While caring for her husband Bruce amid his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis, and raising their daughters, Emma Heming Willis has also decided to be a advocate for FTD patients and families. She wants to pay forward all the support and resources she’s received. Emma has made it clear that, unlike the actors in her family, being a public advocate is outside her comfort zone. But the cause of helping others understand aphasia and FTD is worth stepping out of her shell. What it shouldn’t have to involve, though, is needing to tell the media at large to stop making up “stupid headlines” about Bruce and how he’s doing. Yet that’s how Emma spent her Sunday:

“The headline basically says there is no more joy in my husband. Now, I can just tell you, that is far from the truth,” Emma said as she began the video. “I need society — and whoever’s writing these stupid headlines — to stop scaring people. Stop scaring people to think that once they get a diagnosis of some kind of neurocognitive disease that that’s it. ‘It’s over. Let’s pack it up. We’re — Nothing else to see here. We’re done.’ No.”

She then said that her family’s experience has been the “complete opposite of that” amid Bruce’s frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis.

“There is grief and sadness. There’s all of that. But you start a new chapter,” Emma said, adding that the new chapter is filled “with love, it’s filled with connection, it’s filled with joy, it’s filled with happiness.”

“That’s where we are. So stop with these stupid headlines. These stupid clickbaity things that freak people out. Stop doing that. There’s nothing to see here, okay?” she continued.

In the caption, Emma reflected further on the inaccurate reporting she’d seen as she encouraged media outlets to be “mindful” of how stories about dementia are framed.

“My experience is that two things can be true and exist at the same time. Grief and deep love. Sadness and deep connection. Trauma and resilience. I had to get out of my own way to get here but once I arrived, life really started to come together with meaning and I had a true sense of purpose. There is so much beauty and soulfulness in this story,” she wrote.

“Here’s what I’ve come to understand is that we are being educated by the wrong people. People that have an opinion versus an experience. People that have not taken the time to properly educate themselves on any kind of neurocognitive disease. Why can I be so bold and say that? Because I see headline after headline and blurbs of misinformation,” Emma continued.

She added: “I’m not even talking about my family, I’m used to the craziness of these farfetched headlines and stories. I’m just talking about baseline dementia awareness and what’s being fed to the public. You wonder why anxiety and depression is up in our society. I honestly think part of it has to do with this kind of clickbait, how things are framed and pushed out to us and how we have a split second to take that information in. Man, it’ll do a number on my psyche.”

[From People]

Emma found a way to refocus the topic back to FTD education and awareness, but again, she shouldn’t have to deal with this. The only people who have the authority to speak on Bruce’s condition right now are Emma, Demi Moore, and his daughters. And their public comments of late have been filled with love, fondness, and even joy. Yes, the relationships have changed, but like Emma says, love and grief can coexist. By contrast, someone who’s never met Bruce wrote a negative, clickbaity headline about him. It’s tasteless, not to mention hurtful for those close to Bruce and for family members of people with dementia.

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Dua Lipa wore a very Angelina Jolie-esque black leather Versace gown to the BRIT Awards. Did she get a new stylist? Because she’s been killing it. [RCFA]
Sophie Turner stepped out with Peregrine Pearson in Paris. [Just Jared]
Rafa Nadal played well at the “Netflix Slam” and he also spoke about whether he will really retire at the end of this year. [Socialite Life]
Sydney Sweeney really enjoyed herself in NYC, ahead of SNL. [LaineyGossip]
You know what’s underrated? Diet Dr. Pepper. [Seriously OMG]
Review of Dune 2. [Pajiba]
Marion Cotillard will always be up for some Chanel. [Go Fug Yourself]
Charli’s new music video for “Von Dutch.” [OMG Blog]
90 Day Fiance’s Citra is pregnant. [Starcasm]
North West is sharing photos of her dad on her TikTok. [Hollywood Life]
Women talking about the everyday sexism they experience. [Buzzfeed]

The Telegraph was one of several major outlets trying to explain just how the disappearance of the Princess of Wales has become such a major international story. To be fair, I think once we passed the two-month mark without hearing from or seeing Kate, there would have always been drama. But the drama was definitely compounded when Prince William skipped King Constantine’s memorial service at the last minute, citing “personal reasons.” That seemed like the final straw or the dam breaking or whatever metaphor you want – there was no turning back, and Kensington Palace’s incompetence in dealing with the conversations and conspiracies has made matters worse. So, the Telegraph did a lengthy piece called “How a week of Princess of Wales conspiracies are testing royal tradition; Amid a torrent of social media rumours speculating on Kate’s health, can the policy of ‘never complain, never explain’ continue to hold?” Hannah Furness actually got some panicky quotes from royal insiders who are insisting that Kate is absolutely fine, she just won’t be seen for a while.

