Meghan shares cryptic post celebrating the birthdays of 'ladies near and far' - as Queen Camilla turns 78
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, appears to have filmed herself opening a crate of her newly released $30-a-bottle As Ever rosé, which is made in California's celebrated Napa Valley.
'Sending birthday love (both near and far) to my ladies', she wrote over the video of a crate being opened before the wine is placed in a basket also containing fruit and flowers.
Meghan's 44th birthday is just over a fortnight away, on August 4, and it is unclear who the message, set to The Marvelettes' Mowtown hit Please Mr Postman, is aimed at.
But royal fans have ventured that it was not addressed to Camilla, who the Duke of Sussex, 40, branded 'wicked' in his autobiography Spare. Harry has also called Camilla 'dangerous', a 'villain' and claimed she had 'sacrificed him' to improve her reputation.
The King's youngest son is estranged from his family in the UK.
But there have been hopes of thawing relations with his father after pictures emerged of a secret 'peace summit' in London involving two of his aides and the King's communications secretary.
Meghan's wine post was shared last night just hours before her husband Prince Harry's stepmother Queen Camilla turned 78.
Despite her husband's attacks, there is a minority on social media who hoped that Meghan - who Harry claimed once reached out to Camilla for advice on how to handle bad press - was offering a subtle olive branch to the King's wife.
Elsewhere today, the Prince and Princess of Wales have paid tribute to the Queen with a sweet birthday post.
Kate and William, both 43, used their social media accounts to wish William's stepmother many happy returns.
The pair, taking to Instagram, shared a sweet photo of the Queen with a message that read: 'Happy Birthday to Her Majesty'. They later shared the message on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Developing a close bond with his stepmother over the years, the heir to the throne appears to have bonded with Camilla as they last year similar hurdles in their personal lives, with both their spouses are undergoing treatments for cancer.
Elsewhere, mother-of-three Kate is also said to have a warm relationship with the Queen, the pair often snapped chatting cordially during joint royal engagements.
In December, the pair even wore nearly identical outfits as they arrived at St Mary Magdalene church for the Royal Family 's annual Christmas Day service in Sandringham in a sartorial display of solidarity.
King Charles 's wife has also marked today's celebrations with a stunning new portrait released by Buckingham Palace.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson, who also snappedthe then-Duchess of Cornwall on her 75th birthday, took the picture earlier this month at Ray Mill - the Queen's private residence in Wiltshire.
Camilla is pictured with a big smile on her face as she leans against a fence while enjoying a warm summer day at her home.
She opted to wear a bright teal dress with motifs of a colourful bird as the Queen appeared relaxed and happy in her latest portrait.
She is wearing the same Fiona Clare dress in an earlier image released by the Royal Family on July 14 - three days before her birthday.
In that photo, the King's wife was seen cuddling her sweet rescue dog, Jack Russell-cross Moley, in the garden of her Wiltshire home.
Camilla, who often repurposes her outfits for different occasions, also picked the striking maxi dress for the final day of the King and Queen's state visit to Kenya in 2023.
The Queen opted to keep her makeup light and dewy as she wore a hint of blusher, a light coat of mascara, and a swipe of pink lip gloss.
She also kept her accessories to a minimum, choosing to wear a stack of rings - including her five-carat engagement ring from King Charles - and a pair of gold earrings.
Meghan's puzzling birthday post comes just days after the Mail On Sunday revealed that staffers working for Charles and Harry met for 'peace talks', marking the first significant move to resolving their rancorous family feud.
Sources said it was the initial step in a 'rapprochement process' to restore the broken relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family.
Aptly, the talks were held at a London private members' club that champions international friendship, and whose patron is the King.
It is not known whether it was Charles or Harry who extended the olive branch, but insiders said the summit is the strongest sign yet of the determination on both sides to resolve the bitter House of Windsor rift.
'There's a long road ahead, but a channel of communication is now open for the first time in years,' one insider suggested. 'There was no formal agenda, just casual drinks. There were things both sides wanted to talk about.'
Harry was represented by Meredith Maines, his chief communications officer and head of his household in Montecito, California, who flew in from Los Angeles.
She met Tobyn Andreae, the King's communications secretary, at the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) a three-minute walk from Clarence House, the monarch's London residence.
