While I’m loath to give King Charles his flowers, I have to give credit where it’s due: the first two days of his US state visit have exceeded expectations, and he’s been warmly received. His speech before Congress was very good, as was his speech at the state dinner. He’s managed Donald Trump’s narcissism and stupidity and come out of it with some kind of diplomatic win. Will this be some kind of “reset” between the US and UK? No. The Brits gave Trump exactly what he wanted, a visit from the king, and Trump will continue to make a horse’s ass out of himself and Britain as long as he’s in office. But sure, this has been an overwhelmingly good visit for Charles and Camilla. It helps THEM. It helps their image.

The one black mark on the visit is Charles and Camilla’s mishandling of the situation with the Epstein survivors. Charles and Camilla both refused, point blank, to meet with the survivors. Sky Roberts, the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre, also traveled to DC with the hope of meeting with Charles and/or Camilla, and Sky was rebuffed as well. They’re trying to make a big deal about Charles making a very vague reference to Jeffrey Epstein and his victims in his speech to Congress, but the reference was so “veiled,” it barely means anything. This is what he said: “In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.” Classic royal doublespeak.

Here’s some of the coverage where American outlets gave Sky Roberts and others a platform to talk about how Charles f–ked up by refusing these meetings. This really was so stupid from the palace – another piece of chronic mismanagement. These could have been brief, private meetings and it would have done so much for the survivors.

Absolute bombshell on MS NOW. Prominent anchor Chris Jansing reveals King Charles refused to meet with Epstein survivors in Washington. The brave victims are begging Congress for accountability while the royal establishment desperately continues to protect elite abusers. pic.twitter.com/gFZHMgoukv

— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) April 28, 2026

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Virginia Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts CALLS OUT King Charles for ignoring Epstein’s victims.

“All we needed from the King is to look us in the eye… and let us know that there was gonna be a fair investigation.”

Silence over justice. A royal disgrace. https://t.co/N9pDS7OIlC pic.twitter.com/paVoaajuGv

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) April 28, 2026

ACCOUNTABILITY: King Charles just got called out, HARD.
After refusing to meet with Epstein survivors, Rep. Melanie Stansbury says:
⁰“Stand with survivors… he missed an opportunity globally to stand with survivors today.”

He had the moment. King Charles BLEW it. https://t.co/N9pDS7OIlC pic.twitter.com/SCFreK7o9P

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) April 28, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

In recent weeks, the Duchess of Sussex has made references to all of the crap she’s endured in the past decade. While speaking to college-aged girls at a mental-health event in Australia, Meghan said: “Every day for 10 years, I have been bullied or attacked, and I was the most trolled woman in the entire world…but I’m still here. That billion dollar industry, predicated on cruelty to get clicks, is not going to change. We have to be stronger than them.” The British press jumped on her comments and screamed for days about how Meghan was “complaining” and “whinging.” They proved her exact point, all while they refused to acknowledge the substance and context of her comments.

Then, over the weekend, Meghan posted some astrology stuff about “Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, & Aquarius ending the hardest seven years of their lives on April 25.” Meghan is famously an astrology girlie, and her post caused a lot of fun conversations. But not over there on Salt Isle. Over there, they simply cannot stop seething about Meghan. Piers Morgan’s horrid wife Celia Walden devoted her latest Telegraph column to bashing her husband’s fixation: “Meghan’s whingeing about life as a princess must end; The strings on that violin must be almost worn through. If there is a statute of limitations on complaining, we’ve surely reached it.”

Another day, another chance to remind the world just how much hardship you’ve endured, if you’re Meghan. Although when I glimpsed the headline on Sunday – “Duchess hints at the ‘Hardest Seven Years of Her Life’” – I genuinely had to check that I hadn’t picked up an old paper by mistake.

Less than a fortnight ago, Meghan was telling a group of young students in Melbourne how impossibly hard her life was: how she was “bullied” every day for a decade, how for 10 years she was the “most trolled person in the entire world” online, no less. That extreme personal hardship is a subject she has touched upon in the past, you may recall. And when I say touched upon, I mean really hammered home: in the Oprah whineathon of 2021, in her Netflix docuseries a year later, in an ITV interview with Tom Bradby, in subsequent interviews both with The Cut and Variety magazine, on her now-defunct podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, and elsewhere.

