Here are some photos of Michelle Williams at the Toronto International Film Festival, at the TIFF premiere of The Fabelmans. The Fabelmans is a barely-fictionalized account of Steven Spielberg’s childhood and family, and Michelle plays a version of Spielberg’s mother, who was musical, artistic and always encouraged him to follow his dreams of making movies. Michelle has spoken before about what an honor it was to be offered the role, to be directed by Spielberg as she played a version of his mother. Here’s the trailer for the movie:

It looks good and dare I say, very self-referential on Spielberg’s part. As in, he’s almost exclusively referencing his own oeuvre. Anyway, it’s clear that he still has a boyish idea of his parents as larger-than-life figures, and it’s also clear that Michelle is giving an awards-bait performance. The Fabelmans was produced under the Universal banner, and Universal was prepared to put a lot of money into Michelle’s Oscar campaign. But here’s the kicker: the studio wanted to submit Michelle for Best Supporting Actress. Now Michelle says that she’s submitting herself in the lead actress categories:

Not every race is what it seems, and so it goes with the first category decision of the season. Variety has confirmed Michelle Williams’ work as the piano-playing mother in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will be campaigned for the Oscars in best actress, instead of supporting as many pundits had speculated.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, won the prestigious People’s Choice Award and became the undisputed frontrunner in the early days of the awards season. One of the highlights of the cast was Williams’ turn as Mitzi Fabelman, a lover of the arts who serves as an inspiration for her filmmaking son Sammy (played by newcomer Gabrielle LaBelle).

The acclaim for the semi-autobiographical story of Spielberg’s childhood was palpable in Toronto, with many seeing Williams’ turn as a sure-fire ticket to her fifth career Oscar nomination, perhaps even a highly probable winner in supporting actress. The supporting actress field is now wide open for any of the cast from Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” such as Jessie Buckley or Claire Foy.

Can Williams top the two presumed actress frontrunners, Michelle Yeoh, from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” or Cate Blanchett from “Tar?”

It’s still up in the air whether Paul Dano, as Sammy’s father, will similarly campaign for leading attention. Co-star Judd Hirsch received the lion’s share of attention and could become the second-oldest performer ever nominated in supporting actor at 87.

[From Variety]

Usually, category fraud goes in the other direction – an actor will give a performance which is clearly more of a lead role, and they’ll put themselves up for supporting actor awards because they think it will be easier to win. A lot of cases of category fraud are not even the actors’ calls though, it’s the studios making decisions about what kind of campaign they will pay for and how the film is promoted. This specific case, with Michelle, reads to me like the studio was on the fence and they were prepared to finance her supporting-actress campaign, but Michelle saw the film, saw her screen time and decided “nope, I’m the lead.” It’s bold and it feels like she’s proudly gambling on herself. I’m proud of her for declaring herself the lead like that.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Lil Nas X sent pizza to his homophobic haters. [Dlisted]
The Golden Globes are coming back in January. Ugh. [Gawker]
Mariah Carey is giving her fans a lot this month! [LaineyGossip]
New Amsterdam’s final chapter (final season). [Seriously OMG]
Rich Juzwiak watched Don’t Worry Darling with a theater full of fun Harry Styles fans and he enjoyed the experience. [Jezebel]
Trendspotting: tulle headgear. [Go Fug Yourself]
Andrew Garfield is really doing it for me these days. [Just Jared]
The Hellraiser reboot no one asked for. [Pajiba]
We really did have some good rom-coms in the 1990s. [Buzzfeed]
Van Cleef & Arpels is really into turquoise right now. [Tom & Lorenzo]
Brad Pitt will show his “art.” [Towleroad]
Ivanka Trump went surfing or something. [Egotastic]

Gayle King was sent to London to cover Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral for CBS. All of the American networks sent people to London, and some of the coverage was downright embarrassing, although the American networks did a decent job of shifting some narratives about the Sussexes during the mourning period, especially about Harry’s lack of uniform. Anyway, Gayle King knows the Sussexes and we know that Harry and Meghan have spoken to Gayle before. Were they speaking to her again while she was in London for the funeral? Perhaps. Gayle ended up spilling some Sussex tea and the Daily Mail is seething!

