The Duke and Duchess of Sussex unexpectedly turned up in Pasadena, California on Friday, where they donated their time to volunteer at a relief center for victims of the horrific Southern California wildfires. The fires are being considered the most destructive in LA history, and it will take years for Californians to rebuild. Thousands of people have lost everything. Meghan and Harry already posted links to resources for the wildfires and they confirmed that they have opened their Montecito mansion to friends who evacuated the fires. The relief center was part of World Central Kitchen’s hub to support victims and get people hot meals. Harry and Meghan greeted Chef Jose Andres with hugs, and they also spent some time with Pasadena’s Mayor Victor Gordo, who sang their praises in interviews.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are doing their part to help those impacted by the deadly wildfires in Southern California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live about 90 miles north of the L.A. area, visited the World Central Kitchen in Pasadena, Calif., to help distribute food and supplies to victims of the Eaton Fire on Friday, Jan. 10.

PEOPLE understands that they focused on discreetly supporting wildfire relief efforts, witnessing both harrowing stories and strong community spirit. They donated essential supplies, served meals with World Central Kitchen and connected with affected families and elderly individuals.

Alongside Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California’s First Partner, and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, they thanked first responders, including L.A. County firefighters and police.

Later, they met with World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés at the food stations to praise relief teams. Through their Archewell Foundation, they’ve also contributed monetary donations and plan to continue supporting recovery and rebuilding efforts with future visits. In footage published by local news outlet FOX 11, the pair were joined by Andrés and were seen with conversing with Gordo and fellow volunteers.

“It’s great people, great personalities and great heart for them to come out here and meet with the first responders, meet with the people who were affected,” Gordo told the news station. “It’s very important.”

He added that Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, “really buoyed the spirits of the first responders,” during their visit. Meghan, who was born in raised in L.A., and Harry’s time in Pasadena included a stop at the command post at the Rose Bowl, where “people were very happy to see them,” Gordo said.

“They want to be as helpful as they can be … we visited with some of the affected families in some of the burned-out areas in Pasadena and Altadena. They took the time to meet the people that are affected and spent time. They’re just very caring people who are concerned for their friends and neighbors.”

He noted that Meghan and Harry, whose Archewell Foundation has longstanding ties with World Central Kitchen and Andrés, visited the center “anonymously” earlier Friday.

“No one knew they were serving food with masks,” said the mayor. Harry and Meghan’s appearance was not for “publicity,” Gordo said, adding that they wanted to “work.”

“We went to visit some of the families in the impacted area and view firsthand some of the impacted area and then they wanted to go visit the first responders and personally thank them for their efforts to help our families and their neighbors,” he added.

[From People]

Not that this is important in the grand scheme of things, but last year, Jose Andres joined the board of Earthshot, and sources close to Prince William wouldn’t shut up about how William poached one of the Sussexes’ allies, and how Andres’ “defection” to William’s “side” was “humiliating” for the Sussexes. Andres went on to happily pose with Harry when they were both in New York for the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Sussexes are clearly still tight with Andres and WCK. Superficial note: I love Harry’s California bear hat, and I love that Meghan wore her LA cap. The LA Fox affiliate called Meghan “Princess Markle” – LMAO!!!!

Pasadena mayor Victor Gordo found Prince Harry sitting with an elderly evacuee at the Convention Center who requested a donut rather than the healthier snacks on hand. Harry raced off & 10 minutes later returned with a donut for him & the man never knew who he was. #ShowUpDoGood pic.twitter.com/ntZ18Hlwgj

— R.S. Locke / Royal Suitor (@royal_suitor) January 11, 2025

Screencaps courtesy of Fox affiliate, Sky News.

Last week, just hours after the Palisades fire began its rampage through thousands of acres of densely populated Los Angeles, Kim Kardashian’s Skims company ran a series of social media posts about the company’s winter sales. Given that Kim and most of her family live in LA County and given that Skims is mostly an LA-based company, you would think that the social media people would be more engaged in what’s going on in their area. So, mistakes were made and the company looked tone-deaf, as did Kim (even though she probably wasn’t sending out those sales alerts). To make up for it, Skims announced that they are donating clothing, underwear and necessities to victims of the wildfires.

Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS clothing brand is donating clothing and other necessities to families affected by the Los Angeles wildfires that have destroyed large portions of the area this week.

