Since erupting into public consciousness in late 2016 when her romance with Prince Harry became ­public, Meghan Markle has insisted on attaching two epithets to her name — humanitarian and feminist.

Back when she was a working member of the British Royal Family, this was how the biography on the institution’s web page — at her insistence — described her, and how she has determinedly portrayed herself since.

Now, though, hot on the heels of the ­couple’s philanthropic relaunch with the ­sussex.com website, comes Meghan’s own passion project.

And — never mind the good works and the feminism — it appears that it is as a homemaker that Meghan now seeks to shine.

Via the rather clumsily named American Riviera Orchard, she will be selling everything from spoons and calligraphy pens, to dog beds and bird-feeders, as well as nut butters and jams.

Indeed, when one reads the full list of wares the Duchess of Sussex is ­potentially seeking to sell, it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that this new company ­heralds nothing less than the birth of Meghan PLC: an all-encompassing lifestyle brand for those who are keen to imitate her trademark glossy ‘stealth wealth’ look.

Indeed, filings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office mention a very broad range of goods which might be sold by her, ranging from gardening forks and string lights, branded tote bags, blankets, cushions, yoga mats, salsas, spices, chutneys and dog-collars.

Other proposed items for sale include servingware, decanters, tea and coffee cups, dinner services, matchbox holders, stationery of all kinds and cookbooks, both online and in print.

Described as ‘Tig 2.0’ it does appear to take up where her pre‑Harry blog, The Tig, left off and looks to aim to compete with Martha Stewart, the American billionaire cooking, crafts and gardening guru who rules the scene.

But while The Tig, the influencer brand Meghan created, had a larky, single girl vibe and was all about exotic mini-breaks, afternoons filled with rosé wine and high heels, her new project is very much the ‘mom’ version.

What, truly, could be less carefree than a napkin ring, guest book or table place card-holder, all of which speak to a distinctly studied kind of living? These are all items which she is seeking to sell under the trademark.

An application at the U.S. ­Patent and Trademark Office shows that American Riviera Orchard may even one day open a shop, although sources say initially this will be an Instagram and website business.

It — the Instagram account, website and online shop — will go live imminently. Probably early in April. What can we expect?

First, there will be more filmed footage, which has been captured at the Montecito home she shares with Harry and their children Archie and Lilibet.

In the brief video released so far, Meghan has been seen cooking, wearing a white tank top, arranging roses and wafting around her garden in a black ballgown.

It’s thought their trusted friend Terry Wood, who ­produced the Oprah special and Meghan’s Archetypes podcasts, is involved in ­filming content for the ­website, which will initially show Meghan cooking and entertaining.

First out of the blocks will be videos which offer some recipes, and American Riviera Orchard will sell a limited range of goods, too. Sources indicate coffee cups and jams will be first.

In terms of food, Meghan’s specialities include roast chicken — following the recipe of the American TV cook Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, which involves basting the skin with ­butter; zucchini pasta sauce, which involves cooking the vegetable for four hours ‘until creamy’; and simple grilled fish tacos.

She’s also a fan of that Californian staple ‘avo’ toast, which she describes as ‘soul-nourishing’ and serves with a sprinkle of feta, chilli flakes and pepitas — a type of pumpkin seed.

Sources indicate that the watchwords for Meghan’s new venture are ‘elevated’ and ‘curated’ — and that the website will offer an oh-so-luxe take on home-making.

Her lifestyle in that famous $14million mansion will be front and centre of her new project. Having watched videos on the website, mere mortals will have the chance to buy expensive cream coffee cups and dream they, too, have married a prince and live in a home with ocean views and 16 bathrooms.

Not only will there be cooking wares approved by Meghan but, in the months to come, a full-on cooking show presented by her will be made for Netflix.

Sources say Meghan will ‘tell the story of her life through her recipes’ — a mouth-watering prospect for a woman as fascinating as she. Might her family and famous friends be included, too?

It would only be natural if they were, and would no doubt work wonders for ratings and sales if she was seen making jam with daughter Lili or whipping up a tasty chicken adobo for friend and neighbour Ellen DeGeneres.

Consultant Rachel Richardson, a former Snapchat executive, said: ‘The reason Martha (Stewart) . . . and Gwyneth ­(Paltrow) have crushed it is because they’ve let viewers into their most private spaces and shared their ­biggest secrets.

‘Authenticity is key in the lifestyle arena, and those that succeed tend to be willing to share their whole lives. Think about it — what do we not know about Gwnyeth Paltrow?

‘In [the Netflix documentary] Harry & Meghan and the Oprah interview, Meghan let cameras capture some aspects of her private life. But to pull off a successful lifestyle show she’ll have to be prepared to swing the door all the way open.’

Hollywood sources tell me that Meghan has been inspired in the venture by three key women: Rachel Jackson, Chrissy Teigen and Camila Alves.

Jackson, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, started out as a make-up artist before pivoting to run a business — via QVC — selling ‘no make-up’ make-up. Her commercial success has been stellar.

Teigen, wife of singer John ­Legend, and Alves, wife of actor Matthew McConaughey — have both written best-selling cookbooks and put out their own video lifestyle content to some acclaim.

McConaughey, incidentally, shares a financial adviser, Adam Lilling, with Prince Harry.

It’s notable that the owner of the American Riviera Orchard firm is not Harry and Meghan’s existing vehicle Archewell, but a new entity, Mama Knows Best LLC — based in Delaware like the couple’s other companies.

Its postal address is listed as the fifth floor Wilshire Boulevard address of Meghan’s long-term LA-based lawyer Rick Genow.

What to make of this then? The most significant detail, I believe, is that Mama Knows Best is not a part of Archewell.

This means there is clear water between Meghan and Harry’s mutual philanthropic and ­commercial interests, which reside in Archewell, and this solo enterprise.

Indeed, as the Instagram page for American Riviera Orchard notes, it is ‘By Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’.

It seems the ‘brand separation’ of Harry and Meghan, predicted by this paper in September last year, has come to pass. Harry has his Invictus Games and eco travel venture Travalyst; now Meghan has American Riviera Orchard.

Interestingly, for all her raging against the royal institution, the branding on her new website is quasi-regal, with a golden crest made out of the letters A R, ­presumably standing for ­American Riviera, which is how some describe the stretch of Californian coast which includes their home in Montecito.

The genesis of Meghan’s latest relaunch lies back in the ­pandemic, when she started to consider all she lost when she gave up The Tig. She had shuttered the site in 2017 just before she and Harry announced their engagement.

Then, in an interview with The Cut in 2022, she teased she was coming back onto Instagram, only to row away from that suggestion.

But her plan came a large step nearer when she signed with the William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency in April 2023.

At this point, the Harry & ­Meghan docuseries and Harry’s book, Spare, had just been released. Their revelations led to them being regarded as toxic, ­lampooned as eternal ­complainers, and both she and Harry were said to be rather regretting that they had signed tell-all deals after Megxit.

Harry famously said they had no choice because his family had ­’literally’ cut them off financially when they left the UK.

Her team at WME included power agent-turned-Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel; Brad Slater, the rep and brand architect within the agency; and longtime Serena Williams agent Jill Smoller.

In a statement at the time, WME noted: ‘Film and television production, brand partnerships and overall business-building will be explored. Acting will not be an area of focus.’

In the months that followed, Meghan had a number of meetings about brand partnerships, which would have been lucrative, and film production possibilities (although the Hollywood actors and writers strikes closed off this avenue for months).

But although Archewell did a deal to option the rom com Meet Me At The Lake, nothing else seemed to stick. Speculation that Meghan might represent Dior also came to nothing.

Instead ‘overall business-­building’ became the focus.

The idea of leaning back into her Tig years continued to appeal, although nobody can say Meghan has rushed into anything.

Some Netflix moles cavil that she and Harry are ‘very indecisive’, and the elongated timeframe of this return to Instagram suggests that is accurate.

While considering the likely end of their Netflix deal next year, the idea of a cookbook continued to fascinate Meghan, as I reported last month.

She has always been a devoted foodie, keen on all things health and wellbeing, and the Hubb Community Kitchen charity cookbook released in the wake of the ­Grenfell Tower disaster was her idea — and a great success.

Meghan-friendly author Omid Scobie said last year in his book Endgame that the couple came to regret signing their £15.8m podcasting deal with Spotify after clashing with executives at the tech company, and had started to look at ‘more creative projects’.

Meghan was working on ‘something more accessible, something rooted in her love of details, curating, hosting, life’s simple pleasures and family’. The idea was that it would be ‘safe and timeless’.

He added: ‘I still don’t quite understand what that business project will be because, as I spoke to people while writing the book, it changed about five times.’

Now, though, we know.

Early indications are of stratospheric interest — within 24 hours of the Instagram page appearing, 400,000 had signed up for updates from it. The expectation is that Meghan can make millions, fast, from her new venture.

Of course, there are naysayers. A columnist at the New York Post wrote: ‘What a shamelessly ­opportunistic moment to pull back the curtain on some tablecloths and coasters.’

He added that he expected the ‘glorified Etsy page’ to be ‘an embarrassing blip’.

