Here are some photos of Prince Harry exiting the Time 100 Sports gala last Thursday evening. He schmoozed really well at that event, taking photos with athletes, Time’s editors and assorted CEOs, and he also gave a lovely speech as well. He had a viral exchange when he walked the red carpet – he stood politely and tried to ensure that all of the photographers got some good shots. One photographer called out, “Mr. Duke of Sussex, sir.” Harry said, conversationally, “You are the most polite set of photographers I’ve ever met in my life.” Meanwhile, Page Six claims that Harry was especially chatty with people inside the event:

Prince Harry gave guests updates on his family during a surprise appearance at the Time100 Sports Gala in New York City on Thursday night.

An insider exclusively told Page Six the Duke of Sussex was overheard telling guests at the Gala that his father — who has been battling an undisclosed cancer since 2024 — is “doing great.”

The spy also overheard the royal say his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are “happy” to be home in California after their brief visit to the UK.

“The kids are growing like weeds,” Harry gushed to a guest.

Earlier in the evening, Harry spoke to Page Six on the red carpet, exclusively telling us that “of course” he was upset over England losing to Argentina 1-2 in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.

Harry’s appearance at the Time100 Sports Gala came as a surprise, with many guests jumping at the opportunity to speak to the royal. Page Six obtained video of Harry, 41, meeting New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson, as the two shook hands and posed for photos.

[From Page Six]

It’s not really spilling royal secrets for Harry to tell a relative stranger that his father is “doing great.” Still, I wonder if King Charles and his prissy, control-freak courtiers will be furious. Not because of what Harry said, but because Harry said anything at all. Charles wanted sole control of the story! Anyway, it sounds like Harry is fine, and I’m glad he turned out for this event. I just wish Meghan came with him!

Prince Harry, Founder of the Invictus Games Foundation and TIME100 Honoree toast to the Invictus Games and the power of sports.

“In the arena, sport wasn’t simply rebuilding strength—it was restoring confidence, purpose, identity, and connection”#PrinceHarry #TIME100Sports pic.twitter.com/dSd0qeNN4h

— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) July 17, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

On the eve of the tenth anniversary of Brexit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would step down as Britain’s prime minister. Initially, people thought that Starmer wouldn’t end up leaving Downing Street until August or September, but Labour did something and now Starmer is officially gone as PM. He made his farewell address earlier today, with his staff and his wife behind him, and then he was gone. Well, no, not really – after his farewell address, Starmer had to go to Buckingham Palace to formally resign. Just minutes after Starmer left the palace, Andy Burnham turned up to kiss the king’s sausage fingers.

The man dubbed the “King of the North” became the new British prime minister Monday, the latest in a revolving door of leaders trying to halt a decade of political turbulence and economic stagnation in the United Kingdom. Burnham, 56, was appointed unchallenged after the unpopular Keir Starmer agreed to step down last month following a series of election defeats, U-turns and scandals.

Both Starmer and Burnham come from the same center-left Labour Party, and in the United Kingdom ruling parties can change leaders — and therefore the prime minister — in the middle of an election cycle without anyone voting. That said, Burnham has promised radical change after taking office following a morning of royal formality, though he already faces infighting over his Cabinet selections.

Making his first speech as prime minister outside No.10 Downing St., Burnham vowed a “circuit breaker for Britain” that would involve “the biggest changes of the past 40 years.” In keeping with the more casual style he’s sought to project, Burnham eschewed the lectern favored by his predecessors, instead speaking while standing freely in the famous street. “I know people are fed up with politics — I hear you,” he said, promising to “bring back hope” to the country.

The incoming leader has a heaving inbox: how to solve Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, revive its ailing National Health Service, and navigate bitter debates over immigration and Europe. He must also fend off the challenge from Reform UK, the hard-right party led by Donald Trump ally Nigel Farage, which tops the polls.

Monday started with the pageantry of a now familiar political handover (Burnham being Britain’s seventh prime minister in a little more than a decade and the fifth in four years).

He had already replaced Starmer as Labour leader. Then, early Monday, Starmer declared “my work is done” as he delivered a farewell speech outside his official residence at No. 10 Downing St. Starmer was then driven to Buckingham Palace, where he offered his resignation to King Charles III. After he left, Burnham arrived at the palace, and the king asked him to form a government. This ceremony is known as “kissing hands,” though new leaders aren’t actually expected to do that these days.

