I was never into Arrow, so my first real vibe-check on Stephen Amell was two years ago, when he was thrown off a Delta flight for screaming at his wife. The vibe was decidedly “off.” This new story does nothing to dissuade me from feeling like Amell is a giant knob either. Amell is obviously a SAG-AFTRA union member, but he’s not “on strike” apparently. In comments this week, Amell called the strike “myopic.” Yikes.

Stephen Amell, whose Starz drama series Heels returned for its second season over the weekend, is not going to the mat for the actors strike that is rattling in Hollywood. Amell, best known for playing the lead role in The CW’s Arrow, has called the SAG-AFTRA strike “myopic,” “incredibly frustrating” and a “reductive negotiating tactic.”

When SAG-AFTRA members voted on authorizing a strike, an overwhelming 98% majority of returns gave guild leadership the green light to walk out of negotiations if needed, with roughly half of eligible members submitting ballots. Speaking over the weekend, actor Stephen Amell doesn’t count himself among the members in favor of one.

During an appearance for a Q&A with fans at Galaxycon in Raleigh, N.C., Amell voiced his disagreements with the ongoing actors strike, which began on July 14.

“I support my union, I do. And I stand with them. I do not support striking. I don’t. I think that it is a reductive negotiating tactic,” Amell began, sighing. The footage of Amell’s appearance at the convention was widely distributed on social media. “I find the entire thing incredibly frustrating. I think the thinking as it pertains to shows — like the show that I’m on that premiered last night — I think it’s myopic.”

Amell’s professional wrestling series “Heels” debuted its second season on Starz on Friday. The actor’s Galaxycon appearance was not explicitly billed as a promotional event for “Heels,” per the organization’s website.

[From Variety]

Yeah, my first question was: why the hell is he doing promotion for his TV show? Promotional events, press junkets and fan events are strictly prohibited by SAG-AFTRA during the strike. So there’s that alongside all of his comments. Amell sounds like such a douche here (big surprise, I’m pretty sure that’s who he is). SAG-AFTRA didn’t want to strike and they continued with the pre-strike negotiations for as long as they could in good faith. They even gave the AMPTP an extension in July, only the AMPTP only asked for the extension so the Barbenheimer casts could do their promotions and premieres. AMPTP was the organization operating in bad faith, while SAG-AFTRA has always wanted to sit down and really hash out these issues.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Get the tea on who will return for Bridgerton Season 3. [Just Jared]
Kanye West’s Twitter account was reinstated. [Socialite Life]
I really wonder if people are paying attention to Brad Pitt’s scabbing. [LaineyGossip]
You’re telling me there are ten Saw movies?? [Pajiba]
Emily Ratajkowski’s outfit here is so 2001. [Go Fug Yourself]
Stevie Wonder sings happy birthday to Quincy Jones. [Seriously OMG]
Madison Pettis wore a “pearl skirt.” [Egotastic]
Australian men don’t ask questions?? [Buzzfeed]
Meatball Ron DeSantis is deeply unpopular.[Towleroad]
A 90 Day Fiance couple are enjoying life in America. [Starcasm]
Valentino’s “Pink Panther” collection. [T&L]

One of the biggest mysteries about the Windsors is why they’re incapable of “being the bigger person” publicly. The courtiers fuss around endlessly to praise the Windsors’ brilliance, work ethic and their relatability, and yet magnanimity and good manners seem to elude them consistently. The Frogmore Cottage issue was the perfect example of this: the Sussexes were given a dilapidated shack, they were harangued until they “paid back” the cost of the renovation for a home they never owned, then they were were evicted from a home on which they had a valid and fully paid lease. So much for King Charles being a “caring father” or “loving grandfather,” you know? The Windsors rarely, if ever, err on the side of looking warm or loving. Well, someone convinced King Charles that it would be good for a quick PR hit to tell people that he “invited” the Sussexes to visit him over the summer in Balmoral. In fact, the Mail’s whole dumb story about Charles’s “first Balmoral summer without his mother” is about the Sussexes, basically.

This year, however, the Balmoral break will be different. For a start, King Charles and Queen Camilla will not be staying at Balmoral Castle itself, as the Queen always did. I can reveal they will be basing themselves at Birkhall, their private home on the Balmoral estate. Sources tell me the King and Queen will happily ‘decamp’ to the main castle for official visits, such as that of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Scottish First Minister (although it has yet to be confirmed whether avowed republican Humza Yousaf will accept).

