So much of the royal press these days is like one big game of chicken. There are so many big stories which are left unsaid, unwritten and untweeted, until one of the royal rota breaks rank and says something mildly critical of the left-behind Windsors. That rota reporter who breaks rank is usually cited by other reporters as they regurgitate the news, all while pouring vague denials on it. In this case, the Mail’s Becky English is in charge of the rota and who gets assigned to what story and how the flow of information works to the other rota members. I learned that from reading Omid Scobie’s Endgame – Becky English has a lot of unchecked power, and she speaks from a place deep within the invisible contract between press and palace. Well, English is in her feelings about Prince William’s as-yet-unexplained absence from his godfather’s memorial service on Tuesday. English’s piece in the Mail is: “With Charles heading off for more treatment, William’s still unexplained absence shows just how fragile our monarchy is.” Some highlights:

When Prince William canceled: Just 46 minutes before the service at St George’s Chapel was due to start, a message from Kensington Palace dropped on my phone as I stood waiting in the castle’s Lower Ward for the royal party to arrive, prompting ripples of concern. William, his spokesman said, would unfortunately be ‘no longer able to attend the King Constantine Memorial Service this morning due to a personal matter’. It is understood that he personally called the late Greek king’s family to let them know he was unable to attend.

William’s spokesperson had a bad day: The spokesman refused to be drawn any further on what the matter might be, or when the prince became aware he would have to pull out. Nor would they say if it had anything to do with his wife’s ongoing medical issues (Kate is not expected to be seen in public until after Easter as she recovers from unspecified abdominal surgery) although they added in response to my question that ‘the Princess of Wales continues to be doing well’.

Completely rude: There is little doubt, though, that the decision was eye-wateringly last minute – normally anathema to the royals, who know how much work goes into organising events such as this and how much their absence will be publicly remarked upon, especially in the current climate. And it did little to calm the air of jitteriness swirling around our ever-dwindling Royal Family. I noted that William’s name was even printed in the Order of Service as he had been due to give the second reading – Revelation 21. 1-7 – in honour of his late godfather, the affable, exiled Constantine II, who died in Athens last month at the age of 82.

A mundane reason, surely: Of course, there may be a perfectly mundane reason that necessitated the prince to pull out at such short notice (and sources insisted to me – emphasised in capital letters – that there was ‘NOTHING to panic about’). But William’s last-minute absence occurs against a backdrop of both his wife’s medical issues as well as the King’s shock cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment, making these worrying days for the Royal Family.

Oh, good, a mention of Prince Harry: While the nation holds its breath and wishes His Majesty well, we are all also deeply conscious that an increasingly heavy burden rests on the shoulders of William and his wife, not to mention their young family. It is one made all the more acute by the absence of his former ‘wingman’, Prince Harry, the self-deposed ‘spare’. Watching our unintentionally slimmed-down family walk into the chapel through the Galilee Porch today only emphasised the fragility of the current set-up.

The death of Thomas Kingston: The elderly Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were also present at the chapel despite the tragic news of the death of their son-in-law, Thomas Kingston, at the age of 45, less than 48 hours earlier. It would have been a particularly difficult occasion for them given it was the scene of Gabriella and Thomas’s marriage just four years ago. It is understood that the sad news is not connected to William’s absence.

William will be seen this week: Fortunately, I can reveal, William will be seen again in public this week. He is, I am told, ‘looking forward’ to undertaking his remaining engagements: a sensitive meeting with members of the Jewish community and other faiths at a synagogue as part of a series of visits to highlight the work of organisations trying to bring peace and relief to the Middle East, as well as a number of engagements to mark St David’s Day on Friday. His return to a more forward-facing role will no doubt bring a crumb of comfort to the millions who wish him well. But his sudden – and unexplained – absence today amid an abundance of European royals sadly reminds of us how perilously small and fragile our own monarchy now finds itself.