But just in case anyone had missed the point about, you know, hardship, the Duchess of Sussex – who is a Leo – felt duty-bound to share two astrological Instagram Stories at the weekend.

The first depicted two men dancing to Céline Dion’s hit That’s The Way It Is, with the caption: “Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, & Aquarius ending the hardest seven years of their lives on April 25.” And the second insisted that from that very same date “the pressure lifts. You get the space to just exist without fighting for it.”

Now, reading between the lines, I’d hazard a guess that this is about Meghan herself – and the hardship she’s endured. But here’s the good news! If the hardship ended on Saturday, that presumably means that she can finally stop complaining about how ghastly her life as a royal was? (But don’t you dare try and take away her title.) How terrible the PTSD has been? After all, the strings on that violin must be almost worn through at this point. If there is a statute of limitations on whingeing, we’ve surely reached it? Also – and at the risk of stating the obvious – Meghan’s current life looks pretty damn good to most people right now.

She and her husband are still very much in love (and have a combined net worth of approximately £45m). They have two beautiful children and a nine-bedroom estate in an exclusive enclave of Montecito, where it’s sunny most days a year. There Meghan can continue to live out one ambition after another, whether it’s pretending to be Martha Stewart, flogging jam, or plotting trips to Australia to deliver speeches to young women at £1,400-a-ticket retreats called things like “Her Best Life”. And she never, ever has to set foot in another musty-smelling British church for as long as she lives.

Sounds peachy to me. And I’m convinced she would instantly be 99 per cent more appealing to people if she dropped the whingeing. So how about that happy rebrand, Meghan? Even the astrologists think it’s a good idea.

[From The Telegraph]

It keeps happening, the longer Meghan is away from these people – they expose themselves as complete lunatics, over and over. Think about how bizarre this is – an American woman, who hasn’t lived in the UK for over six years, posted some astrology stuff on her Instagram Stories. British commentators then scream and cry about how she’s “whinging” and she needs to shut up and rebrand. It’s another variation of “Meghan looked at me and I felt bullied.” Meghan posted some astrology stuff and they took it as a personal attack and an invitation to bully her. How dare she exist as a Leo! How dare she marry a Virgo!! Incidentally, Meghan and Harry’s net worth is much, much higher than “£45m.”

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Meghan’s Instagram.

I assume this was the compromise worked out between Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. KP probably wanted to do something more thunder-stealing for the Prince and Princess of Wales’s 15th wedding anniversary, but BP was like “are you insane, the focus should be on Charles and Camilla’s US state visit.” So this was the agreed-upon minor thunder-stealing: a photo of the Wales family, posted on their social media. Quick question: there are two dogs in this photo, correct? The BBC said it was “a dog,” singular. But I see two dogs, unless that’s an optical illusion.

According to the BBC, the photo was taken by photographer Matt Porteous, and this is yet another photo from the family’s Easter holiday in Cornwall. Prince Louis’s 8th birthday portrait was from the same photoshoot. I imagine Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s upcoming birthday portraits will also come from the same photoshoot, so will the annual Father’s Day photo.

Anyway, I find it interesting that they didn’t post a photo of William and Kate alone, which they’ve done on previous anniversaries (see the other photos in this post). While I’m not criticizing them for making their anniversary all about their family, it does seem to lack a romantic spark, I guess. George was even placed in between his parents.

Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace.

Something Out West has one album out and is currently playing at different music festivals. This past weekend, the band performed at the Stagecoach Music Festival, which is the country music version of Coachella. Chet’s parents, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, came out to support him, too. Tom was spotted in the audience, swaying along to the music. There is also a video going around of him singing along to SOW’s single “You Better Run,” which has a Forrest Gump-inspired music video, including a cameo from Tom himself. It is giving peak dad vibes.

Tom Hanks and Chet Hanks are like peas and carrots.

So, when the Oscar winner’s son and his band Something Out West performed at the 2026 Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, Calif., April 25, he was sure to cheer him on.

As Chet and Drew Arthur performed “You Better Run” in videos circulating on social media, Tom was seen bopping along to the country song while standing in the back of the Toyota Music Den.

It was an especially exciting experience for the patriarch—who shares Chet and Truman Hanks, 30, with wife Rita Wilson, as well as kids Colin Hanks, 48, and Elizabeth Hanks, 43, with ex Samantha Lewes—since the track’s music video was an homage to Forrest Gump.

