Just a few weeks ago, Brittany Mahomes began thoroughly exposing herself as a Donald Trump supporter online. While she’s not wearing MAGA hats to Kansas City Chiefs games, she seemingly has no problem with Donald Trump publicly thanking her for “defending” him. Trump has also posted AI images of Taylor Swift “supporting” him, images which Taylor has not shut down in any way. Taylor has also been silent as “Swifties for Harris” Zoom fundraisers pop up. Some people, myself included, gave Taylor the benefit of the doubt. I will admit, it could be a tricky situation between Taylor and Brittany because of Travis and Patrick Mahomes’ work relationship and friendship. But Taylor is definitely leaving the impression that her white privilege is more important than standing up for marginalized people. Taylor is definitely leaving the impression that it’s fun to hang out with people who will vote for an adjudicated rapist who sent an armed mob to assassinate Democrats and overthrow the government. This is no longer about vibes. Well, Variety published an interesting column on Monday, just a day after Taylor and Brittany chummed it up at the US Open men’s final. From “If Taylor Swift Doesn’t Endorse Kamala Harris, She’d Be Entering a New Era:”

Taylor Swift’s fans and detractors would likely agree on one thing about her: There is little-to-nothing that the world’s most famous performer does without intention and forethought. This extends to her forays into political activity. She endorsed a Democratic candidate for senate in Tennessee in the 2018 midterms; framed the promotion of her album “Lover” around well-meaning if muddled pro-LGBTQ sentiments in 2019; and then endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020. The 2018 endorsement in particular marked a watershed for Swift — it was the first time she’d spoken directly about electoral politics. Netflix’s 2020 feature-length documentary about Swift, “Miss Americana,” hinges on this decision; in it, she tells her father, who’s opposed to her speaking out, “I need to be on the right side of history.”

Does she feel the same need today? While there is time to go before the Nov. 5 presidential election, Swift has remained silent thus far. Unusually protective of her likeness even by the standards of celebrity, Swift let Donald Trump’s use of A.I.-generated images falsely suggesting she endorsed him go by unremarked-upon; unusually willing to leverage high-profile friendships to show different sides of her, she’s chilling at the U.S. Open with Brittany Mahomes, whom Trump has thanked for her support.

Swift seems from one angle to have no more responsibility to speak out than any other high-profile person — perhaps she might argue she has a responsibility to remain silent. In her only public comments addressing the foiled plot to stage a terrorist attack on a planned concert in Vienna, Swift wrote on Instagram: “Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows.” Her Eras Tour is to continue through December, after the election; it is not unreasonable to think that Swift speaking out on a highly contested race might come with some element of risk. (Indeed, that was one of the arguments put to her in favor of staying silent in her documentary.)

But one returns to the documentary, in fact, to see why the idea of Swift riding out the rest of the year in silence would feel, frankly, strange. Swift’s political action, in the past, came from what is evidently a place of deep passion; in “Miss Americana,” she weeps on camera describing the Republican Party’s agenda. But then — it’s happening on camera, in a film Swift agreed to appear in at an in-between moment in her career. Speaking out came with a risk — it was also, ultimately, good for the brand, at a moment that said brand was very much in flux. “Lover,” the album that contains the would-be gay-rights anthem “You Need to Calm Down,” was off of Swift’s creative peak as she sought to move beyond the pure pop extravaganzas of “1989” and “Reputation”; she has righted the ship, and then some, with more consistent material in recent years. Having gone from major artist to among the biggest acts in the history of recorded music, Swift simply has more at risk now.

And while it may yet happen — her 2020 endorsement was in early October — her signaling that silence is a preferable option, and her high-profile friendship with Mahomes, are at least suggestive, given how little Swift does by accident. Given, though, how much mileage Swift got in the past out of her decision to speak out on politics, the idea that she will remain silent would seem to make her past speaking out, at a more convenient moment, appear cynical. It’d be regrettable if her engagement with the world of politics were just another of her eras, and one from which she were willing to move on.

[From Variety]

Variety also mentions the very real terrorist plot to disrupt Taylor’s Vienna concert, and with that, the suggestion that Taylor likely believes it’s “safer” to stay politically neutral while she’s touring. But that’s just it – she’s not staying politically neutral. She’s choosing a side by being so visibly chummy with Brittany Mahomes.