[From The Daily Mail]

As chain-yankings go, this is pretty weaksauce. I wouldn’t even say that this is Becky English doing anything more than registering her on-the-record disappointment that William still can’t get his f–king act together. But there’s no threat here, for now. No one is saying the big secret which the Windsors and half of the rota seemingly know already, which is “what happened to Kate/why is William’s behavior so weird/what the hell is going on here.” Besides, it’s clear that KP is insisting to English that William will leave the house (or wherever he is) to do some events this week.

Also, I tweeted this and I still believe it – William probably thought he could slack off and his cancellation would just be a minor local story, one which the sycophantic press would cover gently. What surprised Kensington Palace was just how quickly William’s absence became global news because of what English is talking about – the sense that the Windsors seem exceptionally “fragile” right now, with Kate’s disappearance and Charles’s cancer. I watched in real time as William’s lazy-ass cancellation became huge international news yesterday and I doubt William or his people were prepared for that.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar and Cover Images.

Lady Gabriella Windsor’s husband Thomas Kingston has passed away unexpectedly. Gabriella and Thomas got engaged in September 2018, and their wedding was held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor (just like the Sussex wedding), and it took place in May 2019. It was a sedate royal wedding but the bride and groom looked lovely on their wedding day. We didn’t hear much about them since then, but they were invited to some of the bigger royal events and they seemed close to Gabriella’s royal relations. I didn’t even know where they lived before now – apparently, Thomas passed away on Sunday at their home in Gloucestershire.

Thomas Kingston, a British financier who was the husband of Lady Gabriella and former boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, has died at age 45. A statement released on Tuesday on behalf of Lady Gabriella Kingston, Martin and Jill Kingston, Joanna Connolly and Emma Murray said, “It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son and brother. Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death has come as a great shock to the whole family, and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.”

A palace spokesperson said that King Charles and Queen Camilla were informed of Kingston’s death. “The King and The Queen have been informed of Thomas’s death and join Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and all those who knew him in grieving a much-loved member of the family. In particular, Their Majesties send their most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and to all the Kingston family,” the palace spokesperson’s statement said.

Kingston died in Gloucestershire on Sunday, with emergency services called to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. Although the cause of death is undetermined, no suspicious circumstances or other parties are involved.

Kingston worked as a director at Devonport Capital. According to his biography on the company’s website, he has a bachelor’s degree in economic history from Bristol University and previously worked at Schroders and Voltan Capital.

[From People]

A tragedy – only 45 years old, and to go so suddenly and so… mysteriously. Speaking of, Gabriella’s parents, Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent, attended King Constantine’s memorial service in Windsor and they didn’t seem to let on that their son-in-law had passed away suddenly. I also find it odd that there was a two-day delay in releasing the information. Even more mysterious is the sudden rush of royal reporters declaring that Prince William’s absence from the memorial had nothing to do with Kingston’s passing.

Prince William’s absence from the memorial service for his godfather King Constantine of Greece was not connected to the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, it is understood. Mr Kingston, 45, was found dead at an address in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening and emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 6pm.

Earlier today, royal experts said that it ‘was strange’ that Prince William pulled out of attending a memorial service for the late King Constantine of Greece at the last minute for unspecified ‘personal reasons’. But it is understood that the Prince of Wales’ absence from the memorial for the personal matter was not connected to the news of Mr Kingston’s sudden death.

[From The Daily Mail]

A lot of people are being very, very weird. I mean… it would actually make sense if William’s absence was about Kingston’s death. Kensington Palace could have said “William was exceptionally close to Gabriella and Thomas, he is helping with the arrangements.” But that would have been a lie, I’m sure. Like… the whole thing is just really sad, upsetting and tragic. I feel bad for Gabriella.

Royal sources say the death of Mr Kingston is not connected to the Prince of Wales’s absence from King Constantine’s memorial service today.