[From NBC News]

Once the new PM is inside the palace, the king’s team handles the imagery and which photos or videos are released. QEII and King Charles never released any photos or videos of a prime minister kneeling and kissing the sovereign’s hand, but I guarantee that the hand-kiss still happens. For all of Charles’ four prime ministers, he tends to release photos where he’s just greeting them with a handshake. With Liz Truss, the palace released a video of him saying “oh dear” to her when they first met. It was funny. Anyway, I hope Burnham is a good prime minister and I hope the British press doesn’t rip him to shreds.

His Majesty received in Audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt. Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury. pic.twitter.com/QGXjt80Tbq

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 20, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Too few people watched Heart of Invictus, the Netflix docuseries highlighting individual Invictus competitors. One of the stars of the series was Korean veteran Na Hyeongyoon, an amputee who trained hard for Invictus and fought to bring visibility to injured and disabled people within Korean society. One of the best parts about Na’s story was Korea’s technological advances around prosthetics, and Korean engineers and scientists working with Na to help him with various prosthetics. South Korea has been heavily invested in Invictus, and they’ve been talking about their desire to bring the games to their country for years. They bid on the 2029 games, and it was just announced today that Korea won. The 2029 games will be held in Daejeon! The first Invictus games in Asia!

Prince Harry’s Invictus Games has a new home. The international contest for wounded, injured and sick veterans and service people is heading to Korea, it was announced on Monday, July 20.

The upcoming 2029 games will be held in the city of Daejeon, marking the first time the event will have taken place in Asia. It will follow the 2027 games, which are set to take place in Birmingham, U.K. Korea beat two other shortlisted contenders, including San Diego, Calif., to be hosts, the Invictus Games Foundation announced.

Under its plans in Korea, there will be 12 sports included in the games, that are set to take place from Oct. 6-15, 2029. The event will unite around 550 competitors from 26 nations, supported by their family members and friends.

Lord Charles Allen, Chair of the Invictus Games Foundation, said that picking Daejeon was a “defining moment” for the movement.

“As the first Asian nation selected to host the Games, the Republic of Korea represents an exciting new chapter in our journey to ensure that more wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, wherever they live, can benefit from the power of sport and the strength of the Invictus community,” he said. “We were deeply impressed by Daejeon’s vision, the commitment of its partners and the ambition to create a lasting legacy that extends far beyond the closing ceremony.”

Former Invictus Games competitor, Na Hyeongyoon, said in a statement, “I have always believed that the greatest barrier is not disability itself, but the way society perceives it. Through the Invictus Games, I have seen that those perceptions can change.”

Hyeongyoon, who appeared in Harry’s Netflix series, Heart of Invictus, added, “Now, in 2029, it will be Korea’s turn to lead that change. I hope the Invictus Games in Daejeon will showcase the strength, potential, and pride of our wounded service personnel and veterans and become a turning point in transforming how our society sees them.”

[From People]

It’s really cool, and I predict that South Korea will do an amazing job as the host country. While People Magazine doesn’t specify, two other cities bid on the 2029 games – San Diego (as mentioned) and Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine, like South Korea, is all-in on Invictus and they are huge supporters of all things Invictus and Prince Harry. But I understand why Kyiv didn’t win. Yes, it would have been a huge morale boost for Ukraine, but Invictus has to think about the safety of Invictus competitors and their families.

I AM Coming to the Republic of Korea!

The Invictus Games Foundation is delighted to announce that Daejeon, Republic of Korea, has been selected to host the #InvictusGames in 2029.

The Invictus Games Daejeon 2029 will be the ninth edition of the Games and the first ever to be… pic.twitter.com/uSIdAQQVoE

— Invictus Games Foundation (@WeAreInvictus) July 20, 2026

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Netflix.

Prince George’s 13th birthday falls on July 22. Since it’s one of the big birthdays (the start of the future king’s teenage years), Kensington Palace apparently authorized several big birthday stories to mark the occasion. What’s funny is that they’re already embiggening this child the same way they do for his parents. We’re like one year away from hearing that George is also a keen and credible Early-Years expert and that he’s an emerging global statesman, just like his father. This is the treatment given to the heirs. I’m not mocking George at all – we literally know nothing about this kid, which is why I wonder why his parents authorized all of these birthday pieces. According to the Sun, George is both hyper-aware of his position but he doesn’t think about it at all, and he’s super-athletic, constantly playing football and hockey, in between competitive swimming and completing triathlons at a national level. Good lord.

