At the beginning of the month we learned Cher was dating Alexander Edwards, aka A.E. Cher calls him both A.E. and Alexander so I don’t know what we’re supposed to call him. I’ll go with Alexander because writing the periods in A.E. annoys me today. Anyway, people have a lot to say about Cher and Alexander, mainly about their age difference. We already know that Cher doesn’t care what anyone has to say about that. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Cher doesn’t “give a f*** what anyone thinks” about who she’s dating, but I am a little surprised how much she’s defending her relationship online. Surely if she didn’t give a fig about people’s opinions, she would simply block out the noise. But she responded again to concerned followers last week and said that Alexander pursued her, they make-out like teenagers and that although she doesn’t care, she knows the age gap looks strange.

Cher is talking directly with fans about her relationship with Alexander “A.E.” Edwards.

Three weeks after being photographed holding hands with the 36-year-old music exec, the 76-year-old icon shared a pic of her boyfriend on her Twitter account. “A.E. Hanging Ot [sic],” she tweeted on November 23, before getting busy replying to fan questions. Regarding their age gap, Cher told one follower that Edwards sought her out.

“He’s 36 & in [the] end he came after me, till we met in the middle,” she tweeted. “He’s [the] consistent one, I’m the skittish one. We love each other… Ladies never give up. Neither one [of us] wanted to make long [flights].” Cher said everything changed for her after a “magic” trip to Paris.

When asked about the quality she most admires about Edwards, she replied, “He’s kind, smart, hilarious…and we [kiss] like teenagers.”

In response to a fan who called the producer “so handsome,” Cher wrote, “I don’t give men qualities they don’t possess. It’s a recipe 4 disaster. He’s ‘not’ his tats, hair color, diamond grill. I [love] him because he wasn’t afraid.” While she says they’re “perfectly matched,” Cher admitted the age gap is not ideal. “Do I wish I was younger, yah,” she added. “I’m not boo fkn hoo.”

“On paper This Looks strange (Even 2 ME),” she tweeted on November 24. “A.E says [heart emoji] Doesn’t Know Math.”

[From Yahoo]

“I don’t give men qualities they don’t possess. It’s a recipe 4 disaster.” This is good advice. Both sexes give their partners traits they want to see in them, and it is a recipe for disaster. Back to Cher, she sounds smitten. I assume that’s why she’s spending the energy responding to people questioning the relationship. Plus, she’s posting pics of Alexander like the one below, she’s definitely loopy for the guy. While I still don’t think she has to defend the age gap, I think it’s kind of funny that Cher admitted it wouldn’t make sense to her on paper either. It also shows that Alexander is a better match for her than me because if he had responded “Love doesn’t know math” to me, I would’ve laughed him out of the room. To each their own.

I’m glad Cher is happy. Apparently, her family has already met Alexander. Hopefully she’s been able to shake Alexander’s best friend Travis Scott as their constant third wheel. And Cher has known her share of lousy relationships. As she told one fan who expressed concern, “As we all know…I wasn’t born yesterday & what I know for sure…there are no guarantees. Anytime you make choice you take a chance. I’ve always taken chances…It’s who I am.”

A.E.Hanging Ot pic.twitter.com/TB5XXJqlxk

— Cher (@cher) November 24, 2022

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photo credit: Backgrid, Twitter and Getty Images

The final episode of the Duchess of Sussex’s Archetypes is here! The Spotify summary calls it “the season finale,” suggesting that Season 2 is already being planned, which is exciting! Meghan’s first Archetypes season was a massive success and a cultural conversation-starter. I have a suggestion for Meghan for an episode for Season 2: “Exploiting the ‘Exotic’ – an examination of biraciality.” But I’m getting ahead of myself! The final episode of Season 1 is “Man-ifesting a Cultural Shift.” She talks to Andy Cohen, Trevor Noah and Judd Apatow. This is the first time in the first season she’s interviewing dudes about archetypes, stereotypes and language. Here’s the pod:

As it turns out, Meghan was/is a huge Real Housewives fan and she spills some tea. When she was on Suits, she tried to get booked on Watch What Happens Live. Andy Cohen wasn’t shocked – he and his staff apparently talked about and wondered about that for years. Meghan also admits that she doesn’t watch Real Housewives these days because her own life became super-dramatic.

