spoke. They all wanted to ensure that there continued to be a wedge between Charles and Harry. That’s also why Harry has taken to briefing certain outlets about the security situation too – he genuinely would prefer to speak to his father in person so that there’s no interference from Camilla, William or the courtiers.

“One of the major problems, they tell me, is that Harry has never been one for saying sorry, or even admitting he was wrong.” There’s this whole plotline created by the British media and the Windsors, a plotline in which “everyone knows that Harry just up and decided to leave and destroy the Windsors on his way out the door, he needs to apologize!” That has no relation to what has actually happened and it’s an exercise in royal gaslighting.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Prince William’s fingerprints are all over the British media’s absolute hysteria for Prince Harry’s 40th birthday. Today is Harry’s birthday, and every single British newspaper and tabloid is currently running no fewer than a dozen articles or columns about said birthday. I’ll acknowledge that the British peeps have shown an abiding obsession with all things Sussex, so they were probably always going to go overboard in their coverage of the 40th b-day of The Prince Who Left. But William and King Charles’s offices are clearly briefing about Harry too, as they’ve been doing for years. Interestingly, with this particular story, I get the feeling that Charles is trying to save William from himself. Initially, the Mail’s headline was “’No call’ between Prince Harry and Prince William expected on the Duke of Sussex’s 40th birthday.” That was changed to include the information that Charles will likely call Harry.

King Charles will reach out to Prince Harry as soon as he wakes up on his 40th birthday as there is ‘still a lot of love’ between the father and son, a source has said. The monarch, 75, is expected to call his youngest son on Skype on Sunday afternoon UK time, so the pair can speak as soon as the Duke of Sussex wakes up in California.

But there will be ‘no call’ between Prince William and Prince Harry on the major milestone birthday as the brothers ‘don’t even speak’, another source has claimed.

It is understood Prince Harry will head off on a holiday with his ‘closest mates’ to celebrate his birthday, while Meghan stays at home with their two children. This will reportedly follow a party at his £11million home in Montecito, California.

The Duke of Sussex should expect to hear from his father early in the day on his 40th birthday, a royal insider told the Sunday Express, who claimed there is ‘still a lot of love’ in the family. The source added: ‘They tend to use Skype when they communicate because they can see each other and it’s all set up by staff so it runs smoothly.’

However, there will be one feature notably missing from Prince Harry’s 40th birthday – a phone call from his brother Prince William, as the pair reportedly don’t speak. Though Harry and William have typically celebrated major milestones together, a source told the Mirror that there ‘will be no transatlantic call between to the two on Harry’s big day.’

The insider added: ‘What a difference the years have brought. When Harry turned 30, it looked like nothing could come between him and his brother. Together, they were set to become the new face of the royals, injecting a much needed modernisation of The Firm. But now, William and Harry don’t even speak. Before, they always ­celebrated major milestones together but there will be no transatlantic call between to the two on Harry’s big day.’

[From The Daily Mail]

William is so sad and pathetic these days. Harry is obviously on William’s mind – William keeps briefing every British outlet about Harry, William created a whole-ass fantasy storyline about Harry being desperate to return to the UK to do William’s work, and now William is crying about how he won’t call his brother. William is even growing a beard to look more like Harry, and William’s wife is desperately trying to channel the kind of affectionate, loving marriage Harry and Meghan have. But a phone call? Of course not. Hilariously, I wonder if William even has Harry’s current number. Anyway, it’s interesting that Charles stepped in and wanted people to know that he’s calling Harry.

Both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace wished Harry a happy birthday on their social media accounts. Y’all know there was a meeting about it.

Wishing a Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Sussex! https://t.co/ZKJbYDmV6L

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 15, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.