Judging from British dramas, I’m always left with the impression that London is chock full of all kinds of spies. I’m sure that’s true of New York and DC, and I’m sure both America and the UK have all kinds of glaring espionage loopholes which are mercilessly exploited by foreign actors. I’m still convinced that Donald Trump was fully handing off highly classified documents and secrets out of Mar-a-Lago’s tackiest bathrooms, you know? But I digress. Apparently, there was a Chinese spy operating in England, and he befriended Prince Andrew. The (alleged) Chinese spy was so close to Andrew, the spy was invited to Andrew’s 2020 birthday party AND Andrew authorized this guy to “do business” on Andrew’s behalf in Asia. It’s all coming out now:

A “close confidant” of the Duke of York is an alleged Chinese spy who has been banned from entering the UK on national security grounds. The man, known only as H6, was once a junior civil servant in China and was so close to Prince Andrew that he had been told he could act on the royal’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, according to a secret hearing. He was also invited to the Duke’s birthday party in 2020, and was described by the judges overseeing the case as a “close confidant of the Duke”.

However, the Home Office decided to exclude H6, aged 50, from the UK in July 2023 after MI5 deemed him to be an agent who had engaged in “covert and deceptive activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that he posed a threat to national security. A letter from a senior adviser to the Duke was found on H6’s phone, stating that he was authorised to act on behalf of the royal in engagements with potential partners and investors in China.

H6 challenged this, but a special immigration commission has now ruled that Suella Braverman, the home secretary at the time, was justified in her decision to ban him from the UK. In their 53-page ruling, the judges said that the Duke could have been made “vulnerable” to the misuse of H6’s influence.

In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon said: “The secretary of state was entitled to conclude that the applicant represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom, and that she was entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate.”

The SIAC hearing was told that the contents of the businessman’s mobile telephone was downloaded when he was stopped under counter-terrorism laws at a UK border in 2021. The mobile’s contents revealed that the Duke authorised the man to set up an international financial initiative known as the Eurasia Fund to engage with potential partners and investors in China. The phone contained a March 2021 letter from Dominic Hampshire, a senior adviser to the Duke, confirming the businessman could act on behalf of the royal in engagements with potential partners and investors in China.

The letter states: “I also hope that it is clear to you where you sit with my principal and indeed his family. You should never underestimate the strength of that relationship … outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.” It added that after a meeting with the Duke they had “wisely navigated our way around former private secretaries and we have found a way to carefully remove those people who we don’t completely trust… Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.”

The immigration judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”.

[From The Telegraph]

This reads, to me, like Andrew has been constantly in need of money for decades and he’s willing to leverage whatever “influence” he has to openly sell access to himself and his family to whoever is willing to pay. The problem is that even China understands that Andrew is not any kind of golden goose when it comes to influence, intelligence or power. I hope the PRC enjoyed hearing Andrew yammer on and on about his sweat glands or his ponies. Like, I understand the severity of this and of course it looks (and actually IS) incredibly bad for Andrew. But also – lol, the Chinese spy had to go to his bosses and admit that his big asset within the British royal family is just this human-trafficking loser and buffoon.

This is probably the most concerning part for the Windsors: “Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.” As in, the Chinese spy was advising Andrew on how to get people in and out of the establishment undetected? Hm.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

In late October, Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis (Murdoch crony and Washington Post CEO) ordered WaPo’s editors to dump the newspaper’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris. The backlash to the decision was immediate, with thousands of people unsubscribing from WaPo and several journalists and editors stepping down. The day after the election, Bezos dropped his endorsement of Donald Trump though – Bezos congratulated Trump and openly kissed Trump’s dinosaur ass. Now this: Bezos will donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

Amazon.com is planning a $1 million donation to president-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, as founder Jeff Bezos and other tech leaders shore up ties with the incoming administration. The donation is being prepared as Bezos, Amazon’s executive chairman, is slated to visit Trump next week at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter.

Tech companies have been the target of intense criticism by Trump and his allies, and other tech leaders have hastened to smooth ties with him. Mark Zuckerberg directed Meta Platforms to also make a $1 million contribution to Trump’s inaugural fund, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Bezos and the company decided on the contribution earlier this week, and communicated it to Trump’s team, according to some of the people. “Bezos is donating through Amazon,” according to a person close to Bezos. Amazon also will stream the inauguration through its Prime Video business, a separate, in-kind donation valued at $1 million, another of the people said.

