We?ve gently teased Brooklyn Beckham for years, but I do have a soft spot for him. He?s failed on a huge stage repeatedly, but he keeps changing course and trying to find ?his thing,? his inspiration, his purpose. It helps that he doesn?t seem like a bad guy at all ? he?s pretty harmless overall. His purpose is not football or photography or modeling. But he likes being married (to Nicola Peltz) and he likes being involved with food. Currently, he?s promoting his new hot sauce and eventual condiment line. He recently chatted with Grazia about his nepo-baby status, food and more. Some highlights:

His food business Cloud23. ?Up until now, people don?t really know what I do. I?ve been working on this project for three years now. And still, everyone?s like, what does he do? He doesn?t work!?

On nepo babies: ?Obviously I am one. But I couldn?t help how I was born, at all.? Rather than dwell on it, he says he tries to let criticism slide off him, like egg from a non-stick frying pan. His determination to be Teflon is, he says, down to his parents? long-standing advice. ?There?s always going to be people that say rubbish. But as long as you do something that makes you happy and you?re kind to people, that?s all that matters.? He has grown to accept, he says, ?that I?m always gonna get it, no matter what I do. And I?m fine with that. It makes me work harder, because I?m like, I?m gonna prove these people wrong.?

His dad?s Netflix series reminded everyone how Brooklyn?s life has been crazy since birth: Watching it now, he recognises that ?it?s crazy how I was so young. I was literally a baby. And I still remember so many little parts of that?. There?s a lot of me growing up, when my dad was playing for [Manchester] United and my mum was in the Spice Girls, and how hectic it was. I think people realised, a little bit, when that came out, and they?re like, ?Oh sh-t, like, he really had it, he was really young.??

He loves his wife & dogs: The idea of insulating himself with his wife and their dogs seems to appeal a great deal. Angel, Beckham?s three-legged rescue puppy, comes to every shoot he does; he seems reassured by her presence. He says dogs are ?so much better than humans. Always happy to see you. Always make you feel better.?

He hopes he will be a dad soon. ?Whenever my wife?s ready. I?ve always wanted to be a young dad. I love that my dad?s young. He was like my mate.? He does want to replicate his own childhood, he says, in many ways. ?Just how my dad raised me. So loving. I really know I?m going to be a great dad. My mum and dad were the best mum and dad ever. They did an amazing job. I think I turned out all right.? That said, ?I don?t think it?s going to be as hectic as when I was a baby. So that might be a little bit different.?

Putting out a hot sauce: ?I?ve never been that lazy person to just sit back and just do nothing. I really want to make a name for myself. I want my kids to grow up and be like, ?My daddy did that.? That?s what I think about. I worked so hard on not just attaching my name to a hot sauce and just putting it out. I decided every little aspect. I?ve never worked so hard on something,? he says. He is keen to differentiate it from previous projects which, he says, ?didn?t turn out the way I had wished. I did enjoy photography for a minute, then I ended up not enjoying it; I wasn?t passionate about it.?

[From Grazia]

My impression of Brooklyn is that he?s not all that ambitious, actually. Which is fine ? as much as I admire go-getters and hustlers, some people aren?t built that way and that?s okay. Some people aren?t about the grind life. Brooklyn doesn?t want to be the best, the greatest whatever. He wants to be a homebody with his wife and dogs. And now he?s dabbling in the condiment industry. Normalize having little to no hustle! And he really wants to be a father. I suspect he wants to be a stay-at-home dad while Nicola works. Which is also fine and something which should be normalized.

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Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

I?m not a shoe person, I?m a purse person. I love purses and I wish I could buy all of the purses, forever. With shoes, I?ve always prioritized comfort over beauty, and I?ve never been able to walk in high heels either. But I enjoy when women are shoe-people, even if I rarely notice someone?s shoes. For years, we got used to Princess Kate?s lack of interest in shoes ? Kate has never been a shoe person or a purse person, nor has she ever been stylish whatsoever. Kate always wore simple heels, usually in beige and never stilettos. Then Prince Harry met Meghan Markle. Meghan is everything ? she loves shoes, she loves purses, and she has great style and a big closet. Remember how mad they were? For years, they cried about how Meghan?s style, purses and shoes were breaking royal rules. Then everyone began copying Meghan, and they?re still crying. Well, five years after Meghan left that island, the Mail is still talking about Meghan?s shoes. That girl walked out of their lives wearing Aquazzura stilettos and they?ve never gotten over it.

