In 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow allegedly got into a ski accident in Park City, Utah. The accident, which happened on the slopes, either involved Paltrow crashing into a retired, senior optometrist named Terry Sanderson, or Sanderson crashing into Paltrow (which is her version of events). Both sides admit that a crash happened, but there’s a disagreement about who caused the crash and whether Paltrow checked on Sanderson as he was lying in the snow with broken bones. In 2019, Sanderson filed a lawsuit against Paltrow. This week, the case has finally come to trial. I guess she didn’t feel like settling out of court? I thought that was what happened because we hadn’t heard about this case in years. But no, it’s happening now. These are photos from Tuesday, the first day of what will be an eight-day civil trial.

Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, sued Paltrow, alleging that the lifestyle influencer crashed into him while skiing on the beginner’s slopes in Park City, Utah, in February 2016. (Park City is a resort town that hosts the annual, celebrity-studded Sundance Film Festival.)

He claimed that Paltrow, 50, was recklessly heading down the slopes, resulting in a violent collision that left him injured and sprawled on the ground. Paltrow skied away, while he went to the emergency room for a concussion and broken ribs, he alleged, according to the Associated Press. Sanderson initially sued for $3 million, then dropped it to $300,000.

Sanderson’s attorneys argued Tuesday that the incident caused him physical injuries and emotional distress and were a result of negligence on the ski slopes, AP reported.

Sanderson’s friend and ski companion Craig Ramon testified Tuesday, stating that he was nearby at the time of the accident seven years ago when he saw Paltrow hit Sanderson, causing Sanderson to fall face down, AP reported.

Paltrow agrees that the pair collided on a ski run seven years ago. But her attorneys argued that the accident was Sanderson’s fault, that it was Sanderson who crashed into Paltrow. Members of Paltrow’s group then checked on Sanderson, who said he was fine, her attorneys argued. Sanderson stated he has no recollection, AP reported.

Paltrow filed a counterclaim, seeking attorneys fees and $1 in damages. She alleged that Sanderson caused the collision, overstated his injuries from the incident and is attempting to exploit her fame and wealth, AP reported.

[From WaPo]

When Sanderson sued in 2019, he alleged that a Park City ski instructor helped Paltrow “cover up” the incident and that the instructor filed some kind of false report about it to the guy’s bosses or something. I wonder if that will be part of the trial, just as I wonder if Paltrow really did get people to cover up the accident and who crashed into whom. I have no wild take on this – as I’ve said many times, I’m primed to believe the worst of Paltrow, and she absolutely seems like the kind of person who would crash into a senior citizen on a ski slope and then lie about it.

Superficial comment: I’ve worn glasses and contacts for years and Gwyneth does not have the face for these aviator frames. I’ve seen her wear a pair of oversized, square, black frames and that’s the style which looks so much better on her.

Note by CB: Sign up for our mailing list and get the top 8 most obnoxious things Gwyneth Paltrow has said! I only send one email a day on weekdays that I personally write.

Lawyers for Gwyneth Paltrow are introduced as her trial begins.

A retired eye doctor is suing Paltrow for $300,000, claiming she crashed into him while skiing in Utah in 2016. pic.twitter.com/upUBOuBbl0

— The Recount (@therecount) March 21, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Paris is burning. French President Emmannuel Macron barely survived a vote of no confidence after he – cavalierly? – attempted to ram through a bill which would raise France’s retirement age from 62 to 64. When the bill was first announced, French people went bonkers. Riots, arson, vandalism, parts of the country were at a virtual stand-still. But still, Macron had the narrow margin to survive and it appears that the retirement age will be raised, much to everyone’s dismay. That all went down last weekend. Guess what’s happening this coming weekend? A very royal visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla. Charles and Camilla have not left Britain since before Queen Elizabeth II’s passing last September. There was some talk that Charles would wait until after the coronation, but then he decided to “shore up” Britain’s EU allies, France and Germany, and give him the ol’ horsey razzle-dazzle with a whirlwind state visit. The problem is that France is in no state to host a royal visit. The French tram drivers have announced a general strike for the king’s visit. Vive la révolution!