I 100% agree with this: “The idea that she will remain silent would seem to make her past speaking out, at a more convenient moment, appear cynical.” That’s what gets me, the idea that Taylor had a two-year-long “political era” which she has now phased out because, what? Republicans buy her albums too? Because her boyfriend’s coworker’s wife is MAGA? To drop your political belief system in a few years – years in which Roe was overturned – does make your previous political statements appear cynical and contrived, like all of those political positions were a bit of convenient rebranding for the moment. We’re coming at this with the assumption that we know Taylor’s politics because she spoke out in 2018 and 2020. We’re coming at this with the assumption that she quietly and privately disagrees with Brittany Mahomes and Donald Trump. What if… she just doesn’t care? What if she’s done with her political era and now she’s in her MAGA football WAG era?

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

As I’ve noted in several posts already, Prince William and Kate came out of their summer holiday with a somewhat stable message: Kate is “cancer free” but not committed to going back to work, and the Wales marriage is fine, possibly even better than fine! After Kensington Palace dropped the Will Warr-directed video, KP minions then dutifully went on briefing sprees to reinforce the message with their most sycophantic rota reporters and commentators. Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast seemingly got the most ridiculous briefing of all, which makes sense. Sykes often gets the most hateful and deranged briefings. Some highlights from this Royalist piece:

The tonal shift of the video: So it’s fair to say there has never been a more massive and abrupt shift in the tone of royal messaging than the one signaled by Kate’s astonishingly intimate Instagram cancer recovery video, directed by Will Warr. If the medium really is the message, then the message here was unequivocal; forget everything you think you know about the monarchy, this is what the royal family is going to look like from now on.

The reset: The reign of King William and Queen Kate, we were put on notice Monday, will be shiny, professional and digital first, with a heavy focus on artfully configured cornfields, butterflies, positivity, flattering light, sunsets, picnics in the forest, card games and snogging Prince William on the beach. One friend of William and Kate told The Daily Beast: “It’s the reset to end all resets. This is Kate and William as they mean to go on. It’s family first and f**k the haters, f**k the press, f**k Harry and Meghan. It helps that they actually are like this. If you go to a kid’s birthday party at their house, they will be the ones organizing games for all the kids whereas the rest of us would happily get an entertainer in and be drinking wine in the kitchen.”

A declaration of war: This video was a declaration of war on the stiff upper lip, a forceful rebuttal to those who accuse her of being some kind of automaton, a blank screen or “a jointed doll on which certain rags are hung” in the stinging words of the late Hilary Mantel. The rejection of the strictures of royalty also meant there was no room in the video for an embrace with King Charles or Queen Camilla, despite the relentless messaging from the king’s office over the past nine months about how close he and Kate have become in their shared cancer journeys.

Kensington Palace thinks Meghan was seething over the video? Among the billions of people watching what could in another world be a two-minute ad for a dating site, there can be little doubt that among them was one particular resident of Montecito, California. And Meghan Markle might be forgiven for wondering what the world (and specifically the British media) would have said if it was she and Harry who had released a video vignette of such tooth-aching saccharinity. And she might also have been wondering how the hell this uptight Limey, who couldn’t even lend her a dab of lip gloss without rolling her eyes a few years ago, had managed to so comprehensively steal her clothes.

[From The Daily Beast]

“Who couldn’t even lend her a dab of lip gloss without rolling her eyes a few years ago, had managed to so comprehensively steal her clothes.” So we’re just admitting that Kate copies Meghan and steals her looks now? And it’s being spun as a positive for Kate? And this: “It’s family first and f**k the haters, f**k the press, f**k Harry and Meghan.” THAT was the message? Really? Because I did not get the message of “f–k the haters” from that video. I got the message of “look at us, we’re affectionate like Harry & Meghan, our marriage is fine!” Running around, insisting that they have nothing to prove shows that Will and Kate have been on the back foot for years, actually.

This is so strange: “despite the relentless messaging from the king’s office over the past nine months about how close he and Kate have become in their shared cancer journeys.” Yeah, Charles swooped in and saved William and Kate after months of incompetent clownery. Buckingham Palace stepped in to the rescue to save the monarchy, because Will and Kate’s frankenphoto antics and wall-to-wall lies were doing permanent damage. And this is the thanks Charles gets? Fascinating.

Photos courtesy of Will Warr/KP and Cover Images.

