The Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia are in the middle of a two-week tour of the Dutch Caribbean islands. Some of our photo agencies have been getting access to the photos and the optics are okay – the Dutch royals have mostly taken pains to avoid the racist and colonialist imagery of the Windsors’ Caribbean tours last year, which saw Prince William and Kate staggering from one tone-deaf photo-op to the next, unable to improvise or update.

Now, has everything been perfect with the Dutch royals? From the looks of it, Catharina-Amalia (now 19 years old) is not really enjoying her first royal tour with her parents. She’s got that glazed look of a teenager on vacation with her two annoying, dorky parents who keep making dumb jokes. Amalia needs a stiff drink and some alone time in her hotel room. I also have to admit, Maxima’s costume changes have veered into some colonialist cosplay at times. It’s not as excessive as Kate’s Gone With the Wind style, but Maxima could do better. I thought the Dutch royals were mostly avoiding all of the typical royal pitfalls, and then this happened: a protest at one of their events.

King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia’s tour of the Caribbean was interrupted by a protestor. The Dutch royals are currently in the Caribbean on a two-week tour, a first for 19-year-old Catharina-Amalia, who is heir to the throne. Willem-Alexander, 55, Máxima, 51, and their eldest daughter arrived in Bonaire on Friday and were met with a demonstration while attending a lecture at the University of Aruba on Tuesday.

While sitting in on a discussion of Caribbean law, a woman stood up with her arm held high, and sang the gospel song “Oh, Freedom.” As seen in video footage that hit Twitter, her demonstration caught the attention of the three royals, who all turned to look. The woman continued to sing as she was escorted out of the building, and the lecture continued.

Aruba was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century and seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, the BBC reported. Today, the island remains linked to the Dutch as a Kingdom of the Netherlands, like Curaçao and St. Maarten, which the Dutch royals are also visiting during their Caribbean tour.

In December, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for the Netherlands’ history of slavery. Rutte said that the Dutch State “facilitated, stimulated, preserved and profited from slavery” for centuries, adding that “human beings were made into commodities, exploited and abused.” Rutte previously said that the matter was too controversial for King Willem-Alexander to address but said that the Dutch monarch will take part in a commemoration on July 1 marking the 150th anniversary of the complete abolition of slavery everywhere in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

[From People]

“Too controversial for King Willem-Alexander to address”…? Granted, the Dutch royals have been doing more to apologize and acknowledge the Netherlands’ history of slavery and colonialism, but jeez, why can’t the king address the subject?

Here’s the video of the protest – I winced when the white woman put her hands on the protester. I double-winced when the security dudes started grabbing at the protester as she tried to pick up her bags. Like… yes, it was a “disruptive” protest, but she wasn’t being violent, she was screaming obscenities, she wasn’t insulting anyone – there was absolutely no reason for these white people to start putting their hands on her.

Studente protesteert tijdens koninklijk bezoek aan universiteit pic.twitter.com/UUd9ZqUtjL

— Rick Evers (@RickEversRoyal) January 31, 2023

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I want to do nothing else today other than talk about Lily Allen and David Harbour’s Brooklyn home. They recently did an Open Door video for Architectural Digest and I am obsessed. It’s perfect from the jump because David, who has done an OD video before, is such a great host on these things. But the townhouse is amazing. The décor is not my style , save for the closets, so I didn’t pick up any tips, but I still love everything about it. I have questions, though, so meet me below:

Forgive me, but I want to walk room by room. I like the kitchen and I love that Lily got to design her dream. Long and narrow isn’t my favorite space to cook in, but I get they had to work with the existing floorplan. There’s so much counter space! And you’d get your steps in running from one end to the other fetching what you needed. I can’t do open shelves that’s en vogue right now. I need a solid cupboard door to hide my mess. Also, I’m not a bench seat person for tables, but I know they are very popular for kitchens.

