David Beckham has severed his ties to Prince Harry. We know this because the British tabloids have been screaming it for several years now. Beckham was once quite friendly with both Prince Harry and William, but now the storyline is that David is so much of a royalist, he decided to cut his ties with Harry, all to keep his associations with King Charles and Prince William. I don’t think that’s how any of it really happened – I think the royal courts briefed against Beckham, explicitly and publicly telling him to sever ties with Harry or else Becks would be persona non grata in royal circles. Beckham has been obsessed with a knighthood for years, so he made his choice. The past two years have seen David embraced by the Windsors like never before. He just attended his first state banquet this week. He met privately with Charles at Highgrove. He bizarrely did a full on “royal event” with William a few months ago. And they still haven’t given him a knighthood, hilariously. But hey, at least the dusty royalist media has begun embiggening Beckham constantly. According to the Mail, David could be the one to fill the “Prince Harry-shaped hole in the monarchy.”
When David Beckham confidently strode into his first-ever state banquet alongside his wife Victoria on Tuesday night, he seemed as though he belonged there. The ex-footballer, 49, looked the part in his formal white tie as he mingled with King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales at the glittering event held for the Emir of Qatar and his wife. But the three-course dinner is just the latest example of the former England captain, who has long been tipped for a knighthood, growing closer to the Royal Family.
He held a meeting with the King where they discussed their passion for beekeeping in May, became an ambassador to educational charity The King’s Foundation in June and helped Prince William raise funds for the London Air Ambulance in October.
However his deepening relationship with The Firm comes after his spectacular falling out with Prince Harry and Meghan over rumours of a ‘leaking’ spat dating back to 2018. And with Harry becoming estranged from his family and abandoning Britain for California in 2020, some royal watchers have suggested there is now a ‘Harry-sized hole’ waiting to be filled. They believe Beckham could be just the fit, pointing out he knows how to handle a press conference (and if needed a media backlash), looks good in a suit, and Victoria could bring the star power of the Spice Girls to any occasion. From their plush home in the Cotswolds they could be on the M40 and at the Palace in little more than 90 minutes – a tad closer than Harry and Meghan across the Atlantic.
Perhaps the biggest example of things moving in the direction of ‘Prince Beckham’ was seen in May when King Charles held a private meeting with him – but snubbed his son Harry by saying he was too busy with ‘various other priorities’.
First off, this framing is hilariously bonkers. Five years later, and there’s still a gaping hole in the monarchy, one which Mike Tindall, Duchess Sophie, the York princesses, Lady Louise Windsor and the heir to the throne cannot fill, but maybe they can somehow make David Beckham a prince and that will take care of everything. Secondly, there’s clearly a concern that if they give David what he wants most of all – a knighthood – he will stop sucking up to them and showing up whenever he’s called. He’s so obviously supplicating himself, begging them for a knighthood or some kind of special honor and they love withholding it from him. I would too – David is embarrassing himself!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Buckingham Palace.
Here are some photos of Queen Camilla on Thursday, at a reception to celebrate 50 years of Women’s Aid. This is such a small thing, but I enjoy the fact that Camilla isn’t afraid of animal prints. She has several animal-print dresses and blouses and I like that she has no qualms about wearing them. QEII would never, she probably thought animal prints were tacky and gauche. Camilla’s like: tacky is my brand, give me the sheer leopard-print blouse!
The lighting at this event was doing her no favors, but obviously, Camilla has been sick for the past month, and she said this week that she was actually diagnosed with pneumonia. I still sort of believe that she initially had Covid and it turned into pneumonia – I believe that because of how squirrelly the courtiers have been for weeks about Camilla’s health and their refusal to actually identify what was wrong. This week, Camilla’s “friends” huffed to the Daily Beast that Camilla finds the job of queen consort “exhausting” and that expecting her to travel internationally is “too much to ask.” It will be really interesting to see if this changes Charles’s briefings about his plans to conduct several tours next year.