Kate’s absence: It has been 68 days, the internet will tell you, since the public saw “Kate Middleton”. That she is recovering from major surgery at home – the explanation offered freely, clearly and repeatedly by the palace – is not enough to satisfy modern curiosity. According to social media, overseas websites and WhatsApp groups across the country, she may instead be hiding in a mystery location, in a coma, being cloned, having “Brazilian butt lift” cosmetic surgery, or waiting for a bad haircut to grow out. For the avoidance of doubt: she isn’t.

Never complain, never explain: In the absence of a stream of updates from Kensington Palace about the Princess, there comes the wisdom of social media conspiracy theorists and trolls making mischief – some glib, others (in light of the Princess’s inarguable medical needs) grimly sinister. The old palace policy of “never complain, never explain” is being tested to destruction.

Will & Kate’s spokesperson: “From our perspective, we were very clear from our statement at the start of this in January that the Princess of Wales planned to be out of public action until after Easter, and that hasn’t changed,” says a spokesman for the Waleses. We were always clear we wouldn’t be providing updates when there wasn’t anything new to share. The last thing anyone wants is a running commentary of the Princess of Wales’s recovery. Nothing has changed from that approach in January.”

All of the conspiracies & jokes about Kate: “Some of it’s funny, I guess?” said one source. “More of it is pretty uncomfortable, when you remember this is a real person they’re talking about.” Add in a new media landscape where anyone can set themselves up as a “royal expert”, it all has an air of spiralling out of control. Much of the divisive disinformation about the Royal family is assumed to have been spread by bots and trolls, but there are now countless social media accounts dedicated to obsessive fandoms cheering on either the Sussexes or the Waleses at the expense of the other. TikTok influencers who discuss royal events from thousands of miles away, having never set foot in a room with a royal or anyone who knows them, garner multi-millions of views by virtue of being outside the “mainstream media”.

The Spanish reports of Kate’s coma: Even the more traditional parts of the media have played a part – overseas. A detailed report on a popular Spanish television news programme, alleging that the Princess was in a coma, is still being widely discussed despite being denied in full by a royal aide. All in, the palaces now face an ungovernable cycle of new media which is meddling with its protocols like never before.

KP is mad that Buckingham Palace makes them look bad: Part of the problem, one old hand points out, is the difference in the responses between the palaces: Kensington representing the Waleses and Buckingham representing the King and Queen. “The public just doesn’t know what to expect,” the source noted. “One day they’re hearing all about the King’s prostate, the next they’re not hearing why William has missed his godfather’s memorial. Neither of those approaches are necessarily right or wrong, but you can see why the general public are confused.” Another said: “I honestly don’t think there’s any mystery or need to panic.”

No proof of life for Kate: After calls for the Princess to pose for photographs as evidence of her whereabouts, one source says: “Why should she? Truly, I don’t get it. In what other circumstance would a woman take sick leave after a major operation, and instead of being allowed to recover she’s supposed to pose for pictures?”

Friends of the Waleses: The truth about the Princess’s health, say friends of the Waleses, is not salacious. She is doing well; she will be fine; her recovery is tiring and necessarily long. She did not stay in hospital for two weeks through private healthcare decadence or – as some ill-thought-through online theories would have – to get some peace and quiet: it was, literally, for the good of her health.

Again, KP is mad that BP makes them look bad: “They need to be aligned in their approach,” says a former royal adviser. “At the moment, one palace never explains, the other is always explaining.”

