Dear Gossips, Sandra Oh is currently in Pittsburgh shooting a new series. On Saturday she made as surprise appearance at the local Stop Asian Hate protest to lend her voice in raising awareness for the surge in anti-Asian violence that has been happening over the last year, resulting in last week’s …

In 2019, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was targeted by Donald Trump in a series of hateful, stupid, fascist tweets. Trump referred to Khan as a “stone-cold loser” and various other dumb sh-t. Khan barely engaged with Trump, merely keeping it to the point that history would not look kindly on the Johnson government or the royal family for hosting Trump’s extravagant state visit. Trump felt comfortable insulting Khan because Khan is a Pakistani-British and a practicing Muslim. I bring all of that up because I think many non-British people probably just consider Khan someone with liberal/progressive politics who embraces inclusion and diversity in a time where there’s a rise in white supremacy across the board. I’m not here to debate his politics – I’m not British and I’m not a Londoner. But I do think what he said recently about the Duchess of Sussex, the Windsor klan, racism and diversity is worth discussing, especially since Khan has likely been targeted with a similar racist, hateful energy.

Sadiq Khan today said the allegations that a member of the royal family raised concerns about Harry and Meghan’s son “beggared belief”. The Mayor of London described the Oprah Winfrey interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as “heartbreaking” and “distressing”.

Asked on LBC if he had ever had conversations about the potential skin colour of a baby with parents from different ethnicities, Mr Khan replied: “Never, no, and I’ve got members of my family who are mixed race so it beggars belief. It is something that I’m sure the royal family are looking into…I’ll make this point, by the way, I’ve been to Grenfell many many times but I particularly remember going to Grenfell community in the days after Meghan had been there and I’ve got to tell you she touched people’s lives in ways nobody had.”

The Mayor of London said it was possible to be a fan of both sides of the royal family, adding: “This black and white stuff is not good in relation to you either like somebody and hate the other person. It is really sad what’s happened.”

Asked what he thought of the interview, he told LBC: “It was heartbreaking actually. You’ve got a family where there is a big rift. Some of the things that Meghan and Harry said were quite distressing. At the end of the day, it is possible to someone who is a fan of Her Majesty the Queen, somebody who thinks highly of Charles and William and to also think highly of Harry and Meghan and be heartbroken that there is a family having real strains and struggles. As many families do.”

He also said Harry and William speaking out about their own mental health gave him the confidence to do so too.

[From The Evening Standard]

I think he threaded that needle in a thoughtful way, and in a way which should have been emulated by the actual Windsor klan – you know, concern for Harry and Meghan, an acknowledgement that what they’ve been through is tough and distressing in a larger sense. Why is the Mayor of London’s response better than the Johnson government’s response or the Windsors’ response? I wonder.

Plus, Khan is making the point that Meghan in particular was able to reach out to people and communities of color in a way the rest of the family would not and cannot. It reminds me of the story, years ago, which was basically like… the Grenfell tragedy was an issue Prince William “wanted” as future future king. He wanted to show up twice a year and put on his Concerned Face with victims of the Grenfell fire and get credit for “helping.” And then Meghan walked in and she stole his thunder. The Grenfell women loved her and saw her as a sister, as someone they could relate to, and Meghan began putting together the cookbook before William even had time to throw a tantrum about it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and WENN.

It’s my hope that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are in the last throes of their neverending divorce, and that this is the year everything will finally be settled. There’s some kind of upcoming trial or big hearing about the terms of custody for the younger children, and we still haven’t heard much about the financial aspect of the divorce finalization. Last week, The Blast got their hands on some new filings from Angelina, where she informed the court that she would be providing testimony and evidence of Brad’s domestic violence against her or the children or all of the above. Us Weekly also had a story about how Maddox (who is 19) has already provided testimony and it was “not flattering” to Brad. All of which leads me to this Page Six piece, which is yet another smear job from Team Pitt. Some highlights:

Brad is “heartbroken”: Brad Pitt is heartbroken over the leak from the Angelina Jolie camp that she is ready to testify about alleged spousal abuse in their trial over child custody, according to insiders. On March 12, Jolie, 45, filed court documents indicating that both she and her children are willing to offer testimony and “proof and authority in support” of her allegations against Pitt, 57. The court documents, in this case, are private and sealed but were leaked to Hollywood blog The Blast.