‘It’s been bungle after bungle, lazy move after lazy move,’ he continued. ‘For Markle, CV has come to stand for Costly Vanity.’

We will find out soon who is right.

It was a night of high glamour – diamonds, couture dresses and A-listers – and should have been the usual spectacle of very rich, very beautiful and very talented artists congratulating each other on a good year for cinema.

Everyone expected that the Barbenheimer boost, which saw the box office soaring, would have a knock on effect and produce a vintage Oscars.

But with nudity, jokes about incest, political controversy and plain old bad taste, plus a hefty dollop of angst about wars, was this the night that the Oscars fumbled the ball?

There was instant outrage when Native American actress Lily Gladstone failed to win for her performance as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon and even the climax of the night, the announcement of Best Picture, seemed to go awry.

Veteran actor Al Pacino, 83, seemed to struggle to stay on script in a short preamble, before opening his envelope and saying: ‘My eyes see Oppenheimer.’ That brought nervous giggles from some quarters of the auditorium.

It was Oppenheimer’s night with the film taking seven Oscars having been nominated for 13.

Conversely it was a bad night for Barbie, which had eight nominations but came away with just one award, for the song What Was I Made For, by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.

Despite a barnstorming performance of I’m Just Ken by Ryan Gosling, which saw many of the A-listers in the room joining in with the song, and despite its colossal financial success, it was largely shut out.

Was one Oscar Kenough reward for the biggest film of the year which was very clearly popular in the room?

It was an even worse night for Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s passion project about the composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Maestro was nominated for seven Oscars and came away without a single one. Cooper was also beaten once again in the race for Best Actor, at the third time of asking.

Cooper also had to endure some bad-taste teasing from host Jimmy Kimmel about his habit of bringing his devoted mother Gloria as his date to awards.

Kimmel said: ‘Bradley brings his mother to every awards show. How any times can you bring your mom as your date before you are dating your mom? Are you working on a movie about Freud right now and not telling us?’

He is dating supermodel Gigi Hadid but the couple didn’t make any appearances together at pre-Oscars parties and opted not to go to the Vanity Fair party either.

There were some moments of delight, such as a cut away showing Messi the dog, a star of Anatomy of a Fall ‘clapping’, and some found John Cena’s naked sketch funny.

Actor and former wrestler Cena came on naked aside from a strategically placed gold envelope to announce the winner of the Costume Design Oscar.

The first Oppen-Oscar went to Robert Downey Jr., who won best supporting actor just as had been predicted and made a gracious, gag-filled speech.

He said: ‘I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and The Academy, in that order. I’d like to thank my — veterinarian — I meant wife, Susan Downey over there. She found me a snarling rescue pet and you loved me back to life. That’s why I’m here. Thank you.’

He went on: ‘Here’s my little secret. I needed this job more than it needed me. (Director) Chris (Nolan) knew it, (producer) Emma (Thomas) made sure that she surrounded me with one of the great casts and crews of all time, Emily, Cillian, it was fantastic.

‘And I stand here before you a better man because of it. What we do is meaningful, and the stuff that we decide to make is important.’

He shrugged off the outrage which greeted a drug gag seemingly improvised by host Kimmel after Downey Jr. touched his nose during his opening monologue. He had also looked unamused when Kimmel asked him: ‘Is that an acceptance speech in your pocket or do you just have a very rectangular penis?

Cillian Murphy became the first Irish-born winner of a Best Actor Oscar and won a standing ovation from the crowd which made him chuckle in delight. He said: ‘It’s been the wildest most exhilarating most creatively satisfying ride.’

Addressing director Chris Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas he said: ‘I owe you so much thank you. I’m a very proud Irishman standing here tonight.

‘You know we made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb for better or for worse. We are all living in Oppenheimer’s world so I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.’

Accepting an Oscar for directing, Nolan paid tribute to his cast and crew. He added: ‘Thank you do those who have been there for me and believed in me for my whole career, the incredible Emma Thomas, the producer of all our films and all our children, I love you.

‘To the Academy. Just to say movies are just over 100 years old. Imagine being there 100 years into theatre or painting and we don’t know where we are going to go, but to know that you think I am a meaningful part of it means the world to me.’

Cinematography went to Hoyte van Hoytema, previously nominated for Christopher Nolans film Dunkirk. From the stage van Hoytema said: ‘Woah, steady. To all the aspiring film makers out there I would like to say please try shooting that incredible hip new thing celluloid.. it makes things look so much better.’

Jennifer Lame won achievement in film editing for Oppenheimer. She said: ‘Emma Thomas you amaze me… Chris Nolan you are okay too. I was terrified when you first hired me but you instilled so much confidence in me.’

She later said: ‘So many people came to me and didn’t think the film was too long even though it was three hours. I have so many favorite scenes with Cillian. I was mesmerized by his performance. You wanted to know who he was even though he is inscrutable.’

Ludwig Goransson won best original score for Oppenheimer. He said that it had been Nolan’s idea to use a violin as the motif. He thanked his parents for giving him guitars and drum machines instead of video games.

The best picture Oscar was accepted by Nolan’s wife Emma Thomas. 

She said: ‘All of us who make movies know that you dream of this moment. I could deny it but I have been dreaming of this for so long and now it has happened. The reason that this is the movie that it is, is Chris Nolan he is singular and he is brilliant and I am so grateful to you.’

There were gasps in the room when Emma Stone’s name was read out as Best Actress for her fearless performance as Bella Baxter in Poor Things. It had been a neck and neck actress race between Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon and Emma Stone for Poor Things, but many felt that Gladstone was going to clinch the statuette.

Stone, who previously won for LaLa Land, said that she was overwhelmed and added that the zip on her dress had broken, adding: ‘I think it happened during “I’m Just Ken.”‘ 

She went on: ‘This is really overwhelming. Sorry. My voice has gone. 

‘The other night I was panicking as you can see it happens a lot and Yorgos said to me please take yourself out of it and he’s right its not about me its about a team that came together to make something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Yorgos thank you for the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter.’

The cerebral epic about the life of Robert J Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, didn’t have everything go its way.

Notably it lost out out on the sound Oscar to The Zone of Interest, a British film about the Holocaust in which the murders in Auschwitz are conveyed only as background noises.

It also lost out on Costume Design and Hair and Makeup to the Yorgos Lanthimos sex comedy Poor Things.

Some of the most surprising results saw Barbie lose out on production design and costume design. More predictably, Ryan Gosling was shut out in favor of Robert Downey Jr, and Oppenheimer won Best Picture.

Kimmel said in his opening monologue: ‘Here we are, all dressed up, celebrating the best of the best, beginning with the biggest movie of the year, Barbie. Barbie was a monster hit.

‘What a thing. What an achievement to take a plastic doll nobody even liked anymore, I mean, my wife, before this movie, you would had a better chance getting my wife to buy my daughter a pack of Marlboro Reds than a Barbie doll. 

‘Now Barbie is a feminist icon, thanks to Greta Gerwig, who many believed deserved to nominated for best director tonight.

‘Hold on a second. I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her, by the way. Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this.’

The hostilities in Gaza were on the minds of many on Sunday night, with some attendees having to walk the final few yards to the venue after pro-Palestinian protestors closed some roads. Pop star and actress Ariana Grande was among those to be held up. Singer Billie Eilish wore a pin supporting efforts to bring peace.

Accepting the Oscar for documentary feature film 20 Days in Mariupol, Mstylslav Chernov said that this was the first Academy Award in Ukrainian film history.

He said: ‘I will probably be the first director on the stage to say I wish I had never made this film. I wish to exchange this (Oscar) for Russia never invading Ukraine, never occupying our cities, to Russia not killing tens of thousands of Ukrainians.’ 

He went on: ‘I cannot change history, cannot change the past. We can make sure that the history record is set straight and that the truth will prevail and the people of Mariupol and those who have given their lives will never be forgotten.’

Animated short film was won by War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko. Their son Sean Ono Lennon was an executive producer on the film which follows two soldiers on opposite sides of a battle playing chess while communicating through carrier pigeon. 

Sean Ono Lennon flashed peace signs from the stage of the Dolby Theatre. He said: ‘My mom turned 91 last month and today is Mother’s Day in the UK, so can everyone please say happy mother’s day Yoko!’ 

Producer Dave Mullins said later: ‘We would like people to talk a little more, kill a little less, I know that sounds naïve.’

The first award of the night was presented to Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who won best actress in a supporting role for playing grieving mother Mary Lamb in The Holdovers. 

In an emotional speech she thanked God, her drama teacher, her mother and her publicist, adding: ‘I am so grateful for all the women who have been by my side.’

She added: ‘You know, I… I didn’t think I was supposed to be doing this as a career. I started off as a singer. And my mother said to me, “Go across that street to that theater department. There’s something for you there.”

‘And I thank my mother for doing that. I thank you to all the people who have stepped in my path and has been there for me, who has ushered me and guided me. 

‘I am so grateful to all of you beautiful people out there.

‘For so long I’ve always wanted to be different, and now I realize I just need to be myself. Ron Van Lieu, I thank you when I was the only black girl in that class, when you saw me and you told me I was enough. 

‘And when I told you I don’t see myself, you said, ‘That’s fine. We’re going to forge our own path. You’re going to lay a trail for yourself.’