The garden room makes me swoon. I love everything about it, no notes. Again, exactly the opposite of my style but I wish I was friends with the Allen-Harbours so I could hang out there. It really felt like I was going through a nice little garden. I could make that double-sided couch work for me, though.

The Swan Bathroom confused me. It was impressive, certainly. But would they actually hang out there? I love the sitting chairs and the commodes had stunning inlay, but the only place I ever really want to be in a bathroom is in the bathtub. I can’t see going up there to read in a chair. I don’t have an issue with the carpet. I know people don’t like carpeted baths but I was a kid in the 70s. At least it’s not shag, right? The fridge is a lot. I understand the idea of a refrigerator in the bathroom but that size? I wish they’d opened it to show us what was in it. David said it was his dream but why? Listen, I love a good, long bath but even I don’t stay in so long I need to replenish my lemonade halfway through. A fireplace, though – that I can get on board with.

I actually dig the simplistic bedroom. I generally use a bedroom for two activities so I don’t need a lot of room. My husband would be on board for windowless for the same sensory deprivation tank feel as David. I would miss the natural air, though. Those closets, though *faints*

I’m not crazy about anything on the ground level, including the sauna or cold plunge, but it’s just a me thing. Maybe the leather chairs in the media room, they were nice. The main thing I came away with is that Lily and David are a lovely couple. They’re so connected and I adore that their home is a balance of both of them, with things from their pasts and compromise in every room. I might save this video for whenever I need a pick-me-up. Also, I’m absolutely adding, “No, no – don’t mess with that. That’s my moment” to my lexicon (minute 3:00).

Photo credit: Screenshots from YouTube and JPI Studios/Avalon

This week, it’s been a real pleasure to watch as the Princess of Wales’s button-covered busy work keeps getting gently exposed. Kate launched Shaping Us, her latest Early Years rebrand and the campaign includes a 90-second creepy claymation video, a billboard, tons of videos of a preening Kate (and her wonky eyebrow) and a lot of nothingness. No plan, no call to action, no fundraising scheme, no actual program. It’s not just Omid Scobie calling her out, however gently. The royal rota have started pointing out that there’s no there there, especially in an era where nursery schools are closing and early-childhood programs are being slashed. Even worse, even the American magazines – the ones normally on the monarchy’s side – are starting to publish critical pieces. Town & Country covered the recent criticisms of Kate by that group of credible experts. T&C went even further by publishing some very critical social media comments too:

Some critics are saying though the Princess of Wales’s intentions are good, and early childhood is important, awareness is not enough.

“We are well accustomed to MPs and royalty visiting early years settings, praising the invaluable work of practitioners from David Cameron to Gordon Brown and the Queen Consort,” Dr. Mine Conkbayir, a member of the Practitioners of the Early Years Sector, said, per Sky News. “But nothing is done. The time has long passed for ‘awareness.’ We need action — long-term investment and funding in the early years. Childcare providers are having to turn to food charities to provide nutritious meals for children while stagnant government funding still is not being directed to the sector. The paltry government funding of early years that is provided does not cover the provision of any food.”

Many pointed out that the programs necessary to make children happy and healthy adults, as Kate is advocating for, have been cut in the UK, like Sure Start, an initiative launched in 1998 with the aim of “giving children the best possible start in life.” In the past few years, hundreds of Sure Start centers have been closed.

As one UK resident, Chloë Reeves, tweeted, “The Princess of Wales looks to be launching a sincere & thoughtful campaign, but it’s kind of wild that Sure Start was an evidence-based solution to the problems she’s raising, was evaluated and found to be wonderfully successful, and we’re sort of pretending it wasn’t cut.”

Another, SJ Howitt, wrote, “I’m curious whether The Princess of Wales knows that all our sure start centres and family centres have been closed and whether she is aware that was a political decision?” Yet another user, Carole Britton, who writes in her bio she is a “wife, mum, gran,” tweeted, “Seeing the Princess of Wales at the launch of her ‘Shaping Us’ campaign, highlighting the importance of years 0 to 5, irked a little. We knew these were vital years in child development and ‘Sure Start’ was an initiative to try and address this. It needed work not scrapping!”