Real ones remember how the British press has spent the past seven years complaining about Prince Harry and Meghan’s affection towards one another. Harry and Meghan’s love language is touch and physical closeness. When they lived in the UK, they would hold hands during events. Meghan would rub Harry’s back in public, and Harry looked for any excuse to touch Meghan’s hair or grab her for a quick kiss. Remember the headlines? Remember how the British media hated all of that affection? Remember how Meghan was called tacky and a gauche, tactile American who didn’t understand the rules, the rules being: marry your cousin and never be affectionate. Well, if you would believe it, it seems like those rules don’t exist anymore. Especially now that Prince William and Kate produced a Will Warr-directed video in which they are touching each other in completely awkward ways, ways which we are being told is completely acceptable. From Camilla Tominey’s latest column in the Telegraph:

For a couple unaccustomed to PDAs (Public Displays of Affection), it is the most remarkable royal video, showing the Prince and Princess of Wales as we have never seen them before…The Princess was seemingly not content with expressing her love for her husband and their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, in words alone. After everything she has gone through, the once guarded Catherine clearly decided to throw caution to the wind – and the candour caught on camera is as heartwarming as it is revealing.

We always suspected that the Waleses, both 42, had a solid marriage, based on the fact they have never felt the need to fawn over each other in public or declare their undying love in the 23 years they have been together (13 as husband and wife). Even on their wedding day, they were reluctant to go overboard, only kissing on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the groom tentatively asked the bride: “Shall we?”

The touching scenes filmed last month by Will Warr in Norfolk, however, reflect a deliberate attempt to finally lay bare the love and affection at the heart of one of the most high profile – and well documented – relationships in the world. Viewers will be forgiven for pinching themselves as they see the typically shy and introverted pair holding hands, Kate’s head on William’s shoulder, smiling and laughing together, and even lying on the ground, smooching.

The sepia-esque nature of the footage is reminiscent of the royal home videos of yesteryear, showing the late Elizabeth II and her beloved husband the Duke of Edinburgh, larking about on holidays at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Dressed in a £299 blue and white boho frock from US brand Veronica Beard, teamed with a pair of classic “mum” Veja trainers, this is behind-closed-doors Catherine, unbuttoned and unburdened by royal duty.

The video intended to symbolise the strength Catherine has drawn from her family and loved ones from spending time on the things which bring her joy such as family card games with her parents Carole and Michael Middleton to the sanctuary she has sought in the great outdoors.

But beyond the obvious signals of recovery and hope lies a deeper message for the public to absorb. The last four years have proved to be one of the most difficult periods in House of Windsor history, with “Megxit”, the deaths of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of York saga and the cancer diagnoses of both King and future Queen. On more than one occasion over the past four years, the future existence of “The Firm” has been called into question as the Royal family has been forced to contend with one crisis after another.

Yes, those foundations may have been shaken in recent times, not least by the acrimonious departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal life. But the future is finally beginning to look brighter. This extraordinary display of devotedness between the couple who will one day wear the crown suggests that it is built on something stronger than mere duty.

[From The Telegraph]

I can smell the Kensington Palace talking point memo from here. Or were these bullet points provided by Middleton Manor, with Carole Middleton suddenly finding her voice after more than a year of deeply ashamed silence following the collapse of her house of cards? The thing is, even if you were open to the positive side of this story – Kate is doing better, she and William are not getting a divorce – the way Tominey and other commentators are laying it on thick really shows the play. This reminds me of the bizarre photo and statement released the day before Trooping the Colour as well – what is the point of all of this extravagant look-at-me media? Yes, it’s proof of life, but that could have been achieved in other ways, less awkward ways, less expensive ways. Kate and William basically filmed a proof-of-life video for their MARRIAGE.

Screencaps courtesy of Kensington Palace video.

Historically, this is the time of the year where we traditionally received an update on the current Princess of Wales. The kids were back in school and Kate would newly commit herself to promising to be keen at some point. I thought that’s what this weekend’s Times story was all about – a replacement of “a promise to be keen” with “a promise to do one appearance in November.” Sources close to Prince William heavily indicated that we should only expect to see Kate once or twice more this year, and that she would absolutely not go to Cape Town for Earthshot with William. But I was not expecting this – yet another “personal statement” from Kate, with a specially-made video. Kate is announcing that she is cancer-free, but everything else still stands – her health remains fragile, too fragile to make many commitments. Kate’s statement:

As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment.