— Roya Nikkhah (@RoyaNikkhah) February 27, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

About a month ago, we discussed the measles outbreak in Europe and community spread within the United States. In 2023, Europe saw 30 times more measles cases than it did in 2022, causing the UK to declare a “national incident” due to the significant public health risk. Although the US declared the highly-contagious virus to be eliminated back in 2000, clusters of cases have been popping up in several states.

It’s frustrating enough that a formerly eradicated virus is making a completely preventable comeback, but this is a scenario that can very well have devastating consequences worldwide. In a pretty scary warning, the World Health Organization said last week that by the end of the year – yes, *this year* – more than half the world will be at a “high or very high risk” of having measles outbreaks due to “big gaps” in vaccine programs during Covid. The immunization setbacks are a result of “the Covid-19 pandemic, associated disruptions, and Covid-19 vaccination efforts” all putting a strain on health systems.

“What we are worried about is this year, 2024, we’ve got these big gaps in our immunization programs, and if we don’t fill them really quickly with the vaccine, measles will just jump into that gap,” Natasha Crowcroft, a Senior Technical Adviser on Measles and Rubella with the WHO, said during a press briefing in Geneva.

“We can see, from data that’s produced with WHO data by the CDC, that more than half of all the countries in the world are going to be at high or very high risk of outbreaks by the end of this year,” she added.

Measles, according to the WHO, is a “highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus that can lead to severe complications and death.”

While it is most common in children, it can affect anyone. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

Last year, more than 300,000 cases were reported worldwide, marking a 79% increase from 2022, Crowcroft said on behalf of the WHO. Global vaccination rates, she added, have slipped to 83%. Figures for deaths have not yet been completed, Crowcroft revealed.

This year, a total of 20 measles cases have been reported by 11 jurisdictions across the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Arizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia have all had cases, the organization said.

[From People]

I think we all knew that the pandemic was going to expose every flaw in the system, but my goodness, the public health repercussions are like the gift that keeps on giving. What we’re seeing now are the effects of a combination of lack of access, placing priorities elsewhere, and a very intense war against vaccines. I totally understand the issues that the pandemic caused, with immunization programs put on hold for obvious reasons and resources stretched thin to focus on the Covid vax rollout. Hopefully, we can bridge enough of the gaps there and avoid the worst-case scenario.

What I don’t understand, though, are the anti-vax parents. The movement has become a public menace that’s led to measles outbreaks before. Back in 2019, UNICEF directly named decreasing childhood vax rates as a “pathway” to measles outbreaks that were happening at the time. I don’t get it. The measles can be dangerous for children and the vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective! Why wouldn’t you want to help keep your kid from catching a potentially deadly virus? It boggles the mind.

photos credit: IMAGO/BL/BSIP/Avalon, Dennis Van Tine/Avalon, ulrich niehoff/ImageBROKER/Avalon, IMAGO/Joa Souza/ Avalon

I haven’t worn makeup in years, much to the chagrin of my mother. It’s not a protest, just laziness combined with always being in a rush in the morning. I used to have a lot of fun with it though, and liked to think that my painting background led to bold color choices. Some called it edgy, others clownish. Luckily very little photographic evidence survives. But I’m still enthusiastic when someone takes a risk with their red carpet look. I loved Florence Pugh’s futuristic Edie Sedgwick eye makeup at the New York Dune 2 premiere, and then I was excited to hear that Austin Butler donned some as well. The interwebs were likewise in favor:

Zendaya has been absolutely eating everyone up at the Dune: Part Two red carpets. From London… to Seoul… to New York. She’s been making her male costars look boring and basic. The men have, quite simply, not been putting in the work!

But now it seems that we have a glimmer of hope at the Dune 2 New York City premiere, where Austin Butler took the tiniest of fashion “risks.” He wore white eyeliner, and people seem to really, really like it.

A post about the eyeliner has over 30,000 likes on X. “Please save me Austin Butler with white eyeliner,” this fan said. “[T]hank you Jesus for giving us make up,” another fan said. Other people pointed out, well, his Elvis accent.

