Emma Watson wore a very bridal doily dress (it’s McQueen) to the Kering Foundation’s “Caring for Women” dinner last night. [RCFA]
Republicans are trafficking humans to score political points on Fox News. [Jezebel]
Diego Luna looked handsome at the Andor premiere. [Just Jared]
YouTuber Trisha Paytas named her newborn daughter (rumored to be the reincarnated Queen Elizabeth II) Malibu Barbie. Perfection. [Dlisted]
Ben Affleck apparently wrote a 12-page speech for his vows to Jennifer Lopez. I honestly believe she loved that. [LaineyGossip]
Here’s the trailer for the Willow series. [OMG Blog]
This Tom Ford collection is… odd. [Go Fug Yourself]
Rachel Aviv’s new book sounds interesting. [Gawker]
As someone who read and disliked Joyce Carol Oates’ Blonde, it’s slightly funny to see the reviews from people who are like “omg, this is such a dark, disturbing movie!” [Pajiba]
Lots of people have stories about how they intuited (or had outright premonitions of) dangerous or deadly situations. There were people who worked in the Twin Towers who felt like something terrible was going to happen before 9/11 too. [Buzzfeed]
My 600 Lb Life star got dumped because she wanted to lose weight. [Starcasm]
Donald Trump really wanted to buy Greenland. [Towleroad]
Carrie Underwood plays with guns. [Egotastic]

Embed from Getty Images

The original plan for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s British and German tour was to attend the WellChild Awards last Thursday and then head back to California. Then, as we now know, Meghan was going to New York next week, the week of the 19th. She was apparently due at the United Nations, and she was scheduled to appear on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote Archetypes. When Queen Elizabeth II passed, the Sussexes’ plans were put in disarray. They had to stay in the UK, Meghan postponed her Archetypes episodes this week and she canceled her appearance in New York. SOB! Now another postponement: she was supposed to be on this week’s Variety cover.

Meghan Markle’s upcoming appearance on the cover of Variety magazine has been delayed.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, was chosen by the magazine as one of its honorees for the upcoming Power of Women issue, they announced Wednesday.

Following Queen Elizabeth’s death last week, however, the magazine announced that Meghan’s cover was being held “out of respect for the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II.”

The outlet also said Meghan will not be attending the Power of Women event in Los Angeles on September 28.

Variety is also honoring Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, Malala and Elizabeth Olsen.

[From People]

Man, the Windsors really screwed up everything for our Meghan. We were going to see so much of her, see her out and about in New York, laughing with Fallon, making speeches at the UN and chatting with Variety. It sounds like the Variety cover story will come out at some point, hopefully next week or the week after. There are rumors in the British media (eyeroll) that Meghan is postponing Archetypes for six weeks, but I honestly doubt it will be that long. I think it will be two weeks. And hopefully, she’ll reschedule some TV appearances too.

As for Variety, they interviewed Mariah Carey about the anniversary of Butterfly and her career and a lot more. They asked her about sitting down with Meghan for Archetypes too:

Speaking of royalty, just a week before Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Carey was a guest on Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast on Spotify in an episode titled, “The Duality of the Diva.” Once together on the podcast, Carey and Markle discussed intimately what it meant to be called the “difficult” version of diva and their shared experiences of being biracial women.

“I don’t know that I should be an authority on anybody but myself, but to preface my answer — I did not meet the Queen,” she says. “I am, however, obsessed with the show ‘The Crown.’ And the podcast with Meghan, I felt, was an important moment and one that I truly enjoyed — getting her take on things, she’s had her journey and I’ve had mine. There are some similarities, like being biracial. I tend to dwell on that topic because I just can’t get over it. It’s always a thing, whether I bring it up or someone else does. I assume that’s why it was interesting for she and I to talk for her podcast. There are so many misconceptions about her and about me — you can’t even realize how many misconceptions.”

[From Variety]

I honestly thought Meghan and Mariah’s conversation about being biracial was more interesting than the diva talk! I get why Meghan didn’t devote the episode to The Bifurcation of Biracial (our girl loves alliteration) but I do wish they had talked more about it.

Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, was chosen as one of one of this year’s stellar honorees. The Duchess’ cover will be postponed to a later date, out of respect for the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II.https://t.co/tMeOgru12h pic.twitter.com/Pqiolo2W2a

— Variety (@Variety) September 14, 2022

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Just a few days ago, that awful Tom Bower was screeching about Prince Harry’s memoir. Bower claimed that his sources (the ghosts in his padded cell) were telling him that Harry refused to delay the publication of his memoir and it was still due out in November. Keep in mind, in general, no one has any idea when the book is coming out or what’s in the book. The Windsors have no idea. The royal rota – save, perhaps, Omid Scobie – have no idea. But gosh darn it, that’s not going to stop them from making bold pronouncements about it! In a new piece in the Telegraph, someone claims that Harry will delay the memoir and he will likely write some “new chapters” about the death of his grandmother. Is this fan-fiction? Or rather, hater-fiction?

The Duke of Sussex’s memoir is expected to be delayed because of the royal mourning period and is now likely to be published next year, sources have confirmed. Ever since it was announced last summer, the book has cast a long shadow over the Royal family amid fears that it will be used to settle scores. Published by Penguin Random House, it was originally scheduled for release in “late 2022” and was expected around Thanksgiving in time to cash in on the Christmas market. But the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week threw long-held publication and publicity plans into turmoil.

The King announced on Friday that the Royal family would remain in mourning until seven days after the late Queen’s funeral on Monday. Protocol dictates that official duties are then gradually phased in as appropriate, with military and charity engagements likely to be given priority and personal projects coming later.

A source close to the Sussexes indicated that the book would not now come out as planned as the couple respect a mourning period that is likely to last well beyond the official ten days. Archetypes, the Duchess’s Spotify podcast, is said to have been put on hold for up to six weeks as a mark of respect. There are no plans to pull the Duke’s book but publication will be delayed, probably until next year.

The manuscript, ghostwritten by American author JR Moehringer, is understood to have been finished some time ago. But the Queen’s death is such a seismic moment for both the monarchy and for the Duke’s family that the book will likely have to be updated throughout. With publication delayed, Prince Harry will have time to write additional chapters about his grandmother’s death, ensuring it does not appear out of date.

No members of the Royal family, their aides or lawyers have had sight of the book in any form. Neither have they been informed when it is due to be published.

[From The Telegraph]

Yeah, again, if Harry completed the manuscript months ago, and everything has cleared legal, that means the memoir has probably already gone to print. This isn’t some half-assed royal biography/Deranger fan fic – this is a serious memoir written by a prince and being published by a serious American publisher. Penguin Random House isn’t going to agree to significantly delay the book so that Harry can write a few updated chapters about Queen Elizabeth’s death. Please, he’ll save that for his second book. I mean, yeah, I’m talking out of my ass, but I just think this is wishful thinking from the Telegraph. It’s not even up to Harry anymore. And I actually doubt Meghan will delay Archetypes for as long as six weeks. Maybe two weeks?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

While this obviously isn’t the biggest focus this week, I do wonder if Queen Elizabeth II’s will makes special bequests to her family. Specifically, I wonder if QEII bequeathed some of her private jewelry collection to Princess Anne, the Countess of Wessex, and some of her grandchildren. While many of the jewelry pieces QEII wore over her lifetime are part of the Royal Collection – and thus, go directly to the heir, King Charles III – she also had an extensive private collection. Brooches, earrings, gifts from her father, gifts from her husband. Who gets what? They’re not saying. I thought of that as I was reading this story about what jewelry QEII will likely be buried in (or entombed in). This person suggests that Anne will get QEII’s engagement ring… and I kind of doubt that?

At her Coronation, the Queen wore a crown glittering with jewels and wielded a sceptre boasting the world’s largest white diamond. But a royal expert has predicted that Her Majesty will be buried with just two pieces of jewellery.

