This is amazing. It’s absolutely hilarious that the palace brain trust decided to use the Princess of Wales as “counterprogramming” for Prince Harry’s court appearances in London. Remember how often the palace brain trust would speak glowingly of themselves, like they were the creme de la creme of international public relations, that they were the best image-makers in the world? And here we have yet another example of how thoroughly they’re in the trenches, how badly they miscalculated everything. They have to send poor, lazy Jazz Hands out there in a ponytail to pose for photos. Poor sausage had to work two days in a row, specifically because Harry is in town.

Kate Middleton is playing with the guys! The Princess of Wales, 41, took part in some rugby training on Wednesday morning before talking to the players about their childhoods as she highlights her ongoing campaign highlighting the importance of the early years in a person’s life. The outing combined her leadership of the Shaping Us initiative to talk about how best to nurture children with her support for the game of rugby, of which she is patron of the Rugby Football Union.

While Princess Kate has spent a lot of time with mothers and carers since launching her campaign in January, the visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club was all about hearing from men. After taking part in the rugby drills on the field while sporting a high ponytail and blue t-shirt featuring a red rose, England rugby’s logo, she went inside to talk about the impact that local sports clubs have for those who are helping to raise children.

Kate was joined by Shaping Us champion Ugo Monye, a former England rugby professional and father of two, and other professional rugby players and representatives from Maidenhead RFC. Also there was Si Trower, the founder of the mental health charity Brave Mind, which works with rugby clubs, universities and schools to provide a platform to help rugby clubs an schools to improve their approach to supporting mental health in their community.

Her visit came as her Early Years Foundation found that men are less likely than women to realize the importance of the first years of a child’s life.

[From People]

It’s about rugby! No, it’s about Early Years! No, it’s about Shaping Us! It’s about raising awareness! Of what? Something something MEN! Rugby, men, children, sports, ponytails! God help us all. I guess they can’t say “we put her hair in a high pony and told her to run around and flap her hands because we’re scared sh-tless about Prince Harry’s testimony in court.”

They got her to hug someone too. Those pants are unfortunate. Speaking of unfortunate pants, where the hell is Kate’s husband? He just disappears completely for weeks in a row and no one says anything.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

The Heritage Foundation has been trying to get their dirty fascist hands on Prince Harry’s American visa application for months now. Heritage is in active collaboration with several British newspapers, including the Telegraph and the Times, and the right-wing think-tank is seemingly doing all of this to create stories for the “niche” British publications. Heritage’s entire argument hinges on “if.” As in, they’re going on a massive fishing expedition through the American court system to release one man’s visa application simply on the argument that IF Harry lied about taking drugs, then his visa should have been rejected. Last week, Heritage was granted a court hearing over their attempts to compel the Department of Homeland Security to release Harry’s records. The hearing went down yesterday. The judge made some kind of ruling…

A federal judge has given the Department of Homeland Security until next Tuesday to decide how it will handle a conservative think tank’s request for Prince Harry’s US immigration records.

The Heritage Foundation has asked the US government via the Freedom of Information Act to see his visa application, citing his admission of past recreational drug use in his memoir. The group is questioning whether immigration officials properly granted Prince Harry’s application, since admission of past drug use can be grounds to reject a visa application.

At a hearing Tuesday in Washington, DC, federal judge Carl Nichols gave DHS until June 13 to determine whether or not it will expedite or respond to a request for the records. Several agencies within the department, including US Border Patrol, have denied the FOIA requests, but the agency’s headquarters has not yet made a determination.

In court filings, DHS has noted that the US Customs and Border Protection agency originally denied the requests from Heritage because the group did not have Prince Harry’s authorization or consent to release the information.

“A person’s visa … is confidential,” DHS attorney John Bardo said in court Tuesday.

DHS attorneys have also said that an injunction to expedite the FOIA requests is not appropriate in the case since Heritage has, among other things, not shown how they will suffer irreparable harm if the information is not quickly released.

When asked about the privacy aspect of their records request, attorney Samuel Dewey, who represents Heritage, said Prince Harry’s privacy on the issue of past drug use has been “extraordinarily diminished” given his public remarks on the subject.

“We’re only focused on the specific issue that’s drawn all the press attention: the drug use,” Dewey said. “He’s talked about, he’s written about it extensively. He has waved any privacy interest he has in his drug use. He has bragged about it (in his memoir) and sold that.”

