In a joint statement sent to CNN, spokespeople for the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge said: "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge."
"For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful," the statement said.
It followed a story in the Times of London on Monday, reporting that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan and Harry, felt "pushed away" by William's "bullying attitude."
The article suggested the brothers "fell out because William wasn't friendly towards Meghan" and that the Sussexes were "constantly being bullied."
Harry and Meghan shocked the world and "disappointed" the rest of the royal family last week when they announced they would be scaling back their official duties to pursue their private interests.
Royal sources have told CNN it wasn't the decision itself but the timing of their announcement that left senior members of the family feeling hurt.
Queen Elizabeth II, Harry's grandmother, had expressly asked the prince to hold off releasing any statements regarding the couple's future, CNN understands.
The royal family is set to hold a summit Monday to discuss Harry and Meghan's future, a palace source told CNN on Saturday.
The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry will all attend the meeting at Sandringham, the Queen's country estate in rural Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London.
Meghan, who has returned to Canada -- where the couple and their baby son Archie spent the Christmas holidays -- is expected to call in. It's unclear when she will return to the UK.
The summit will be the first time the senior royals have met since the Sussexes made their announcement on Wednesday.
In spite of the way it has unfolded, the couple's decision to step back from senior royal duties is not that surprising. While it may have come as something of a bombshell to casual observers, the writing had been on the wall for some time.
Harry and Meghan have both spoken previously about the toll public scrutiny has taken on them. Harry also flagged up the possibility of living abroad during the couple's controversial TV documentary, which aired in October.
LONDON — Senior British royals were set on Monday to hash out details of Prince Harry and Meghan’s plans in an unprecedented summit triggered by the couple's shock announcement that they planned to "step back" from their traditional roles.
Harry and Meghan, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, said in a statement posted on social media and their own new website on Wednesday, that they would split their time between North America and the U.K. as they "carve out a progressive new role within this institution."
“This bombshell had been dropped on the royal family and yet they still hadn't met to discuss it face to face,” said NBC royal contributor Camilla Tominey.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaves church on Sunday at her Sandringham estate in eastern England.Chris Radburn / Reuters
“I think people really couldn't relate to that so the idea of a face-to-face meeting was urgently needed as is a solution to this problem. [The royals] don't want it to be strung out over weeks. They want it done in days,” she added.
The meeting will take place at Queen Elizabeth II’s Sandringham estate in the east of England. Heir to the throne Prince Charles will have made his way there after returning to the U.K. from Oman, where he paid his condolences after the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Prince William will also be at the meeting.
The family will need to work out how exactly Harry, who is sixth in line to the throne, and Meghan will continue to support the queen, while also working to become “financially independent.”
The couple's decision has captivated the nation as well as its newspaper headlines, with much speculation on what prompted their announcement. On Monday, William and Harry issued a joint statement publicly denouncing an "offensive" newspaper report about their relationship.
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"Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a U.K. newspaper today speculating about the relationship between The Duke of Sussex and The Duke of Cambridge," said the statement issued by the offices for William and Harry, according to Reuters.
Last year, there were rumors in the press of a rift between Harry and William, who were once very close, and in June, Harry and Meghan confirmed that they were separating from William and Kate's Royal Foundation charity to start their own initiative, Sussex Royal.
Harry seemed to confirm the distance between the brothers in the interview with Bradby in Africa when he said that he and William were on “different paths.”
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan split off in June from the charity they ran together with Harry's brother Prince William, seen here on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018.Tolga Akmen / AFP - Getty Images file
Just days after returning from a six-week break away from their royal responsibilities, Meghan, an American actress who appeared in the television series “Suits,” flew back to Canada where she left their son, Archie, who was born in May. She may call into the meeting, a palace source told NBC News, and other people whom "the royals want in the room" might also attend.
“As the ultimate decision maker in all this and also the wisest head there with six decades on the throne, the queen is probably the best moderator of the situation,” said Tominey.
Despite the desire to come to a swift conclusion on the couple’s future role, there is "genuine agreement and understanding that any decisions will take time to be implemented," the palace source said.
Since the announcement, news of the family drama has captivated the nation and dominated news headlines.
"Things are quite broken but from what I'm told William is very keen to see if he can try and support Harry and Meghan in their new lifestyle, in the new path that they take. Everyone is hopeful that at some point down the line they'll reconcile," said Roya Nikka, the royal correspondent for The Sunday Times newspaper.
This solution could well end up being a blueprint for future royal siblings. William has three children, Prince George, who is third in line to the throne, as well as Princess Charlotte, who is four years old, and Prince Louis, who will turn two in April.
“This is going to be the test case, and the decisions made here could affect the likes of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis because they may find themselves in a similar situation when they reach adulthood,” said Tominey.