Lisa Levinson, head of communications at the Natural Diamond Council, told Metro.co.uk that it would be ‘unlikely’ that the ‘humble’ Queen will be buried with anything other than her ‘simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings’.

She added that her engagement ring, which contains diamonds taken from a tiara owned by Prince Philip’s mother Alice of Battenberg, will likely be given to her daughter Princess Anne. The Queen’s wedding ring was passed to her after being given to her parents for their wedding in 1923. It began a royal tradition of having wedding rings made from Welsh gold. It was made from the Clogau St. David’s gold mine.

Her Majesty’s private jewellery collection holds around 300 pieces, including 98 brooches, 34 pairs of earrings and 15 rings. When not worn by the monarch, they were stored in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

The official Crown Jewels are held in the Tower of London. Dating back to the 17th-century, the collection includes more than 23,000 diamonds, sapphires and rubies.

Ms Levinson said: ‘Her Majesty is an incredibly humble woman at heart who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings.’

She added that most of the Queen’s jewels are likely to remain in the royal collection rather than being buried with her because the Her Majesty’s life ‘has always been about the legacy of the royal family, in the UK and Commonwealth. Her jewels form very much part of that legacy’.

[From The Daily Mail]

Yeah, who gets the brooches? Who gets her engagement ring? QEII would probably have to make special arrangements in her will if she wanted certain pieces to go to certain family members. If she just left everything to Charles to sort out, I seriously doubt he’s parceling out her pieces to family members. Sophie will be lucky to get one brooch! But Anne might get some pieces. Not many, but a few. And I agree that QEII likely won’t be buried with anything more than her wedding band and a lesser pair of pearl earrings.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, Backgrid.

Here are more photos from the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales’s outing yesterday in Sandringham. While King Charles III was “reflecting” in Highgrove, various royals were sent out to meet with mourners across the UK. This was sort of William and Kate’s “first event” as Prince and Princess of Wales, although I would think that last weekend’s outing in Windsor with the Sussexes was actually their first event. Plus, Kate is still going to “count” all of the funeral stuff onto her annual event tally.

Not only did William and Kate spend some time with mourners outside of the Sandringham estate, they met some local officials inside of Sandringham House. So, two events then. Incidentally, Kate wore a pair of QEII’s pearl drop earrings. Did Kate immediately raid the Royal Collection the minute the Queen died? Damn.

Meanwhile, Prince William was due to fly to New York next week for the makeshift Earthshot Summit. It was something Michael Bloomberg put together because William was incandescent with jealousy that Harry was invited to speak at the UN earlier this summer. Now William has canceled the trip. But the summit will still go on?

Prince William will not be traveling to New York City this month as planned. Prince of Wales, 40, will no longer be attending the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit on September 21 following the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. The gathering falls during the time of mourning that’s continuing for seven days past the monarch’s funeral on September 19.

The summit will still go on, co-hosted by other Earthshot Prize organizers and Bloomberg Philanthropies. There, the groups will bring together inaugural finalists and last year’s Earthshot Prize winners. Attendees will also include Matt Damon, Bill Gates, Cate Blanchett and even and Oscar the Grouch. William was set to address the guests alongside former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who works to help scale and replicate the Earthshot solutions as Global Advisor to the winners of the Earthshot Prize. The royal heir’s attendance at the September summit was first announced in August.

[From People]

I suspected that William would cancel, but what I didn’t predict was that the “summit” would continue without William. Surely this is a giant waste of everyone’s time and money? Surely they should just cancel the summit “out of respect for the Queen” as well? I also assume that William and Kate’s big trip to Boston in December is still on – the mourning period will be over and the Boston trip would probably be one of their first as “the Waleses.”

