Last week, Queen Margrethe announced her plan to remove the royal titles from four of her grandchildren. It’s been chaos ever since. The four grandchildren are the children of Prince Joachim, QM’s younger son, from his two marriages. Joachim went straight to Danish media after his mother’s announcement, claiming that he was barely given notice that this was happening, that he’s very hurt and his children are hurt too. Over the weekend, Joachim and his second wife Marie spoke to the media again, talking about how their daughter was already being bullied in school, how this decision is hurtful to the kids, and how they feel estranged from the royal family, especially Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. Joachim also told B.T. that since QM’s announcement, he had not spoken to his mother or his brother, and that his family had not reached out to him. Well, Margrethe heard all of Joachim’s statements and she issued one of her own:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is speaking out about the hurt caused by her decision to strip four grandchildren of their royal titles. In a new statement released by the palace on Monday, the Danish monarch said she “underestimated” how the news would affect her second son, Prince Joachim, and his four children, who are set to lose their prince and princess as well as “His/Her Highness” titles next year. Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, will retain their places in the line of succession but will be known instead by His Excellency Count of Monpezat or Her Excellency Countess of Monpezat.

Queen Margrethe, 82, started her statement, “In recent days, there have been strong reactions to my decision about the future use of titles for Prince Joachim’s four children. That affects me, of course.”

“My decision has been a long time coming. With my 50 years on the throne, it is natural both to look back and to look ahead. It is my duty and my desire as Queen to ensure that the monarchy always shapes itself in keeping with the times. Sometimes, this means that difficult decisions must be made, and it will always be difficult to find the right moment,” she continued. “Holding a royal title involves a number of commitments and duties that, in the future, will lie with fewer members of the royal family. This adjustment, which I view as a necessary future-proofing of the monarchy, I want to take in my own time.”

“I have made my decision as Queen, mother and grandmother, but, as a mother and grandmother, I have underestimated the extent to which much my younger son and his family feel affected. That makes a big impression, and for that I am sorry,” Margrethe said. “No one should be in doubt that my children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are my great joy and pride. I now hope that we as a family can find the peace to find our way through this situation.”

[From People]

It’s kind of an extraordinary statement, right? I’m so used to the shenanigans from the Windsor clan, it’s fascinating to see a sovereign accept responsibility, apologize and also… not back down. This statement isn’t a reversal of Margrethe’s decision, it’s an apology and an acknowledgement that her decision hurt her son and her grandchildren. But she’s like: I’d do it again, anything to protect the crown.

It’s clear that there had been discussions for months, perhaps even years, about the eventual need to “strip” Joachim’s children of their titles, or to edit the Danish royal family in various ways. It’s also clear that Joachim believed, up until a week and a half ago, that other options were on the table and that none of this was going to be permanently decided right now.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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Nick Cannon continues to Nick Cannon and just welcomed his tenth child. That’s three babies for him since July. Last I wrote about him, he’d just welcomed a child with Bre Tiesi (a first-timer) and announced he was expecting another with Brittany Bell. Then there was a surprise (meaning not previously announced) baby with LaNisha Cole (also a first-timer) last month. Anyway, Brittany had a boy. Congrats to them, I guess. She and Nick already have two kids, a son born in 2017 and a daughter born in 2020.

Nick Cannon now has nearly enough kids to form a basketball team.

“The Masked Singer” host announced on Friday that he and model Brittany Bell had just given birth to his 10th child, a boy named Rise Messiah Cannon.

It’s the pair’s third child together following the births of a son, Golden Sagon, and a daughter, Powerful Queen.

Rise’s arrival comes just a few weeks after he announced the birth of his ninth child, a baby girl named Onyx Ice Cole Cannon, who he had with former “Price Is Right” model LaNisha Cole.

In addition, Cannon shares twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with ex-wife Mariah Carey, another son, Legendary Love, with Bre Tiesi, and twin sons Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with DJ and model Abby La Rosa.