Also present was Liam Maguire, who runs the Sussexes' PR team in the UK.
It was Ms Maines who organised Harry's BBC interview in May in which he said he 'would love a reconciliation' with the Royal Family, but that the King 'won't speak to me because of this security stuff'.
The Duke was referring to the removal of his automatic police security detail in Britain, which he called an 'old-fashioned establishment stitch-up' and suggested his father could have resolved the situation.
He admitted that he didn't expect forgiveness across the board from his family, saying, 'Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for… lots of things.'
Despite this, he expressed a clear desire for a rapprochement, saying, 'I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point in continuing to fight any more.'
Charles was also still said to be hopeful of a reunion with his younger son and that he might yet build a relationship with his two grandchildren, six-year-old Prince Archie and four-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Ms Maines, wearing a sleeveless cream jacket and high heels and carrying a black Louis Vuitton bag, arrived at the club by taxi with Mr Maguire at 3.50pm. Mr Andreae turned up several minutes later carrying a gift from Berry Bros & Rudd, the wine and spirits merchant which has been supplying the Royal Family since 1760.
The trio were later seen chatting over drinks in the 26C (78F) sunshine on the club's first-floor garden terrace overlooking Green Park.
After ten minutes they got up and resumed their discussions inside. The source said the summit was only the 'first step towards reconciliation between Harry and his father, but at least it is a step in the right direction.
'Everyone just wants to move on and move forward now. It was finally the right time for the two sides to talk.'
The Windsor feud began shortly after Harry and Meghan moved to California and gave an explosive interview to US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
The Duchess described approaching Harry and the Royal Family, seeking help with suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy.
'I just didn't want to be alive any more,' she said. 'And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember – I remember how he [Harry] just cradled me.'
Meghan said she asked a senior royal about the possibility of seeking help and was told that would not be possible because it 'wouldn't be good for the institution'.
Harry further claimed that while his wife was pregnant, a member of his family had expressed 'concerns' to him about the baby's skin colour.
Insiders said Harry's memoir, Spare, was the final straw for his brother William, as it made public claims such as a physical fight the pair are said to have had over Harry's relationship with Meghan.
The Royal Family responded with expressions of empathy, couched with the now infamous line: 'Recollections may vary.'
Earlier this year, it was also revealed that the Duke of Sussex had decided to extend an olive branch to the Royal Family by inviting them to the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham.
He is said to be hopeful that the event could spell the end of his self-imposed exile in California, and mark a return to the royal fold. Meanwhile there are still hurdles to overcome with Harry's Home Office battle over security.
After stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Harry lost his automatic taxpayer-funded police protection, but has fiercely contested the decision, insisting that he and his family are at risk whenever they visit the UK.
He maintains that if his father would only 'step out of the way' he could get his police protection back.
In the BBC interview, Harry accused his father of standing in the way of his fight for protection.
The issue became emblematic of the deep mistrust that now defines his relationship with his father and the wider royal household –but which may now, finally, be beginning to thaw.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Sussex's representatives would comment on the meeting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hulk Hogan rips off his shirt at RNC in support of Trump in resurfaced clip after WWE star's sudden death
Former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan famously ripped off his shirt in support of Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention last summer, in a resurfaced clip following his death. Hogan spoke at the RNC on behalf of Trump as part of his re-election campaign. The WWE legend's death was announced by TMZ on Thursday (24 July). He was 71. Medics were reportedly called to Hogan's Clearwater, Florida, home Thursday morning. In May, a spokesperson for the retired wrestling legend, 71, told TMZ that he had undergone 'a little fusion procedure' on his neck.