George isn’t thinking about being a future-king: All that couldn’t be further from his mind. A family friend tells me: “He may be as tall as his mum, but George is quite a self-conscious and awkward teen. He’s not an extrovert or a show-off. In fact, he’s quite a sensitive soul who’s very into conservation, like his father and grandfather, and music. Behind closed doors, he’s like any other teen, but in public he takes it all very seriously.”

George’s birthday party: The Prince and Princess are known to take a very hands-on approach at parties – fellow parents have been gently amused to see them organising games of rounders and cricket themselves, instead of leaving it to the nannies and retreating inside with a glass of wine. Football-mad George (who supports Aston Villa, like his father) has no doubt enjoyed the FIFA World Cup matches, and previous birthday parties have been football-themed. As for presents, there’ll possibly be the new Villa strip, a guitar or hockey stick, given he takes after his mum by being fairly ferocious on the hockey pitch.

George is aware of his future-king role: The family friend says: “George is very aware of who he is, and that has made him extremely cautious with friendships. You have to feel for him really, it’s a very difficult thing to know you will be the future King of England. He hasn’t faced up to the enormity of his future, but he does take his position seriously.”

Why George will go to Eton: Royal biographer Ingrid Seward says: “Leaving his prep school was a wrench, but one of the reasons George wants to go to Eton is because several of his friends are going. William was a little reticent, as he didn’t want to appear elitist, but George has been protected for much of his childhood. That can continue at Eton from a security point of view, which is now more important than ever. Going there also allows him to still be close to his family – it will be the first time he’s been apart from them, particularly his siblings. But he’ll still be able to spend time with his grandfather at Windsor, in the same way that William did with Queen Elizabeth, to have first-hand experience of what it’s really like to be King.”

Why the Waleses announced Eton so late: The timing of the announcement earlier this month was entirely up to the Prince and Princess. Although the decision had been made some time ago, they wanted to wait until George had sat his final entrance exams and deter any last-minute applications from royal hangers-on.

George competes in triathlons?? [The kids] compete in their school sports teams (George is apparently a talented swimmer and football player, and competes in triathlons at national level), perform in end-of-year drama shows and are treated the same as other pupils. Eagle-eyed royalists may be able to spot the back of one of the royal children in an outdoor lesson, meeting the Lambrook school tortoise Larry, or competing in skiing competitions on their school’s website (ski goggles and helmets are useful disguises). But in the main, their Berkshire prep school has given them an anonymous and extremely privileged education.

Kate & the kids faced down anti-monarchy protests: At this year’s Trooping the Colour, Kate and the children were booed as they rode to and from Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn landau carriage. The pressure group Republic noisily protests at most royal occasions, and their yellow placards stating “Not My King” are now a familiar sight. The group were mandated by the Metropolitan Police to stand in a certain contained area of the Mall, and it was notable that the Princess of Wales fixed the group with an icy stare as she passed. She is more steely than appearances may suggest, and certainly will have been less than pleased that her young children were subjected to that, freedom of expression notwithstanding.

[From The Sun]

Deterring last-minute royal hangers-on… at Eton? One of the most elite schools in the world, which educates princes, lords and future world leaders? The same Eton where the entrance exams are a three-year process? A certain bewigletted Wisteria Sister is certainly telling on herself – she wants George to be spared the exact move she made to “snag” William at St. Andrews. The part about Kate’s icy glare at Trooping is funny too, especially in George’s big birthday profile. Oh no, the future king had to witness his future subjects protesting the crown!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Kensington Palace, Cover Images.

As part of the company’s Form 10-Q report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Netflix confirmed that it completed an acquisition in March “for a total purchase price of approximately $587 million.” The disclosure came months after a Bloomberg report indicated Netflix’s March acquisition could amount to up to $600 million for Affleck and InterPositive’s investors, even if the total price for the company was less than that amount.

The remainder would be made up through “certain performance targets,” according to the Bloomberg report. Netflix did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

Netflix purchased Affleck’s startup, which he founded in 2022 and operated in stealth mode, in a bid to develop AI tools that kept “filmmakers at the center of the process.” The purchase brought aboard InterPositive’s 16-person team of engineers, researchers and creatives, while Affleck joined Netflix as a senior adviser. The company’s tools allow filmmakers to build an AI model using production dailies to help enhance post-production work such as mixing, relighting shots and adding visual effects, forgoing typical visual generative efforts.