Either way, I know it’s extremely small, but baby steps are baby steps. Progress is progress!

Now, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled program of anticipating what Law Roach dresses Zendaya in next…

[From BuzzFeed]

Either the interwebs are in a collective effort to gaslight me, or I need another eye exam. Where is his eyeliner?!?! The only hint I get is in a close up shot where it looks like there’s kind of a highlighting line on his bottom lids (a trick I used to do myself). Is that what we’re talking about? With all the hype, maybe I was expecting something bigger. I know this ages me, but I feel like when Ewan McGregor used to wear eyeliner on the red carpet, you really knew he was wearing it. Ah, me. Assuming the white underlid liner is what everyone is talking about, good for Austin! I hope it gave him the feels he was aiming for! I just wish I could see it… I’ll give him this, though — he didn’t sound like Elvis to me in the interview clip.

Meanwhile, Austin met Sting at the premiere, who played the same role (Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen) in the 1984 David Lynch Dune film. Apparently, Sting offered to dry clean his codpiece from filming and loan it to Austin. Yes. The answer is yes, Austin.

OHHH the white eye pencil ate so bad pic.twitter.com/8xrzU61IHG

— lay (@saoirdaya) February 26, 2024

Embed from Getty Images

we must truly appreciate the moments ewan mcgregor unabashedly wore eyeliner and we mustn’t forget it pic.twitter.com/rHGlGnOffQ

— miranda (@hisgirlfridays) January 10, 2020

Photos credit: celebrityphotos uk / Avalon, Julie Edwards / Avalon

Kate Winslet suited up for The Regime premiere (I cannot wait to see this show, it looks funny and bonkers, plus I love Matthew Schoenaerts). [JustJared]
Zendaya will present at the Oscars this year! [LaineyGossip]
Miles Teller is just pure American bro. [OMG Blog]
Monica Lewinsky teamed up with Reformation. [Jezebel]
Bradley Cooper’s interview with Bernstein’s children is so cringe. [Pajiba]
This story is odd. They’re doing Mardi Gras parades in second grade? [Buzzfeed]
PETA is mad at Bad Bunny. [Socialite Life]
Zendaya canceled her GMA appearance after losing her voice. [Hollywood Life]
Why did Oprah stop booking Richard Simmons? [Seriously OMG]
More photos from the Spirit Awards. [RCFA]

In 2022, Jennifer Lopez: Halftime came out. It’s worth a watch – J.Lo is very raw in the documentary, and there are some genuinely intimate moments caught on camera as she’s promoting Hustlers and preparing to perform at the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime show. She’s upset that Hustlers didn’t get any awards-season love, but she tried to just eat the pain and keep moving, and there’s a really sweet moment where she’s rehearsing for the Halftime show and Emme comes in and convinces Jennifer to check out the kids’ dance class next door (and that moment inspired an incredible visual in the halftime show).

I bring up Halftime because it’s one of my favorite celeb-documentaries in recent years, and I’m genuinely looking forward to watching her new doc, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. It’s supposed to be a companion piece to her new album (This Is Me… Now) and her musical film (This Is Me… Now: A Love Story). The musical was hilariously bad to me but others feel differently and so be it. But I will devour this doc, which comes out today. Jennifer let cameras into the home she shares with Ben Affleck and their kids, and cameras follow her around as she’s making the album and the musical film. It should be chaotic and TMI. Speaking of, here’s a little preview of coming attractions:

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s past relationship strife is water under the bridge. In her new Amazon Prime documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, the “Waiting for Tonight” singer, 54, opens up about the ways in which she and the Air star, 51, have found harmony together after pressing pause on their relationship for nearly 20 years.

At one point, Affleck asks Lopez if she’s forgiven him, or is angry at him.

“I think I was angry at you for a long time,” she tells him in the doc. “But that heartbreak set both of us on a course to figuring ourselves out to being better people. I think I’ve forgiven you all the way. I think I need to forgive myself [for] some things.”