Just an endless amount of whining: A source close to Pitt said: “Brad is heartbroken that Angelina has gone that route. There’s a lot of emotion left after their marriage. He has taken responsibility for his actions and owned up to his past issues, he’s stopped drinking. The marriage was very passionate and toxic at times and — like all couples — they had fights, but also shared many good times together. He has talked about his drink and drug problems during the time they were together.”

He’s never attacked Angelina? “Brad and his camp has never attacked Angelina. But his camp feels this leak was calculated to sway opinion ahead of the conclusion of their trial,” the source said. “Brad feels like he’s being more and more isolated from his children, and he’s devastated about it.”

Will this be over soon? It is hoped the trial will end next month and the judge — which Angelina has tried and so far not succeeded in removing from the case — will rule on custody. Judge John W. Ouderkirk — who actually married Pitt and Jolie — has denied any personal bias or prejudice concerning any party or attorney in this case.

Did Maddox testify or not? Sources tell Page Six that the kids have been interviewed by court-appointed therapists, but it is believed recent reports that eldest son Maddox, 19, gave negative testimony against Pitt are untrue. His relationship with Maddox has been described as “difficult,” which Pitt is said to be heartbroken over.

[From Page Six]

I have no idea if Angelina or her lawyers leaked her filing to The Blast or whether it was some clerk or paralegal or whatever. It doesn’t really seem like Angelina’s style to leak that kind of stuff, but who knows what we would do in her situation. Especially since, contrary to what Brad’s team is saying now, they’ve been smearing her for years now. There have been periods when it’s gotten really ugly and… like Brad’s emotional abuse of Angelina has been happening out in the open.

Remember this curious story last year? Suddenly, Team Pitt was all conciliatory with Angelina and admitting that she’s been a great mother. Buried deep with the Entertainment Tonight piece, there was the admission that Angelina hasn’t been “keeping the kids from Brad” – the family court has determined the visitation schedule AND the years of monitored visitation for Brad. My point is that I still think Brad is playing fast and loose with what’s actually going on here and I can’t wait for all of his lies and smears to come back to bite.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.

All of the British papers had stories about Queen Elizabeth this weekend and it’s getting to be… a lot. In the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview, one of the most damaging things to the monarchy wasn’t even what they said explicitly, it was just the vague impression – received from a series of breadcrumbs left by Harry – that the Queen is not really in charge. That the Men in Grey are running the show, with the Charles Regency in full effect. Which is why the Mail on Sunday actually ran a panicked little story called “The Queen is not a puppet! Her Majesty has never been more in charge or more ready to be ruthless after Harry and Meghan’s claim that ‘men in suits’ run the monarchy.” These people are so obvious, my God.

In the refined environment of Windsor Castle, a calmness is slowly being re-established following the tremors of that Oprah Winfrey interview. When not at her desk working, the Queen is said to enjoy playing cards with her lady-in-waiting.

‘There is a sense of order, not panic,’ a source says. After all, there are more pressing national matters than the Sussexes’ salvo of woes.

Worries about the global pandemic and financial earthquake apart, the Queen was greatly relieved to welcome home her husband after four weeks of hospital treatment. Prince Philip, less than 100 days shy of his 100th birthday, is said to be in good spirits. Yet for all the outward calm, something profound has changed at Windsor – and decisively so.

For these are extraordinary times for the Royal Family. In response to Harry and Meghan’s incendiary and hurtful accusations – addressed to a global TV audience of millions – the Queen has responded with a show of force. She has made it as clear as possible that she, and she alone, remains in charge. Such leadership is vital. The Sussexes’ claims are not just hurtful, they are dangerous to the image of the Windsors and of Britain as a country.

[From The Mail on Sunday]

Yeah, if you have to make this big of a point that Liz is in charge, then she isn’t. She’s just a pawn of a far-right wing (and incompetent) political operation. And notice that these Men in Grey can’t even get their stories straight – Liz doesn’t even care about the Sussexes but she’s in charge of this far-reaching response to the Sussexes across several palaces. Uh-huh. Speaking of, it certainly sounds like *someone* knows that there’s a lot of racism in the palaces:

The Queen is to appoint a diversity tsar to modernise the Monarchy, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Sources say the proposed move is an acknowledgment that ‘more needs to be done’ to champion minorities’ rights and follows the explosive claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of institutional racism.

As part of a major drive encompassing Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace, aides will undertake a ‘listen and learn’ exercise over the coming weeks which will involve speaking to a range of businesses and individuals about how the Monarchy can improve representation. Plans seen by this newspaper detail how the Palace will ‘seek independent views’ to help assess and improve the approach to diversity – including ethnic minorities, the disabled and the gay and trans communities. The potential recruitment of a diversity chief to champion reform is also set out.