“From the invention of the moving image to the transition to digital, from motion capture to virtual production, technology has evolved alongside the artists who use it,” Affleck said as part of the merger announcement. “Our shared commitment to continuing this legacy makes joining together a natural next step, in addition to Neftlix’s decades of experience applying and scaling technology responsibly.”

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos highlighted the company’s integration of generative AI tools and its work with InterPositive during its second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, where it revealed that roughly 300 of its titles have used some form of generative AI this year. Sarandos said that while the InterPositive deal was still in its “early days,” Netflix has seen its impact on productions alongside some of its other in-house tools.

Still, even as he highlighted the use of AI in the docuseries “The American Experiment” to produce sequences “twice as fast and at half the cost of previous options,” he said the company wasn’t eager to replace human-made work with generative technology.

“We believe it takes great artists to make something great, and AI is not changing that,” Sarandos said. “Movies are being made by people who make movies. AI provides them with better tools to make them even better.”

“We believe it takes great artists to make something great, and AI is not changing that.” If that line wasn’t written by AI, then this follow up definitely was: “Movies are being made by people who make movies. AI provides them with better tools to make them even better.” Not if it spits out sentences like that! No really, what kind of demented Dick and Jane reading primer language is “Movies are being made by people who make movies,” huh?!! In fact all the quotes here are bloated statements meant to placate us. The only honest comment is when Ted Sarandos brags on his earnings call about AI working twice as fast at half the cost. Well, I’ll return the candor and admit that I pointedly refused to watch The American Experiment. I hope Chris Nolan is right about the youngins rejecting AI and that they’ll decline to watch AI-enhanced Netflix content as well.

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / BACKGRID/Avalon and via YouTube/Netflix

A few days ago, the Daily Mail published a bizarre exclusive written by Alison Boshoff, all about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. I wrote about it on Sunday – Boshoff claims that “the veil is lifting” for Prince Harry regarding his marriage to Meghan, and he’s just now realizing that he never wanted to be estranged from the Windsors. “Sources” claimed that Harry and Meghan want to “reverse Megxit” and take time away from America, because they’re so unhappy here and America has “cooled” on them. As I wrote on Sunday, the whole piece sounded like “Harry, as told by Prince William.” There were several “tells” that the bulk of Boshoff’s exclusive came not from Team Sussex but William and his ridiculous revenge fantasies for Harry and Meghan. The only things I believe – and in fact, I think these pieces are the root of all of this drama – are that the Sussexes have a vacation home in Portugal which they plan to visit more often, and they’re already making plans for the Birmingham Invictus Games next year. That’s it.

Well, Tom Sykes was predictably agog at Boshoff’s column, and he ended up interviewing her on his Royalist podcast. Most of her comments are just rehash of her ridiculous column, but there’s some new stuff here. Notably, Boshoff seems to be walking back the central claim that Harry and Meghan are planning to “reverse Megxit” and now their plans are downgraded to “they’ll stay in California but occasionally stop by the UK.” You mean, like Harry has done for years?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to return to the bosom of the U.K. royal family with the help of Harry’s father, King Charles, says veteran showbiz writer Alison Boshoff.

Boshoff, editor-at-large with The Daily Mail and the author of the forthcoming book Brand Beckham, told The Royalist podcast, “I think there are people on two sides of this blanket, and each of them has a thread in their hands, and they’re pulling it… I think it is being unpicked. Whether this actually happens, I don’t know… All I can tell you for sure is they want it to happen, and they think it’s going to happen. They feel optimistic that they are on their way back in, in some way.”

…Boshoff told The Royalist that a source in the Sussex camp had told her it was “baby steps… but in the right direction. At this point it’s all about direction of travel.”

Why now? Because, Boshoff says, the Sussexes’ American dream is dying, and they know it.

“Harry and Meghan both feel that America is kind of cooling on them,” she said, citing a source who knows Harry well and is plugged into his charity circle. “I was really surprised that this had been a topic of discussion among these people, that Harry was feeling like he wasn’t actually all that welcome in America anymore.” Meghan, the source said, feels she “has to push and push” to get projects moving.