After all, Chet ran just like Tom’s character Forrest, while recreating the most iconic moments from the 1994 movie. For instance, the 35-year-old, donning Forrest’s suit, tells the nurse sitting beside on a bus stop bench, “My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

In another clip, the 35-year-old is seen running in Forrest’s beard and red short shorts. Tom even makes a cameo on the bench in other clips, looking confused alongside his son while he sings. The father-son duo ultimately concludes the music video was a loving hug.

Along with paying tribute to the Oscar-winning film through its most referenced scenes, the band performed on Forrest’s shrimping boat, named after his wife Jenny (Robin Wright).

Although the music video was a fan-favorite, the Running Point actor revealed that he initially vetoed the idea of having his dad make an appearance.

“It was our drummer’s idea,” Chet told Entertainment Tonight in June 2025. “I was like ‘Absolutely not.’ Then after 10 minutes, I was like, ‘That’s genius.'”

As for why the Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets star wasn’t so sure about the move? He wasn’t interested in being tied to the film in any other way.

As Chet put it, “People have been talking about Forrest Gump my whole life. I’ve been called Lil Gump.”

He was, however, grateful for the love that the video received after its release. After all, he has been exploring different creative mediums throughout his career.

“Ultimately, I consider myself an artist, and acting and music are just two different mediums for being able to express myself,” he told Esquire that February. “I’ve been working on this music for a long time, and so I would like to be touring and finally letting the world hear it.”

[From E! Online]

Tom singing along to his son’s country music song really plays into his Hollywood everyman dad image. I love it so much. My favorite part of the Instagram video is his hat, though. You just know he threw it on because he was going to a country music festival and it was the closest thing he owned to a cowboy hat. Although she wasn’t in fan videos that I saw, the band posted a group picture with Rita on Instagram. I wonder if she was backstage or moved to get a spot up front. I’m not surprised they were there to support their son. I’m sure they’re both happy that Chet is doing much better and has found something productive to pour his energy into.

I listened to some of Something Out West’s music. I’m not super into country music but it sounds fairly generic. The album sounds more rock-country than twangy-country. Chet has a decent voice. He’s a much better singer than he was a rapper. If he’s going to continue making music, it’s probably for the best that he sticks to country. His only involvement in the hip-hop world should be explaining famous beefs to his father.

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Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix 2024, StillMoving.Net for Netflix

It cracks me up whenever the major American newspapers dip their toe into royal gossip, or present gossip as legitimate news. I understand that the lines are blurred a lot, especially when it comes to something like King Charles and Camilla’s US state visit. All I know is that if Charles and Camilla were delivering glamour, diplomacy and a high-energy itinerary, the New York Times probably wouldn’t have published this article: “One Person Appears to Be Missing From King Charles’s U.S. Itinerary: Prince Harry.” What do you mean?? Is the NYT suggesting that Britain’s king continues to look like a dogsh-t father and dogsh-t grandfather on the global stage? You don’t say!!

One meeting that appears to be absent from King Charles III’s carefully planned schedule in the United States this week is any reunion with Prince Harry.

On a four-day state visit intended in part to repair bruised U.S.-British relations, Charles’s itinerary currently includes no plans to see Harry, his 41-year-old son, who lives in California with his wife, Meghan, and their two children.

Buckingham Palace officials declined to comment when asked whether the king and his younger son would meet. Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to be in Washington on Tuesday and New York on Wednesday before departing on Thursday.

The family fell out publicly when Harry, who holds the title Duke of Sussex, withdrew from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California in an act of self-exile. In the years since, their relationship has been tested again and again.

… Last September, Charles and Harry met for the first time in 19 months, an encounter that some hoped represented a rapprochement. The BBC reported that they spent around an hour together, having tea privately in Clarence House, the king’s London residence.

In the months since, the rift has been overshadowed by another, more damaging family scandal. The king’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested amid allegations that he had shared confidential government information with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, whose royal titles were previously stripped over his ties to Mr. Epstein, has denied wrongdoing.

Andrew’s withdrawal from royal life has contributed to an image of a shrunken and fractured royal family. Speaking days after Andrew’s arrest with Britain’s Channel 4 News, Harry did not directly address the subject of his uncle but acknowledged, with an awkward chuckle, that there had been “a lot of stuff in the news.”