Amazon gave about $58,000 in cash and in-kind donations to Trump’s inauguration in 2017, when other tech companies donated larger amounts. Amazon was told by the Biden administration that it wasn’t accepting tech donations for the 2021 inauguration, according to a person familiar with the matter, although Amazon streamed the inauguration for President Biden.

[From WSJ]

During the first Trump administration, Bezos and Amazon actually lost a big government contract. Instead of holding a grudge and making it his life’s mission to send Trump straight to hell, Bezos has spent recent years “making nice” with Trump, supplicating and capitulating to whatever Trump does or says. It’s a pretty awful look in general, and a catastrophic look for the owner of the Washington Post. This is why millions of people have abandoned their newspaper subscriptions, by the way. People are also tuning out cable news in droves. The post-election media landscape is dire, but hey, those are the same media outlets who sanewashed Donald Trump for years and helped get him elected. (Also, it f–king sucks that Mark Zuckerberg is donating too.)

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

King Charles was outside on Thursday – he toured Apple’s UK headquarters with Tim Cook, and he toured the Curated Makers Christmas Market. Both events were associated with the King’s Trust (formerly the Prince’s Trust), which has offered support to various entrepreneurs who were involved with the Christmas Market. Charles always manages to look genuinely delighted whenever he’s in markets, shops or grocery stores. He always manages to look mildly horrified whenever they make him do photo-ops with computers or anything tech-related too.

Anyway, Charles is preparing for Christmas and trying to make his Christmas-hosting sound much bigger and better than his late mother’s Christmas hosting. Per usual, Charles will celebrate Christmas in Sandringham with his family. Reportedly, it’s supposed to be a larger gathering than usual, and Charles and Camilla have both made a point of asking their families to come to Norfolk for the holiday. Tom Parker Bowles spoke about it extensively in an interview with the Telegraph last weekend – Tom usually spends Christmas Day at his ex-wife’s house, with their two kids. This year, Camilla asked Tom and his kids to come to Sandringham. I assume Camilla’s daughter Laura will also be there. Obviously, Charles did not not invite both of HIS kids to Christmas. We heard that weeks ago, that the Sussexes did not receive an invitation to Sandringham. But someone wanted it emphasized, so Richard Eden got a call.

The King is determined to make this Christmas a big celebration for the extended Royal Family. Indeed, Prince William told families at a Christmas event for the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment in Wiltshire this week that he was looking forward to spending it with 45 relatives ‘all in one room’!

Among those present for the first time will be the King’s stepson, Tom Parker Bowles, who revealed last weekend that he would be taking his two children to the royal retreat in Norfolk.

Despite the profound significance of this year’s celebrations, and the King and Queen’s intimations of mortality, there will be four conspicuous absences at the Christmas dinner table. While the King’s stepson will be there – the first time a monarch’s stepchild has ever stayed at Sandringham – his younger son will not.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will instead be in California. Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, is likely to be the only member of either family to join them as they carve their turkey.

I am told that it is unlikely Prince Harry and his family were even invited to Sandringham this year.

‘Relations between Harry and his family are not sufficiently close for an invitation to be sent,’ a royal source tells me. ‘It’s very sad that things are that bad. We know that Harry wants to mend fences, but there is an awfully long way to go.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“Relations between Harry and his family are not sufficiently close for an invitation to be sent… We know that Harry wants to mend fences, but there is an awfully long way to go.” First off, the way it’s worded, they’re assuming that Harry was desperate for an invitation, but they can’t say that Harry requested an invitation (because he would deny that lie swiftly) or that he offered to come (again, he could deny that lie). It’s more likely that Harry and Meghan sent Christmas cards or holiday messages to Charles and then began planning their Christmas feast in Montecito. The fact that Buckingham Palace keeps pursuing this storyline – Desperate Harry Wants Reconciliation, Only To Be Brutally Snubbed By Charles – says more about Charles than Harry. It’s also a confession that all of this “big family gathering at Sandringham” PR is just another storyline for an audience of one: Prince Harry. “Look at us, Harry, we’re enjoying Christmas without YOU, aren’t you jealous?!?!” Psychotic.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

In an era in which society has moved away from legacy broadcast media and onto streaming platforms, there have been some great, independent, interview-style shows popping up via YouTube. One of the absolute best shows to come from YouTube is Hot Ones, which is produced by the studio First We Feast and now has more than 14 million subscribers and many more million views per episode. I’m sure you’ve all watched at least one episode. It’s a fantastic show with well-researched questions. Sean Evans is an amazing host.