The shift, as described by Boshoff to The Royalist, is dramatic. “Eighteen months ago I spoke to a communications professional on Team Sussex who said to me: Harry’s never coming back to the U.K. He has no interest in it. Loves his life in California. He’s here forever,” Boshoff said. “And that has completely changed. It’s just turned around, quite quietly, while we’ve all been looking at other things. Their eyes are on Europe again, and the U.K.”

On the podcast, I noted in response that my sources have gone from, “Harry is loving California, he’s loving the sunshine and swimming in the pool,” to, “Of course he wants to spend more time in the United Kingdom. It’s his home.” Boshoff concurred: “Harry and Meghan both feel that America is kind of cooling on them, and they want to be liked in the U.K. now. That’s where they’re focusing. It’s a charm offensive… He’s trying to be appealing again to ordinary people who have not enjoyed being called racists, and not enjoyed the things he said about his family.”

The Royalist’s own view, which I put to Boshoff, is that what Harry and Meghan want hasn’t changed one iota from six years ago: freedom to do and say whatever they like, plus the trappings of royalty. If they can negotiate with Charles even the tiniest official royal role in the UK, that unlocks everything: it would bring security, somewhere to live, and a whole new level of legitimacy. It would also be precisely the half-in, half-out arrangement the late queen expressly banned in one of her final significant constitutional acts. And it would be a massive gamble by Charles, given how unpopular the couple remain in Britain.

The next staging posts are already visible. Harry is expected back in September with the expectation that he will finally take up the offer of a stay at Buckingham Palace. The family may come, both sides are briefing. Then comes the big one: the Invictus Games in Birmingham in summer 2027. “The people around them think summer 2027 is all four of them in the UK, public facing, at Invictus events,” Boshoff said.

[From The Royalist Substack]

“Harry is loving California, he’s loving the sunshine and swimming in the pool,” to, “Of course he wants to spend more time in the United Kingdom. It’s his home.” That’s NOT a change. That’s been Harry’s perspective for years. That’s been his perspective since 2020. He has always maintained that he loves California but he’d like to spend more time in the UK, and bring his wife and children to visit occasionally. That’s it. That’s always been his desire and his perspective. We’ve gone from “Harry wants to reverse the sacred Sandringham agreement” to “actually, he just wants to visit the UK more often, which he’s been saying for years.”

Of course, these absolute fools are fixated on the Sussexes’ “popularity” or “success” in the US, and by that I mean that they’re fixated on lying about Harry and Meghan’s popularity and success. Harry and Meghan are doing well, they’re making money, they’re successful by literally every metric. Despite the breathless royalists claiming that all of their lies are brand new information, it’s just more of the same – the monarchy and the British press telling themselves that any day now, Harry will come crawling back, broke and begging for a reunion with his terrible bald-demon brother.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instar and Cover Images.

In January, JD Vance and his wife Usha announced that they were expecting their fourth child. People did the math and figured out that Usha got pregnant right around the moment when Erika Kirk was making a big, public play for that demented Cabbage Patch Doll (JD). JD even tried to give Erika credit for “convincing” him to have another child with Usha, although Usha correctly shut that down. In any case, Usha has spent this year quietly gestating and protecting her marriage. Usha and JD welcomed their son over the weekend:

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, have welcomed their fourth baby, a boy. The couple announced the news in a joint social media post on Sunday, July 19.

“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning,” they wrote. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.”

“The incredible military doctors and staff members of Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit have been a blessing,” the couple added. “We are deeply thankful for all they have done for our family.”

JD and Usha already share three kids: Ewan, 9; Vivek, 6; and Mirabel, 4.

[From People]

The name is so interesting to me, but I’ve been fascinated with their baby names for years. Usha is Indian-American, from a Hindu family. She never converted to Christianity but she seemingly lives the life of an Evangelical Republican woman, underselling her education and legal background and having this big family with a Catholic convert. Two of the kids don’t have Indian names anywhere – Ewan Blaine and Mirabel Rose – but then their second son is named Vivek, a very traditional Indian name. And now Usha has “Neel” as her fourth child’s middle name – that’s also a traditional Indian name. “Alec” is not though, that’s Scottish. Anyway, congrats to them, I guess. I doubt JD will be much help with this baby, so I hope someone is looking after Usha and Alec.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

Every summer, the Wimbledon men’s final marks the beginning of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ summer vacation. I think it’s more than likely that one or both of them will pop up one more time this summer (probably for the Commonwealth Games), but that will be it until they drop off Prince George at Eton. All of which means that the British tabloids are out of content for two months or so, and thus, it’s the start of the tabloids’ silly season. One prime example is this Daily Mail piece about Prince William and Kate’s PDA in the weeks before their summer holiday began. You see, William and Kate were photographed embracing once (the Three Peaks Challenge) and cheek-kissing each other once (the charity polo game) and that’s enough for a body-language expert to spend two full pages discussing the Waleses’ intense romantic attachment. Don’t believe your lying eyes, people!

