It came after a growing backlash following a BBC Newsnight interview about the duke's friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, has claimed she was forced to have sex with the duke three times. Prince Andrew has "categorically" denied having any sexual contact with her.
Ms Giuffre will reveal further details about her time with Epstein in her first UK interview with BBC Panorama on Monday 2 December.
She told GQ magazine she was "extremely charming, well-informed, thorough and brilliant".
According to Ms Thirsk's LinkedIn page, she has been a director of Pitch@Palace, which provides start-up firms with advice and contacts but no funding, since 2014.
BBC News has approached Pitch@Palace for comment about her new role.
The BBC understands there are no plans to recruit a new private secretary for Prince Andrew.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
The duke was photographed horse riding with the Queen in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Friday.
The decision to step back from royal duties came amid growing pressure from his critics.
Businesses, charities and other institutions have been cutting their ties with the prince in the wake of his announcement and the BBC interview.
On Friday, the English National Ballet, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and London Metropolitan University all announced the prince would no longer be their patron, with immediate effect.
Lawyers representing Epstein's accusers have also urged the prince to speak to US authorities about his former friendship with Epstein.
In his statement announcing that he would be stepping back from royal duties, the prince said he was "willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required".
To their credit, the filmmakers haven't completely rested on their laurels, but for better and worse have bitten off a whole lot in terms of the story, which -- set three years after the first movie -- moves relationships forward while going back to address sins of the past. That includes dredging up Elsa and Anna's family history, and the source of former's fantastical powers.
There's a bit of messiness in that, but fortunately, the movie has several not-so-secret weapons at its disposal, starting with the soaring instrument that is Idina Menzel's singing voice as Elsa. While her new power ballad (one of two, really), "Into the Unknown," doesn't quite match the catchiness of "Let It Go," songwriters Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez have presented their star with enough operatic highs to again send audiences out of the theater singing three little words, just not nearly as well as she does.
There is also some very funny stuff for Josh Gad as the snowman Olaf, who, in one applause-inducing sequence, breathlessly recaps the previous movie in one rat-a-tat burst. And of course, there's the ongoing romance between Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), the latter of whom actually gets to sing a whole song this time out, in a cleverly amusing boy-band spoof.
All that amounts to the side dishes around this Thanksgiving feast, with the entrée being the haunting voice that summons Elsa and her entourage into an enchanted forest, where the promise of unlocking the aforementioned secrets resides.
The film gets a little convoluted at that point, frankly, but it's never less than fun -- including a number of savvy references to the original, and jokes at its own expense -- even if sisterly love triumphing over all loses something thanks to all the work that "Frozen" did toward establishing that notion.
The creative team remains the same -- with Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee directing, and Lee receiving script credit based on a story attributed to multiple hands -- and the visuals are not surprisingly stunning, including the frequently previewed sequence of Elsa seeking to use her ice-creating powers to cross a raging sea. As for the message, there's actually one about indigenous peoples that adults should recognize more than the kids they'll be squiring and/or chauffeuring.
Like the best Disney animation, "Frozen 2" effectively operates on multiple levels. And like any follow-up to a major hit, it comes burdened with expectations that are challenging to fulfill. (Incidentally, there's a small post-credit scene as a reward for those who sit through the long roll of animators and production babies.)
Because the first movie generated such a bracing gust of enthusiasm, "Frozen 2" will inevitably be nitpicked and judged against those lofty standards. Still, there's plenty to enjoy for those willing to chill out, and yes, let the past go.
"Frozen II" premieres Nov. 22 in the US. It's rated PG.
In news that has us excitably screeching like a Wookiee, Star Wars legend Harrison Ford is reportedly eyeing up a role in an adaptation of one of the decade's best true-crime series.
According to a report in Entertainment Weekly, the Blade Runner actor is set to star in a new series based on The Staircase, the twisty, heartbreaking story of the death of Kathleen Peterson.
The Staircase, which filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade recently revisited a second time for Netflix, follows novelist Michael Peterson as he is charged with the murder of his wife. He's later released from jail when a key witness is revealed to have committed perjury.
Now, reports suggest that a TV series based on the documentary is in the works, with Ford tipped to play Michael Peterson, over 15 years since he last appeared on the small screen.
Peterson won his freedom after taking the 'Alford plea', prompting The Staircase's Lestrade to rule out any further filming.