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are returning to Los Angeles without any peace deal being struck with King Charles and Prince William, the Duchess’ friend Gayle King has claimed. The CBS Mornings host has been in London for the Queen’s funeral and said that the ‘turmoil’ caused by Megxit and the Sussexes interview with Oprah Winfrey has not been resolved.

Harry and William have repeatedly stood side-by-side with their father King Charles III as he mourns his mother’s death. There was also a joint engagement with Meghan and Kate – but it remains to be seen if this fragile truce will hold, especially with Harry’s memoirs due out later this year. Ms King got to know Meghan and Harry after being introduced by Ms Winfrey and attended the Duchess’ lavish baby shower organised by Serena Williams and Amal Clooney. She is viewed as one of the couple’s main allies in the US media.

Speaking following the Queen’s funeral, outside Westminster Abbey, she said: ‘There have been efforts on both sides … to sort of make this right’. Admitting that there had been no rapprochement, she added: ‘Big families always go through drama, always go through turmoil. It remains to be seen — are they going to be drawn closer together or are they going to be drawn apart? I have no idea, I have no inside information on that, but I will tell you this: It was good to see Harry standing with his family’.

Meghan and Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage at Windsor on the evening of Monday’s funeral – but were reported to be heading back to California as soon as possible to be with Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, after two weeks away.

As the Royal Family mourns for another week, with all engagements cancelled until next Tuesday, the Sussexes have not been seen in public since Harry puffed his cheeks and Meghan stared ahead while leaving St George’s Chapel when the Queen was laid to rest.

It is not impossible, however, that they are already in their Montecito mansion.

[From The Daily Mail]

The “turmoil” was not “caused” by the Oprah interview and the Sussexit. The turmoil was caused by the unrelenting racist vitriol and misogynistic smears aimed at Meghan, to the point where she was suicidal. The turmoil was caused by the palaces briefing against both Harry and Meghan and actively trying to drive them out of the country. And of course a “peace deal” was not worked out during the mourning period – because Charles and William were immediately drunk with power over Harry and Meghan, and launched another awful campaign against them. As it’s been said many times in the past week, if Harry had any doubts about his move to America, the behavior of his father and brother in the wake of QEII’s death reinforced the truth that he was right to leave. There was an opportunity to actually come together as a family and that opportunity was ruined by William and Charles and no one else. Charles and William were gleefully punishing Harry and Meghan and they wanted the world to see that.

Also: “the Sussexes have not been seen in public since Harry puffed his cheeks and Meghan stared ahead while leaving St George’s Chapel when the Queen was laid to rest.” In other words, Harry has not been seen since HE BREATHED AFTER THE FUNERAL.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Far be it from me to note the very real panic creeping into Salt Island’s post-QEII royal coverage. But there is a shift in the air, the dawning realization that the Firm is made up of several septuagenarians, plus the Wessexes and the Waleses. There will be most focus on Queen Camilla in the months to come, and the Countess of Wessex is already trying to publicly lobby for more attention. But the fact of the matter is that a national press is about to turn its focus on Prince William and Kate’s situation and marriage in an even bigger way. William has positioned himself as a Tory stooge, meaning the right-wing press has a vested interest in protecting their useful idiot. I’m just not sure that consideration extends to Kate. I thought of this as I read Camilla Tominey’s coverage of how the “wives of Windsor” are the new stars of the big show. Yes, Queen Camilla, Sophie, Princess Anne and Kate. The new “girl power” dynamic, as Tominey calls it. Infantilizing.

Safe hands: From Anne’s steely work ethic to Camilla’s role as the King’s rock, and with Sophie and Kate both bringing a welcome dose of normalcy to this more than 1,000-year-old institution, the newly-slimmed down Firm appears in safe hands. Once the former Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were viewed as the “fab four”. But with Harry and Meghan now off the scene and the disgraced Duke of York relegated from senior royal life, the Crown is more dependent on girl power than ever before. It might not quite be a case of “Charlie’s Angels”, but it certainly comes close.