After meeting on the set of their movie Gigli in 2002, the pair were engaged later that year, and were set to be married in September 2003. But days before, they postponed the wedding, citing “excessive media attention.” After briefly splitting in the wake of the canceled nuptials, they officially called it quits in January 2004.

In the documentary, director Dave Meyers — who helmed This Is Me…Now: A Love Story — says that when Lopez and Affleck broke up, it was “catastrophic” — and the “On the Floor” artist explains that losing him was hard because he wasn’t just the love of her life, but her best friend.

[From People]

In that sliding-doors situation of Ben not sabotaging the engagement and going through with the 2003 wedding… it would have been a completely different kind of heartbreak for both of them. They wouldn’t have survived as a couple for very long, and Ben would have had to scratch the sabotage itch in many other ways. As Jennifer Garner knows. There was always something to be said for coming back together in their late 40s/early 50s, at a point in their lives where the biggest self-sabotages are behind them. Hopefully. I guess I’m saying that I understand why J.Lo was mad at him for a while and why she’s not mad at him now. They both had to figure out a lot of their sh-t separately. And I’m still not convinced that they’ve figured everything out, but whatever. God bless. I’ll watch it.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

After Good Morning America aired their exclusive interview with Prince Harry on February 16th, some ABC producer was like “hey, we’ve got this amazing thing with a popular and charismatic prince, we should milk this for all it’s worth.” So they combined this month’s GMA interview with the one Harry did last year (with Michael Strahan), and added more archival footage and some new commentary, and bam, there’s an ABC News special called Prince Harry’s Mission: Life, Family and Invictus Games. It started streaming on Hulu over the weekend and the British media has been crying about it for days. Hilariously, one of the new “commentary” interviews conducted for the special was with Robert Jobson, who is more of a King Charles guy than a Harry or William guy. Jobson admitted something quite funny:

There was “jealousy” from Prince William over the success of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, according to a British journalist.

The ABC News special “Prince Harry’s Mission: Life, Family and Invictus Games,” now streaming on Hulu, used footage from the Duke of Sussex’s recent interview with Good Morning America’s Will Reeve during his trip to Canada with Meghan Markle for the Invictus Games’ one-year countdown celebration with past sit-downs to explore the event’s history as well as Harry’s relationship with the royal family.

Robert Jobson spoke about the adaptive sports competition for veterans and service personnel being the Duke of Sussex’s “number one passion project.”

“It’s been very successful since its outset,” Jobson said. “It doesn’t come cheap, it costs a lot of money, and he’s been able to continue to raise that money throughout this period, which is impressive.”

“But I think there was a degree of jealousy about how well it had gone. I do think that William was surprised how much this had been such a success and how much money was being thrown into it and how many governments were getting involved,” Jobson added.

Prince William, King Charles (then known as the Prince of Wales) and other members of the royal family attended the first Invictus Games, which took place in London in 2014. Queen Elizabeth helped support the second cycle of the event, appearing in a comedic sketch with Barack and Michelle Obama alongside her grandson. But in recent years, the royals haven’t been involved in the event.

Royal commentator Victoria Murphy said on the ABC News special, “Harry is no longer a working royal. Invictus no longer sits under the umbrella of organizations that the royal family officially are part of and therefore, they haven’t mentioned it at all since Harry stepped back as a working royal.”

[From People]

It’s always nice when one of those Salt Island commentators admits the obvious, which is that William is insanely jealous of his younger brother generally, and specifically about the Invictus Games. Peggington the Dull has been trying to create his own fancy, expensive, international showcase event, only William always gets everything wrong. William wants everything to be centered on William, and Earthshot is all about how William is an environmentalist and how William is keen to be a statesman. Invictus has always been about the veterans and the military community.