[From The NY Times]

While all of us have known for weeks/months that Charles and Harry would not see each other during this visit, that lack of contact has become a story unto itself. A state visit overshadowed by a king once again neglecting his family and misjudging the public mood. Who would have thought!! I posted a clip of the royal reporter press-corps openly talking about it too – they’re ALSO making the state visit about “why can’t Charles visit Harry?” I said before that if Charles wanted it to happen, he would make it happen and royalists would find a way to justify it. Like, Charles easily could have invited the Sussexes to the party at the British embassy, or asked the Sussexes to meet him in New York. Charles refused.

They’re at the White House with a state visit to cover, but let’s push the “Harry and Meghan” narrative that will get the most clicks. At least we got one fact: 4 years without seeing his grandkids… totally a choice. Frogmore Cottage made that clear. pic.twitter.com/xlYMjhjnwa

— Nico Mac (@Nicomac_666) April 27, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Here are some photos of Donald and Melania Trump on Tuesday with King Charles and Queen Camilla. There were several soggy events at the White House, including a terrible speech by Bigly and a half-assed “balcony wave.” The Trumps were aiming for regal optics, but they looked like what they are: a crass, demented grifter con man and his escort wife. Fashion-wise, the women looked presentable – Melania wore a white Ralph Lauren suit, and Camilla wore a Fiona Clare dress. Clare is basically Camilla’s personal dressmaker. Camilla got blinged out though – she wore the Cullinan V brooch, one of the largest diamond brooches in the world, and a favorite of QEII.

On Tuesday, all of these people exchanged gifts. Charles gave Trump a framed copy of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk. Trump gave Charles a copy of a 1785 letter from John Adams to John Jay. Melania gave Camilla six Tiffany & Co sterling silver teaspoons and a jar of White House honey, while Camilla gave Melania a brooch by British jeweler Fiona Rae.

The first part of the day went poorly, I think even royalists would admit that. Putting Charles and Trump in the same room together is always going to end badly and it will never help Charles’ image whatsoever. But Charles genuinely rallied later in the day when he addressed a joint session of Congress. His speech was surprisingly “political,” not to mention pointed. It came across like an ally trying to remind Americans to stand up for our old American principles, the same principles millions of Americans tossed out the window because a demented con artist promised to punish his enemies. Charles hit all of the sweet spots: NATO, Ukraine, environmentalism, rule of law, checks and balances on executive power, 9/11, January 6th, multifaith societies, education and innovation. Many are pointing out that Charles backed up Prince Harry’s statements about NATO and Ukraine. Remarkable. Credit where it’s due: this was a very good speech, and Charles’ heir is utterly incapable of doing any of this.

During Charles’ speech before Congress, the crackheads running the White House Twitter account posted this:

TWO KINGS. pic.twitter.com/iPVUxc4i4H

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 28, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Today is the Prince and Princess of Wales’ 15th wedding anniversary. Through gritted teeth! There’s been little gossip about a potential anniversary outing for William and Kate, but you never know. They would have been told to stay out of view while King Charles and Camilla’s US state visit is ongoing, but William was out yesterday in military drag, so who knows. Well, the Daily Mail’s Becky English is currently traveling with Charles and Camilla, but the Mail wrote her prepared “anniversary keenery” article today. Most of it is just an interview with Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, William’s former private secretary, but let’s discuss it anyway.

The 15th anniversary. Aides are discussing how to mark the event publicly, given that it lands midway through the King and Queen’s high-profile visit to the US. Privately, however, friends and associates say that William and Catherine have very much ‘found their groove’.

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton on Will & Kate: He first met the future princess when he joined William at St Andrews for his graduation in the Spring of 2005, describing them as ‘incredibly well-suited. Even on first meeting them, that was obvious…It was, and is, a meeting of minds and equals between the two of them. The idea of him wanting to protect her is a nice image, but it goes both ways. She is very protective of him too. There’s always been a quiet confidence about her.’ There’s no doubt in Lowther-Pinkerton’s mind that, while she is an ‘absolute rock, very intelligent and intuitive and strong.’

The second coming of the Steel Marshmallow: Many within the royal household refer to Catherine as ‘the Steel Marshmallow Mark II’, a play on the late Queen Mother’s nickname: her soft exterior belying an indestructible core.

