Last year, the Princess of Wales was given an honorary military patronage, becoming the colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards. She took over the position from her husband Prince William. It was part of the patronage reshuffling that came after QEII’s death – William had to take on an honorary position with the Welsh Guards (as Prince of Wales), which meant he could no longer be colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards. They did the handover ceremony on St. Patrick’s Day 2023, and I’m including some of those photos in this post. Since she became colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards, Kate has only done one event with them. She skipped their St. Patrick’s Day parade this year (as did her husband) and she skipped the Irish Guards’ Trooping the Colour “Colonel’s Review” rehearsal on Saturday, June 8th. Kensington Palace announced that Kate would skip a few weeks ago. Well, apparently Kate sent the Irish Guards a letter, which was read out to them on Saturday:

Kate Middleton has shared her apologies for missing from a major rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, King Charles’ birthday parade, as she continues to stay out of the spotlight amid her cancer diagnosis.

The Irish Guards shared a letter from the Princess of Wales, 42, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, June 8, where she wrote of “how proud I am of the entire regiment ahead of the Colonel’s Review and Trooping of the Colour.”

“I appreciate everyone trooping this year has been practicing for months, and dedicating many hours to ensuring their uniforms and drill are immactulate,” Princess Kate added in the letter.

She continued, “Being your colonel remains a great honor and I am very sorry that I’m unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review. Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon. Please send my very best wishes and good luck to all involved.”

The Princess of Wales concluded the letter by writing, “Quis Separabit” and signing off as “Colonel Catherine.”

[From People]

Yeah… I don’t believe she had much to do with this letter. I’m no handwriting analyst, but from what we’ve seen of Kate’s cursive penmanship, it’s not that distinctive and it would be pretty easy to forge. Once again, we’re supposed to believe two things simultaneously: that Kate is recovered enough to run errands with her family and pop into Norfolk grocery stores so that William can pick up chocolate AND we’re supposed to believe that she’s so unwell and in such dire need of recovery time that she could not send a video of support to the Irish Guards? Send a photo? Send a voice memo?? Like, Kensington Palace’s refusal to give a credible proof of life is so damn creepy. Also, since I’m sure other people will mention it, KP has a history of forging signatures. They did it with Harry in 2020. I also feel strongly that “Kate’s apology” for the Mother’s Day frankenphoto was forged (it was just a tweet). There’s such a huge credibility issue for Kensington Palace at this point, I just have a hard time taking any of this as face value.

The Irish Guards were deeply touched to receive a letter from our Colonel, Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales this morning.

We continue to wish Her Royal Highness well in her recovery and send Her our very best wishes.

Quis Separabit@KensingtonRoyal @ArmyInLondon pic.twitter.com/y95rbmaeOS

— Irish Guards (@irish_guards) June 8, 2024

Here’s a pic of Kate’s handwriting last year (she wrote this on a box sent to Ukrainian refugees).

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Cover Images.

As forewarned to us one year ago by the man himself, Pat Sajak has now retired from Wheel of Fortune with the closing of season 41. Although the show began in 1975, Pat’s tenure as host didn’t start until 1981, but he and Vanna White instantly became synonymous with the WoF brand. Over the years there were learning moments, dramatic moments, funny moments, and a beauty college’s worth of hairdos. As part of his sign off during his final episode that aired last Friday (I refuse to make a pun on it being his last spin, because I’m a Literal Lucy and he never actually spun the wheel on the show), Pat thanked the legions of viewers for tuning in, and waxed on the show’s bigger cultural impact:

Pat Sajak has officially given his final spin on Wheel of Fortune.

The longtime game show host’s last episode is set to air on Friday, June 7, as he begins his anticipated retirement.

During the episode, Sajak, 77, delivers a heartfelt speech to thank viewers for their support during his 40 years of hosting the classic.

“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” he begins. “I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go, and I want to start with all watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”

Sajak adds that he proudly fulfilled the duty to make the half-hour show “a safe place for family fun. No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing I hope, just a game.”

He points out that over time, “it became more than that,” and evolved into a place where “kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors, and entire generations.”

“What an honor to play even a small part in all of that,” says Sajak. “Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”

Sajak, who began hosting Wheel of Fortune in 1981, first announced retirement in June 2023. He wrote via X (formerly Twitter), “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)”

Weeks later, Ryan Seacrest was confirmed as his replacement. Sajak’s long-time co-host Vanna White will continue through the 2025-2026 season.