Speaking to Digital Spy last year, the filmmaker said that the judge had delivered "the final answer, and nobody can come back to that."
He continued: "That's the end of the process for us. Sometimes I wish that some other step could be introduced in the court room that we could shoot. But it was not. So yes, it's finished."
The Staircase is available to stream on Netflix.
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Taylor Swift is gonna tell Scooter Braun and Big Machine what's up ... by performing her old songs at the American Music Awards ... at least according to the oddsmakers.
The cyber-gambling site, SportsBetting.ag, is offering tons of prop bets on this Sunday's AMAs ... and bookies are banking on Taylor to sing the hits owned by BM, and for Swift to take home Artist of the Year over Ariana Grande.
The odds of Taylor singing stuff like "Shake It Off" are 1 to 5, meaning you gotta wager $500 to win $100. That's a pretty heavy favorite. The odds of Taylor eschewing songs from Big Machine are 3 to 1, meaning a $100 wager pays $300.
As you know ... there's some debate over Taylor's choice of songs for her big AMAs performance. She's angry at Scooter and BM over ownership of the masters from her first 6 albums. Taylor claimed BM was withholding permission for her to sing her old hits, but the label says she can perform anything she chooses during the live broadcast.
Of course, we've reported Taylor might not have enough time to rehearse her old songs. The jury is still out.
Taylor is the favorite to win Artist of the Year -- her odds are even -- while Ariana is second with 2 to 1 odds. Halseycomes in at 3 to 1, Post Malone is 7 to 2 and Drakeis 4 to 1.
Taylor's also expected to go after Scooter and Big Machine during her acceptance speech for Artist of the Decade, and the odds of her saying "Big Machine" on the broadcast are 3 to 2, meaning a $200 wager pays $300.
Looks like Taylor's still making other people rich!!!
Episode three of The Mandalorian season one is called “The Sin” and as the episode proceeds, and the Mandalorian does some heinous stuff, the meaning of the title seems to change. That shift is probably going to be the defining moment for this character. His choices at the beginning and end of this episode are everything.
As the episode started I felt anxious. Was the Mando really going to bring Baby Yoda back to the Client? After all that they’d been through, didn’t you hope he would fly away and raise him on his own? Was the story really going to be so mean to this hugely significant character? It didn’t help the episode began with the maddeningly adorable, and important, moment where the baby removed the chrome top from the lever.
Soon after landing, we see the first “Sin” which was the Mandalorian doing exactly what we hoped he wouldn’t. He brings the baby right back to The Client and gives him up. And guess what? You hate him for it. The shots of the baby looking back at him as he leaves the room are gut-wrenching. You kind of get it, though. He’s a bounty hunter, he needs money, and he’s about to get a lot of it. Still, as he walked out of that room without the baby, I was ready to truly hate this character.
Advertisement
From the Mandalorian’s point of view though, it seems like the safe play. He has no idea what that baby means or how important it is. Plus, he just got a “camtono” full of beskar steel, just as The Client promised. (A camtono is the ice cream maker from The Empire Strikes Back. We wrote all about it a few months ago.)
New beskar means a trip to the secret, underground Mandalorian hangout and a trip to The Armorer. In episode one, he just had a single piece of armor made. Now, since his armor got destroyed by the Mudhorn and he’s flush with the precious metal, he decides to craft a whole new suit.
Advertisement
The Armorer scene in episode 3 is crucial.Photo: Lucasfilm
There’s a ton to unpack in the sequence, like the moment where Mando tells the Armorer about Baby Yoda, but describes it as an “enemy” who saved him in battle. An enemy who didn’t know he was his enemy. That’s how the Mandalorian justified giving up the baby, by thinking of him as an enemy, and you can really sense the conflict in him during the exchange.
Advertisement
Next, there’s how all the beskar attracts the rest of his fellow Mandalorians and the scene evolves from an armor making montage into a short history lesson about Mandalorian culture. It seems like in addition to the purge of Jedi started by Order 66, there was also a “Great Purge” where the Empire wiped out most of the Mandalorians. It’s not clear if these Purges are the same but it’s definitely why seeing a Mandalorian out and about is such a big deal and why the majority of them are in hiding. Plus, it seems, this beskar with the Imperial insignia is just a reminder that the Empire stole from a whole race of people and why tensions are high when it returns.