They’re worried that Charles, William & George will be boring: That’s important when we’ve not only lost the grandmother of the nation but also face the prospect of three male monarchs. Of course, there is nothing wrong with an overtly alpha line of succession – but history from Nefertiti to Grace Kelly suggest that it is princesses who maintain the fervent interest in the royals, as well as making them seem relatable to the public.

Kate is not Diana: As the wife and mother of a future king, Kate, 40, is now the Diana figure that we have been missing since the Princess of Wales title was set aside with her death 25 years ago – highly photogenic, deeply maternal and with a likeability that appeals to people from all walks of life. Unlike Diana, however, she has the self-assuredness that comes with a stable family background – and 10 years of experience as a royal girlfriend before she even married William, 40. With more now expected of the couple – and the Prince of Wales needing to act as his father’s “liege man of life and limb” – he will become increasingly reliant on the wise counsel of this level-headed and unflappable future queen.

Kate will be compared to QEII, not Diana? As she grows into her more senior royal role, comparisons will inevitably be made not with Diana, but Queen Elizabeth – who, like Kate, gained a reputation for never putting a foot wrong. The Princess of Wales shares the late monarch’s mild-mannered nature, as well as her aversion to conflict. As we witnessed during the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, which reunited William and Harry just a month after that Oprah Winfrey interview, Kate is the Royal family’s most natural peacemaker.

Camilla is the power behind the throne: Those viewing the Queen Consort as a sort of jovial “plus one” misunderstand her influence not only on the monarch, 73, but also his court. It was Camilla, for instance, who insisted on the appointment of former newspaper executive Tobyn Andreae as the King’s new spokesman – a move that apparently even blindsided Sir Clive Alderton, the monarch’s long-serving private secretary. As one royal insider explained: “I think there is a sense that behind the scenes, it’s largely the Queen Consort who is running the show. She makes a lot more decisions than people think, especially with [former aide] Michael Fawcett out of the picture. She’s a stabilising and reassuring presence for the King. She makes him laugh and they have a lot of shared history together. He adores her and truly believes that she is the only person on earth who truly understands him.”

[From The Telegraph]

Charlie’s Angels = A rottweiler, a Keen peacemaker, Sophie the boring and Anne the hard-working. What a complete mess. This is also why there’s been so much coverage of Harry and Meghan since QEII passed away too. It’s not just that Charles and William were actively briefing against Harry and Meg, it’s that the British media knows that they’re stuck with some of the most unglamorous and uninteresting women in the country. Surely, we’re done with Kate’s keen peacemaker narrative now as well? Kate is a peacemaker without a poker face, who openly seethes and freezes out the women she hates. That’s not a peacekeeper, that’s a Mean Girl.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

This week, we learned that Adam Levine was sleeping with an Insta-model named Sumner Stroh, and that he wants to name his third child after his mistress? Adam is currently married to Behati Prinsloo, they’ve been together for the better part of a decade and they already have two daughters and Behati is pregnant with their third. At no point did anyone think that Adam was faithful to Behati, nor did any of us believe that he was happy at home with his beautiful model wife and two beautiful children. Of course Adam Levine is a sleazy cheater, he always has been. The fact that he was sliding into an Instamodel’s DMs though? Tacky. Anyway, Adam has decided to simply deny, deny, deny.

Adam Levine is breaking his silence after he was publicly accused of cheating on Behati Prinsloo, his pregnant wife of eight years.

The Maroon 5 frontman, 43, posted to Instagram on Tuesday morning: “A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air. I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.”

Levine continued: “In certain instances it became inappropriate; I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family. My wife and my family is all I care about in this world. To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility. We will get through it. And we will get through it together.”

[From People]

So… Adam Levine, a sleazy 43-year-old husband and father, got called out on TikTok by his former mistress and his response is to claim that he merely had some inappropriate communications with Sumner? Yeah, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Sumner Stroh was literally sending his texts to all of her friends – I imagine she has many more receipts than just texts. She probably has tons of videos and photos. Come on, she’s Generation TikTok – of course she has more evidence of their affair than just some texts. Sumner also responded to Adam’s IG statement, posting this to her IG Stories: “Someone get this man a dictionary.”