[From CNN]

I’ll admit, I don’t really understand this “ruling.” The judge basically told DHS that they have a week to decide whether or not to release Harry’s records… and then what? If DHS comes back a week from now and says “we studied the issue and we decided no, we won’t release the records,” what then? The judge seemingly kicked it back to DHS, to do whatever they feel is necessary in this situation. Considering DHS is fighting Heritage’s FOIA request in court, I think we know their answer.

Something else to think about: when Harry applied for a visa and filled out all of these DHS forms, it was 2020. That’s when the Sussexes moved to California – late March 2020. The last year of the Trump administration. IF (Heritage’s favorite word) Harry’s visa application “should” have been rejected, surely the Trump-era DHS was to blame?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Many of us have expressed our desire to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have some kind of social media presence for their Montecito lives. I absolutely believe that Archewell should have its own dedicated Instagram, where they can highlight their foundation work, draw attention to charities and promote their commercial work. An Archewell IG would also cut out the middleman when it came to issuing statements in their own voice, which (frankly) has been needed in recent years. Meghan also mentioned last year that she was considering coming back to Instagram, and it was widely assumed that meant her own stand-alone account. Which I would also love. Brand Sussex is an elite brand, helped along with Meghan’s new representation with WME. So once again, the British media is obsessed with the idea that Meghan could come back to IG and become an elite influencer. Some highlights from this Times piece:

Meghan could make a fortune off of Instagram: Digital talent agents estimate that the duchess will be able to charge up to £300,000 per Instagram post should she decide to set up with a new social media profile, as is expected. The @sussexroyal Instagram account, from which the couple logged off, along with their royal duties, in early 2020, is still followed by 9.4 million people.

They really want Meghan to relaunch The Tig too: Its second coming is expected to straddle the lucrative territory occupied by Gwyneth Paltrow’s one per cent lifestyle and wellness empire Goop, and the headset-and-no-notes elite talking points platform TED. This new online presence, plus the not inconsiderable water under the bridge since Meghan was last active in the blogosphere, could net its founder an even more substantial audience than the @princeandprincessofwales account run for William and Kate, which has 15 million followers. While their content is not sponsored, it is technically taxpayer-funded.

How much Meghan could get paid: “I can see Meghan getting £200,000 to £300,000 per post easily,” says one broker at a leading creative partnerships agency. “There’s no set fee for this sort of thing, but brands have big budgets for people with the sort of reach she has. Agents ask for anything between £50,000 for a mention to £200,000 for a dedicated post. It’s a bit of a Wild West sometimes, people just make up numbers. But if the person is worth it, a brand will pay.”

Mega-influencer: “She’ll be in line with the best-paid mega-influencers, if not the highest-paid in the world,” says Alison Bringé of the brand performance company Launchmetrics. “The kind of virality of the content that comes from Meghan Markle is different to any other. When she wears a Stella McCartney dress, she generates $3 million for the label, where Michelle Obama generates around $300,000. A Victoria Beckham catwalk show generates something like $8 million — but that’s holding an entire fashion show, compared to a [single shot] of Meghan Markle.”

Brand ambassadorships: The duchess is likely to pick up this sort of work online, either as part of a longstanding “ambassador” contract with a brand that also takes in public appearances and billboard advertising, or as a one-off plug (known in the business as an “activation”). There are rumours abroad that she — and potentially Harry too — has already signed with a talent agency to begin working on agreements such as these.

Hiking spon-con??? Take her hiking cameo in Montecito over the coronation weekend last month: candid shots that broadcast the duchess in a J Crew jacket and Victoria Beckham sunglasses, a Cartier watch that belonged to Princess Diana and a Bentley & Skinner diamond bracelet. The jacket has now sold out, and Google searches for the jewellery brand rose by 100 per cent in the week after the pictures were released. Insiders believe the images were, if not directly arranged commercially, then offered as a blueprint for how the duchess may work with brands in future — and how much clout she can offer at the negotiating table.

The Kate Effect: You might remember when this was known as the Kate effect. There was a time when anything the Princess of Wales wore sold out regardless of price, but sources say her retail relevance now tends to be with more affordable items — more in keeping with Holly Willoughby’s sell-through. That isn’t to be sniffed at (Willoughby is still known in high street circles as “Holly Will-you-buy”), but luxury brands are now looking to Meghan as a new figure with high-end rather than mass appeal. After all, many among the masses — in the UK at least — are famously not that keen on her.

Meghan’s influence: “Meghan has an influence unlike any other,” Bringé says. “She has a proximity to her audience because they’ve followed along on this emotional journey she’s had. Unlike a celebrity, you feel like you’re part of her life and, unlike an influencer, you know she’s not trying to create content.”