But Birkhall will serve as their main base until the early autumn, leaving Balmoral without a monarch physically in residence for the first time since the 19th century. The castle will not remain empty, of course. All family members, I am told, are expected to stay at some point over the next few weeks.

That is, except the Duke and Duchess of Sussex whose ‘open invitation’ to join family gatherings hasn’t exactly been rescinded, but is certainly not expected to be accepted. Relations between father and son, I understand, are still not good, although the family feel encouraged by claims that Harry and Meghan are now determined to focus on the future rather than family recriminations.

‘If true, that can only be a good thing and may offer a sliver of hope that at some point in the future personal relationships can be rebuilt,’ one source close to the family tells me. ‘It’s been a very visibly challenging year when it comes to the Sussexes.’

King Charles, I understand, is not thought to have read his son’s vitriolic memoir Spare yet, but is aware of its contents. ‘Why would he read something that he knows is going to be so hurtful?’ another friend asks.

Contact between Prince William and his brother is non-existent and there doesn’t seem to be a reconciliation in the offing any time soon. ‘You can read the room on that as to where things are [between them],’ says a source, making clear that as far as William is concerned the subject is very much off-limits.

‘It’s sad, but it is what is. This is a family as well as an institution,’ they added.

[From The Daily Mail]

“That is, except the Duke and Duchess of Sussex whose ‘open invitation’ to join family gatherings hasn’t exactly been rescinded, but is certainly not expected to be accepted.” These people. How about: the king would love nothing more to see his redheaded grandchildren, he called Harry personally to invite the whole Sussex family to Scotland! That puts the onus on the Sussexes to accept or decline and Charles comes out of it smelling like a rose. “King Charles, I understand, is not thought to have read his son’s vitriolic memoir Spare” – if Charles, famously a book-lover, ever got around to reading his son’s bestselling memoir, he would discover that Harry actually adores and loves his father.

Meanwhile, Becky English also revealed that Prince Andrew will absolutely go to Balmoral this summer, probably with Fergie and their daughters. Andrew got an invitation too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Most people haven’t been following the British media’s reporting on Brad Pitt, or at least that’s what I thought. The British media hasn’t been shy about saying it outright, that Pitt was still filming that Formula 1 movie even after SAG-AFTRA called the strike. Initially, there were sources insisting that the film, loosely called Apex, was going on hiatus immediately during the strike because Pitt is such a “good union member.” But then Apex kept filming in the UK and Hungary. You could argue, hey, maybe Pitt isn’t in those scenes, maybe they’re just doing stunt scenes, etc. Except that there’s a growing body of evidence that Pitt absolutely was filming scenes during the strike. This story from the Sun got picked up by some of the trade papers in LA:

Brad Pitt is pulling the plug on filming for his new blockbuster Apex to show support for the current strikes by Hollywood actors and writers. The screen star is supporting the walk-out by actors’ union the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and has cancelled the production for now.

A source said: “Brad is arguably one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and this move seals that reputation. He has been filming Apex, his new Formula 1 film, for the past few weeks but has now pulled the plug. Brad agreed that they would finish shoots booked in but has postponed planned production over the next two months.”

“The cast and crew of Apex have been filming in Budapest but Brad has called for the future dates to be put back, in solidarity with everyone striking. Everyone has been informed that there will be a two-month hiatus now. Conversations about when to start up again are ongoing but it’s likely it will be in November when they will be going to Las Vegas to shoot some scenes.

“Postponing the production was a massive call, especially financially, but Brad has listened to the concerns of the people he works with and wants to show his support.”

[From The Sun]

Imagine making a big deal about how you’re putting a film on hiatus in solidarity with your union… weeks after your union went on strike. A few days ago, I was describing Pitt’s activities to someone I would not consider to be well-versed in unionization and the first thing out of her mouth was “he’s a scab.” Like, the SAG and WGA strikes really have gotten through to people and workers of every variety are watching what’s happening. Even more than that, they’re paying attention to who worked through the strikes. The fact that Deadline, Entertainment Tonight and several American outlets picked this up too – that’s notable.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

July and August are usually the “silly season” when it comes to royal gossip. The Windsors are squirreled away in Balmoral or some undisclosed holiday location, and the royal reporters get bored and start writing up weird stories. Some summers, the gloves come off and the Mail or the Times will choose to do a very critical royal story too, something pointed and vicious. This is just an FYI: the summer silly season is upon us, and that’s why we’re getting some really random stories. Like this one! Page Six has a lengthy write-up about how Prince William and Kate are the New Camelot, only better because they’re not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I sh-t you not. First off, the Windsors need to stop obsessing over the Kennedys. Secondly, Will and Kate need to stop obsessing over their completely one-sided war with Harry and Meghan. Some highlights:

A masterclass in branding for the Waleses since QEII died: The couple’s lives — and those of their three children — changed in a heartbeat as they moved one rung closer to King and Queen and ushered in what royal watchers are describing as a “new Camelot.” Indeed, Kate and William have mounted a charm offensive like the one that saw President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy bewitch America and the world with their young family and style.