Something else coming up next week: Laver Cup, which is being held at the O2 in London. Kate was due to do a charity event with Roger Federer and some tennis-playing youths on the 22nd (next Thursday) ahead of Laver Cup, which starts on the 23rd. The proceeds of the “fan day” tickets will go to Kate’s patronages. I wonder if she’ll have to cancel?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Whenever I’ve seen the Countess of Wessex in the past week, she looks like ten kinds of hell. Truly, I’m not judging – it’s been said that especially after Sophie’s mother passed, Sophie looked to Queen Elizabeth II as a surrogate mother, and QEII looked to Sophie as a second daughter. They were very close, and Sophie continuously reminded royal reporters of their closeness. Sophie genuinely looks like she’s going through it now that QEII has passed away. Now, is Sophie also calling up royal reporters to get them to remind everyone that she needs to be “elevated” now that Charles is in charge? Yes. She is.

Sophie actually did the same thing after Prince Philip died and it came back to bite her in the ass. Edward and Sophie was supposed to become the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh when Philip passed away. The Wessexes went on a full PR blitz following Philip’s passing, encouraging everyone to write about how they would soon have those titles. They didn’t count on the DoE title reverting back to Charles, and Charles deciding to hold onto the title indefinitely. Charles shut it down and he also told them both to stop with the obvious PR campaign. Well, guess who’s back on her bullsh-t.

It may be considered a final, poignant nod to the daughter-in-law who called her “Mama”. Queen Elizabeth II’s title of the Duchess of Edinburgh will pass to the Countess of Wessex if, as expected, Prince Edward succeeds his father as the Duke of Edinburgh.

Such a move would elevate the status of the Countess at a time when her role becomes notably more significant – one of just a handful of working royals in the new, slimmed-down monarchy.
The decision rests in the hands of the King, who has held the title ever since his father’s death.
However, the late Prince Philip had made his wishes clear: when the time comes, his youngest son should be given the title. Prince Charles was said to agree and the deal was all but rubber-stamped. Last year, following the Duke’s death, speculation swirled that Charles had had a change of heart.

One source told the Sunday Times: “The Prince is the Duke of Edinburgh as it stands, and it is up to him what happens to the title. It will not go to Edward.”

Experts believe it likely that the title will eventually be passed to the Earl, who has already taken on the responsibilities associated with his father’s hugely successful Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. To do so, a new dukedom of Edinburgh would have to be created by letters patent but such a move is not unprecedented. The gesture would provide a fitting link between the late Queen and her daughter-in-law.

[From The Telegraph]

There’s more in that piece about how Sophie was a “second daughter” to the Queen and how of course the Queen would have wanted Sophie to become a duchess and “By taking on the Duchess of Edinburgh title, Sophie will raise her profile further. The Queen now gone, she is rapidly becoming an integral part of the future Firm.” In case King Charles III needed the point underlined yet again, the Times of London also had a piece with much of the same energy: Sophie needs a bigger role, Sophie needs to be Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie is important. We’ll see if it works this time, girl. The last time, Charles shut it down thoroughly. I suspect he will again, but who knows.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was with her brother Charles at their mother’s bedside when QEII passed. Anne remained in Scotland when King Charles III returned to London to begin his kingship. Anne traveled with her mother’s remains to Edinburgh, and Anne was the sole “child” of the Queen to travel with her mother from Edinburgh to London. Anne has been, as always, a rock. Unflinching, steady, unshowy. All of those qualities are what British people say they love so much. Interestingly enough, Anne is the focus of Omid Scobie’s Yahoo UK column this week. It feels slightly odd, given the buffet of royal gossip, mess and shambles this week. But I like that Scobie is giving Anne her proverbial flowers. Some highlights:

Anne’s tears and her wish: After four days escorting Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin by car from Balmoral to Aberdeen and by plane from Edinburgh to London, the tearful moment at Westminster Hall was one of the most difficult stops in the Princess Royal’s poignant journey with the “mummy” she was so close to. After spending the final 24 hours of her mother’s life by her side, it was always Anne’s wish to remain alongside the Queen as her body was transported. And while much of the route was witnessed by the public, many moments in those sombre days were also extremely private, often in prayer or deep contemplation. Westminster Hall, however, was the place where Anne would have to finally hand her over, witnessing the late monarch being passed from family to state.