[From The Times]

Do you guys think that Meghan’s hiking photos were sponsored-content or part of an arrangement with brands? No, I don’t. I think she just put on her clothes and went for a hike and the paparazzo managed to get the shots (which is what he claimed too). Now, I absolutely believe that post-Sussexit, Meghan has gotten freebies which she has worn in her rare public appearances, like the Invictus Games at The Hague or her awards show appearances. It’s also amazing that Meghan’s “brand” is high-end while Kate’s just… isn’t. No one is looking to copy Kate’s coatdresses at this point, but people want everything Meghan wears. Anyway, I absolutely want all of this for Meghan – I want her to have brand ambassadorships and her own Instagram account and all of it.

Photos courtesy of Misan Harriman/The Sussexes, Variety’s YouTube video, Archewell, The Cut.

Everything about Taylor Swift’s brief, dramatic romance with Matt Healy has been an utter delight for me. It’s been amazing to watch as Taylor’s fans slowly begin to understand that she’s totally fine with dating a dude who is openly racist and pretty gross. It was amazing to watch the backlash Taylor got for using Ice Spice like a prop. It was amazing to watch as someone on Taylor’s team finally got through to her and convinced her to end things with Matt Healy. And finally, the post-split damage control is absolutely incredible. Personally, I’ve always found Taylor to be this ham-fisted with her image control, but many people are only seeing it for the first time now. Team Swift has been on a briefing spree through TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, Page Six and now People Magazine. Enjoy!!

Taylor Swift is back in her single era. The 12-time Grammy winner, 33, and The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, 34, have split after a whirlwind romance.

“She had fun with him, but it was always casual,” a source confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday. “They are no longer romantically involved.”

“They were never boyfriend-girlfriend or exclusive and were always just having fun,” another insider tells PEOPLE. “There is no drama, and who knows what could happen again. It was a good time and ran its course.”

Reps for Swift and Healy’s band The 1975 haven’t responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“Taylor is doing great — her focus right now is her tour. Since Matty is touring too, they won’t be able to see each other at all,” the source tells PEOPLE of Swift and Healy, who is touring internationally through July before The 1975 come back to the States for some festival dates. “They have been friends for years and decided to just go back to being friends. Nothing complicated happened. It’s just life.”

A third source adds, “Taylor and Matty still care for one another but they are in the middle of world tours so are both incredibly busy. They’ve been friends for years and are still friends.”

Despite receiving backlash over past comments Healy has made, Swift was not swayed by the controversy, the insider says. “He likes to provoke a response out of people. She’s a grown woman more than capable of forming her own opinions about people,” the insider adds. “No one forces her into anything, especially not these days. She’s on top of the world.”

[From People]

“She’s a grown woman more than capable of forming her own opinions about people” – I wish we saw that version of Taylor more often, the one who owns her bad picker and says defiantly “I know he’s an incel but the sex is good.” Unfortunately, it’s not always in her control – her fans love nothing more than to treat Taylor like she’s still a weepy teen. Anyway, is it just me or does this People story read like Taylor is fighting with her team? They’re like “acknowledge that he sucks, tell everyone you dumped him” and she’s like “no but I might get back with him at the end of the summer, you’re not my mom, stop ordering me around!!”

There’s also a rumor that Taylor was seen out with the Lakers’ Austin Reaves. I think the source (some guy on Twitter) is full of sh-t though.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Just a few days after King Charles’s coronation in May, the Duchess of Edinburgh was traveling through London by car, with a full police motorcade. On a street near Kensington Palace, a police motorcyclist struck an elderly woman at high speed. The 81-year-old woman, Helen Holland, was thrown yards away from the force of impact, and she was immediately hospitalized. She stayed in the hospital in a coma for about two weeks before passing away. Holland’s family made a public statement saying they don’t “blame” Sophie, but they did have significant questions about the accident and the police protection unit. Throughout it all, Sophie simply issued a couple of statements and carried on with her life, laughing it up at horse shows and garden parties. Well, now it looks like there will be a formal investigation into the police motocyclist.

A Metropolitan Police motorcyclist could face criminal charges over the death of an 81-year-old woman who was killed in a collision with the officer’s vehicle last month while they were part of an escort for the Duchess of Edinburgh. Helen Holland was struck at the junction of West Cromwell Road and Warwick Road in Earl’s Court, west London, on the afternoon of May 10. She suffered serious injuries and died two weeks later.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the constable has been told they are under criminal investigation for the offences of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.