“We have donated to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation providing critical resources to the heroic first responders protecting our city,” the reality star and businesswoman wrote on her Instagram Story Friday. “Additionally, we are making a sizable donation of underwear, clothing, and socks to Baby2Baby to help those displaced by the fires.”

Baby2Baby is a nonprofit organization that provides children in need with diapers, clothing and other basic necessities.

“As our community faces the devastation of the Los Angeles fires, our hearts are with all those impacted, and we are committed to helping during this challenging time,” Kardashian, 44, penned on another Story slide. She urged fans to donate to the cause as well.

“Together, we can bring hope and relief to those who need it most,” she noted.

Her announcement comes after she was slammed for being “tone-deaf” while promoting her SKIMS winter sale this week.

Kardashian and her family were not immediately in danger when the original Palisades Fire erupted on Tuesday, as they live in the Calabasas and Hidden Hills area of Los Angeles, which is northwest of the Palisades.

[From Page Six]

At first, I honestly thought Kim was being slammed for donating underwear, but no, it was all about the sales alerts. People will think the worst of Kim and her family, but those Skims donations will help. People have lost everything, and having clean underwear and a fresh pair of sweatpants will make someone feel a little bit better, you know? Also: according to TMZ, most of the Kardashian clan had to evacuate from Hidden Hills, the gated community where many of them have homes.

Photos courtesy of Kim’s IG.

During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Mandy Moore was a prominent actor on the picket line. She was extremely vocal about how actors were being screwed over by streaming companies, specifically in regards to the residuals issue. It was an eye-opening moment for me – Mandy Moore has been around for years, working as a singer and actress on some bigger projects. She’s worked on Disney films and she had a long-running, award-winning gig on a network drama for years. People thought she had millions in the bank, but the SAG strike showed that a lot of well-known actors have nowhere near the kind of money they should have.

Well, Mandy just lost much of her home in the Southern California wildfires. While her property hasn’t been reduced to ash and cinder, it is uninhabitable. Her brother-in-law and sister-in-law lost their home in the fires too, as did many of Mandy’s friends and former coworkers. Last week, she shared some information on her social media, including a GoFundMe to help her in-laws. She was criticized for being a “rich actress” and asking for people to donate to her family, because people are ridiculous, cruel and stupid. She ended up clapping back on those critics:

Mandy Moore is one of the many celebrities who suffered extensive damage in the L.A. fires. Amid documenting the fire’s ravages on her Instagram page, she shared a GoFundMe page for her in-laws whose home burned down. The campaign initially sought to raise $60,000 but has since raised $176,000 and counting.

“Yesterday, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Griff & Kit lost their home and everything they own in the Eaton Fire,” Moore wrote in the caption. “With their first baby on the way in a matter of weeks, they need our support now more than ever. Griff is a touring musician and also lost his entire arsenal of drums/percussion he uses to make a living. It’s all so much. So many have asked how to help during this unimaginable and stressful time…Please consider donating and sharing to help them rebuild.”

Moore’s decision to share the GoFundMe campaign resulted in backlash from critics claiming the “This Is Us” star should just donate her own money to support her in laws. Social media users began sharing a Celebrity Net Worth statistic claiming Moore’s net worth is $14 million as proof that she allegedly has more than enough money to help her in laws without asking for help. Moore addressed the backlash in her caption.

“People questioning whether we’re helping out our own family or attributing some arbitrary amount of money Google says someone has is NOT helpful or empathetic,” Moore wrote. “Of course we are. Our buddy Matt started this GoFundMe and I’m sharing because people have asked how they can help them. We just lost most of our life in a fire too. Kindly F OFF. No one is forcing you to do anything.”

Moore shared that although the main part of her home was still standing, it wasn’t livable and the property’s studios, garage and guest house were lost. Billy Crystal, Miles Teller, Paris Hilton, Jeff Bridges and more lost their properties in the blazes, as did Moore’s longtime “This Is Us” co-star Milo Ventimiglia.

[From Variety]

I brought up the issue at the heart of the SAG strike for a reason – just because “Celebrity Net Worth” says Mandy Moore is worth $14 million, doesn’t make it so. She made it clear during the strike that while she’s grateful to have had some good-paying jobs in her career, she’s just a jobbing actress, like most actors. Her biggest asset was probably her house, and it just went up in smoke. I wish people would stop trying to armchair-gatekeep a horrific tragedy like this, a tragedy which has affected a huge swath of people in many different tax brackets.