“I don’t know how to put into words what these past 40 years have meant to me but I’m going to try,” White said in a tribute video to Sajak, released on Thursday, June 6. “8000 episodes went by like that. When I first started, I was so green. You made me so comfortable and so confident, Pat. You made me who I am, you really did.”

“As this chapter of our lives is coming to an end, I know you’ll still be close by,” she added later in the video. “You’re like a brother to me and I consider you a true lifelong friend who I will always adore. I love you, Pat.”

[From People]

“A safe place for family fun. No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing I hope, just a game.” Those are some carefully, curiously chosen words from Pat, no? On the surface they’re all good sentiments: Wheel of Fortune was a place for people of all ages and ideologies to have fun watching a game show. But to brag about “no social issues” just seems weird to me. Not that I think the show needed a soapbox, and that’s kind of the point: what is the purpose in calling attention to it at all? Likewise with “no politics.” A prime-time game show is obviously not the place to drop commentary denying climate change or complaining about LGBTQ rights. That kind of talk is for off-air hours.

Vanna White’s full video tribute was emotional and from the heart. Ryan Seacrest also congratulated Pat for setting “the standard for hosts everywhere.” Though he closed his comments with the somewhat corporate-sounding, “Best wishes for all your future endeavors!” I cannot wait to see what the chemistry will be between Vanna and Ryan. And given Ryan’s uber-frugality, I’m also waiting to see if he reclassifies Y as a vowel so contestants have to start purchasing them. I think about these things.

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Here are more photos from the Duke of Westminster’s Friday wedding. Hugh Grosvenor married Olivia Henson in Chester, England. This was supposed to be the social event of the year, the wedding of one of the richest and most eligible men in the country. And the whole thing just looked… rather budget, right? I’ll be nice – Hugh and Olivia seemed genuinely happy and I’m sure the bride loved her dress. But this satin was a poor choice for a modern wedding dress, especially since Olivia knew she was being photographed by the national and international media! It looks like a cheap knockoff wedding gown you would find in a flea market. The blue clunky shoes were not working either.

So, let’s talk about the cardboard or plywood or whatever it was. Olivia and Hugh were married at Chester Cathedral and it looks like the Grosvenors or the church decided to be especially accommodating to Olivia’s dress, so some kind of barely elevated “runway” was put down outside of the cathedral. Some suggested it was done so that Olivia’s dress and veil wouldn’t snag on anything. But… it genuinely looked as if the church threw down some cardboard sheets outside for a woman marrying a billionaire! Did no one think this through? Did no one ask “hey, that elevated platform isn’t beige, right? It doesn’t look like cheap plywood, right?” These are the same people (not Hugh, I’m talking about the class of people) who looked down their noses at Meghan Markle for being hyper-organized about her wedding planning. Meghan’s wedding photos were gorgeous – Olivia and Hugh looked like they were standing on discarded pizza boxes. There’s already been talk about how the platform was for wheelchair access… but that makes no sense given the layout of the entrance? Even if there’s a legitimate argument to be made about accessibility, once again, there were ways to make a temporary platform which didn’t look like raw plywood.

What else? Climate activists turned up at the wedding too. The Just Stop Oil activists “sprayed powder paint from orange fire extinguishers into the air from the crowds of wellwishers outside” of the church when Hugh and Olivia exited. Police quickly diffused the situation and the activists were booed by the crowd.

The wedding reception was held at Hugh’s 11,000-acre home Eaton Hall and there was a “no phones” policy in place. According to Hello Mag’s sources, the food was good, “the burrata was exceptional,” and there was a bicycle with a little ice cream freezer, where any guest could pick up an ice cream treat at any time. They had a full orchestra and a huge fireworks display. It sounds like they put all of the money into the reception and not the actual wedding ceremony.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Here are more photos of Prince William on Friday, attending Hugh Grosvenor’s wedding to Olivia Henson. All of William’s leaking and briefing about Hugh’s wedding, and all he got was a shuttle ride, a position as an usher and no date. I wonder if Hugh even specified that William could not bring a plus-one. After the wedding service, William was seen hanging out with long-time friends like Rosie van Cutsem and that dark-haired guy, who is probably Rosie’s husband William van Cutsem.

William obviously didn’t come to the wedding with Kate, and it looks like he didn’t bring Prince George either. There were no photos of George, although there was some pre-wedding buzz that George would be one of the page boys, especially given that Hugh is George’s godfather. People Mag says George wasn’t there, likely because it was a school day. Apparently, someone in the crowd shouted “best wishes to Kate” as William exited the cathedral. He apparently “gave a nod and waved” in response. It’s bizarre that he seems so grumpy whenever anyone reminds him that his wife is supposed to be ill.