Meanwhile, Camilla’s son is making news this week. Tom Parker Bowles gave a speech at the Santa Rita Cigar Smoker of The Year Dinner and Awards in London. Piers Morgan won an award, because of course. Anyway, Tom told the attendees: “We are here at Boisdale celebrating not just the joys of cigars and wine, but the basic fundamental pleasure – of being together and making merry in the most civilized and open-minded surroundings. That’s surely something to be happy about. As for the ‘me, me, me’ moaners, the whiners, the bleaters, and the empty virtue-signalers and the eternally bloody offended – f— off!” I love how the whole extended Windsor-Parker-Bowles clan all claim to hate whiners and moaners, and yet they’re all constantly whining and moaning about their own problems and issues. Sympathy for me but not for thee.
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside of a Manhattan Hilton on Wednesday morning. The fatal shooting is being investigated as a targeted killing, as in the shooter was waiting specifically for Thompson. The NYPD is, as of this writing, still on a manhunt for the shooter and they’re offering $10K for any information. Because the media can’t do a deep dive into the still-unknown shooter, they’re doing a deep dive on Brian Thompson. As it turns out, the guy has marriage problems, drinking problems and insider trader problems. See, this actually muddies the shooter’s motive.
The slain UnitedHealthcare CEO had a criminal record for drunk driving and was secretly separated from his wife for years before he was shot dead in Manhattan on Wednesday, according to public records. Minnesota court filings show that in 2017 Brian Thompson was arrested and convicted on charges of fourth-degree driving while impaired, for which he received probation.
In addition to legal troubles, the executive, who was gunned down in what NYPD has labeled a “premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack,” also seems to have faced recent marital issues. Based on property records, voter registration forms, and reports from neighbors, Brian and Paulette Thompson had lived in different homes less than a mile apart in Maple Grove, Minnesota, for the past several years, The Wall Street Journal reported. In 2018, Thompson bought a five-bedroom second house for around $1 million, while his wife’s residence remained in another house nearby, also worth about $1 million, based on Zillow listings and public records.
Paulette Thompson told MSNBC her husband had received threats related to his company’s “lack of coverage” and said in a statement to a local Fox affiliate in Minnesota that his killing had left her and their two sons “shattered.” About 12 hours after his killing, someone made a bomb threat at his Minnesota home, but authorities did not find any evidence of explosives, TMZ reported. UnitedHealthcare and the Hennepin County District Court did not immediately respond to a Daily Beast inquiry about Thompson’s DUI.
2017… seven years ago, he was arrested and convicted of a DUI in Minnesota. Three years after that (2020-ish), he and his wife separated. Definitely seems like there are multiple avenues of investigation, that’s all I’ll say. As for the insider trading, Thompson and two other UHC executives were facing a class-action lawsuit for dumping millions of dollars in stock (in 2023) while UHC was facing a DoJ investigation for antitrust violations. Instead of informing UHC shareholders of the antitrust investigation, Thompson and the other executives dumped $120 million worth of their UnitedHealth shares. Damn, another potential motive.
Tyler Perry was honored by the Paley Center on Wednesday for his body of work in film, television and the stage. He’s at the stage of his career where he’s regularly picking up awards and tributes for his career and his work outside of entertainment. All of that is very well and good and I’m not minimizing any part of his groundbreaking career. But to me, he’ll always be the guy who decided to save the Sussexes’ lives when he really had no reason to. He wrote Meghan a letter when she married Harry, and she ended up reaching out to him in 2020, when the Sussexes escaped the UK but they were being hunted and targeted. Tyler protected them, gave them a home, gave them security and gave them time to work out their next steps.
All of that was the start of a very real friendship, and now they’re family. Tyler isn’t just godfather to Princess Lili, he’s a godfather-like figure to both Meghan and Harry. He is also the rare person with some kind of cultural gravitas, explaining what actually happened and what he saw: the Sussexes were being abused by the Windsors and by powerful institutions. Go back and read what he said about them. Well, there were no hard feelings when Harry had to miss Tyler’s Paley Honors. Meghan was there, and she was seated by Tyler at the event, and he also spoke about them on the red carpet:
Tyler Perry is taking a bow for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. After all, the filmmaker couldn’t help but gush over the Duchess and Duke of Sussex’s royally sweet marriage.
