Celebrity
Queen Elizabeth's Reaction to Prince William & Harry's Feud Is Why She's a Boss

We’d love to think the Queen is above dealing with royal gossip — but after weeks of whispers about her grandsons’ feud it seems Her Majesty is finally weighing in. A royal expert has revealed Queen Elizabeth’s reaction to Prince William and Harry’s feud, and the monarch is understandably ill at ease over this reported rift between her grandsons. Still, the monarch has no intention of taking action against it: How the Sussex and Cambridge royals settle their differences (or don’t) is way below her pay grade.

According to royal expert and Majesty Magazine editor Ingrid Seward, the Queen isn’t happy about ongoing feud rumors and is finding the company of her other, less tumultuous grandchildren to be a nice reprieve. “Her Majesty does not care for the alleged feuding amongst her grandchildren William and Harry,” Seward told The Sun, “That would make her very sad. But she would never interfere with their lives.” Alternatively, Her Majesty has been enjoying the company of granddaughter Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike. “They are certainly light relief,” Seward reported. “She can be herself around them.”

While the true root of any alleged feud between William and Harry has not been identified, the public seems to agree that there’s a clash in how the Sussex and Cambridge royals conduct themselves. William’s early skepticism over Harry’s relationship with Meghan, and Harry’s insistence on establishing an independent identity may have contributed to tensions. But since the rumors began, nearly every interaction between these two royal couples has been interpreted as a furthering of the alleged feud.

The Queen has co-signed various moves that were ultimately interpreted as furthering the split between Harry and William, such as Harry and Meghan moving from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage, or the splitting of the Cambridge and Sussex royal charities. The Queen’s statement that she would “never interfere” might be a hint that these moves were in fact scheduled all along — and not in reaction to any conflict between the brothers. Then again, it might also just be her way of saying to leave her out of it. And for that, we certainly can’t blame her.

Celebrity
Doria Ragland Wore the Prettiest Peach Outfit at Archie's Christening

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's christening on July 6, 2019, with an intimate ceremony in Windsor Castle's Private Chapel.
    Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, stood beside Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles, in the gorgeous official christening portrait.
    Ragland wore the most perfect peachy-pink coat and dress, with a matching hat, for the regal occasion.

Having welcomed their first child on May 6, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry held baby Archie's christening just two months later.

The intimate occasion was a private event with a select guest list. But soon after the christening, Meghan and Harry released Archie's official portraits so that the world could share in the happy occasion.

From Meghan's stunning Dior dress, to Kate Middleton's Stella McCartney look, the royal family made a chic impression at baby Archie's christening. It was also heartwarming to see that Meghan ensured that her mother, Doria Ragland, had an important place in the portrait, right next to Prince Charles.

Plus, Ragland chose the perfect outfit for her first grandson's royal christening, in the form of a beautiful peach coat and dress. Meghan's mom accessorized her look with a matching hat, and a striking brooch:

Since joining the royal family, Meghan has always made sure that her mother is included in important family events. From Ragland's seriously stylish appearance at the royal wedding in May 2018, to her presence in Archie's first photo with Queen Elizabeth, Meghan's mom continually supports her daughter's endeavors, which is beyond sweet to see. And her outfit at Archie's christening was, quite simply, perfect.

Kate Middleton Reveals Lip Gloss She Keeps in Purse in Rare Public Move (It's Super Affordable!)

Kate Middleton is known for her super small purses — and now royal fans know the royal-approved lip gloss that’s taking up valuable handbag space this summer!

During her outing at Wimbledon last week, the mom of three made a rare move by pulling a tube of gloss out of her straw clutch for a quick touch-up. The lip color was quickly identified as Clarins' Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector Gloss, and all shades of the makeup quickly sold out on the brand’s website — not surprising given that the Kate must-have costs just $26.

The gloss — perfect for adding just a subtle hint of color for the perfect finish to a daytime beauty look this season — is luckily still available in a variety of colors at Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor and Macy's. Kate is believed to be using the Rose Shimmer shade.


Kate is known for keeping her wardrobe affordable and recycling her favorite pieces — sometimes years apart!