I’ll admit that I didn’t think much of Meghan’s dude choices, but maybe these dudes are smart picks. Cohen arguably has more cultural influence than nearly any television producer. Apatow has been criticized many times for his creation of two-dimensional female characters, notably the “nag” archetype, which Meghan gets into.

It’s also kind of funny to me that this episode is the longest one. The first time she interviews men, they would not STFU and Meghan gave them all a huge amount of space. I’m just saying… if these were women being interviewed, Meghan probably would have done a tighter edit!!!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Spotify.

Kensington Palace must have done an info dump on the British and American media this weekend, because it’s incredibly funny to see certain quotes from “unnamed sources” being repeated in multiple outlets. Like, Prince William thinks the Earthshot Prize is “his Super Bowl moment.” That was a quote given to Page Six. But it was also given to People Magazine. Which means it must have been in the KP press release. What a dreadful self-own from William. I can just picture him mid-tantrum, his face bright red, screaming “tell Americans that my big keen thing is like the Super Bowl!!!” How sad. Added bonus: Prince Harry was actually AT the Super Bowl earlier this year, lmao. Anyway, if you want to know more of the keen itinerary, here you go:

Prince William refers to the Earthshot Prize Awards — which will air on PBS on Sunday, December 4 — as his attempt to provide some urgent optimism about tackling environmental issues and climate change. He and Princess Kate are “excited to be able to bring that to the United States and inspire people stateside and around the world through the incredible stories we are going to tell,” the source says.

The source adds, “The prize has become the Prince’s Super Bowl moment of the year, and he looks forward to continuing to use the platform each year to shine a light on some of the most impactful projects doing amazing things around the world to save our planet’s future.”

While the Earthshot Prize on Friday evening is the ultimate reason for their visit, the couple also sees it as an opportunity to “fact-find” about some of the causes and interests close to their hearts. “Some of the things we are focused on right now is supporting some of the most hard-pressed communities up and down the U.K. and we will continue to do that in Boston,” adds the source.

Prince William and Kate’s trip will start with a welcome at Boston City Hall, where Mayor Michelle Wu and Ambassador Caroline Kennedy will help the couple start the countdown to the glitzy, star-studded Earthshot Prize ceremony at the MGM Music Hall on Friday evening.

On Thursday, Prince William and Kate, both 40, will see the work that organizations in Boston are doing to create a more sustainable world, and they’ll learn about some of the innovative technologies being utilized at Greentown Labs in Somerville. Later on Thursday, they will hear about the efforts of Roca, a non-profit organization that’s worked for 35 years to create a cohesive approach to save and help change the journey of the lives of high-risk young people.

Princess Kate will make a solo visit to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University on Friday to learn some of the best practices that can be taken back to her own Royal Foundation and The Centre for Early Childhood as she builds her pioneering work in the area.

Meanwhile, Prince William will tour the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot — which challenged America to put a man on the moon — is the key inspiration behind the Earthshot Prize.

This is also Prince William and Kate’s first trip abroad as Prince and Princess of Wales, and with that comes inevitable parallels with William’s parents — most especially Princess Diana, who was so popular in the U.S.

“They realize the history and the warm affection people feel towards those roles, but they are keen to pave their own path and create their own history,” the source says. “The golden thread for them is the commitment to duty and service — being there in the communities and supporting the communities up and down the country and around the world where they can.”

[From People]

“The golden thread for them is the commitment to duty and service…” William can’t speak Welsh, he and Kate disappeared for three weeks for their kids’ school holiday, and Kate has nothing to show for her eleven years as a royal. Nothing but buttons, pie charts and horse-hair wigs. Even this trip is pretty lightweight – they’re doing one event on Wednesday, two events on Thursday, and then on Friday, they’re splitting up to do one separate event each during the day, then they’ll attend the Earthshot Award show and then what? Get on a plane that night? This is the big tour which is supposed to save the monarchy? LMAO.