An equal partnership: In public it is William, 43, who often takes the lead. But it is very much an equal partnership, and William deeply respects his wife’s judgment. ‘They make all the important decisions together and support each other’s work,’ says a friend. ‘You couldn’t find two people closer. The difference is they just don’t feel they need to show it for the cameras. They aren’t performative. One of the things that the princess, in particular, has always been so impressively clear about is that she is allergic to being given advice about how things will come across, or look through a PR lens. That’s the total antithesis of how she operates.’

Prince Harry isn’t mentioned once, you guys: They have come through a tumultuous few years, with the implosion of William’s relationship with his brother, Prince Harry, and Catherine’s cancer diagnosis. ‘From losing his grandmother, to all of the awfulness of the princess’s health, as well as that of his father, it’s been a tough period for William,’ a source says. Notably, Harry isn’t mentioned once. I’m told there is sadness, naturally, at how things have turned out, but William has very much placed the issue of his estranged brother to one side, to ‘focus on the things that matter’.

William didn’t order the banishment of his uncle: His uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is more of an immediate headache, the ramifications of which may last well into William’s own reign. I am told suggestions the heir to the throne was a prime mover in his banishment to Norfolk are untrue. While despairing of his uncle’s behaviour, the future king was deeply concerned about Andrew’s mental health.

William didn’t freeze out his cousins: As for reports he has ‘frozen out’ his cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, a friend says firmly: ‘It’s complex, but he’s kinder than that. Easter [when it was claimed that William only agreed to attend if the sisters weren’t there] was absolutely nothing to do with him.’

Moving to Forest Lodge: ‘It’s given them a new lease of life. It’s helping them to put the unhappy memories of the past few years behind them,’ a source explains. ‘The move has given them a renewed sense of purpose and vigour. They are happier, and you can see that visibly. Adelaide Cottage [their former home] coincided with a really unhappy time in their lives and they were ready to start a new chapter.’ Another source says: ‘They have become more comfortable with the increasing state duties they take on but, at the same time, like nothing more than sitting at home and watching Traitors [a recent obsession, apparently] three nights a week.’

Kate might travel for work: The princess hasn’t undertaken a working foreign visit since before her cancer diagnosis, but aides haven’t ruled out her taking up the baton again this year.

Change is on the agenda: ‘When thinking about the future he himself has said change is on the agenda. That is true. But it’s worth noting that both he and Catherine are also very much “conservative with a small c”. They both respect the tradition that comes with their roles,’ says a source close to them. They add: ‘Will he get rid of garden parties and Trooping the Colour? No, of course not. But might those things feel a little different in the reign of King William? Yes. They both want things to feel more relevant and “of today”, whenever that might be.’ Another source says: ‘When you want to make change, you have to make really difficult decisions. He’s prepared to shake a few trees but not to cut down the whole orchard.’

Teamwork makes the dream work: And the princess is by no means a passive participant. ‘When the time comes [for them to step up as King and Queen], they will enter into the roles in the same way they have approached the first 15 years of their marriage. As a team.’

[From The Daily Mail]

The Steel Marshmallow thing has been mentioned before and it’s bonkers every single time. Absolutely no one thinks Kate is a steel marshmallow, not even the bulletproof-sunshine crisis manager hired by Prince William. No one calls Kate “Steel Marshmallow Mark II.” Please. And if William has “very much placed the issue of his estranged brother to one side, to ‘focus on the things that matter’,” then why is William constantly having rage-attacks and nervous breakdowns over whatever Harry does? Why the huffy counter-briefings to friendly royal reporters, why the copykeening, why is there a constant stream of energy towards the Sussexes?

Speaking of, this part is a fascinating subtweet of how William and Kate are trying to convince themselves and everyone else that they’re the antithesis of Harry and Meghan and that’s a good thing: “The difference is they just don’t feel they need to show it for the cameras. They aren’t performative. One of the things that the princess, in particular, has always been so impressively clear about is that she is allergic to being given advice about how things will come across, or look through a PR lens. That’s the total antithesis of how she operates.” They’re trying to say Harry and Meghan are performative, and that H&M are optics-obsessed. When really, the Sussexes understand public relations and image-making, two vital parts of William and Kate’s job. It’s not a flex for Will and Kate to argue that they don’t care about their image or managing their own public relations.