There’s a difference between Kate’s message and Sure Start, Naomi Eisenstadt, the first director of the Sure Start Unit in 1999, said. “Sure Start to begin with was explicitly aimed at families in poverty. It became universal because everybody wanted it, which was great,” Eisenstadt told Newsweek. “She’s trying to do something slightly different which is to say that there are some things all parents can do, should be doing, which are good for children. That’s right and you can’t argue with that. What’s missing from the campaign is the political side of it. Everyone can be a good parent but there are circumstances that make it much harder for parents in poverty.”

[From Town & Country]

I would have thought that the timing would be the opposite, that American publications would be the first to poke holes in Kate’s busy work, then the Brits would follow. But it’s been the opposite – UK social media has been highly critical and it definitely feels like the royal rota and “monarchist factions” of the British media feel emboldened to criticize Kate’s childish keenery. And now the Americans are following suit.

Kensington Palace posted this video on Thursday. This is actually the most we’ve heard Kate speak without a script in front of her. Putting her with a half-dozen squirmy kids and trying to show them a 90-second claymation video… and the kids could not have given less of a f–k. Yikes. This video is absolutely not doing what she thinks it’s doing. Yet another example of Kate using children – especially children of color – as props.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

We just heard that scammer Anna Delvey/Sorokin is going to be filming a reality show from house arrest, called “Delvey’s Dinner Club.” Curated friends and fancy menus at home because she can’t leave her house! Anyway, Anna also just celebrated her birthday, from home, with a big party in her smallish apartment. She called it “Club House Arrest” and had guests sign NDAs and asked for the social security numbers. Um, who in their right mind would give a scammer their SSN? I guess she wanted some identities for her birthday.

What the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets.

Scammer Anna Delvey required attendees of her birthday afterparty to sign non-disclosure agreements and provide their social security numbers, Page Six has exclusively learned.

While the NDA, obtained by Page Six, required to attend the “Club House Arrest” soiree appeared standard in its legalese, what stuck out was that underneath the signature it asked for everyone’s SSNs.

We hear attendees at the “Inventing Anna” subject’s fête either left it blank or went so far as to provide fake numbers.

While a rep for Delvey confirmed that an NDA release form was presented to guests upon entry, we can also report that guests also received them via email ahead of time.

Photos snapped by Cobrasnake show the bash, which was promoted by The Kollection using an announcement copying a New York Post cover, was attended by designer Cynthia Rowley and her daughter, Rachel Rabbit White, Cat Marnell, Ben Widdicombe, Dr. Alexander Blinski and more, and took place at Delvey’s walk-up apartment.

“The night was seriously somehow magical and full of synchronicities, things kept happening twice, or maybe it just felt like that because the party was so intimate but like a really good night,” one attendee told us.

Another added, “People were waiting outside on the street to get in. There was full door security and a clipboard person. The gimmick of going to Anna’s house is exciting right now.”

One source shared that house-arrested Delvey, who can have people over as long as she doesn’t leave, was “good at choosing a crowd” and served as an “amazing hostess.”

“It was a classic New York house party somehow, even if it was in a one-bedroom it wasn’t stifling,” the source said, “and the ankle monitor over her tights was chic.

The email with the NDA attached also “kindly” asked partygoers to make a monetary donation of their choosing to Access Justice Brooklyn, a nonprofit that provides “high-quality pro-bono legal services and community education to our neighbors in need.”

Earlier in the evening the freed jailbird celebrated her 32nd birthday with an intimate, invite-only “Happy F–king Birthday” dinner party, which was filmed for her upcoming reality show, “Delvey’s Dinner Club,” hosted by Profanity Paraffins with a menu designed by Chef Ryan Hackney of Citizens & Culture.