Buzzfeed bought First We Feast back in 2021 as a part of a larger media acquisition of a company called Complex Networks. In February 2024, the company sold Complex Networks off but kept First We Feast. Well, Buzzfeed needed to reduce more of its debt, so it just sold First We Feast to a group of investors, including Evans, Chris Schonberger (FWF’s founder), Crooked Media (Pod Save America), Rhett & Link’s Mythical Entertainment (Good Mythical Morning), and George Soros’ Soros Fund Management. The deal was for $82.5 million. Schonberger will serve as CEO while Evans will become the company’s first chief creative officer.

BuzzFeed announced a deal to sell First We Feast, the studio behind the popular YouTube chicken-wing-eating celebrity talk show “Hot Ones,” for $82.5 million in cash to a group of investors. The consortium of buyers includes First We Feast founder Chris Schonberger and “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans, alongside podcast media company Crooked Media, Rhett & Link’s Mythical Entertainment and Soros Fund Management, the investment firm founded by billionaire financier George Soros. First We Feast said additional investors will be announced at a later date.

“Hot Ones,” first launched in 2015, now has more than 14 million subscribers on YouTube and 4 billion views to date on the platforms. Hosted by Evans and “known for its deeply researched questions,” the show has featured dozens of high-profile guests including Gordon Ramsay, Jennifer Lawrence, Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Holland, Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Hart, Post Malone, Millie Bobby Brown, Paul Rudd, Margot Robbie, David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Earlier this year, First We Feast was engaged in talks with Netflix to produce live “Hot Ones” shows for the streamer.

With BuzzFeed’s sale, First We Feast will become an independent company led by Schonberger, who will assume the role of CEO, and Evans, who is taking on the newly created position of chief creative officer in addition to his ongoing tenure as host of “Hot Ones.” Sarah Honda, SVP of operations and brand strategy, will continue to oversee operations and serve as a co-executive producer of “Hot Ones” and SVP of client partnerships Brendan Kelly will continue to head up brand partnerships and ads sales for the business.

Today’s announcement marks an exciting new chapter in First We Feast’s history,” Schonberger said in a statement. “Being part of this incredible journey has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Our proven expertise in developing compelling formats, iconic IP, and best-in-class interviews makes us uniquely positioned to build on the brand’s momentum and supercharge our growth.”

The new investment in First We Feast will let it expand into new areas, Schonberger said, including new platforms, live events and talent acquisitions.

Evans, who noted that he hosted the very first episode of “Hot Ones” in March 2015, said, “As we approach the 10th anniversary of ‘Hot Ones’ next season, I’m constantly amazed by the passion and loyalty of our fans, who have made this journey so special. Not only is ‘Hot Ones’ a hit show, but it’s an experience — a cultural touchpoint that audiences want to be a part of, whether they’re watching, tasting the sauces, or sharing in the challenge with friends.”

He added: “The future is spicy, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

[From Variety]

That group of investors is interesting. Soros and Rhett & Link’s financial involvement didn’t surprise me at all. Crooked Media did a little bit, though, because Pod Save America’s interview with VP Kamala Harris’ campaign team a few weeks ago broke the “news” about why we never got that Harris/Walz Hot Ones appearance, which is that the show didn’t want to get political. I’d love to know what went on behind-the-scenes there because this deal had to have been in the works when it was recorded. (FWIW, I don’t think their involvement is anything other than another financial investment, so I don’t think we’re going to be seeing any sudden hard political turn from FWF.)

Anyway, good for Evans and Schonberger! They’re living the dream right now. The first content that will be produced post-sale is the Hot Ones annual holiday special on December 19. I hope First We Feast is super successful as its own independent entity. And while I don’t think they’re going to suddenly get political, I do wonder what new and creative shows they’ll produce now and whether or not any of the current shows will change now that they don’t answer to a parent company. It sounds like they’ve got some big plans to expand the brand and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Ferrari – Look/Look Press/Avalon/Avalon, Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Avalon, Getty and screenshot from YouTube/First We Feast