[From The Telegraph]

Please, this is delicious. It’s the “I never thought leopards would eat MY face” of royal gossip. Remember when Kate was set up as the perfect princess who always did her duty and posed for photos because she could always be counted on to dutifully follow the terms of the invisible contract, so long as she was set up as the perfect (white) princess? And now we’ve got “of course Kate will not pose for photos after going missing for 70 days, how dare you even suggest that!” There are multiple stories happening all at once here – one story about what is really going on with Kate, one story about Kensington Palace’s incompetence with managing the unfolding crisis, and one story about how KP and Buckingham Palace are fighting because Charles is running circles around William’s incompetent ass.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

I don’t really have an opinion about the news/gossip/analysis site Puck. I wound up on their mailing list at some point, probably because of their coverage of Angelina Jolie and Vanna White (I sh-t you not), and I’m constantly rolling my eyes at their wannabe-Vanity Fair style of making a meal out of some truly milquetoast gossip. Speaking of, Puck is reporting something exclusive-ish, in that I haven’t seen this anywhere else. According to Puck’s Lauren Sherman, the Duchess of Sussex hired a new Montecito-based stylist named Jamie Mizrahi. Here’s a big chunk from this completely overwrought Puck piece:

Did you know that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex or whatever these days, is working with Jamie Mizrahi, expert celebrity friend-turned-expert celebrity stylist? For now, everyone is keeping mum, and perhaps they’ll never speak of it. Mizrahi was en route to Paris when I messaged her about Markle. She didn’t reply. (Good girl.) The Markle camp didn’t respond to my queries. But I believe the new partnership—presumably forged in Montecito, where they each have homes—marks a turning point for both parties when it comes to their respective myth-making.

Markle is actually not much of a subject of fascination for me, perhaps because I have P.T.S.D. from my mother’s Princess Diana obsession. But I am, of course, interested in the way she presents herself. For the past few years, people connected to her have claimed she doesn’t work with a stylist. And it was believable, given all the wrinkled clothing and slightly off tailoring. In the early days of her Prince Harry era, she relied on friend Jessica Mulroney, whom she met in Canada while working on Suits. At some point, though, they split. Markle called upon U.K.-based Maria Means Cote, an ex-Prada P.R., for a while, but they stopped working together as early as 2021.

In her California life, Markle doesn’t necessarily need a stylist. The dress code in Montecito—a sort of Nancy Meyers movie where Oprah’s house isn’t even the biggest on the block—requires more pull-on linen pants than fitted Roland Mouret shift dresses. (We’re not in Westminster anymore, Dorothy.) Markle makes just a few public appearances a year, and more importantly, her persona is predicated on the idea that she is in control. So it doesn’t matter all that much that her clothes don’t always fit perfectly as long as she’s the one who chooses them. Even her Givenchy wedding gown, designed by the Brit Clare Waight Keller, with whom she was recently seen having lunch, wasn’t quite right. (Not only is Givenchy a French brand, but once again, there were tailoring issues.) This is all part of her charm. And Markle fans don’t seem to mind: When she first started dating Prince Harry, items she wore sold out almost instantly. Not many celebrities have that sort of pull. You have to be both aspirational and accessible at once, like Taylor Swift.

But if Markle is entertaining a Hollywood relaunch—orchestrated, probably, by the talent agency WME—she may need more support. After all, the fashion industry wants little to do with her. Dior even released a statement last year noting that they had not signed her as a spokesperson. The fact that they even bothered to extinguish a swirling rumor suggests that they were desperate to have it quashed.

Enter Mizrahi (née Schneider), who grew up near the Short Hills Mall and moved to California after she started dating Nico Mizrahi, a hedge-funder from Los Angeles. (She married him in 2016. By all accounts, they are kind people.) Mizrahi has been working in fashion since she graduated from college, but until a few years ago was known more as a socialite and friend-of-celebrities than a hardcore professional….Then she started styling Adele, and things changed. She got a Louis Vuitton contract. Is she good? The other day, an acquaintance of Mizrahi’s started texting me images of looks she had crafted that bore a shocking resemblance to those another rising star had arranged just a few weeks prior; most notably, Mizrahi put client Jurnee Smollett in a black Proenza Schouler gown that Danielle Goldberg client Ayo Edebiri had worn in cream just three weeks earlier. This person texting me had no idea about Markle, they were just appalled by the perceived copycatry. Perhaps it was a coincidence.