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

Why did Michelle Obama skip Jimmy Carter’s state funeral? Her office cited a “scheduling conflict,” but she’s apparently still on vacation in Hawaii. I mean, it’s not some huge mystery – she did not want to interact with the Trumps. [Buzzfeed]
Anne Hathaway for Oscar de la Renta to a Bulgari event. [RCFA]
Robert Pattinson was jazzed to meet Adrien Brody. [Socialite Life]
Jennifer Lopez was circulating on the awards circuit last weekend, and there was a Maid In Manhattan reunion with Ralph Fiennes. [LaineyGossip]
You could not pay me to reveal some of these things. [Pajiba]
Photos from the New York Critics Circle Awards. [Go Fug Yourself]
I could never live like this (in a Victorian). [OMG Blog]
Pamela Anderson reveals that she barely talks to Tommy Lee these days. [Just Jared]
Hollywood Squares has been delayed because of the fires. [Seriously OMG]
Happy birthday to Renee Rapp. [Hollywood Life]

Another example of Michelle Obama being the smartest person in American politics. She knew what her seat assignment would have been and said — Jimmy Carter, of all people, would understand me sitting this one out. pic.twitter.com/XDt9qAIA9X

— Tim Smith (@tsmith32) January 9, 2025

Michelle Obama said “not today” pic.twitter.com/B6H1Ji56va

— mistergeezy.bksy.social (@mistergeezy) January 9, 2025

As I’ve mentioned in some of the awards-nominations posts, I’m so happy that Russian actor Yura Borisov is being nominated for his wonderful performance in Anora. So far, he’s picked up Supporting Actor nominations at the Golden Globes, SAGs, Gothams, Spirit Awards, plus he’s won or been nominated for a bunch of critics’ awards. Yura is a well-known and acclaimed actor in Russia, and Anora is his first American film. Most of his work in Anora is so subtle – a half-smirk here, a longing stare there. While he doesn’t look super-appetizing in photos, he’s incredible in motion. Yura has been around for the whole awards season, and People Magazine did an exclusive interview with him. His English is great, and he seems to be enjoying himself. Some highlights from People:

Yura had no idea who director Sean Baker was: “I didn’t know Sean [Baker] before our first meeting, and I didn’t know his films, because … my bad,” Borisov tells PEOPLE, before adding that he’s glad to have now met him. “It is better than some awards for me, because now I have this person in my life, and I’m happy about this.” During the encounter, the actor recalls asking Baker where he could find his previous movies. “Sean is very open person and he just answered, ‘Okay, I’ll send you links to my films and we will discuss it next time,’ ” he shares. “Another director could say, ‘Oh, you don’t know my films?’ ”

Born & raised in Russia: Borisov may be taking over the American film scene, but his roots go back to Russia. The actor was born on Dec. 8, 1992 in the town of Reutov, which is located in Moscow Oblast, on the outskirts of Moscow. Speaking about the reaction from his hometown, the actor says his family is “crazy proud” of him. “They are so proud of me,” the actor shares, “and it’s most important for me that I don’t need to show them some results for [them to be] proud.”

‘Anora’ is a big moment in Russia: “For a lot of people in Russia who work in art, it is a very important moment of our life — all these awards and nominations. A lot of people are very proud. They write me about this and call. I meet someone on the street and every time [they share] how important it is for them. I feel that it’s not mine. Of course it’s happening with me, and with Mark [Eydelshteyn], Maria Tichinskaya and Aleksei [Serebryakov]. Russian actors.”

Whether he thinks Anora and Igor end up together. “It’s not important,” Borisov says when asked if he thinks his character Igor and sex worker Anora end up together after the movie’s ambiguous ending. “It is impossible. We could do a big film about only one day, one day after this day, for example, and it could be a great film too.” Ultimately, his decision to not share his own interpretation is out of respect for the audience, as he wants to “give them this ground of thinking about what’s possible…No, they are not going together. No, of course they’re going together,” he imagines people saying, before adding that he’d probably “kill” all these potential conversations if he gave a straightforward answer.