A Royal source said: ‘This is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the Households. We have the policies, procedures and programmes in place but we haven’t seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done. We can always improve. We are not afraid to look at new ways of approaching it. The work to do this has been under way for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.’ The project has been given fresh impetus as Harry and Meghan appear to step up their battle with the Royal Family over racism.

[From The Daily Mail]

This about how f–king stupid these people are. They had a front-row seat to their own vile, racist, misogynistic smear campaign against Meghan and it was so bad that Meghan LEFT THE COUNTRY and called out their racism in a huge interview… and it’s only now that they’re doing a little bit of busywork with a “diversity czar.” Lord. “I’m astonished and shocked to learn how racist we’ve been for centuries!” GMAFB. But sure, Liz is “in charge.”

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, WENN.

Here’s Part II of the coverage from the Sunday Times Magazine’s cover story, “The Other Brother,” which is just plain, ugly, bald, obvious royal propaganda organized by Kensington Palace. The fact that they used a photo of William looking like a Hitler Youth though… well, I guess someone doesn’t like the way he’s ageing like an angry, pasty douche. The Times story was all over the place, part of it was about how William feels post-Sussexit, part of it was inane fluff in which William takes credit for work being done by professionals and other governments, and part of it was keen, sugary stuff about his marriage. His 10-year wedding anniversary is coming up, so expect more of these kinds of “marriage was the making of Baldingham” stories. Here are more excerpts (this piece was genuinely infuriating):

The years he pretended to be an air ambulance pilot: A source close to William reveals “there were lots of raised eyebrows in the Palace when he wanted to do that. While the Queen and his father backed him, some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people. They thought he wouldn’t stick it out, he’d find it boring, or was doing it out of stubbornness to put off royal duties. He was pretty bloody-minded about it, and determined that other people’s expectations in the media or the system shouldn’t get in the way of his own values.”

His laziness in the early years of his marriage: “For years, the battles around privacy and paparazzi intrusion were all-consuming. He wanted to know, could we build them a credible plan allowing them a family life while slowly increasing the profile of official life? It took years to get there, but the success of that plan allowed him to be confident and content in his role. He’s not worried about his kids’ privacy any more and he has been able to be the kind of dad he wants to be.

Saint Catherine of Keen: “Marriage maketh the man,” a friend says. “Catherine’s groundedness has been the critical anchor. And where his relationship with the media was once all fury and frustration, he now understands using the power of modern media, so the public feel they’re getting enough access.”

Will & Kate are equals: “They’ve got a solid relationship and she gives him confidence,” one says. “There is no jealousy, no friction, they are happy for each other’s successes.” In private William talks as passionately about Kate’s work as his own campaigns, and takes pride in her growing confidence on the public stage.

Lord Hague sucks up to Willy: “People internationally and nationally respect his credibility and knowledge on these issues,” Hague says. “He’s very persuasive. You only see that behind the scenes. He knows what he wants and he goes out to get it.” William knows some people see his passion for conservation as a posh man’s part-time hobby, but Mayhew says the duke’s “genuine and huge knowledge” undermines that view. “He’ll call and WhatsApp to flag up something that I haven’t even seen in the conservation space. He can be impatient to get things done.” Last year William launched the Earthshot prize, a £50 million Nobel-style environmental award to galvanise solutions to global problems over the next decade. He believes “conservation and the environment … shouldn’t be a luxury, it’s a necessity”, Mayhew says. “That’s the drum he wants to beat. He’s got a megaphone and wants to use it in the most constructive way. He speaks for that next generation and I think they can relate to it.

His 2015 meetings in China on the ivory trade: Unlike his father, who has refused to visit the People’s Republic over its human rights record and treatment of Tibet, William’s view was that despite the UK’s fractious relationship with China, “we’ve got to engage”. Mayhew reveals that while William was visiting Japan before China, he still hadn’t secured a meeting with Xi. “But when the Chinese saw all the high-level meetings he was having in Japan, they changed their minds and Xi made time for him.” Later that year, as Xi began a UK state visit, William appeared on Chinese television condemning the ivory trade. Two years later China banned the trade.

His Cyberbullying taskforce: According to William the meetings at Kensington Palace got “fruity” and the tech giants didn’t come close to the change he wanted. He was furious.

Granny Diana: William has said he is determined that the grandchildren Diana never knew should “know who she was and that she existed”. He “constantly” talks to his children “about Granny Diana” at bedtime, so that they know “there are two grandmothers in their lives”.