I’ll also say this: William remains deeply shocked that Invictus is still thriving even though Harry is outside of the royal tent. William is so stupid, he cannot conceive of Harry’s post-royal success in anything, much less a global event which is respected across the board. I still remember William’s tantrum when NATO Joint Force Commander General Guglielmo Miglietta brought a NATO delegation of 1100 personnel, military family members and students to the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf. I still remember William’s rage that Harry was invited to speak at the United Nations, and William told everyone that HE had meetings at the UN too… at the British consul’s residence across the street from the UN.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

Given the fact that Prince Harry cannot smile, frown or breathe without every royal reporter throwing up and writing 10,000-word screeds about him, it’s definitely strange that Prince William’s sudden absence today is not causing more speculation. As we discussed, William pulled out of his appearance at his godfather’s memorial service in Windsor. King Constantine’s funeral was held in Athens in January 2023, and William skipped that as well. This memorial service was held in Windsor, within walking distance from Adelaide Cottage, and William was still too lazy/drunk/something to get off his ass and attend. If William is even IN Windsor at the moment, because no one knows and apparently, no one in the press corps asked.

The reaction to this has been bizarre, just as it’s been completely bonkers to watch the British media actively refuse to report on anything having to do with the Princess of Wales’s medical situation, whereabouts and current condition. It’s clear that the royal rota WhatsApp group all got the same message from Kensington Palace: William’s “last-minute” cancelation, citing personal reasons, but no, Kate is “doing well” and it’s not about her. Kensington Palace also told reporters that William personally called the Greek royals to say that he would not or could not attend his godfather’s memorial.

So the people out here in the cheap seats are left speculating as to what all of this is about. I’ve seen some people suggest that William didn’t want to represent the family alongside his stepmother (Queen Camilla)…? Who knows. The Mail noted that “Another royal source said there was no connection between William’s personal matter and the King’s health.” Meaning what, exactly? That William’s personal matter has nothing to do his father’s cancer? That William hasn’t crawled into a bottle now that he’s expected to pick up the slack as heir?

The GB News reporter said that whatever is ailing Peggington won’t affect him longterm – meaning, I suppose, that William is still scheduled to make one or two public appearances next month, if they can keep him sober for a few hours. Richard Palmer called the news “curious” on Twitter, and he also noted: “I think we’d have been told if he was sick.”

Prince William’s future engagements are not expected to be affected by this ‘personal matter’.

— Cameron Walker (@CameronDLWalker) February 27, 2024

Re Prince William, we are not being told anything more than it is for personal reasons, but it is clearly last minute as he was due to give a reading as he was King Constantine’s godson. pic.twitter.com/T8Cnz8FP1Z

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) February 27, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

We’ve passed the two-month mark for the last time anyone saw the Princess of Wales in public. While the timeline was always centered around Easter – still a month away – the weirdness around Kate’s disappearance will be studied for how badly Kensington Palace has bungled everything. Even if Kate wanted to be completely away from public view for months, it’s ridiculous that KP can’t provide simple updates or release statements like “of course Kate appreciates the notes of support as she continues to convalesce in Adelaide Cottage.” Instead, it’s unnamed sources telling us that Kate was moved to Norfolk for the kids’ school break, and then those same sources are radio silent about whether Kate even returned to Windsor following the break.

A few weeks ago, Prince William finally got a new private secretary, and buried in that news was the gossip that Kate finally has a new private secretary too, because she’s been without one since the fall of 2022. It sounded, to me, like both private secretaries had been appointed rather than hired personally by William and Kate. William was “given” a serious diplomatic figure (who promptly f–ked up) and Kate was given one of QEII’s aides. That Spanish royal expert (the one who claimed Kate had been in an induced coma) pointed out that the private secretary news is hinky and that the speculation won’t stop until a photo of Kate is released.