They are also being investigated for potential gross misconduct, although that does not mean that charges or disciplinary proceedings will follow.

Amanda Rowe, director at the IOPC, said: “Our thoughts remain with Ms Holland’s family, friends and everyone affected by her death. This is a tragic incident and it is important that we carry out a thorough, independent investigation to establish the full circumstances, which will include the actions and decision making of the officer under investigation.We have been in regular contact with Ms Holland’s family and we will keep them updated as our investigation progresses.”

“At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision and whether the officer should face disciplinary proceedings.”

Investigators attended the scene and police body worn video footage has been reviewed. Witness accounts have also been taken following an appeal after the crash.

[From The Telegraph]

While ACAB, I find it interesting that it feels like this police motorcyclist is going to be held solely responsible when, clearly, he was part of the larger security unit for Sophie. I don’t know if every member of the protection unit was driving recklessly, but instead of having a conversation about why Sophie needs this kind of protection in her daily life, they’re just going to hang everything around this guy’s neck and call it a day. It’s also pretty f–king wild that Sophie hasn’t been hit with criticism whatsoever – I know I’m a broken record on this, but imagine how different the conversation would be if one of Prince Harry’s security people had struck and killed a senior.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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We covered Elliot Page a couple of days ago, when he revealed he’d had a secret relationship with Kate Mara while she was dating someone else. That happened quite a while ago, back in 2014, and since then Elliot got married to Emma Portner in 2018 and then divorced in 2021. He’s single now but has recently started dating again. His dating experience has been very different compared to before his transition. Elliot talked about his new dating life to the Los Angeles Times, and it sounds like he’s having the time of his life:

The Umbrella Academy star recently shared that he’s back in the dating game and has been using apps to meet new people. “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had dating,” Elliot told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published June 4. “Interacting with people feels so much easier and more connected, because I’m not feeling lost in myself and not seen in the right way.”

The 36-year-old’s update on his dating journey comes more than two years since he filed for divorce from Emma Portner after three years of marriage. The former couple confirmed their breakup in a January 2021 statement to E! News, noting, “We have the utmost respect for each other and remain close friends.”

Elliot’s comments on his dating life come amid the release of his memoir Pageboy, during which he opens up about his coming out journey as a transgender man, including how his family had initially reacted to the news. It also details Elliot’s path toward self-acceptance, and how that looked like amid a backdrop of alleged discrimination in show business.

As he gets back out there in the romance department, he noted that he’s getting better adjusted to being single. “In the past, I always had an intense crush or fixated on an ex,” Elliot added. “Right now, there’s none of that. Like, ‘Whoa, I’m alone, and it feels really good.’”

As for what the future holds in terms of a family, the Inception star said he likely wouldn’t have kids “of my own, like, a baby and that whole thing.” However, that doesn’t mean parenthood is completely off the table.

“But in the future, who knows?” the Juno actor added, “I’d adopt someone who is older and needs a home and someone to love them.”

[From E!]

I’m happy that Elliot is now able to date as his authentic self. It must be so freeing. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to date if it felt like you had to hide who you truly are. What he says about always having a crush or missing an ex struck a chord with me. I think it makes sense if you aren’t at home in your own skin–you’ll seek external validation instead. It becomes easy to get attached to people, even if they haven’t earned that level of trust. Elliot seems comfortable with being alone, which points to true confidence. That confidence probably makes him really attractive to other people. Recently I got back into dating again but the dating apps feel like they’ve gotten even worse since the last time I tried them out, five years ago. So I’m glad Elliot is having better luck than me!

Related: in a rare spot of good news, a Florida judge is challenging some components of Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care. It’s only a temporary injunction and it only applies to three kids in the state who are receiving puberty blockers. It’s kind of complicated. But this challenge may set the legal foundation needed to strike down the ban. Elliot has said that his privilege saved his life, because it made it easier for him to access health care and therapy. There are so many trans people of all ages who don’t have the same privilege, and have trouble getting the care they need and deserve. I hope there are more robust legal challenges to the Florida law and other ones like it around the country.

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Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey welcomed their first child together at the end of March and apparently they’re already thinking about another. Kaley recently talked about how upon meeting Tom, they knew very quickly they wanted to have a child together and made it happen. She went into even more detail when appearing on the “Smartless” podcast recently. When asked if they wanted to have more kids, Kaley said yes and that she and Tom are on the same page and “[they’re] not 20 anymore.”

Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey are hoping to grow their family!