Anyway, originality matters less in this business than effectiveness. Today, Mizrahi works with the likes of Riley Keough, Jeremy Allen White, and most importantly, Jennifer Lawrence. She’s been integral to Lawrence’s rebrand over the past year, which also included hiring a new publicist and releasing a raunchy comedy. I don’t like how Mizrahi dresses Lawrence: There is a prim fussiness to her current wardrobe that feels antithetical to her personality. (She seems like a fun person, and the clothes aren’t.) But most people don’t agree with me. Lawrence has never attracted attention for her fashion choices before; now she does, so it’s working on some level, even if it doesn’t have a long-term impact on how people perceive her.

Can Mizrahi do for Markle what she has done for Lawrence? Markle’s ladylike, jewel-toned taste is closely aligned with Mizrahi’s, so perhaps they could make an even more powerful combination. Regardless, Markle needs to make money, and sharpening her look could be the first step in something bigger: Not only should she be gunning for endorsements, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was keen to develop her own fashion line. (Markle’s old friend Misha Nonoo, currently the chief brand officer of Spanx, would be a good resource in that department.) And Mizrahi might be the best first step, whatever the actual end goal.

[From Puck]

I haven’t seen this much bitching about Meghan’s tailoring since 2018! While I do think Meghan had some tailoring issues back in the early days of duchessing, her return to California has brought out her baseline aesthetic – looser, comfortable, palazzo pants and sad beiges, lots of bare shoulders and California creams. It’s not about tailoring, it’s about cozy-yet-clean. And given that Meghan’s fans have always loved/defended/bought whatever she wears, why would she need to hire some fancy stylist to remake her look? Be logical! Comparing Meghan and Taylor Swift too… the audacity!! Taylor’s street style and red carpet style is completely tragic given her money and access. Meghan just looks like a wealthy and attractive California mom who likes beige. Anyway, I kind of hope Meghan has hired a professional stylist, but who knows. More than that, I hope she stops leaving all of that money on the table and she becomes a brand ambassador for one of the labels.

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Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid, Getty.

Back in 2022, there was a rather scandalous royal blind item on Deuxmoi, a blind which many people believed was about Prince William and his recreational activities. After that blind, I would occasionally refer to him as “Peg” or “Peggington.” The whole thing trended on Twitter for a while and every now and then, the hashtags born in 2022 are still used. It should not be underestimated just how viral that story became, to the point where Irish flight company Ryanair decided to make a joke on social media.

Will never forget…#PrinceOfPegging https://t.co/lpM68n4T0z pic.twitter.com/mPd6cIAnnH

— Sarah B (@SarahB_N) March 3, 2024

It was an amazing time, honestly. Ryanair later deleted the tweet and no one ever explained why. Until now! A guy who works for Ryanair’s social media gave an interview and he explained what went down behind-the-scenes. Apparently, Kensington Palace actually called Ryanair to complain and threaten the Irish company. The palace wanted an apology! At the end of the day, Ryanair just deleted the tweet, which was seen as good enough by KP.

The Palace got Ryanair to delete that tweet about William. pic.twitter.com/gCnwOZiY7L

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) March 3, 2024

So there you go. Kensington Palace was well aware of the Peggington rumors, the hashtags and everything on social media in 2022. Kensington Palace went out of its way to threaten a private Irish company into taking down a (funny) joke tweet. But the same Kensington Palace claimed their hands were tied when it came to the media and Derangers’ harassment of and threats against the Duchess of Sussex. Once again, we keep seeing how the palaces *can* shut down stories and issue legal threats when they want to. They just didn’t want to protect the Sussexes, ever.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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The one bio/about-me line Iris Apfel included on her Instagram reads “More is more & less is a bore.” With a signature style that always impressed, Iris Apfel truly embodied the joy of that ethos. She studied art and art history in school, started her career copywriting for a fashion magazine, built a successful textile and fabric reproduction business with her husband, and broke into modeling in her late nineties. She taught us that color can raise the dead, statement eyeglasses never go out of style, and that being thoroughly and unabashedly yourself is the only way to live, at any age. One day after celebrating her 102-and-a-half birthday (and noting that she was only 26 in half birthdays, owing to it being Leap Day), Iris Apfel took a final, feather boa-ed bow on this planet. Let’s raise a glass in multiple-bracelet-clad arms to a one of a kind spirit

If only every life could be as lavishly lived as Iris Apfel’s. The celebrated interior designer, entrepreneur and late-in-life fashion model died in Palm Beach on Friday, her representatives confirmed. She was 102 years old.