The Duchess of Sussex loves her Aquazzura shoes. The footwear brand stands out as her undeniable favourite when it comes to her carefully curated outfits. The Italian luxury brand, helmed by designer Edgardo Osorio, has long been a go-to among fashion-forward A-listers. But it?s Meghan who has taken her love for Aquazzura to impressive sky-scraping stiletto heights.

Meghan?s collection doesn?t stop there. With a jaw-dropping 31 different styles, including flats, mid-heels and towering stilettos totalling ?20,035, Meghan has proven time and again that Aquazzura? s signature elegance perfectly complements her refined yet modern style.

Her affinity for Aquazzura has become synonymous with her footwear choices, and any royal style fan will have noticed that the Italian luxury shoe brand has become the royals? go-to.

[From The Daily Mail]

The Mail then did a comprehensive photo-editorial of every time Meghan wore Aquazzura, so I had fun trying to find the old photos too. She really did come into the monarchy with a big shoe collection, and I would imagine her shoe closet has grown a lot in the past five years. She has a much bigger closet in that beautiful Montecito mansion. I double-checked the Mail?s math and they?re in the ballpark for Meghan?s Aquazzura collection, although she?s probably gotten more pairs post-UK. Plus, I?m sure she?s got some Monolos and Jimmy Choos as well. Anyway, I love how Meghan still has these people shook. Remember when Kate and Rose Hanbury both turned up in the same Aquazzura bow-tie heels within a day of each other? And it was a style Meghan had worn for years too. LMAO.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.

I get the feeling that many Sussex fans have sort of tapped out of paying close attention to the ins and outs of Prince Harry?s lawsuits against the British tabloids. I also get lost in some of the details of the cases, especially Harry?s case against News Group Newspapers (NGN). This is one of Harry?s most long-gestating cases, and that?s mostly because NGN has the resources to throw the kitchen sink at Harry and his legal team. As it turns out, Harry has not wilted ? he threw the kitchen sink right back at NGN, and now the whole thing heads to trial on the 20th. Clive Irving wrote a fascinating piece in Vanity Fair about the upcoming trial, the first of its kind against NGN. NGN has successfully settled with all of their victims before any of the hundreds of cases made it to trial. There?s been a real failure to report what kind of settlement offers NGN has made to Harry, which I find interesting. Harry hasn?t leaked anything, and NGN doesn?t want to look weak, like they?re scared of what the trial might reveal so they want to throw millions at the problem. Some highlights from Irving?s ?How Prince Harry Planted a Ticking Time Bomb Under the Murdoch Empire.?

NGN?s counsel Anthony Hudson has been exasperated about Harry?s refusal to settle: There had long been doubt about whether Harry would hold out for a trial rather than settle. As Hudson himself explained to the court: ?More than 1,300 claims have been settled. NGN has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to settle claims brought against it and more than properly compensated claimants.? He seemed to be arguing that it was unreasonable of Harry to actually do what he always said he intended to do: hold the Murdoch empire publicly accountable for one of the most squalid episodes in the history of British journalism, in which hacking and so-called ?blagging??the obtaining of information through deceptive means?were allegedly widely used to violate the privacy of public figures and in attempts of kompromat against politicians considered hostile to the Murdoch interests.

Harry?s case doesn?t actually involve phone hacking: However, as it has turned out, Harry?s case does not involve phone hacking. He cites 30 articles and 20 incidents, dating between 1998 and 2011, in which he claims that private investigators violated his privacy. Together this involves 16 PIs and 23 journalists. The case does include allegations of blagging, specifically in stories alleging habitual drug use by Harry that his lawyer, David Sherborne, told the judge in December were untrue, even though, according to Sherborne, Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of the Murdoch papers at the time, had assured Buckingham Palace that they were supported by evidence.