Her neighbors likely won’t care, about the noise because we hear everyone in the building is young and that other apartments made their space available for the dinner portion of the evening.

“She’s a celebrity in the building. She has a little cult.”

[From Page Six]

I’m glad the guests were smart and sober enough to not leave their actual SSNs. My god, how ridiculous. Also ridiculous, the “sources” that spoke to Page Six. They were all clearly Anna or given talking points by her. The compliments about the event and Anna were so over the top they were literally unbelievable. The ankle monitor looked chic? She’s not Lily van der Woodsen Bass Humphrey. The night was magical and full of synchronicities? If things are happening twice or feel magical at a scammer’s party that’s probably not a good sign. It was not stifling in that one-bedroom in an East Village walkup? As a New Yorker I call complete BS on that. I do believe that the gimmick is really exciting right now and she has a little cult. People are dumb and they get excited about silly stuff. This is so ridiculous and delusional and is clearly part of the promo for her TV show, which filmed its first episode with a smaller group earlier that night. I will say though, Anna looks good. Her post-prison glow-up looks good, but I guess she has a lot of time to groom and style stuck at home. Pics of her and the party and the “curated” guests are here.

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Janet Mayer/startraksphoto.com/Cover Images and Getty

I honestly only liked a few pieces from this Elie Saab collection, but I’m sure we’ll see a lot of them at the Oscars. [GFY]
A beardless Jake Gyllenhaal is working on a Presumed Innocent series. [JustJared]
Lainey on Princess Kate’s meaningless Shaping Us campaign. [LaineyGossip]
People are spending $100K on Latto’s used drawers?? [Dlisted]
Review of Netflix’s You People. [Pajiba]
Pics from the PFW Balmain show. [RCFA]
A Life After Lockup couple downsizes in Florida. [Starcasm]
I love the colors Tom Ford used in this collection. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Ranking Gerard Butler’s films. [Buzzfeed]
Again, all of the Jan. 6th insurrectionists should be in prison. [Towleroad]
Dua Lipa is load-bearing. [Egotastic]
What were the best movies at Sundance this year? [Jezebel]

Serena Williams gave Gayle King an exclusive interview for CBS This Morning this week. Serena is promoting her Super Bowl commercial for Michelob Ultra, which is just a reminder that even after Serena’s retirement from tennis last year, she remains in-demand for companies and brands. This is one of Serena’s first sit-down interviews since her retirement, and she sounds fine. She has some twinges of regret, but mostly, she’s looking forward to her next projects, including growing her family. Her husband Alexis Ohanian was even included in the interview a little bit, and I’m pleased to say that he still worships her. I’m including the videos of the Michelob commercial and the CBS interview at the end of the post.

When I watched this last night, I was surprised that Gayle was the first person to ask Serena about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last year. Will was nominated (and he won) for playing Richard Williams, Serena’s father. Serena was there that night in the auditorium when Will slapped Chris Rock. She posted a stunned reaction on her social media right after it happened, but she never condemned Will or said much of anything about what went down. Here’s what she told Gayle:

During their chat, King showed Williams a sweet video of her father coaching her as a child and then segued into “that moment at the Oscars,” asking the tennis star how she felt about the situation, without specifically mentioning the Slap.

“I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed,” Williams began. “But I also feel that I’ve been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and made a tremendous amount of mistakes, and I’m the kind of person that’s like, ‘I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world.’ We’re all imperfect, and we’re all human, and let’s just be kind to each other. So, that’s often forgotten a lot.”

[From THR]

That’s a great perspective and I wish more people had approached it like that – “I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world.” The overwhelming majority of Black actors and Black celebrities downright refused to talk sh-t about Will following the slap, and I’m glad Serena isn’t throwing Will under the bus either. A queen!