The best original screenplay went to Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari. Triet said: ‘Thank you so much, it will help me through my mid life crisis I think. This is a crazy year. 

The glamour of tonight contrasts slightly with writing… I was stuck in the house with two kids it was lockdown. We hooked them up to cartoons to have peace.’ Harari added: ‘It was like mixed doubles ping pong played by neurotic French.’ 

Triet later said that they had wanted to have Dolly Parton’s song Jolene playing on repeat in the film but failed to get the rights so they ended up with the 50 Cent Song PIMP.

Best adapted screenplay was American Fiction – the first upset of the night, beating Barbie, Poor Things, Oppenheimer and The Zone of Interest.

Writer Cord Jefferson used the platform to make the case for lower budget films. ‘Instead of making one $200 million movie try making twenty $10 million movies. 

‘I want other people to experience that joy. The next Scorsese is out there the next Greta (Gerwig) the next Christopher Nolan. 

‘This has changed my life thank you for trusting a 40 year old black guy who has never directed a movie before.’

Afterwards he said that it had been important to show diversity within diversity in the film, which is about a professor who writes a satire of a ‘black’ book only for the liberal elite to hail it as a masterpiece. 

He said: ‘As Victor Hugo said, nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come. We didn’t have a big marketing budget so we relied on word of mouth a lot. 

‘Hopefully the lesson here is that there is an audience here for things that are different. 

‘A story with black characters that is going to appeal to a lot of people doesn’t need to take place in a plantation in the projects to have drug dealers in it.’

Another surprise was the win for animated film The Boy and The Heron over Spider-man: Across The Spiderverse.

Poor Things won Best Make Up and Hairstyling, again a surprise as many had thought that this was Maestro’s best chance to convert one of its nominations into a win.

Production design – which many thought might go to Barbie- went to Poor Things. Accepting the Oscar, James Price said: ‘This is crazy! I feel in the mood for love and custard tarts.’ 

Again, many thought that Barbie would win costume design, and again this went to Poor Things.

The Zone of Interest – about Rudolf Hess and his family living just outside Auschwitz, was Britain’s interest in the best international film category and won. 

Writer and director Jonathan Glazer said: ‘All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say look what they did then, but rather look what we do now.’ Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. 

‘It’s shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.’

‘Whether the victims of October — whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?’ 

Leading actress Sandra Huller cried copiously as he spoke.

Visual effects went to Oscar Godzilla Minus One. Documentary short film was won by The Last Repair Shop.

Na een onverwachte podiumplaats in 2006 sprong Red Bull’s Formule 1-teambaas Christian Horner – naakt onder een Superman-cape – in een zwembad.

De vreugdevolle sprong was het vervullen van een weddenschap (hij had niet geloofd dat het team het zo goed zou kunnen doen) en zijn collega’s juichten hem toe op die meidag in Monaco.

Het 32-jarige wonderkind was pas vorig jaar door een miljardair ingehuurd om het nieuwe Formule 1-team te leiden. Met de bereidheid om te vechten en een competitiedrang die grenst aan het pathologische – hij omschrijft winnen als ‘als een verslaving’ – heeft Horner Red Bull naar zijn hoogtepunt gebracht.

Vorig jaar won Red Bull 21 van de 22 races van het jaar – het meest dominante seizoen van welk team dan ook in de geschiedenis van de F1.

Gezien dat succes zou je kunnen verwachten dat de vreugde op dit moment bij Red Bull grenzeloos is.

Al het gepraat deze week in Bahrein – waar binnenkort de eerste Grand Prix van het seizoen wordt verreden – gaat echter over welke van zijn vele vijanden Horner, die £ 8 miljoen per jaar verdient, zou kunnen proberen omver te werpen.

Er loopt momenteel een onderzoek naar hem nadat hij is beschuldigd van ongepast gedrag jegens een vrouwelijk personeelslid – beschuldigingen die hij met klem ontkent.

Er is blijkbaar geen gebrek aan kwaad bloed tussen Horner en een aantal facties bij Red Bull, niet in de laatste plaats de meedogenloze voormalig coureur Helmut Marko, de in Salzburg gevestigde directeur van de Formule 1-teams van Red Bull.

Ook in het frame zit – verrassend genoeg – Red Bull’s kampioenscoureur van £ 70 miljoen, de 26-jarige Max Verstappen, die wordt begeleid door zijn vader, manager, Jos, een voormalig coureur.

Iedereen vraagt ​​zich nu af wie Horner bij het team zal vervangen als er een onderzoek tegen hem wordt uitgesproken.

Een goedgeplaatste bron zegt dat Horner waarschijnlijk de game wil spelen, zelfs als hij het onderzoek overleeft. ‘Hoe kan hij het volhouden als er zulke breuklijnen zijn?’ hij zegt.

Het is een ellendige gang van zaken voor Horner. ‘Hij ziet er versleten en uitgeput uit’, zegt een collega.

Het lijkt erop dat Horner – vanwege zijn agressieve en verwaande reputatie – goed en wel vernederd is.

‘Horner heeft nooit beperkingen geleerd, nooit de redelijke grenzen van de macht ontdekt en vaak uitgehaald naar mensen die niet terug konden vechten’, klaagde sportschrijver Matthew Syed deze week. Dit is dus een afrekening.

Horner zag er vermoeid uit, met afgebeten nagels en een ongebruikelijke bleekheid, en zei donderdag: ‘Het is business as usual. Er is duidelijk sprake van een proces. Ik ontken volledig alle beschuldigingen die tegen mij zijn geuit, maar ik zal uiteraard aan dat proces meewerken, dat naar ik hoop in de nabije toekomst wordt afgerond.’

Het verhaal tot nu toe is buitengewoon en betreft, volgens een lek, een cache van seksueel suggestieve WhatsApp-berichten die naar verluidt door Horner naar een vrouwelijke collega zijn gestuurd.

Toen het nieuws op 6 februari naar buiten kwam, werd alleen gezegd dat hij door een vrouwelijke collega werd beschuldigd van ‘ongelooflijk controlerend gedrag’. Hij ontkende het volledig en leek ontspannen op een media-evenement toen hij zei dat hij een ‘zeer ondersteunende vrouw’ had in de voormalige Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, die hem bijstaat.

Dat was echter vóór de opzienbarende ontwikkeling twee weken later, waarin De Telegraaf, een Nederlandse krant, zei dat de beschuldigingen een seksuele component hadden.

De krant beweerde een aantal WhatsApp-berichten tussen Horner en een vrouwelijke collega te hebben gezien die al jaren teruggingen. De bron van het lek heeft voor veel ophef gezorgd: de stercoureur van Red Bull, Max Verstappen, is Nederlands, net als zijn invloedrijke vader Jos.

Hun nationaliteit is voldoende geweest om – wat wellicht volkomen ongegrond kan zijn – te spreken over een verband tussen de Verstappens, de Nederlandse krant die de beschuldigingen heeft gelekt, en de ‘onrechtvaardige’ collega van Horner. De krant beweerde ook dat Horner had aangeboden de zaak met haar te schikken voor £ 650.000. Dit ontkent hij bij monde van zijn advocaten.

Ondertussen circuleren er andere beweringen waarin wordt gezegd dat de vrouwelijke collega van Horner bij Red Bull er gezellig uitzag met de Verstappens tijdens een Red Bull-feest op een jacht in Abu Dhabi in november 2021.

Maar op de avond in kwestie vierden ze allemaal een overwinning, dus waarom zouden ze niet op zeer vriendschappelijke voet staan?

Anderen wijzen op het abrupte vertrek van een andere vrouw bij Red Bull, die bevriend was met de vrouwelijke collega die Horner zou hebben beschuldigd, en zeggen dat haar vertrek mogelijk iets te maken heeft met het schandaal.

Geen wonder dat de sfeer koortsachtig is in Milton Keynes, waar Horner leiding geeft aan een staf van 1.500 mensen en zijn £650.000 kostende historische Aston Martin DB5 op een prominente gereserveerde plek parkeert.

Velen daar geloven dat Horner het slachtoffer is van een interne strijd binnen de Oostenrijkse Red Bull-familie. Hij werd beschermd door de oprichter, Dietrich Mateschitz, maar zijn mentor stierf in 2022, op 78-jarige leeftijd, waardoor Horner politiek blootgesteld werd.

Sommigen in het bedrijf vinden blijkbaar dat de controle over de racetak moet terugkeren naar Salzburg, de thuisbasis van het frisdrankbedrijf.

Horner bracht afgelopen vrijdag bijna negen uur door in het kantoor in centraal Londen van een door Red Bull ingehuurd KC om de beschuldigingen te onderzoeken. Wanneer de KC zal rapporteren, is een kwestie van discussie. Iedereen wil graag dat dit gebeurt vóór de Grand Prix van Bahrein aanstaande zaterdag.

Intussen geven zowel Horner als Max Verstappen de indruk dat ze een hartelijke werkrelatie voortzetten. Beiden maakten vorige week op een persconferentie de juiste geluiden over hoe goed ze met elkaar overweg kunnen.

Bronnen geloven dat het echte probleem tussen Verstappen senior en Horner ligt – een lastige situatie.