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Will Crutchfield's Teatro Nuovo revives Verdi's 'Macbeth' with period instruments
Verdi can be played on original instruments, too. While historically informed performances of Baroque music are not surprising, Will Crutchfield and Teatro Nuovo are using period pieces for the rarely heard initial version of 'Macbeth.' 'You wouldn't think that architecture from the mid-19th century would resemble the architecture of today,' cellist Hilary Metzger said. 'The instruments and the way they had to make music back then were very different.' 'Macbeth' and Bellini's 'La Sonnambula' were presented by Teatro Nuovo last weekend at Montclair State's Kasser Theater in New Jersey and repeated this week at New York City Center. 'La Sonnambula' will be performed Thursday. 'I feel like I'm in Scotland,' said soprano Alexandra Loutsion, the Lady Macbeth. 'Modern instruments have a sharpness to them and a pristine quality that period instruments don't.' Crutchfield, 68, was a music critic for The New York Times in the 1980s. He established Bel Canto at Caramoor in Katonah, New York, in 1997, then launched Teatro Nuovo as general and artistic director in 2018, showcasing scholarship and furnishing foundations for singers. 'I got bitten with the bug of historical recordings, and I realized very early on, oh, we think are doing traditional Italian opera nowadays but really what we call traditional means the 1950s,' he said. 'What they were doing in the 1900s was totally different, radically just night and day different from the 1950s. ... and that just made me really curious. OK, if it was that different in 1910, what was happening in 1880, what was happening 1860?' Verdi emerged from Bel Canto era Crutchfield noted Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi all were born from 1792 to 1813, and early Verdi is in the Bel Canto manner. 'The only reason we think of Verdi as belonging to another era is because he was still composing in his 80s and writing masterpieces after the others were long gone from the scene,' Crutchfield said. 'He is based on the same tradition. He learned his craft from hearing their operas.' 'Macbeth' premiered at Florence's Teatro della Pergola in 1847, just before Verdi's middle-period masterpieces. Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave revised it for a run at Paris' Théâtre Lyrique in 1865 that was performed in French. The latter version, translated into Italian for Milan's Teatro alla Scala later that year, is the most common score used. Jakob Lehmann conducted the original version from the University of Chicago/Casa Ricordi critical edition. At Wednesday night's performance, Loutsion sang a high-octane 'Trionfai! Securi alfine,' a coloratura showpiece that Verdi replaced with the more dramatic 'La luce langue,' and baritone Ricardo José Rivera was menacing and mellifluous in ' Vada in fiamme,' which ended the third act and was dropped in 1865 for a duet between the Macbeths. 'The lady is a bit more unhinged in this one,' Loutsion said. 'It's basically about how she's gotten everything that she wants and she's triumphed, and nothing's going to stop them now.' Orchestra seated in early 19th century arrangement First violins were seated with backs toward the audience, facing the second violins, whose backs were to the stage. Cellos, double basses and brass were split on sides of the woodwinds in a seating Crutchfield adopted from Naples' Teatro San Carlo. 'Back in Verdi's day, the first violins were the teachers and the second violins were their students,' Metzger said. Double basses have three strings instead of four, string instruments use gut instead of metal, woodwinds are made of wood and brass have no valves. 'There's a certain clarity to it and there's a certain specificity,' chorus master Derrick Goff said. 'The English horn and the oboe sound even more plaintive to me. You can really hear the way that the composers had to write very specifically for those instruments.' An orchestra of about 53 was used for 'Macbeth' and 47 for 'Sonnambula,' accompanied by a chorus of 28, and the pitch was lower than used by modern orchestras. Men in the cast wore mostly tuxedos and women were dressed in black on a stage with a screen showing projections. Majority of money comes from donors, not ticket sales Two performances of each opera cost a total of about $1.4 million, according to general manager Cindy Marino. Ticket sales generate roughly $160,000, with the remainder raised from donors. 'We obviously want bigger choruses. We want a little bit larger orchestra,' Marino said, 'but we know financially we are trying to take it easy on increasing what we need to raise and not just jumping half a million dollars in order to grow the company.' Orchestra rehearsals started about four weeks out. The cast worked intensively on the period techniques. 'Now that I'm leaving here, I feel like I have a whole other color palette,' Loutsion said. 'The luxury of being able to dig in and all of us nerd out is awesome.'
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Hulk Hogan, icon in professional wrestling, dies at age 71
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing icon in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and WWE said Thursday. In Clearwater, Florida, authorities responded to a call Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said in a statement on Facebook. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was perhaps the biggest star in WWE's long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon. He won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, 'Hogan Knows Best.' In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media. Hogan sued after Gawker in 2012 posted a video of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contended the post violated his privacy. WWE posted a note on X saying it was saddened to learn the WWE Hall of Famer had passed away. 'One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans," it said.