He’s not trying to be a cool celebrity: He has the same tight circle of friends from his schooldays, one of whom says that, with William, “it’s all about trust and loyalty”. He plays five-a-side football in his Villa socks when he can, goes to the Chelsea Harbour Club gym he went to as a child with his mother and has a “smart casual” public uniform of chinos, jacket, blue shirt and no tie. “William’s not trying to be down with the kids,” a friend says. “He never wants to be painted as irrelevant or dull, though he’s allergic to being compared to celebrities. The public doesn’t always get to see his funny side, but otherwise he’s the same in private as in public. He once said, ‘I’ll be in the public eye all my life. I can’t hide who I am because I’ll be found out.’ ”

[From The Sunday Times Magazine]

Re: the air ambulance job… “Some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people. They thought he wouldn’t stick it out, he’d find it boring, or was doing it out of stubbornness to put off royal duties…” Those courtiers were right in that situation. In 2016, there was a rash of reporting about how little work William did as a “co-pilot” with the air ambulance service, because he was never a full pilot and he made some kind of arrangement with the service to pretend to work. He apparently got bored with the part-time work after a few months, and spent the better part of several years doing next to nothing with the ambulance job AND with his royal work, and lying about why.

What else? He’s taking credit for changing China’s policy on ivory trade, which seems like the making of an international incident, and something which will likely enrage Community Party officials in China. He’s also being led by the short hairs by the media as they demand their pound of flesh from him when it comes to access to the kids. William uses his children as human shields to deflect criticism from his own sh-t and that’s pretty obvious too. But this is my favorite: “He never wants to be painted as irrelevant or dull, though he’s allergic to being compared to celebrities.” He would loooove to hang out with celebrities and athletes but he’s too irrelevant and dull to pull it off. But that’s supposed to be some kind of slam on Harry & Meghan, who are actually A-list celebrities now.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Intro: Minutes 0 to 5:30
We will be off for the next two weeks as we’re taking a break next week and the week after that is Easter. We’ll be back April 10th! I’ve been taking a Masterclass on baking bread. Chandra has been getting enough takeout to last all week. I really like the show Debris on NBC. Chandra has been dreaming about work and the royals. We talk about our life now vs. before the pandemic and whether we’ll get back to it. Chandra has been sore from walking and I complain about my ankles and knees cracking. You can listen below!

Royals: Minutes 5:30 to 39:30
Last weekend Duchess Kate visited the memorial for murdered Londoner Sarah Everard. Kate wasn’t wearing a mask and brought her own videographer. So many stories and headlines centered her the next day instead of the woman who was killed or the women there to pay their respects, many of whom got arrested. I play a segment from Zoom where Sara and Ameerah talk about this. Chandra says Kate wouldn’t have pulled this stunt if it wasn’t for Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview. She was trying to change the subject from the stories about her making Meghan cry.

Minute 9:30 We got more stories about how angry Prince William is. The palace first started centering their PR strategy around William’s rage about two years ago as the Sussexes became more popular. Robert Lacey noted in his book Battle of The Brothers that William responds to Harry with anger so often. Chandra wonders why they keep pushing this story of Prince William as the angry guy who throws tantrums.

Minute 12:30 Gayle King revealed that she spoke with Harry last weekend. Harry told her that he had talked to his father and brother, but that it was unproductive and that they did not talk to Meghan. After that we heard that William had trust issues with Harry and was worried his brother would continue to spill to American outlets. The Windsors have been so obvious in trying to smear Harry and Meghan and they’re getting outplayed every time.

Minute 14:15 Gayle also said that Sussexes wanted to heal the rift with Harry’s family. Chandra says Gayle was making the point that William and Charles needed to check in on Meghan and recognize the pain they caused her. Gayle said that Meghan has receipts. People think Meghan has written off Harry’s family and he’s still trying to reason with them. It’s like he was in a cult and needs deprogramming. Chandra thinks Meghan was the one who wanted to compromise and Harry was the one putting his foot down with his family. I play a segment from Zoom where Karen, Sara, Michelle and Alnaaze talk about this.

Everyone loved Chandra’s “engorged” title. The commenters have been calling William “Baldimort!”

Minute 20:00 The royals have also hired a law firm to supposedly investigate the “Meghan bullied staff” lie that they were pushing. They’re not going to release anything nor are they going to give Meghan access to their “evidence.” Chandra says this shows that Buckingham Palace wants to get this off their plate and don’t want a part in Kensington Palace’s smear of Meghan. Meghan contacted Buckingham Palace and asked for documentation, which was handed over to Prince Charles’ staff, Clarence House.