The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.

The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything.

This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.

Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.

Despite all that has gone before I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time. Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling.

To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.

[From Kensington Royal]

At some point, I hope we’ll learn what really happened over the past year. That being said, I don’t doubt that Kate was and perhaps is physically depleted and that she had some significant health struggles. I also genuinely hope she’s feeling better and that she gets to raise her children. All of this does feel like a phase-out though.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Real talk: I do not care about the Country Music Association Awards (the CMAs) nor do I care about the CMTs or any other country-music awards show. There are too many music award shows already without siloing country-music. But! The CMAs are arguably the most prestigious country-music awards in the country. And the CMA nominations just came out and they snubbed the f–k out of Beyonce. Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter was one of her best and most musically innovative albums of the past decade. Personally, I would put Cowboy Carter just below Lemonade and way ahead of Renaissance. Beyonce showcased her country roots, her Texas roots and claimed space for Black artists within the country-music arena. And white people hated that and they made sure to snub her for it.

The 2024 CMA Awards have showered Morgan Wallen and Post Malone with multiple nominations but heavily snubbed Beyoncé, though she had one of the year’s biggest country albums with Cowboy Carter and biggest country songs with “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

Wallen leads the way at the CMAs with seven nominations. He’s followed by Chris Stapleton and Cody Johnson, who each earned five nods, while Malone and Lainey Wilson picked up four apiece. Wilson, last year’s entertainer of the year winner, will defend her title against Wallen, Stapleton, Luke Combs and Jelly Roll at the Nov. 20 show, airing live on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter made history this year when it spent four weeks on top of Billboard’s Top country albums chart — making her the first Black woman to achieve the feat. She also became the first Black woman to hit the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot country songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which held the top position for a whopping 10 weeks. Both her single and album also led Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 and 200 albums charts, while seven other Cowboy Carter tracks hit the Top 10 of the Billboard country chart. The 27-track project, featuring Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Miley Cyrus and Malone, drove cultural conversations about Black artists reclaiming the genres they started, including country music.

[From THR]

Yeah, “Texas Hold ‘Em” was great, and I feel like “II Most Wanted” should have been a major single, same with “Daughter” and “Levii’s Jeans.” It should not escape anyone’s notice that instead of recognizing an innovative, popular, brilliant country album by a Black woman from Texas, the CMAs instead lavished nominations on a violent drunk redneck who loves shouting the n-word. Choices were made and white supremacy was upheld.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Beyonce’s IG.

Karen Elson was married to Jack White from 2005 through 2013. She remarried, and her new husband is Lee Foster, who is also in the music industry. Foster owns the Electric Lady Studios, which is where Taylor Swift has recorded several albums. The Electric Lady is one of her New York hotspots, and back when she dated Matt Healy, she was constantly hosting group hangouts and recording. Well, Taylor and Travis Kelce were obviously invited to Karen and Lee Foster’s wedding, which was held at the Electric Lady. These are photos of TNT entering and exiting the wedding.

Taylor wore a floral dress by Zimmermann for the wedding. Vogue is mad about it! That’s because it’s way too pale for a wedding guest, especially someone as high-profile as Taylor. Yes, it’s more of an off-white/ecru, and yes, the floral sort of saves it. But I do think it’s iffy to wear this to a wedding, right? Her purse is Vivienne Westwood and her heels are Louboutins.

As for Travis, there have been a lot of hilarious comments about his latest look, especially with the mustache. The photos of Travis at the Chiefs game last week definitely gave a vibe of “a cop who just got suspended for excessive use of force.” But in these photos, with his hair cleaned up, I have to admit that he looks pretty good? Like… the man has an aura. He looks like he knows how to lay some pipe.

It feels like a big deal that Travis made a point of being Taylor’s date to this wedding. Sources told Us Weekly recently that their friends “hope an engagement is a sure thing in the future” and that Taylor wants to complete her Eras tour and then focus more on her future and her personal life. She’s got some time off right now and she apparently plans to spend most of it with Travis.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I love watching Architectural Digest’s YouTube channel. Some of those crazy expensive houses that they highlight are to die for. I’m absolutely one of those people who loves looking at real estate listings for fun while d-cking around on the Internet during downtime. I really like when AD does the celebrity home tours. I can trace this back all the way to Mariah Carey’s 2002 MTV Cribs tour! That one was so iconic. Remember when she showed off her insane bathroom only to then confess to having only used the shower one time because she couldn’t figure out all of the knobs to turn it off? Absolute diva.

