I have no idea why the Daily Mail keeps publishing old stories about Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, but it’s really funny. The Mail keeps cherrypicking previously published Sussex stories specifically from Harry and Meghan’s courtship too. It’s like the Mail is still trying to get to the root of where it all went wrong for them. Recently, the Mail regurgitated the “remember when the Middletons tried to ban Meghan Markle from Pippa’s wedding” story, which I thought was funny and curious. Well, here’s another walk down memory lane – in 2022, that rancid old coot Tom Bower claimed that Meghan told off all of Harry’s bigoted friends at a shooting party. Once again, good for her.

Following Harry’s decision to step down from royal duties in 2020 and move to California with Meghan, he has lost touch with many of his old associates. The prince is now said to be lonely on the other side of the Atlantic, with his best friend now reportedly being his long-time security guard. Prior to Megxit, Harry’s oldest and closest pals were from his days at Eton College. But the friendship circle first got distant after they met Meghan and she ‘reprimanded’ them over jokes they made about transgender people and feminism, according to a book.

Following the episode, the alarmed pals whispered Harry was ‘f***ing nuts’ to be dating the actress who they said acted ‘princessy’, ‘woke’ and had no sense of humour. Shortly after Harry’s relationship with Meghan was revealed in November 2016, the duke invited 16 of his friends to a shooting party at Sandringham. Shooting has been a long-time hobby for the prince and he was looking forward to joking around, bantering and drinking with his closest friends.

With the Queen’s permission, the party descended on the 20,000-acre Norfolk estate, which has some of the finest shooting locations in England, along with their wives and girlfriends. Most of the crowd were old Etonians and were all ‘bonded by common assumptions, principles and loyalties’, according to Tom Bower in his 2022 book Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors. The plan was to meet for dinner on Friday night, go out shooting on Saturday, and leave after lunch on Sunday.

Bower writes in the bestselling book: ‘He had not anticipated Meghan’s reaction. Their jokes, involving sexism, feminism and transgender people, ricocheted around the living rooms and dining rooms. Without hesitation, Meghan challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values.’

Mr Bower, who claims to have heard about the episode from Harry’s friends, wrote: ‘Again and again she reprimanded them about the slightest inappropriate nuance. Nobody was exempt.’ The gang concluded Meghan was a dampener on the party and beyond Harry’s hearing, they questioned her ‘wokery’.

The seasoned biographer, who has previously published works on Richard Branson, Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson, continued: ‘Driving home after Sunday lunch, the texts pinged between the cars: “OMG what about HER?” said one; “Harry must be f—ing nuts.” ‘”She’s a total nightmare” said others. Besotted, Harry was unaware of his friends’ reaction.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I don’t know if Harry genuinely intended for the shooting party to be yet another “girlfriend test” or if he genuinely wanted Meghan to meet his friends, but I would assume that Harry never intended to put Meghan in a situation where she was seemingly barraged with bigoted, racist, misogynistic and transphobic “jokes.” If any of this really happened – and I believe some version of it did – I’m proud of Meghan. She stood up for herself and what is right. This is part of a larger narrative which is still ongoing in the British media, which is that “woke Harry” is wrong to “change” and “cut off his old friends for Meghan.” When really, he grew up and developed different priorities, and perhaps it wasn’t until he started dating Meghan that he realized that so many of his friends f–king sucked. The larger question, for me, is: why does the Mail keep reminding everyone of all these old stories?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Here are photos from last night’s 2024 Fashion Awards in London. There were several big names in attendance, and a great deal of wacky fashion. One of my favorite looks of the night? Jodie Turner-Smith in Burberry. She attended the event with Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee. Jodie has been saying yes to everything these days – TV shows, movies, any role she’s offered, any paycheck. I would love it if she got a contract with Burberry. The dress is gorgeous. The coat is too, although I thought it was a real fur coat. Turns out, it’s a really high-quality fake fur. Damn.