Het is wellicht jammer dat de vrouw van Horner, Geri, Verstappen kort na het verschijnen van het De Telegraaf-verhaal ‘ontvolgde’ op Instagram. Nadat het ontvolgen openbaar werd, volgde Geri Verstappen snel opnieuw. . . en David en Victoria Beckham, die ze ook had genegeerd. Het is niet duidelijk wat de Beckhams hebben gedaan om in het schandaal te worden betrokken.

(Geri’s publicist beweert – ondanks schermafbeeldingen die het tegendeel lijken te laten zien – dat het ‘inaccuraat’ is om te zeggen dat Geri iemand heeft ontvolgd.)

Iedereen leeft mee met Geri, die 41 was toen ze met Horner begon te daten en 42 toen ze trouwden. Ze hebben nu een zevenjarige zoon, Monty.

Voordat het schandaal uitbrak, zei ze tegen een tijdschrift: ‘Ik was een late ontwikkelaar. Ik ben ongelooflijk dankbaar dat ik een heel liefdevolle relatie heb.’

Een vriendin vertelde aan de Mail: ‘Geri heeft heel hard gewerkt om dat huwelijk te bewerkstelligen – ze kan het op geen enkele manier loslaten. Ze zei altijd dat ze vastbesloten was haar prins te vinden, en ze had het gevoel dat ze dat ook met Christian had gedaan.’

Zeker, Geri had haar deel van romantische teleurstellingen, met name misschien met de Britse scenarioschrijver Sacha Gervasi, de vader van haar 17-jarige dochter, Bluebell Madonna. Hun romance was voorbij voordat de baby werd geboren, en er wordt gezegd dat de eerste keer dat hij haar zag via de pagina’s van Hallo! tijdschrift.

Met haar man en kinderen heeft Geri een idyllisch plattelandsleven opgebouwd op hun landgoed in Cotswolds. Ze is nu 51, heet Halliwell-Horner en zet zich volledig in voor Christian. Zoals de Mail eerder deze maand onthulde, is het wifi-wachtwoord bij hen thuis ‘Geweldige echtgenoot’.

Nu staat ze resoluut achter hem, maar ze is ‘gevlakt’ door het schandaal – vooral omdat de vermeende ontvanger een collega is die ze goed kende – en de vermeende aard van de berichten.

Een vriendin zegt deze week: ‘Geri is er kapot van en heeft moeite met eten en slapen. Haar familie en mede-Spice Girls maken zich zorgen om haar.

‘Ik hoor dat Christian haar probeert op te peppen om positief te blijven, maar ze is op de grond gegaan zoals ze deed nadat ze de Spice Girls verliet. Ze praat met niemand.’

De bron denkt dat Geri de reis naar Bahrein voor de Grand Prix kan overslaan, omdat ze de kritiek niet aankan.

Ze wordt ondersteund door haar Spaanse moeder Ana Maria en zus Natalie, maar er zijn ‘slechts een paar’ andere vrienden op wie ze een beroep kan doen. Ondertussen doet ze haar best om de echtgenoot van wie ze aanbidt te helpen.

‘Ik geloof dat ze bij alle telefoontjes van de advocaten aanwezig is’, zegt een bron. ‘Christian heeft haar verteld dat alles in orde is en goed zal komen, maar ze wil gewoon dat het weggaat.

‘Het is een echt probleem, aangezien haar focus absoluut op hem ligt. Ze is volledig loyaal aan hem; dat blijft.’

Dat kan zo zijn, maar vrienden zeggen dat Geri niettemin ‘gekrenkt en boos’ is op Christian omdat hij haar heeft vernederd.

Wat voor haar zeer verontrustend lijkt, is dat het glanzende laagje van hun relatie is aangetast na jarenlang een PR-campagne te hebben georkestreerd om het publiek weer aan de kant te krijgen nadat hij zijn langdurige partner had verlaten, met wie hij een jonge dochter had. om bij haar te zijn in 2015.

‘Toen ze begonnen, kregen ze zoveel negatieve pers omdat Geri werd afgeschilderd als een huizenkraker’, zegt de vriend.

‘Maar ze hebben heel, heel hard gewerkt om die hoek om te keren en de manier waarop ze worden waargenomen te veranderen.

‘Geri is uiterst voorzichtig geweest met haar imago en deed zo haar best om haar koperachtige Ginger Spice-verleden van zich af te schudden en zichzelf te transformeren in een gezonde huisvrouw uit Oxfordshire.

‘Dat aspect hiervan is absoluut verwoestend voor haar, maar zal hun huwelijk eindigen? Waarschijnlijk niet. Achter gesloten deuren laat ze hem het niet vergeten; maar voor de buitenwereld zal het allemaal goed gaan.’

Er wordt gezegd dat Christian zich ‘voor zijn lieve leven’ aan Geri ‘vastklampt’. Waarom? Want hoewel niemand eraan twijfelt dat hij van zijn vrouw houdt, zeggen vrienden dat hij ook ‘verblind’ is door haar contacten met beroemdheden.

Degenen die hem kennen zeggen dat hij ‘absoluut dol was’ op de A-listers op de 50e verjaardag die Geri vorig jaar voor hem organiseerde, in aanwezigheid van onder meer Sir Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood en Gary Barlow.

Christian zou ook ‘genieten’ van Geri’s connectie met David en Victoria Beckham.

‘Dat wil hij niet kwijt; hij vecht ervoor om dat te behouden’, zegt de vriend.

Momenteel zet de aanklager van haar man haar werkzaamheden voort op het hoofdkantoor van het bedrijf in Milton Keynes, wat voor een ondraaglijke sfeer moet zorgen.

Maar de haaien cirkelen rond. Horners rivaal bij Mercedes, Toto Wolff, hield deze week een vrome kleine toespraak over het belang van rolmodellen in de Formule 1.

Hij zei: ‘Wij staan ​​voor inclusiviteit, gelijkheid, eerlijkheid en diversiteit. Het gaat erom dat je het dag in, dag uit leeft. En dit is de norm die wij onszelf stellen.

‘Wij zijn een mondiale sport, een van de belangrijkste sportplatforms ter wereld. En wij zijn rolmodellen.’

Het feit dat hij en Horner elkaar vrolijk verafschuwen en hun professionele leven besteden aan het beschuldigen van elkaar van bedrog, heeft daar uiteraard niets mee te maken.

Het is onduidelijk wanneer het Red Bull-onderzoek zal worden afgerond, maar de suggestie is dat dit vóór de race in Bahrein volgende week zal zijn. Liberty Media, eigenaar van de F1, wil graag dat dit eerder dan later wordt afgerond.

Waar de chips uiteindelijk zullen vallen, is verre van duidelijk. Sommige publicaties suggereren een sensationeel scenario waarin Horner een sprong naar Ferrari zou kunnen maken, waar hij zich bij Lewis Hamilton zou aansluiten. Dat zou een bekronende ironie zijn gezien hun lange en bittere rivaliteit.

Hij kan er uiteraard voor kiezen om helemaal met de sport te stoppen. In een recent interview zei hij dat hij het leuk zou vinden om projectontwikkelaar te worden.

Het enige dat duidelijk is, is dat hij, ongeacht de komende storm, Geri aan zijn zijde zal hebben.

This morning’s Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary have introduced yet another new member to the show’s family after Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard were unveiled as new presenters last week.

During Friday’s show, the couple iWe introduced a new four-legged member to the team as they cooed over their sweet new puppy.

Dermot told viewers: “Time to introduce you to an adorable new member of our This Morning family…”, while Alison added: “He’s an adorable eight-week-old puppy and here he comes!”

As the adorable pooch joined the duo on the sofa, Dermot explained: ‘This is a very important dog – he’s an autism assistance dog.’

The puppy, named Buddy, is a yellow Labrador who will be trained to help both adults and children with autism.

Jan Kiley, COO of Dogs for Autism, offered further explanation: ‘He was eight weeks old yesterday and today is his first official day as a service dog in training. He is a yellow labrador. We train them for children and adults with autism.

‘Training is all about manners and teaching them what is acceptable and what is not, but also giving them lots of interaction with lots of different people and going to different places, but being very careful not to go too far.

‘Then in the future, about 12-18 months, he will learn to do things specifically for autistic people during training.’

Viewers were then given the chance to name the dog as they sent their suggestions to producers throughout the show.

Towards the end of the show, Alison announced: ‘Thank you everyone who contacted us, we’ve had so many suggestions, thank you so much.

‘But we can now reveal that our new puppy’s official name is… Buddy! Many of you suggested Buddy and that’s what we’re going to call him.”

This morning we will monitor Buddy’s progress during his training and give the pup a treat and a new collar before he starts.

As he hugged the dog, Dermot later said: ‘It’s lovely to have you here. Buddy, and whatever family you go to, it’s going to be very, very lucky.”

Meanwhile, This Morning’s vet Dr Scott explained that two of his children have autism and having a dog in the house really helps them at home.

He said: “I have two children with autism, Jackson is nine, and he had a speech disorder, meaning he didn’t speak for the first four years of his life.