The New Kennedys: “William and Kate have created numerous official and informal photo opportunities, projecting a positive and united image as a couple,” global PR and branding guru Mark Borkowski told Page Six. “This curated and idealized image indicates their determination to own the narrative of hard-working, empathetic young royals…William and Kate’s image far outweighs Harry and Meghan’s social media issues and their attempt to conquer Hollywood.”

Winning the PR war!! And sources say that William and Kate, who like to document their lives with the help of glossy “home” videos made by filmmaker Will Warr, have figured out what it takes to win the PR war. “Kate and William have given us a master class in introducing the children to ‘The Firm’ [the nickname for the royal family industry],” one palace staffer told Page Six. “It’s a delicate way for the children to experience official engagements and get used to the public profile — and a careful balance when they’re of an age that they and their schoolmates will be aware of when their pictures are in the papers.”

The Wimbledon outing: “The recent appearance of Kate pre-tournament with the ball boys and girls was a great stunt,” said Borkowski. “So was filling the Royal Box [at Wimbledon] with the kids and the endless long lens shots of the children’s reactions. They clearly know there is a phony war with Harry and Meghan.”

Butt-touching like the Kennedys: There has even been a change in William and Kate’s body language — whereas they barely touched each other in public before, Kate can now be seen giving William a cheeky pat on the butt. “A lot of people remarked to me how relaxed they look out and about, they’re not just ribbon cutting,” said a source who knows the couple: “They’re both trying to deliver impact. They’re excited about the work they’re doing and with that is a sense of ease and confidence, they can get out there and really be their authentic selves.”

Will & Kate don’t employ consultants: “It was a big deal for them,” said the source, who confirmed the couple has not hired image experts. “There’s no army of marketing and branding people behind the scenes shaping everything. There’s a constant dialogue with their team about what’s important to them. But every element of what they do is thought about.”

Hugo Vickers, royal historian: Since the coronation, “Everything [Kate and Wiliam have done has been perfect … They get on with their duties, working within the system — unlike the Sussexes.”

Peg’s shadow court: One British socialite who knew both Charles and Diana intimately believes William will create his own Camelot-style “shadow court” of friends and “thinkers” — just like Charles did with Camilla at his country estate, Highgrove, before he was king. “It’s a chance to play king without the responsibilities,” said the source.

Camelot didn’t end well for the Kennedys: “I do believe they have some challenges ahead — the hamster wheel has an infinite cycle demanding positivity weekly,” said Borkowski. The source who knew Charles and Diana added: “They need keep on the right track. After all, Camelot did not end well for the Kennedys.”

[From Page Six]

This was especially bonkers, right? Several things are absolutely clear: Harry and Meghan live rent-free in Peg & Buttons’ heads; Peg and Buttons refuse to hire or listen to seasoned professionals and that’s why they keep f–king up; Peg and Buttons are desperate to appeal to Americans without bothering to actually learn anything about America or the American people. They think they can just declare themselves the new bewigleted Camelot and everyone will fall to their knees, crying over the keen comparison. Something I’ve always found a bit funny is that, to me, it was clear that Meghan was a big fan of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and if we’re drawing Kennedy comparisons… Harry and Meghan are much more JFK Jr/CBK-coded than anything else, and once you put that together, the idea of Peg and Buttons as JFK and Jackie… well, there’s nothing there. Will and Kate can’t PR their way out of a wet paper bag. Imagine citing Kate’s incessant attempts to grope William’s ass as evidence of their new Camelot status? These people (all of them) are so f–king tacky.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Sussex Squad: Yay, Prince Harry will play polo in Singapore! Me: Someone please tell me about the logistics of transporting polo ponies to Singapore?? That’s basically where I am. There were rumors and reports of this months ago, but now it’s been confirmed: Prince Harry and his real brother Nacho Figueras are headed to Singapore next week to play a polo match for Sentebale, which is the Lesotho charity founded by Harry when he was a teenager. Will they use polo ponies in Singapore or are they transporting Nacho’s polo ponies halfway across the world???

