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Game of Thrones star recalls Lannister detail in King & Conqueror
TV & Streaming

Game of Thrones star recalls Lannister detail in King & Conqueror

by jummy84
written by jummy84

“Two allies with no design on the English throne,” continues the synopsis, “who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”

Speaking to RadioTimes.com about potential comparisons between the two projects ahead of the show’s release, Coster-Waldau said: “I’ve played at least eight or 10 cops in my life, so every time I play another police officer, I’m going, ‘This is a police officer, I’ve done that before, but it’s still very different, it’s a completely different story.’

“And yes, this is set in a time where they sit on horseback and have swords, but it’s a very different story.”

But he did go on to acknowledge that the author of the Game of Thrones books, George RR Martin, was “very inspired by this time period”.

“I do remember putting on my armour for the first time and noticing the sigils, which were exactly the same as the Lannisters’ in Game of Thrones, the lions.

“So there are definitely similarities visually, but it’s completely different.”

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William of Normandy.

As well as throwing himself back into stunt training for the role of William the Conqueror, Coster-Waldau and his co-star Norton also embraced a popular Icelandic custom to help ensure that they were in peak condition for the drama’s more physical demands.

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“Reykjavík [where they filmed] is tiny,” said Norton. “More people live in York than the whole of Iceland, and they all love their swimming pools and their cold plunge and hot plunge,” which Coster-Waldau had never done before – and it proved to be quite the surprise.

“The first time, you feel that you’re about to die, and then you suddenly realise, oh, this is really nice,” he added.

Norton also said that it made their training “really, really enjoyable, because we would always couple it with this custom, which is to get to soak in cold water and then basically poach in warm water”.

“And so Nikolaj and I would always go down, do our stunts, and then head out… we had to be on it. We’re not that young anymore.”

King & Conqueror premieres on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on Sunday 24th August.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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bitchy | Hardman: The prime minister will have to order ‘King William’ to live in a palace
Celebrity News

bitchy | Hardman: The prime minister will have to order ‘King William’ to live in a palace

by jummy84
written by jummy84

My strong belief is that Prince William, soon after becoming king, will quickly change his story and announce a brand new plan to live in one or several of the main palaces and castles. I still believe that Prince William and Kate’s whole “Forest Lodge is our forever home, we will live here even after Charles dies” story is just a placeholder lie from an office with zero credibility. But it’s been fascinating to watch the British press take the “forever home” story at face value and proceed to freak out. Royal historian/biographer Robert Hardman is the latest to comment about the forever-home Forest Lodge drama, and Hardman brushes up against the sad truth that not even the prime minister could conceivably “order” King William to move into Buckingham Palace.

Later this year, the Prince and Princess of Wales will move into their “forever home” with their young family – Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park. The future King William could easily commute from Forest Lodge to Buckingham Palace for official work, via the M4 or a faster helicopter, but how often would he realistically do this?

Royal Author Robert Hardman told GB News this week that Prince William residing permanently at Forest Lodge is not “tenable”. Speaking to Jacob Rees-Mogg, he said: “I don’t think that’s tenable. When the late Queen came to the throne in 1952, she and Prince Philip had just done up Clarence House as a sort of family home with their two young children. They loved it, and they didn’t want to move. The Queen Mother, who was resident at Buckingham Palace, didn’t want to move out. And so they presented [their plans] to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and it was Churchill who said no, no, no, you’ve got to move in [to Buckingham Palace]. The monarch has to live above the shop.”

Jacob replied: “Churchill’s advice was right, wasn’t it, that the King needs to be the sovereign, needs to be in Buckingham Palace, needs to be present in that central place and that somebody, maybe Keir Starmer, I hope it’s one of his long distance successors, will have to give that advice in due course.”

Mr Hardman conceded: “That will be a difficult conversation for whichever Prime Minister it is because when you had Winston Churchill, the greatest statesman of the age, in an avuncular way, saying to a 25-year-old mother of two who’s very much turning to him for advice. And when Churchill said. ‘I think you belong at Buckingham Palace, would you please go there?’ Then that’s what you did. Of course, [Prince William] will be a harder nut to crack for a future PM, but I think Buckingham Palace depends on having a visceral connection between the monarch and Royal HQ.”

[From GB News]

“Maybe Keir Starmer, I hope it’s one of his long distance successors…” I mean, they’re now openly hoping that King Charles lives decades longer so they don’t have to deal with King Willy the Work-Shy. It’s true that Winston Churchill basically ordering a young QEII to move into Buckingham Palace was a much different situation than whatever is happening now. William will be in his 40s or 50s when his father dies, with three kids going to school full-time. Is William still going to say “no, I insist on hiding out in Forest Lodge forever” when all three kids are teenagers? It’s all a huge mess, but when in doubt, just assume that William and his office are lying.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Regina King Opens Up About How Son's Death Changed Her Outlook On Life
Music

Regina King Opens Up About How Son’s Death Changed Her Outlook On Life

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Regina King is opening up about how the death of her son Ian has transformed her perspective on life. The acclaimed actress says the event has led her to be more present and even inspired a meaningful entrepreneurial venture.