Rihanna picked up the Cultural Innovator Award, which is well-deserved because she is a cultural innovator. Unfortunately, Rihanna looked goofy as hell in this Christian Lacroix ensemble. Jamiroquai-looking ass. Even A$AP Rocky seemed a little bit over it, but he kept trying to dodge that stupid hat.

I like Ashley Graham’s dress a lot!

Ellie Goulding wore one of my favorite trends in couture: the quilted puffer jacket as evening wear. Hey, it’s December, I can’t blame women for wanting to be warm.

I love Simone Ashley. I hate the baby bangs and the Prada mullet dress.

Nicola Coughlan in Gaurav Gupta. I love this. I love how much Nicola loves fashion too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

The Princess of Wales has made her first public appearance since Remembrance Sunday. While Queen Camilla skipped out at the last minute, Kate joined Prince William today at the official greeting for Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and one of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher. We also got a confirmation that Kate will linger at Buckingham Palace after the official welcome ceremony, and she’ll join her husband at the lunch. But she isn’t going to the state dinner at the palace this evening (Camilla is going though). Per the Mail, Kate is “carrying out even more royal duties than previously planned at today’s state visit in London amid what is being seen as a ‘positive sign’ in royal circles.”

For her first appearance in weeks, Kate wore a Sarah Burton-for-McQueen coat dress in burgundy. She paired it with a matching hat from Sahar Millinery. They also let Kate wear some Royal Collection jewels – she’s wearing QEII’s Bahrain pearl drop earrings and the Japanese Pearl choker (the infamous vadge necklace). She also managed to wrangle her sapphire engagement ring back, after the ring went missing for much of the year.

Obviously, Kate looks fine, although I also think she looks like she possibly took an early-morning valium to get through the day. It also feels like there was pressure exerted somewhere to get Kate to come out for this. Some say that Kate has the power and she negotiated much fewer public outings. Some say Kate has been benched, and that she’s being told that she can’t do this or that. It’s probably a little of column A, a little of column B.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden pardoned his only living son, Hunter Biden. It was a full and unconditional pardon for any and all crimes Hunter may have committed in the past ten years. My first, second, third and fourth reactions were all variations of: good for Joe Biden, I’m glad he pardoned Hunter, and President Biden was probably very worried about what Donald Trump and his minions would do to Hunter if Joe didn’t pardon him. To me, the pardon says more about what Pres. Biden thinks about the incoming Trump administration. But to hear Democratic Party elected officials, podbros and seemingly all of the Beltway media, Joe pardoning Hunter was the biggest political catastrophe of all time. Give me a f–king break. The biggest political catastrophe of all time was normalizing Donald Trump’s violent white national fascism for nine years and holding Democrats to wildly different standards. That’s how we got here. Anyway, the NYT had a story about why President Biden made the decision:

Inside a borrowed vacation compound earlier in the week, with its views of the Nantucket Harbor, Mr. Biden had met with his wife, Jill Biden, and his son Hunter Biden to discuss a decision that had tormented him for months. The issue: a pardon that would clear Hunter of years of legal trouble, something the president had repeatedly insisted he would not do.

Support for pardoning Hunter Biden had been building for months within the family, but external forces had more recently weighed on Mr. Biden, who watched warily as President-elect Donald J. Trump picked loyalists for his administration who promised to bring political and legal retribution to Mr. Trump’s enemies.

Mr. Biden had even invited Mr. Trump to the White House, listening without responding as the president-elect aired familiar grievances about the Justice Department — then surprised his host by sympathizing with the Biden family’s own troubles with the department, according to three people briefed on the conversation.

But it was Hunter Biden’s looming sentencings on federal gun and tax charges, scheduled for later this month, that gave Mr. Biden the final push. A pardon was one thing he could do for a troubled son, a recovering addict who he felt had been subjected to years of public pain.

When the president returned to Washington late Saturday evening, he convened a call with several senior aides to tell them about his decision.

“Time to end all of this,” Mr. Biden said, according to a person briefed on the call.