Born Iris Barrel in 1921, she was brought up in Queens, New York. The daughter of a successful small business owner, she studied art and art history before working as a copywriter for Women’s Wear Daily.

With her husband Carl, Apfel started a textile and fabric reproduction business in 1950. Her firm managed White House restoration projects for nine presidents, ranging from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton.

Known for her charisma and work ethic, Apfel’s distinctive style — the bushels of bracelets, the piles of necklaces, plus signature saucer-sized, heavy-framed glasses — helped propel her into late-in-life fashion celebrity, or a “geriatric starlet,” as she often referred to herself.

Apfel’s star only brightened as she aged. At 90, she was teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. At age 94, she was the subject of a well-reviewed documentary by Albert Maysles (Iris.) At age 97, she became a professional fashion model, represented by a top agency, IMG. She modeled for Vogue Italia, Kate Spade and M.A.C, and at the time of her passing, was the oldest person to have had a Barbie doll made by Mattel in her image.

A society grand dame who was not above selling scarves and jewelry on the Home Shopping Network, Apfel received a 2005 retrospective at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rara Avis (Rare Bird): The Irreverent Iris Apfel was a first for the museum in showcasing clothes and accessories created by a living non-fashion designer.

Her autobiography, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon, was published in 2018.

In a 2015 NPR story, Apfel told correspondent Ina Jaffee that she took pride in having inspired people over the years. She remembered meeting one woman who exclaimed that Apfel had changed her life.

“She said I learned that if I don’t have to dress like everybody else, I do not have to think like everybody else,” the designer recalled with glee. “And I thought, boy, if I could do that for a few people, I accomplished something.”

Her agent Lori Sale called the designer a “visionary.”

“She saw the world through a unique lens — one adorned with giant, distinctive spectacles that sat atop her nose. Through those lenses, she saw the world as a kaleidoscope of color, a canvas of patterns and prints. Her artistic eye transformed the mundane into the extraordinary and her ability to blend the unconventional with the elegant was nothing short of magical,” she said in a statement.

“She became a beacon for so many people,” jewelry designer Alexis Bittar said in a statement shared by Sale. “Through living her life on her own terms it messaged to women that they don’t need to hide in the shadows as they age, they actually can continue to glow and get better at what they do and look like.”

[From NPR]

If you don’t have to dress like everybody else, you don’t have to think like everybody else. What a radical idea. I honestly can’t think of a higher honor or legacy than to have helped people come to that realization. While I knew of Iris’s deserving status as a fashion icon, I was impressed to learn about her fabric company with her husband, Old World Weavers, and their work on White House restorations. She is so cool! What a life well-lived. Iris, thank you for your inspiration — and I say that as someone who’s always donned vintage eyeglasses, believed patterns can and should be mixed, and enjoyed wearing so many rings at once it’s aired on the side of pirate. Rest in Pucci, dear soul.

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Photos credit: Caroline Torem-Craig / Avalon, Wenn / Avalon, Zeppelin Photo / Avalon, Darla Khazei/PacificCoastNews / Avalon and via Instagram

It’s slightly funny, in a macabre way, that whenever Prince Andrew pops his head up and declares that he’s ready for a comeback, all of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims come out and say or do something to remind people that Prince Andrew is a human trafficker and a vil degenerate. Just last week, Andrew made a big, splashy appearance at King Constantine’s memorial service and we were told, yet again, that Andrew is “back” and he believes that people want to see him again. Enter Meatball Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida. For many years, Jeffrey Epstein used Palm Beach as a hunting ground for teenage girls, and Epstein’s criminal activities in Florida were what set off the FBI investigation. The investigation led to Epstein being given a sweetheart deal – an 18-month sentence for abusing, raping and trafficking countless girls and women. It was believed at the time that Epstein’s well-connected allies had pulled strings to ensure that Epstein walked away with little more than a slap on the wrist. Prince Andrew was one of those allies, and Meatball Ron is going to release some of those records.