French tram drivers will refuse to take King Charles III on a tour through Bordeaux during his state visit, striking workers have warned amid violent protests rocking the country.

“Charles III, we are going to welcome him with a good old general strike,” warned Olivier Besancenot of the far-Left new anti-capitalist party in an interview with France Info.

The King and Queen Consort are expected to arrive in Paris on Sunday for the start of their first official state visit in France, which takes place against a backdrop of angry anti-Macron protests. On Tuesday, they travel to Bordeaux by train, where they will inaugurate the new local British Consulate, meet members of the British community and tour an organic vineyard.

The original Bordeaux itinerary also includes a tram ride into the city centre, before a quick stroll through town and a visit to a canalé pastry shop. But one local union leader warned that demonstrators are likely to descend on the tracks and block the tram as part of their continued protests against the government’s contentious pension reforms which were passed on Monday night when the opposition failed to shore up enough votes in no-confidence motions.

“It is almost certain that the King will not be able to take the tram,” warned Pascal Mesgueni, a representative of the CFTC union in an interview with Sud Ouest. “No driver will want to transport the King.”

Since President Emmanuel Macron forced through his pension reform bill without a vote on Thursday, demonstrators have also taken to the streets of Bordeaux every day. Under the bill, the age of retirement will rise from 62 to 64.

In a separate interview with daily 20 Minutes, another union rep said protesters plan to take advantage of the royal visit to hold “big demonstrations and big blockages” on the day of the couple’s arrival, which is March 28. According to French news channel BFM TV, French authorities have advised the King to avoid the possibility of large crowds.

[From The Telegraph]

The Telegraph also points out that Charles and Camilla originally planned for some big, public staged events in Paris, like a wreath-laying at the Arc de Triomphe and a visit to at least one of the bigger museums, plus a dinner at Versailles. The problem? There’s trash everywhere and – I would imagine – parts of the city will still be on fire. The garbage-collection union is on strike until March 27. So… the optics of Charles and Camilla’s state visit will be amazing, you guys. Charles wanted to go to France because he believed the French people would treat him gently, that they would be interested in a very English king. Charles is going to be lucky if he avoids being pelted with a flaming baguette.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Instar, Avalon Red.

In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan got a mortgage on their Montecito home and they began to build their life in America. Soon after, the Deranger faction became obsessed with the idea that Harry wouldn’t be allowed to “stay” in America, that he would somehow be deported or forced to return back to the UK. They were openly fantasizing about ICE agents ripping Harry away from his American wife and American child. As I pointed out at the time, Harry is a white, Christian, British man who is legally married to an American citizen, and he currently has two lovely, ginger, American anchor babies (once again, not a pejorative – I am an anchor baby myself). He has money, access to the best immigration lawyers and ample connections in the American government and American business community. The American immigration system is f–ked up, but it’s not so f–ked to the point where ICE will deport a white prince for smoking weed. Speaking of, that’s the new deranger fantasy: that Harry’s admissions about his drug use will somehow invalidate his visa. The Deranger contingent has roped the American neo-con think tank, the Heritage Foundation, into their collective delusion.

Prince Harry faces a fight to keep his US visa application secret today as campaigners demanded its release to see if he admitted his drug use before emigrating to California with Meghan Markle in 2020, MailOnline can reveal.

A conservative think tank is in the middle of a battle with Washington DC officials who are staunchly refusing to publish any details – including any texts or emails – citing the Duke of Sussex’s ‘privacy’.

In Spare and the TV blitz that followed, Harry admitted taking cocaine, cannabis and magic mushrooms. He said marijuana and psychedelics ‘really helped’ with his ‘trauma’ while cocaine was more a ‘social thing’.

The Heritage Foundation says his visa application must now be released so the American taxpayer can understand whether Harry declared his drug use. US immigration law has harsh penalties for lying to immigration officials, including deportation and being barred from applying for citizenship.

Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, said: ‘This request is in the public interest in light of the potential revocation of Prince Harry’s visa for illicit substance use and further questions regarding the Prince’s drug use and whether he was properly vetted before entering the United States’.

Experts have insisted US visa applications would usually be thrown out if there is any history of drug use. The Heritage Foundation says if border officials did know, Harry’s case raises questions over whether he was given special treatment because he is a prince and his wife is a TV star, which they insist would be illegal.

A US State Department spokesman said: ‘Visa records are confidential under Section 222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); therefore, we cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases’.

[From The Daily Mail]

The thing is, there is some history of famous British nationals having trouble getting visas or green cards because of their history of drug use. For example, John Lennon. Lennon had a hell of a time immigrating to the US because… he was actually arrested for possession in London. Harry has never been arrested, nor does he have a documented history of drug ABUSE. The US Citizen and Immigration Service website had some helpful language about this, and from what I gather, writing about occasional drug USE in one’s memoir is not the same thing as having a documented history of drug abuse or drug arrests. Plus, again, Harry is married to an American, he’s rich and he has access to the best immigration lawyers in the country. He will be fine. The Derangers trying to convince ICE to arrest, detain and deport Harry on the other hand…

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

You know what’s exhausting? The media and the Democratic Party twisting themselves in knots about Donald Trump’s impending arrest and how the arrest will be some kind of “win” for Republicans. From where I sit, optimistically in Dark Brandon’s America, Trump’s re-election bid is falling flat. His attempts to agitate supporters and incite another January 6th have fallen flat. While I don’t doubt that there are still millions of dumbasses who would still vote for Diaper Don, let’s also be clear: he must be arrested, he must pay for his many crimes, he must be held accountable. Not everything has to be a political move, most of the time it’s just good to arrest a guy who does lots of crime. Anyway, Trump will probably be indicted today? But no one knows if they’ll put in cuffs today:

Donald Trump may be indicted on Wednesday in one of the ongoing criminal investigations involving him, outlets including NewsNation and The Guardian report. Citing sources, NewsNation reports that a Manhattan grand jury is expected to vote Wednesday whether to indict the former president over an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

The former president previously posted on social media that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday.

The New York Times reports that senior officials from the district attorney’s office and the New York agency that runs the state courts “had preliminary discussions to plan for a possible indictment and arraignment” of Trump last week. The Times adds that officials from the New York Police Department — which handles security where an arraignment would take place — also met to prepare for potential security threats.

[From People]

Sure… the rumors of Trump’s “Tuesday arrest” came from Trump himself, not the DA’s office. Most people believed that the indictment would simply happen this week, and again, who knows when we’ll get an orange prep walk. Speaking of, Trump is ready, at least according to Maggie Haberman at the NYT:

Donald J. Trump claims he is ready for his perp walk. Behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago, the former president has told friends and associates that he welcomes the idea of being paraded by the authorities before a throng of reporters and news cameras. He has even mused openly about whether he should smile for the assembled media, and he has pondered how the public would react and is said to have described the potential spectacle as a fun experience. No one is quite sure whether his remarks are bravado or genuine resignation about what lies ahead.

If he is truly looking forward to it, he might be disappointed. There is no indication, even if Mr. Trump is charged, that the authorities would have him take part in that storied New York City law-enforcement tradition known by detectives and crime reporters alike — walking the newly arrested past a cluster of journalists. If Mr. Trump is indicted and surrenders voluntarily, arrangements are likely to be made between the Secret Service and law enforcement to avoid a media circus.

Another person who has spoken with Mr. Trump, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the former president was less concerned with the particulars of where he would be seen than with being assured of the opportunity to show the public he is not slinking away in shame.