Harry?s lawyers will spend the first weeks of the trial on ?generic issues.? Instead, [the first weeks of the trial] will be devoted to what is referred to in a bland technical term as ?generic issues.? This is where the real reputational threat to the Murdoch empire lies?like a ticking bomb. Sherborne has all along insisted that the trial should begin, not narrowly with the specific cases, but by drawing on evidence gathered in years of discovery, revealing that the Murdoch tabloid newsrooms allegedly deployed hacking, blagging, and private investigators at such a scale that it became institutionalized and that, Sherborne has argued, this could never have happened without the knowledge and direction of senior Murdoch executives. That charge flows directly into another: that once the scandal was exposed, there was an alleged conspiracy to destroy or conceal evidence describing how extensive it was and?critically?to conceal how far up the executive tree the knowledge of it went. In classic forensic terms: Who knew what and when did they know it?

NGN is freaking out: This is the last thing that Murdoch and his top executives want to happen. Hudson has made repeated objections to these generic issues being aired at all, claiming that they are irrelevant to the specific claimant cases of Harry and Watson, and arguing that Sherborne was trying to turn the trial ?into something akin to a public inquiry.? Then, in December, when requesting the delay, he complained that there were 200,000 pages of documents for him to digest, many of them witness statements. [The judge] Fancourt, in response, turned that problem back on Hudson and his team: ?The defendant did a lot of work but it was rather ill directed in producing an unwieldy and far too detailed schedule.?

[From Vanity Fair]

I?m reminded of my concerns during Harry?s trial against the Daily Mirror, and how it often felt like the court was doing too much to protect the Mirror rather than the victims of the Mirror?s unlawful actions. The Mirror trial turned out well for Harry though ? he won the first part of his case and settled the rest. It feels like this judge, Fancourt, is doing too much to limit Harry and Sherborne?s extensive claims about NGN?s operations, but Clive Irving clearly feels like NGN is panicked about what could be revealed, even with a more limited scope. Once the trial gets going, I wonder if NGN will make another settlement offer to Harry to simply stop the bleeding.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Over the weekend, we learned that King Charles and the Prince of Wales planned to skip President Jimmy Carter?s state funeral, which was held in Washington yesterday. I think most people understood that Charles couldn?t or wouldn?t attend, but it?s still bizarre to me that Prince William skipped it without even offering a statement or reason why. Yes, it was his wife?s birthday, but that wasn?t even cited as an official reason why the ?global statesman? skipped out on an event which saw dignitaries from around the world gather in DC. Instead, former prime minister Gordon Brown and Prince Edward were sent to the funeral. Edward sat next to outgoing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Now even old-guard royalists are wondering if William should have gone:

Prince William?s decision to swerve Jimmy Carter?s funeral means he has turned his back on a major ?global stage,? a royal author told Newsweek. The Prince of Wales spent Thursday marking Princess Kate?s 43rd birthday, paying a heartfelt tribute to her ?strength? in a post on X. Prince Edward?who is 14th in the line of succession?flew to America to pay the royal family?s respects to Carter in D.C., where he has been lying in state at the Capitol building.

Ingrid Seward, author of the bestselling book My Mother and I, about King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, told Newsweek: ?Of course Americans would have preferred William but on the other hand I think Edward was 13 when Jimmy Carter was president. It?s possible that Edward did meet him. Yes America would prefer William but I think it was quite carefully considered and decided that Edward would be the right person to go.?

?Kate wouldn?t have let her birthday encroach on it,? Seward continued. ?If William was meant to be going she would have said you?ve got to go.?

Carter visited Britain in 1977, the first year of his term as president, and attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II.

William certainly has more name recognition in America than his uncle Edward and attending the funeral would have given him an opportunity to build on his growing status a global statesman.

?It would have been a good opportunity for William to go,? Seward said. ?He probably has missed a trick. You can?t get a bigger global stage than Jimmy Carter?s funeral today, especially with everything that?s happening in California.?

[From Newsweek]

I will continue to point out that when Charles was PoW, he was constantly stepping in to represent his mother at these kinds of state events. Charles was known for it, and that?s why he (legitimately) has all of these international relationships to draw on at any given time. He was an internationalist Prince of Wales and he?s an internationalist king. Meanwhile, William is content to be king of the British tabloids and prince of Britain?s dying royalist class. There?s always been a sense, even now that William is well into his 40s, that William can?t be trusted to not make a horse?s ass out of himself internationally, and like William still needs significant ?management.?