The new parents appear to have baby fever following the birth of their daughter Matilda Carmine Richie in March, as the Based on a True Story star has revealed they would like to have more kids.

Cuoco, 37, opened up about family plans on the Smartless podcast. When asked by co-hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes whether she and boyfriend Pelphrey, 40, would like more children, Cuoco responded, “Yeah, we do.”

The Big Bang Theory alum went on to say that she and her actor beau are “in sync” when it comes to what they want in their relationship — and have been from the beginning, after getting pregnant two months into dating.

“We were like, boom, boom, boom. We’re in sync,” Cuoco revealed, adding, “We’re not 20 anymore — we were like, ‘We doing this or not?’”

Cuoco thanked co-host Bateman, 54, on the podcast for helping her and Pelphrey get together, after the pair met at the Ozark premiere last year.

“You’re the reason I met him,” the actress mentioned.

The new mom added that, if he could biologically, “Tom would carry the baby.”

Cuoco also praised the immense help they have in the form of Matilda’s grandmothers, whom she said have chipped in to take care of their little one as they’ve continued to work.

“I feel guilty even saying it,” she admitted.

“Our relationship has survived because we have all this help with this baby,” the actress continued with a laugh. “My mom is the best, and actually, so is Tom’s mom. They come in, they help, they don’t overstep. … We’re very lucky.”

[From People]

Kaley is 37 and Tom is 40 so it does make sense that they would want to get things moving along quickly, especially if they plan on a few kids. It all happened so fast — they celebrated their one-year anniversary after Matilda was born — but I guess when you know you know. It does seem like they’re on the same page, or “in sync” as Kaley says and there’s no one person that’s more in it than the other. They seem equally into each other and their family, which is nice to see. Also, it’s nice that they have the help of both their mothers to care for little Matilda. I’m sure that will come in handy in the future, but with more kids they’ll probably get a nanny too, if they don’t already have one. Marriage or not, seems like they’re in it for the long haul and planning a lot for their future together.

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Remy Ma says she’s 35 years old instead of 43 because she gets to shave the covid lockdown and prison time off her age. [Dlisted]
French Open fashion really hasn’t been the same this year without Rafael Nadal & Serena Williams (although Sloane Stephens looked great). [GFY]
An explainer on the Hannah Gadsby-Pablo Picasso controversy. [Pajiba]
Lana del Rey’s dad released music (featuring Lana). [OMG Blog]
The Directors Guild probably won’t strike. [LaineyGossip]
Jeff Goldblum had a cameo in Annie Hall. [Seriously OMG]
Jeremy Allen White & Jennifer Coolidge flirted with each other. [Jezebel]
Emma Watson was out and about with a businessman. Is that her boyfriend? [JustJared]
Rest in peace, Anna Shay. [Buzzfeed]
Britney Spears wore a silk dress & heels to the gym. [Towleroad]
Karen Gillian wore Proenza Schouler to the polo thing. [RCFA]

What a glorious month it was, but now it’s over. Almost one month ago exactly, the Sun broke the news that Taylor Swift was seeing Matt Healy. Swifties and non-Swifties alike did a deep dive into the rumors – Taylor and Matt had known each other for the better part of a decade, they reconnected last year through Jack Antonoff, Taylor made a surprise appearance at The 1975’s concert in early January, and implied throughout all of the reporting was the sense that Healy was “the reason” why Taylor and Joe Alwyn broke up several months ago. In addition to all of the Swealy connections, the Snake Fam also examined Healy’s history as a racist a–hole who likes to think that he’s some kind of provocateur. Even Azealia Banks expressed concern that Healy is a “full incel” and Taylor is letting some scabies-ridden douche “climb the rich white coochie mountain.” Last we heard, Healy had moved in with Taylor in New York. Alas, it’s already over!!!

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy are shaking it off when it comes to their relationship — the singers have broken up … TMZ has learned. According to a friend close to the situation … Taylor is in fact “single” again, although it’s still unclear exactly why they’ve now split up.

It was a pretty whirlwind romance … just last month Matty popped up at all 3 of Tay Tay’s Nashville concerts, right on the heels of news she and Joe Alwyn had split after 6 years together. From then on Matty and Taylor were pretty inseparable when she wasn’t performing. We saw them out in NYC multiple times — double dating with her friends, and hitting up a recording studio. Matty was even spotted sneakin’ into Taylor’s NYC townhouse, and he hung out with Taylor’s dad during her Eras Tour stop in Philly.