I posted the TikTok, below, on my Twitter because I think this lady raised an interesting point: where were the Middletons? All of the wisteria-sistering, all of that social climbing, and none of the Middletons were invited to the social event of the season? I have the feeling that Carole Middleton’s social climbing/hustler days are over, now that she’s been so thoroughly exposed as a rampant fraud. But what about Pippa and Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews? What about James Middleton? Why weren’t they invited?

It’s one thing to say Kate Middleton is sick and can’t attend the wedding of the Duke of Westminister, but isn’t Pippa Middleton a society girl now. Why were the Middletons not invited to Hugh Grosvenor’s wedding? pic.twitter.com/SrjLlQ8o4G

— Carmen’s Granddaughter (@CarmenGranddau1) June 7, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

It’s so funny that Prince William made this huge, six-month-long deal over his appearance at Hugh Grosvenor’s wedding to Olivia Henson, and meanwhile… Princess Eugenie just popped in and out without having to brief the British media about it for months. Eugenie seemingly went solo to the Duke of Westminster’s wedding on Friday. I don’t know why Jack Brooksbank didn’t go, but I suspect he’s probably still working in some capacity in Portugal, maybe? Princess Beatrice and Edo Mapelli Mozzi were not there either. So it was just Eugenie representing the Yorks at the wedding of the year.

According to the Telegraph, Eugenie’s dress is from Joseph and she wore an Emily-London hat. She carried an Anya Hindmarch bag. The Telegraph also says that she attended the wedding with her friend and former Vogue editor Violet Henderson-Vestey. Like… I don’t know what to say about Eugenie’s dress, honestly. I actually think the pleated skirt is kind of snazzy, but the dress on the whole is not great. That being said, I looked through many of the wedding-guest fashion photos, and I would argue that Eugenie was one of the best-dressed women there. Take your pick: either toffs don’t know how to dress for a summer wedding, or everyone takes the “it’s the bride’s day, wedding guests should look awful compared to the bride” rule very seriously.

For the hell of it, I’m also including pics of Lady Edwina Grosvenor (one of the groom’s sisters) and her husband Dan Snow, plus Hugh’s mother Natalia (the now-former Duchess of Westminster). Natalia in hot pink at her son’s wedding?? Lady Edwina is in that sad shade of dusty rose. Hm.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Welp, I was halfway expecting this, even if I also had hope that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez would spend the summer working on their marriage. Over the past week, there’s been a lot of talk about the Beverly Hills mansion they bought after house-hunting for the better part of two years. Reportedly, Ben moved out of the mansion a couple of months ago and he’s currently renting a house in Brentwood, close to Jen Garner’s home. There’s been talk that J.Lo and Ben are putting the Beverly Hills mansion on the market, and that the sale of that home indicates that the marriage cannot be saved. TMZ is now saying that outright: the house is being put on the market and divorce is “imminent.”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are clearly heading down the path of divorce, because TMZ has learned they are quietly trying to sell the home they bought after they married.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, J Lo and Ben are using realtor Santiago Arana from The Agency to sell the home they bought a little over a year ago to this day. TMZ broke the story, the then-newlyweds snagged the enormous Beverly Hills mansion for just over $60 million.

They were on the hunt for the home for nearly 2 years, looking at more than 80 properties before settling on the mansion.

As we reported, their marriage is in deep trouble. Ben has already moved out of the house and moved into a rental in Brentwood. Our sources say J Lo is already looking for a new house.

We’re told Arana has been showing the house for around 2 weeks, which aligns with the clear signs of trouble between Ben and Jen. So far, no buyers.

We’re told they’re asking “around $65 million” for the house. With a broker’s commission and a new tax on super-expensive properties, along with significant money they plunked down in improvements, this would mean they would take a loss of millions of dollars.