[From The NY Times]

The Times went on to write: “Mr. Biden’s decision has tarnished a storied public legacy…” It didn’t tarnish jacksh-t. Biden is still the same principled man. He’s the same man who was squeezed out by his party, a man who watched as tens of millions of Americans voted for an insurrectionist lunatic. Americans didn’t want Joe Biden’s principles, so he’s taking them back to Delaware, along with his only living son. The Times’ sources also said that President Biden was “deeply concerned that the pressure of the trials would push his son into a relapse after years of sobriety.” I think that’s a reasonable fear, and President Biden wants to do everything to help Hunter’s fragile sobriety. Now, does anyone think that Joe Biden would have pardoned Hunter if Kamala Harris had won? I’m not sure.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Last week, the Daily Mail’s crack team of “charitable tax experts” were trying to scandalize their readership with a convoluted story about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell foundation. I didn’t cover the Mail’s story because I didn’t even understand what they were trying to say. It was just random sh-t like “Harry and Meghan’s MISSING MILLIONS” and “The Sussexes DELAYED releasing their TAXES!” Harry and Meghan support themselves, they don’t take one penny from the British or American taxpayer to fund their lifestyle, and they run their own charitable foundation in America. Why does the Mail care? Don’t answer that, I know already. Well, the Mail’s faux-reporting got under the Archewell team’s skin, so wouldn’t you know, People Magazine got an exclusive about what’s really going on at the foundation:

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s charitable organization, the Archewell Foundation, has reported growth in its third year of operation, receiving $5.3 million in grants — more than double the $2 million raised the previous year, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal. According to the foundation’s 2023 tax records, reviewed by PEOPLE, the Sussexes’ nonprofit organization allocated $1.3 million of the over $5 million raised to charitable causes. These figures cover the period from January to December 2023.

Archewell, which the couple launched in 2020 shortly after stepping back from their roles as senior working royals, received a $5 million donation from an individual donor, as well as $335,000 from five separate individual contributors.

PEOPLE understands that Archewell’s efforts, including initiatives like The Parents Network and other community-based programs, have attracted more backing, leading to higher funding and assets at the end of the year. These funds will be used to support ongoing projects and expand the foundation’s work.

Contrary to previous reports that suggested $4 million had been unreported in Archewell’s 2022 tax return, the charity has clarified that all funds were properly accounted for, and that sum is reflected in the current tax filing for the 2023 fiscal year, PEOPLE understands.

In separate reports for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, benefactor Fidelity Charitable disclosed a contribution of $6 million to Archewell, while TisBest Philanthropy reported a grant of $10,000. Archewell, however, confirmed that it received two separate $1 million grants from anonymous donors. This discrepancy in reported amounts stems from differences in the timing of the grants, which has been clarified in the charity’s current filing.

Archewell’s total revenue for the year, including investment income, amounted to $5.7 million. The charity’s tax filing also disclosed the couple’s nominal one-hour-per-week involvement in Archewell’s operations, a standard practice for directors of U.S. tax-exempt organizations. The filing also confirmed that Meghan and Harry do not receive any salary from the foundation.

The tax records outlined salaries for several key staff members. James Holt, co-executive director, received a $228,500 salary, along with $18,428 in benefits. Co-executive director Shauna Nep was compensated with a salary of $272,241 and additional benefits totaling $26,356.

The tax return also revealed other key expenditures, including $997,285 in salary costs and just over $1 million in overall expenses. These expenses cover legal fees, event costs, and travel, with notable spending on the foundation’s public-facing initiatives like last year’s World Mental Health Day event in New York City.

The year-over-year increase in expenses is attributed to the expansion of key programs, such as The Welcome Project, which is fostering community support for refugees, and the continued growth of Archewell’s Parents Network.

[From People]

“Contrary to previous reports that suggested $4 million had been unreported in Archewell’s 2022 tax return, the charity has clarified that all funds were properly accounted for…” Basically, the Mail was full of lies and the British tabloids crawl up Harry and Meghan’s asses over nothing. Who would have thought that the Mail has no idea about the inner-workings of an American foundation? Also: the foundation’s executives are getting big money, but in Holt’s case, he’s been with Harry for a decade. Holt used to work in Kensington Palace, and Holt came to America to help the Sussexes get set up over here. That kind of loyalty is priceless.