Austin Butler will play Patrick Bateman in a new version of American Psycho, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Will Patrick Bateman sound like Elvis?? [JustJared]
Chris Pine’s girlfriend looks like Emma Radacanu in some angles. [LaineyGossip]
Wait, Benny Blanco has a net worth of $50 million? [Hollywood Life]
Mariah Carey got the flu during the Christmas szn! [Seriously OMG]
Tennessee Republicans want to hand out $5 million fines to abortion-pill providers. Yeah, Republicans are really mad about abortion pills. [Jezebel]
Scary secrets about various industries & professions. [Pajiba]
Cate Blanchett’s ugly tartan. [RCFA]
Are you watching Pop Culture Jeopardy? [Buzzfeed]
Spotlight on model Matthew Djordjevic. [Socialite Life]
A LEGO remake of The Substance. [OMG Blog]

Embed from Getty Images
A few weeks ago, Kylie and Jason Kelce announced that they’re expecting their fourth daughter. Baby Girl #4 will join big sisters Wyatt, five, Elliotte, three, and Bennette, 20 months. Last Thursday, Kylie’s new podcast, “Not Gonna Lie” premiered. The episode has already surpassed Joe Rogan as the #1 podcast on both Spotify and Apple Charts, which is pretty cool.

During the first ep, Kylie did a segment called “Five-ish Questions” in which she answered a few questions that were taken from fans. The first question was about Bennette crying in the picture of the pregnancy announcement (she’s still upset because she doesn’t like to share her mama with anyone else) and the second one was about pregnancy in general. Kylie shared that she “cannot stand” being pregnant because she’s nauseous for most of it and rather than having cravings, she gets food aversions. Pregnancy is not a “good time” for Kylie.

“I always say I am so incredibly grateful to be able to get pregnant—unbelievably grateful,” she said in the Dec. 5 premiere episode of her new Wave Sports and Entertainment podcast Not Gonna Lie. “I have realized in my adult life that it is not as easy to get pregnant as we were originally led on to believe in high school.”

However, Kylie—whose brother-in-law Travis Kelce and his girlfriend Taylor Swift have already shown their love for the sweet news—continued, “But it is a means to an end when I tell you that I cannot stand being pregnant. I mean it. I don’t have a fun time.”

Because for the 32-year-old, pregnancy comes with a number of uncomfortable symptoms.

But Kylie isn’t the only Kelce family member to have mixed emotions about her pregnancy. In fact, her youngest, Bennett, has not yet come around to the fact she’s going to have a younger sister.

“When I tell you that Benny feels deeply and personally victimized by the fact that we chose to give her another sibling,” she said, “I mean that with my whole chest.”

Kylie went on to explain that Bennett can get a little possessive of her mom.

“When other babies or little kids come over and they try to sit in my lap, she physically removes them,” she shared. “So, we are about to ruin her day.”

[From E! News Online]

I’m sorry to hear that Kylie is so miserable while she’s pregnant. In terms of nausea, I was lucky with both of my pregnancies and only threw up once, with my second one. Similarly, my only food aversion was tapenade (and that son, funnily enough, now LOVES olives). Anyone have any really weird ones? I got so lucky in those regards. I was in a lot of physical pain with my younger son, though, and by the end, could barely sit up. I ended up having hernia surgery under my belly button when he was eight months old. Women really do go through so much with pregnancy, even the easier ones. I wish society would recognize this and respond with more compassion than it does now. Hopefully, this pregnancy will be an outlier for Kylie and she’s more comfortable.

I listened to the entire episode and it’s pretty good. She’s humble, funny, and likable. She also lightly trolled her husband’s podcast. I laughed when she joked that she and Jason “don’t have that formula” to make a boy. Kylie pledged to keep every episode under 45 minutes because she knows that a lot of women do not have time to listen to a podcast that’s hours long. I appreciate that! Kaitlin Olson is her guest for the second half of it. You can tell Kylie’s nervous and hasn’t quite found her footing yet, but it’s only the first episode. She’ll find her groove. I listened to it through the Podcasts App on my phone, but you can also watch it in video form here.

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A post shared by Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce (@nglwithkylie)

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A post shared by Kylie (McDevitt) Kelce (@kykelce)

Prince Harry’s trial against News Group Newspapers will happen in early 2025. The trial will not be a brief affair – there will likely be weeks of testimony and legal-bickering, and I’m a little bit worried that the trial will still be happening when Harry and Meghan arrive in Vancouver and Whistler for the Invictus Games on February 8. Obviously, Harry doesn’t have to physically be in court for the entire thing, but he will have to testify, and he will likely have to/want to testify in person rather than via Zoom or whatever. Well, NGN’s lawyers are trying to intimidate Harry, I think, and they’re saying that Harry will be under a microscopic cross-examination for days. Don’t threaten him with a good time!