Finally (yes, still talking about this one scene), I hope you didn’t spend too much money on Mandalorian toys on Triple Force Friday. Because it’s episode three of the show and he’s already got a full new set of armor. From the greens and browns of his first suit, now the Mandalorian is chromed out Phasma-style. Covered in beskar, he’s basically inviting people to hate him because of the flashy show of wealth.
Advertisement
New suit of armor and Mandalorian history lesson acquired, Mando heads back to Greef to get a new job. Greef can’t believe Mando wants to go back out. Instead, he suggests a trip to the “Twi’lek healing baths,” which sounds less “bath” and more brothel. Mando doesn’t care, though. He wants more work and picks out a bounty on a royal Mon Calamari male that’ll take him far, far away.
Again, no episode 3 photos just yet but here’s the Mando working on his suit.Photo: Lucasfilm
Advertisement
Arriving back to the Razor Crest, that’s when it happens. The Mandalorian is about to head off and he notices the knob missing on the lever. He misses Baby Yoda. He’s unsure what’s going to happen to him. And at that moment, he makes the choice to go against everything he believes. To break all the rules of bounty hunting. He’s going to make the second and true “Sin” referenced in the episode’s title—a violation of his code as a bounty hunter. He’s going back and rescuing Baby Yoda.
Before going in, Mando hears the Client asking to extract the “necessary material” from the baby. He’s gotta be talking about midichlorians, right? Could they be trying to duplicate midichlorians to make more Force-sensitive beings? Unfortunately, we don’t find out. What we get is Mandalorian sneaking his way into the complex fairly easily, especially since Stormtroopers after the fall of the Empire are still as useless as Stormtroopers at the height of the Empire. Once the Mando finds Dr. Pershing and Baby Yoda, Pershing is worried the Mando is there to kill the baby, not rescue it. Why would that be? So many questions.
Advertisement
Still, Mando gets Baby Yoda and escapes fairly easily, thanks to the “Whistling Birds” the Armorer crafted for him. Then the beeping begins. It’s the sound of every bounty hunter in town being alerted that there’s a new bounty that needs to be brought in: The Mandalorian himself.
Mando is in deep you-know-what now.Photo: Lucasfilm
Advertisement
Chaos ensues. Every bounty hunter is blasting their way through town trying to capture the Mandalorian, even good ol’ Greef Carga. Trapped in the back seat of a speeder, it seems all is lost. But then, something happens. The other Mandalorians come out of hiding and fight by the Mandalorian’s side. He knows that means they will have to relocate to another planet but it doesn’t matter. “This is the way,” they say as they cover him and he narrowly escapes, after nearing killing Greef Carga in the process.
And so episode three ends, with The Mandalorian now a wanted man, carrying the most valuable bounty of his career with him, wearing a brand new suit of armor, probably completely clueless of how to get out of this.
Advertisement
Deborah Chow directed “The Sin” and, if you don’t know who that is, she’s the person directing the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. After watching “The Sin”, it’s obvious that the show is in great hands. Chow has an excellent eye for action, suspense, and peppering in just the right amount of exposition. She directs the hell out of this episode.
Advertisement
So now, the hunter has become the hunted. And with Baby Yoda now under his full protection at the expense of his livelihood, we have a true emotional connection to this character and his cargo.
Great to see Greef finally get in on the action.Photo: Lucasfilm
Advertisement
Assorted musings:
Though we have yet to meet Gina Carano’s Cara Dune after three episodes (she should be in next week’s episode), it was cool to see Greef Carga get into the mix a bit. Carl Weathers rules. The way he says “Mando” with an emphasis on the “O” is incredible and it’s fantastic that he’s now being set up as an adversary.
There was lots of talk in “The Sin” about the bounty hunter guild. How asking about the baby was against the guild and how going back was against the guild. Where is this guild, who is in charge, and will we learn more about it?
I appreciate that in all three episodes, the Mandalorian has used his flame thrower a lot. I always loved that Boba Fett had a flame thrower on his arm but he didn’t get to use it much. Here, Mando is flame thrower obsessed. He literally runs out of gas he uses it so much.
Why do none of these planets have names? Even the original Star Wars organically worked the name of the planet into the dialogue. However, I think, so far, we haven’t heard a peep. (Though know Kuiil’s planet is Arvala-7 via the Star Wars website). Is there a reason?