Minute 21:45 The Cambridges released Mother’s Day cards written by their kids to “Granny Diana,” which came across as exploitive.

Minute 24:30 Prince Charles was supposedly going to do a “point by point” rebuttal of the claims in Harry and Meghan’s interview but didn’t want to get into a “tit for tat.” It seems like The Queen isn’t really in charge and like Charles is acting as the de facto regent. Chandra wonders what his game plan is. Charles had rehabilitated his and Camilla’s image post-Diana but that all blew up after the latest season of The Crown.

Minute 26:15 Kate is still so fixated on this false narrative that Meghan made her cry. Katie Nicholl wrote that Kate found Meghan bringing up that story to Oprah “mortifying,” and that “she has been saddened, disappointed and hurt.” It’s wild how they cannot let this go.

Minute 28:15 Michelle Obama was asked for her reaction to Harry and Meghan’s interview. We were really surprised by her somewhat shady responses. Chandra wonders why she didn’t find a more diplomatic way to say “no comment.” Hillary Clinton’s comments about the interview, on the other hand, were excellent. I play a segment from Zoom where Alnaaze and Zakia talk about this. Sometimes the healthiest option is to get away from a toxic family.

User Feedback: Minute 39:30 to 41:15
Thanks to Alyssa for leaving us a nice voicemail! She’s been listening to us for a year.

Comments of the Week: Minutes 41:30 to end
My comments of the week are from Aeren and Merricat on the post about Sharon Osbourne’s interview on ET. Chandra’s comment of the week is from Andrew’s Nemesis on the post about how long Jennifer Lopez wanted to break up with A-Rod. We remember how Jennifer Lopez used to date Drake. I remember a story where a NY madam said Drake was one of her clients. Here’s a link to photos of Drake’s mansion from Architectural Digest.

Thanks for listening bitches! Call us or leave a voicemail at 434-218-3219.

Photos credit: Avalon.red. Music credit: A.A. Alto, Meydan and via Premium Beat and Sound of Picture

Prince William was the Photoshopped man-child cover of the Sunday Times Magazine this weekend and whew, this thing was a whole mess. The entire Windsor klan’s PR has been obvious, amateurish clownery in the lead up to and wake of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Oprah interview, but William in particular has been particularly pathetic. The more obvious he becomes, the more I’m convinced that William was the one to comment on what color Harry and Meghan’s children would be and THAT is why the brothers began to fall out. The Sunday Times Magazine does nothing to dispel this – while “The Other Brother” (lol) mentions Harry directly several times, there is no actual contradiction to what Harry and Meghan said in their interview. It largely reads as just pure propaganda, and poorly done propaganda at that. There’s so much in this piece, I’m splitting it up into two posts. Here’s the stuff about Harry and Meghan:

How is Poor Baldy in the wake of the interview? In the immediate aftermath of the interview William was “reeling”, a source close to the duke says. “His head is all over the place on it.” A close friend of both brothers says Harry’s “trapped” comment was “way off the mark”, insisting that William does not see it that way. “He has a path set for him and he’s completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service.”

William was part of the post-interview meetings: In the hours and days after the Oprah broadcast, William was at the heart of all discussions with the Queen and the Prince of Wales about how to respond to the Sussexes. He was keen that the issue of race should be acknowledged in the Queen’s statement as an area of particular concern that “will be addressed”

Small-c conservative: William has always railed against being a “ribbon-cutter royal” and the issues he champions — mental health, battling racism in football, homelessness and his ramped-up eco-warrior role — are a window into where the future King William V will take the House of Windsor. A friend says: “He’s a small-c conservative. He values tradition and the need to go around the country, but he realises he can make a difference beyond traditional royal duties.”

The 2017 incident where he missed Commonwealth Day to go skiing: It was the first public nosedive for William, who was still working as an air ambulance pilot. “That pissed him off,” a friend says. “He was leaving home at 5.30am, getting home after dark and saving lives in between, but people were still being critical of his commitment to his [other] job.”

Weird timing for when the Cambridges began full-time work: A former royal aide says: “Immediately after their wedding he had a very clear idea of the pace at which he wanted to take things.” William was adamant he wouldn’t curtail his day jobs, first as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot in Anglesey and then with the air ambulance. “If you’re not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at an early age,” he said, insisting he didn’t “lie awake waiting or hoping” to be king. He delayed full-time royal duties until the autumn of 2017, when, acknowledging the Cambridges’ future required more time at “monarchy HQ”, they moved from Norfolk to London and George started school.