Louisiana under state of emergency as severe weather moves in:

States of emergency were declared in New Orleans and Louisiana overall on Wednesday as a hurricane watch threatens the state's southern coast.

The tropical moisture, which already triggered heavy rain and flash flood warnings in New Orleans Wednesday, is expected to intensify into a tropical depression by Thursday morning as the storm moves in from the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm is then forecast to develop into Tropical Storm Barry by Thursday afternoon.

It may even strengthen to a category 1 hurricane by the weekend.

"This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and widespread, heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a statement. "No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact."

"Now is the time to check your emergency supplies and get a game-plan for your family and pets," Edwards said.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell added, "New Orleans may experience more widespread localized severe flooding and gale force winds that could result in the endangerment and threat of life, injury and possible property damage."

World
Russia's Putin, Ukraine's Zelenskiy discuss ending conflict in eastern Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy held their first telephone conversation on Thursday and discussed settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the return of prisoners, the Kremlin said.

Zelenskiy, a former comic actor with no previous political experience, won Ukraine's presidential election in April and he has declared the settlement of the conflict between pro-Russian separatists and Kiev's forces one of his priorities.

The Kremlin said the phone call between Putin and Zelenskiy had been initiated by the Ukrainian side.

The two men discussed the possibility of continuing contacts on the issue in the 'Normandy' format, which involves the participation of France and Germany, the Kremlin statement said.

Zelenskiy said on Sunday he planned to continue European-backed talks with Russia on a so-far largely unimplemented peace deal and would try to free Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia. These include 24 Ukrainian sailors, among others.

The conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, and more than 10,000 people have been killed.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Queen Letizia Found a Timeless Tweed Dress for $30 at Zara

From Marie Claire

Letizia is a queen in two respects: she's the queen of Spain (of course) and she's also the queen of affordable Zara finds. The royal has a history of wearing a variety of pieces, from jumpsuits to dresses, from the fast-fashion retailer. Her most recent pick was a tweed midi dress with an off-shoulder fit (how very Meghan Markle of her) and cap sleeves. She cinched her waist with a skinny black belt and matched the color of her accessory to her black slingback pumps. Simple gold hoops completed the royal outfit.

The dress, which was originally $90, is now on sale for $30 and quickly going out of stock. Given how stunning it looks on Queen Letizia in the group photo, that's not a surprise. The tweed dress with the slightly daring neckline stood out amongst the boring ol' suits and blazers (sorry, guys) at Zarzuela Palace. Should you not find your exact size in Letizia's dress, I've included more tweed options to shop, below. Everyone should have this timeless style in their wardrobes.

Royal expert claims Meghan Markle could reach 'breaking point' amid growing criticism
Yahoo Lifestyle Tanya Edwards

Meghan Markle has weathered more than her share of criticism since the news she was dating Prince Harry broke. And it has only intensified since their marriage and the birth of their first child. Royal commenter Victoria Arbiter praised the Duchess today for her handling of the criticism, and warned the she could reach her "breaking point" because of the negativity she has been facing.

Most recently, the Duchess was mom-shamed for how she held her son Archie, and unlike her former peers in Hollywood, she’s no longer allowed to “clap back at the haters.”

Speaking to Today, Arbiter, who covered the royal wedding for CNN alongside Anderson Cooper said: "As far as her American fans go, there has been a sense there’s not been enough done to protect her – at some point, you have to wonder what is going to be the breaking point.”

"Yes, she keeps on trucking at the moment but it can’t be anything but incredibly difficult. We need to let Meghan blossom and let her do the job she’s in the Royal Family to do and perhaps hold back on some of the criticism."

She also seemed to suggest that Meghan, a former actress, may be struggling with the Royal Family's tradition not to address negative reports directly.

"It’s very difficult when you come from previously celebrity background where a publicist can stand up for you or come out and say, ‘no, that report is categorically untrue,’” Arbiter explained.

Surprisingly, the Duchess may have made the most candid comment she’s ever given about the treatment she has received on the red carpet for the premiere of The Lion King, while speaking with Pharrell Williams.