The couple’s decision comes less than two years after their celebrity-studded fairy-tale wedding at a medieval church on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Harry and Meghan, who is mixed race, were hailed for modernizing the monarchy and bringing a breath of fresh air into a centuries-old institution.
At the time, there was optimism about Meghan's ability to fit in with the rest of the royal family and adapt to the demands of her new role.
“I know that the fact that she'll be really unbelievably good at the job part of it as well is a huge relief to me because she'll be able to deal with everything else that comes with it,” said Harry, in an interview with NBC News’ British partner ITV after the couple announced their engagement.
However, it didn’t take long for negative headlines to emerge, with Britain’s notoriously sharp tabloids probing everything from Meghan’s own troubled relationship with her family to the couple’s trips on private planes, while promoting environmental causes.
"To begin with it was easy because everyone loved them and all the press was positive, but then when stuff did start to go negative, their instinct wasn’t to just take it on the chin," said ITV anchor Tom Bradby, who interviewed the couple for a documentary filmed during a trip to Africa in September. "Their instinct was that it was unreasonable and unfair and that you should try to fight it."
In October, the couple revealed a lawsuit against the parent company of the Mail on Sunday for misuse of private information, among other claims. At the time, Harry released a scathing statement accusing the tabloid press of a "ruthless campaign" against his wife.
Looking to make his triumphant comeback, Justin Bieber and his team kicked the promotion of his new single “Yummy” into overdrive, hoping to get the song at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
But Bieber’s efforts are now being criticized, by fans and the music world. Aside from releasing multiple physical and digital single variants, seven music videos, a game and interesting promotional interactions, the Canadian artist also shared and deleted fan-made instructions on how to stream “Yummy” to manipulate stats, in order to secure the number one spot. The instructions tell fans to create “Yummy” playlists and play them all throughout the day, even when they sleep, and even suggest using a VPN service for those overseas.
Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive, noted that major labels have gamed the system for quite some time and that Beiber’s promotional strategy is just a sign of how the music industry has changed.
Take a look at some of Justin Bieber’s questionable streaming strategy for “Yummy” below.
Back when you had to actually buy physical CDs, Major labels would buy enough boxes of their artists product to fill a warehouse, just to ensure they’d go #1.
Gaming the system is nothing new, the rules have just changed. That #1 is important. https://t.co/6tB3L69SCY
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are dominating the headlines at the moment over their resignation. But Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William are bound to be the royals who deal with the spotlight 24/7.
Prince William is duty-bound to be the future king and to forever live in the goldfish bowl of royal life — just like his wife, Kate. The two have been together for well over a decade and have forged a relationship that, to many, seems solid and successful.
However, there’s no doubt that for Prince William and Kate, marriage will always be very different from most other couples.
When did Kate Middleton and Prince William get married?
Kate Middleton | Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Kate and Prince William first met around 2001, when they were both students at the prestigious St. Andrews University. They became roommates in 2002 and by the year 2003, they started dating.
After several years, the news of their romance became public knowledge and the two were spotted on getaways together all over the world. Kate even started meeting members of the royal family, proving that Prince William was very serious about his girlfriend.
In 2007, Kate and Prince William briefly broke up, due to media pressure. After less than a year, they were back together again, and this time, it was for good.
They got engaged in November 2010, with Prince William presenting her with his late mother’s fabulous sapphire and diamond ring. Their royal wedding in April 2011 was watched by thousands of people all over the world. It seemed as though Kate and Prince William were truly living a fairytale.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are trying to give their children a normal life
In July 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their first child: Prince George. They eventually welcomed two more children: Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
As parents, Prince William and Kate seem to be very hands-on, constantly holding, hugging, and reassuring their three young children. This is a marked break from royal tradition, as many royal parents have been more “hands-off” in their approach to parenthood.
According to reports, the couple desperately wants their children to have a normal upbringing and to experience all the joys of childhood, without the pressures that come from growing up within the royal family. At home, Kate enjoys doing hands-on things such as baking and crafting with the children. While they do utilize nannies, they still do a lot of parenting duties on a daily basis on their own, just like other couples all over the world.
Prince William and Kate Middleton will never have a normal marriage
Even if Kate and Prince William are determined to give their children a normal life, the sad reality is that they will likely never experience that sense of normalcy in their own marriage. According to a recent report, the royal couple is “discouraged” from any public displays of affection, such as hand-holding or even a peck on the cheek, due to the rules of royal decorum.
Although there isn’t any specific rule that states how often married couples can engage in PDA, there are some guidelines, and couples are encouraged to match their behavior to the structure of the event that they are attending. “Regular” married couples don’t have to worry about such things and are free to hold hands, hug, or affectionately touch each other whenever they choose.