Anyway, Jennifer Garner did an AD tour last week for her custom-designed Los Angeles mansion. It’s absolutely gorgeous and although it’s super fancy, it’s also pretty down-to-earth. The video is around 11 minutes long and shows off a stunning living room with giant doors that open up to extend it out into a giant patio, a crazy “slumber party” room with a bunch of bunk beds for when her kids have friends over, and a Harry Potter-themed reading nook/office for her 12-year-old son, Samuel, which is, appropriately, in a space underneath the staircase.

Jennifer Garner opened up her gorgeous Los Angeles home for an Architectural Digest tour and it did not disappoint. From a Harry Potter-themed office for her son to an unofficial slumber party room, Garner’s home both centered on her children while simultaneously showcasing stunning design.

Garner, who built her home with designers Steve and Brooke Giannetti, walked fans through the modest mansion.

“I’m such a private person about my home and here I’ve just taken you through the entire house, and really it’s for a couple of reasons,” the actor said in the Architectural Digest video.

“I’ve never built anything all by myself before, and I’m so proud of it. I’m filled with gratitude every time I walk into my house, that I get to live here, that I’m so lucky to have my kids here. It’s unlike me, and yet I’m so happy to have shared it with you.”

Garner shares her three kids — Violet, 18, and… Fin, 15, and son Samuel, 12 — with ex-husband Ben Affleck. Throughout the tour, she mentions her kids’ activities in the home.

While showcasing the living room area — which featured an entire back wall of large sliding glass doors that open to create an indoor-outdoor space — Garner jokes that sometimes she has to look away when damp teens come inside from the pool.

“The only problem is, if my kids are having their class pool party here or something, it’s very hard to keep wet kids out of the house,” she jokes. “I have to really just stand guard and say, ‘Get away.’ I’ll look over, and there will be two wet teenagers playing the piano, and I’m just like, ‘OK, don’t look, don’t look.’”

Garner adds that she’s “so happy” with her cozy home, which she said makes you “feel like (you’re) inside a treehouse.”

“You know how you just imagine it, and then some day you have a perfect moment where it actually comes true? That is a, like, (chef’s kiss) kind of moment,” she says.

She showed off several gathering areas inside the home, including a gorgeous blue library/TV room, a study area with a giant fish tank and reading nook as well as a slumber party room with several bunk beds.

Garner also revealed her son’s Harry Potter-themed “office,” which, fittingly, is a small room under the staircase. Noting Garner and her kids are huge fans of the series — which opens on an 11-year-old Potter who lives in “a cupboard under the stairs” — they decided to make the room similarly magical. Painted a dark blue with darks and other fantastical elements, Garner says the room is meant to be a “little spot for him to come in and dream.”

“Mostly he hides from me and eats candy but I can’t blame him,” she jokes. “I’d do the same thing.”

[From Today]

Jen’s house is so nice! It really fits her personality. I love the Harry Potter office nook! That’s so clever. That outdoor deck and pool area is incredible, too. I also love that Jen confesses to keeping her children’s toys from when they were younger easily accessible because once in a while, as “big kids,” they’ll still pull those old toys out and play with them. That is so relatable because it’s so true! You know Jen Garner is that mom who takes Uno or some puzzle out on the weekends for them to do together while talking about life. At the end of the tour, she explains that she’s “so proud” of her house because she’s never built anything by herself before. I’m a big Jen fan going back to her Alias days and I’m really happy that she’s successful and not an a-hole about it.

Here’s Jen’s Architectural Digest home tour if you’re interested in watching it:

Photos are screenshots from YouTube/Architectural Digest

In late August, Prince Harry shocked the British media by turning up at Robert Fellowes’ funeral in Norfolk. Fellowes was married to Lady Jane Spencer, Harry’s aunt. Sources had previously indicated that Harry would not fly in for the funeral, and no one learned about Harry’s arrival until the day after the funeral. Harry reportedly stayed at Althorp, the Spencer family’s estate, with his uncle Charles, the Earl Spencer. I assumed that Harry used the visit to also spend some time at his mother’s grave – Diana is buried at Althorp, and Harry was last there in 2022, when he took Meghan. Now the Daily Beast has confirmation of that, only they’re presenting it in the grossest way possible.