As he waits for a likely criminal indictment — making him the first current or former American president to face criminal charges — Mr. Trump has often appeared significantly disconnected from the severity of his potential legal woes, according to people who have spent time with him in recent days. He has been spotted zipping around his Palm Beach resort in his golf cart and on one recent evening acted as D.J. at a party with his personally curated Spotify playlists, which often include music from the Rolling Stones to “The Phantom of the Opera.”

[From The NY Times]

I had to leave that last part in for some extra spice: “He has been spotted zipping around his Palm Beach resort in his golf cart and on one recent evening acted as D.J. at a party with his personally curated Spotify playlists, which often include music from the Rolling Stones to ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’” I wonder if he still plays Adele all the time – he used to be a big Adele fan. He’s also a fan of the Village People. Anyway, impound the golf cart and handcuff him.

Trump also made a video yesterday for his supporters. It looks like HE is the Phantom of Mar-a-Lago, recording missives from his poorly-lit bunker. This short video is 16 seconds of unhinged nutjob:

classy and normal pic.twitter.com/nGiYnvDY4A

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 21, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has released a podcast, The Light Podcast, in conjunction with her second book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. The podcast came out this month and includes, from the book tour, “inspiring conversations with esteemed friends like Ellen DeGeneres, Tyler Perry, Conan O’Brien, Oprah Winfrey, and more.” The first episode features Hoda Kotb and they talk about the importance of representation, especially for children.

Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke on the importance of representation in a clip from an unreleased episode of her podcast, The Light Podcast, released exclusively to InStyle.

During the episode, which officially drops on Tuesday, Obama praised a few role models who regularly challenge the status quo.

“We’ve got so many role models. We’ve got Serena [Williams] now out there,” she said, shouting out the tennis superstar who announced her retirement in August 2022.

She also reflected on the lack of representation she had as a child, highlighting the importance of figures such as Williams for today’s youth.

“I didn’t have a Serena to look up to, somebody who was beautiful, strong, fast, outspoken. That wasn’t a role model for me,” she said.

This lack, she explained, is a primary reason why she writes the books she does, as she hopes her story will resonate with more young girls in a manner no story did for her in her youth.

“Why do I write these books? I have thoughts in my head, but I think the more stories that I can tell about a little Black girl from the South Side of Chicago who is working-class, there’s going to be some kid out there that’s going to see themselves in the way that I didn’t have somebody to see,” she explained. “And it is important for us to put our stories out there.”

She also gave praise to Mindy Kaling and Ali Wong for their contributions to the fields of television and comedy.

“I write about Mindy Kaling, now rewriting the whole story of who belongs in television. Ali Wong, who’s one of my favorite comedians. All of those women, their representation is so important. And that’s why representation and storytelling is important,” she said.

The podcast, which launched in March, features discussions in front of a live audience from her book tour for her second bestseller, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. During the forthcoming episode, Obama personally addressed a young Black audience member, highlighting the importance of representation for young girls like her.

“I want little girls like this little beautiful girl right there, yes you, yes you, to know that your story matters, that I see you with hair like mine and that beautiful smile, and you belong. And I want you to practice that message now every day so that you’re not like me at 58, wondering, ‘Am I good enough?’ when I know I doggone am good enough,” she said.

[From Yahoo! Life]

The three women that Michelle references — Serena Williams, Mindy Kaling, and Ali Wong — really are all great representation in their own ways. They’re each women of color who excel in fields that are historically very white and/or male. There are a lot more prominent role models now than I imagine there were for Michelle as a child and just them doing their thing in the public eye is motivating and inspiring to young girls to imagine different futures for themselves. And that’s what Michelle explains as her reason for writing her book and telling her stories — so little Black girls can feel seen and represented and important and know that they’re good enough. It’s a poignant message and I’m glad Michelle is putting it out there.

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Chrissy Teigen is working with Cord Blood Registry, trying to educate parents about storing their newborn’s stemcells from their cord blood. I find that fascinating. But she ended up talking to People more about breastfeeding after her breast lifts, which I guess is also interesting. Chrissy said she didn’t expect to have any milk left because her nipples have been removed and sewn back on twice after having ‘lift augmentations’. But the body is an amazing thing, and none of her kids have had any problems latching. Although Chrissy was quick to point out that she also supplements her kids feeding and that no mom should stress about how their baby gets fed.