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Photos courtesy of Getty, Cover Images.

Kylie Kelce has had a busy few weeks. At the end of November, she announced that she was pregnant with her fourth daughter. On December 5, launched a podcast called Not Gonna Lie, which dethroned Joe Rogan?s podcast as the number one show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. When Kylie took over the #1 spot, there were a lot of mentions about how her views are ?aggressively left,? but she doesn?t talk about politics on the show. Instead, Kylie?s pod is a fun listen because it?s a quick 45 minutes in which she keeps it real by addressing topics like parenting, being an NFL wife, and what a pain in the ass the Elf on the Shelf thing is.

Kylie and Jason Kelce currently have three daughters: Wyatt, five, Elliotte, three, and Bennett, 22 months. Naturally, one of the biggest questions they get is whether or not they?ll keep going until they get a boy. On the January 9 episode of Not Gonna Lie, Kylie talked about her pregnancy, giving a Dos and Don?ts list of rules on how to talk to her and other pregnant people. *Spoiler alert* She wants randos to stop asking if she and Jason are going to try for a boy.

Stop asking if they?re going to try for a boy: ?Don?t ask if we?re gonna keep trying for a boy. If another person asks me that, I?ll warning you right now, you might get dropkicked. I don?t need to have a boy. Watch out, world. I do not need to have a boy. We were meant to have all girls.?

Don?t comment on a pregnant woman?s size: ?This week baby girl has definitely popped, so there?s no more hiding her. Stretchy pants are in full force, as is commentary from friends, family and, of course, perfect strangers? don?t comment on her size. This includes comments like, ?You?re huge. How much weight have you gained? Are you sure it?s not twins?? I still can?t believe that people think that women who are building a human being want to hear anything about their size. Newsflash, they don?t. Cut that s? out.?

Prepare for honest answers: ?Let?s be real here. Asking this question implies that you know she definitely feels like s?, and you need to make sure that you?re prepared to get her honest opinion,? Kylie advised. ?And be prepared to receive that in an open minded way.?

Mind your own damn business about how a baby is fed: ?You know what that is? None of your f?? business. The whole ?breast is best? nonsense. The only reason you?re saying that is to take other women down. Sometimes it?s not in the cards. Whether it?s a latch issue or maybe mom has her own medical need where she?s unable to breastfeed. Let?s just mind our damn business.?

?Keep your hands to yourself?: ?I still can?t believe that people reach out and touch another person?s midsection without asking permission, specifically when strangers do it. That s??s bananas. Keep your hands to yourself. It?s so simple. Don?t touch someone unless they have given you permission. ?

She?s not glowing, okay: ?The glow you think you?re seeing is my nausea sweats that you?ve mistaken for glowing. Okay? So I?m not glowing. Don?t tell me that. ?I am swollen. I am sweating. I am nauseous. Don?t tell me I?m glowing.?

[From People]

Asking a couple for the details their family plan is just so damn rude. I have two boys and until my younger one entered kindergarten, we had people ask us all of the time if we were going to try for a girl. Not your business, random preschool teacher or Great Aunt Edna! Kylie also reminded her listeners to mind their own damn business when it comes to baby names, telling them to keep their opinions to themselves. All of this is solid advice, especially the part about not touching a pregnant person?s belly. Like, who still does that in 2025?! And even if you don?t know what to say to someone who is pregnant, you don?t have to default to awkward small talk about how they look or give your thesis on the name they?ve selected. (Although we can totally speculate on their potential name! My money is on Everette.) It?s also nice to hear her tell people that ?fed is best.? You wouldn?t believe how many times that topic and circumcision get argued about in online mom groups.

One other thing that Kylie addressed is something that?s subjective: hearing about other moms? ?traumatic birth experiences.? It?s definitely an overshare if unprompted, but Kylie personally ?wants to know every detail.? When I was pregnant, I was like this too, especially before my first son was born. I read all of the BabyCenter board posts about people?s different experiences so I?d know what to expect, but I know there are other moms out there that prefer not to know. The unsolicited advice was what annoyed me the most, though. It was overwhelming.