Prince William and Kate are forever duty-bound to live this type of life, due to the nature of Prince William’s role in the royal family. Still, the report also claims that the two do truly seem to be happy and that they are more or less used to living in the spotlight. They will certainly need all of their strength as well as their reserve as they navigate the future of the monarchy.
Refresh for latest…: Sam Mendes’ 1917 takes the worldwide crown this weekend with $56.4M. The Golden Globe Best Picture (Drama) winner from DreamWorks/Amblin/Universal was tops domestically and added $19.92M at the international box office from 30 Amblin and Universal markets. The global total through Sunday brings the estimated worldwide cume to $60.4M.
The one-shot movie has been boosted by awards momentum and provides that coveted fresh IP to get folks out to the cinema. The film is being distributed by a mix in overseas markets including eOne in the UK, where the weekend was a strong $9.4M, and Universal in the Amblin markets. Uni’s take this session was $500K from just Singapore and Chile with France, Germany, Mexico, Brazil and Russia still to come this month.
Universal also unveiled Robert Downey Jr-starrer Dolittle in early overseas release, scoring a No.1 debut in Korea of $6.8M to more than double the start there of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker.
And, ahem, regarding that Disney/Lucasfilm title, it is about to pass $1B worldwide. It is currently at $989.6M global and will hit the milestone in the next day or so. When it does so, it will become the 9th 2019 release to the mark. It will also be Disney’s 7th of the year. Through Sunday, the split is $478.2M domestic and $511.2M at the international box officee.
Skywalker‘s latest benchmark caps off a year of Disney dominance at the box office which overall recorded new records globally ($42.5B) and overseas ($31.1B). Disney’s 2019 worldwide gross was $11.12B (without Fox) and including $7.354 from international turnstiles. Skywalker becomes the 4th of the most recent Star Wars titles to pass $1B worldwide.
Elsewhere, Sony’s Jumanji: The Next Level surged pas $400M internationally to bring the worldwide cume to a muscular $671M.
Also from Sony, Greta Gerwig’s critically acclaimed Little Women crossed $100M worldwide with $107M, including $33.2M from international markets.
In new openers, Fox’s Kristen Stewart-starrer Underwater from Chernin Entertainment and TSG saw strongest results across the SE Asia region, but made just $7.1M from 22 material markets.
PASADENA, Calif. — Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will share host duties for the Golden Globes ceremony in 2021.
Poehler herself shared the announcement at a TV critics meeting Saturday, just a week after the ceremony aired with Ricky Gervais as host.
“There are no two funnier people anywhere,” said Poehler, who introduced herself with the name of an NBC publicist who was to have opened the network’s daylong presentation about its programming.
A tongue-in-cheek Poehler said the network was glad the pair found time in their busy schedules to take on the Globes. They have hosted three times before.
At last Sunday’s ceremony, Gervais’ snarky jokes in his fifth turn as host received mixed reviews and reactions from the celebrity audience. Poehler and Fey earned a warmer reception for their comedic approach.
Gervais repeatedly said during the ceremony that it was the last time he intended to emcee. A total of 18.3 million viewers tuned in, a small drop over the 18.6 million who watched the 2019 ceremony co-hosed by Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg.
“There’s no denying that Tina and Amy’s comedic chemistry is infectious,” said Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which bestows the TV and movie awards. “We can’t wait to see the dynamic duo return to the Golden Globes stage.”
Poehler joked that she couldn’t wait to present the best film award to the video, “Puppy Dog Bouncing in the Box Like This.”
NBC is keeping her busy: The network announced Saturday it’s renewed the craft show “Making It,” hosted and produced by Poehler and Nick Offerman, former “Parks and Recreation” castmates.
The date for next year’s Golden Globes will be announced later, NBC said.
The Duke of Cambridge admitted his “sadness” about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s decision to “step back” as senior members of the monarchy, according The Sunday Times of London.
William, 37, seemed resigned to trying to buoy the rogue couple as the fallout from their desire to splinter from the family continued.
“All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all singing from the same page. I want everyone to play on the team,” he said.
“All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all singing from the same page. I want everyone to play on the team.”
— Prince William
It’s a sharp turn from early reports that the future king and his father, Prince Charles, were “incandescent with rage,” at Harry, who allegedly did not warn his family that the announcement was coming.
Prince William, right, has been heavily involved in trying to appease his brother Harry and Harry's wife Meghan Markle in recent days. (Getty Images)
William, whose wife Kate Middleton has been noticeably quiet amidst the controversy, has been heavily involved in trying to appease Harry and Markle in the last few days.
He will join his brother, father and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in person at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England Monday to find common ground. Markle plans to call-in from Vancouver, Canada, where she and eight-month-old son Archie are staying.