‘He struggles emotionally at school, and with our dog Ludo we have really seen an improvement in his ability to relax. Having that big dog to cuddle makes a big difference to him.

“Our youngest, Riley, is non-verbal, she can say bits of words, but not too many, and again, the company of dogs makes a big difference, and this is also the first anniversary of my own personal diagnosis.”

Dr. Scott added, “I saw things in it that I could relate to, and one thing that has been consistent for me is around animals.

‘I knew they were there to help and support me, so from the age of seven I knew I wanted to give something back to them.

‘But I didn’t know why… and now, finding a good cause [like this] which supports autism is so important in giving children the opportunity to develop that relationship with animals because it makes such a difference to their lives.”

The duo then took their new pup to meet Ant and Dec who were in the next studio rehearsing for the brand new series of Saturday Night Takeaway.

Ant wanted to be the first to pet him and exclaimed, “He’s beautiful!”

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX

By Codie Bullen for Mailonline

Published: 04:29 EST, February 20, 2024 | Updated: 04:29 EST, February 20, 2024

Of all the many startling elements of the Sussex relaunch this week — from the use of Meghan’s coat of arms to its timing as the King battles cancer — perhaps the most surprising has yet to be remarked on.

It is this: at no point on any part of their new website, Sussex.com, is there a single mention of the word ‘Netflix’.

This includes the section devoted to Archewell Productions, where you will find the following resumé: ‘Founded in 2020 by Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, our company is dedicated to illuminating thought-provoking and diverse narratives that underscore our common humanity and celebrate community — through scripted and non-scripted TV, film, documentaries and podcasting.’

And that’s it.

To jog memories, their estimated $100 million (£80 million) deal with the streaming giant was their first (big) step into the world of commerce after ‘Megxit’, and when it was signed in September 2020 all involved said how delighted they were with the ‘multi-year’ deal.

‘Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope,’ the couple — whose son Archie was born in May 2019 — said in a statement. ‘As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.’

They added that Netflix’s ‘unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action’.

Netflix boss Ted Sarandos (who is actually one of their near-neighbours in a $35 million (£28 million) home in Montecito, California) said: ‘We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere.’

He had seen off competition from Disney, NBCUniversal and Apple to sign up the couple, who had only arrived in California six months previously, just as the pandemic hit.

But for all the fine words about the intention to make a social impact, Harry later remarked in his television interview with Oprah Winfrey that he had been forced to make the Netflix deal because of pressing financial need.

As he put it: ‘My family literally cut me off financially.’ He added: ‘I’ve got what my mum left me, and without that we would not have been able to do this.’ (‘This’ being the move to a mansion in Montecito).

So what is going on with the media deal which is meant to be funding their new life?

Perhaps surprisingly, the spectre of (relative) penury and wrangles over money loom rather large over the couple and their relationship with Netflix — and cast a fascinating light on the question of what they are going to do next.

I’m told, by well-placed sources with knowledge of the deal, that the association has been disappointing all round, with Harry and Meghan drawing a relatively meagre amount from the streamer — thought to amount to as little as $20 million (£16 million) for them personally, all in.

Considering the delivery of a blockbuster tell-all six-part documentary Harry & Meghan in December 2022, which was seen by 81 million households in its first three weeks, the couple could judge that $20 million isn’t much at all. Maybe we should look no further when seeking to explain the perplexing omission on the website.

What’s more, the expectation in Hollywood is that both parties will break the deal as soon as it is contractually viable, which will mean a ‘divorce’ in September this year or next.

Will the Sussexes have by then produced their romcom film based on the Carley Fortune book Meet Me At The Lake?

And will they have produced any of the documentary projects, including a Prince Harry in Africa series which has also been long in the planning? Other proposals they are trying to get off the ground include a feminist retelling of the origins of Charles Dickens’ Miss Havisham in the form of a TV drama.

Yet while the writers’ and actors’ strikes took out much of last year, it is notable how little the couple have actually made work for Netflix.

The head of content, Bela Bajaria, tried to put a brave face on the inactivity at an event last week. She said the couple had a number of projects in ‘very early development’ and were being helped by Netflix’s head of unscripted content, Brandon Riegg.

‘They actually have, like a bunch in development,’ she said. ‘They have a movie in development, and a series that they are working on. So all early development, with a movie, a TV series and a couple of unscripted shows that they are working on with Brandon Riegg. But yeah, the movie is great.’

Some might argue that’s faint praise.

Meanwhile, Meghan told reporters at a Variety event earlier this year: ‘We have so many exciting things on the slate. I can’t wait until we can announce them.’

However, a source with knowledge of the situation says that essentially the Netflix deal is a dead duck.

‘The whole arrangement was basically the trade-off for Netflix getting the Harry & Meghan documentary. It was never the huge payday that the Press reported. The $100 million number was always a newspaper figure. 

It’s thought they got a small fraction of that number up front, and everything from there on is largely contingent on performance. The fact is that the company [Archewell] has been relatively inactive so far.’

Rather than a massive lump sum, the deal consisted of a multi-year commitment from Netflix to cover the overheads of Archewell. This is said to be in the region of $3 million (£2.4 million) a year, of which the Sussexes will keep a small portion personally.

Most of that money is being spent on overheads and project development costs. Indeed, when Archewell bought the rights to make a film of Meet Me At The Lake it was reported that, quite unusually, Netflix had stumped up the $1 million (£800,000) cash rather than Archewell, reflecting the fact that the company is not swimming in funds.

By far the most lucrative element was the production fee for the Harry & Meghan documentary of around $20 million (£16 million), $15 million (£12 million) of which will have gone directly to the couple, the rest being spent on making the series.

The changing cast of characters at Archewell has not helped relations with Netflix. The source adds: ‘There’s been a lot of turbulence at executive level within Archewell, and I know for a fact that Netflix are annoyed to be advancing several millions dollars a year of overhead to a company that can’t seem to retain more than a handful of staff at a time and that has almost no day-to-day visibility around town.

‘That wasn’t what Netflix were pitched and the shaky executive base is a big part of the reason why Archewell hasn’t got much done.’

The company lost head of content Ben Browning in January 2023 after his contract expired and this January production manager Bennett Levine also walked, two years after joining. Rebecca Sananes, the head of audio, left after the Archetypes podcasts had been produced.

Bad luck has come into play, too. Netflix has pulled back on its film and TV expenditure massively over the past 12 months after it became clear that previous spending levels were not sustainable.

Hollywood is generally a much more financially sober environment, too. In addition to the actors’ and writers’ strikes and the pandemic, ‘peak TV’ is over, with fewer shows being made and at a lower price point.

The source says: ‘There is an across-the-board acknowledgement that Netflix will want to get out of, or scale down further, the deal at the earliest contractual opportunity.

‘You might say that Netflix haven’t done too badly out of the relationship, as they’ve probably only gone out of pocket to the tune of around $30 million [£24 million] or thereabouts, and they did at least get a huge hit doc out of the investment.

‘As for Harry and Meghan, it’s understood that they will have managed to keep around $15 million [£12million] just for themselves, which is not bad business. But that kind of money doesn’t last long with their lifestyle.’

The lifestyle is indeed idyllic by any standards and included the purchase of their Montecito mansion in 2020 for $14.7 million (£11.7 million), with a mortgage of $9.5 million (£7.5 million). The potential mortgage payments on such a borrowing may run to $50,000 (£39,600) a month.

Then there is their security detail, generally thought to cost somewhere north of $2 million (£1.6million) a year, plus taxes of $68,000 (£54,000) a year, staff costs of $300,000 (£238,000) a year and utilities costing up to $24,000 (£19,000) a year.

Harry’s legacy from Princess Diana is generally said to be around £7 million all in, plus a further amount from a legacy left by the Queen Mother. That won’t go far in California, so you can see how money could become a pressing concern.

Among the biggest money-spinners of all has actually been Harry’s memoir Spare. Released in January last year, it has sold around four million copies. If we are to assume a relatively modest cut for Harry of 15 per cent, that would have netted him $15 million (£12 million), give or take. He has given an unknown portion of the profits to charity.

Meanwhile, it’s unclear how much money the Sussexes made from the podcaster Spotify, for which Archewell managed to make just one 12-episode podcast, Archetypes, in three years. Their deal was cancelled in 2023.

It was said to be worth $20 million (£16 million) but again will have most likely only netted them a fraction of that amount, given the lack of content created. The Wall Street Journal reported with restraint that they ‘failed to reach the productivity benchmark’.

Spotify executive Bill Simmons famously put it more bluntly: ‘I wish I had been involved in the “Meghan and Harry leave Spotify” negotiation. The F***ing Grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them.

‘I have got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories . . . F*** them. The grifters.’

Archetypes does have a new home. It was announced this week that Meghan is to venture again into podcasting for Lemonada, a small but successful female-run outfit which makes podcasts with actresses Sara Sugarman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

But looking beyond the end of the Netflix deal, a world in which Meghan has a podcast does not look like a world in which the couple maintain a house with 16 bathrooms. Logic would suggest that they brave the backlash and write more books, as the story of their fall-out with the Royal Family remains compelling. Even a cookbook, which I heard was Meghan’s preference, would be a great potential source of income.