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As I said earlier this week, it absolutely feels like both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have already handed out some talking points about the Duchess of Sussex?s Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. ?Palace sources? apparently insisted that Meghan ?was a background character in a chapter that?s already closed? and ?Courtiers don?t believe that Meghan is worth the mental real estate.? There was also some mention of the Waleses think Meghan?s show looks ?pretty superficial? and Kardashian-esque, a favorite insult from one Peggy insider. It?s not hard to believe that Prince William and Kate seethe and rage constantly whenever Harry and Meghan do anything. But what does King Charles think? According to Richard Eden at the Mail, Buckingham Palace hopes Meghan?s show is a success? mostly because they don?t want her to write her memoir.

Now, I bring news of the reaction [to the ?With Love, Meghan? trailer] from the Palace ? and it might surprise you. Courtiers tell me that members of the Royal Family actually hope the American duchess?s eight-part series will be a hit when it is released next Wednesday.

?Everyone wants it to be a success,? a Palace source tells me. ?And that?s because, if it is, she and Harry won?t need to exploit their royal connections again.?

Referring to Harry?s tawdry memoir, the source adds: ?The last thing anyone wants is another Spare, this time from Meghan.?

The courtier?s comment echoes a magnanimous remark from Harry?s father in his first address to the nation as monarch in 2022. King Charles said he wished to ?express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas?.

No doubt, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be hoping With Love, Meghan is a success as well ? possibly proving crucial to their finances. Their $100million deal with Netflix comes to an end this year and may be renewed only if the new show is popular with viewers around the world.

Given the expense of their lifestyle, these earnings are undoubtedly needed. Harry and Meghan need to pay for the mortgage and upkeep on their ?12million Tuscan-style mansion with its 13 ? and a half ? bathrooms, spa, swimming pool, cellar and cinema. But even more costly is their round-the-clock security, which is thought to set them back as much as ?3million per year.

It was Harry?s book in 2023 that did the most damage. Critics accused him of betraying his family members, recounting private conversations and making inflammatory claims about their views and behaviour. There have long been rumours that Meghan could follow up her husband?s book with a memoir of her own. Given the damage that she caused with her allegations in the Oprah interview, the prospect of a book is enough to send shivers down spines at the Palace. This is why, surprisingly, insiders hope her new show will cook up some success for the couple. If it turns out to be a flop, there could be a very bitter aftertaste?

[From The Daily Mail]

Everytime I read about British people fretting over the Sussexes? finances, I just remember how clueless and out-of-touch all of them are about money. Yes, they got a $100 million Netflix contract? and they fulfilled it, it?s not like Netflix is going to take the money back? Harry?s memoir was also one of the biggest bestsellers of 2023, and I?m sure the paperback is selling well. The Sussexes also have other jobs, investments and revenue streams. Now, do I wish they were more proactive with Netflix? For sure. I worry that they?ve gotten a little bit complacent with how they handle their business with Archewell Productions because they have so much other stuff going on. But they?re doing fine financially. Also: I wish Meghan would write a book, but as the years go on, I know she won?t. The 2022 Netflix series was her memoir. The podcast was her memoir.

Photos courtesy of Netflix.

It?s always interesting to watch celebrities execute certain strategies when it comes to divorces or breakups. Jessica Alba is in that sort of in-between generation ? too old to spill everything on social media, but too young to hire a crisis manager to take everything off her plate. It definitely looks like Jessica Alba and Cash Warren separated months ago and they will likely file for divorce at some point in the near future. There have been rumors circulating for months about their split, but I don?t know how much of that was coming from Alba and/or Warren. I do know that TMZ wouldn?t have gone all-in on their divorce-reporting without a nod from Alba?s publicist or manager, and I know People Magazine wouldn?t have piggybacked on TMZ?s report without a similar go-ahead from Alba?s team. That says, to me, that Alba is ready to end her marriage and she?s making choices about how the news comes out. For now, she also wants to tamp down the speculation that things could get ugly. Behold, a People Mag exclusive:

There?s no ?hateful drama? between Jessica Alba and Cash Warren as they reportedly call off their marriage.