People Mag also details where some of the Archewell grants are going. They donated $250,000 to Ashley Biden’s Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce, a trauma-informed wellness center for women in north Philadelphia. Harry and Meghan are founding partners in Ashley Biden’s center. They also donated $130K to Humanity Crew, $50K to “providing mental health support to aid workers in Israel and Gaza, while $80,000 was allocated to support mental health services for aid workers in Turkey and Syria.”

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red, Cover Images, Archewell, CBS and Save the Children.

I’m starting to get a really weird feeling about Queen Camilla’s “lingering chest infection.” About a week after Camilla and King Charles’s return from their whirlwind Australia-Samoa-India tour, Camilla came down with a heavy cold or “chest infection.” She canceled a lot of events, including her Remembrance appearances. Then she appeared fine at diplomatic reception (she wore oodles of diamonds), plus she did some appearances at palace events that week. Then, she was suddenly sick again, with the same chest infection. She pulled out of attending the Royal Variety with Charles, and she pulled out of other events last week. Her big return was supposed to be today, at the welcome ceremony for the Qatari state visit. Only she pulled out of it, although it sounds like she is NOT pulling out of the state dinner (oodles of diamonds, darling).

The Queen is to pull out of the ceremonial welcome during the Qatari state visit because of the lingering side effects of a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said. However, Her Majesty will attend other elements of the day, including the lunch at the Palace.

It is understood the programme has been tweaked because the Queen, who contracted a chest infection after her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa, has been left with significantly diminished reserves of energy. Doctors have advised Her Majesty to take the time to rest and fully recover.

The Queen will miss the outdoor event on Horse Guards Parade where the King, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, will join the Emir of Qatar and his wife on Tuesday. She will not be present for the carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace either.

But Her Majesty will be present at the Palace lunch on the royal party’s return and is hoping to view an exhibition in the Picture Gallery. The Queen will join the King and their guests for photographs at the start of the banquet in the evening and will attend the banquet itself. But she will take a short break before dinner while guests are being met in a receiving line.

[From The Telegraph]

My most generous read of this is that Camilla doesn’t want to be outside in the cold when she’s still slowly recovering from a bad cold (or whatever it was). My gossip read: the “welcome ceremony” is supposed to be all about the Princess of Wales making a big return to work, so Camilla is letting Kate have those headlines. Especially since Camilla has ensured that Kate isn’t coming to the state dinner. My nasty read: Camilla has always been known as a pretty lazy person, and I think she’s trying to be more choosy about where and when she’s seen too, just like Kate. It could be that all of these explanations are partly or mostly true.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Eddie Murphy & Martin Lawrence’s kids are engaged! [Just Jared]
All about Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s lunatic FBI director nominee. [Hollywood Life]
Heidi Montag released a new Christmas song? [OMG Blog]
James van der Beek addresses his “tough year.” [Socialite Life]
Jennifer Lopez chats about Kiss of the Spider Woman. [LaineyGossip]
I watched about ten minutes of Dune: Prophecy and all I can say is that I’m always happy to see Emily Watson get work. Such a talent! [Pajiba]
Ryan Murphy has paired Judith Light & Naomi Watts. [Go Fug Yourself]
The best-dressed ladies of last week. [RCFA]
Donnie Wahlberg took something special from the Blue Bloods set. [Seriously OMG]
Lauren Conrad attended her class reunion. [Starcasm]
Alexis Ohanian had thyroid surgery. [Buzzfeed]

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I have to give Gwyneth Paltrow and Apple Martin some begrudging credit: do you know how easy it would have been for Gwyneth to turn Apple into the mother of all nepo-babies? It wouldn’t have taken more than a couple of phone calls, honestly. It helps that Apple is gorgeous, so much so that she’s probably already been offered major modeling contracts. I imagine agents have been dying to sign her too. But no, Apple wanted to go to college, so that’s what she’s doing these days. She’s 20 years old, so she’s probably a sophomore or junior at Vanderbilt (she’s in a sorority too).