Meanwhile, they did manage to book some interesting talent for Earthshot. Billie Eilish will perform, as will Annie Lennox, Chloe x Halle, and Ellie Goulding. Catherine O’Hara, Shailene Woodley, Rami Malek will hand out prizes (I guess William is too lazy to actually hand out the prizes?). William will make the “closing remarks,” and presumably announce where the next Earthshot Award ceremony will be held. What’s your guess? Dusseldorf? The Hague? Los Angeles? Toronto? Some place associated with the Sussexes, I’m sure.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

Elon Musk threatens to make a whole new phone if Apple & Google block the Twitter app. That should be a giant mess. [Dlisted]
Great holiday gifts for your pro-choice friends & family. [Jezebel]
Austin Butler & Kaia Gerber’s relationship is so quiet. [LaineyGossip]
Minka Kelly & Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds are happening? [Just Jared]
Review of Pepsi, Where’s My Jet? [Pajiba]
Rest in peace, Irene Cara. [Seriously OMG]
Margot Robbie’s tweed is too thick, in my opinion. [Go Fug Yourself]
Did you argue about Gilmore Girls during Thanksgiving? [Gawker]
Hailey Bieber celebrated her 26th birthday in Japan. [Egotastic]
People are protesting China’s strict Covid policies. [Buzzfeed]
Kate Hudson looks great in Roland Mouret. [RCFA]
Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “gaslighting.” [Towleroad]

Richard Kay at the Daily Mail had a hilariously bad piece a few days ago which was supposed to be a preview of Prince William and Kate’s three-day trip to Boston. It’s become quite clear that the royal reporters want the Waleses to spend more time in America and really try to glam it up and make a lot of noise. The problem is that William and Kate are too dumb, lazy and scared to really do a glitzy tour. William and Kate have already tried to manage expectations, all while royal reporters are piling on more and more pressure to ensure that this isn’t another cock-up like their Caribbean Flop Tour earlier this year. Even Kay seems to be applying pressure, even though I’m sure he’s already written his post-Boston-tour piece about how William & Kate are the new Boston Brahmins. Some highlights:

Their first trip to America since 2014 is so important: In the years since, everything has changed and so much rides on this visit that is vital to the long-term wellbeing of the monarchy. The reason, of course, is because of the polarising presence of the exiled Duke and Duchess of Sussex, whose ‘truth bombs’ from California have done serious damage to the reputation and good name of the House of Windsor. The ordeal has seen brother pitched against brother and has put the royals at their highest state of anxiety since the dark days of the various marriage crises of the 1990s.

Will & Kate’s dry itinerary: While William and his wife will be hoping to unleash the wow factor despite engagements that are a little on the dry side, Harry and Meghan will be milking their attendance as ‘honourees’ at a glitzy money and celebrity-driven awards ceremony.No wonder these twin visits are being likened by a curious American audience to a duel and a battle of philanthropic do-gooding.

The Sussexes and the Ripple of Hope Award. This is not for work to do with Aids, leprosy or the sick and the downtrodden, as Diana’s was — but for calling out ‘structural racism’ within the monarchy. And how did they do that exactly? It was their claim during last year’s Oprah Winfrey interview that an unnamed member of the Royal Family made a remark they construed as racist — wondering what their son Archie would look like when he was born. The late Queen famously responded with her unvarnished observation to the claim that ‘recollections may vary’. A wiser figure than Harry would not just have politely swerved this distinctly unedifying honour but have seen through it as a provocative and contrived gesture.

Harry has tried to claim his mother’s legacy: Harry has frequently invoked the Princess’s name with regard to the frustrations he and Meghan faced, and drawn comparisons between their own unhappiness with royal life and Diana’s. (Although it is worth pointing out that, unlike Harry, Diana, for all her difficulties, did not abandon her country and continued to serve the monarchy.)

Oh, so now they’re admitting that Harry is popular in America? Now, the Prince is venturing onto his brother’s territory, a potential challenger to Harry’s authority as the most popular royal in America….Within royal circles it is being viewed as the most important overseas excursion for years and is designed to put the Windsors on the front foot.

But enough about substance, what about the superficial: The [Waleses’] trip is certainly businesslike and worthy. The question is whether it will deliver the kind of positive headlines that makes for good PR. Many of the details are under wraps but there is talk of a visit to a university campus and to a basketball game, two opportunities for the Prince and Princess to mix with young people.