“They love each other,” Tyler told E! News at the Paley Honors Fall Gala, where he was honored with the prestigious Paley Honors award. “They have a beautiful family and I just want the best for them.”
Of his personal dynamic with Harry and Meghan—the latter of whom attended the Gala in support of Tyler—he added, “It’s a real, pure and beautiful friendship. I love them.”
I’ve often wondered, in the past five years, if Harry and Meghan get this kind of consistent support from many powerful Americans (Oprah, Beyonce) but it’s just not as public as it is with Tyler. Anyway, Tyler is a mensch.
Tyler Perry on The Paley Honors red carpet talking about his friendship with Prince Harry & Meghan. pic.twitter.com/iyq1b2fzJz
— R.S. Locke / Royal Suitor (@royal_suitor) December 5, 2024
Once again, for the fifth year or something, Prince Harry and Prince William did separate events for the Diana Award, the sole patronage in which both brothers have stayed involved. At the last Diana Award ceremony, William appeared in person and Harry appeared virtually, hours after William left. Harry also did a solo event with the Diana Award in September, when he was in New York. This week, William handed out letters to the recipients and didn’t go to the ceremony, while Harry sent in a prerecorded video. This has apparently set off the Daily Beast’s Royalist, Tom Sykes. While his new column snipes at Harry, Sykes and his sources save the most aggrieved criticisms for (gulp) William. As in, William is supposed to be the next king, and he’s behaving like a sullen child, stomping his feet and refusing to even speak to Harry. Some highlights from Sykes’ new column:
The brothers refusing to appear together at the Diana Award: Their inability to appear even in the same virtual space (the awards were held online Thursday), marked a “sad indictment of both brothers obstinacy,” that is harming both of their reputations, friends of the family and former staffers told The Daily Beast.
Harry will not apologize: Harry is said to have dropped his own demands for an apology from the royals for the poor and discriminatory way he alleges his wife was treated by the royals when they lived in the U.K as working royals, and The Daily Beast has been told he would like to make a fresh start with his family, including his brother. However, Harry has made it clear he will not apologize for or withdraw remarks made in his films, book or interviews which shed unprecedented light on intimate family secrets—and William will not countenance a rapprochement unless he does.
Hard Peg: William’s stance has hardened, sources have told the Daily Beast, since one friend first told The Daily Beast that William “f***ing hates” his brother. This came after Kate Middleton was “accidentally” named as one of the so-called “royal racists” who Meghan Markle alleged raised “concerns” over the likely skin color of any of Meghan and Harry’s children, before they were born…Friends of William’s have previously told the Daily Beast that many in William and Kate’s circle believe that by telling Oprah Winfrey on TV that somebody or some people had made racially insensitive comments, Harry and Meghan set in train a series of events that would inevitably ultimately lead to Kate being identified.
A former staffer who worked with both brothers says: “It’s extraordinary how what was essentially a family argument has got completely out of proportion and is now causing immense damage not just to Harry’s reputation, but also to the king, who looks weak for not being able to crack his sons’ heads together, and the future king, William, who looks petty and ridiculous. Whether or not it is the case, it looks very much like William refused to attend the awards after hearing Harry was making a video appearance. Is this how he is going to rule the country?”
An old school friend of William and Harry says: “The Windsors are known for being obstinate, and this is a sad indictment of both brothers’ obstinacy. It’s in honor of their mother, for goodness sake.”
William’s influence: The Daily Beast has previously reported that William is getting, if anything, more hostile to the concept of a reconciliation with Harry. Furthermore, The Daily Beast has been told he is using his influence to prevent any reconciliation between Harry and King Charles.
First of all, I think it’s interesting that this “both sides need to work it out” tantrum is coming out regarding the Diana Award stuff, all while courtiers, friends and “royal sources” stay silent as the grave about all of Harry’s very newsworthy comments at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit. It’s almost like they’re consciously ignoring everything Harry said on the record at a prestigious summit which also featured people like Bill Clinton, Jeff Bezos and Serena Williams. They think if they ignore it, they can just continue with the stale storylines they already have in motion, aka William And Harry Need To Bury The Hatchet.