Chrissy Teigen is opening up about her breastfeeding journey with daughter Esti.

While speaking with PEOPLE about her work with Cord Blood Registry to encourage parents to store newborn stemcells, the mom of three, 37, shared she’s been “so lucky” when it’s come time to breastfeed each of her three kids — Esti Maxine, 9 weeks, Miles Theodore, 4½, and Luna Simone, 7 next month.

“I was so lucky because Luna and Miles latched immediately. Esti latched immediately. If anything, it was like me that was like, ‘I need to produce this,’ ” she said of the experiences. “I love pumping and I love trying to make as much milk as possible.”

That said, Teigen shares that she “supplemented with all three children” and hopes moms “don’t drive yourself crazy over that.”

“I’m surprised I have a drop of milk. I’ve done the lift augmentation twice. The fact that my nipple came off and was sewn back on, and I still have milk is incredible to me,” she says.

“I mean, Luna and Miles are thriving, and they’re great, and they were fed, and the most important thing is a fed baby. I used to be so scared, like, ‘Oh, my God, they’re not getting milk.’ I used to try to order donor milk online and freak myself out about everything. Not this time.”

[From People]

I’ll admit that even as an inhabitant of the plastic surgery capital of the world, I honestly have no idea how most of these procedures are done. And I apologize but I am not looking up the nitty-gritty for this post because nipple removal is about all I can handle right now. I knew that some breast procedures removed and replaced the nipple, I just didn’t know which one. I am confused, though, because aren’t a breast lift and a breast augmentation two separate procedures? Maybe Chrissy had her implants redone when she had her lift? The important part is that neither procedure affects breastfeeding. That part I did know, but I think it’s good to remind folks.

But some things do affect breastfeeding and maks it difficult or simply not possible. Even if you have had no procedures, breastfeeding can prove a challenge. Chrissy is absolutely right that no one should drive themselves crazy trying to breastfeed a baby if they’re not getting enough food that way. Do what you can and supplement if you choose for whatever reason. These are your choices to make not for others to judge.

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Fall Out Boy’s first new album in five years, So Much (for) Stardust, is coming out on Friday. The band is doing a full social media blitz and some regular media as well, with late night show performances and music magazine covers. Pete Wentz, the lyricist and bassist and de facto frontman, covers Nylon solo. It’s part profile of Pete, part history of the band, and part commentary of their place in the current music scene. It’s worth a read in its entirety, but for a longtime fan like me, the parts that jumped out the most were Pete’s musings on the band, their new music, and his life as it is now.

On making a new album and touring: Still, for Wentz, things weren’t quite so simple as just catching the wave and making a throwback record. 2020’s lockdown had struck the bassist with a newfound desire to be at home with his family. “I was like, I don’t really know if I want to tour anymore. The mental part of leaving is much more difficult,” says Wentz. Plus, the idea of making a pure throwback record left Wentz with a bad taste in his mouth. “Whenever artists that I love, filmmakers and bands that I love, say that something is a ‘return to form,’ I’m like, ughhhh. He’s a multi-millionaire, how is he going to make speed metal?” Wentz says. “People think they want that, but if we do it, you won’t like it. And it’ll feel inauthentic.”

On adjusting during Fall Out Boy’s hiatus: In 2010, he was 30, raising a toddler and headed towards a divorce from Simpson. Fall Out Boy had decided to take a break. He’d spent most of his 20s in a whirlwind of escalating fame and near-constant travel, but he was also so stunted in some aspects of his life that he didn’t even know how to navigate the airport without following one of his handlers’ backpacks in front of him. “My life was just like… a bomb had gone off in it,” he says. And yet he was grounded enough to recognize what his mission was: “You’ve atrophied all of these life skills. I was like, ‘Oh. You have to figure out how to be happy as an adult.’”