He told Mikey Madison to really hit him hard in one scene: “It’s funny because you could see on screen that it’s real, and you could feel that moment. Why we like video from internet, and some reels or shorts, is because it’s a reality. You see it, you feel it, and in one second, you are inside the screen, inside the situation. And I liked when she punched me. I can stand the pain.” Speaking with PEOPLE, Borisov praises Madison as a “brilliant actress and person.”

[From People]

If you’ve seen Anora, there are two scenes which basically solidified several awards campaigns – the setpiece altercation in the living room, and the last scene in the car. Those scenes are why Yura and Mikey are getting so much recognition. Anyway, as I was going through the photos, I was so pleased to see that Yura has been doing so much promotion and he’s been showing up for all of the Hollywood events. While he’s not a neophyte to the actor’s life, doing all of this in America must be so wild for him.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty.

We’ve gently teased Brooklyn Beckham for years, but I do have a soft spot for him. He’s failed on a huge stage repeatedly, but he keeps changing course and trying to find “his thing,” his inspiration, his purpose. It helps that he doesn’t seem like a bad guy at all – he’s pretty harmless overall. His purpose is not football or photography or modeling. But he likes being married (to Nicola Peltz) and he likes being involved with food. Currently, he’s promoting his new hot sauce and eventual condiment line. He recently chatted with Grazia about his nepo-baby status, food and more. Some highlights:

His food business Cloud23. ‘Up until now, people don’t really know what I do. I’ve been working on this project for three years now. And still, everyone’s like, what does he do? He doesn’t work!’

On nepo babies: ‘Obviously I am one. But I couldn’t help how I was born, at all.’ Rather than dwell on it, he says he tries to let criticism slide off him, like egg from a non-stick frying pan. His determination to be Teflon is, he says, down to his parents’ long-standing advice. ‘There’s always going to be people that say rubbish. But as long as you do something that makes you happy and you’re kind to people, that’s all that matters.’ He has grown to accept, he says, ‘that I’m always gonna get it, no matter what I do. And I’m fine with that. It makes me work harder, because I’m like, I’m gonna prove these people wrong.’

His dad’s Netflix series reminded everyone how Brooklyn’s life has been crazy since birth: Watching it now, he recognises that ‘it’s crazy how I was so young. I was literally a baby. And I still remember so many little parts of that…. There’s a lot of me growing up, when my dad was playing for [Manchester] United and my mum was in the Spice Girls, and how hectic it was. I think people realised, a little bit, when that came out, and they’re like, “Oh sh-t, like, he really had it, he was really young.”’

He loves his wife & dogs: The idea of insulating himself with his wife and their dogs seems to appeal a great deal. Angel, Beckham’s three-legged rescue puppy, comes to every shoot he does; he seems reassured by her presence. He says dogs are ‘so much better than humans. Always happy to see you. Always make you feel better.’

He hopes he will be a dad soon. ‘Whenever my wife’s ready. I’ve always wanted to be a young dad. I love that my dad’s young. He was like my mate.’ He does want to replicate his own childhood, he says, in many ways. ‘Just how my dad raised me. So loving. I really know I’m going to be a great dad. My mum and dad were the best mum and dad ever. They did an amazing job. I think I turned out all right.’ That said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to be as hectic as when I was a baby. So that might be a little bit different.’

Putting out a hot sauce: ‘I’ve never been that lazy person to just sit back and just do nothing. I really want to make a name for myself. I want my kids to grow up and be like, “My daddy did that.” That’s what I think about. I worked so hard on not just attaching my name to a hot sauce and just putting it out. I decided every little aspect. I’ve never worked so hard on something,’ he says. He is keen to differentiate it from previous projects which, he says, ‘didn’t turn out the way I had wished. I did enjoy photography for a minute, then I ended up not enjoying it; I wasn’t passionate about it.’

[From Grazia]

My impression of Brooklyn is that he’s not all that ambitious, actually. Which is fine – as much as I admire go-getters and hustlers, some people aren’t built that way and that’s okay. Some people aren’t about the grind life. Brooklyn doesn’t want to be the best, the greatest whatever. He wants to be a homebody with his wife and dogs. And now he’s dabbling in the condiment industry. Normalize having little to no hustle! And he really wants to be a father. I suspect he wants to be a stay-at-home dad while Nicola works. Which is also fine and something which should be normalized.