Lastly, people are still talking about how William released a solo statement about Gaza and didn’t put Kate’s name on it at all. Katie Nicholl tried to do some damage control on the rumor mill churning away on that:

‘I think people are reading too much into [William’s Gaza statement], Catherine is off work at the moment recovering from a major operation,’ says Katie Nicholl, author of The New Royals. ‘The most important thing about the statement is that it was unusual because yes, it’s a humanitarian appeal but it can also be deemed political. William would’ve known this statement was going to cause attention, and by bringing his wife into that statement he wouldn’t brought attention onto her at a time when she’s privately recuperating and has made it very clear that she’s taking much-needed respite from the public stage.

‘My understanding is that William, behind the scenes, is being incredibly supportive,’ Nicholl continues. ‘He’s doing everything he can to be there for his wife and their three young children, while keeping the royal roadshow on the road with his father also going through cancer treatment. William is in one of the most difficult circumstances of his life at the moment. So much, both at home and in terms of duty, is falling on his shoulders and he’s stepping up as we would expect him to. We may even see him representing the King at next month’s Commonwealth Day service. That’s where the attention needs to be, how William is stepping up is supporting his wife, father and young family, not on malicious gossip about the state of his marriage.’

[From Grazia]

I actually agree with Nicholl in this narrow case about William’s statement – he signed it solo because it was all about him and how HE feels and how HE is a big fancy statesman. His statement wasn’t indicative of his marriage issues, it was indicative of William’s ego and his jealousy towards Harry. That being said, I think we’re underestimating how “overwhelmed” William is at the moment and how that might explain the bizarre messaging from Kensington Palace. William has surrounded himself with lazy sycophants and morons – they are useless in a crisis, as is William. Whatever is happening behind the scenes, you’ve got to imagine that run-of-the-mill incompetence is playing a role here.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Taylor Swift wrapped on the Sydney leg of her Eras Tour on Sunday night, and she has several days off before her shows in Singapore. I sort of forgot that Taylor usually tours with her parents in tow – her father, Scott Swift, is especially active in Taylor’s career, and he’s currently with her on tour. Well, apparently, Taylor, her father and some members of the Swift inner sanctum went out partying in Sydney after the Sunday night show. Scott Swift allegedly got into it with a paparazzo:

Taylor Swift’s father has been accused of assaulting a photographer on Sydney’s north shore as he and his daughter celebrated the end of her Australian tour in the early hours of Tuesday morning. NSW Police have confirmed they are investigating after Mr Swift, 71, allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am.

It’s understood he left the scene before the photographer went to police. Police said the 51-year-old did not require medical treatment. Inquiries are now underway into the alleged assault, with an investigation launched by North Shore Police.

Taylor Swift wrapped up her fourth and final show at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Monday night. It is understood Swift and her team, which included her father, went out onto the Harbour to celebrate the end of the Eras Tour’s Australian leg. They reportedly partied the night away on a luxury superyacht. They had travelled from the concert venue in Homebush on the luxury superyacht Quantum after Tuesday’s concert, Daily Mail Australia reported.

[From Sky News]

Well, Taylor’s spokesperson (likely Tree Paine) immediately pushed back on the idea that Scott Swift is out there, man-handling paparazzi:

A spokesperson for Taylor Swift is addressing reports the pop superstar’s dad Scott was involved in an altercation with an Australian photographer early Tuesday morning.

“Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water,” Swift’s rep tells PEOPLE in a statement.

On Tuesday morning local time, Australia’s Sky News reported that Scott, 71, had been accused of assaulting a photographer on Sydney’s North Shore hours after her latest performance.

In a statement to PEOPLE, police — who could not confirm the identities of those involved — said they were investigating an “alleged assault after a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf” around 2:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command. The man did not require medical treatment,” according to police.

[From People]

I have no idea if Aussie paps are more or less aggressive than American paps, but if this statement is true, it sounds less like Scott Swift attacked a paparazzo and more like a larger altercation between several people. Like, a genuine scuffle between photographers, security, Taylor’s team and Scott. Imagine claiming that a 71-year-old father of a pop star is running around, attacking paps.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Cover Images.