Last summer, it was announced that Meghan had signed with Ari Emanuel, the powerhouse agent at WME. However, although she then turned up at some events with prominent WME clients, such as at Kevin Costner’s charity party, there have been no blue-chip commercial deals for her.

She was also said to be about to revive her website, The Tig, and sign an endorsement deal with the fashion house Dior. Neither has yet happened. Some believe that WME are letting her go, again because of the problem of how to turn her megawatt profile into some kind of tangible product. 

They are said to have played ‘no part’ in the Sussex.com rebrand, which does not augur well. Inquiries about her status there go unanswered.

There was the surprise appearance of the couple at the Jamaica world premiere of the Bob Marley biopic One Love earlier this year, prompting suggestions of a deal with makers Paramount, especially as they travelled there by private jet with the company’s boss Brian Robbins.

But that would be a most unlikely destination for them.

At present, Paramount is being sold, so a new head is almost an inevitability, and you would expect that whoever comes in will want to make their own mark.

Interestingly, that private jet ride may be another indication that money is an issue.

They travelled with oil billionaire Michael Herd on his ‘PJ’ to see Katy Perry in Vegas in November and their outing from Santa Barbara to Vancouver for the Invictus events was also by private jet and at someone else’s expense, according to Page Six in the U.S.

‘It’s always other people’s money,’ a source told the publication. But how to keep it coming?

Alison Sweeney revealed why she Chronicles Mysteries The movie franchise has taken a backseat at Hallmark, and sorry sleuth lovers, it partly has to do with the Hannah Swensen Mysteries.

“It's tough in the landscape with all the different competing mysteries at Hallmark,” Sweeney, 47, told exclusively We weekly why fans haven't seen more Chronicle Mysteries movies. “And I think they feel like they want to focus on the Hannah Swenson series.”

Sweeney broke into the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries genre by playing baker Hannah Swensen in the film Murder, she baked films in 2015. After starring in six films as a Cookie Jar owner and amateur sleuth, Sweeney's Hannah Swensen adventures temporarily ended in 2017.

However, the actress didn't stop doing mysteries for the network. The Chronicles Mysteries premiered in 2019 and the final episode aired in 2021. Throughout the five films, Sweeney played podcast host Alex McPherson, who works with newspaper editor Drew Godfrey (Benjamin Ayres) to solve crimes when they're not doing their real work.

“Oh my god, we loved working on those films together. It was so much fun,” Sweeney said Us of performing alongside Ayres, 47. “Ben and I really enjoyed working together, and I'm sure we'd love to think of something else to do together again.”

While fans may not be happy that Sweeney and Ayres aren't reprising their mysterious alter egos, the two recently teamed up to star in Hallmark Channel's Love & Jane. The film, part of the network's Loveuary programming, follows Lilly (Sweeney) on her journey to find love with the help of her literary idol Jane Austen.

“I'm a big fan of Jane Austen, so when David Weaverthe writer, presented this idea to me, and I jumped up and grabbed it with both hands, like, 'We have to do this,'” Sweeney said. Us of the project.

Love & Jane is Sweeney's next Hallmark project, but it won't be her last. Earlier this month, Hallmark announced that the actress will return as Hannah Swensen in the upcoming film One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. The film marks the fourth Hannah Swensen mystery since 2021, the revived film franchise.

“I think the really crucial thing is for Hannah [that] we work from the books, the beautiful Joannes Fluke books she's written, and she has 30 of them,” Sweeney shared Us of the future of the franchise. “So there are tons of stories and mysteries and adventures for Hannah that matter to her, which is so fun.”

Sweeney teased that her character's future with ex-fiance Mike Kingston (Cameron Mathison) may not be the endgame movie fans want.

“It's a push-pull with Mike, and he's not always the right guy for her every step of the way in those books,” Sweeney said. Hallmark confirmed this Us in February that Mathison, 54, won't be in the next one Hannah Swensen mystery after the network shared that Viktor Webster will be part of the cast for the May release. Mathison's future with the franchise has not been announced.

Meanwhile, Sweeney explained Us that she wants to “focus on” Hannah's desire to “be a better crime solver” in the upcoming films.

She joked that her father should get “credit” for her new approach to Hannah. “Two or three movies ago my father said, 'That's not enough evidence to convict anyone.' You don't know he did it,” Sweeney said Us, noting that it was a light bulb moment. “[He’s like], 'Well, I'm just saying, that's not real evidence.' And I thought, 'Oh my God, I think he's right. I have to develop the evidence, get the evidence. ''

Love & Jane premieres on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, February 10 at 8pm ET.

Red Nose Day is back with a bang this year as presenter Lenny Henry brings together his celebrity cohorts to find ways to make money for charity in a phone call full of blunders.

Davina McCall, Alison Hammond and Simon Cowell were among the stars Lenny, 65, called on speed dial to ask for their help with the annual comedy fundraiser.

In the exclusive online sketch, Lenny, co-founder of Comic Relief, picks up the phone with some of his famous friends to find out how they will do their part to raise life-changing money on this Red Nose Day, which returns on Friday. Mar. 15.

It comes as Lenny revealed this is the last time he will host the event as he believes it is the right time for other stars to take over the hosting duties.

Lenny is first seen brainstorming on a whiteboard as he lists ideas such as a bake sale, head shave, fancy dress and a One Direction reunion as possible options for this year's event.

With a little help from his friends, Lenny calls the number of TV host Alison, who declares that she is ready to be a “hun-ny for money,” and that she has tons of ideas because she is an “iconic hun ' is – no matter how it turns. she has made a blunder.

Lenny corrects her that the assignment is actually to do something “funny for money,” as 48-year-old Alison admits she must have missed the memo.

Meanwhile, Davina admits she 'can't keep kissing people on the show' to raise money, but reveals she would make an exception for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

During his conversation with Simon, the music mogul says: 'I got it! I'm going to listen to Amanda Holden's covers album non-stop for a week.'

When Lenny asks, “What does that have to do with raising money?” , Simon jokes, “Well, it's definitely something funny.”

Other stars willing to take part include Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey, who asked Lenny if he wanted to take part in his 24-hour singathon.

Meanwhile, radio host Nick Grimshaw raised the idea of ​​a sponsored silence while hosting his podcast, receiving crickets in response.

When he called Gemma Collins, she was more interested in finding out how he had received her number, before reluctantly offering to organize a bake sale.

Acting royal Dame Joan Collins is taking it to new heights for Red Nose Day by undertaking a sponsored skydive.

The new sketch can be viewed on YouTube and hopes to inspire people across the country to do something funny for money and help spread joy this Red Nose Day.

BBC One's evening of entertainment comes live from Salford on Friday, March 15, produced by BBC Studios Entertainment.

The unmissable evening of comedy, live performances and one-off surprises will be extra special this year as it will be the last time Lenny will host the show.

For almost four decades, Lenny has been the leader of laughter and has united millions of people to raise more than £1.5 billion for Comic Relief to date, proving that comedy and compassion can change lives.

Lenny has decided now is the time to let some new names take the presenting reins, while continuing to support Comic Relief and Red Nose Day on other projects throughout the year.

Sir Lenny added: 'Right now we know there is a cost of living crisis and people are struggling, many people are struggling here and around the world.

'But we also know that the British public is brilliant. You are so kind and generous. If someone has a problem, you always want to help.

'Without you we couldn't do what we do. I would love nothing more than for you to join me this year.

'Let's make it one to remember and show that laughter can make a world of difference.

'Do something funny for money, come to The London Palladium, wear your Red Nose with complete and utter pride – whatever you do, thank you! Let's go!

Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer, said: “Sir Lenny Henry has been the face of Comic Relief for almost forty years and I would like to personally thank him for his incredible contribution, the way he has entertained and inspired the nation. the BBC cannot be overstated.

'Lenny's efforts have been awe-inspiring, he has played a huge part in its enduring appeal and has highlighted so many worthy causes by using the power of comedy and laughter to raise millions of pounds. This year's Red Nose Day will be his last on screen, but it promises to be extra special as we take the opportunity to celebrate his remarkable achievements on the evening.”

To celebrate and thank Sir Lenny, some of the country's favorite comedians will take to the stage for a wild and wonderful once-in-a-lifetime evening of live comedy, Comic Relief – Live at The London Palladium, on Monday 26 February.

In tribute to how Comic Relief started 39 years ago, this night of non-stop laughter will see Aisling Bea, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Joel Dommett, Mawaan Rizwan, Rosie Jones and Sara Pascoe join Sir Lenny to take to the roof raising and everything… important money for Red Nose Day.

Tickets are available now from LW Theaters and Ticketmaster.

For onlookers, it’s football’s most entertaining love scandal for years. Even if we profess ourselves to be above such things, we have all lapped up the details of Manchester City and England star Kyle Walker’s latest and most tangled domestic drama.

Yet for the two women at the centre of it — and especially Walker’s wife Annie Kilner — events are beginning to take an undeniably ugly turn.

Walker, to recap, is the electric-paced full back with 81 England caps to his name, who married his childhood sweetheart Annie, 31, in 2022 and has three children by her, aged 12, eight and six, with another on the way.