Anne’s place: For the many royalists and those touched by the life of the Queen, the 72-year-old 16th-in-line has quickly become a steady presence helping comfort the nation through its mourning and, just like her mother, been the constant that many feared would now be a thing of the past. As the stalwart of the family, Anne has reliably been present during every moment since the September 8 death of the sovereign and will continue to be so until she is buried at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Monday.

The workhorse: Anne’s approach to royal life has simply been to keep her head down and get on with her responsibilities—even when few are watching. It’s how she earned the title as hardest working member of the family, carrying out more than 387 engagements last year alone (even with COVID as an obstacle)—two more than her older brother Charles and more than three times more than the then Duchess of Cambridge. “She needs no praise nor attention,” a family friend told me this week. “The work itself is where she gets her satisfaction.”

Business as usual: While much talk is now focused on other family members “stepping up” to support the new king, or those bigger roles taken on by the newly-styled Prince and Princess of Wales, it’s business as usual for Anne, who I’m told already has a packed diary of engagements to dive into the moment royal mourning ends seven days after the funeral.

Scobie thinks Anne should be a Counsellor of State: It feels almost criminal to think that, because of her current standing, Anne has not become a Counsellor of State after the death of the Queen—a role that allows the sovereign’s spouse and the next four in line (over the age of 21) to stand in for King Charles if he is unable to undertake his duties due to illness or absence abroad. Instead, joining Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew is a third non-working royal on the list—Princess Beatrice. Make it make sense.

A new title for Anne? It’s rumoured that a new, elevated title may be on the horizon for Anne, and I can’t think of anyone in the family more deserving. But if it happens, don’t expect it to make much difference. Title or no title, Anne will always go above and beyond the call of duty—whether anyone is watching or not.

[From Yahoo UK]

I wasn’t aware that there was a stand-alone title for a woman of royal blood higher than The Princess Royal. That title was Queen Elizabeth II’s gift to her much beloved daughter after decades of service to the crown. Like Scobie says, it’s not as Anne even cares for that kind of thing, but I’m curious if Charles does find some obscure way to elevate Anne even higher with a new title. I also suspect that if Charles does this, he will do it so Anne won’t have to curtsy to any woman but Queen Camilla (and Anne might not even bother with that).

As for Scobie’s small, shady asides… well done. “…More than three times more than the then Duchess of Cambridge” and “or those bigger roles taken on by the newly-styled Prince and Princess of Wales, it’s business as usual for Anne…” While the rest of the Windsor clan scramble to elevate themselves, Anne carries on. And her brother might reward her for it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

I’ve never really been into Blake Lively as a person and the “Allure of Antebellum” mess was probably the end of any warmth I had for her. I actually thought about the “Allure of Antebellum” debacle recently, because the Duchess of Sussex has a similar obsession with alliteration when it comes to naming her Archetypes podcasts. I’ve joked on Twitter that if Blake ever turns up on Archetypes, Meghan should for-real name the episode Allure of Antebellum and they can sit there and deconstruct the “archetype” of the Confederacy-loving, Old-South-glorifying, plantation-wedding-having clueless white racist woman trope. Blake would never.

The one thing Blake WILL do is have babies. Blake and Ryan Reynolds already have three children: James, 7, Inez, 5, and Betty, 2. Blake is pregnant again with their fourth. She’s got a nice-sized bump and we saw Blake and her bump for the first time in months. She attended the 10th Annual Forbes Power Women’s Summit on Thursday, and she wore a shimmery mod-style gold dress. I imagine Blake draping that white ribbon loosely across her neck and whispering “I’ve never had a stylist, you know.” Congrats to them – they spend most of their time in upstate New York, raising their children and trying not to remind people of their plantation wedding.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Getty.

Fussy, ink-soaked King Charles III has retired to Highgrove for 24 hours as he finally gets a chance to reflect back on the hectic events of the past week. According to the Daily Mail, King Charles and Queen Camilla “landed” near Camilla’s estate, Ray Mill, where the king dropped off his wife and then headed to Highgrove solo. They left London shortly after the public procession yesterday. This “day of reflection” was built into Operation London Bridge. This was always the plan.