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Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I’m not a shoe person, I’m a purse person. I love purses and I wish I could buy all of the purses, forever. With shoes, I’ve always prioritized comfort over beauty, and I’ve never been able to walk in high heels either. But I enjoy when women are shoe-people, even if I rarely notice someone’s shoes. For years, we got used to Princess Kate’s lack of interest in shoes – Kate has never been a shoe person or a purse person, nor has she ever been stylish whatsoever. Kate always wore simple heels, usually in beige and never stilettos. Then Prince Harry met Meghan Markle. Meghan is everything – she loves shoes, she loves purses, and she has great style and a big closet. Remember how mad they were? For years, they cried about how Meghan’s style, purses and shoes were breaking royal rules. Then everyone began copying Meghan, and they’re still crying. Well, five years after Meghan left that island, the Mail is still talking about Meghan’s shoes. That girl walked out of their lives wearing Aquazzura stilettos and they’ve never gotten over it.

The Duchess of Sussex loves her Aquazzura shoes. The footwear brand stands out as her undeniable favourite when it comes to her carefully curated outfits. The Italian luxury brand, helmed by designer Edgardo Osorio, has long been a go-to among fashion-forward A-listers. But it’s Meghan who has taken her love for Aquazzura to impressive sky-scraping stiletto heights.

Meghan’s collection doesn’t stop there. With a jaw-dropping 31 different styles, including flats, mid-heels and towering stilettos totalling £20,035, Meghan has proven time and again that Aquazzura’ s signature elegance perfectly complements her refined yet modern style.

Her affinity for Aquazzura has become synonymous with her footwear choices, and any royal style fan will have noticed that the Italian luxury shoe brand has become the royals’ go-to.

[From The Daily Mail]

The Mail then did a comprehensive photo-editorial of every time Meghan wore Aquazzura, so I had fun trying to find the old photos too. She really did come into the monarchy with a big shoe collection, and I would imagine her shoe closet has grown a lot in the past five years. She has a much bigger closet in that beautiful Montecito mansion. I double-checked the Mail’s math and they’re in the ballpark for Meghan’s Aquazzura collection, although she’s probably gotten more pairs post-UK. Plus, I’m sure she’s got some Monolos and Jimmy Choos as well. Anyway, I love how Meghan still has these people shook. Remember when Kate and Rose Hanbury both turned up in the same Aquazzura bow-tie heels within a day of each other? And it was a style Meghan had worn for years too. LMAO.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

I get the feeling that many Sussex fans have sort of tapped out of paying close attention to the ins and outs of Prince Harry’s lawsuits against the British tabloids. I also get lost in some of the details of the cases, especially Harry’s case against News Group Newspapers (NGN). This is one of Harry’s most long-gestating cases, and that’s mostly because NGN has the resources to throw the kitchen sink at Harry and his legal team. As it turns out, Harry has not wilted – he threw the kitchen sink right back at NGN, and now the whole thing heads to trial on the 20th. Clive Irving wrote a fascinating piece in Vanity Fair about the upcoming trial, the first of its kind against NGN. NGN has successfully settled with all of their victims before any of the hundreds of cases made it to trial. There’s been a real failure to report what kind of settlement offers NGN has made to Harry, which I find interesting. Harry hasn’t leaked anything, and NGN doesn’t want to look weak, like they’re scared of what the trial might reveal so they want to throw millions at the problem. Some highlights from Irving’s “How Prince Harry Planted a Ticking Time Bomb Under the Murdoch Empire.”

NGN’s counsel Anthony Hudson has been exasperated about Harry’s refusal to settle: There had long been doubt about whether Harry would hold out for a trial rather than settle. As Hudson himself explained to the court: “More than 1,300 claims have been settled. NGN has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to settle claims brought against it and more than properly compensated claimants.” He seemed to be arguing that it was unreasonable of Harry to actually do what he always said he intended to do: hold the Murdoch empire publicly accountable for one of the most squalid episodes in the history of British journalism, in which hacking and so-called “blagging”—the obtaining of information through deceptive means—were allegedly widely used to violate the privacy of public figures and in attempts of kompromat against politicians considered hostile to the Murdoch interests.

Harry’s case doesn’t actually involve phone hacking: However, as it has turned out, Harry’s case does not involve phone hacking. He cites 30 articles and 20 incidents, dating between 1998 and 2011, in which he claims that private investigators violated his privacy. Together this involves 16 PIs and 23 journalists. The case does include allegations of blagging, specifically in stories alleging habitual drug use by Harry that his lawyer, David Sherborne, told the judge in December were untrue, even though, according to Sherborne, Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of the Murdoch papers at the time, had assured Buckingham Palace that they were supported by evidence.