They released this photo for their anniversary:

Celebrating 15 years of marriage pic.twitter.com/egvsuIh6xF

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 29, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I watched the first season of The White Lotus a bit later than everyone else. I probably caught a marathon and got into it that way. But I was locked and loaded for the second and third seasons, and I’m surprisingly invested in the series at this point. I followed the S4 preproduction casting news with interest, and I was pleased to see that so many French actors were “buying into” the premise, with S4 being set in Paris and the Côte d’Azur. That being said, obviously S4’s cast is mostly American, with some Brits sprinkled in. We heard that Chris Messina, Max Greenfield, Kumail Nanjiani, Steve Coogan, Sandra Bernhard and Vincent Cassel are among the bold-faced names for the new cast.

Well, Helena Bonham Carter was cast a few months ago, and she was apparently on set and filming scenes already when Mike White pulled the plug on her character completely. Helena left the production a few days ago under super-mysterious circumstances, and all we know is that White was committed to recasting and rewriting the role on the fly. Well, White recast the role in a hurry: my nemesis Laura Dern has now been cast. I’m OUT!!

The White Lotus has filled its unexpected vacancy, and series creator Mike White did not look far to do it. Oscar winner Laura Dern, a longtime collaborator and friend of White’s, has joined Season 4 of his HBO series set in France. She replaces Helena Bonham Carter who left late last week.

Dern will play a new character, which is being developed and written for her by White. HBO said at the time of Carter’s exit that after filming had gotten underway on the new season the previous week, “it had become apparent” that the character created by White for Carter “did not align once on set.”

With the role believed to be central to the Season 4 story, a decision was made to rework and recast it, with Dern quickly emerging as a top choice.

This will mark the latest collaboration between Dern and White, who worked together on the 2007 film Year of the Dog, written and directed by White and starring Dern, and the HBO’s 2011-13 series Enlightened, which the two co-created and Dern starred in.

Dern is not a complete stranger to The White Lotus. She did an uncredited voice cameo in Season 2 of the murder mystery as Abby, the estranged wife of Dominic Di Grasso (Michael Imperioli).

[From Deadline]

And just like that, I’m no longer invested in the series. It would have taken a brilliant casting masterstroke to make me believe that White could salvage this season after he fired (??) Helena mid-production, and this is not a brilliant masterstroke. I mean, this is coming from a certified Dern Hater, but it’s so funny to me that she was available at the last minute like this. Of course she was – all she does is widen her eyes and give the worst, most overwrought line readings known to man. Of course she was jobless and available for this. So, no, not even the presence of Kumail, Messina and Cassel can salvage a show being written around LAURA DERN!!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

By the time last night’s White House state dinner rolled around, it would not surprise me at all if King Charles was flat-out exhausted. He looked very tired at the dinner too. Another reminder that he is a 77-year-old man living with cancer, being forced to interact with a 79-year-old demented fascist madman nominally in charge of the American government. This state visit is a complete sh-tshow in many ways, and most of those ways don’t involve Charles whatsoever.

Fashion notes… Melania wore a structural, strapless Dior gown for the state dinner. When the two couples first walked out, Melania looked terrified for some reason, probably involving her husband’s diaper. “Queen” Camilla wore a custom gown by her dressmaker Fiona Clare. It’s AWFUL. I know Camilla isn’t great at formalwear, but she’s had much better state-dinner looks than this!! Remember her caped, navy Dior gown at the 2023 French state dinner at Versailles? A million times better than this. Camilla also avoided wearing a tiara for some reason, even though QEII wore various tiaras for previous White House state dinners. Camilla did wear some jewels though – a diamond-and-amethyst demi-parure. Eh. There are much better Royal Collection pieces.

The staging for this state dinner was tacky as f–k as well. As the royals and the Trumps entered the room, they staggered past a large portrait of a “bloody” Donald Trump from the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting. Crass. It would be difficult to avoid seeing or mentioning the fact that Trump ripped down the White House East Wing and there’s a big, muddy hole where it used to be. Charles even mentioned it in his state-dinner speech, saying: “And it is a particular pleasure to be back in this wonderful building, the heart of your democracy. On this occasion, I cannot help noticing the ‘readjustments’ to the East Wing, Mr President, following your visit to Windsor Castle last year. I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814.”