As for that hatchet-burying agenda… the fundamental problem is the one which is rarely said out loud. William will “never forgive” Harry… for moving, for being successful, for marrying his dream girl, for not begging to come back, broke and divorced. That is why William is mad. William thinks he’s owed the upper hand as the heir. He thinks he should be able to bark orders at Harry. William’s brain has been broken for years because none of this Sussex situation has gone the way he planned, or the way he was promised it would go. And yes, William does look stupid, petty, ridiculous, childish, wrathful and violently punitive. Which is why so many people are still pleased that Harry got his wife and children the hell out of there.
The Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas event happens tonight. We’ll have coverage of it on Sunday, it’s not breaking news or anything. I actually think everyone needs to stop with the “first time Kate has done such-and-such since chemotherapy” framing. She’s been out and about enough since June, we need to stop infantilizing Kate incessantly. She’s a month away from her 43rd birthday, you know? As for the Christmas caroling event, in years past, Kate has done one or two photoshoots ahead of the event, sometimes even making a video in which she says words about Christmas. This year, she did not do any of that. Instead, Kensington Palace commissioned a British artist to create an illustration for the program:
The Princess of Wales’s carol concert will feature a bespoke illustration by Charlie Mackesy, honouring those who have helped others through tough times by “being by their side when they need it most”.
Mackesy, who is known for his sentimental drawings about love and bravery, has been commissioned by Kensington Palace for the cover of the carol concert’s Order of Service. The image, which will be shared with the congregation of Westminster Abbey during the event on Friday, shows a group of people walking to the service in the snow with their arms around each other.
The theme of the Princess’s carol concert this year is love, kindness and empathy in times of difficulty. Kensington Palace said it would be a moment to reflect upon the “importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives”.
Mackesy, who is best known for his illustrations and 2019 book about ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’, said: “Love, empathy and kindness are important messages for us all. As the theme of The Princess of Wales’ carol service this year, it was very special to have been asked to create the illustration for the Order of Service. I hope it reminds us of the beauty of being there for each other at Christmas.”
I’m including the program image below, Kensington Palace posted it on their social media pages. I actually find it cool that KP commissioned something special, but it does beg the question of why Kate couldn’t/wouldn’t do her normal little pre-event photo-op where she’s decorating the trees or talking on camera about this or that. As I was looking at the message – “How did I help? You were by my side, which was everything” – I was reminded of how Prince William threw his sick wife under the bus for the Mother’s Day frankenphoto.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, program image courtesy of Charles Mackesy for Kensington Palace.
Not only have we been gifted with tales from the life of Cher to enjoy this holiday season from her memoir, but in a bit of fortuitous timing, there’s also a new documentary on her longtime fashion collaborator Bob Mackie! Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion is playing in select theaters and will hopefully be available to stream soon, because two hours of sequins and beading and feathers is exactly what the doctor ordered. Costume designer Mackie dreamt up iconic looks for Cher, Carol Burnett, Diana Ross, and many more, including relative youngins Pink and Miley Cyrus. If he could turn back time, though, Mackie would firmly say no to Cher’s request for a V-printed sheer bodystocking to wear for her 1989 music video for “If I Could Turn Back Time.” As opposed to what he actually did, which was sheepishly make what he called a “vulgar” outfit, and politely ask Cher never to tell anyone that it was one of his creations.
In the new documentary Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, Mackie reflected on designing Cher’s controversial look for her 1989 “If I Could Turn Back Time” video. In the film, out now, Mackie called the “seat belt” outfit — which was a sheer bodystocking other than two fabric strips forming a V on the front and a small back strip over her tattooed buttocks — “vulgar.”
“We put a lot of wild, sexy clothes on her at different times,” Mackie told Yahoo Entertainment. “Sometimes I’d say, ‘Well, you can’t wear that for this,” … an award show or whatever, and she would [disappointingly reply], ‘OK.’ But she wanted to wear that. Bicycle pants were in, but see-through bicycle pants are really scary.”
Mackie, who had outfitted the singer for more than a decade at that point, including for the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour and the Cher show, said he agreed to design it — with Cher’s agreed-upon silence.