The star wattage of buttons: William’s greatest asset, of course, is the glamorous Kate, who radiates something of the star-wattage that made Diana such a sensation in the U.S. He and his wife are said to be ‘excited’ about being on American soil after an absence of eight years. It is also their first trip abroad since the death of the Queen and that is expected to play strongly in their favour. ‘They appreciate there will be a lot of interest and they do welcome it,’ says a friend. ‘It is obviously a big moment for them as they adjust to their new roles and titles. William, especially, knows how much America adored his mother and that she was the last Princess of Wales to visit its shores.’

The Sussexes & the Kennedys: Posing for pictures — as they almost certainly will — with members of a family who for years have supported Irish unity and attacked Britain’s policy in Ulster will at best look naive and at worst embarrassing.

The no-glitz Waleses: All the same, there is a view that Kate and William’s low-key visit lacks glitz. Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, who dined with Diana in New York not long before her death, says: ‘Interest in William and Kate is low boil. I would like to have seen them hit more cities than Boston where sizzle factor is quiescent, to say the least.’ For the monarchy the twin tours represent the sternest of tests. If William and Kate are received positively, then it scarcely matters about the California blowhards Harry and Meghan. Fail and the Windsors’ reputation in America could be fatally undermined.

[From The Daily Mail]

“Although it is worth pointing out that, unlike Harry, Diana, for all her difficulties, did not abandon her country and continued to serve the monarchy…” Diana literally gave up all of her royal patronages and she was actively searching for a way out of Salt Island when she died under mysterious circumstances. Best not to rewrite that part of the story, Richard Kay. I also think it’s hilarious that Kay is like “how dare the Sussexes accept an award from the Irish-unity supporting Kennedys” whilst simultaneously bragging about how William and Kate will spend time with Caroline Kennedy’s son Jack. It would perhaps shock Kay to realize that the Kennedy family is (gasp) all related? And Kay is SO SALTY about the fact that the Sussexes would simply accept an award! How dare they accept an award! They should spend millions of dollars on themselves to create their own awards scheme!

It’s also just so funny to me that this sad three-day flop tour of Boston is being called “the most important” or “most significant” trip in years, when multiple royals have undertaken many supposedly significant Commonwealth tours? William and Kate were in the Caribbean on a very important Jubbly tour just seven months ago and they fell flat on their racist faces. I guess that tour wasn’t as important or significant as this one though.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Cover Images.

More than a week ago, we had an update on the situation with the Duke of Edinburgh title. When the Earl and Countess of Wessex were married, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip put it in writing that they both wanted the Edinburgh title to go to Edward and Sophie eventually, when Phil and Liz had both passed away. Sophie and Edward went on a full “grief tour” following Philip’s death, giving interviews about how the title was practically theirs and how they were Edward’s parents’ favorites. Meanwhile, the title became Charles’s as the first-born son and heir, and now that he’s king, he can bestow the title on anyone he wants. He’s told the Wessexes repeatedly now that they’re not getting the Edinburgh titles. Edward and Sophie are beyond miffed, but for now, they’re playing nice. I wonder for how long, especially if this Mail on Sunday report is accurate. Apparently, Charles wants to make Princess Charlotte the Duchess of Edinburgh???

King Charles has not made Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh because he is saving the title for Princess Charlotte, The Mail on Sunday has learned. The revelation comes after months of speculation as to why the King has withheld the title from his younger brother, who had been expected to inherit the Dukedom after his father’s death last year.

A source said: ‘Discussions are under way, but the favoured outcome for the King is that this title ought to go to Princess Charlotte. It would be a fitting way to remember the Queen – who, of course, had the title Duchess of Edinburgh – and a way for His Majesty to honour the line of succession.’

As the Prince of Wales’s second child, Charlotte is third in line to the throne, after her father Prince William and brother Prince George. When the Princess of Wales was expecting her first child, the rules of Royal primogeniture were changed to allow a girl born to the couple the same rights as a boy. In the event, William and Kate’s first child was Prince George, who was born in 2013. But the new rules meant Princess Charlotte’s position at birth in 2015 was not affected by the arrival of her younger brother Prince Louis in 2018.

The title of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh is one of the most senior in the Royal Family. Charlotte’s position as the second child of the heir to the throne is similar to that of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, who was the second child of Prince Philip and the then Princess Elizabeth.