Prince Harry visited his mother Princess Diana’s grave when he was staying at her ancestral home in the U.K. last week, The Daily Beast has been told by a friend and neighbor of Diana’s brother, the 9th Earl, Charles Spencer.

The gesture will cement a perception that Harry wishes to reinforce his identity as Diana’s son, rather than continuing to be defined by his exhausting feud with his brother, Prince William.

The grave is on a small island in a lake on the magnificent Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire. It was located in this isolated and hard to reach location to deter ghouls and sightseers, and has always been reached via a small rowing boat. In May, Earl Spencer revealed he had been given new handcrafted wooden boat by a friend to reach the island.

The Spencer friend told The Daily Beast: “Harry visited the grave when he was in Althorp. It’s a very special place for all the family but especially Harry. It was a significant part of his motivation for staying there.” They were not willing to divulge further details of Harry’s visit. Harry’s office declined to comment to The Daily Beast. However, sources in Harry’s camp did tell US magazine People that he had stayed at Althorp.

The funeral of Fellowes was previously described to The Daily Beast as a “a huge gathering of the Spencer clan.” Intriguingly, it seems that the service might have been delayed to enable Harry to attend. Fellowes’ died on 29 July and the funeral took place on August 28. Harry is required to give 28 days notice to U.K. police in order to receive police protection when visiting the U.K.

[From The Daily Beast]

CB and I talked about the issue of police protection in this week’s Gossip with Celebitchy podcast – my gut tells me that Harry did NOT give 28-days notice to the Windsors or the Met Police for his visit. It feels like the cops or the Windsors would have leaked his plans if he gave them any notice. I think this was some kind of maneuver by Harry, to experiment with how it would go if he went to the UK with just his private security and stayed at Althorp rather than a hotel. I’ll just say that the reaction from the Windsors after Harry’s visit kind of showed that they had no idea that he was in the country.

As for “The gesture will cement a perception that Harry wishes to reinforce his identity as Diana’s son, rather than continuing to be defined by his exhausting feud with his brother” – Harry has always made regular visits to Althorp to visit his mother’s grave, and he’s always nurtured his relationships with the Spencers. He is his mother’s son and he’s more of a Spencer than a Windsor, and everyone knows that. William is the one who’s mad that he can’t claim to be “Diana’s son” while simultaneously lying about his mother and calling her paranoid.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

King Charles loves nothing more than bullying and berating his brother Andrew through the British press. For much of the past two years, Charles has been trying to get Andrew out of Royal Lodge, the stately mansion which is part of the Royal Windsor estate. Andrew has a valid lease, but Charles doesn’t care. Charles has been trying to force Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage, which still sits vacant ever since Charles evicted the Sussexes in January 2023. What’s funny/interesting is that whenever Charles briefs the media about some new punishment for Andrew, Andrew pushes back. Hard. Andrew’s “friends” spent all of August calling Charles a petty, jealous and childish king, and they also indicated that that Andrew will outlive Charles by many years. Ouch. Well, the latest is this new piece in the Times:

The King is keen to find a way to “solve” the issue of the Duke of York’s living situation as a new television drama serves up a reminder of Prince Andrew’s fall from grace. Andrew’s police security was removed after a Home Office review and he is now guarded by a security team which costs an estimated £3 million-a-year and is funded from the King’s private wealth. Charles also provides Andrew with a generous living allowance at his own expense. Now, however, the King is said to be losing patience with his brother and has made it clear that there are now “only two possible options” for Andrew.

The first is for the duke to find the means to become independent and pay for his own expenses, which would cover his security and the upkeep on his home. However, with no discernible income except for a modest naval pension it is not clear that Andrew could meet the costs. The second option, those close to Charles say, is for Andrew to agree to move to “more suitable accommodation”.

The King is understood to be happy to continue to support Andrew at Frogmore Cottage and also to continue to provide for Sarah, Duchess of York, Andrew’s former wife who, like the King, has undergone cancer treatment. A source said: “It is now two years into the King’s reign and he wants the matter settled.”

Despite the continued embarrassment of multimillion-pound television dramas depicting his downfall, Andrew remains insistent that he will stay at Royal Lodge, which he leases from the Crown Estate. The lease will run until 2078 although there is little indication that Andrew would be able to afford the upkeep costs without his brother’s support.