Ever since the Prince and Princess of Wales first laid eyes on each other at St Andrews University in 2001, royal fans have continually delighted in following their fairytale love story. But while Prince William and Catherine’s love and adoration for one another has certainly never wavered, the couple have become much more relaxed about public displays of affection (PDA) in recent years.

Showcasing their tactile tenderness in public, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared particularly moving romantic embraces when Kate, 44, completed the gruelling Three Peaks challenge in June, and last week after William’s team’s victory in a charity polo match and while seated in the Royal Box at the men’s Wimbledon final.

After her charity walk, where she climbed the highest mountains in Scotland, England, and Wales within 24 hours, Catherine was greeted by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, as well as her and William’s children, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis. But while everyone made sure to congratulate Kate with a hug, it was the future King’s tight hold on his wife that left fans particularly emotional.

According to body language expert Judi James, it was a moment that offered a ‘glimpse’ into ‘the honest intensity of their feelings for each other’ and what they have previously been hiding behind closed doors. She told the Daily Mail: ‘Their rituals suggest there’s been no real change in the intensity of their love for one another; what’s happened is they have finally felt safe enough to trust enough (not each other but the public and the press) to show it. It’s a hug that suggests all inhibitions are being jettisoned as the desire to greet and cherish takes over. And for the Waleses is it yet another sign that the latest chapter of their marriage, the one where they feel free to show their levels of mutual love and adoration by more tactile behaviours in public, is still very much a part of their personal and generational royal brand now.’

‘Diana’s marriage created a salutary lesson for her son William in terms of how risky and dangerous emotional baring can be for the royals,’ explained Ms James. ‘The rabid obsession that occurred when a leading royal broke through the frost of protocol and behaved like a normal, living, breathing and loveable human being only seemed to prove to the Firm that particular cork needed putting back in the bottle. William always acted like a man concerned that his own wife might go down the same path and become a lightning rod for intrusive attention. This fear and desire to protect Kate led to several years of emotional suppression in public.’

The royal pair revealed their connection once again at the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup in Windsor Great Park earlier this month. William, who was on the winning team, was spotted kissing Catherine on her cheek, before the future queen wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist as they strolled the Berkshire grounds.

However, while Kate and William may have increased their acts of PDA, these are ‘performed exclusively for each other, with the world being allowed to have a glimpse’. James added that, in contrast, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s instances of PDA ‘tend to be display rituals to show the world how in love and close they are. They are constantly keen to present that narrative of their love to the world,’ she added. For Ms James, the heartwarming embrace the royal couple shared following Kate’s gruelling challenge is ‘the kind of embrace that shares its strongest messages exclusively between the two of them’.

The Three Peaks Challenge sees participants attempt to climb the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours: Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Scotland and the UK, standing at 4,413ft; Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, standing at 3,209ft and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), the highest peak in Wales, standing at 3,560ft. The princess was driven between the peaks – Scotland, then England and finally Wales – by her team.

Kate chose to hide the exact amount she managed to raise, but the Daily Mail understands it was in the region of £1,000 to £2,000. While attending Wimbledon Championships last week, the princess revealed she has been ‘blown away’ by the ‘generous donations’ she had received.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m sorry, Kensington Palace went overboard with the Three Peaks keenery for weeks and the sum total of the donations was only between £1,000 to £2,000. That’s bonkers?? Like, the Sussex Squad can raise that amount (organically, just through social media) in about an hour to mark a special occasion. As for all of the breathless embiggening for William and Kate’s PDA… lol. And poor Judy James reveals her true agenda with the mention of Harry and Meghan as well. She’s arguing, in essence, that Harry and Meghan’s affection is performative because they’re trying to prove that they’re so hot for each other. Meanwhile, William and Kate are literally performing robotic-coworker PDA for the waiting photographers, and William has looked like a hostage in that marriage for years now. But sure. People see what they want to see.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images and Kensington Palace’s social media.