Although they just started dating, the artists have known each other since 2014 … when Taylor went to a concert for his band, The 1975.

They haven’t been seen in public together since May 25 when they were out on a dinner date. We still don’t know exactly when the breakup went down, but there was a big clue things were over when The 1975 performed this weekend in Denmark. Matty had a history of kissing random people in the crowd, but during a January concert — which Taylor was attending — he said he was putting the kibosh on that move. Well, lo and behold, during this weekend’s concert he locked lips with a security guard. Talk about single and ready to mingle!!!

[From TMZ]

My guess is that it was always going to be more Tom Hiddleston-esque rather than another Joe Alwyn-type of longterm thing. I said it repeatedly, that the whirlwind, love-drunk energy reminded me of the summer of Tiddles (2016). Tiddles happened for a solid four months or so – poor Matt Healy couldn’t even handle the bright, hot spotlight for one full month. Honestly, I do think Healy was probably scared sh-tless when he became a household name for all of the wrong reasons. But I also think someone finally talked some sense into Taylor too, probably her team or her publicist or maybe even Azealia Banks.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

Princess Lilibet Diana turned two years old on Sunday. Her mom and dad were with her for her birthday, although her dad had to catch a flight to London at some point on Sunday. In any case, Lili spent her birthday at home in Montecito and we have no idea if anyone from Prince Harry’s family called or sent a birthday gift or anything. Given how consistently the Windsors leak sh-t to benefit themselves, I tend to believe that if a call was placed or gifts were sent, we would have found out about it. Instead, the Windsors are, as always, more than happy to take a public position of “snubbing a baby.” They did that when Lili was born, when it took more than seven weeks to add Lili’s name to the line of succession list. They did it again when it came to Archie and Lili’s titles following QEII’s death too, when the Letters Patent kicked in and they were automatically given titles as grandchildren of the monarch. Then it took months to update their titles to the line of succession. And don’t forget how the Windsors all snubbed Lili’s christening. All of which to say, the Windsors once again made a point of snubbing a baby… on her birthday.

Buckingham Palace insists that the king was not snubbling his granddaughter, Princess Lilibet, this weekend when official social media channels ignored her second birthday. Some reports characterized the omission as a deliberate snub, but a palace source said it had “never been protocol” to share formal birthday wishes for non-working members of the royal family or their children on “official channels.” It must be noted, however, that the birthdays of Lilibet and Archie were celebrated last year by royal social media accounts.

The source said that birthday wishes to the second child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have been shared privately.

The royal pushback came after the young Princess’ birthday assumed unusual constitutional significance after Prince Harry missed the first day of his scheduled court appearance in London because he was delayed by the celebrations. The irritated judge said he was “surprised” Harry had flouted his order to show up in London’s High Court Monday after his barrister cited Lilibet’s birthday party as a cause of his no-show.

Despite the palace’s denials that the lack of a birthday tweet or Insta post has any personal dimension, the omission is likely to further fuel speculation as to the extent of the fracturing of the relationship between the royal family and the Sussexes in the wake of Harry’s memoir, Spare. Protocol can change, of course, but the fact is that last year, when the queen was still alive, Lilibet and her brother Archie both received birthday wishes from official royal social media accounts.

The king’s various accounts have continued marking the birthdays of William and Kate’s children, and last year, the official Twitter accounts for the Prince and Princess of Wales also wished Lilibet a happy first birthday. Her brother Archie’s birthday went unremarked by the palace this year, however given it occurred on the same day as the coronation, the omission drew less attention.

[From The Daily Beast]

Yeah, I noticed that the royal accounts didn’t do say anything on Sunday, but then again, I wasn’t expecting them to. It surprised me last year when the Kensington Royal and Royal Family accounts did tweets for Lili’s first birthday, which of course was celebrated in the UK during the Jubbly. I wouldn’t expect Kensington Royal to say anything, given William’s incandescent rage and overwhelmingly childishness. But the Buckingham Palace-operated account? That’s the king’s granddaughter – it’s simply good form to just say “of course the king wishes his granddaughter a happy birthday.” But no, they’re incapable of that.

Sidenote: I absolutely believe that the Windsors are pissed that they don’t have photos of Archie and Lilibet to post on social media as well. They couldn’t even use the Misan Harriman photos last year on their social media accounts because the Sussexes only released those photos after Lili’s birthday and after they got the hell out of the UK. The Windsors are seething that they can’t exploit these two lovely ginger kids, including Princess Diana’s only blue-eyed grandchild.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Misan Harriman/The Sussexes.