While getting his armor made, Mando had another flashback to his youth. In it, we see several Super Battle Droids, which were used by the Trade Federation during the Clone War era. That basically tells us when he grew up and what he’s lived through.
Where are these Mandalorian foundlings who keep getting beskar saved for them? That must play a role coming up at some point, right?
Great emphasis is put on the importance that Mandalorians never take off their helmets. It’s part of their deepest beliefs. Which, of course, means Mando is totally going to do just that at some point, right? Maybe at the very end of the season?
“I’ve got to get one of those,” Mando says when he sees a fellow Mandalorian with a jetpack. We hope he gets one too.
Finally, one of the most important moments in the episode is in the bar when Greef suggests to Mando he can take his issues up with the New Republic and Mando says that’s a joke. You have to wonder if that’s the popular opinion of the time or not. Do people not care about the new government being formed? And if not, maybe it’s a tiny piece of retcon to explain why there’s no real fallout from its destruction a few years later in The Force Awakens.
Advertisement
For more, make sure you’re following us on our Instagram @io9dotcom.
The celebrity spotlight has been shining brightly on Pete Davidson since his whirlwind romance with Ariana Grande. The Saturday Night Live star charmed the pint-sized singer, and they quickly entered an engagement that ended in catastrophe. Grande may have a song on her album dedicated to Davidson, but he’s since moved on with multiple other girlfriends since then. And it seems he’s currently dating supermodel Kaia Gerber.
Gerber is only 18 years old, but she’s already making frequent appearances in New York City to meet up with Davidson. And the two of them appear to be very happy together. Gerber’s recent Instagram post has some concerned, however, as it may indicate she’s experiencing some stress from all the attention she’s getting from the relationship.
Kaia Gerber and Pete Davidson are taking their romance public
Kaia Gerber (L) and Cindy Crawford attend the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai annual luncheon | David Livingston/Getty Images
Davidson was recently dating Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star Margaret Qualley, but shortly after that breakup, he was seen hanging out with Gerber. Davidson and Gerber were first spotted together in New York City at the end of October.
As for how the two met, it’s all thanks to their modeling careers. The 18-year-old is already an accomplished supermodel and walks international runways. Davidson made his runway debut in June 2019 for Alexander Wang, and Gerber was a part of this show as well.
While Gerber and Davidson seemed to keep their romance under wraps for awhile, they’ve since made several public displays of affection. They’ve been caught holding hands in a grocery store, and even more recently, they were spotted kissing at a concert they attended together. As one concertgoer told Page Six, “They were very touchy and seemed very happy. Pete was a gentleman and was holding Kaia’s black coat.”
Many are warning Gerber to stay away from Davidson
Pete Davidson poses in the press room at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards | Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Davidson doesn’t have a good track record with his girlfriends. He appears to move quickly from one woman to the next, and fans have growing concerns for Gerber.
Another wrote, “I read about Kaia dating that guy who has dated everyone. Don’t remember his name. But he has an impressive resume. I was think…..no Kaia, don’t!!!!!”
Davidson promises he treats his girlfriends respectively, however, though he admits he can certainly be overbearing. “My love language, when I’m in a relationship, is I treat the person I’m with like a princess,” Davidson told PAPER Magazine. “Sometimes when you put so much on someone, it overwhelms them, and then they don’t know if they could come close to that. … So, it’s very off-putting to some … It’s something I had to learn in a past relationship, which sucked to learn through that person, but it makes you better.”
Her latest Instagram post is troubling
Gerber’s been in the public eye since childhood thanks to her supermodel mother, Cindy Crawford. And she already has a serious Instagram following thanks to her own model status. But it seems dating Davidson is bringing her a lot of new attention she might not have anticipated.
Gerber posted a screenshot of Matthew Perry’s Chandler Bing shoveling ice cream into his mouth from the sitcom Friends. And she captioned the post, “moral support.”
Many reacted to the post with laughing emojis, and others wondered if all the media attention on her relationship is the reason she posted a stressed-out photo of the character.
“Only you know what is best for you. Love you. And just know you have our support dear,” one fan commented.
Another wrote, “What did Pete do.”
We’re not sure if Gerber’s post has anything to do with Davidson, either — and hopefully, their relationship is going strong. We’ll have to wait and see how it all pans out.