According to a report from TMZ on Wednesday, Jan. 8, the pair, who married in 2008 and have three children together, have separated and are preparing for divorce. A rep for Alba has not responded to requests for comment.

A source tells PEOPLE that Alba, 43, and Warren, 45, are still ?friends and all about the kids.?

?No matter what?s going on right now, it seems they will remain close,? says the source. ?If they?re filing for divorce, it?s not because of some hateful drama. They still look happy together.?

?Jess has mentioned over the years though that it?s hard to keep the spark,? the source adds.

The Trigger Warning actress and Warren first met in 2004, and they share daughters Honor, 16, and Haven, 13, and son Hayes, 7.

Alba shared a photo roundup on Instagram for New Year?s Eve that didn?t feature Warren, and she wrote in the caption about having a year ?filled with connection, growth, adventures, laughter, peace, sisterhood, transformation, rebirth, joy and so much love.?

[From People]

My little contribution to ?divorce trendspotting? is that this seems to be more common these days, where a couple is married for ten-plus years and the wife has something like a mid-life crisis in her 40s and just decides that she would either be happier alone or with a jumpoff waiting in the wings. It feels like it?s been happening a lot in recent years, not only in celebrity circles but just with regular, everyday people. I still wonder if that?s what happened with Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth as well! Another trend: I think a lot of women are trying to file for divorce before the MAGA cult takes away no-fault divorces in this country. Anyway, yeah, all of which to say, it does sound like Alba wants out of the marriage and she?s trying to keep things as peaceful as possible. Maybe I?m wrong, but that?s the vibe right now.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Back in October, royal sources insisted that Prince William and Kate were planning a ?Christmas coup? to overshadow King Charles. Those sources claimed that William and Kate would perhaps post some personal photos of their kids in Anmer Hall, celebrating the holiday away from Charles and the Parker-Bowles clan. That didn?t happen over Christmas, but now I wonder if the ?Christmas coup? plan morphed into a plan for William to post a personal message on Kate?s birthday. Alongside a brand new birthday portrait of Kate, William wrote: ?To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you?ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.? Did it break the internet? No. Was it a coup? Also no. But royalists are still trying to make it sound like William is lovesick and devoted to his wife.

[William?s message] could be no clearer sign of the impact the last year has had on the family, and no simpler insight into the priorities of a Prince and Princess. In years gone by, such sentiments would have been shared privately. Indeed, most of the couple?s birthdays go largely unmarked, other than with a basic short message from the Royal family?s social media page. However, just as their lives have changed in the face of serious illness, so has their communication.

On Thursday, the Wales family have no public engagements. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are at school, with time for a birthday breakfast, tea party and the daily dog walk for William and Catherine in between. Since her last birthday, the Princess has endured major abdominal surgery, a cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy, and is building her way back gradually to a full life and public work again. As of now, the Prince?s pride in her is spelt out for all to see.

The royal stiff upper lip ? or what small part of it had survived ? is over for good.

The Prince of Wales?s message accompanied a new photograph of the Princess, taken by Matt Porteous ? who has worked with the family numerous times before ? in Windsor over the summer. At the time, the Princess had not yet announced that she had finally finished her chemotherapy, and was doing her best to enjoy the school holidays with her young family. The black and white image, which features her distinctive engagement ring prominently, is another unusual choice, following the Princess?s more recent aesthetic of outdoor, countryside photography shoots.

Asked why the Prince had chosen to send a personal message this year, palace sources indicated that the words spoke for themselves. The Princess, they noted, is increasingly choosing to share her ?journey? with the public directly, through her video messages and signed letters.

[From The Telegraph]

Over the past year, we?ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out the big mystery or mysteries of what exactly happened, why official photos were so badly cobbled together, why a princess went missing for months, why the communications offices were beset with clownery, and why it felt like some kind of bargain was struck which saw the Middletons re-enter polite society after their shameful financial catastrophe. I still don?t have the answers to most of those mysteries, but it?s clear that there?s a new communications strategy at play in the past six months or so, with William suddenly more eager to selectively play the part of family man and loving husband. I still want to know what the hell William and Kate were thinking with that ?cancer free? video in September though. And it appears that Kate?s birthday portrait was taken around the same time? Yeah. Mysteries abound.

Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace, Cover Images, Matt Porteous for KP.

President Jimmy Carter?s state funeral was held on Thursday in Washington DC. All of the living former presidents and the current president were in attendance. Barack Obama drew the short straw and got seated next to Donald Trump?s rancid ass. Hilariously, almost no one else acknowledged Donald Trump?s presence, and absolutely everyone blanked on Melania Trump, who made a very rare public appearance alongside her husband. I don?t think George W. Bush even said hello to Trump. Kamala Harris seemed to give him a perfunctory nod. The Clintons also avoided the Trumps. Michelle Obama didn?t even go to the funeral ? people said she stayed in Hawaii, which was a wise choice.

Mike Pence and his wife, Mother Pence (I never learned her real name) were also in attendance. It was possibly the first time Pence and Trump came face to face since January 2021 ? they shook hands, and Mother Pence didn?t even stand up or acknowledge Trump in any way. Remember, Mother and the Pence daughters were with Mike Pence at the Capitol on January 6th. I think the MAGA mob would have tried to string up the women alongside Mike Pence, don?t you?

There were so many GIFs and notable clips of all of the interactions. I?m including some of my favorites below. I?m curious about what Trump said which made Obama laugh ? I strongly suspect it was probably something about golf or maybe something about JD Vance. One of the funniest moments was George W. Bush greeting Obama with a quick belly tap. Dubya doesn?t get nearly enough sh-t for what he did in office, but I?ve always enjoyed the fact that he seems to have great relationships with the Clintons and Obamas.

The belly tap is remarkable pic.twitter.com/bxj3wEETh2

? Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) January 9, 2025

Trump and Obama continue their extended conversation pic.twitter.com/NWZLVn5xsy

? Acyn (@Acyn) January 9, 2025

Karen Pence i was unfamiliar with your game
pic.twitter.com/vTB1aHY6D8

? Peter Twinklage (@PeterTwinklage) January 9, 2025

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Throughout the week, the British media has breathlessly reported on the Southern California wildfires and how the fires could affect? the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It?s been five years and British people still don?t understand that Harry and Meghan do not live in Los Angeles and that Montecito is not right next door to LA. The Telegraph and other British outlets have run stories about how the Sussexes ?could be evacuated? from their Montecito home. Meanwhile, what?s actually happening is that the Sussexes are opening their mansion to their LA friends who had to evacuate:

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are supporting the Southern California community amid rapidly spreading wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.

The Duke, 40, and Duchess of Sussex, 43, are offering their support and aid to those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires that erupted beginning Tuesday, Jan. 7. Over 100,000 Los Angeles residents have been forced to evacuate following the Palisades and Eaton Fires, with multiple smaller fires raging.

PEOPLE can confirm that the couple have opened their home to friends and loved ones forced to evacuate.

The couple live about 90 miles north of the Los Angeles area. Meghan, who is originally from Los Angeles, Prince Harry, and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, reside in Montecito, a Santa Barbara enclave that has not been evacuated.

In addition to assisting their loved ones, they are also working with their Archewell Foundation to determine the most impactful ways to support the community during this crisis. The foundation is also looking for volunteer opportunities to assist with mental health recovery for those needing immediate help and will facilitate long-term recovery efforts.
Additionally, any donations through the foundation have been made to relief efforts.

The Sussex family is working with chef Jos? Andr?s? World Central Kitchen (a longstanding partner of Prince Harry and Meghan?s charitable Archewell Foundation) to provide further relief efforts. Harry and Meghan also donated essential supplies, as well as clothing and children?s items.

[From People]

I wonder if Doria Ragland is already in Montecito. Meghan also has a lot of mom-friends in LA, and of course the Sussexes would open their home to their LA friends. Why else would Harry and Meghan have all of those eleventy billion bathrooms? As for the Sussexes? attempt to direct donations, they did a big update on Sussex.com with links to charities and support on the ground in Southern California. They included links to World Central Kitchen, CAL FIRE, LA Fire Department Foundation, Animal Wellness Foundation and more ? you can see their post here.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Archewell.