Harry’s lawyers will spend the first weeks of the trial on “generic issues.” Instead, [the first weeks of the trial] will be devoted to what is referred to in a bland technical term as “generic issues.” This is where the real reputational threat to the Murdoch empire lies—like a ticking bomb. Sherborne has all along insisted that the trial should begin, not narrowly with the specific cases, but by drawing on evidence gathered in years of discovery, revealing that the Murdoch tabloid newsrooms allegedly deployed hacking, blagging, and private investigators at such a scale that it became institutionalized and that, Sherborne has argued, this could never have happened without the knowledge and direction of senior Murdoch executives. That charge flows directly into another: that once the scandal was exposed, there was an alleged conspiracy to destroy or conceal evidence describing how extensive it was and—critically—to conceal how far up the executive tree the knowledge of it went. In classic forensic terms: Who knew what and when did they know it?

NGN is freaking out: This is the last thing that Murdoch and his top executives want to happen. Hudson has made repeated objections to these generic issues being aired at all, claiming that they are irrelevant to the specific claimant cases of Harry and Watson, and arguing that Sherborne was trying to turn the trial “into something akin to a public inquiry.” Then, in December, when requesting the delay, he complained that there were 200,000 pages of documents for him to digest, many of them witness statements. [The judge] Fancourt, in response, turned that problem back on Hudson and his team: “The defendant did a lot of work but it was rather ill directed in producing an unwieldy and far too detailed schedule.”

[From Vanity Fair]

I’m reminded of my concerns during Harry’s trial against the Daily Mirror, and how it often felt like the court was doing too much to protect the Mirror rather than the victims of the Mirror’s unlawful actions. The Mirror trial turned out well for Harry though – he won the first part of his case and settled the rest. It feels like this judge, Fancourt, is doing too much to limit Harry and Sherborne’s extensive claims about NGN’s operations, but Clive Irving clearly feels like NGN is panicked about what could be revealed, even with a more limited scope. Once the trial gets going, I wonder if NGN will make another settlement offer to Harry to simply stop the bleeding.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Over the weekend, we learned that King Charles and the Prince of Wales planned to skip President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, which was held in Washington yesterday. I think most people understood that Charles couldn’t or wouldn’t attend, but it’s still bizarre to me that Prince William skipped it without even offering a statement or reason why. Yes, it was his wife’s birthday, but that wasn’t even cited as an official reason why the “global statesman” skipped out on an event which saw dignitaries from around the world gather in DC. Instead, former prime minister Gordon Brown and Prince Edward were sent to the funeral. Edward sat next to outgoing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Now even old-guard royalists are wondering if William should have gone:

Prince William’s decision to swerve Jimmy Carter’s funeral means he has turned his back on a major “global stage,” a royal author told Newsweek. The Prince of Wales spent Thursday marking Princess Kate’s 43rd birthday, paying a heartfelt tribute to her “strength” in a post on X. Prince Edward—who is 14th in the line of succession—flew to America to pay the royal family’s respects to Carter in D.C., where he has been lying in state at the Capitol building.

Ingrid Seward, author of the bestselling book My Mother and I, about King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, told Newsweek: “Of course Americans would have preferred William but on the other hand I think Edward was 13 when Jimmy Carter was president. It’s possible that Edward did meet him. Yes America would prefer William but I think it was quite carefully considered and decided that Edward would be the right person to go.”

“Kate wouldn’t have let her birthday encroach on it,” Seward continued. “If William was meant to be going she would have said you’ve got to go.”

Carter visited Britain in 1977, the first year of his term as president, and attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II.

William certainly has more name recognition in America than his uncle Edward and attending the funeral would have given him an opportunity to build on his growing status a global statesman.

“It would have been a good opportunity for William to go,” Seward said. “He probably has missed a trick. You can’t get a bigger global stage than Jimmy Carter’s funeral today, especially with everything that’s happening in California.”