Williams praised Meghan and Harry's marriage. “So happy for your union,” Williams says. “Love is amazing. It’s wonderful. Don’t ever take that for granted, but what it means in today’s climate, I just wanted to tell you, it’s so significant for so many of us. Seriously. It’s significant. We cheer you guys on.”

"Thank you," Meghan responded. "They don't make it easy."

While the “they” wasn’t spelled out, it does seem to line up with how the Duchess of Sussex has felt about the British press's constant criticism of her.

Meghan told Vanity Fair in her last interview before she and Harry were engaged that she doesn't read tabloid reports. “I don’t read any press. I haven’t even read press for Suits," she said. (Meghan was still on Suits then.) "The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise.”

Lifestyle
Inside Buckingham Palace Is Even More Incredible Than the Outside

Since 1837, under the reign of Queen Victoria, Buckingham Palace has been the main residence for the British Royal Family . Looking at the spectacular exterior, it's pretty easy to see how the likes of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip could have worked and lived there for so long (and why Queen Victoria insisted on changing its name from the more humble Buckingham "House"). But simply viewing the palace from the outside hardly does it justice. Because if you think the outside is absolutely breathtaking, you'll be amazed by just how incredible the inside looks, too.

All that's left to do now is add London to your next European travel itinerary and get to booking a tour of the Queen's royal residence ASAP. Here's everything you need to know about the palace before doing so.

How many rooms are in Buckingham Palace?

This royal palace is so massive, it includes...wait for it...775 rooms in total. Yes, I mean it. With 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 19 State rooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms, there are still 346 other miscellaneous rooms—including, of course, the ballroom and throne room.

Is Buckingham Palace open to the public?

For about 10 weeks each summer (from July 20 to September 29), Buckingham Palace is open to anyone in the public with tickets. Additionally, there are limited tours given in December, January, and and around Easter annually.

How do I get tickets to visit Buckingham Palace?

Tickets to tour Buckingham Palace are available for purchase online with a variety of tour options. The cheapest option, which includes Standard Admission for a tour of the State Rooms, costs about $31.08 (£25.00) for adults, $28.35 (£22.80) for those over 60 and students, $17.41 (£14) for anyone under 17 or with disabilities, and free under 5 years old.

Guests can also buy Royal Day Out passes, which are said to be the best value and most complete Buckingham Palace experience. These passes, which cost no more than $55.96 (£45) for adults, admits guests to tour the State Rooms (two hours and 15 minutes), The Queen's Gallery (one hour and 15 minutes), and the Royal Mews (one hour). In total, you'll spend approximately four and a half hours touring the Buckingham Palace with the Royal Day Out tickets.

Town & Country
Buckingham Palace's New Exhibit on Queen Victoria Highlights How She Transformed the Royal Residence

Buckingham Palace is one of the world’s most iconic buildings and a focal point for British national life. From balcony appearances to state banquets and investitures, the palace is frequently in the background as history is made. And this summer, an exhibition showcases how it all began with Queen Victoria, who transformed an empty royal residence into the most glittering court in Europe.

The centerpiece of Buckingham Palace’s 2019 summer opening is in the Ballroom, where the grand Victorian Ball of 1856, painted by Louis Haghe, has been brought to life using digital projections and a Victorian illusion technique called Pepper’s Ghost.

A hologram shows eight figures dancing to Verdi’s La Traviata while the original decor of the room is projected onto the walls. Curators worked with a Hollywood-based production company on the effects, which also include gold stars and exotic birds projected onto the adjoining Ball Supper Room, mirroring the original decor.

"We have used the most modern form of technology that’s available today to have a new form of storytelling, it’s an immersive experience. It puts you right there in the center," exhibition curator Dr. Amanda Foreman said.

Also on display in the palace’s State Rooms are the embroidered robe made from cloth of gold that a 19-year-old Victoria wore on her Coronation in 1838, her throne, and a costume she wore for the Stuart Ball in 1851 which she described in her journal as “beautifully made.”