At the same time, it turns out, he has slept at least twice with former beautician and influencer Lauryn Goodman, 33, who now also has two children by him, aged three and five months.

It was the revelation of this youngest’s child’s paternity — by Lauryn, both privately to Annie and publicly in an interview with The Sun on Sunday two weeks ago — that caused WAG emotions to run high, and Kyle, 33, to issue a tearful mea culpa in a well-spun bid to win back the wronged Annie.

Until now, it has been a classic tale of a footballing cad, two swishy-haired love rivals and a £3.5 million mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire, from which Kyle has now been evicted by Annie.

Now, however, it is beginning to turn into an ever-murkier all-out feud, with Annie complaining she has been the subject of a Fatal Attraction-style campaign by Lauryn.

Annie’s friends go so far as to say her love-rival is trying to ‘stalk’, ‘goad’, and ‘torture’ her on social media, citing stunts such as the setting up of an Instagram page for Lauryn and Walker’s three-year-old child, Kairo, with a biography which includes the social media tags ‘Mummy @lauryngoodman91 Daddy @kylewalker2.’ Not exactly a subtle hint.

Sources say Kyle has been paying maintenance for his two children with Lauryn.

It would seem she is apparently seeking to catapult herself into the blinged-up stratosphere of a footballer’s wife with funds from her former lover. She has not, yet, been wholly successful.

So, is it true to say Lauryn has been waging a ‘campaign’, as the Annie camp claim?

That suggestion arises from a series of alleged social media posts. On Annie’s birthday last summer, Lauryn is said to have tagged herself as being at the same venue where the WAG was holding her party, even though she was apparently nowhere near it. ­(Lauryn has now set her Instagram to ­private and has also been deleting posts, so it is not possible to ­confirm this.)

At this time Annie knew Lauryn had given birth to one child by her husband, so, if true, it seems like a highly provocative thing to do.

What’s more, the previous day, Lauryn had allegedly posted a video of herself in the Cheshire ­village where Annie lives, accompanied by a ‘shush’ emoji — the ­little yellow face with a finger on its lips — and the Chris Brown song Take You Down playing.

Lauryn was also photographed ‘house hunting in Cheshire’ in ­pre‑arranged paparazzi shots around this time.

In a similar vein, last week, ­Lauryn was again snapped by a ­fortuitously placed photographer while on holiday in the Dominican Republic. Her toddler son Kairo was seen ‘learning how to play football’ on the beach — a mini-me shot, bound to be a dagger to the heart of Kyle’s wife, and all the more so as Annie is currently seven months pregnant.

Yesterday the affair grew murkier still when news websites were handed a picture of Kyle with Kairo, and videos of him playing with the child — kicking a football and playing hide-and-seek — in what friends of Annie’s say is yet more evidence of Lauryn’s ‘campaign’.

Others will see them as Lauryn’s attempt to hit back at Kyle for the rather crass interview he gave at the weekend in which he claimed their daughter was the result of nothing more than a one-night stand and his ‘idiotic decisions’.

‘Kyle claimed he had barely any relationship with Lauryn in a desperate bid to win back Annie — who will be stunned by these images of their close family bond,’ a friend of Lauryn says.

A spokesman for Kyle declined to comment.

It is a saga that shows how ­isolated, and distinctly unsisterly, the life of a WAG can be.

In the original interview revealing the name of her second child’s dad, Lauryn said she was the one who wanted everything to be public.

‘I didn’t want them [Kyle and Annie] to split up or cause harm, but it had to be out in the open for all of our sakes,’ she said then, explaining that she had FaceTimed with Annie in December last year and shown her their daughter’s DNA test.

Lauryn claimed she and Kyle had been in a long relationship and that Kyle had been leading a ­double life, playing the two women off against each other.

Kyle’s response, in an interview with The Sun on Sunday, was to call Annie his soul mate and ­desperately ask her to forgive him. He spoke sorrowfully of ‘idiot choices and idiot decisions’.

He also claimed, in a way which you may think stretches credulity, that he had slept with Lauryn only twice — the first time during a brief marital separation from Annie — with both infidelities resulting in a baby. Clearly, the message Kyle wanted to get across, was that there had never been a proper relationship with Lauryn.

‘There was no relationship. That is something Lauryn could never say. We’ve never been out for food, we’ve never been to the cinema,’ Kyle said. ‘To have a relationship with someone . . . would she even know how many sugars I have in my coffee, if I have sugars? She couldn’t tell you.’

Yesterday, via Instagram, Lauryn replied: ‘Flat white, no sugars please.’

A spokesman for Lauryn later said: ‘She is disappointed by his deluded ­version of events, which is dramatically different to her own recollection of their long-standing, intimate, loving and affectionate relationship.

‘Having read back through many years of messages sent between them to assure herself her memory is accurate, she is confused as to how he has seemingly forgotten their many highly personal conversations and memories made with their children as a family.

‘The story he is putting out to the public is not the reality.’

Meanwhile Kyle’s spokesperson said: ‘Kyle has spoken fully and honestly about his mistakes and the true situation involving Lauryn. He’s instructed lawyers and will not be making any ­further comment on the wild and untrue stories she is promoting in the media in search of self-publicity and financial gain.’

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this compelling scandal is that Annie seems to be directing most of her anger at Lauryn rather than at her husband (who she has sent to live in a nearby apartment while she contemplates his shortcomings).

One of Annie’s friends talked this week about Lauryn ‘making Annie a single mother by sleeping with Kyle’. Note how there, Kyle is apparently absolved from blame.

On Monday night, Annie’s sister Sian — another highly-groomed young woman who looks like Annie’s twin — posted a long statement on social media accusing Lauryn of ‘evil’ behaviour.

Tagging Lauryn, Sian wrote: ‘@lauryngoodman91 When does your torment end? My sister, who is now 7 months pregnant, has faced your cruelty for almost 5 years now.

‘What’s your goal? To see how much stress you can put on a pregnant woman? To create a false victim narrative around what you did? You clearly lack empathy but this level of evil is out of control and harms everyone — especially the children.’

Rubbishing Lauryn’s claim that she and Walker enjoyed a loving relationship, Sian added: ‘Stop accusing others; your true self is revealed. The so-called ­’loving relationship’ is a facade. It’s not fooling anyone so why don’t you just give us all a break and stop.’

Friends of Annie also say that Lauryn, who has been friends with Kyle since he was 20, has twice attempted to befriend Annie in a way which, with hindsight, ‘looks a little bit Single White Female’, after the film in which one young woman becomes unhealthily obsessed with another.

In fact, the first contact between the two women was in 2019. In March of that year Kyle was again making idiotic decisions by playing away with a woman called Laura Brown, the former star of an MTV reality show Ex On The Beach. In the parlance of footballing sex scandals, Laura claimed she and Kyle had been ‘romping’; and, when Annie demanded proof, is said to have sent her a selfie she had taken inside the Walker-Kilner family home.

Annie promptly dumped Kyle, who begged her to take him back.

Lauryn was apparently among those who contacted Annie to offer sympathy.

By July, however Kyle and Lauryn were lovers — and she fell pregnant with Kairo.

In an interview in 2020, Annie said: ‘Last year he was unfaithful with a reality TV star. I found out a month later and was broken by it. He begged me to take him back, but by July he was at it again. Not even three months later and someone was pregnant. My youngest was one. Who does that?’

By November 2021, Annie and Kyle, who first started dating at school, were back together and soon got married. But, as Kyle has now admitted, in October 2022 he slept with Lauryn again, while in London seeking treatment for a groin strain.

The second time Lauryn allegedly tried to befriend Annie was after calling her in December last year to tell her that her husband had fathered a second child with her. In a move that beggar’s belief, Lauryn even suggested they team up to give joint interviews about Kyle. Lauryn’s view, say friends of Annie, was that they were ‘both his victims’.

Meanwhile, friends of Kyle say that Lauryn put him under enormous pressure in the months leading up to that phone call which has derailed his marriage.

In his interview with The Sun, Kyle said: ‘Lauryn had me trapped in a corner from October, when she told me about the second child. She was in a position of control where if she asked me to jump, I would respond: ‘How high?’ ‘

‘This was to meet growing and unreasonable demands in return for not destroying my family.’

As to these ‘unreasonable demands’, Lauryn allegedly told him that he was not allowed to have more children with his wife, and should not buy a new house with her — with the ever-present threat that she would tell his wife about the second love-child if he stepped out of line.

Lauryn is also said to have objected to Kyle having the names of his children with Annie — Riaan, Reign and Roman — stitched onto his football boots because the names of his children with Lauryn were absent.

There was no response from Lauryn’s publicist to these allegations yesterday.

Although friends insist she is the wronged party, because he used her for sex, allegedly lied to her throughout, bought her numerous gifts and did a ‘doting dad routine’ with their children. One said; ‘She’s naive and has been foolish. She thought he loved her; he just wanted sex on tap.’

But the fallout from the affair continues.

The irony of it all is that the way the affair has been played over recent days, with Lauryn hiring her own publicist and taking multiple pot shots at the couple, has served to drive Kyle and Annie closer together.

I’m told: ‘Kyle and Annie put their children first. They will do what they can now and in the future to stay united, however that may look.’