[From TMZ]

There’s a side-story happening along with the divorce rumors and real estate drama: speculation over J.Lo’s finances in particular, with some gossip that she’s broke-ass or close to it. I doubt it – while I think she’s taken some financial losses in the past year – and self-financing This Is Me… Now: A Love Story was a huge mistake – I also think she’s okay financially. She’s hustled for decades, she has a lot of revenue streams. If she sells this Beverly Hills home at a loss, I doubt it’s a huge thing. But I do question why it suddenly feels so urgent for Ben and Jen to sell this house, because I actually do believe that they’re trying to work on their sh-t. Was this some kind of ultimatum from Ben? “We can try to work it out but we have to sell this crazy money-pit mansion?” Sigh… I’m really not ready for them to divorce, you guys.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

White Collar is definitely coming back & Matt Bomer is attached! They’re promising to honor Willie Garson’s character too. [Socialite Life]
Jennifer Lopez is possibly selling that enormous mansion she bought with Ben Affleck? Lainey’s worried that we’ll get a Friday-night divorce announcement? [LaineyGossip]
Quinta Brunson comforted Jennifer Aniston. [Buzzfeed]
It doesn’t sound like Lorde & Charli XCX have beef, it sounds like Charli is both jealous of and in love with Lorde (and Lorde is cool with both). [Pajiba]
Alicia Keys’ denim ensemble is hilarious. [Go Fug Yourself]
Lady Gaga really has been around for 17 years?? [OMG Blog]
Rihanna wore a “I’m Retired” t-shirt. Y’all will never get R9. [Just Jared]
I wish Austin Butler would grow out & maintain a real goatee. [RCFA]
Palm Royale got a second season. [Seriously OMG]
I’m always going to root for the Virgos. [Starcasm]

It’s still rather interesting that the Windsors’ D-Day commemoration plan was changed. Originally, King Charles was supposed to attend a tribute at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer AND then go on to Omaha Beach for the larger event with other world leaders. That was what Buckingham Palace briefed to reporters weeks ago. Then, rather suddenly, the plan changed this week and there was seemingly an effort to really minimize the change. Charles and Camilla skipped Omaha Beach and left William to do the heavy lifting as a “global statesman.” On June 5th, Becky English at the Mail made it sound like Charles is basically too weakened by cancer treatments to do much more than what he did:

Amid the sovereign’s slew of recent appearances, it is sometimes easy to forget that he still has cancer and continues to undergo a gruelling, weekly treatment programme. While I am told he is doing well and delighted that everything is very much ‘moving in the right direction’, he is still a patient facing a very current and serious health challenge. It would be utterly patronising to say that such public appearances require a Herculean effort on his behalf.

His Majesty has inherited his late mother’s great personal determination, energy and sense of duty. When I’ve seen him laughing, joking and charming his guests at recent events, you really wouldn’t know anything was wrong. Besides, he would insist on a word such as Herculean being reserved for those tens of thousands of brave men who stood contemplating that ‘terrible leap of faith’ for freedom 80 years ago, not knowing whether they would live to see the sun rise again.

But like every cancer patient, he has good days and bad ones: mornings that see him tramping across his estates, or evenings working on paperwork late into the night, but others that also leave him feeling tired and under the weather. All of which is perfectly normal and to be expected. Cancer treatment is, frankly, draining at times.

His staff work quietly to keep his worst work excesses in check, tweaking his diary appropriately (occasionally to His Majesty’s frustration).

While most onlookers wouldn’t have clocked it, he in fact arrived in Portsmouth to deliver his speech and meet veterans half-way through proceedings, whereas in a normal year he would have been there from beginning to end. And in Normandy has asked Prince William to deputise for him at the keynote international commemoration at Omaha Beach, alongside world leaders including Presidents Biden, Macron and Zelenskyy, while he will focus his energies on the British ceremonial event at Ver-sur-Mer for his first public visit abroad since his diagnosis.

‘Given his other commitments on the day, it was simply advised that the international event later in the afternoon could be a step too far at this stage,’ a source tells me. ‘His Majesty is, of course, delighted that the Prince of Wales will be attending to represent the nation in his place.’

[From The Daily Mail]

It feels like some other narrative is being launched. The “where is Kate” issue has largely overshadowed the persistent murmurs that Charles’s health issues are much more dire than anyone has let on. I also sort of believe that barely-disguised “hypothetical” that Charles has bladder cancer. If true, there is genuine reason to believe that he will recover and yet… they also seem to be preparing for the worst. Incidentally, here’s a little excerpt of how CNN covered Charles’s absence on Omaha Beach:

The optics of seeing the Prince of Wales instead of his father [at Omaha Beach] will not be lost on those within the royal household, as well as royal-watchers. Nonetheless, CNN understands that it wasn’t a deliberate orchestration. Seeing the future monarch in the company of other heads of state is a powerful visual and speaks to the longer transition which will prepare the public for King William V’s reign.