On lockdown and his “mid-life crisis”: To hear Wentz tell it, the last few years represented a similar crossroads — or at least prompted an intense period of self-reflection and growth. Wentz leaned into the slothfulness of the lockdown, getting in the worst physical shape of his adult life. As he came back out of the other side, he was filled with the impulse to experiment in a way that resembled a more wholesome, premature version of a mid-life crisis. “Why don’t you just do the sh-t you want to do?” he asked himself. “Life is so short, and it’s so long, that maybe you should try crazy sh-t because it will break you out of the feeling of nihilism.”

[From Nylon]

The profile goes on to explain some of the activities Pete got into as a result of his early “mid-life crisis,” including more tennis (the whole beginning of the profile was devoted to his tennis hobby), gold, ketamine therapy, baking, pottery, 52 books in 52 weeks (I did that in 2020 too), and performing at an open-mic night at the Laugh Factory. Random, eclectic, and honestly sounds pretty great. He says: “I did a bunch of stuff where I was like, ‘Why would you not do it?’” and that’s kind of the vibe I want, so maybe I’ll take a page out of Pete’s book. His 2020 feelings on touring and leaving his family make sense and we know that Joe Trohman opted out of this tour cycle entirely, but selfishly I’m glad the band made a new album since I got tickets to their Queens show. The stuff about re-learning life skills was interesting, since he was already in his mid-20s when the band really got big, but I guess if people always do stuff for you, you forget how to do it yourself. And the profile and couple of third-party quotes in it note that one of Pete’s things was been connecting and it’s true that he was doing it long before social media in its current iteration. Instead of TikTok videos and AMAs, it was Pete just posting his thoughts and song lyrics to his blogspot. Anyway, Pete is as reflective as ever and still endearingly navel-gazing, but in a broader and more self-aware way than before. I can’t wait for Friday to hear what they’ve come up with this time.

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Taylor Swift’s new Eras tour has a 44-song setlist. [LaineyGossip]
The Snake Fam has come for Anna Marie Tendler. [Dlisted]
Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas & other tennis stars are doing appearances in Miami ahead of the tournament, which starts this week. [JustJared]
Lana del Rey’s new merch includes a pillcase. [OMG Blog]
Florida: we should ban girls from talking about their periods! [Jezebel]
Review of Daisy Jones & the Six. [Pajiba]
Ellie Goulding wore too much orange. [RCFA]
The new Balmain collection feels very… Julia Fox? [GFY]
These true-crime stories are haunting. [Buzzfeed]
Bird flu vaccines are being prepped. Just FYI. [Towleroad]
Olivia Wilde enjoys Fritos & friends at the beach. [Egotastic]

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The Princess of Wales was seen today in London, as she attended the first meeting of her Buttons & Business Taskforce on Early Childhood. That’s right, people. Kate now has business partners and a “taskforce” helping her… raise awareness for the importance of business taskforces, pie charts and early years. Who even knows at this point? The important thing is that Business Keen was there and she wore a £1,945 Alexander McQueen blazer so she would look like a real businesswoman! The blazer is actually a repeat – last year, she bought a surprisingly good and crisp McQueen suit, and she’s reworn it a few times. This is the first time she’s worn the blazer solo. Probably because she really loved the effect when the Duchess of Sussex wore black trousers, a white blouse and a cream blazer during the You Coulda Had a Bad Bitch tour. Kate has tried to copy that look a few times.

For months now, I’ve been unsettled by the state of Kate’s famous hair and her even more famous wigs. Since she became Princess of Wales, the wigs have been BAD. Like, she’s just plopping them on her head and no one bothers to blend them or take care of them when she’s not wearing them. Today was a whole new hair look though – her hair seems conditioned, healthy, freshly styled. Whatever she did today, I hope she keeps doing it. Meanwhile, Business Keen made a speech:

Giving a speech at the event, Kate spoke about how the first five years of a child’s life are critical to lay the building blocks for life, but their environment plays a huge role in that development.

