“Woke Royals”

On the morning of Tuesday, February 9, 1999, a small group gathered at an airport for private planes just outside New York, ready to catch a Gulfstream jet to the US Virgin Islands. One of the three waiting passengers was the glamorous British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the late media baron Robert Maxwell.

Her personal assistant Emmy Taylor waited with her. The third and final member of the group was Prince Andrew.

Andrew and Ghislaine were good friends – and over the years had been occasional lovers – and through her, the prince had come into the ambit of her boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein

Netflix has announced it will not renew its $100 million deal with the insufferable Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, aka, The HarryMeg.

A quick rundown of the planet healing itself…

Among those attending the 40th anniversary bash for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, one guest stood out – King Charles III.

The presence of the UK’s sovereign at an Islamic studies institute was hardly a surprise, however. And not just because he is the centre’s patron. Charles, it is fair to say, is an unabashed Islamophile. He may have claimed some three decades ago that, as king, he intended to be the defender of faith – rather than the defender of the faith as his official role has it – but there is definitely one faith that he prefers above all others. And it’s not that of the Church of England.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s hopes of a new Netflix deal are ‘dead’ after their two most recent shows flopped, it was claimed today.

The Duchess of Sussex has ‘had everything going for her’ but the viewing figures for With Love, Meghan have still been ‘dismal’, an insider at the streamer reportedly said.

Meghan’s lifestyle show failed to break into Netflix’s top 300 programmes for the first half of 2025 and was even thrashed by multiple seasons of Suits.

The Duke of York is off the hook.

After more than five years of him living under suspicion, fearing that knock at the door, the FBI has drawn a line under its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s network of friends and associates.

It will release no more files nor pursue any “third parties”.

But there should be no popping of champagne corks at Royal Lodge, the Duke’s Windsor home.

Until quite recently I was very confident that the monarchy would survive for the foreseeable future. Polling suggested that support for a republic was becalmed at around 20%, although always higher among younger age groups, and that this figure had barely shifted in decades. Big occasions like royal weddings and the old Queen’s Jubilees brought forth an enormous groundswell of goodwill. Protests by anti-monarchists felt mean-spirited and joyless.

King Charles III is officially in charge of saving the planet: his role has been redefined to include leading on “environmental sustainability”.

The monarch’s job as “Head of Nation”, which he undertakes alongside that of “Head of State”, will now include four key themes, confirmed by Buckingham Palace in an annual report.

The King and his household will work on the topics “national unity”, “community impact”, “environmental sustainability” and “cultural heritage”.

Well, you can’t say that we weren’t warned. Repeatedly. At the beginning of this week, the Duchess of Sussex wrote in a subscriber newsletter, in that inimitably faux-chummy way that she has perfected:

“First off, a sincere thank you for making the debut of As Ever absolutely extraordinary. We had a feeling there would be excitement, but to see everything sell out in less than an hour was an amazing surprise. We are pleased to share that on 20 June, we’re going live with the products you love – plus, some new delicious surprises.

‘Absolutely extraordinary’ is one way of describing the profoundly underwhelming launch of a few pieces of overpriced tat. But as veteran Meghan-watchers know, such barrages of hyperbole are par for the course, and so I lay in wait, metaphorically speaking, for the ‘delicious surprises’ that we have been promised.

The British monarchy stands as a symbol of national continuity, tradition, and sovereignty. At its heart lies the Coronation Oath, a solemn vow the monarch makes to rule according to law and custom, to maintain the Protestant religion, and to uphold the rights and freedoms of the realm. This oath, taken before God and country, is more than a ceremonial rite; it is a pledge to defend British sovereignty and constitutional heritage.

There has been much ballyhoo about this week’s Royal visit and, more importantly, King Charles III’s throne speech, heralded by many as a defining moment in Canada’s constitutional history that reinforces our sovereignty.

Ouch.

From CBC – King says ‘strong and free’ Canada is a force for good in historic throne speech

King Charles delivered a historic speech from the throne Tuesday and he used that platform to praise Canada as a force for good that will remain “strong and free” as its relationships with longtime partners are “changing.”

Charles, who delivered the speech while seated next to Queen Camilla in the Senate, the royal chamber, laid out the new Liberal government’s agenda for the parliamentary session ahead but also subtly addressed the issue that’s on the minds of many Canadians in the portion of the speech that he himself crafted: U.S. President Donald Trump, his tariffs and the 51st state taunts.

“When my dear late mother addressed your predecessors seven decades ago, she said that in that age, and against the backdrop of international affairs, no nation could live unto itself,” Charles said, referencing Queen Elizabeth’s 1957 throne speech to Parliament.

And … King Charles warns Canada is facing ‘unprecedented’ challenges in apparent rebuke of Trump’s annexation threats

King Charles III has warned that Canada is facing unprecedented challenges in a dangerous world as he gave a rare address to the country’s parliament at the invitation of new Prime Minister Mark Carney in an apparent show of defiance against President Trump’s repeated threats to make the country America’s 51st state.

“We must face reality: Since the Second World War, our world has never been more dangerous and unstable. Canada is facing challenges that, in our lifetimes, are unprecedented,” Charles said to the parliament in French.