“I said, ‘Please don’t tell anyone that I designed this,’” he said with a laugh. “‘Don’t let anyone know this. I’m embarrassed,’ and she was fine about it. Now she admits that, no, it wasn’t so good.”
…While the “naked dress” has had a huge resurgence in Hollywood over the last several years, Cher wearing a feathered and sequined naked illusion dress, created by Mackie and Ray Aghayan, on the cover of Time magazine in 1975 also caused a kerfuffle.
Cher first wore the dress — made of souffle, a sheer fabric that is no longer in use because it is highly flammable — for a Vogue photo shoot with Richard Avedon and to her first Met Gala in late 1974.
“It was a fabric that actually was against the law in this country, but Marlene Dietrich had brought it in for her gowns and we had the same dress people working for us as Dietrich,” Mackie explained.
As for his creation for Cher, “It’s just one of those crazy, crazy things, but it got a lot of attention.”
In 1975, one of Avedon’s photos was used for a Time cover — “Cher Glad Rags to Riches” — and it received even more attention.
“It was banned in the South,” Mackie said of the cover. “Some people thought [the dress] was just shocking. You couldn’t see anything, but you thought you could. You make them think they’re seeing everything, but they don’t see anything.”
I would just like to have a moment of appreciation for the statement, “Bicycle pants were in, but see-through bicycle pants are really scary.” Those words have and will continue to stand the test of time. Because Mackie was absolutely right in 1989 — it was a vulgar, embarrassing outfit! Only I think the embarrassment is Cher’s, for a) wanting to wear that, and b) not trusting her friend when he clearly thought it was a bad idea. I mean, once someone says, “I’ll do this, but don’t tell anyone, ever, that it was me,” isn’t that a big clue? On the other hand, Cher sticking to her vision and then laughing about it years later also checks out. Clearly their relationship has endured, and they are better friends for it.
As I said earlier, I am so ready for this documentary! A lot of good friends, including Cher and Carol Burnett, showed up for Mackie by appearing in it. I’m glad he’s being honored this way, because my gosh what a sparkling body of work he has! (Pun intended.) Plus I’m hoping for more anecdotes like “Marlene Dietrich smuggled an illegal, highly-flammable fabric into the US just because she liked it.” In the meantime, you can ogle a collection of his pieces that are up for auction at Julien’s. I’m salivating over the sketches alone.
Photos of Cher and Bob Mackie are from December, 2018 and credit: Joseph Marzullo/Wenn/Avalon and Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Avalon. Turn Back Time photos are from 1989 and credit Getty. Recent photos of Cher with A.E. Edwards are from October and credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon. Here’s a link to the Cher Glad Rags to Riches Time Magazine cover!
You know how hard Angelina Jolie is hustling for Maria? She appeared on a late-night talk show for the first time in a decade! Jolie went on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, and she could not have been more nervous. I think her last talk-show appearance was probably The Daily Show in, like, 2013? Jimmy Fallon was really gentle with her last night and he made a point of not even saying Brad Pitt’s name or asking her anything about divorce or exes or any of that. She did talk a little bit about her kids, but emphasized that Shiloh is the one kid who really craves privacy. Here’s the video:
She broke her toe! She was barefoot on the show. While I’m not the biggest fan of Jimmy Fallon, he was so lovely to her in this interview. He seemed so jazzed that this elusive movie star came on the show. Fallon played a little true-or-false game with Jolie and said of course it was true that she studied to be a funeral director and that’s still sort of her backup plan. She also talked about how she’s a licensed pilot and Maddox is too. She said it was false that she was ever interested in stand-up comedy.
Here’s another little interview Jolie did at the Gotham Awards – she doesn’t display her awards, apparently. I wonder if she even knows where her two Oscars are?
Photos of Jolie outside her Atelier Jolie this week, courtesy of Backgrid.
Embed from Getty Images
It’s the most giftiest time of the year! But one person you can cross off your list is Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq does not want your gifts, nor any from his friends and family. If you get him something, it will be relocated — unopened — to a storage room he has kept for 30 years. Like his own take on the island of misfit toys, he has a locker of forgotten presents. So what gives with his anti-gift stance? Well, Shaq prefers to play offensive by being a bestower of gifts, rather than a wide receiver of them himself (yes, I know I’m mixing sportsball metaphors). He recently talked with People Mag about his present preferences, while also promoting a new vile heinous special holiday product:
Shaquille O’Neal takes his role as Santa Claus seriously.