Meanwhile, the other obvious thing happened after Sumner’s TikTok – other women started coming forward. A comedian named Maryka has texts/DMs where Levine was trying to flirt with her and hook up with her. Another woman named Alyson Rosef also got inappropriate DMs from Levine. Sounds like Levine was casting a wide net on social media and hooking up with any woman who took the bait. Gross.

Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red, Backgrid.

One of the less polite topics of conversation in the past two weeks was whether Queen Elizabeth II’s death “outsold” Princess Diana’s death. Diana’s death was sudden and mysterious, and the reaction to Diana’s death was a whole other thing entirely, with people flooding London, the flowers outside of Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, and the Windsors refusing to leave Balmoral. The nation was “prepared” for QEII’s death, the pageantry was expected (and it delivered) and all of it was very beautiful and stoic. It feels wrong to compare the two events, but the thing is, the undercurrent of all of the British media’s coverage was “the death of QEII must be bigger than Diana’s death.” I bring this up because Diana’s funeral outsold.

More people in the UK tuned in to watch the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy than switched on their TVs for the Queen’s funeral on Monday, figures suggest. The official ratings for the historic royal event were released on Tuesday afternoon – revealing that not only was the footballing event a bigger draw in the UK, but Princess Diana’s televised funeral had higher viewing figures back in 1997.

According to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (Barb) – which is responsible for recording TV audiences – around 28.5m people tuned in to view the Queen’s funeral across the main channels of BBC One, BBC Two, ITV (or STV), Sky News and BBC News.

This compares to the 29.85m who watched Italy beat England on penalties last summer, and the 31m who watched as Princess Diana was laid to rest 25 years ago. The numbers for the Queen’s state funeral may not be conclusive, given that the event was broadcast across so many different television channels.

It had been predicted by industry experts that a global viewing figures record would be set by the Queen’s passing, with some expecting the number of people watching to exceed four billion.

Historian Dr Andrew Keil commented on the figures being lower than anticipated.

“Interesting comparison to audiences for the EURO2020 final,” he noted. “Also means that only about less than half of the UK population tuned in [when there was hardly any alternative thing to do than watch the state funeral].”

SNP strategist Ross Colquhoun suggested that figures were a result of changes in media consumption.

“I guess it shows how people have changed how they consume news, Diana’s funeral was viewed by around 32.1 million,” he pointed out.

[From The National]

Well, well. I mean, it’s still a huge audience and we have to take into account that many people probably watched the funeral in pubs or what have you. But yeah, it was definitely the end of a 70-year reign and most people were like “okay, I watched for an hour, I’m good.” Besides, I bet several million of those viewers were just watching to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I mean, there’s a reason why all of the broadcasters chose lingering shots of Prince Harry – to drive up ratings.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brian Austin Green (@brianaustingreen)

I forget that Brian Austin Green is the father of five boys now. He has Kassius (Yahoo spells it with a C for some reason), 20, Noah, nine, Bodhi, eight, Journey, six, and Zane, three months. Kassius’ mom is Vanessa Marcil, Noah, Bodhi and Journey’s mom is Megan Fox and Zane is Brian’s son with his current partner, Sharna Burgess. Yahoo Life interviewed Brian for their So Mini Ways parenting series and asked him about parenting his large/widely aged brood. Brian said everything’s going grand, that the boys all get along and melded together beautifully. He owes much of that to his you-do-you parenting ways. And he has Kassius as proof that he’s doing this whole Dad thing completely right.

How everyone gets along: All of them are so obsessed with Zane and just so in love with him. And there’s been no issue with that at all; there’s been no friction in the situation. Things that could have naturally happened in having a baby with someone new — the younger kids that I have taking issue with that, because there’s a new one that they’re not completely blood-related to on both sides — it could have been so difficult and just hasn’t been. From day one, they’ve absolutely embraced Sharna and now embrace Zane. It’s been amazing. It’s really been a blessing.

His parenting style: I don’t own these kids. I don’t want to push upon them my passions or the things that make me me. I enjoy the fact that they are individuals and I love really helping them find the individuality, and their passions and the things that make them them. I feel like my job as a parent is to make sure, morally, that they are good people when they grow up.