Which doesn’t sound like the divorce everyone was expecting.

Perhaps all we can hope is that Annie, at the centre of a gossipy, swirling scandal not of her own making, is being well advised.

Monaco is altijd het meest glinsterende, voor schandalen gevoelige juweel van de Middellandse Zee geweest.

Maar beweringen dat de ‘playboy’-vorst, Prins Albert, een aparte bankrekening aanhield om zijn voormalige minnares en de kinderen die hij buiten het huwelijk heeft gekregen te betalen – en van losbandige uitgaven door zijn vrouw prinses Charlene, met haar gezin ook op de loonlijst – zijn Dit bewijst enkele van de potentieel meest schadelijke onthullingen tot nu toe.

Verwoestende, gedetailleerde financiële informatie is verstrekt door een voormalige accountant, die meer dan twintig jaar in het hart van de koninklijke familie van Monaco heeft doorgebracht, voordat hij vorig jaar zonder pardon werd ontslagen.

Claude Palmero hield aantekeningen bij in een reeks van vijf dikke notitieboekjes, en fragmenten daaruit zijn nu in twee Franse kranten terechtgekomen.

Volgens de aantekeningen van Palmero kreeg prinses Charlene, die op 45-jarige leeftijd twintig jaar jonger is dan de prins en in 2021/2 vier maanden in een ziekenhuis heeft doorgebracht wegens ‘diepe vermoeidheid’, routinematig een toelage van ongeveer £1,2 miljoen per jaar – maar kreeg ze er nog steeds mee te maken. te veel uitgeven.

In 2017 had ze naar verluidt meer dan £ 500.000 nodig om een ​​aanzienlijke roodstand af te betalen.

Twee jaar later baarde de snelheid waarmee prinses Charlene het geld klaarblijkelijk opbrandde de accountant van de prins zoveel zorgen dat hij in zijn aantekeningen schreef: 'Het is krankzinnig! Ik heb geen controle over de uitgaven van de prinses.'

Charlene, een voormalige zwemkampioene die buiten Johannesburg werd grootgebracht door haar vader als kopieermachineverkoper en moeder als zwemcoach, heeft bijna £ 2 miljoen geïnvesteerd in de renovatie van een vakantiehuis op Corsica en de herinrichting van haar kantoor, zei Palmero.

Hij beweerde ook dat ze een ander huis had gehuurd op het Franse eiland waar ze tijd zonder Albert doorbracht.

Uit Palmero's aantekeningen blijkt ook dat ze op een dag in april 2016 £ 60.000 vroeg. Bij een andere gelegenheid, in 2020, registreerde Palermo een eenmalige betaling aan Charlene van Albert van £ 171.000, plus £ 4.200 in contanten.

Ondertussen profiteerde Charlene's familie, in het bijzonder haar broer Sean met wie ze een liefdadigheidsinstelling runt, ook van de spectaculaire vrijgevigheid van echtgenoot Albert, waarbij Sean in 2022 £ 786.000 ontving om een ​​huis te kopen. Hij runt nu een koffieshop in Monaco.

De aantekeningen in Palermo's notitieboekjes lijken te suggereren dat het chaotische persoonlijke leven van Prins Albert zijn rijkdom heeft weggezogen.

Albert is sinds 2005 hoofd van Monaco's regerende Grimaldi-dynastie en is de enige zoon van prins Rainier III en voormalige Hollywood-ster Grace Kelly. Hij heeft twee erkende liefdeskinderen: Alexandre, van voormalig stewardess Nicole Coste, geboren in 2003; en Jazmin, door de Amerikaanse makelaar Tamara Rotolo, geboren in 1993.

In september 2020 stuurde een ander vermeend liefdeskind een brief. De tiener – toen 15 jaar oud – groeit op in Brazilië en beweert in het handgeschreven briefje dat hij verwekt is tijdens een liefdesrelatie rond de wereld in 2004.

De zaak zou voor de rechtbank in Milaan komen, maar werd geseponeerd. Een woordvoerder van de Prins sprak van een 'hoax'.

Volgens Le Monde ontvangt Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, 31, Alberts liefdeskind met Rotolo, elke drie maanden £73.000, ondanks dat hij geen deel uitmaakt van de koninklijke familie. Palmero merkte op dat ze £ 4.200 kreeg voor haar 18e en zeven jaar later een flat in New York ter waarde van £ 2,6 miljoen.

Hij merkte ook op dat het paleis betaalde voor de ontvoerings- en losgeldverzekering voor Alexandre, 20, Alberts zoon met Coste. De prins erkende in 2005 het vaderschap van Alexandre.

In 2015 haalde de moeder van Alexandre Albert over om haar modebedrijf te steunen, dat werd geleid door een winkel in het Londense Knightsbridge, zei Le Monde deze week.

Palmero merkte in 2015 op dat het ‘op koers lag’ [to cost] een miljoen [euros] een jaar'.

Libération, een andere Franse krant met wie Palmero sprak, zei dat de prins een rekening had bij de Franse bank BNP onder de naam AG voor 'Albert Grimaldi'.

De krant zei dat de rekening werd gebruikt om de voormalige minnaressen van Albert en hun kinderen te betalen zonder dat zijn vrouw het wist.

Prins Albert trouwde in 2011 met Charlene. Maar Palermo merkt op dat Coste 'vreest' voor wat prinses Charlene zou kunnen doen met haar gezellige financiële regelingen na de dood van prins Albert. Daarom liet ze een appartement in Londen op naam van hun zoon Alexandre zetten.

Enkele van de potentieel schadelijkste opmerkingen in Palmero's notitieboekjes hebben echter betrekking op het personeel van Charlene. Hij merkt op dat ze kindermeisjes en ander huishoudelijk personeel in dienst had die illegale immigranten waren of illegaal in Monaco woonden.

'Hare Doorluchtigheid de Prinses laat mensen voor haar werken die zich niet aan de regels houden', waarschuwde Palmero Albert. Hij had het ook over 'een bijverdienende Filippijnse vrouw die honden vastbindt onder de douche'.

In een brief uit januari 2017 zei hij dat een andere werknemer uit de Filipijnen al vijf jaar ‘illegaal’ was, ondanks dat hij een toeristenvisum voor één maand had. 'Hij krijgt 100 euro per dag betaald [£85] Dat is buitensporig', schreef de heer Palmero.

In december 2014 beviel Charlene van een tweeling, prins Jacques en prinses Gabriella, en plaatste ze onmiddellijk onder de hoede van kindermeisjes die volgens Palmero ook illegale immigranten waren.

'Update over het inhuren van nanny's. . . We zijn volkomen illegaal (zelfs hun toeristenvisum verliep op 7 januari),' schreef Palmero op 15 januari van dat jaar.

‘Ze bevinden zich niet alleen in een illegale situatie, maar er is ook iemand binnengekomen met een vals paspoort’, voegde hij eraan toe.

In 2021 sprak hij zijn veto uit over nieuwe personeelsaanwervingen die waren aangevraagd door Charlene, die al '8,5 mensen in dienst had, er zijn er nog nooit zoveel geweest'.

In een verklaring aan Le Monde zeiden de advocaten van de prins dat als er geld werd betaald aan illegale migranten, het Palmero was die de uitgaven had goedgekeurd.

Vorig jaar werd Palmero ontslagen als een van Alberts meest vertrouwde luitenants en wordt hij er nu van beschuldigd contant geld te hebben verduisterd – een bewering die hij ontkent. 'Ik heb nooit een cent aangenomen', zei hij.

'Dit is een ontkenning van 100 procent. Ik ben noch corrupt, noch een dief, allemaal onwaarschijnlijke zaken waarvan de prinselijke familie, voor wie ik mij twintig jaar lang heb ingezet, mij vandaag ten onrechte beschuldigt.'

In een verklaring zei Prins Albert: 'De aanvallen die de heer Palmero tegen mij en tegen de staat Monaco en zijn instellingen doet, tonen zijn ware aard en het weinige respect. . . hij heeft voor het gezin en het vorstendom.'

Het vertrek van Palmero volgt op twee jaar van corruptieclaims, verspreid door een WikiLeaks-achtige website, Les Dossiers du Rocher (The Rock Files).

Op de website stond dat de vertrouwelingen van de prins de torenhoge vastgoedmarkt op The Rock – zoals het kleine belastingparadijs Prinsdom Monaco wordt genoemd – manipuleerden voor persoonlijk gewin.

Tot de op de website genoemde personen behoorden onder meer Alberts voormalige stafchef Laurent Anselmi, Claude Palmero en zijn voormalige advocaat Thierry Lacoste.

Allen waren ooit goede persoonlijke vrienden van Albert, terwijl anderen die van fraude werden beschuldigd, onder meer rechter Didier Linotte van het Hooggerechtshof van Monaco zijn.

Alle genoemde personen ontkennen met klem de beweringen die tegen hen worden ingediend.

Prins Albert vertelde vorig jaar aan Le Figaro: 'The Rock Files bracht via internet bepaalde activiteiten aan het licht van mensen die met mij samenwerkten.

'Zoals ik al zei: als het vertrouwen geschaad is, is het onmogelijk om verder samen te werken.'