The former NBA star tells PEOPLE that he doesn’t accept gifts from anyone when chatting about his new commercial for Pepsi Zero Sugar Gingerbread Mini Cans. “I always tell my family, ‘Show me a movie where Santa receives a gift and I’ll let you buy me a gift,’” the basketball legend explains. … “I don’t accept gifts,” the NBA Hall of Famer continues, noting that the selfless act started in 1992 “when [he] became the breadwinner of the family.”
“As long as everybody else is happy, I’m happy,” he adds.
When his children (or anyone!) give O’Neal a present, he doesn’t even open the gift. “I take it, I got a storage room with 30 years worth of gifts, I’ll open it up one day,” he says.
Choosing the right gifts comes easier now that his children are older, O’Neal explains. “It’s easy because all they want is cash,” he laughs. “But when they were young, it was much harder. I would have to go into Toys R Us [at] like 11:58, right before they closed and then just wipe them out. A lot of times, they didn’t want me to come in Toys R Us early because they didn’t want me to buy all the toys so I’d have to come in late, right before closing. Thye let me take the leftovers.”
O’Neal’s latest partnership is helping him get his head in the Christmas game even further. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, a commercial for Pepsi’s latest limited-time product, Pepsi Zero Sugar Gingerbread Mini Cans, dropped and the basketball icon was at the center of it.
…You won’t find Pepsi Zero Sugar Gingerbread Mini Cans in your oven — or grocery store. Fans can get the seasonal flavor on Pepsi’s official TikTok Shop — but there’s still a little catch. TikTokers will only score a free Pepsi Zero Sugar Gingerbread Mini Can (while supplies last) by purchasing two 10-packs of Pepsi Mini Cans in another flavor.
Soda lovers can also visit Pepsi’s official site to enter for a chance to score Pepsi Zero Sugar Gingerbread Mini Cans now through Dec. 11.
I can appreciate someone of Shaquille O’Neal’s wealth and success deciding not to accept gifts, and there is a wonderful gift in itself when you know you’ve given someone a thing they truly cherish. That being said, I have several logistical questions, the most obvious first one being: what about perishables? Do people in Shaq’s orbit know not to give him food that will rot? Has anyone ever learned of his storage room years after giving him home-baked goods, and followed up to tell him he needs to sniff out and toss a package? But of course the key question is, why save all of them unopened in a storage unit for decades? Why is he doing that, instead of opening the boxes to see what’s inside, and redistributing/donating them to where they will be used and enjoyed? Say someone got him the very first iPod — it’s woefully out of date now, but if he had given it away in 2001 to someone who could not have afforded it themselves, it would at least have had a useful life. Also, how does he write his thank you notes?!
As for the project Shaq is currently promoting… I’m a Coca Cola girl myself, but I have enjoyed a Pepsi now and then. I also enjoy the taste of gingerbread. But in the name of all that is good and right and holy, I do not, ever, want to experience those flavors blended together in a soda! (Let alone a zero sugar one!) So if anyone tries springing that sh-t on me, I’ll be investing in my own storage room for unopened beverages.
Please soda responsibly this holiday season.
Nicholas Hoult wore all-black Dior for the Berlin premiere of Nosferatu. I’m also including beauty shots of Hoult at last night’s London premiere! [RCFA]
Donatella Versace’s plastic surgeon is very good. [OMG Blog]
Selena Gomez & Zoe Saldana are still promoting Emilia Perez. [LaineyGossip]
Justin Baldoni had a “near breakdown” while filming It Ends With Us. [Socialite Life]
Trans-panic has come to the Supreme Court. [Jezebel]
Agree – Dune: Prophecy should be wilder & weirder. [Pajiba]
Meryl Streep almost turned down The Devil Wears Prada. [Buzzfeed]
Jared Leto found his missing Oscar. [JustJared]
Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood: still together. [Hollywood Life]
Bob Dylan’s thoughts on Timothee Chalamet. [Seriously OMG]