[From Newsweek]

I will continue to point out that when Charles was PoW, he was constantly stepping in to represent his mother at these kinds of state events. Charles was known for it, and that’s why he (legitimately) has all of these international relationships to draw on at any given time. He was an internationalist Prince of Wales and he’s an internationalist king. Meanwhile, William is content to be king of the British tabloids and prince of Britain’s dying royalist class. There’s always been a sense, even now that William is well into his 40s, that William can’t be trusted to not make a horse’s ass out of himself internationally, and like William still needs significant “management.”

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images.

Kylie Kelce has had a busy few weeks. At the end of November, she announced that she was pregnant with her fourth daughter. On December 5, launched a podcast called Not Gonna Lie, which dethroned Joe Rogan’s podcast as the number one show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. When Kylie took over the #1 spot, there were a lot of mentions about how her views are “aggressively left,” but she doesn’t talk about politics on the show. Instead, Kylie’s pod is a fun listen because it’s a quick 45 minutes in which she keeps it real by addressing topics like parenting, being an NFL wife, and what a pain in the ass the Elf on the Shelf thing is.

Kylie and Jason Kelce currently have three daughters: Wyatt, five, Elliotte, three, and Bennett, 22 months. Naturally, one of the biggest questions they get is whether or not they’ll keep going until they get a boy. On the January 9 episode of Not Gonna Lie, Kylie talked about her pregnancy, giving a Dos and Don’ts list of rules on how to talk to her and other pregnant people. *Spoiler alert* She wants randos to stop asking if she and Jason are going to try for a boy.

Stop asking if they’re going to try for a boy: “Don’t ask if we’re gonna keep trying for a boy. If another person asks me that, I’ll warning you right now, you might get dropkicked. I don’t need to have a boy. Watch out, world. I do not need to have a boy. We were meant to have all girls.”

Don’t comment on a pregnant woman’s size: “This week baby girl has definitely popped, so there’s no more hiding her. Stretchy pants are in full force, as is commentary from friends, family and, of course, perfect strangers… don’t comment on her size. This includes comments like, ‘You’re huge. How much weight have you gained? Are you sure it’s not twins?’ I still can’t believe that people think that women who are building a human being want to hear anything about their size. Newsflash, they don’t. Cut that s— out.”

Prepare for honest answers: “Let’s be real here. Asking this question implies that you know she definitely feels like s—, and you need to make sure that you’re prepared to get her honest opinion,” Kylie advised. “And be prepared to receive that in an open minded way.”

Mind your own damn business about how a baby is fed: “You know what that is? None of your f—— business. The whole ‘breast is best’ nonsense. The only reason you’re saying that is to take other women down. Sometimes it’s not in the cards. Whether it’s a latch issue or maybe mom has her own medical need where she’s unable to breastfeed. Let’s just mind our damn business.”

“Keep your hands to yourself”: “I still can’t believe that people reach out and touch another person’s midsection without asking permission, specifically when strangers do it. That s—’s bananas. Keep your hands to yourself. It’s so simple. Don’t touch someone unless they have given you permission. “

She’s not glowing, okay: “The glow you think you’re seeing is my nausea sweats that you’ve mistaken for glowing. Okay? So I’m not glowing. Don’t tell me that. “I am swollen. I am sweating. I am nauseous. Don’t tell me I’m glowing.”

[From People]

Asking a couple for the details their family plan is just so damn rude. I have two boys and until my younger one entered kindergarten, we had people ask us all of the time if we were going to try for a girl. Not your business, random preschool teacher or Great Aunt Edna! Kylie also reminded her listeners to mind their own damn business when it comes to baby names, telling them to keep their opinions to themselves. All of this is solid advice, especially the part about not touching a pregnant person’s belly. Like, who still does that in 2025?! And even if you don’t know what to say to someone who is pregnant, you don’t have to default to awkward small talk about how they look or give your thesis on the name they’ve selected. (Although we can totally speculate on their potential name! My money is on Everette.) It’s also nice to hear her tell people that “fed is best.” You wouldn’t believe how many times that topic and circumcision get argued about in online mom groups.

One other thing that Kylie addressed is something that’s subjective: hearing about other moms’ “traumatic birth experiences.” It’s definitely an overshare if unprompted, but Kylie personally “wants to know every detail.” When I was pregnant, I was like this too, especially before my first son was born. I read all of the BabyCenter board posts about people’s different experiences so I’d know what to expect, but I know there are other moms out there that prefer not to know. The unsolicited advice was what annoyed me the most, though. It was overwhelming.

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