Still, it’s not all wholesome college days for Apple. She has stepped out at one or two fashion events in recent years. And this past weekend, she did something her mother probably loved more than anything: Apple is a debutante. She “came out” at the most exclusive and ritzy deb ball in the world, Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris. A lot of celebrity daughters and billionaires’ daughters debut at the ball every year. Still, I’m surprised that Gwyneth wanted it and apparently Apple did too? I’m not surprised that Apple wore a very special Valentino couture look though:

Apple Martin is officially stepping into the spotlight—and in custom Valentino, no less. The daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, the 20-year-old has largely kept out of the public eye. But tonight at Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, Martin is marking a new chapter of life.

The lavish social event imbued with old school glamour also—unsurprisingly—comes with major fashion expectations. Martin turned to Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Valentino known for his distinct point of view and love of opulence, for a debutante dress to match the evening’s no-holds-barred grandeur. Michele dreamt up a strapless bleu ciel evening dress fashioned in six dégradé tiers of silk plissé chiffon, cinched at the waist with a black silk bow, which his atelier brought to life over the course of 750 hours. Martin completed her look with a pair of strappy Valentino sandals in a matching shade of blue.

[From Vogue]

I like the gown, even if I usually dislike tiered dresses. But it’s a lovely color and the bow is very sweet and appropriate for Apple’s debut. My one quibble is that I wish there was an extra inch of fabric on the top. While her girls are not in danger of popping out, it still feels like everything should have been a little bit “higher.” Also: while the Vogue photos of Apple are gorgeous, she decided to pair the gown with some gaudy turquoise jewelry for a couple of photos… and then she removed the giant necklace later in the night. I wonder if Gwyneth was like “you’re going to ruin your special night with peasant TURQUOISE!” Also: Gwyneth, Chris Martin and Moses Martin were all in Paris to support Apple.

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Photos courtesy of Vogue, Hello & Gwyneth’s Instagram.

For a royal-born prince, I don’t think Prince Harry had many “moves” before he met then-Meghan Markle. He was a panicked, sweaty mess (and LATE) on their first date. In Spare, he made it sound like Meghan kissed him first, and she was the one who organized their first dates. But Harry did have one “move” – inviting Meghan to Botswana just days after their first date. It was a move he pulled with several other ladies. All of which is common knowledge, and yet this is the Mail’s top royal story today:

Though Prince Harry recently visited Africa alone, it was once a place he used to help solidify his relationship with Meghan Markle – as well as several of his previous girlfriends. Early in their blossoming romance, Harry invited Meghan on a trip to Botswana in 2017. They stayed ‘in a £1,500 deluxe tent at the Meno a Kwena safari camp,’ Tina Brown claims in her 2022 book The Palace Papers.

However, the royal biographer tells how Prince William was quick to point out to his ‘starry-eyed’ younger brother: ‘You do realise this is the fourth girl you’ve taken to Botswana?’

King Charles’s younger son had asked a number of romantic interests to accompany him on a trip – including actress Cressida Bonas, who, Ms Brown writes, ‘passed the Africa test on a successful vacation together in the Okavango Delta [in Botswana]’. After visiting several times for charity work, the southern African nation became a favourite place of Harry’s, ‘especially when trying to impress a girlfriend’, Andrew Morton wrote in his 2018 release, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess.

He also took television presenter Natalie Pinkham there, reportedly in 2004. Harry visited again the following year, this time with his on-and-off girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and they are said to have made annual trips there during their seven years together.

While none of these relationships worked out, Harry’s African getaway with Meghan became particularly memorable – for it was where the couple deepened their relationship. With ‘breath-taking views across the dark-blue waters of the nearby Boteti River’, according to Mr Morton, Harry and Meghan enjoyed long walks, safaris and used the time together to get to know one another.