Harry was not keen on ‘family hierarchy’: As the brothers clashed more over the substance and style of their work, and the family hierarchy that William is a stickler for but Harry is less keen on, a split was inevitable.

The long walk: The pair went for a long walk to clear the air after the “Sandringham summit” when the Megxit deal was hammered out, but did not part shores as friends. What upset William the most was Harry and Meghan’s surprise launch of their “Sussex Royal” website before the summit, which featured their blueprint wish list of a part-time, commercial royal future…Both “the content and that it’s still online is staggering”, a senior royal source says. “That was it for William, he felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way,” says a source close to him, who reveals it was still at the forefront of William’s mind at the Commonwealth Day service one year ago. It was the Sussexes’ final engagement as working royals, and the froideur between them and the rest of the family was unmistakable.

Baldy misses Harry: It is a year since the Sussexes left for California and William misses Harry. “Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother,” an aide says. “They shared everything about their lives, an office, a foundation, meetings together most days and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it for ever.” A close friend says William “definitely feels the pressure now it’s all on him — his future looks different because of his brother’s choices, it’s not easy.” Another friend says: “It’s still raw. He’s very upset by what’s happened, though absolutely intent that he and Harry’s relationship will heal in time.

William got closer to Charles: While a chasm has opened up between the brothers, William has grown closer to the Queen and Prince Charles. He has helped them to navigate their way through Megxit, Prince Andrew’s removal from public life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and, now, the Oprah controversy. “That has changed the way the Queen sees him and values his input,” a courtier says. William also feels his relationship with his grandmother has “massively improved” in recent years and their views are “more aligned than ever… Part of William’s evolution is that as he has become closer to his father, he sees their similarities. At William’s wedding there was a gag in one of the speeches that he was more like his father than he’d ever admit, which made a lot of us laugh. As their respective destinies get closer, it weighs more heavily on them and strengthens the bond. The rift with Harry has also brought them closer.

William’s commitment to diversity: William “thinks the public look to him to keep royal work looking modern”, a confidante says. “The Queen and Prince of Wales are providing continuity and stability. He’s carving out his own relationship with diverse communities. He sees it all as a way of doing things now that will help a smooth transition when the time comes.

[From The Sunday Times Magazine]

Throughout the piece, William continuously takes credit for everything under the sun, and the talk of William’s inclusion in all of the palace meetings about Harry & Meghan are some of the most notable examples. William wants credit for saying that the racism issues will be “addressed.” He also wants credit for saying his family isn’t racist, that he single-handedly fixed racism at the BAFTAs, that he’s William the bold small-c conservative who is also a brave pilot and he’s quite mad at Harry so he’s trying to copy everything Harry does. By the way, William is actually a capital-C Conservative. Everyone who works for him is a Tory. And the part about William needing to go skiing on Commonwealth Day because his fake-ass job was so hard? Please. William barely showed up for that job.

“His future looks different because of his brother’s choices, it’s not easy…” Why? Was William planning on blaming Harry for everything bad forever? And of course William is trapped – but Harry was wrong about one thing. William is trapped in a prison almost entirely of his own making. William is too stupid to realize it though. Which is why we’re getting these horrid propaganda pieces. At least the palace propaganda made the effort to make it sound like William isn’t incandescent with rage 24-7.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

I’m sorry for not seeing this Variety cover profile of Anthony Mackie when it came out earlier this month. My friend Zakia sent me this Twitter thread, using quotes from this interview, where people are pointing out that Mackie is an incredibly underrated and under appreciated actor. He’s joking around in the quote that’s in the title to this post, but there’s so much truth in it. Despite his talent and presence, Mackie gets overlooked and overshadowed in his industry in favor of white men. As a fan of Mackie for years (see this post, one of my favorites, and I’ve been crushing on him for over a decade), I have my fingers crossed that he’s about to blow up with Falcon and The Winter Soldier. I hope that Mackie gets more attention than his costar, Sebastian Stan. He knows that’s not typically the case though. Here’s more from his Variety profile.

On if he’s going to be Captain America
“I was really surprised and affected by the idea of possibly getting the shield and becoming Captain America. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I did it the way they said you’re supposed to do it. I didn’t go to L.A. and say, ‘Make me famous.’ I went to theater school, did Off Broadway, did indie movies and worked my way through the ranks. It took a long time for this shit to manifest itself the way it has, and I’m extremely happy about that.”