But unlike Anne she will not drop down the order of succession until her older brother George has children. When William becomes King, George will become Duke of Cornwall and then Prince of Wales – but not Duke of Edinburgh.

A source said: ‘Charlotte’s position is historically significant because she is the first female member of the Royal Family whose place in the line of succession will not be surpassed by her younger brother. So it is constitutionally significant that Charlotte should be given such a corresponding title, because it is not beyond the realms of possibility that she will accede the throne if, for example, Prince George does not have children.’

For years it was thought King Charles’s brother Prince Edward, the third son of the Queen and Prince Philip, would be granted the rank. A source close to Edward said that the lack of movement on him being granted the title Duke of Edinburgh from the King ‘had not gone unnoticed’.

Now discussions are taking place at the Palace as to what title, if any, Edward will be awarded under the new reign. While the Wessexes are said to be ‘relaxed’ about titles, it will no doubt come as a blow. Should Edward be granted a Dukedom it would stay in his family. At present, his children are styled Lady Louise and Viscount Severn. The move by the King to focus on the line of succession is significant, as Charles III plans a modernised, slimmed-down monarchy. A Royal insider said: ‘It shows you what the King is thinking. It’s about promoting those directly in line to the throne rather than those on the edges.’

[From The Daily Mail]

While I don’t know the ins and outs of royal primogeniture, I honestly didn’t think princesses could just be given a random ducal title by the king?? Wouldn’t that mean that whoever Charlotte marries would become the Duke of Edinburgh? That’s… weird? It’s far more likely, in my opinion, that Charles and his advisors are just using Charlotte as a temporary excuse for not giving DoE to Edward. I think Charles wants to keep the title for as long as possible, regardless of his parents’ explicit wishes (which were put in writing!). Now, does anyone think that Charles will give the Wessexes a different ducal title? I don’t. To Charles, the Wessexes are “on the edges.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instar.

Every single preview of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Boston trip has the air of barely concealed panic. William and Kate will arrive in Boston on Wednesday, the 30th, and stay in and around Boston for three days. Apparently, they’re not adding on any other cities or events to their trip, although Kate is taking her buttons and pie charts to Harvard. My sense is that William and Kate are trying desperately to manage expectations, to bring down the temperature on this trip, all while the royal rota is screaming, crying and throwing up about how this American tour is the most important and significant trip that the Waleses have done in a decade. Page Six had another preview this weekend and you can just tell that William and Kate were “thrown off their game” by the simple fact of the Sussexes receiving the Ripple of Hope Award in New York. Like, that’s thrown the Keens into chaos. Some highlights:

William & Kate are coming to claim the crown of the royal family’s No. 1 couple. Although palace sources are keen to stress that the Waleses’ US visit is not an official tour, there’s a lot riding on the three-day trip — particularly as Harry and Meghan will jet to NYC on December 6, just four days after Kate and William leave the States, to pick up the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award. One well-placed royal insider told Page Six that the brothers’ opposite missions underscore a big point: “It’s not bad to receive an award, but it shows the fundamental difference between [William and Kate] — who have constitutional roles, who are working on behalf of others — versus being a celebrity. They were always famous, but now they’re reached a different stage in their public lives — they’re different types of figures.”

Kate is going to cosplay Diana the whole time, I guess: It’s a “real opportunity for a big wow moment,” said Bethan Holt, Fashion Director of the Telegraph and author of several books on royal fashion. “If anyone can combine talking about something very seriously with delivering this huge boost of glamour and royalty it’s William and Kate,” Holt told Page Six. “This is a big chance for the British segment of the royal family to make a big splash and remind everyone why they are loved and to re-establish that connection.”

The Waleses want to recreate Diana-esque moments: Kate, and William, 40, will also be following in his mother’s footsteps by reaching out to underrepresented communities, just as Diana did on her 1989 NYC trip when she visited young AIDS patients in Harlem. “The Prince and Princess didn’t want to come in for the awards show and then leave, they wanted to spend time getting to know communities in Boston,” said a source close to the couple. “The Earthshot Prize is the Prince of Wales’ Super Bowl moment — and he wants to use the platform in a positive, optimistic way to shine a way on climate change and the environment,” said the source close to the Waleses.