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s strange that the Mail quotes Tina Brown and Andrew Morton… and not Harry himself? Harry wrote, in Spare, about his magical trip to Botswana with Meghan early in their relationship. It was his go-to relationship test, to see if a girlfriend can handle camping out and going without luxury spas and such. Plus, I think he just liked to bring girlfriends to Botswana to meet his other family, Tania and Mike. Why is the Mail recycling these old stories? “Meghan was the fourth girlfriend taken to Botswana!” Okay, and? They’re married with two children, so obviously Meghan was the one who passed the test with flying colors. The fact that Harry was testing Meghan so early in the relationship is what bugs me more than “Meghan was the fourth girlfriend he took to Botswana.” When I read Spare, it dawned on me that Harry tested Meghan many times in their first year and I hate when men pull that sh-t.

Photos courtesy of Netflix’s ‘Harry & Meghan’.

The whole idea of “working for the Windsors” is that you’re playing a longer game and setting yourself up for your next move. A few years working in one of the royal offices can set someone up for a high-paying job in the private sector. The Windsors pay badly, but on the bright side, there’s nothing much to do – the left-behinds are lazy as hell and we heard endlessly about the “genteel pace” of Kensington Palace in particular when Prince Harry married Meghan. Basically, the money is awful but the work isn’t stressful at all. So it’s strange that despite the “genteel pace” of KP, Prince William and Kate cannot keep staff around at all. They’re constantly losing senior staffers in particular – Kate went without a private secretary for a year and a half, William’s private secretary quit when William announced his big plan to hire a CEO, and they’ve gone through a dozen major staffers in the past four years or so. Weirdly, there’s absolutely zero energy towards “Will and Kate are horrible bosses and their staffers never stick around” commentary. Speaking of, William is losing his equerry and the guy isn’t even moving into the private sector. Dude would rather go back to the Navy than organize those “William is the sexiest bald man ever” polls.

Prince William’s dashing royal equerry Rob Dixon has shared an emotional message to LinkedIn as he prepares to bid farewell to the role. The commander was first appointed to the household in 2020, when William and Kate were Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and continued in the role when they became the Prince and Princess of Wales. After being loyally by William’s side for four years as his right-hand man, he is now set to return to his post in the Royal Navy.

Sharing a moving post to his LinkedIn account this morning as he prepares to step down as equerry, the officer thanked the Prince for the ‘incredible opportunity’ and reinforced his continuing commitment to ‘Team Wales’. He accompanied his post with some touching images from his time in the role, such as laughing alongside the Princess of Wales during her Christmas event in 2022, and joining Prince William and Prince George for the Platinum Jubilee.

Mr Dixon wrote: ‘It’s time to move on… I’ve had the most incredible opportunity to serve in a role that not only challenged me, but allowed me to grow, to learn, and to make meaningful contributions alongside a talented and passionate team. I am immensely grateful for the support, collaboration, and friendships formed during these last 4 years. It’s been a remarkable journey and I look forward to carrying the skills and insights I’ve gained into my next appointments.’

Equerries are officers from one of the three branches of the Armed Forces who are seconded to assist senior royals in the course of their royal duties. This involves organising and helping out at public engagements, to arranging official diaries – with about six of them working in the Royal Household at any one time. The role dates back to the 16th century and aims to reinforce the Crown’s role as Head of the Armed Forces. It is usually held for three years. Mr Dixon is heading back to the Royal Navy after four years.

Prince William’s new equerry will be Squadron Leader Mike Reynolds, who is also a trained helicopter pilot and on secondment from the Royal Air Force.

[From The Daily Mail]

Ah, so Dixon was assigned to William. Incidentally, William’s current private secretary was also assigned to him. Despite the months searching for a Keen CEO, William’s office went without a private secretary for months, coinciding with all of the clownery at the beginning of the year, with the lies about Kate’s health issues, the manipulated photos, etc. Back in February, it felt like Buckingham Palace basically assigned two new private secretaries for William and Kate. Anyway, it’s interesting that Dixon managed to stick around for four years. I feel sorry for him that he can’t cash out and find a lucrative private gig from here, but I bet anything else will feel like a vacation after babysitting Prince Incandescence Rage.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.