Spain defeated Argentina in the FIFA World Cup. The final was held at MetLife in New Jersey, and I was surprised by how many celebrities and A-listers came out for it. An incomplete list: Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Matt Damon, Tom Brady, Zohran Mamdani, Anna Wintour, Zinedine Zidane, Ciara,Anya Taylor Joy, Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and many, many more. How many of them were there to watch the Muppets perform at the Halftime show?? That was literally the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Jay-Z needs to hire the Muppets to perform at the Super Bowl too.

Anyway, Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended the final as well, alongside their two daughters. Felipe and Letizia are huge football fans and they both make a point of coming out to support their Spanish teams and Spanish athletes. The Spanish royal family was allowed on the podium to celebrate with the team, and they also let Felipe hold the trophy.

Guess who thought he was part of the Spanish team? None other than Donald Trump. He’s spent his entire second term ruining sporting events and getting his dinosaur butt booed by entire stadiums, and Sunday was no different. Trump was there to present the trophy, nothing more. Instead, he planted himself front and center in Spain’s celebrations, and it took FIFA President Gianni Infantino leading Trump away to get him off the main part of the stage. Trump was heavily booed, as always. I’m including the videos of the trophy presentation (you can hear the boos as soon as Trump walked onto the field) and the Halftime show.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

Jonathan Thomas kept deleting text messages from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, assuming the couple’s digital wedding invitation was spam.

The American Century Investments CEO shared the story during a recent appearance on “The Compound and Friends” podcast, offering one of the most detailed accounts yet of the extraordinary measures Swift and Kelce took to protect the privacy of their July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden.

About an hour and 19 minutes into the conversation, Thomas recalled receiving text messages that read, “This is from Taylor and Travis. I promise it’s not spam.”
Convinced they were fake, he deleted them. Eventually, he blocked the number altogether.
Weeks later, Kelce called him personally.

“Hey, JT,” Thomas recalled Kelce saying. “You’re like one of the only people that hasn’t responded to the wedding invitation. What’s going on?”
Thomas explained he had never received an invitation.

“Jonathan, we send you text messages like every two or three days and you’re not responding,” Kelce said.

The unusual invitation was only the beginning of an elaborate security process. Thomas said guests first completed multi-factor authentication before signing nondisclosure agreements through DocuSign. Only then did they receive individualized digital invitations. Even after accepting the invitation, attendees learned only incremental details, first the date, then New York City, then Manhattan. The exact location — Madison Square Garden — wasn’t disclosed until about 4 a.m. the morning of the wedding.

“I won’t get into the details of the NDA,” Thomas said. “But it had teeth.”

The strategy appears to have worked. Despite drawing roughly 1,000 guests from the worlds of entertainment, sports and business, the ceremony has remained largely under wraps with no photos leaking.

Country star Brad Paisley, who attended with wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley, described a similarly controlled invitation process in an interview with The Associated Press.

“They were very clear with the invite,” Paisley said. “If you’re getting this, you mean a lot to us.”

He described watching a “cat-and-mouse game” unfold as organizers slowly revealed details leading up to the ceremony before calling it “one of the least pretentious weddings I’ve ever seen.”

[From USA Today]

“If you’re getting this, you mean a lot to us.” Sent to 1,000 people, lol. Not to mention the slightly menacing tone of: you’re our nearest and dearest, but in order to proceed we need you to sign this ironclad NDA and your invite is watermarked so we can trace any violations back to you. What really had me laughing, though, was the detail about the wedding venue only being released the morning of. SUPER TOP-SECRET …unless you read any Hollywood or gossip publication! For all that digital cloak and dagger maneuvering, Page Six was reporting on the location for months while the NY Times stamped it as official the week before. Frankly, the best bit of security was that we all thought MSG was such a ludicrous wedding venue it couldn’t possibly be true! And speaking of too crazy to be real, Jonathan Thomas also shared that most guests thought it was a joke when Adam Sandler stood up to officiate. I would’ve been one of those people. Also, there’s something wonky to me about Brad Paisley’s phrasing that it was “one of the least pretentious weddings I’ve ever seen.” How was the wedding? Definitely one of the least pretentious ones! I mean, can a castle be built inside Madison Square Garden and the bride walk down the aisle to her own song and it not be pretentious?