In her new Haute Living cover story, the Shirely actress said,

“I think in life, it’s harder and harder to have those meaningful moments. And that’s why, when I have them now, they feel even more special. We have them less and less as time goes on, and we have to work harder to have them.” When speaking about how she lives differently now while carrying grief, she said, “I one thousand percent live in the moment more. I don’t know if that’s something that just comes with time, or with pain, or with the pandemic — probably all of it. But I feel it.”

Her son Ian died by suicide in January 2022 at the age of 26. He was her only child and she shared him with her ex-husband, Ian Alexander Sr..

The Oscar-winning actress is focused on keeping her son’s memory alive in her life, most recently in the form of an orange wine. Her newly launched brand is named MianU — short for “me and you” — and was inspired by the wine Ian introduced her to.

“It was kind of an epiphany I had that came from a place of continuing to create memories in Ian’s spirit. I’m still here, on this plane, separate from him, and I’m surrounded by people talking about their children — engagements, weddings, new chapters — [while mine is gone],” she told the outlet. “I still love talking about Ian: I just don’t have the chance to create new memories in the way they do. But I’m not focused on that. This is my way of creating something new, together.”

The wine is deeply meaningful to her because it reminds her of her son constantly, with each and every moment. “Every time a cork opens, or every time I’m pouring a glass, I’m thinking of Ian. I’m thinking of him 24/7 anyway, but always in this moment, I can see his face. And for people who never got the chance to dance with Ian, maybe they’ll be curious. Maybe they’ll ask. His name is right there, in the middle of it all. He’ll never be forgotten… If you see me, you see Ian,” she said.

Another way the Boondocks talent also aims to keep her son with her at all times is by intentionally speaking “about him in the present, because he’s always with me,” and remembering “the joy and happiness that he gave all of us.”

To shop MianU wines, head to their official site and view King’s announcement here.

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bitchy | Eden: King Charles needs to ‘prevent’ Prince Harry from ever honoring the military
Celebrity News

bitchy | Eden: King Charles needs to ‘prevent’ Prince Harry from ever honoring the military

by jummy84
written by jummy84

As we discussed earlier, the usual suspects are absolutely furious that Prince Harry arranged to have a letter and a wreath laid at the Burma Star Memorial on VJ Day. I noted in my earlier coverage that the Windsors’ treatment of Harry specifically on military/veteran issues and war commemorations comes across as audaciously cruel and short-sighted, not to mention completely unhinged. The left-behinds proudly state that THEY are the only ones who can recognize military service because they are “working royals.” They don’t see why Prince Harry can’t understand that he is simply not allowed to recognize the sacrifices of servicemen because he moved to California!! The fact that Harry did more than Prince William – who commemorated VJ Day with a tweet from his vacation home in Norfolk – isn’t sitting well with any of these deranged individuals. Speaking of, Richard Eden’s new Mail column is about all of this, and about how much Prince Philip hated Harry! Ah, of course.

Harry’s public tribute to his grandfather has, I can reveal, provoked a sceptical reaction from those who knew the late duke.

‘What hypocrisy,’ one friend of the Royal Family told me. ‘Harry hurt his grandfather deeply during the final year of his life.’

Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, for example – in which he and his wife, Meghan, attacked the royals in the most personal way, even accusing an unnamed senior member of his family of racism – was broadcast when Philip was in hospital with what turned out to be his final illness. The duke’s hospital stay had been no surprise as he was then aged 99 and had been in increasingly poor health. Prince Philip died four weeks after the Oprah interview was broadcast.

Harry’s decision to have a wreath and long letter placed at the Burma Star Memorial is striking. Working members of the Royal Family, such as Harry’s brother and sister-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales, did not leave wreaths. Not because they don’t care but because they purposely allowed the commemorations to be led by the King and Queen.

The fact that Harry was able to ‘hijack’ the national service of remembrance, as a royal source put it to me, has caused unease at the palace.

When he tried to do something similar in 2021, Queen Elizabeth personally intervened to stop him. Harry, who stepped down as a front-line royal the previous year, had wanted to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday alongside those of other members of his family. But, as my colleague Rebecca English revealed at the time, the Queen took ‘all of two seconds’ to make up her mind and refuse permission.