Prince Harry will travel to Singapore to take part in Sentebale’s annual charity polo match next month, the organisation has announced. The Duke of Sussex, 38, co-founded Sentebale in 2006 to help vulnerable children in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi, including those who are affected by extreme poverty and the HIV/Aids epidemic.

This morning, the charity’s Instagram account – which boosts 28,900 followers – revealed details of this year’s event and the royal’s plans to also take part in a summit in Tokyo.

A statement read: ‘Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, Co-Founding Patron of Sentebale, will play in the 2023 Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup at Singapore Polo Club on the 12th of August.’

The Duke of Sussex said: ‘The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work ensuring children and young people are healthy, resilient, and able to thrive. The funds raised this year will support our Clubs and Camps programme, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV. In a time where being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence, we are empowering young people to know their status, stay healthy, and eliminate the stigma so that they can break the cycle.’

‘We are delighted to return to the renowned Singapore Polo Club in August, and are once again enormously grateful for the polo community and our sponsors, in particular ISPS Handa, for their ongoing commitment to Lesotho and Botswana’s youth.’

Prince Harry will head up the Royal Salute Sentebale Team while Argentinian player Nacho Figueras – who is also a Sentebale ambassador – will play for the Singapore Polo Club team. The organisation also announced that Prince Harry and Nacho will take part in a summit discussing the power of sport, community and philanthropy in Tokyo the day before the match.

They added: ‘Prior to travelling to Singapore, both will participate in a summit on the power of sport, community and philanthropy at the ISPS Sports Values Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan on the 9th August.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I remember this trip coming up when Prince William announced that Earthshot would be going to Singapore this year – like, people knew that Harry was heading to Singapore to play polo for charity already. The stuff about his stop in Japan is new though. How long before William announces that he will ALSO stop by Japan on his way to Singapore for Earthshot? LOL. I hope Harry really enjoys himself and does a lot of events in Japan and Singapore. There will be so many wails from Salt Island either way. Also: the next few months should be busy for the Sussexes, Harry especially. He’s got this trip, he’s got Heart of Invictus (on Netflix) and he’s got the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf in September. I hope this is a bright new Sussex era!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

While I do not have access to the Sussex Squad’s years of receipts, going off my memory and our Celebitchy archives, it doesn’t seem like David and Victoria Beckham have ever fallen out with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. David has been friendly with Prince William and Harry for years and there was talk about how their friends needed to “pick a side” (that came from William). But from where I sit, the Beckhams have never done anything “against” the Sussexes, publicly at least. Meghan has worn Victoria’s designs and Victoria went out of her way to praise Meghan’s wedding gown. Reportedly, the Beckhams also invited the Sussexes to Brooklyn’s Florida wedding (H&M skipped it). Well, now the Mail on Sunday claims that there’s been high drama behind-the-scenes and the Beckhams have been “Markled.” Meaning, they’ve been cut out of Harry and Meghan’s circle of friends.

Years ago when she was an actress, Meghan Markle often wrote in her blog The Tig about the group she called her ‘closest friends’. Some were soulmates, others were celebrities she met at showbiz events and parties. Gradually, that circle of chums broadened to include clothes designers, socialites and charity campaigners.

Among them were David and Victoria Beckham, who were guests at her wedding to Prince Harry at Windsor in 2018. However, their friendship seems to have died. Reciprocally, Meghan and Harry were not guests at the wedding of the Beckhams’ son Brooklyn to US heiress Nicola Peltz in April last year. Nor were either of the Sussexes at one of the biggest celebrity events of the year, last weekend, when Argentina’s Lionel Messi made his debut for David’s Inter Miami football team as Kim Kardashian, tennis legend Serena Williams and a host of other big names partied in the VIP boxes.

Like many in Meghan’s world, the Beckhams appear to have been ‘Markled’. The word is cruelly used by critics of the one-time soap serial actress to describe how she is seemingly able to swiftly move on from some of those once closest to her. Most notoriously ‘Markled’ has been her father Thomas, 79, after he sold paparazzi pictures of himself preparing for his daughter’s wedding.

In the Beckhams’ case, there was a suspicion the couple may have leaked stories about the Sussexes, an accusation The Mail on Sunday has been told left David ‘absolutely bloody furious’. A source close to the Beckhams said: ‘David and Victoria went to Meghan and Harry’s wedding and were very supportive when Meghan arrived in the UK.’