No distractions: The Earthshot awards ceremony will air on PBS on December 5. Days later, the Sussexes’ Netflix docu-series is set to launch, swiftly followed by Harry’s tell-all memoir, “Spare,” which promises “raw, unflinching honesty” when it is published on January 10. Meanwhile, the close Wales source said, “The Prince and Princess of Wales will be focused on getting on with the job at hand. They are not going to be distracted.”

The Sussexes need to get on with it! Added the well-placed royal source, “Look, everyone wants Harry and Meghan to be happy and focus on the future — you have a beautiful family, it’s time to get on with it. For the Prince and Princess of Wales, their belief is ‘Life’s too short and there’s too much to do’. You get on with your lives and your work without having to worry about any games from anyone else.”

[From Page Six]

Hahahahahahaha. Nothing says “we’re moving on with our lives” than multiple palace-sourced preview articles arguing that William and Kate are here to “steal the Sussexes’ crown in America.” This is also amazing: “It’s not bad to receive an award, but it shows the fundamental difference between [William and Kate] — who have constitutional roles, who are working on behalf of others — versus being a celebrity.” William and Kate aren’t going to Boston through their “constitutional roles” though – they’re going because William’s staff made up a keen environmental award scheme and William has already blown through millions of donor money to embiggen and promote himself. There’s no constitutional mandate that says the Prince of Wales must turn up in Boston and try to keen it up with the Kennedys. Meanwhile, the Sussexes are simply being given an award for being iconic.

A few more things – it’s sad to me that after more than eleven years of marriage, with this incredible platform, Kate has set the bar so low for herself that all anyone can say is “she better wear something interesting” and “we can expect her to superficially cosplay Diana.” Even with the bar that low, she’ll still f–k it up too.

Photos courtesy of Instar.

Helena Bonham Carter gave a lengthy interview to the Times of London (or rather, the Sunday Times). She’s just become the first female president of the London Library, so the interview was done as promotion for her new role, but the piece is an infuriating litany of terrible statements from HBC about cancel culture, royalty, her predator friends and her transphobic friends. What’s strange is that mixed into the piece, there are moments of extreme eccentricity from HBC, and I’m left with the impression that she’s giving herself a built-in excuse for her terrible opinions: she’s simply too eccentric and British to pay attention to people’s pain, darling. Some highlights:

On past writers accused of racism and xenophobia. “I get a kneejerk reaction about this, because we should be able to rely on readers’ common sense. When people start editing things out, I feel they’re missing the point. We can’t coerce the past into our present values, even though it’s evidence we’ve progressed, and we can’t start Tippexing out anything offensive. If you’re a teacher, you point out, ‘This was a time when …’ but we can’t whitewash the past, because the past is what we’re reacting against.”

On cancel culture: “Do you ban a genius for their sexual practices? There would be millions of people who if you looked closely enough at their personal life you would disqualify them. You can’t ban people. I hate cancel culture. It has become quite hysterical and there’s a kind of witch-hunt and a lack of understanding.”

Whether there’s a way back for canceled celebrities: “I don’t think there is for someone like Kevin Spacey. And Johnny [Depp] certainly went through it.”

More on Johnny Depp: “Oh, I think he’s completely vindicated. I think he’s fine now. Totally fine.” I ask if the US libel case between Amber Heard and Depp was the pendulum of #MeToo swinging back. “My view is that she got on that pendulum. That’s the problem with these things — that people will jump on the bandwagon because it’s the trend and to be the poster girl for it.”

On JK Rowling being attacked for her transphobia: “It’s horrendous, a load of bollocks. I think she has been hounded. It’s been taken to the extreme, the judgmentalism of people. She’s allowed her opinion, particularly if she’s suffered abuse. Everybody carries their own history of trauma and forms their opinions from that trauma and you have to respect where people come from and their pain. You don’t all have to agree on everything — that would be insane and boring. She’s not meaning it aggressively, she’s just saying something out of her own experience.” HBC also sniffs tall-poppy syndrome in the desire to knock Rowling down. “If she hadn’t been the most phenomenal success, the reaction wouldn’t be so great. So I think there’s a lot of envy unfortunately and the need to tear people down that motors a lot of this cancelling. And schadenfreude.”