His parenting philosophy: Just love your kids. Just accept them for who they are and be loving and kind and supportive of everything that they do. Don’t let your own experiences in your own life get in the way of allowing them to experience and live their lives. Be OK with stepping back a little bit and not micromanaging the situation.

Kassius is proof he’s a good dad: I feel so blessed and I’m so excited watching him navigate the world himself. Hearing from people like, ‘Oh, I’ve met him, and he’s just an amazing human being,’ — I feel like, OK, that’s one down. I’ve done good with one so far, so four more to go. If he is any sort of [testament] of what it is that I’m doing and have done, then good on it so far. It seems to be working.

[From Yahoo!]

I don’t dislike what Brian is saying here, actually. I’m not his biggest fan, but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong. I bristled at his patting himself on the back and taking credit for Kassius, though. Especially given he practically abandoned the boy for his formative years. I’m never keen to a man taking credit for the work a single mom’s done. If it was a partnership that got the child where they were, say that. But for someone who has a history of going after his boys’ moms publicly when his nose is out of joint, Brian could tone his self-congratulatory note down a bit. That’s not condemnation of Kassius, who I am sure is lovely.

I appreciate the rest of the sentiment, though. Obviously, parents raise kids with the ideas and values they want to impart. But children will be their own people and that becomes one of the most interesting parts of raising them – learning about their interests and discovering things together. Sometimes they come to the things you love but it’s in their teens, years after you first introduced it. Sometimes they never get it. Brian has a point, though, trying to micromanage them into something only drives them away from it. A parent’s involvement depend on the situation and the child’s age, but knowing when it’s better to step back is a very important lesson. Even if Brian is the one teaching it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brian Austin Green (@brianaustingreen)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brian Austin Green (@brianaustingreen)

Photo credit: Instagram and Cover Images

This is Part 2 of our coverage of Katie Nicholl’s The New Royals. Part of Nicholl’s new book was excerpted in Vanity Fair’s October issue, although this excerpt seems to have been furiously rewritten the second Queen Elizabeth II passed away. In Part 2 of my coverage, Nicholl discusses the Sussexit and how it’s screwed up Prince William’s plans to lean on his younger brother forever. I don’t doubt it – the royal establishment has made it perfectly clear that Harry falling in love with a beautiful American woman and leaving his toxic f–king family was never part of their plan. In fact, their plan seemed to be “Harry needs to stay single forever, to support William.” Nicholl also casually suggests that the Duchess of Sussex really should have stuck around so she could be diversity set dressing for the monarchy, even if they treated her like sh-t from the word go. Maybe if Meghan was super-important to the monarchy, they could have treated her well? I guess not. Some more highlights from VF’s excerpt:

The Sussexes probably would have done a better Caribbean tour: Had Harry, who had been assigned a prominent role as a Commonwealth ambassador on the queen’s behalf, been on the tour with Meghan, the optics might have played out differently. Sadly, the significant role Harry and Meghan were expected to play in the life of the Commonwealth—their interracial marriage emblematic of equality, diversity, and unity—was lost when they left. The royal family is an institution based on white inherited privilege. Its future lies in the hands of three white men, and that is a fundamental problem in a diverse country such as Britain and across the countries of the Commonwealth too. Meghan played a huge part in relieving some of this tension; the loss of all she represents as a biracial woman in the royal family, as well as her energy and talent, has had a real impact.

The Third Way: Harry and Meghan press ahead with what some have called a “third way” of being royals, capitalizing on their new lives in America, their glamorous and richly endowed alternative court is a contrast to the House of Windsor. It remains to be seen whether they will ever reconcile with their family.

Harry & Meghan’s stop in Windsor before the Invictus Games: Some progress was made, however, when Harry and Meghan stopped off in Britain on their way to The Hague. Charles insisted on meeting Harry and Meghan before their audience with the queen. According to one insider, he wanted to make sure Harry wouldn’t be able to sweet-talk her the way Andrew had and get her to agree to anything without Charles’s say-so.