The couples bonded because Izzy May, David Beckham’s communications director, was friends with Markus Anderson, chief membership officer for private social club Soho House, who helped arrange Meghan’s secret dates with Harry. But the accusations, which The Mail on Sunday has been told came in a tense phone call, fractured the Beckham friendship. The source added: ‘Any making up now is so unlikely.’

Meghan has simply moved on. She is now said to be ‘extremely close’ to cosmetics tycoon Victoria Jackson, a near neighbour at the Sussexes’ £11.5million Montecito, California, mansion, whose husband Bill Guthy spearheaded lucrative make-up brands launched by actress Jennifer Lopez and supermodel Cindy Crawford.

[From The Daily Mail]

So, what’s funny about this is that they think Harry and Meghan should have flown across the country just to watch an Inter Miami soccer game? British people really don’t understand the size of the United States. They don’t realize that the flight from California to Florida is a big, stupid slog. As for the Sussexes accusing the Beckhams of leaking stuff… where? When? How? I kind of think the Beckhams leaked the story about the Sussexes being invited to Brooklyn’s wedding, but that whole wedding drama was chaos from start to finish, so who even knows (Serena Williams was there, randomly, because Florida). That’s a pretty harmless leak, if that was even what happened. Anyway, this just serves as a reminder that the British media is desperate for sources close to the Sussexes and the Beckhams too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Barbie is continuing to dominate the box office. In just nine days, it crossed the $300 million mark, making it the fastest female-driven movie to do so domestically. Woo-hoo! I finally saw Barbie this weekend (without my kids) and loved it! It was a hot pink ball of fun and feelings. It was particularly awesome to see how many women were dressed in pink to celebrate the movie. There were even several men, including Mr. Rosie, who wore pink, too. I love when movies like this become a cultural event, you know? To have a nice thing to rally around in society during otherwise frustrating times.

*Mild spoilers ahead.* I’m around the same age as Greta Gerwig and played with Barbie dolls non-stop as a kid. I love how many Barbies (and Kens, Skipper, etc. al) were represented, and that even the end credits had more obscure ones. I loved America Ferrara’s speech, the musical montages, the Ken-off, the soundtrack, the existential questions it posed, and of course, the powerful overall message it had. Turns out, among all of those zany hijinks that went on in Barbieland, we could have had a fart opera!

If you watched “Barbie” and thought it was missing a proper fart joke, then you might’ve loved one scene that Greta Gerwig and editor Nick Houy left on the cutting room floor.

In a new IndieWire interview with the collaborators, it was revealed that “Barbie” had a “fart opera” in the middle of its runtime that got cut because it wasn’t received as well as Gerwig hoped.

“We’ve always tried to get in a proper fart joke and we’ve never done it,” Gerwig said. “We had like a fart opera in the middle [of ‘Barbie’]. I thought it was really funny. And that was not the consensus.”

“It was in the wrong place, too,” Houy added. “We need to work it into a more significant narrative moment next time.”

Houy has been the editor on all of Gerwig’s solo directorial outings, but “Barbie” presented unique challenges.

“[‘Barbie’] was so much more a comedy than ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Little Women,’” Houy said about opening up more to the test screening process. “So we were just, like, ‘Let’s put it in front of people and see how they react.’ Everyone’s different and every screening’s different and we’ve definitely learned, over the years, that you really have to let things have their fair chance and then act accordingly. Once you know it’s dead, you have got to get it out of there.”

Whatever choices Gerwig and Houy made in the editing room as a result of test screenings appears to have paid off. “Barbie” has earned critical acclaim and is a box office powerhouse, soaring past the $200 million mark at the domestic box office in just five days. Its $162 million opening weekend is the highest ever for a female director.

[From Variety]

I would LOVE to know where that fart opera was supposed to happen, and its context. I wonder if was supposed to happen when the Kens were forming their Kendom? Was it a part of the Ken dance-off? Kate McKinnon seems like she’d be down for a fart opera, so maybe it was part of Weird Barbie’s story? Anyone have any ideas or theories? #ReleaseTheGerwigFartCut!

Oh, and just an aside for anyone else who is into this sort of thing like I am, when I Googled how old Greta Gerwig was, I realized that she has the same birthday as the Duchess of Sussex and President Obama, August 4. I just thought that was a neat bit of trivia.