‘Remembrance Sunday is sacrosanct when it comes to Her Majesty’s diary,’ a source explained at the time. ‘It’s one of the most important dates in her calendar and nothing is done without her knowledge. People were suggesting the Palace’s reaction to what Harry asked was petty. But it was the Queen’s decision. And what’s more, she actually had very strong views on the subject.’

Another source said: ‘While she has enormous admiration for Harry’s achievements both in and out of the military, this was seen as an example of his lack of understanding at what it means for him to be a non-working royal. The Queen is very firmly of the opinion that you can’t pick and choose what you do when it comes to the institution. Either you are in – or you are out.’

What’s clear to me is that the King needs to take a leaf out of his mother’s book and take a firmer line with his younger son. Harry, by apparently trying to upstage his older brother, the heir to the throne, is undermining him. Just as the late Queen stopped Harry having a wreath laid for him at the Cenotaph, the King should have prevented this latest attempt by the Duke of Sussex to take advantage of his military connections. When it comes to publicity-seeking Harry and Meghan, the King, as Head of the Armed Forces, should remain on guard.

[From The Daily Mail]

Eden is literally arguing that Harry, a veteran who served two tours in an active war zone, should not be ALLOWED to place a wreath in commemoration of a war. That Buckingham Palace needs to “prevent” a veteran’s commemoration because it “undermines” the heir’s tweet. “The Prince and Princess of Wales…did not leave wreaths. Not because they don’t care but because they purposely allowed the commemorations to be led by the King and Queen….” O RLY? Such self-sacrifice from William and Kate to NOT show up, to NOT leave a wreath, to NOT commemorate the sacrifices within the Pacific theatre of World War II. All because Charles and Camilla were already there! *furious foot stomping*

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, screengrabs courtesy of GB News.

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bitchy | Marca: King Charles thinks the Wales family’s move to Forest Lodge is stupid
Celebrity News

bitchy | Marca: King Charles thinks the Wales family’s move to Forest Lodge is stupid

by jummy84
written by jummy84

There’s been some fascinating backlash to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s planned move to Forest Lodge. It’s reminded me, in a way, of the backlash to Kate’s “cancerfree” video last September. Within the video, Kate announced that she was now “cancerfree,” and then Kensington Palace tried to block reporters from using that word. The video itself was nonsensical, like a hazy commercial for an MAO inhibitor. At the time, I wondered why there was so much discontent over the video, then someone let the cat out of the bad – Buckingham Palace was very displeased with it, and sources close to King Charles noted that Charles and Camilla would never be filmed kissing each other on a beach because “it’s distinctly un-regal.” Another well-placed royal insider noted: “All that lying round, hugging and kissing – they’re not soppy teenagers. It felt manipulative. It’s the sort of thing that Meghan would make. All the time, effort and expense put into making the video could have been much better spent elsewhere. Why not visit other women being treated for cancer? That’s what Diana would have done.”

I bring that up because I feel like we’re just days away from finding Charles and Camilla’s fingerprints all over the backlash to Forest Lodge. Not that I even believe that C&C need to orchestrate anything at this point – royal reporters are clearly already furious with Will and Kate’s laziness and their office’s history of lies and obfuscation. But I wonder if C&C’s courtiers have given the go-ahead to attack. Speaking of, Marca reports that Charles thought the move to Forest Lodge was stupid from the word go.

The tension within the British Royal Family shows no signs of easing up, though this time it has nothing to do with Prince Harry. Instead, it’s Prince William and Kate Middleton who aren’t on the same page as King Charles III when it comes to picking their “forever home”.

While William and Kate are seemingly set on making the move, the decision hasn’t gone down well with King Charles. It isn’t the first time the King has disagreed with the couple over a move, as earlier reports suggested they were considering moving to Fort Belvedere but plans fell through.

The belief is that Charles doesn’t believe William and Kate need another property as they already have three – Kensington Palace, Anmer Hall and Adelaide Cottage. Charles feels that another move wouldn’t go down well with taxpayers and those opposed to the monarchy.

Despite Charles’ opposition, it looks as though Prince William is intent on going through with the move. As a result, two families are being evicted from their homes, which has raised eyebrows and created some bad publicity for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Now faced with backlash, King Charles has no intention of getting involved in the matter, as he feels the situation could have been avoided had the couple listened to his advice.

[From Marca]

My thing is… why did Charles and QEII make such a point of giving Will and Kate such a small house (Adelaide Cottage) in 2022? They were already begging for a much larger and grander property back in 2021-22. They were never going to be happy with Adelaide. Unless the whole point of Adelaide was William and Charles agreeing to sideline Kate and give her a separate, out-of-the-way cottage where William could come and go and his movements would be largely hidden. That being said, I absolutely believe that Charles thinks the move to Forest Lodge is stupid as hell, and he probably did warn them that they were inviting backlash.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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