A Jeffrey Epstein victim believes the paedophile’s pal Prince Andrew will face a day of reckoning with the release of bombshell court papers. Full details of claims that Andrew lobbied US authorities to accept Epstein’s plea deal in an underage prostitution case will be made public. The allegations about Andrew’s past friendship with the billionaire sex offender may dash all hopes he harbours of a return to royal life.

On Tuesday, a grinning Duke of York, 64, grabbed the limelight by leading the Royals into church to ­celebrate the life of the late King Constantine of Greece. On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill allowing the release of grand jury testimony relating to the 2006 probe into Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.

The law will grant rare access to the testimony that ultimately led to one charge against Epstein, much to the fury of police and victims. The paedophile had faced up to 15 years in jail. Instead prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to soliciting a minor for prostitution, despite the FBI finding more than 40 victims.

He was sentenced in 2008 to just 18 months and, after less than a year, he was freed to serve the rest of his time in his Palm Beach mansion in Florida. Months later, Andrew visited the sex offender, staying with him at his Manhattan home.

Mr DeSantis, accompanied by two of Epstein’s victims, Haley Robson and Jena-Lisa Cordovez, signed the bill, HB 117, in Palm Beach. The former US presidential hopeful said: “There were a lot of questions about what happened where you had a sweetheart deal… This is long overdue, but again, we feel that we can’t just turn a blind eye.” Last night, a third woman abused by Epstein said: “For years, Andrew has evaded speaking to the FBI, instead giving his own ludicrous version of events to the BBC. Finally we will have a day of reckoning the Prince has long avoided. What more must it take for him to realise his friendship with Jeffrey will never go away? Speak up, man.”

Previously released legal papers accused Andrew of helping secure Epstein’s plea deal by lobbying the US Government. In legal documents, two of Epstein’s victims said the Duke was linked to pressuring officials to cut his sentence. The documents read: “(They are) seeking documents regarding Epstein’s lobbying efforts to persuade the government to give him a favourable plea arrangement, including efforts on his behalf by Prince Andrew. They have alleged these materials are needed to prove their allegations that, after Epstein signed the non-prosecution agreement, his ­performance was delayed while he used his significant social and ­political connections to lobby the justice department to obtain a more favourable plea deal.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

While this coverage is very centered on Andrew and he absolutely deserves that, it’s important to remember that every single part of Epstein’s plea deal was a complete sh-tshow. The investigation was compromised, the prosecution was compromised and the plea deal was the result of a lot of machinations behind the scenes involving other power players beyond Andrew. Releasing the full grand jury testimony will be enlightening about Andrew, but it will be enlightening about other people in Epstein’s orbit as well. Which is why Meatball Ron is doing this – DeSantis believes that the records will reveal something about prominent Democrats, like Epstein didn’t use his friend Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as a hunting ground.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

Dogs love to be good people who do good jobs at their work, and those who dedicate themselves to being therapy pups are among our finest citizens. Added to these noble ranks is Jennifer Garner’s eight-year-old golden retriever Birdie. Birdie and her person just appeared on We Rate Dogs where she spoke with host Matt Nelson (as relayed by Garner) about her therapy work, her children’s literacy advocacy, and things she’d like to try before her birthday in May:

“She wants to read some new books for kids. And speaking of kids, Birdie is a therapy dog,” shared Garner. “And she just got a promotion to work at Children’s Hospital L.A.”

“So she’s excited. She wants to have her first time at Children’s Hospital L.A. before she turns nine,” the Party Down star continued. “She’s a very good dog, a very good girl.”

Garner shared a few more of Birdie’s plans, including some reasonable goals and a few daring activities.

“Birdie would like to sit at a Parisian bistro. While she’s there, she wants to swim in the Olympics. She loves to swim,” offered the Alias alum. “Oh, she wants to eat an entire string of cheese. The whole thing.”

“Birdie wants to skydive. Everybody should once and she thought before she turns nine is a good time,” added Garner.