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I’ve been a Mandy Moore fan since her first album. I liked that she seemed lowkey and I’ve always rooted for her and her career. I saw A Walk to Remember with my high school best friend on my birthday and loved that soundtrack. Mandy’s been through a lot, but it seems like she’s really happy and in a great place now. She has two adorable boys named Gus, two, and Ozzie, nine months, with her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith. In a recent interview, Mandy talked about how she and Taylor have their hands full raising their two boys.

Raising two toddlers is definitely a walk Mandy Moore will remember fondly.

However, the This Is Us alum—who shares sons August “Gus” Harrison, 2, and Oscar “Ozzie” Bennett, 9 months, with husband Taylor Goldsmith—isn’t afraid to admit that wrangling two young boys can be a handful.

“Somedays I feel like we’re barely above water,” Moore exclusively told E! News on the July 25 episode. “The potty training is intense, but we’re slowly but surely getting there. I love that someone told me, ‘It’s not an event, it’s a process.’”

And it’s one the 39-year-old makes sure to savor, despite the challenges of parenting.
“My husband and I were saying the other night we’re gonna look back fondly and be like, ‘Remember when he didn’t pee in the potty?!’” she continued. “So, I’m trying to be present and really appreciate all this time we have together now.”

[From EOnline]

Oh, Mandy, I feel ya, girl! Potty training was a process with my older son. A very long, frustrating process that took almost two years. He had the overnights down pretty early on, but still struggled during the day. We tried everything from incentives and rewards charts to having him go pantsless at home to having him sit on a little potty in front of the TV. We must have watched or played the Daniel Tiger potty song a gazillion times. But, of course, every child is different and does things on their own timetable. Gus will get there, Mandy! And trust me, there will be many things you look back fondly on from those early years, but the pre-potty trained times probably won’t be one of them.

Also, for what it’s worth, my younger son has always been determined to keep up with everyone around him and basically daytime potty trained himself at age two, while we were home during the pandemic. He saw his older brother use the potty, decided he was going to use it as well, and never looked back. It was an event that we didn’t even plan for. I’ll cross my fingers for Mandy and Taylor that Ozzie’s potty training experience is also more of an event than a process!

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In January and February of this year, the Princess of Wales “launched” the latest variation of her “awareness-raising campaign” for Early Years. Every year for the past four years, she’s been relaunching this dumb thing, which always amounts to the same thing: the Early Years are important, did you know those years are important, let me tell you that they’re very important. That’s it. Kate has never tied these campaigns to a fundraiser for any of the child-development programs which are being slashed. Kate has never tied these campaigns to direct action of any kind. This year, people finally started criticizing her for her busy-work. The busy-work has always lacked substance, lacked urgency, lacked direction, lacked a mission. Credible experts were actually fed up, and American outlets even lodged some pointed criticism at Princess BusyWork. Kate hasn’t even mentioned Early Years anything in months, right? Well, good news – a government committee cited Kate for special acknowledgement for… raising awareness.

Kate Middleton is being celebrated by U.K. Parliament. The Princess of Wales, 41, was recognized for raising awareness around the importance of the early years in the House of Commons Education Committee’s “Support for childcare and the early years” report, released last week. Princess Kate got a shout-out for the ongoing work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, established in June 2021 and the most significant step in her long-term mission to help kids and parents.

“The Princess of Wales has done important work to raise the profile of the Early Years through her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. Its 2020 report ‘State of the Nation: Understanding Public Attitudes to the Early Years’ stressed the importance of elevating the importance of the early years period in the public consciousness,” the Education Committee said in the paper, published July 18.

“The ECEC sector is independent, multi-faceted and diverse, and does not always benefit from the same structural lines of communication through local authorities as the school sector. More outreach and strong channels of communication between the sector and the Government are needed to ensure that practitioners feel both valued and heard,” it continued. The committee also suggested that change is needed to improve low morale among early years practitioners, particularly around pay.

[From People]

“More outreach and strong channels of communication between the sector and the Government are needed to ensure that practitioners feel both valued and heard.” See, Kate can’t even do that. She can’t even use her position to center the underpaid, undervalued early-years practitioners. Because she’s too busy taking credit for their work and pretending that she alone is “raising awareness.” Anyway, this is the kind of treading-water gold star that bureaucracies love to give. Kate isn’t challenging anyone in government, she’s not bringing up uncomfortable questions about the lack of funding for children’s programs or working families. She’s seen as a good little girl who does safe little nonsense projects and everyone pats her on the head and says “how delightfully apolitical, how unimportant.”

Note by CB: Get the Top 8 stories about Princess Kate’s Early Years Business Initiatives when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace, Cover Images.