The meeting with Charles & Camilla: The meeting with Charles and Camilla was more awkward than their cordial tea with the queen. The Sussexes were late, and Charles had just 15 minutes with his son and daughter-in-law before he had to leave for the Royal Maundy Service at Windsor Castle, where he was standing in for the queen for the very first time. While father and son are said to have greeted each other warmly, there were moments of tension. “Harry went in with hugs and the best of intentions and said he wanted to clear the air,” according to a family friend. “He actually suggested that they use a mediator to try and sort things out, which had Charles somewhat bemused and Camilla spluttering into her tea. She told Harry it was ridiculous and that they were a family and would sort it out between themselves.”

William’s ass still hurts about the Sussexit: For Charles and William, the situation with the Sussexes hasn’t just been hurtful and upsetting on a personal level. There have been real repercussions, particularly for William, whose young family has been thrust into the spotlight prematurely. He always expected Harry would be his wingman; there was a long-term plan in place for the brothers to work together and support one another. After Harry announced their departure, William summoned aides to address the future, in what has been referred to by some in William’s circle as the “Anmer Summit.” But William and Kate also felt a sense of relief, that “the drama was gone” when Harry and Meghan left, as a source told me. To this day, William still cannot forgive his brother.

Harry’s big shadow: The brothers’ estrangement also threatens to cast a shadow over Charles’s reign and possibly William’s. Charles knows his public reputation could suffer if he is seen to be turning his back on his youngest son. The queen, who was deeply hurt by Harry’s decision to leave his family and the country, nonetheless ensured the door was always open for her grandson and his wife and children to return. For now Frogmore House is still theirs.

Charles will continue to try to heal the rift: Those close to Charles say he won’t stop trying to heal the rift with his son, as he made sure Harry and Meghan were by the family’s side at the queen’s funeral. “He is hurt and disappointed but he has always said his love for Harry is unconditional,” says a friend, adding that Charles also wants to have a role as a grandparent to Archie and Lilibet.

Archie & Lilibet’s titles: We know titles matter to Charles, and he reportedly wants to limit them to the top tier of royals. He is also reportedly reluctant for his brother Prince Edward to take the title Duke of Edinburgh, even though it was their late father’s wish. So what is he considering in relation to his family so far overseas yet still intent on leveraging their royal links? Would Charles go as far as barring Archie and Lilibet from becoming a prince and a princess now that the Sussexes are no longer working royals? According to a source close to the king, “it depends a lot on what happens in the coming months, particularly with Harry’s book and their TV show.”

William & Harry’s strained relationship: There is still coolness between William and Harry—and on William’s part, a serious lack of trust. I asked a senior aide who has been close to William and Harry for decades what he thought about the brothers’ falling out and the prospect of two rival courts, the Sussexes and the Waleses. He offered a far more optimistic answer than some: “Actually, the more you see about how the Sussexes are approaching these things, it is much more Californian, much closer aligned to activism and celebrity than it is to royalty. The point about royalty is it’s the only institution that links together civic society, the philanthropic world, and establishment.” That person added, “The Sussexes know they’re not able to compare to them. The key point is that they’re not even trying. What they are doing is making a difference in their politico-philanthropic world, and that’s great.”

[From Vanity Fair]

The fundamental miscalculation of all of the British commentators and biographers is assuming that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in any way eager to reconcile or return to the UK or be back in the fold in any way. All of the commentary is predicated on that falsehood, that if this or that happens, suddenly Harry would come back, that he secretly wants nothing more than to dump his wife and children in America and come running back. Nicholl makes the same mistake as everyone else, acting as if everything is fundamentally William’s call or Charles’s call. The fact that the king and the Prince of Wales are basically supporting players to Prince Harry’s super-stardom has thrown everything into disarray. I’m also curious if Nicholl will even bother trying to present anything from the Sussexes’ side, like why they left in the first place, or how Meghan and Harry’s statements in the Oprah interview are verifiable.

Also: “There have been real repercussions, particularly for William, whose young family has been thrust into the spotlight prematurely. He always expected Harry would be his wingman; there was a long-term plan in place for the brothers to work together and support one another.” Again, the “long-term plan” was that Harry would never marry and William would take credit for Harry’s work and Harry would stay silent as William threw Harry to the wolves to cover up his affairs.