“Oh right, she wants to go on a date with Major Biden,” Garner shared. “She has a big crush.”

“Oh and she wants to stop biting her nails,” continued the 13 Going on 30 star. “It’s hard, but it’s good to have a goal.”

“Birdie has a beautiful coloratura voice. So she’s a soprano and so she wants to sign with the Metropolitan Opera,” added the actress.

Garner welcomed Birdie into her life after her eldest daughter, Violet Anne, 18, waited until her tenth birthday to get her very own dog. Garner shares Violet, Seraphina Rose, 15, and Samuel, 12, with ex-husband Ben Affleck.

“My eldest was two and decided she needed her own dog, and she talked about it all the time,” Garner recalled for Nelson. “And I said, ‘When you’re 10, that’s the age that one might get their own dog.’ And I thought she’d forget because she was just two, but now we have Birdie.”

“She did not forget,” joked Nelson. “She did not,” replied Garner.

The actress also spoke about her series with Birdie, titled “Books with Birdie,” where she reads children’s books to the golden retriever.

“Birdie is a huge early literature, just kind of a literacy advocate,” Garner cheekily explained. “So it only makes sense that she would have this series ‘Books with Birdie.’”

“She just really likes to promote children’s literacy, right?,” Garner asked her dog. “It’s super important to you, just part of your mission of who you are.”

[From People]

When I was a freshman in college my dorm hosted an event the week before final exams: puppy petting. Working dogs of all shapes and sizes punched in the clock for a grueling hour of being adored by over-caffeinated students. It was bliss. But the one pup who really stole my heart was a retriever who was simply exhausted from his many engagements (he had just been visiting with seniors at a nursing home). So instead of gamboling right into the thick of things, this good boy was clinging to his mama, burying his nose in her lap. Finally his mama said “What are you doing? You’re here to mingle!” Too precious.

Getting back to this story, these really were Birdie’s words. She lifted her snout up to her person and Jennifer dutifully bent to receive her comments each time. Second, we need this Birdie – Major Biden date to happen, stat! It’s a matter of national importance! And I kid you not, the minute Jen said the name “Major Biden” Birdie started thumping her tail. She knows what she wants, and what she wants is a sexy specimen of German shepherd, presidential, I’ll guard my parents from shady secret service agents, good boy energy. The hunk sets her tongue wagging. Literally. True, Major is younger than Birdie (three or 21 years, depending on which species you’re counting by), but canines can be cougars too. My one word of caution: long-distance relationships can be ruff rough. Just know going into this that it will take extra effort. And we don’t want anything getting in the way of Birdie’s very important work as a therapy dog at Children’s Hospital LA. That being said, your move, Major Biden.

Photos credit: Adam Schultz / Avalon and screenshots from YouTube and Instagram

Queen Camilla was pretty busy last week. She was the most senior royal and de facto hostess for King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor last Tuesday. She hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. On Thursday, she was once again at Buckingham Palace, this time hosting a semi-private meeting with Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine. Sure, “working three days in a week” is not some huge deal for most people, but Camilla is basically the only royal who has been consistently doing events since mid-January. Everyone else (except Anne) has been MIA, on vacation or mysteriously disappearing for weeks at a time. All of which to say, Camilla’s orthopedic wedges have been worked down to the nub and she’s taking the next week off. No one will see her until Commonwealth Day (March 11).

The Queen will take a break from official duties after leading the monarchy in public since the King’s cancer diagnosis was revealed on February 5. Camilla, 76, has no engagements in her diary this week, and it is understood that she will spend a few days of private downtime with the King and her own family. She will resume engagements on March 11, when she will represent Charles and lead the royal family for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

Camilla has undertaken 13 official engagements since Charles’s cancer diagnosis was announced last month, ploughing on with her own diary and attending events solo where she was due to have been with her husband.

A royal source said: “Although she was not expecting to find herself in the position of leading the family, the Queen is absolutely prepared to do whatever needs to be done for the institution. She has been buoyed by the public’s reaction. She has found reserves of energy that even she didn’t think she had, and the estimation of her by those inside the palace has soared as she has put her shoulder to the wheel.”

Another source close to the Queen said: “Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to keep going while the King is off public duties. The King is proud and pleased to see the show is being kept on the road by the Queen and the wider family.”