The King, meanwhile, is said to be “reconsidering” the amount of funding he gives Andrew. The contract, which provides a ten-strong security detail to guard the duke at Royal Lodge, runs out in the autumn and is not expected to be renewed. No replacement team is thought to have been lined up. It is understood that steps have already been taken to withdraw funding from Andrew. Rather than a punitive step, it is thought to be a decision of financial pragmatism and a way of securing the Duke’s long-term security as he gets older.

A friend of the King’s said that the duke was “taking longer than desirable to recognise the reality of the situation, even though it is clearly the most sensible course of action… It can be done tidily or untidily. It can be done with grace and dignity or it can be forced upon him. It’s all rather sad. But as things stand, life at Royal Lodge is set to become increasingly cold and uncomfortable for the duke. The only question now is when he will realise that he has become a prisoner of his own pride.”

[From The Times]

How many damn times is Charles going to brief the exact same thing? “We can do this the easy way or the hard way!” “I really mean it this time, I’m going to cut off your security!” “You must do as I say, I am the king!” Meanwhile, Andrew is like: stop acting so childish, you’re embarrassing yourself, and btw, I know where the bodies are buried. I’m not even on Andrew’s side about anything, but Charles’s behavior here is unsettling and his obsession with “taking” Royal Lodge is really messed up.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

It’s a good time to point out, again, that Jeff Bezos appointed a sleazy British tabloid guy to the CEO position at the Washington Post. The guy is Will Lewis, and he’s already done the most to turn the venerable institution into Fleet Street on the Potomac. He tried to bring in more of his old Murdoch-media buddies, and he’s playing by British-media games when it comes to trying to shut down stories about his own history of criminal and unethical behavior. Well, now this British-tabloidization of an American newspaper has seeped into the American presidential race and coverage of that race. WaPo published a long-read called: “Kamala Harris ran her office like a prosecutor. Not everyone liked that.” Would you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris won’t just be ordered around by staff? Who does she think she is? Yes, the Post is absolutely trying to “Meghan Markle” VP Harris. Where have we heard that before??

VPOTUS has a demanding management style!! On the day after President Joe Biden decided to end his reelection bid in July, more than 300 former staffers for Vice President Kamala Harris publicly endorsed her candidacy — a flurry of alumni support with little precedent in this already unusual campaign….But in interviews, former staff who signed the letter acknowledged it also addressed one of Harris’s perceived weaknesses as a candidate and elected official: her demanding management style. People who have worked for Harris say her interactions with staff can resemble a prosecutor prying details from a witness, asking pointed questions about everything from her schedule to policy briefings.

Biden threatened to fire people if he caught them leaking sh-t about Harris: The situation for Harris grew so worrisome in the summer of 2021 that Biden summoned his senior staff and issued a warning: If they were leaking negative stories about Harris, he would fire them, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting. Biden, who as president was surrounded by a cadre of close advisers who had stayed with him for decades, also privately called Harris to reassure her that she retained his support, they said.

VP Harris wants her staff to know what they’re talking about?! Some of Harris’s early staff was also discomfited by her prosecutorial leadership style, former staffers said, which included pointed questions from Harris about footnotes in their reports or the reasons behind why certain items had been added to her schedule. “It’s stressful to brief her, because she’s read all the materials, has annotated it and is prepared to talk through it,” said one former aide. “You can’t come to the vice president and just ask her to do something,” said another staffer. “You need to have a why.”

You can’t compliment her!! That behavior manifests in other encounters, the staffer continued, such as when someone pays her compliments. “She’ll turn to them and say ‘why?,’ and that throws them off,” the staffer said.

[From WaPo]

There’s a lot more in the article, and what’s weird is that this is like the fifth attempt in the past three months to portray VP Harris as an “angry Black woman” whose “forceful” managerial style makes white people cry salty white tears. Sound familiar? The exact same people are running the exact same play that they ran on the Duchess of Sussex. The 5 am emails, the white tears, the inability to cope when answering to a Black woman boss. “It’s stressful to brief her, because she’s read all the materials, has annotated it and is prepared to talk through it.” OH NO, she’s prepared? She read the materials and wanted to discuss it?? No wonder these people are former staffers – they sound like f–king morons.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.