Oh, and I think Harry’s idea about getting a neutral third-party mediator is really great? It’s clear that the family is toxic as f–k and they all need a great deal of therapy. Why not? If Charles actually wants to have a relationship with his son and grandchildren, he might want to consider it. It’s also fascinating because Harry has not leaked one single thing about his conversations with his father, per Charles’s explicit request. Meanwhile, Charles has been openly leaking against Harry for months now.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

We knew a few months ago that Katie Nicholl was doing a new royal book, called (obviously enough) The New Royals. Nicholl’s book is one of a dozen tomes set to be released around the same time as Prince Harry’s memoir. All of these royal biographers and commentators will be lamenting and bashing Harry for telling his own story when they’re all clearly trying to profit from telling highly selective versions of his story. For what it’s worth, Nicholl has always been known as more of a Middleton-specific biographer, although from I can see, she’s trying hard to convince everyone that she has sources deep within the new king’s court, as well the royal court of Montecito. Nicholl’s The New Royals got a lengthy excerpt in Vanity Fair, and I’m splitting up the excerpt into two posts. This is Part One: King Charles III and The Heirs.

Charles’s woes. Closest to home are: his youngest son and daughter-in-law’s familial abdication and the complete disgrace of his brother Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who has been stripped of his honorary titles and royal role. Charles is said to desperately want to reconcile with his son Harry, but it remains to be seen if the rift which caused the queen so much upset will ever be truly resolved. Charles and William, however, are unified in the decision that Prince Andrew will never represent the family on the public stage again.

The Commonwealth & Scotland: Charles is acutely aware that the future of this voluntary group of nations [the Commonwealth] is uncertain, and he has said it is “‘a matter for each member country to decide.” But what worries him more than any of this, according to my sources, is the existential threat to the United Kingdom posed by the Scottish independence movement. “His absolute preoccupation is keeping the union intact,” according to a close friend. “His view is that if he ends up being the King of England, then the kingdom would be diminished and it would become a huge issue in terms of our global status.”

King Charles’s coronation, reportedly code-named Operation Golden Orb: His coronation is expected to be shorter and less expensive than his mother’s, and the new king wants the public to witness the experience just as they did his accession. The ceremony will likely highlight the line of succession, with William, Kate, and their children featured more prominently than other members of the family. Camilla will reportedly wear the Queen Mother’s crown, made for King George VI’s coronation in 1937, with its bewitching central diamond, the 105.6-carat Koh-i-Nûr (meaning “mountain of light” in Persian). In this way Charles will align his wife with his beloved grandmother, the last queen consort to be crowned in the UK, whose memory is still treasured by many Britons.

Charles doesn’t want to see the end of the Commonwealth: “I imagine it is important to Prince Charles that the Commonwealth won’t die with him,” notes constitutional expert Alastair Bruce. “No one wants to be holding the institution when a significant part of its profile is taken away. That’s not going to happen in the next reign, but it’s up to the Commonwealth where it goes in the longer term.”

The photogenic (?) Waleses: They will be showing off their photogenic family, as they are doing more and more. George, Charlotte, and Louis, who had starring roles at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, are being raised by their parents with an awareness of their positions and the roles they will one day carry out in support of the monarchy. George knows that like his papa, he will one day be king, while Charlotte will likely juggle the role of being the spare with a career. Louis could well be a private citizen undertaking occasional royal duties, like William and Harry’s cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, as well as princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Inevitably, because he is an heir, there will be more pressure on George, something William and Kate are acutely aware of.

Another move coming for William and Kate: They recently downsized, moving from Kensington Palace into the much smaller and more discreet Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park and moving their three children into the private Lambrook School in Berkshire this month. Their next move, I am told, will be into Windsor Castle. Their incarnation of British royalty looks more like today’s Spanish royal family with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on the throne, or perhaps Denmark’s, where Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary, are poised to succeed. And the appealing prospect of King William and Queen Catherine with Prince George next in line may quell any rumblings of discontent in a country reigned over by an aging King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.