There’s a lot of great stuff in this interview, like Olympia praying for a sibling, Serena calling Alexis “nerdy” and more.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

It’s incredibly funny to me that Pippa Middleton actually has the life which her sister wanted for herself. Pippa married James Matthews, someone terribly moderately wealthy (if not terribly rich) and James treats Pippa like a queen. Their first home together was a massive London townhouse, and now they’ve moved into their elite country home in Berkshire. It’s a massive estate and a historic (although modernized) mansion, the perfect place for Pippa to raise her three children (Grace, Rose and Arthur). Pippa also completed her masters last year, earning a degree in (gulp) early childhood physical education. Pippa IS the credible early years expert on top of everything else. As for this massive estate, according to Eden Confidential, Pippa and TMW James are redoing the grounds:

Pippa Middleton is determined to make a splash at the country home she and her husband, James Matthews, bought for £15 million. I can disclose that the Princess of Wales’s sister plans to dig up the massive walled garden where the previous owner lovingly cultivated fruit and vegetables.

In its place, Pippa, 39, and investment banker Matthews, 47, want to install a huge outdoor swimming pool. At 82 ft x 19 ft, it would be more than twice the size of a typical private pool and the same size as those at her two local leisure centres in the Royal County of Berkshire. Next to their pool, the lawn will be dug up and replaced with a tennis court.

While Catherine presides over manicured grass courts as patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, her sister intends to install one made of AstroTurf fake grass, ‘to enable safe playing conditions all year round’. The kitchen garden’s potting shed will be converted into changing rooms.

I disclosed in July that the couple, who married in 2017 and have three young children, had bought the 32-room Georgian mansion set in 150 acres. They need planning permission because the walled garden and main house are Grade II-listed and lie in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and near ancient woodland.

‘Ownership of [the house] has recently changed hands and the new owner is seeking to evolve and identify a new use for the expansive walled garden site,’ their planning agent said in documents submitted to the local council just before Christmas.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m sure the aristocrats will find it terribly gauche that Pippa and James plan to dig up what sounds like a lovely kitchen garden. And all for an Olympic-sized pool? AND a tennis court? Granted, this estate is 150 acres, so they have the space for all of this. I also feel like Pippa will regret putting in the astroturf grass – that sh-t is so bad, most professional athletes refuse to play any sport on it. Surely a hard court might be better? Anyway, it’s just a reminder that Kate also did a full renovation of Anmer Hall, which included moving the tennis court, ripping out the gorgeous kitchen and putting up huge privacy trees and more. It was always unclear who paid for what with the Anmer Hall reno, but in Pippa’s case, her rich husband is financing this project. I bet she wants the pool done in time for summer.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.

Since Netflix’s Harry and Meghan series aired, I’ve been thinking about the footage of the Sussexes right after their Oprah interview aired, and how they both thought that the biggest story would be Meghan’s suicidal ideation while she was heavily pregnant with Archie. Post-interview, the biggest stories in America and the UK were about “royal racism” and who questioned the color of the Sussex baby’s skin, and how Charles would change the convention to remove the Sussex kids’ royal titles. Oh, and of course the fakakta bridesmaid-dress story got a lot of attention too. People talked about Meghan’s suicidal thoughts, of course, but that wasn’t the biggest headline.

I bring that up because I do think Meghan and Harry tend to chronically misjudge his family and the way the British media will react to whatever the Sussexes do and don’t do. I think the reactions from the Windsors and the media still surprise them consistently. The British media is still largely ignoring all of what Harry wrote about in his memoir, just as the media refuses to really go in-depth to a lot of what Harry said about his family in his promotional interviews. Mostly, this is about control – the British media can’t allow Harry to control his narrative, they want to force their agenda on his story as much as possible. All of which means that I think Harry probably believed that his interviews would change things and his father would call, and that they could start the next chapter. Harry misjudged his father yet again, it seems. Us Weekly’s sources say that the Sussexes have not received any calls or apologies.