During the Queen’s short break this week, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will all undertake public engagements. The Princess of Wales, who has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, is continuing to recover at home in Windsor after abdominal surgery in January, and is expected to resume public duties after Easter.

[From The Times]

You might assume, given the quotes provided to the Times, that Camilla is going to spend the next week sitting in her coziest recliner at Ray Mill with a Stanley Cup full of gin. You would be wrong! After spending a few days at Ray Mill, Camilla is jetting off “overseas” today, according to the Daily Mail. She’s “jetting off on a private flight” and no one is saying where? Given the quotes given to the Times – “Her Majesty is robust, positive and determined to keep going” – you should assume the opposite, meaning Camilla is exhausted AND most of the people in the palace are unhappy that she’s jetting off.

I keep thinking about how Sophie and Edward quietly went on a ski holiday with friends, traveling by private jet and enjoying themselves in St. Moritz, the playground for the rich. Sophie and Ed skipped Constantine’s memorial service too, and honestly, the Edinburghs haven’t really been pulling their weight this year at all. Maybe Camilla was like “well, I deserve to have a week off too!”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Thomas Kingston passed away a week ago, on Sunday, February 25. His death was not announced until Tuesday, the 27th, just hours after King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor, a service which was attended by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Kingston’s parents-in-law. Kingston’s now-widow, Lady Gabriella, did not attend the memorial service, nor has she been seen in public since about a week before Kingston’s passing. On Friday, the inquest into Thomas Kington’s death officially began. The police and the coroner came out and said, flat out, that he died of a “catastrophic wound” to the head, with a gun closeby. The Telegraph was the first British outlet to say that it was suicide.

Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died from a gunshot wound to the head, a coroner has revealed. Mr Kingston, 45, took his own life at his parents’ home in a Cotswold village on Sunday.

Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said the financier, the son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, had lunch with his parents before his father, Martin Kingston, took the dogs out for a walk. As she opened an inquest into Mr Kingston’s death, Ms Skerett said: “On his return Mr Kingston was not in the house.”

His mother went to look for him before his father forced entry into an outbuilding. Ms Skerrett said Mr Kingston was found dead “with a catastrophic head injury. A gun was present at the scene.”

Mr Kingston was a committed Christian who once worked as a hostage negotiator in Iraq. Known as Tom, he read economic history at the University of Bristol before joining the diplomatic missions unit at the Foreign Office. He was seconded to Baghdad as project manager for the International Centre for Reconciliation, based at Coventry Cathedral, in 2003. The following year, he cheated death in a suicide bombing in the Iraqi capital that killed 22 people.

Mr Kingston returned to the UK to work for Schroders, the global asset management firm, as an equity analyst before becoming the managing director of Voltan Capital Management and later a director of Devonport Capital, which provides short-term loans to businesses operating in the developing world. His father, Martin, was a hugely successful barrister, specialising in planning law. Also a devout Chrisitan, he was elected to the General Synod in 2016. His mother, Jill, is a trustee of a Chrsitian healing centre and runs the Nadezhda Charitable Trust, which supports projects in Zimbabwe.

[From The Telegraph]

Before this past week, I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about Kingston’s background and, considering his romantic life, I always assumed he was just some random posh bloke with a good education but few real-world experiences. Hearing all of these stories about his time in Iraq, it makes me realize that he had been in some really dire situations and was probably quite haunted by them. This whole situation is so sad and confusing. His parents must be devastated, and poor Ella as well. We hope that they have friends and family around them at this difficult time.

Incidentally, the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay and Sam Greenhill also did a somewhat strange eulogy in which they seemingly used this man’s suicide as a way to bash Prince Harry, writing in part: “[Gabriella and Thomas] did not live extravagant lives or find themselves the target of the paparazzi. In many ways their unfussy approach — home is a modest flat in fashionable Notting Hill which they had recently put on the market pending a move somewhere larger — would serve as a valuable life lesson for some of Ella’s royal cousins.” Ah, yes, how dare Ella’s royal cousin move away from his toxic, abusive family for his own mental health when he could have lived a modest, unfussy life in England… like Thomas Kingston.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.