The Duke of Sussex could face four days of “extensive” questioning in the High Court in his upcoming trial against the publisher of The Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering. The Duke, 40, and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson are bringing legal action against News Group Newspapers (NGN), which is set to head to trial in January 2025.

The Duke was also accused of trying to turn his legal battle into a public inquiry after he said last week he would never settle the case to achieve closure for the hundreds of thousands who had settled.

Anthony Hudson KC, for NGN, said 30 articles will be included in the trial in the Duke’s case and he would need to be questioned on each one. The barrister said Harry will be questioned about whether or not his claim should be dismissed because it was brought too late, adding: “That is going to require an extensive cross-examination of the Duke on actual and constructed knowledge.”

Mr Hudson continued: “If we said anything less than up to four days, we would be at risk of running out of time.”

David Sherborne, representing the Duke and Lord Watson, said the Duke had been questioned for only a day-and-a-half in his claim against Mirror Group Newspapers. He continued: “The idea that Mr Hudson could allow himself four days because he doesn’t want to feel rushed, that could apply to every witness.”

Mr Hudson KC also told the court the Duke’s comments in a New York Times interview last week proved he was trying to turn the case into a public inquiry. “It shows what’s really going on,” he said. “This is not about the trial of these individual claims, certainly not about the Duke’s. It’s about something very different. What it’s clearly about… it’s almost by definition a public inquiry.”

[From The Telegraph]

I genuinely wonder if the average British person understands what Harry is doing here and what he’s going up against, and how NGN and the British tabloids have run a high-level extortion scheme on hundreds of celebrities, royals and politicians. After all of this, after years of motions and hearings and threats and intimidation tactics, Prince Harry is still marching these f–kers to trial. I think he will be more than happy to be cross-examined for four days about all of this horses-t, if it comes to that.

Some NGN/Sun covers from the years where this case has been slow-walked to trial.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, The Sun.

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A post shared by Kelly McKee Zajfen (@_heartmom_)

For months now, the deranged royalist storyline about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been “professional SEPARATION!” They think if they continue to scream “separation,” that will somehow encourage Harry and Meghan to split up. Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan have just continued to do whatever they want, going to some events separately while they ignore the narrative. Well, here’s more evidence that Harry and Meghan are not joined at the hip: Meghan went to a baby shower without Harry! Baby shower separation!!

Meghan Markle will dress on theme to celebrate her friends! On Dec. 11, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, was photographed alongside friends Kelly McKee Zajfen and Markus Anderson to celebrate their friend Samantha Stone’s baby shower. Zajfen, the cofounder of Alliance of Moms, posted a sweet Instagram photo alongside Meghan, Stone and Anderson — each in baby pink attire.

Meghan wore a light pink Posse Alice linen midi dress to the celebration. She was photographed candidly smiling beside Zajfen, Anderson and Stone, the Soho House & Co. Chief Membership Officer.

Stone wore a pink halterneck gown with ruffles on the neckline, while Zajfen wore a tweed babydoll dress. Anderson, the Soho House director, wore a pink polo with a pink sweater draped across his shoulders and tan trousers.

[From People]

For years, the tabloids have tried to find out everything they can about Meghan and her friends, but I’ve yet to hear how Meghan became so tight with literally everyone behind-the-scenes at Soho House & Co. Long before she met Harry, she was tight with Marcus Anderson and Samantha Stone and all of the Soho House people. How did those friendships even start? Anyway, it’s cute to see Meghan out and about with friends. I think some – not all, but some – of the “professional separation” angst is because those people are mad that Meghan has a close circle of friends who never sell her out. The tabloids are mad that Meghan has friends and that she’s able to move around and live her life, basically. Anyway, Meghan looks cute in the photo and she looks great in pink.

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Donald Trump is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. He beat out the Princess of Wales, Elon Musk, Kamala Harris and Joe Rogan for the title. It honestly would have been bizarre if Kate was POTY given everything else. I’m sure the fact that Kate would have refused an interview was a factor as well! As for the cover… it looks like Trump got a fresh wig, and it’s weird that they shot the photo from below, given Trump’s waddle and double chin (which were photoshopped on the cover). I have very little tolerance for any of this sh-t at this point, but if you want to read his POTY interview, you can see it here. Here’s a short excerpt:

Trump has a ready explanation for his improbable [political] resurrection. He even has a name for its climactic final act. “I called it 72 Days of Fury,” he says as the interview gets under way. “We hit the nerve of the country. The country was angry.” It wasn’t just the MAGA faithful. Trump harnessed deep national discontent about the economy, immigration, and cultural issues. His grievances resonated with suburban moms and retirees, Latino and Black men, young voters and tech edgelords. While Democrats estimated that most of the country wanted a President who would uphold the norms of liberal democracy, Trump saw a nation ready to smash them, tapping into a growing sense that the system was rigged.