Meanwhile, it seems that somewhere in the chaos of the past week, King Charles has made a decision about his Sussex grandchildren’s titles. This was a discussion long before QEII’s passing, but it cropped up again when the royal.gov site was updated with the new line of succession, and Archie and Lilibet were not afforded prince and princess titles. While Charles has let it be known that he intends to change the Letters Patent, he has not done so yet, so technically Archie and Lilibet automatically became prince and princess when QEII died. Now the new King has apparently made a decision about that:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s children will not get HRH status from King Charles III — but they will be prince and princess. The King is expected to anoint Prince Archie, three, and one-year-old Princess Lilibet, in the near future.

Tense discussions have taken place while Meghan and Prince Harry are in the UK for the Queen’s funeral. His Majesty has agreed to issue letters patent to confer the prince and princess titles on his two grandchildren — who live with their parents in Montecito, California.

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 41, agreed not to use their His and Her Royal Highness titles when they moved there two and a half years ago. But they moaned that it had left their family without adequate security. And they will now be ­bitter that Archie and Lilibet will also not be able to use the style of address. The Sussexes are said to have pointed out that princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have HRH status but they are not working royals.

A source said: “Harry and Meghan were worried about the security issue and being prince and princess brings them the right to have certain levels of royal security. There have been a lot of talks over the past week. They have been insistent that Archie and Lilibet are prince and princess. They have been relentless since the Queen died. But they have been left furious that Archie and Lilibet cannot take the title HRH. That is the agreement — they can be prince and princess but not HRH because they are not working royals.”

A spokesman for the King declined to comment.

[From The Sun]

Minus the sh-t about Harry and Meghan’s “fury” – which I’ll get to in a moment – I actually think this compromise is generally the right one? King Charles isn’t denying his mixed-race children their “birthright” as grandchildren of the monarch, they’ll still be prince and princess, but they won’t have the HRH style. Harry and Meghan have the HRH style but they “promised” not to use it. It’s asinine and needlessly fussy, but in general… I think this is a smart call.

As for the Sussexes “fury” – this keeps happening in royal reporting, where some Kensington Palace or (now) Buckingham Palace source makes assumptions about how Harry and Meghan “feel” and so those assumptions are ascribed to them as factual. While security and HRH styling was a big deal to H&M in 2019, they now have their whole lives in California, away from these terrible people. They know that “Archie and Lili becoming prince and princess” isn’t going to suddenly mean that the institution suddenly gives a sh-t, or that the institution will protect any of them.

I also seriously doubt that H&M have been “relentless” about anything to do with their kids’ titles. It’s very much like Harry’s military uniform – the Sussexes are sitting back and watching the new king make terrible decisions, knowing how sh-tty everything looks. If Harry hadn’t issued that statement about how little he cares about wearing a uniform at his grandmother’s funeral, the press would be eagerly telling us that Harry was “furious” behind the scenes and “relentlessly” trying to persuade Charles to change his decision.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Today is King Charles III’s rest day, and the other senior royals were sent out to visit various parts of the UK in his absence. The Wessexes went to Manchester, the Princess Royal went to Glasgow, and the new Prince and Princess of Wales went to… Norfolk. Where they have a home, at Anmer Hall. Speaking of William and Kate’s new titles, I’ve noticed something weird – some British outlets refer to Kate as “the Princess of Wales,” but sometimes they’re using her other titles, The Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall. Is there some kind of journalistic protocol on this? Surely Kate would want to be styled with the highest-rank title, which is HRH Catherine, the Princess of Wales. I guess this is the transition period where everyone is getting used to calling both of them the Waleses.

As for this outing in Norfolk – where they were just outside of King Charles III’s private estate, Sandringham – Kate wore black, as the mourning period dicates. She also wore another pair of Queen Elizabeth’s earrings, this time a pair of pearl drops. She also wore a cross necklace. She rarely wears religious stuff, but I guess she’s leaning into it. Perhaps trying to rebrand herself as a humble Christian woman.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Getty.