He lost his mom when he was 15
“It was unexpected and very untimely. I was 15 when she was diagnosed with cancer, and a few months later, she was gone. She passed the day before my ninth-grade graduation. If my mom wouldn’t have passed away when I was so young, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“Everything I did, I did for my mama. The idea of leaving home at 17 to go away to school would have never been an option if she was still around. She was my best friend. Losing her gave me a kind of strength, and a desire to succeed.”

On his career
“There were certain pegs. My first was ‘8 Mile.’ It was a monumental step at the beginning of my career.

“After that it was ‘Half Nelson.’ It blew up Ryan Gosling, so I was there to ride the wave. Then ‘The Hurt Locker,’ and it blew up Jeremy Renner. It was the joke for a long time — if you’re a white dude and you want to get nominated for an Oscar, play opposite me. I bring the business for white dudes.”

He thought that The Hurt Locker would bring more change in his career
“I thought I would be able to move forward in my career and not have to jostle and position myself for work. To get into rooms with certain people. I thought my work would speak for itself. I didn’t feel a huge shift,” he says, “but I 100% think that ‘The Hurt Locker’ is the reason I got ‘Captain America.’”

He wants to do a romcom
“My team gets mad at me for saying this, but I would love to do a cheesy old-school ‘When Harry Met Sally’-type of project. One of those movies where I’m working outside and have to take my shirt off because it’s too hot. I want a romantic comedy. I want to do every movie written for Matthew McConaughey that he passed on.”

[From Variety]

Mackie is a Juilliard trained actor who has put in the work to learn his craft and it shows. This is a guy who kept restoring houses in New Orleans, doing a lot of the work himself, despite starring in huge films and turning down a lot of money because the roles didn’t feel right. He He’s not sitting around waiting for roles, not that there’s anything wrong with that, despite his very high profile. I’ve always found Mackie compelling on screen and in interviews. I know he rubs some people the wrong way and that’s fine, I get that. I just hope that his industry and the fans give him the chance he truly deserves. Oh and I watched Falcon and the Winter Soldier and loved it! He’s about to blow up, fingers crossed. I just wish it happened sooner for him.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Variety (@variety)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Anthony Mackie (@anthonymackie)

photos credit: Avalon.red and Netflix press

Embed from Getty Images
Before Meghan Markle entered the royal family, she was known for her work ethic, philanthropy and her all around loyalty and kindheartedness. Since entering the royal family, there have been accusations about how difficult it has supposedly been to work with Meghan. The royal family even had the nerve to launch a bullying investigation into Meghan several days before her tell all interview with Oprah. The royal family has continued its terrible smear campaign against Meghan, but many of Meghan’s ex-coworkers and friends are now able to speak out on her behalf. Janina Gavankar and Patrick J. Adams are among the people who have spoken up for Meghan. Another one of Meghan’s Suits costars is opening up about working with her. DB Woodside played Jeff Malone, Jessica Pearson’s (Gina Torres’) boyfriend. He was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight to promote his role on Lucifer.

“I’m going to say this because this is one of those things that’s really, really made me angry. Meghan is one of the sweetest, nicest, most intelligent, thoughtful human beings that I have ever met in my life,” Woodside expressed. “Meghan went out of her way to always see how I was doing, to just talk to me when we didn’t have any scenes together, but we might just be on set at the same time. She is an amazing human being. And it bothers me so much what’s happening to her because I know that what they’re saying is untrue.”

“It’s very, very upsetting. And just to be direct, it’s bullsh*t,” he candidly stated. “It seems to me there are people who are setting her up to be the fall person. There’s people who are setting her up to blame her for something. And listen, every single one of us as human beings, we’ve had bad days. Maybe we’ve sent not the best email. Who cares about that? Give me a break. Every single one of us has left a message that we might think, ‘Oh, I was crabby that day.’ Every single one of us.”

“It just seems to me, these people are really reaching for any little thing that they can reach for. And all I have to say is that she’s one of the most incredible human beings that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” Woodside stated. “She’s incredibly smart and generous and kind and lovely and thoughtful. I mean, I can go on and on and on. So I wish her nothing but the best. And I just hope people over in Britain, excuse my French, leave her the f**k alone.”

Woodside, on his end, believes Markle will pull through and overcome any obstacle and rumor that comes her way.

“Listen, the thing about her is she’s strong and she’s resilient. And if they think that this kind of stuff is going to knock her off her game for very long, they picked the wrong woman to mess with.” he shared. “She is the wrong woman to mess with. They need to back up, back off, apologize because she’s not the one.”