[From Vanity Fair]

The fact that Charles plans to crown Camilla with the Kohinoor is disgusting to me. India wants it back and Britain has every reason to give back the stolen treasure. It also continues to be profoundly disturbing that Charles truly wants his wife draped in his grandmother’s jewels constantly. The Queen Mum left all of her jewelry to Charles, and Charles in turn gave it all to Camilla. He loves when she wears his grandmother’s pieces. It’s… a lot. And now Cam will wear the Queen Mum’s crown? Nope.

As for Charles’s well-placed concerns about Scotland and the Commonwealth… I agree with the people who say that Charles has pretty much given up on the Commonwealth. He knows he’s going to “lose” most if not all of those countries. Which is why he’s so focused on the United Kingdom – if Scotland gets independence, all hell breaks loose for the monarchy. And for the UK as we know it.

As for William and Kate’s kids… Charlotte will be a spare with a career and Louis will be a private citizen? I thought that the Declaration of the Sandringham Summit of 2020 was that there is no “half-in” for HRH royal princes? And now it turns out that Charlotte will have a career AND be a princess, and Lou will be a private citizen? Huh.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, book cover courtesy of VF.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paul Khoury (@paulkhoury)

Ashley Greene and her husband, Paul Khoury, just welcomed their first baby, a girl they named Kingsley Rainn Khoury. I don’t think I’ve seen Ashley in anything since the Twilight series, but I’ve seen plenty of her pap and event pictures. According to his Instagram, Paul is a “Director | Entrepreneur | Story Teller | Artist.” Cool! Ashley and Paul got married in 2018 and announced they were expecting a baby in March 2022. And now baby Kingsley Rainn is here and the new parents are thrilled.

Sink your teeth into this good news: Ashley Greene is now a mom!

The Twilight actress and husband Paul Khoury welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Kingsley Rainn Khoury, on Sept. 16.

“And just like that – everything changed,” the couple shared on Instagram on Sept. 19. “In a single moment, you came into our world and everything else faded away. Nothing else mattered. The love we’re engulfed in cannot be explained, only felt in the deepest of ways. We love you so much baby girl. Welcome to our world.”

The arrival of their daughter comes nearly six months after the Aftermath actress shared images of herself hugging Paul as they held photos of their baby’s sonogram.

“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything and somehow my heart just keeps expanding to love you EVEN more,” she captioned the March 25 post. “I cannot wait to watch you share your light, love, and passion with our baby.”

In July, Ashley showed off her growing baby bump in a steamy nude shower photo on Instagram, writing, “Baby Khoury coming soon…”

The newborn joins the family more than four years after the actress tied the knot with Paul in July 2018 during an outdoor ceremony at the Nestldown retreat in Los Gatos, Calif. The bride wore an all-white Katie May wedding gown, while the groom sported a dark-colored suit with a calla lily boutonniere.

A source told E! News at the time, “It was a beautiful and unique venue with redwood groves, waterfalls and beautiful ponds with lily pads.”

Several of Ashley’s celebrity friends attended the nuptials, including her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, Aaron Paul and his wife Lauren Paul, Evan Ross, Josh Duhamel, Eiza Gonzáles and Cara Santana.

[From Yahoo! Entertainment]

I like the name Kingsley for a girl. It’s unique without being wtf. Rainn and variations of it seems to be a pretty popular middle name, but it’s good they broke up the alliteration with another letter. Overall, a very cute name! Ashley is quite active on Instagram, including with her bump photos, so I’m a bit surprised her birth announcement IG was so restrained! Also surprising? That they got married in 2018. I really didn’t know she was married, but from the article it seems that their wedding was very well-attended. One might even say, star-studded. Ashley’s celebrity friends sort of belie her status in Hollywood, actually. Anyway, congrats to the new parents on their baby. In a world of surprising celebrity pregnancies, especially during covid, it’s nice that they waited a few years after marrying to have a baby.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ashley Greene Khoury (@ashleygreene)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ashley Greene Khoury (@ashleygreene)

I now know that Ashley and I share the same favorite ice cream.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ashley Greene Khoury (@ashleygreene)

Embed from Getty Images