More unusual items to be showcased include mementos that she kept of her children such as a casket containing their teeth and marble sculptures of their hands and feet. Noting Queen Victoria’s bad reputation as a mother, exhibition curator Lucy Peter pointed out "Actually what she really disliked was pregnancy. She didn’t not like being a mother and she was incredibly affectionate."

She added, “We know that through what she writes about her children in her journals and drawings she does of her children and the memories and souvenirs that she keeps.”

The artifacts on display showcase the palace’s three functions—a family home for Victoria and Albert and their nine children, a focal point for State occasions, and a space where the public could be invited in.

"We see how they wanted to build a family home," Dr. Foreman said.

"Then we come to the public space, but when we say public it’s not simply about spectacle, it is that thing of being a hostess and opening up your home...Until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert began to do it in a major way it wasn’t thought of as something that a sovereign would do in that expensive, generous, inclusive way that we expect today.”

Dr. Foreman also pointed out that it was Queen Victoria and Albert who constructed the now iconic Buckingham Palace balcony when they built the residence's east front.

"Those balcony appearances that are so important and so scrutinized and have such an emotional resonance today, that is the physical result of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s vision," she said. "It’s something that is so part of our national consciousness that we take it for granted, but it requires somebody to think it up."

In summing up the exhibition, Dr. Foreman spoke of Victoria and Albert's influence on the role of the royal family today.

"What I think you can see here in this exhibition is the structure of the modern monarchy and that the traditions that are beloved and that we have come to expect and have dictated our relationship with the monarchy began with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert," she said.

Describing it as “very much a feminist transformation” while pointing out that “Queen Victoria herself would not have used those words,” Dr. Foreman said, “It’s significant that it was a woman who was responsible for these traditions and a woman who defined our nation’s understanding and concept of sovereign power.”

The exhibit opens on July 20, and will run through September 29 of this year. For more information, visit the Royal Collection Trust's website.

Style
Princess Diana's style is more on trend than ever, says ex Vogue editor

Princess Diana's style is back in fashion, says an ex-Vogue editor [Image: Getty]

Polka dots, big shoulders and dad trainers are just some of the big fashion trends having a moment this season.

But a former Vogue editor has pointed out that one iconic woman appears to be our unlikely style inspiration for all three and more.

The late Princess Diana was an early-adopter in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Alexandra Shulman - who worked at the helm of British Vogue for 25 years until 2017 - has suggested her sartorial influence can still be felt in the wardrobes of the current generation of young women.

The late royal appears to be the inspiration for a number of current season trends
- including big shoulders [Image: Getty]

“For 30 years after the pinstripe tailoring, polka dot frocks, big shoulders and dad trainers of the late 1980s and early 1990s, their most famous adopter, Princess Diana, has emerged as a style inspiration for a generation of young women who were rocking little more than nappies while she was still alive,” she wrote in today’s Mail On Sunday.

Shulman explained that the royal wasn’t considered a particularly “original or interesting dresser” at the time, and was more of a “follower rather than leader of fashion”.

She was an early adopter of now-trendy dad trainers

The ex-editor explained: “Perhaps we could never quite get out of our heads those first images of her in the regulation Sloane kit of pie-crust collar blouses, frumpy floating midi skirts and that ballooning meringue of a wedding dress, all of which we considered, frankly, style-negative.

“So even when she emerged as the shimmering blonde greyhound of later days in the Versace sheaths, tuxedos and glamorous Catherine Walker evening gowns she was introduced to by her style mentor, Anna Harvey, there was always something of a follower rather than leader of fashion about her.”

Diana was never considered a fashion trail-blazer in the late 1980s and early 1990s,
according to ex-Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman [Image: Getty]

Now, as Shulman points out, Diana’s style can be felt in current trends.

She frequently wore monochrome polka dots - not dissimilar to Zara’s cult smock dress.

Priyanka Chopra revealed the mother of her friend Meghan Markle’s husband Prince Harry - who passed away in 1997 - was the inspiration for one of her Cannes looks this year.

The actress shared a picture on Instagram of the late royal at the 1988 premiere of Octopussy, before stepping out in a remarkably similar dress just hours later.