“This, however, is not just about supporting children in the earliest years of their lives. It is also about building healthy communities in which they can grow. Because the healthy development of our children relies on healthy adults. So this is why we all have a part to play,” she said. “And that is why I’m standing here in front of you, to ask you, some of Britain’s most influential business leaders, for your support in helping create the societal change that is needed.”

Princess Kate continued, “I have spoken before about the need to make early childhood the societal equivalent of climate change. In the way that the business world has embraced the net zero target to protect our environmental ecosystems, you also have an important role to play in ensuring that our social ecosystems are protected too. Your business organizations are living examples of these social ecosystems, so building healthy environments both in and out of the workplace is fundamental.”

Kate acknowledged how many people in the business sector are parents or carers, but encouraged them to “think a little more radically.”

“I know businesses are feeling the pressure across the board. However, I truly believe that by investing in early childhood, with a specific focus on social and emotional development, businesses in turn will see in the future… better communication, better working relationships, improved resilience, employees finding better work–life balance, less stress, more patience and understanding and increased job satisfaction,” she said. “Not only that, but the societal impact we could have, if we work together on this, could transform lives for generations to come. As the saying goes, it really does take a village.”

[From People]

So she did use the word “invest” and she seems to be asking these business leaders to take child development seriously. But… is there a follow-through? Is this it? She assembles a Business Taskforce and just makes a speech asking them (vaguely) to prioritize “investment” in Early Years? Business Buttons, do you have a plan? Are you telling them WHERE to direct this investment? Do you have a list of nursery schools and programs which are desperate for funding?

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As I’m writing this, the Princess of Wales is due at an event in London but it hasn’t started yet, so we don’t have photos. The event is what I want to discuss, though, because Kensington Palace gave the Daily Mail’s Becky English a preview and we need to discuss it. Remember “Shaping Us”? Shaping Us is Kate’s latest “awareness-raising campaign” for Early Years. Most days, I believe the awareness Kate is trying to raise is the public’s awareness that she “cares” about Early Years, and that she alone has identified the “importance” of Early Years. It’s especially notable at this moment, where nurseries and children’s centers are being defunded and shut down in the UK, mostly from lack of funding. Instead of using her platform and her ability to fundraise to actually help parents in a real, tangible way, Kate is once again using her position to… create a “business taskforce” to help her raise awareness.

The Princess of Wales will today bring together some of the biggest firms in the UK to create a new ‘business taskforce’ to back her campaign to prioritise early childhood. Kate, 41, is determined to transform the way society views the importance of the early years from birth to five in shaping society and is now taking her initiative to the City.

Companies worth tens of billions of pounds including NatWest, Unilever, Aviva, Deloitte, IKEA, Co-op, The LEGO Group and Iceland will join the royal round-table to launch her new ‘Business Taskforce for Early Childhood’ later. Run by business, for business, Kensington Palace said it will play an ‘essential role’ in The Princess of Wales’ work to transform the way in which society prioritises and supports children in their earliest years.

In a statement it said: ‘Early childhood is vital to the health of our economy and society, now and for generations to come. Given the key role of the business community in both the growth of our economy and in shaping our society, as well as the clear interest in developing a strong future workforce, this is an opportunity to come together to affect long-term change.’

The Taskforce will hold its inaugural meeting today at NatWest’s headquarters in the City of London, building on the recent launch of the princess’ Shaping Us initiative.

[From The Daily Mail]

So, it’s actually a huge problem for businesses when their future workforce is currently falling through the cracks of society because of lack of educational and healthcare funding. Instead of using these business connections to, you know, get businesses on board to fund the faltering childcare and educational systems in the UK, Kate is just going to use the Business Taskforce for Early Childhood to… raise awareness for the importance of all of the child-development programs being slashed in real time. What bugs me is that these businesses should be much more concerned about their future workforce, but instead, they’re happy enough to tread water with Colonel Keen’s Busy Work Extravaganza.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid, KensingtonRoyal.