Still at odds. Much to his dismay, Prince Harry‘s relationship with the royal family remains unchanged after the release of his bombshell memoir, Spare.

“No apology to Meghan [Markle] has been made by the Palace, which frustrates Harry. Nor has he received a personal apology,” a source exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. While Spare made headlines worldwide after it was released on January 10, it didn’t help communication within the Firm. “He was hoping his family, especially William, would lay their cards on the table and have an open conversation with him, but they haven’t made progress,” the insider continued.

A second insider noted that the prestigious brood will have to settle their differences eventually. “At this point, the royals can only move forward and come to some form of truce with Harry if everyone sits down and talks through their issues privately,” the source tells Us. “Despite everything that’s happened, Harry does want his family in his life.”

While his family’s silence is difficult, the Invictus Games founder has “few regrets” regarding his memoir. “Harry is happy with the outcome of Spare,” the first source explains to Us. “Yes, there has been some backlash. By now he knows it comes with the territory — it’s what he was signing up for when he agreed to write Spare.”

The former Suits star, meanwhile, is letting her husband take the spotlight for now. “From Meghan’s perspective, Spare is Harry’s story to tell. His moment to shine, so she’s taking a step back and keeping a low profile,” the insider tells Us, noting that Meghan is keeping busy and “working on other projects.”

[From Us Weekly]

“He was hoping his family, especially William, would lay their cards on the table” – that’s actually the only part I don’t believe. Not “especially William” – at some level, I do think Harry understands that William is largely a lost cause. At least I hope Harry realizes that, because it’s true. William is a complete psycho and a f–king moron. I think Harry’s goal – with Spare and his interviews – was more about his father’s reaction, and trying to move the needle on their relationship. Of course that’s not what the institution took away from it though, as evidenced by the British media trying to order King Charles to ban Harry from the Chubbly.

Photos/screencaps courtesy of 60 Minutes, The Late Show/CBS, GMA. Cover courtesy of People.

I kept seeing all of these British headlines about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex being “snubbed” by Oprah and I only just now figured out the source of it. The Spectator – a right-wing British publication – published a piece where their British society writer tried to Britsplain what happened at Oprah’s birthday party and what it all means for the Sussexes. The level of obsession is pretty remarkable – British publications can’t help but obsess about “why aren’t the Sussexes at Oprah’s birthday party, the Sussexes must be deeply unpopular in America!” Y’all. It really is that dumb.

As stars came together to celebrate Oprah’s sixty-ninth birthday this weekend, there was one very noticeable absence. Best friend and confidant Meghan Markle appears to have been bumped off the guest list.

A-list megastars gathered to celebrate the TV icon’s birthday that was organized by Anastasia Beverly Hills, in unison with the brand’s twenty-fifth anniversary. Kim Kardashian was in attendance, posting some pictures on her Instagram Story with the caption, “Happy Birthday @oprah. Sharon Stone said it best last night toasting you that you mean the world to the world! Happy birthday!” Don’t worry Megs, we’re sure it wasn’t that fun.

To channel Oprah herself, is the exclusion an act of racism? Unconscious bias? Is Meghan at home crying on the kitchen floor after patiently waiting by the mailbox all weekend? It seems that Mr. and Mrs. Markle’s loud mouths are now being used against them after a series of similar incidents over the last few years.

On a more serious note, snubs like this show that the tide is turning with the Sussexes — and that the gamble that saw them trade in the lifelong duty of being working royalty for the money and fame of being celebrities hasn’t paid off.

Just three months ago I wrote in our October edition that A-listers were leaving the pair off guest lists because of their “capacity to share,” adding that celebs never know where details of their private lives might end up.