[From ET Online]

DB Woodside only said what we already know about Meghan. Those of us who followed Meghan’s career and philanthropy knew who she was. We never believed the smears from the British media and royal household. But that Oprah interview was illuminating for people who weren’t aware of what was going on the last few years. It also hurt to learn the extent to which Meghan’s friends were kept silent. I happy that her co-workers and friends have taken the gloves off and I am loving the drama of it all. Meghan’s friends are putting the palace and media on notice by letting them know that Meghan ain’t the one to f*ck with. I do believe the royal family underestimated Meghan and her supporters. They thought that they’d be able to smear her in peace and run her off. It is evident that Meghan has been playing chess while everyone else has been playing Parcheesi. I hope to continue to see more people who have worked with Meghan push back on the narrative that has gone unchecked. Meghan deserves all the support she is now receiving. As for me, I am enjoying watching the royal family set themselves on fire. Good luck to them and their diversity czar.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

photos credit: Getty and via Instagram

About fourteen months ago, Prince Harry met with his father, brother and grandmother at Sandringham for the “summit” which would figure out Harry and Meghan’s future roles in the Firm. The Sussexes offered a half-in/half-out approach which would see them live outside of the UK for part of the year, earn a living and pursue commercial ventures, all while fulfilling their royal work and keeping one foot in the UK. That was flatly rejected very early in the Sandringham Summit. The Queen apparently told Harry that he was either in or out and Harry chose out. During that same summit, I’ve always believed that William pursued his own ultimatum with his father and grandmother: back me and let’s push out Harry. There was so much talk of Charles being so saddened to see Harry go, but honestly, William had largely orchestrated the entire f–king mess, and William was the one forcing his father and grandmother to “choose.” I bring this up because there are a couple of shady stories about Charles now and I just… wonder what William’s up to.

Prince Charles “took the lead” over the Royal Family’s response to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview, an expert says. The Firm were said to be locked in crisis talks after the couple made a string of sensational claims in the tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan, 39, accused an unnamed royal of raising “concerns” about Archie’s “skin colour” before he was born. The Queen then released a statement almost two days after the chat saying the claims would be taken “very seriously”.

But royal expert Robert Jobson says Charles may have led discussions on how best to respond to the allegations. Writing for Hello! magazine, he said: “I think the Prince of Wales has also taken the lead on how the Palace has responded. The Queen is 94 and the Duke of Edinburgh is incapacitated, so he will be trying to placate and learn lessons from this so something can be worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. The royal family like to do things as a team, and if the team is being trashed they like to react as a unit and a family.”

[From The Sun]

It’s possible Charles has taken the lead on this and that’s why everything went sideways from the jump. I think it’s far more likely that Charles believes he’s taking the lead on this but the Queen and her courtiers have another agenda, and then the amateur hour clown show over at Kensington Palace keeps creating problems too. Speaking of, People Magazine has a story about how Charles’ relationships with his sons have always been more strained than other father-son relationships. Ya think?

Prince Charles doesn’t have a “straightforward father-son relationship” with Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince Harry revealed in his interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month that his father had stopped taking his calls at one point amid his and Meghan Markle’s royal exit. While Charles and Harry spoke over the phone last weekend, sources say the relationship between Prince Charles and his sons has been complex for years.

“There has always been this complicated relationship with their dad,” a palace source tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. In addition to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s painful divorce and consequent marriage to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who he had an affair with during his relationship with Diana, Prince Charles controls the money.

“It’s not a straightforward father-son relationship,” the palace source adds. “He is their father and their boss, and they are beholden to him to fund their offices and lives.”

A close insider says, “Tension between Charles and the boys has always surrounded money, because Charles is the one who holds all the power.”

Through his lucrative Duchy of Cornwall estate, which generates an income of nearly $30 million a year, Charles funds his own official office along with William and Kate Middleton’s. He previously funded Harry and Meghan Markle’s office as well.

[From People]

“Charles is the one who holds all the power…” Who said that?? I doubt even Charles would say that! Charles has more power than people realize and Charles wields the power of the purse over his two sons more than we realize, but make no mistake… William has a lot of power over his father and grandmother. William is the wild card, the rage monster, the holy terror who terrifies his grandmother and father. While Charles finances William and Kate’s keen adventures right now, when the Queen passes, William will take over the Duchy of Cornwall and then he’ll have so much money and power too. William gets whatever he wants from his father right now anyway. Charles literally cut off his youngest son to make William happy. Ugh.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and WENN.