Another child, Zen, who Cannon fathered with model Alyssa Scott died in December at 5 months old after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Although Cannon’s parenting situation is not typical of most people, La Rosa said she’s found a way to make things work during a recent podcast.

“Technically speaking, we all know about each other,” she explained. “It’s just how much do you want to know, how much are you choosing to know. And I trust the connection that I have with Nick.”

[From HuffPo]

I’ll update my handy dandy list below with this new development. Brittany had her baby sooner than I expected. The LaNisha surprise threw me off, but I thought Abby De La Rosa would go next based on what was previously announced. I think she’s due this month. I don’t think they’ve ever officially confirmed Nick is the dad, but c’mon, he’s everyone’s dad. And he’d also said previously he would stop supporting his ladies if they got with other men so it’s pretty safe to assume it’s him and he is considering the positive comments Abby made on a recent podcast.

I’m also wondering if Alyssa Scott is pregnant again. After Nick’s insensitivity with his new baby announcement so soon after her son’s death, I thought for sure she’d be done. But she posted a pic of the two of them together after that and on Mother’s Day she posted a bump pic (with comments off), but it’s unclear if it’s new or from her past pregnancy. This is a lot. Four kids in one year is a lot. Three kids in two months is a lot. Is he better or worse than Alec and Hilaria Baldwin? This is wild.

• 2011: a twin son and daughter with Mariah Carey
• 2017: a son with Brittany Bell
• 2020: a daughter with Brittany Bell
• June 2021: twin sons with Abby De La Rosa
• June 2021: with Alyssa Scott, a son who tragically died five months later
• July 2022: a son with Bre Tiesi
• September 2022: a daughter with LaNisha Cole
• September 2022: a son with Brittany Bell
• ~October 2022: Abby De La Rosa?

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Over the weekend, Buckingham Palace released a bizarre portrait, heavily airbrushed, of King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. The photo was taken at the diplomatic reception the evening before Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. All four royals were clad in black, befitting the mourning period. What was weird about the portrait is that all four looked completely happy. Camilla was grinning from ear to ear. Kate looked very pleased. Charles and William looked like a weight had been lifted. Considering all four spent the mourning period laughing, smiling, cheesing for cameras and more, it definitely left the impression that no one but Prince Harry actually mourned for QEII.

Anyway, that photo was supposed to represent the “New Fab Four.” The Daily Mail’s Richard Kay dutifully wrote a column about how Harry was probably sick with jealousy at having been left out of this happy-mourning tableau. Enter Misan Harriman, who was in Manchester with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Manchester, days before QEII passed away. Last week, Harriman released some photos of a roundtable discussion in Manchester involving Harry and Meghan. On Monday, he released these lovely portraits from their appearance at the One Young World summit. Incredibly striking, beautiful images of a power couple in love. The way Harry is holding Meghan’s finger (and his other hand is likely on her ass) is HOT.

Imagine thinking Harry and Meghan are jealous of the Dreadful Four. LOL. Meghan and Harry were perfectly willing to use all of their beauty, charisma and work ethic to the benefit of the Firm. Too bad the Firm was sick with jealousy.

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*insert sad clown noise*

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Misan Harriman, Chris Jackson for Buckingham Palace.

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Meghan Trainor’s new album, Takin’ It Back, is finally coming out in two weeks. I feel like we’ve been talking about it for so long. One of the subjects of the album is Meghan’s new life as a working mom. She’s mom to 19-month old Riley, her son with Daryl Sabara. We know much about her relationship with Daryl and her life with Riley because Meghan is filter-less. And it’s lovely that she wants to share everything with us, but there’s a vulnerability to Meghan that sometimes I wish she wouldn’t expose so much to us. She gave yet another no-holds-barred interview to romper to promote the album. She talked about both her future babies, of which she wants to have two or three more, and the one she has. As we know, Riley’s birth was difficult, and he spent some time in the NICU because he didn’t wake up to feed. In this interview, Meghan admitted that she felt the nurses in the NICU were blaming her for her baby’s health issues because she took anti-depressants during her pregnancy.

She loves her life: I get to be a pop star during the day and then give my kid a bath at night? It’s like, pinch me.

She plans to home-school her kids: I want to hire a preschool teacher that will be able to teach emotions. How to handle it when you want to freak out and scream, because they don’t usually do that. And not to get dark here, but [in regular schools, you have to worry about] guns and all that stuff. I don’t really want to send my kids somewhere where I’m just like, ‘Hope to see you later!’ It’s horrible. Horrible. There’s all those victims’ parents thinking, ‘I never thought it would happen to me’ until it fucking does. Everyone tells me, ‘You can’t keep your kid in a bubble,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, but I can.’

Her pregnancy was tough: I’d gained 15 Covid pounds before I got pregnant, so I felt massive, and my face was breaking out with a dermatitis, so it was like eczema all around my mouth. I had gestational diabetes, so I had to test my blood all day long. I was over it.

She felt judged in the NICU: They kept asking me if I was on antidepressants during the pregnancy, and I was, but on the lowest dose possible, and all my doctors said it was safe and wouldn’t affect him. It was really fucked up. They had no name for what was wrong. He just wouldn’t wake up. They said, ‘It’s really up to Riley when he wants to wake up.’ I’d be like ‘Really? Can’t you just zap him and get him up?

She panicked when Riley didn’t cry much his first month: We kept being like, ‘Uh oh, what’s up with him? Is this what serial killers are like when they’re first born? They never cry?’

She had a meltdown when Riley switched from saying ‘mama’ to ‘dada’: I literally had a meltdown over it. But you just take all the blame [when you’re a working mom]. Men don’t have that same feeling, and they’re shocked that we do.

Being superwoman is hard: All the wives, all these mamas, you can’t cry, you can’t be like ‘Today was fucking tough. Nope, you have to be like, ‘Everything’s perfect; we’re all perfect and happy.’ And it’s not easy. Women are just stronger and smarter. We make life, you know what I mean?

[From romper]

I mean, this interview is so raw. The interviewer had to reassure Meghan three or four times that she’d had similar experiences with her kids. And while Meghan is a young-ish mom at 28, she is surrounded by family and other moms. She talks about her famous moms’ group with Hilary Duff and Ashley Tisdale and how amazing and supportive they are. And her own mother lives 20 minutes away and works as Meghan’s assistant. Her aunt and uncle also work for her as a cook and landscaper, and we know her brothers live with her – at her insistence. You would think Meghan has reassurance everywhere she turns. But, raising kids is one of the scariest things and if you’re prone to self-doubt, it will amplify that tenfold.

I bring this up because I’m split on the NICU thing. Hormones wreak such havoc with a new mom right after birth, so I’m sure Meghan felt myriad emotions as her baby was lying in the hospital. If she and her doctors agreed she should be on anti-depressants, she did the right thing. The good news is Riley is fine and Meghan is looking forward to starting on giving him a baby brother or sister as soon as she can.

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We keep talking about the fact that we really don’t know what long COVID is going to look like. Even living with this thing for almost three years, it still feels like we’re playing catch-up all the time. Unfortunately, some people are going to have this much longer than expected. People like Dave Navarro. In June, I learned that Dave had gotten COVID in December 2021. I found out when Jane’s Addiction pulled out of their appearance at Welcome to Rockville because of Dave’s health. At the time, he assured fans he would be back to his old self. As of this writing, he’s still struggling. Last Friday, Dave announced he would not be touring with Jane’s Addiction and Smashing Pumpkin’s Spirit On Fire tour due to lingering symptoms.

Dave Navarro on Friday announced he will not be attending Jane’s Addiction and Smashing Pumpkin’s “Spirits On Fire” tour due to his lingering COVID-19 symptoms.

“To all of the Jane’s Addiction fans attending the Jane’s/ Smashing Pumpkins ‘Spirits On Fire’ tour, I am sorry to have to say that I will not be attending due to my continued battle with Long Covid that I have been dealing with since last December,” he wrote in a statement on Twitter.

“I had hoped for a full recovery by October, but I am still very fatigued and will not be able to join this leg. I am personally gutted as our original bass player has returned, Eric Avery. We wanted to bring you the original lineup, but that will have to wait until I am recovered. While the band is touring, I will be working on some new Jane’s material in the studio here in LA.”

Navarro added, “I am honored to have him help make this tour happen. Though I am saddened to not make this tour, I am focused on making a full recovery and re-joining the guys when I am able.”

“I truly wish the band well on this tour, and I am confident they will bring everything to make it a fabulous show! Go get ’em guys!” he concluded. “Maybe I can get to a show one night and watch my own band for the first time ever. Thank you for understanding.”

[From Yahoo!]

In the full message from Dave, he mentioned, “the great Troy Van Leeuwen will be filling in for me,” noting he was honored to have Troy take his place in the band on tour. I’m sure Dave is incredibly upset at having to skip this tour, as is the band. I can’t imagine how the ticketholders feel. I like Jane’s Addiction, but if I were to see them live, it would be to see Dave’s playing. However, I’m sure this is also very scary for everyone involved. I know Dave’s no kid, but having your life curtailed to that degree at 55 would be daunting. And, like we said, we just don’t know how long these symptoms last. At least Dave can still make music, he’s still recording, just not touring. And hopefully that’s just for now.

Dave also has his art, which has been such a huge focus for him. So if he does have to give up touring, he has something else to focus on. I know I’m bright-siding this, but I didn’t want to end on a sad note. Still, get vaccinated, continue to wear your masks and be careful.

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Mila Kunis looked like she bathed before the premiere of her Netflix movie. [Go Fug Yourself]
Highlights from the Miles Teller-guested SNL season premiere. [Pajiba]
The first King Charles III coins are being minted. [Buzzfeed]
Taylor Swift & Drake will release a diss track about Kim Kardashian & Ye? [Dlisted]
Devery Jacobs covers Elle Canada. [LaineyGossip]
Republicans have always claimed that abortion isn’t an economic issue. They’re wrong. AOC is just the latest to clap back on it. [Jezebel]
It’s been 30 years since Cameron Crowe’s Singles. [Gawker]
Gemma Chan & Nikolaj Coster-Waldau walked the runway in Paris. [Just Jared]
Sister Wives’ Kody wants the remaining wives to conform to patriarchy. [Starcasm]
The 2023 Met Gala’s theme will be Karl Lagerfeld-related. [Towleroad]
Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress went viral. [Egotastic]
Mila Kunis gave a spoiler for That ‘90s Show. [Seriously OMG]

For months now, especially the past month specifically, all of the pearl-clutching about Prince Harry’s memoir has come exclusively from his father. I buy that Prince William is concerned, but Charles is absolutely leading the charge of “theatrical angst about Harry’s book” to anyone who will listen. It’s gotten so bad that Charles’s court and William’s court have been leaking wishful-thinking theories about how Harry will rewrite his memoir or push back the release date for 2023. Again, all of that is coming from England, not New York publishing sources, not Montecito sources. So keep in mind that Charles wouldn’t have gone to the Mail on Sunday with this horsesh-t unless all of that other stuff had not worked. Harry must not be returning Charles’s calls.

Palace aides have been discussing ways to stop Prince Harry publishing his memoirs. There is said to be deep concern that the book will contain damaging revelations despite suggestions that he is seeking to tone it down.

It is part of a presidential-style strategy launched by aides that will focus on the crucial first 100 days of the reign.

A friend of the King said: ‘The question inside the Palace is: “Can the book be stopped?” It may be that even Harry can’t stop it at this stage but the feeling at the very top is that there’s no good that can come of airing grievances in public.’

Lawyers to the Royal Family at the firm Harbottle and Lewis are expected to be on standby to read the book when it comes out.

But it is highly unlikely the King would wage a legal battle against Harry, whose £36 million deal with Penguin Random House may mean he is unable to stop it. It comes at an important time in the King’s reign.

A Palace source said: ‘His Majesty will build on the points he has expressed to the nation: now that the period of mourning is over, he will support diversity, promote community spirit and protect the space for those with faith and those without. He is mindful that, as King, his interests and passions will continue but that… some of his previous commitments will now continue in the trusted hands of others.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I thought palace sources were convinced that Harry was rewriting everything after seeing his father’s popularity? LOL. I thought palace sources were convinced that Harry would postpone publication until next year? Do you mean to tell me that months of high-profile sourcing and palace agita have all been for naught? So now we’re at the point where King Charles is threatening Harry with his lawyers and trying to shut down his son’s American publishing contract? It should be said again: this is the most bonkers projection I’ve ever seen in my life. If Charles and William are really so sure that they did everything they could to help out Meghan and Harry, that they were given every chance and that H&M weren’t bullied or abused whatsoever, then surely Harry’s memoir will be a non-story? And certainly not worth eighteen months’ worth of crying, harassing, lying, projection and manipulation, only to then threaten to sic the lawyers on Harry?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Over the weekend, Denmark’s Prince Joachim and his wife Princess Marie gave another interview. Previously, Joachim spoke, on camera, to a Danish media outlet soon after his mother Queen Margrethe yanked his four children’s royal titles. Joachim was very upset and he said the children are upset too. He made it sound like he was barely given any notice. His two sons by his first wife are in their 20s, but his two younger children, Henrik and Athena, are just 13 and 10. And they just got bullied by their grandmother in public. Well, after the kids’ titles were yanked, it feels like Joachim and Marie are ready to speak out against Margrethe… and Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. Some highlights from this weekend’s interview:

Athena is already being bullied: Princess Marie said that Athena is being bullied at school after the decision was publicly announced earlier this week. ‘They come and say (to Athena): Is it you who is no longer a princess?,’ Princess Marie told Danish news outlet BT. She said her children were put under the public spotlight and feels the need to defend them, especially now after her youngest is being picked on. ‘The children were publicly exhibited. At very short notice. This means that we, as parents, have not had time to prepare them for the change and people’s reactions,’ she added.

Joachim & Marie discussed Frederik & Mary: Joachim and Marie said they have not spoken to the Crown couple, with Marie describing the relationship as ‘complicated’. The prince added that they have not yet spoken to the Queen either. Commenting on Crown Princess Mary’s point that her children may too lose titles in the future, Joachim said: ‘I don’t know how they feel if they have to think it through. Now is preparation time. We didn’t have that.’

A proper way: Speaking about the monarch’s intention to slim down the Danish royal family, he said: ‘The reality must still be: whether you modernize or slim down, it must be done in a proper way. It’s about children. Orderliness and children. It is a very heavy matter.’ Meanwhile, referencing the idea of a slimmed down monarchy, Marie said: ‘I don’t think it’s modern to have some injured children.’

[From The Daily Mail]

In this interview, Joachim and Marie indicated that they’re “not thinking of leaving the Danish royal house. Instead, they will continue their work in their own way – even if the family is divided like never before,” according to Hello. What’s interesting about that is that Joachim, Marie and their two young kids live in Paris now. In early 2019, they moved to Paris for what was supposed to be a temporary military training program for Joachim. Then Joachim had a stroke in 2020. At the time, people were told that Joachim decided to keep his family in France and take a position as defense attache at the Danish embassy. Now that move is being seen in a different light though – perhaps an effort from Margrethe, Frederik and Mary to exile him. In 2021, Marie came right out and said that the move to France wasn’t their “choice.” As in, they were exiled.

There are also new and old quotes about how Joachim has “felt humiliated and ignored for a long time” and that the issue with his children’s titles will not be “the last word in the matter.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

In the Duchess of Sussex’s cover profile in The Cut, the journalist Allison P. Davis is allowed into the Sussexes’ Montecito mansion, which Davis described in detail. The house sounds like it’s lovely, comfortable and sort of like it has the vibe of a high-end hotel. I came out of The Cut’s piece believing that Harry and Meghan liked the home a lot and they were happy to build their new lives there. But what if the Sussexes are looking to move to a different home in the elite Santa Barbara community of Hope Ranch? That’s the rumor! I can’t even blame the British press for this one, the rumor seems to have originated in the Santa Barbara News Press:

The buzz around town is that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have either already purchased or are shopping for a very private estate in Hope Ranch, having determined that their Montecito mansion does not properly accommodate them.

[From The Santa Barbara News Press]

Hope Ranch is apparently about ten miles away from their Montecito home and from the photos, it seems like it’s more of a “nestled in the mountains” vibe, as opposed to ocean-adjacent. I’d rather be closer to the beach, but perhaps it’s a security thing – the Mail’s reporting mentioned that there have been break-ins in the Sussexes’ neighborhood, weird how the Mail knows all of that though. It could also be an amenities thing – from what I gather, Hope Ranch is some kind of gated community with a members-only country club, golf club, tennis courts and equestrian trails. According to the NY Post, homes in Hope Ranch can go for $22 million.

So do you think Harry & Meghan will move? LOL. What if they move somewhere with even more bedrooms and bathrooms and it’s more expensive? Hahaha the Mail’s editors will be frothing at the mouth. There will be all-caps headlines about the number of bathrooms. Anyway, the Sussexes’ Montecito home was a good investment and if they sold it, they would probably double their money. That being said, I bet you anything that Meghan simply likes to look at real estate and seeing what’s available in their area. Looking around doesn’t mean they’re buying or selling!

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

I’ve never really thought of Oprah Winfrey as someone who is close-minded about anything, really. She seems exceptionally curious, which is what made her such a good TV talk show host. While Oprah is pretty religious, she’s also not bash-people-over-the-head about it. Which makes this story really weird. Apparently, Shania Twain and Oprah had dinner together at some point, and their conversation turned to religion versus spirituality, and Shania made Oprah sound close-minded or weird about religion?

Shania Twain learned never to talk about religion at the dinner table while out with Oprah Winfrey. The country pop star, 57, shared on the podcast “Table Manners with Jessie Ware and Lennie Ware” on Wednesday that the divisive topic made her conversation with the media mogul, 68, turn “sour.”

“It was great to just sit and have real talks, but as soon as we started talking about religion, it all went sour,” Twain — who did not specify when the dinner took place — said, adding that she then told Winfrey, “Let’s stop talking about religion!’”

The “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” singer said there were clear differences between her and the former talk show host because Winfrey is “quite religious” and Twain considers herself more “spiritual.”

“I’m not religious in the sense that I’m dedicated to a religion,” she explained. “I’m much more of a spiritual person. I’m a seeker.”

Despite their conflicting points of view, Twain said she was open to having a conversation but the topic just “wasn’t debatable” for Winfrey.

“There was no room for debate, and I like to debate,” the “From This Moment On” singer said. “Canadians like to debate everything. So, I’m like, ‘Oh, OK. It’s time to change the subject.’”

A rep for Winfrey did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on Twain’s claims. In an interview with AARP Bulletin in 2015, the Oprah magazine founder, who grew up Baptist, opened up about her relationship with her faith and how she views those of different backgrounds.

[From Page Six]

Why does this feel so shady? Granted, if a dinner conversation with Oprah turned to religion, I would try to change the subject too, just because there are more interesting topics of conversation! I’d like to talk to Oprah about royalty, celebrity gossip, whether Gayle ever annoys the bejesus out of her, what Steadman is really like. Again, it feels like Shania is trying to say Oprah is close-minded or even bigoted about religion and… I’m just not buying that? Oprah reads and recommends too many self-help books (many of which are just watered-down lessons from Buddhism and Hinduism) to be close-minded about religion.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram and CBS/Harpo.