The Sussexes were also omitted from the guest list to Barack Obama’s sixtieth birthday, which was a hotspot for philanthropic Hollywood stars such as George Clooney, Jay-Z and Beyoncé: figures that Harry and Meghan are modeling themselves off. At the time, royal watchers speculated that the Obamas pulled back because they were unhappy with the Sussexes’ very public falling out with the rest of the royal family in months prior. The Daily Telegraph wrote, “When it comes to Harry and Meghan, it seems, the former president and first lady remain firmly of the view that blood is thicker than water.”

“The Sussexes equal drama. Everybody over here is starting to realize that they never intended on having a quiet life,” a Hollywood insider says. If Meghan and Harry ever had a chance of cracking the Hollywood scene, staying silent would have been a good option. If they were ever silenced by the palace, as Oprah implied, we never noticed.

[From The Spectator]

There’s more about how Harry made Oprah look “foolish” during his promotional tour for Spare, because none of these people can simply accept that Harry knows a lot more than he’s saying, and that he’s making a conscious choice to hold back and NOT destroy the Windsors. It’s worth noting that the Spectator, the Telegraph, the Daily Mail and other British outlets have no idea what parties the Sussexes are invited to and what parties THEY choose to skip. From what little we know of the Sussexes’ social life, they’re quiet people with a close-knit social circle and they’re able to move around California with a great deal of privacy. THAT is what gives them value and cachet in those elite American circles – the fact that they’re not going to the opening of an envelope, that they’re highly selective about where and when they’re seen, that we don’t know where they are at any given moment. It’s something British people don’t understand.

Photos courtesy of Instar and Cover Images.

Tom Brady announced his retirement yesterday, this time for good (hopefully). I think this retirement came from the drought of options – after his season with Tampa Bay was over, he was a free agent and no team wanted him. He gave up his marriage to Gisele Bundchen for one last season and the season sucked. Tom posted some thank-yous on Instagram and Gisele wrote on one of the posts: “Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life.” that’s the kind of message you’d leave to a former work associate, not the man you were married to for over thirteen years. But that should just show you how Gisele is thoroughly done with Tom. She was done with him a while ago, methinks.

Gisele Bündchen is happy for her ex-husband Tom Brady amid his retirement announcement, sources tell PEOPLE. An insider close to the supermodel tells PEOPLE she has nothing negative to say about her ex-husband and that she is “sincerely happy” for Tom in whatever he does.

“Gisele moved on with her life quite a while ago and is happy about whatever Tom chooses to do with his life now,” the source says. The insider adds that “the welfare and happiness of the children” remain her top priority. “Keeping a positive attitude about Tom and her career is part of what you do as a parent. They are sharing their kids and spreading the love between them so they grow up as normal kids with two caring parents.”

Bündchen wishes him well now and in the future, according to the source, and “is fine with his decisions but is not involved with them.” Both Brady and Bündchen are “interested in keeping life as happy and normal as possible for the kids, the insider explains.

These days, the mother-of-two is “extremely busy in her career and life” and “optimistic about her future,” following her divorce from the former NFL star.

Another source close to the former couple tells PEOPLE that Brady’s return to the NFL after his first retirement announcement was “far from the only issue,” in their marriage. “Gisele likes to keep things positive,” the insider adds. “She finds negativity to be toxic and she wants no part of it. She wants Tom to thrive. It’s beneficial for their kids.”

Additionally, Bündchen is “very grateful” that she and Brady have been able to decide on Miami as a “home base” for their family.

[From People]

You know… looking back, I wonder how much the move to Tampa Bay was a factor in their split. Gisele spent years in Boston/Brookline and she made it into a home where she raised their children and they had a social network, friends and some kind of sense of community. Tom making Gisele uproot her life and the kids’ lives to live in Tampa Bay… well, one could argue that was when the trouble really started. So, yes, I’m glad she’s now Miami-based. That suits her, and the kids probably like it too. Anyway, Gisele is done. She washed that man out of her hair and she’s all “best wishes on your future endeavors” to the man she just divorced three months ago. LOL.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Instagram and Cover Images.