If America was craving change, it is about to see how much Trump can deliver. He ran on a strongman vision, proposing to deport migrants by the millions, dismantle parts of the federal government, seek revenge against his political adversaries, and dismantle institutions that millions of people see as censorious and corrupt. “He understands the cultural zeitgeists,” says his 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who remains a close adviser. “Donald Trump is a complicated person with simple ideas, and way too many politicians are the exact opposite.”

Trump also promises to attack the sources abroad that he blames for the country’s malaise: economic interdependence, transnational criminals, traditional allies he sees as free riders on America’s long-running global beneficence. He believes he has tools to fight back: punitive tariffs, bare-knuckle negotiations, and threats to withdraw U.S. military, humanitarian, and economic support. Willing to upend the nation’s postwar role as a bulwark against authoritarianism, he promises to usher in a foreign policy rooted in “America First” transactionalism.

[From Time]

Yeah, it’s going to be a real sh-tshow. The American Experiment is over, not with a bang but a whimper. I hope everyone who voted for the Leopards-Eating-Faces Party gets everything they voted for. Beyond that, I hope all of the sensible people out there can find ways to protect themselves and the people they love.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, cover courtesy of Time.

A few weeks ago, Buckingham Palace clearly gave extensive briefings as to the Windsors’ Christmas plans. There were confirmations that the Princess of Wales would join the family for Christmas, as would Prince Andrew. Someone also made sure to tell everyone that Prince Harry and Meghan did not “receive an invitation” to Sandringham this year, which means the Sussexes will spend their fifth Christmas in a row outside of England. The palace tried and failed to strike a balance between “the poor, cancer-stricken king wants to be surrounded by family for the holiday” and “obviously, the king still hates his younger son and Black daughter-in-law!” Anyway, I guess we need to be bashed over the head with that message, because Katie Nicholl had this Vanity Fair exclusive:

The Royal Family are preparing for a “bumper” Christmas at Sandringham after a year of personal challenges. King Charles will honor the late Queen’s tradition of hosting Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk and it is expected that around 40 family members will attend this year in what sources are describing as “one of the biggest family Christmases ever.”

Sources tell Vanity Fair that Kate Middleton and Prince William will be joining the royals despite rumors that they could opt for a more low-key Christmas at Anmer Hall.

“Actually the plan is for them to all be at Sandringham for a very special big family Christmas. William and Catherine and the children will be there. The king and queen want their nearest and dearest with them to celebrate,” a royal source tells Vanity Fair. Tom Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla’s son, revealed in an interview with the Telegraph published Saturday that he has been invited to join the royals for Christmas for the first time and is looking forward to a “different” Christmas to usual.

King Charles is said to be keen for the royals to conduct a walkabout after church on Christmas Day in what will be seen as a show of unity and togetherness. The last time the royals were seen en masse was on Christmas Day last year. Just weeks later the palace revealed that the Princess of Wales and King Charles were to undergo surgery followed by the shocking news that they had both been diagnosed with cancer. Neither royal has disclosed the type of disease they have been battling.

“It has been a very difficult and challenging time but the feeling is they are over the shock and the worst of it, and everyone is feeling very optimistic about 2025,” adds the insider. “The king is having ongoing treatment, which he is tolerating very well. When I last saw him he was looking amazing and very excited about the family being together for the festive season.”

“The queen is doing a lot better, she just needs to rest and take things a bit easier,” said the source. “She is very much looking forward to having some of her family at the Christmas table this year, it is going to feel extra special.”

[From Vanity Fair]

Nah, Queen Elizabeth used to host some huge family gatherings for Christmas, and this feels like Charles trying to copy that and failing miserably. It’s so funny how badly they’ve f–ked up the messaging on Christmas, one of the most important Christian holidays for the head of the Church of England, you know? Forgiveness, brotherhood, family, togetherness… but the king is too hateful and petty to invite his son. And the credibly accused rapist is invited, as is the king’s former-cokehead stepson.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.