You can read about the menu for the state dinner here. Some highlights: hearts of palm salad, spring herb ravioli with ricotta and morel mushrooms, and dover sole. Dessert was chocolate with a vanilla bean custard. Surprisingly, a lot of the meal came from the White House gardens, which I’m sure Trump is desperate to pave over.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

I was surprised to see Prince William out and about on Tuesday, which was Day 2 of his father’s US state visit. The general rule for all of the left-behind royals is that they’re not supposed to undertake any high-profile events back home or make news during a high-stakes state visit. One could argue that “William doing military dress-up” isn’t really making news, and yet… it’s notable that he thought nothing of pulling focus. For William, it was probably more about competing with his brother, who spent two days in Ukraine last week. Well, William also made news beyond his military cosplay – he spoke about “missing” his time at the RAF, and he also yammered on and on about Aston Villa.

A wistful Prince of Wales has described how much he misses the camaraderie of his time as an RAF search and rescue pilot. Prince William, 43, returned to RAF Valley on Anglesey, North Wales, on Tuesday, telling trainees how much he had loved working there and admitting that he would love to return.

The Prince was based at the Holyhead site from 2010 to 2013, when he and the Princess of Wales, who mark their 15th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, lived together on Anglesey as newlyweds. It allowed the young couple to enjoy married life in relative normalcy, away from prying eyes. Their rented four-bedroom farmhouse on the island was also Prince George’s first home.

The Prince, wearing RAF camouflage uniform and sporting a trimmed, greying beard, told trainees at the station: “I loved my time up here. It was great fun. Your time up here will go quickly, that’s the thing. You’ll look back with fond memories.”

He added: “I do miss it. I miss the job, I miss the camaraderie.”

The Prince also caught up with former colleagues including Brian Wills, a pilot instructor, and Andy Batchelor, chief maritime instructor. Mr Wills said: “In a heartbeat, he said he’d come back and do it again.”

The Prince, who was named Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the base in 2023, watched a parade to mark the 85th anniversary of the station. As well as talking about aviation, the royal spoke about his football team Aston Villa during a discussion with Isaac Reed, a trainee working within air traffic.

Mr Reed, a Sunderland fan, said: “He misspoke and said Villa when he meant to say Valley, so that was my opportunity to jump in and ask about football. It got the Prince talking. He seemed more keen than I was at one point.”

The Prince presented the Prince of Wales Award, given annually to recognise the best-qualified flying instructor within the No 4 Flying Training School, and met women from the base, telling them he was trying to take “barometer readings” of the experiences of women in the military. He said: “Some things have come to my attention that I’m not particularly happy about. Are we adopting and evolving the Armed Forces in a way that is suiting women joining the Forces and is it a nice place to join?”

The officers spoke to the Prince about their experiences, including returning to work in the RAF after having children.

The Prince and Princess are expected to mark their wedding anniversary privately on Wednesday.

[From The Telegraph]

One of the forgotten pieces of gossip is that when William was first stationed at RAF Valley, he wanted his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton to move into RAF housing with him, which caused a massive kerfuffle at the RAF and Buckingham Palace. He was basically told that no, he can’t have a live-in girlfriend in military housing. That basically forced William into proposing to Kate, and it also forced him into renting that “cottage” in Anglesey. They never “remember” that part of it! As for William missing his RAF days… I bet he does. Genuinely. He doesn’t want to do all of this royal work. He wishes he could go back to his part-time pilot days where he had a built-in excuse for not undertaking royal work (while simultaneously avoiding RAF work).

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

This week, the New York Times decided to rage-bait music fans for some reason. The NYT Magazine compiled a thankfully unranked list of “the thirty greatest American songwriters alive.” Included on the list? Taylor Swift, who gave an on-camera interview to the magazine. Two notable things happened in the interview: Taylor revealed that she’s still super-close to Jack Antonoff, and Taylor took a swipe at her own snake-fam army for being obsessed with decoding her blind item songs. Girl!!

Taylor Swift may be prone to leaving Easter eggs for her fans, but she admits that fans can go to extreme places when trying to decipher her songs and that extensive decoding is still “weird” for her. While sitting down with the New York Times for being featured on their 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters list released Tuesday, the singer-songwriter reflected on how the inspiration behind her songwriting has become an obsession for fans.

“There’s corners of my fanbase who are gonna take things to a really extreme place,” Swift said. “There’s nothing I can do about that. There’s people who are gonna try to, like, do detective work, figure out the details — who is that about? What is this?”

“When it gets a little bit weird for me is when people act like it’s a paternity test,” she said. “Like, ‘This song’s about that person.’ Because I’m like, ‘That dude didn’t write the song, I did.’ But that’s part of it,” she added.