[From CNN]

So… CNN is just saying it outright, that there’s already a move to prepare the public for King William V’s reign of terror? I don’t know y’all. It feels like… something.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Personally, I would like Prince Harry to drop his legal fight for police protection while visiting the UK, just because: A) it really is a fool’s errand at this point and he’s never going to win and B) the backstory is so g–damn complicated and it feels like we’re all bashing our heads against the wall, trying to explain how several corrupt public institutions work together to do harm and then cover each other’s asses. Suffice to say, Harry has waged a two-year battle to understand why his police protection was suddenly yanked in 2020 and he’s managed to put a lot of really shady sh-t about Ravec on the legal record. I February, he lost the case. Then in April, Harry lost his bid to appeal the decision to continue to refuse police protection to the Sussexes when they’re in the UK. I truly thought it was over, at long last. Turns out, not so much.

The Duke of Sussex has been granted permission to appeal against the dismissal of his high court challenge over a change to his level of personal security when he visits the UK. Prince Harry took legal action against the Home Office over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.

The retired high court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke’s case in February 2024 and concluded Ravec’s approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair. Harry then lost an initial attempt to appeal but was able to ask the court of appeal directly for permission to challenge Lane’s decision. He has now been given the green light to challenge at the court of appeal, according to an order by Lord Justice Bean dated 23 May.

In his 52-page partly redacted ruling dismissing the duke’s claims in February, Lane said Harry’s lawyers had taken an “inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the Ravec process”, adding: “The ‘bespoke’ process devised for the claimant in the decision of February 28, 2020 was, and is, legally sound.”

The judge said he accepted comments from Sir Richard Mottram, the former chair of Ravec, who said that, even if he had received a document setting out all of Harry’s legal arguments in February 2020, he “would have reached the same decision for materially the same reasons”.

Ravec has delegated responsibility from the Home Office over the provision of protective security arrangements for members of the royal family and others, with involvement from the Metropolitan police, the Cabinet Office and the royal household.

After the February ruling a legal spokesperson for Harry said he intended to appeal, adding: “The duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec’s own written policy. In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis. The duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis. The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the court of appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing.”

[From The Guardian]

Back in April, when he lost his first bid to appeal the ruling, the court said Harry was on the hook for legal fees in excess of $1 million. I wonder if that’s a factor here too – if Harry successfully appeals the decision and the February ruling is reversed, is Harry still on the hook for that money? It doesn’t really matter. As I said, the sh-t is, to use a Trumpian parlance, rigged. I’m proud of Harry for getting so much inside-baseball on the record, and it was a learning journey for everyone who followed his case. Incidentally, I have believed for some time that Harry wasn’t simply going on a fact-finding mission for himself and his interests. I think he was also curious as to what he could uncover about why his mother didn’t have any royal protection in the last year of her life.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

All things considered, it’s probably much better to marry a titled aristocrat than a royal. All of the money, none of the public service expectations. In fact, if you’re an aristocrat who does public service, it’s seen as an enormous bonus rather than “well, that was expected.” There are fewer wedding rules when it comes to aristo weddings, although from what I’ve seen, the aristocrats generally keep it pretty conservative. So it is with Hugh Grosvenor and Olivia Henson’s wedding, which happened today. Hugh is the Duke of Westminster and one of the youngest billionaires in Britain (all of it inherited wealth from a vast real estate empire). Hugh married Olivia in Chester, England, where the Grosvenors’ country estate, Eaton Hall, is located. Hugh and Olivia were married at Chester Cathedral and the whole town came out for a look at Olivia’s dress.

The bride wore a wedding gown and veil designed by British designer Emma Victoria Payne. The gown is ivory silk crepe and organza, with a scalloped edge neckline, dropped waist and a keyhole back (which is racy for stuffy British weddings). Personally, I’m not crazy about the dress, but I imagine it looks prettier in person. I think the issue is that the satin doesn’t photograph very well. I do love her tiara though – Olivia wore the Faberge Myrtle Leaf Tiara, which is a Grosvenor family piece, worn by Grosvenor brides. The bride’s “something blue” was a pair of blue heels! Her bouquet was made of flowers picked from the gardens of Eaton Hall: “meadow grass, ox-eye daisies, iris, rose, clematis, mock orange, scabious, sweet pea, astrantia, martagon lily and love in a mist.” You can read more details about Olivia’s wedding look here.

There were a few photos of Prince William’s early arrival, because he’s acting as an usher (“a starring role,” according to palace insiders). I can only imagine how many ways William will make an ass out of himself at this wedding. Hugh looked nice though – he looked quite relaxed when he arrived at the cathedral.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Getty.