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding invitation revealed… and the VERY personal detail you may have missed https://t.co/C0mWQmFnys

— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) July 6, 2026

photos credit: Backgrid, Avalon.red, Cover Images and via YouTube

The FIFA World Cup final was held yesterday in New Jersey. Spain won, scoring a goal in extra time. Hours later, Prince Harry was a guest on FIFA After Hours, hosted by James Corden. Corden has been hosting this special program throughout the World Cup, discussing the matches of the day and doing skits with various soccer stars. Corden previewed Harry’s appearance weeks ago, and I thought it was cute that they waited until the last episode.

As of this writing, Fox Sports hasn’t put any of the clips of Harry’s appearance on YouTube (there were some on Twitter though). Honestly, Harry didn’t make any big news. Corden complimented him on Invictus and Harry spoke about founding the games and how important Invictus has been for many veterans. They talked about soccer (football) and what sports Harry played as a kid. Harry said that the bronze-medal match on Saturday between England and France felt like the real final, and that England went out there, feeling loose. He analyzed England’s semifinal loss to Argentina as well, basically arguing that it was due to mindset and nerves.

Corden also brought up their previous attempts to rank the “all-time Harrys,” between Prince Harry, Harry Styles, Harry Kane and Harry Potter. The Duke of Sussex made his definitive ranking: 1. Styles, 2. Kane, and tied for third, Prince and Potter.

The definitive Top 4 British Harrys ranking, from none other than Prince Harry.
obviously for me:
1. Potter
2. Prince
3. Styles
4. Kane pic.twitter.com/BTzGH9CnyI

— Nico Mac (@Nicomac_666) July 20, 2026

James refers to football as soccer and Prince Harry Duke of Sussex was not thrilled pic.twitter.com/I8bSSrR3Ar

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 20, 2026

Prince Harry Duke of Sussex has some ideas on what England football needs to do to get to a FIFA World Cup Final pic.twitter.com/IoOzCr97rh

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 20, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Meghan’s Instagram.

Just after Christmas 2022, violent misogynists Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania for human trafficking and other horrific crimes. Months later, they were criminally charged in Romania and they were imprisoned awaiting trial. Then, magically, in February 2025, the Trump administration did a deal with the Romanians and suddenly Andrew and Tristan Tate flew to Florida, which is one of several “bases” they have in the US (they also spend a lot of time in LA). Florida law enforcement wasn’t happy with the Trump administration’s deal, and they opened up investigations into the Tate brothers as well. Well, on Saturday, the Tate brothers were arrested and taken into custody in Miami. Apparently, they were apprehended by US Marshals…

Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami … just before Andrew was set to cohost a bareknuckle boxing event.

The Tates were taken into custody Saturday afternoon outside the James L. Knight Center … an event space in the downtown area of the South Florida city where IBA Bareknuckle 6 is set to go down.

We’ve obtained photos and video of Andrew and Tristan being arrested … which show the two brothers after the cuffs have been slapped on them. A member of law enforcement tells the assembled crowd to back up as agents check behind their ears before loading them into the back of several cars.

Law enforcement sources confirmed the U.S. Marshal Service carried out the arrests. The charges are not known at this time.

The pair of brothers have had legal troubles for years … including spending several months in a Romanian prison in early 2023. They were indicted on sex trafficking charges in the Eastern European country.

Andrew and Tristan returned to the United States in early 2025 … insisting they were innocent shortly after their plane landed in Fort Lauderdale, FL. In early April of that year, an attorney involved in a civil suit with the brothers told us they were in the crosshairs of a federal investigation.

The brothers are also facing legal issues in the United Kingdom … where 21 charges have been authorized against them — 11 for Andrew and 10 for Tristan. It’s unclear if this arrest has anything to do with that case.

[From TMZ]

Per Reuters, British authorities have criminally charged Andrew and Tristan Tate with rape, bodily harm and trafficking, with 38 new counts all total. British authorities asked the US Marshal Service to arrest the Tates ahead of extradition, given that the Tates have dual citizenship in the UK and US. British authorities identified FOUR new victims. God, I hope these two are tangling with the American, British and Romanian justice system for the rest of their lives.

BREAKING: Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami https://t.co/9ftPo1XcXG

— TMZ (@TMZ) July 18, 2026

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.