On the younger actors, like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, criticizing Rowling: “I won’t say that [they’re ungrateful]. Personally I feel they should let her have her opinions, but I think they’re very aware of protecting their own fan base and their generation. It’s hard. One thing with the fame game is that there’s an etiquette that comes with it; I don’t agree with talking about other famous people.”

On her relationship with Rye Dag Holmboe, who is 21 years younger than HBC: “I like that it’s constantly news that he’s younger than me. And what’s hilarious is that I keep getting older, but to the tabloids he remains 33. He’s almost like Benjamin Button. Good on the men for appreciating different kinds of beauty and finding other things sexy. Collagen is not the only form of sexiness; there’s character, fun, mischief and humour. As long as you’ve got the laughter, the intimacy will be there.”

On Prince Harry: Bonham Carter has previously said that Margaret wasn’t self-pitying; is that the difference between her and the current spare, Prince Harry? “I think this is the problem with navel-gazing. But we now live in an era when you can talk about your mental health, and she could have shared quite a lot and it might have helped with the despair — which is what Harry and her share. Of course, it’s an impossible family to survive. It’s a very tricky thing to be conspicuous and vulnerable — not a good mix.”

[From The Times]

“Do you ban a genius for their sexual practices?” If they rape, hurt and abuse people, YES YOU BAN A GENIUS. Jesus, this isn’t hard!! Her comments about Depp are completely ridiculous, but I’m sure a lot of Depp’s friends feel that way, regardless of the fact that a British high court said yes, Depp abused Amber Heard. Even the American civil court said that he abused her, the jury just said that Amber shouldn’t have talked about it. None of that is “vindication.” As for the Rowling stuff… she really hit the trifecta of bullsh-t, wow. People “should let her have her opinions,” all while her transphobia is doing real harm to the trans community. HBC acts as if Rowling’s transphobia is siloed – just one bad opinion, let her have it, why can’t you let her have her hateful bigotry??

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

There’s someone named Gyles Brandreth and he’s written yet another royal book, this one called Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. Brandreth was apparently close friends with Prince Philip, and I’m sure we’ll have many excerpts from his book in the coming days. Some of the first headlines from the book are about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and what Queen Elizabeth II apparently thought of their comings and goings. This isn’t the most significant part, but it is hilariously British, so enjoy:

Whenever the names of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex come up in court circles, courtiers flinch and change the subject or refer to them as ‘persons who live overseas’. If Harry and Meghan are mentioned to members of the Royal Family, they simply smile briefly and say ‘we wish them all the best’ and nothing else.

[From The Mail]

“Persons who live overseas,” please – these people are so salty. Courtiers can’t even pay lip service to “the PRINCE who lives in AMERICA.” I bet that’s not all the courtiers call the Sussexes either. I’m sure there are any number of racist slurs thrown around all the time.

Anyway, Brandreth also claims that Harry heard that his grandmother’s health was declining earlier this year, and that’s why he delayed the publication of his memoir (there is no evidence for that, but sure). He also claims that QEII wasn’t mad that Harry decided to write a book at all. Which I believe – Charles, William and their staffs are the ones freaking about Spare, it was never QEII. Brandreth also wrote about the Sussexes’ choice to name their daughter Lilibet:

The Royal Family found it “bewildering” and “rather presumptuous” when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry called their daughter Lilibet, a book has claimed. But the Queen said the name was “very pretty and seems just right”, biographer Gyles Brandreth suggested.

He wrote: “According to the Sussexes, Harry sought his grandmother’s permission to use her family nickname as the Christian name for her 11th great-grandchild. The Queen’s recollection was a little different. According to the Queen, Harry told her the Sussexes wanted to call the baby ‘Lilibet’ in her honour and she accepted their choice with good grace, taking it as the compliment it was intended to be. Others in the family found the choice ‘bewildering’ and ‘rather presumptuous’, given that ‘Lilibet’ as a name had always been intimately and exclusively the Queen’s. Later, the Queen said: ‘I hear they’re calling her “Lili”, which is very pretty and seems just right.’”

He added that the Queen was “devoted” to Harry and “she truly wished him well in his new life abroad”.

But he also wrote in his book: “The only concern the Queen let slip in the early days of the Sussexes’ marriage was to wonder to a friend if Harry wasn’t ‘perhaps a little over-in-love’. This was as far as she came – to my knowledge at least – to ever uttering a word against the new Duchess of Sussex.”

[From The Sun]

He makes a point of saying “Recollections may vary” about Lilibet’s name and then proceeds to admit that the Sussexes absolutely told QEII about the name choice ahead of time and she thought it was a sweet tribute? I always believed that Harry did tell his grandmother about his daughter’s name ahead of time and she said “oh, that’s nice” and didn’t tell her courtiers about it. I still think the courtiers were the ones having the freakout and they didn’t want to admit that QEII hadn’t informed them. As for QEII worrying that Harry was “a little over-in-love” – I can actually see that being a concern within the family. That Harry fell hard and fast with Meghan and he was making “rash” decisions. But for Charles and William, that concern quickly morphed into “the Sussexes’ relationship is based on mutual respect, loyalty, true love and passion and it doesn’t resemble our marriages at all, ATTACK!”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red,Cover Images, Misan Harriman for the Sussexes.

The Princess of Pie Charts “wrote” an “editorial,” you guys. Kate, the Princess of Wales, is leaning in so hard to her Early Years work. 2023 is going to be such a huge year for the Royal Foundation’s Centre for Early Years/Buttons, it’s going to be her very own Earthshot. In that Kate’s crack team of Tory operatives will put together something vague and Kate will slap her name on it, the same way she slaps on a wiglet to the back of her head. Here is Kate’s Telegraph editorial in all of its glory:

Over the past 10 years, talking to a wide range of experts about how we deal with societal issues like poor mental and physical health, I have become more and more sure of one thing: if we are going to create a healthier and happier society for future generations, we must start by understanding and acknowledging the unique importance of the first five years of life.

Early childhood, from pregnancy to the age of five, fundamentally impacts our whole lives, establishing the core foundations which allow us to go on to thrive as individuals, with one another, as a community and as a society.

Over the past three decades, the body of evidence to support this has grown substantially. We now know that in the first five years of our lives, our brains develop faster than at any other time and that the impact of those years is hugely significant. It is the way we develop through our experiences, relationships and interactions at that very young age that shapes everything from our ability to form relationships and succeed at work, to our mental and physical health as adults.

There are fantastic examples of what can be achieved when we recognise the unique potential of early childhood and build a safe and loving world around a child.

But not enough is being done. If we are going to tackle the sorts of complex challenges we face today like homelessness, violence and addiction, which are so often underpinned by poverty and poor mental health, we have to fully appreciate those most preventative years and do everything we can to nurture our children and those who care for them.

We have an incredible opportunity, armed with all we now know as a result of the work of dedicated scientists, researchers and practitioners, to make a huge difference to the mental and physical health of generations to come. That is why I am determined to continue to shine a light on this issue and to do everything I can to secure much greater focus on those first crucial few years for the youngest members of our society – they are, after all, our future.

[From The Telegraph]

Whenever I actually sit down and read the statements prepared for Kate about Early Years, I’m always left feeling a bit unsettled. Yes, I think the early years of one’s life are important for development, and yes, of course we learn more all the time about how little kids are sponges in their environments, soaking in all of the bad and good influences. But lord, that’s true of kids of all ages, not just the under-5s.

What bugs me about Kate’s work is how she’s consistently limiting her focus. Kate’s argument is never “young children need a solid base of support/education/role-modeling good behavior, a base which needs to still be in place into adolescence, the teen years and young adulthood.” Like, I genuinely believe that KATE believes that if a kid has a screwed up home life when they’re 3 years old, everything is hopeless thereafter. Kate’s limited research doesn’t actual focus on… life in all of its complexities, and how different kids react differently to different stresses and life changes, nevermind the kids who (gasp) grow up in single-parent households or in economically disadvantaged households.

This issue was given to her as something easy, soft and uncomplicated, because who’s going to be “against” Kate turning up somewhere once a year and holding babies. But as the years go on and Kate has nothing to show for her decade of Early Years keenery, it does feel like she’s actively wasting people’s time.

Photos courtesy of Kensington Royal, Instar.