Despite the intense analysis, Swift expressed the importance of abiding by her own “perception” when writing the song.

“You have to hold tight to your perception of your art and your relationship with it, and then you kind of have to [mimes blowing it out] there it goes. Hope you like it. And if you don’t now, hope you do in five years, and if you never do, then I was doing it for me anyway.”

Swift also took the opportunity to address her friendship with Jack Antonoff and said, “Jack Antonoff is a collaborator of mine and one of my best friends.” She also shared insight on their “rant bridge,” calling it a “stream of consciousness, endless pouring-out of emotion, intrusive thoughts, blended with metaphor, with discussion, with shouting.” She pointed to her 2014 song “Out of the Woods,” 2019’s “Cruel Summer,” and “Is It Over Now?” from 2023 as examples.

[From THR & Rolling Stone]

There’s a lot I could say but I’ll hold my tongue for the most part, because I don’t want to cause a lot of arguments. No one can argue with a few of these statements though: her blind-item songs are almost overwhelmingly obvious. While she’s written a few songs which are true mysteries, the songs about her exes are barely blind items. Additionally, no one can argue with the fact that Taylor has spent years encouraging her fans and baiting her fans with Easter eggs and blind-items as well. She’s a master of engaging with her fans at that level, so to hear her speak so dismissively of the snake fam’s engagement with those games… it’s fascinating. I mean, she is 36 years old and about to get married. Maybe she legitimately wants to “mature” as an artist and songwriter (The Life of a Showgirl begs to differ though).

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Oscar is currently prompting season two of Beef. During a recent appearance on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Josh Horowitz asked him if he had any idea how big the line would end up being. In response, Oscar explained how it happened. To no one’s surprise, it was thrown in there during reshoots. He also didn’t know it would become a highly-memed moment.

Appearing on Josh Horowitz‘s Happy, Sad, Confused podcast in April 2026, Isaac revealed that the line was a late addition to the film, added during reshoots after principal photography had already wrapped. ‘Those were reshoots. We had to do reshoots. Those are like surgical strikes where you come in and they’re scrambling, trying to get everything done. That line was a new addition right at the end. There was a lot of movement and flux throughout the whole process.’

He also offered a detail that tells you something about just how rushed the moment was. By the time the reshoots were scheduled, Isaac had already cut his hair and moved on to other projects, meaning he had to wear a wig for the scene. His assessment of that wig, delivered with characteristic deadpan, was that it was ‘pretty good.’ (Your mileage may vary).

Did he have any sense that the line would follow him forever? ‘Had you asked me if, at that moment, I thought that was going to be a viral line, I wouldn’t have known. I mean, I committed to the exasperation, that’s for sure,’ he said.

Isaac is back in the spotlight thanks to Beef Season 2, currently streaming on Netflix, which has given the press a fresh occasion to revisit his Star Wars chapter. He reflected warmly on the making of The Force Awakens while being plainly honest about how chaotic the third film’s production became.

He also noted, with some curiosity, that Palpatine’s return was first announced not in the film itself but during a sponsored Fortnite event, a detail that has never quite stopped being strange.

There was one more thing Horowitz asked about, whether Poe Dameron might ever return to the galaxy far, far away. Isaac left the door open, responding with a tentative ‘Maybe?’ and adding, in Spanish, something roughly translating to ‘God willing,’ Though he did made clear there’s no known project in the works and that this is not him teasing a secret cameo.

[From Parade]

”Somehow, Palpatine returned” became a big deal because of several factors. It was a combination of Oscar’s exacerbated delivery, the fact that production didn’t bother to tell movie-goers how the Resistance knew that Palpatine was back (it was revealed during a Fortnite event), and that it led to a stupid, disappointing plotline. It makes sense that it was just thrown in during reshoots, but it’s still crazy that J.J. Abrams and the rest of production thought they could get away with introducing such a big plot point through a single, almost throwaway line.

Obviously, Oscar couldn’t know that the line was going to blow up in the way that it did but it sounds like he’s made peace with it. From what I’ve seen online, no one blames him for it. I felt badly for all of the new actors involved in Episodes VII to IX because it was not a fun experience for most of them. They deserved so much better.

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, IMAGO/Zoonar.com/Lumeimages.com/Avalon, AMPAS/Avalon, James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon