Alexander Louis and woman Lauren Ludwig expand their family.

Alexander, 31, and Lauren, 32, announced the exciting news in a joint Instagram post on Thursday, March 14.

“Ooooops New baby Ludwig coming June 2024 and we couldn’t be more excited,” they captioned a sweet photo of Lauren showing off her baby bump while Alexander held daughter Leni, who they welcomed last April.

Fans and friends were quick to send kind words to the couple in the comments section of their pregnancy announcement.

“That’s life, brother. Congratulations. Enjoy every minute with them. It is the time we will long for when we are old. God bless,” the actor wrote Chris Boudreauxwhile a separate social media user added: “Another Ludwig babe for us to love.”

The couple – who tied the knot in 2021 – have been open about their pregnancy journey over the years.

“As many of you know, it’s been a long road for @alexanderludwig and myself,” Lauren wrote in the couple’s first pregnancy announcement in February 2023. “We’ve suffered three losses before this, but each of those losses has taught us about ourselves and each other. For anyone who has suffered a miscarriage before, there is light on the other side of your journey. You are not alone.”

Although daughter Leni’s due date was in May last year, Lauren revealed the rainbow baby arrived a month early as she shared the first photo of their daughter.

“Leni James Ludwig decided to come four weeks early on her own schedule. Born 4/27/23 at 7:24 am,” she captioned the photo, adding, “@alexanderludwig was in another state filming and got back just in time. A labor story for the books”

Nearly a year before she welcomed their firstborn, Lauren wrote an emotional message about her and Alexander’s experiences with pregnancy loss.

“I went back and forth on whether or not I should post about this, but decided we all need to start talking about the truth more,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Last week @alexanderludwig and I had our third miscarriage. I decided I wanted to share it because I don’t find it shameful to talk about it.”

She continued, “I want to help others realize how common miscarriage is and that it is nothing to be ashamed of. Experiencing this has made me realize that I am definitely not alone. It’s so common and yet I feel like it’s not talked about nearly enough. If more of us talked about these things, we might feel less alone and guilty. Information is power and I want to share more of it. This will forever be part of our story.”

Paul Alexander, the man who lived in an iron lung for more than seventy years, has died at the age of 78.

a fundraising for his health care, Alexander, of Dallas, Texas, confirmed his death on Monday without providing further details.

Alexander spent an extraordinary life in the iron lung machine after contracting polio in 1952 at the age of six, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

Unable to breathe on his own, he relied on the machine to breathe for more than seventy years – even as new technologies became available.

But despite his physical limitations, Alexander achieved much as a published author, lawyer and avid traveler, remembered worldwide for his smile and inspiring attitude to life.

Christopher Ulmer, an organizer and disability rights activist, wrote on Alexander’s GoFundMe page Tuesday: “Paul Alexander, “The Man in the Iron Lung,” passed away yesterday.

‘After surviving polio as a child, he lived in an iron lung for more than seventy years. During this time, Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author.

“His story spread far and wide and positively influenced people around the world.

“Paul was an incredible role model who will still be remembered.”

During an extraordinary life, Alexander’s determination led him to achieve a number of remarkable achievements.

At age 21, he became the first person to graduate from a Dallas high school without ever attending classes in person.

He was admitted to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, after many problems with the university administration, and then went on to study law at the University of Texas, Austin.

He pursued his dreams of becoming a trial lawyer, representing clients in court wearing a three-piece suit and a modified wheelchair that kept his paralyzed body upright.

He also organized a sit-in for disability rights and published his own memoir, titled “Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung.”

The 155-page memoir was carefully drafted and took five years to complete; Paul wrote every word with a pen on a stick in his mouth.

Paul outlived both his parents, his brother and even his original iron lung, which began leaking air in 2015 but was repaired by mechanic Brady Richards, following a YouTube video of Paul pleading for help.

Near the ventilator, a large yellow metal box, patients must lie inside, with the device strapped tightly around their neck.

It works by creating a vacuum to mechanically draw oxygen into the lungs in patients whose central nervous system and respiratory function have been affected by polio.

While in hospital, doctors tried to get Paul to breathe on his own by turning off the machine and forcing him outside, but it wouldn’t be long before he turned blue and passed out.

Despite the availability of more modern ventilators, Paul decided to continue using the iron lung machine because he was used to it.

Other devices also require intensive surgery.

Throughout his life, Alexander never let the device get in the way of what he wanted to achieve: traveling on airplanes, living independently, praying in church, visiting the ocean and falling in love.

While studying, Alexander met Claire, to whom he later became engaged. He spoke candidly to The Guardian about how her mother forbade him from speaking to her daughter.

“It took years to heal from that,” he told the outlet.

Later in life, Alexander formed a close bond with Kathy Gaines, who became his caregiver – or in his words, “arms and legs.”

Gaines stepped in to help after Alexander graduated from law school and supported him for more than thirty years.

Alexander said the couple “grew together” even as Gaines himself was legally blind due to Type 1 diabetes.

Polio is a contagious viral disease that affects the respiratory function of the central nervous system and can cause muscle weakness and paralysis.

It is transmitted through contaminated water and food or through contact with an infected person.

It has been largely eradicated around the world after the widespread use of the vaccine that came into use in the 1950s.

Today the disease is still endemic in only four countries: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra visited King Harald today at the Rikshospital in Oslo, Norway.

Mette-Marit, 50, looked focused as she drove her Tesla to University Hospital to visit her father-in-law with daughter Ingrid Alexandra, 20.

King Harald, 87, was rushed back to Oslo yesterday aboard a medical evacuation plane after being hospitalized for an infection during a private trip in Langkawi, Malaysia.

“He will remain in hospital for treatment and rest for a few days,” the royal household said in a statement on Sunday.

King Harald, the monarch of Norway since 1991, is the oldest living monarch in Europe. He has been hospitalized several times in recent years with infections and has undergone heart surgery.

Princess Mette-Marit and her daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra looked positive as they made their way to the Rikshospital – with Ingrid flashing a smile for the photographers.

It was previously said that the king was expected to be on sick leave for two weeks. Crown Prince Haakon, who married Princess Mette-Marit in 2001, was chairman during his father’s absence.

The 87-year-old king had been hospitalized due to an infection during a private trip to the holiday island of Langkawi. On Saturday he received a temporary pacemaker.

A medical plane believed to be carrying the king took off from Langkawi on Sunday afternoon after police escorted an ambulance convoy from the hospital to the airport, as reported by AFP.

Queen Sonja was traveling with the king, who would be admitted to Oslo’s Rikshospitalet hospital upon his return to Norway, the royal household said in a statement.

“The king will be on sick leave for two weeks,” it said. ‘The crown prince will be regent during that period and will take over the constitutional duties of the king.’ Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, 50, was already chairman in his father’s absence.

On Saturday, the royal court had said that the king would be able to fly home in a few days. It says the government has asked the Norwegian military to assist with the trip.

King Harald has been hospitalized several times in recent years with infections and has undergone heart surgery.

He suffered a respiratory infection in January, days after dismissing speculation that he could step down, following the lead of Denmark’s distant cousin Queen Margrethe II.

Two days before Harald’s 87th birthday last week, the palace announced that the king would take a private trip abroad, without specifying the destination or dates, according to Norwegian news agency NTB.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he was “sad” when he heard of the king’s hospitalization and wished him a “speedy recovery,” according to NTB.

Despite Harald’s precarious physical condition, the royal family is confident he wants to continue ruling as Norway’s reigning monarch.

Last month, the royal family confirmed he has no plans to step down following speculation he could follow in the footsteps of his former Danish counterpart, Queen Margrethe.

The monarch, the great-nephew of King Charles III, emphasized that the promise he made to the Norwegian parliament when he came to the throne in 1991 is “valid for life.”

King Harald told Faktisk.no: “I stand by what I have said all along. I made an oath to the Storting, and it is valid for life.’

It comes after Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 83, abdicated after 52 years on the throne, making way for her son Frederik to take over on January 14.

Afterwards, a royal expert had suggested that the Danish monarch had broken an “invisible pact” between heads of state in the Scandinavian countries that no one would step down from the throne.

Roger Lundberg told STV that after Denmark’s transition, there is a chance that King Harald of Norway and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, 79, will follow suit and step down to let their eldest children take over the throne.

However, this was firmly rejected by King Harald.

The Norwegian king was 53 when he came to the throne in 1991, after the death of his father, King Olav. Previously, he served as Crown Prince Regent due to his father’s illness, which escalated in the spring of 1990.

King Harald has faced some health issues himself in recent years and spent time in hospital last May treating an infection, but he clearly has no intention of abdicating.

His Scandinavian neighbor, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, made the shocking announcement during her New Year’s Eve speech that she would give up the throne.

The Danish royal family has suffered several scandals in the past two years, including the queen’s surprise decision to strip her grandchildren of their princely titles.

There were also rumors of an ‘affair’ after the then Crown Prince Frederik was spotted in Madrid with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova.

But Denmark isn’t the only monarchy in the Nordic countries to have had a bumpy few years, with the Norwegian royal family experiencing its own ‘Megxit’.

King Harald and Queen Sonja’s only daughter, Princess Martha Louise, who was fourth in line to the throne, stepped down as working royals in 2019.

In 2022, it was announced that the mother of three would no longer represent the royal household in any form following her engagement to an American shamanic healer who had been criticized for his controversial views.

King Harald said Martha would not be allowed to use her royal title in future commercial partnerships with her partner Durek Verrett, 47.

Shortly after the mother of three announced her engagement to Verrett, a Norwegian publisher dropped his book “Spirit Hacking” due to pseudoscientific claims, including “children can get cancer if they are unhappy.”

Among his other claims, Verrett says he once rose from the dead, recovering from a months-long coma, by “burning” his soul, and has also spoken about having to receive a kidney transplant from his sister as a child.

After Martha Louise’s decision to abdicate, King Harald emphasized that his daughter remained a princess at his request. He said, “She is our daughter, and she will remain so. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.’

The princess was previously married to Ari Behn, whom she married in 2002 and had three children together: Maud Angelica, 19, Leah Isadora, 17, and Emma Tallulah, 14. They split in 2016 and Ari made a date on Christmas Day end his life. 2019.

Crown Prince Haakon, Martha-Louise’s older brother, is Norway’s heir apparent – and the future king has already gotten a taste of what it will be like to take the throne after taking his father’s place several times in recent years .

Op het eerste gezicht leek dr. Paolo Macchiarini bijna te mooi om waar te zijn. Deze wereldberoemde arts, bijgenaamd de ‘superchirurg’, was knap, charismatisch en leek een inherente empathie voor zijn patiënten te hebben.

In 2013 werd zijn werk op het gebied van transplantaties zo baanbrekend geacht dat Benita Alexander, een bekroonde producer bij de Amerikaanse omroep NBC, werd uitgezonden om hem te interviewen voor een tv-special over regeneratieve geneeskunde.

‘We grapten dat hij een George Clooney-lookalike was met internationale flair, die meerdere talen sprak en voor zijn werk de wereld rondreisde’, zegt Benita. ‘Hij was indrukwekkend en intrigerend.’

Zo charismatisch zelfs dat de twee een wervelende romance genoten en zich al na tien maanden verloofden.

Tot Macchiarini, in een wending die elke ziekenhuissoap waardig was, werd ontmaskerd als een Walter Mitty-achtige fantast, met een cast van personages waaronder, buitengewoon, prinses Diana en de paus.

‘Ik kende deze man niet meer die naast mij in bed had gelegen’, zegt Benita begrijpelijkerwijs.

Ondanks haar liefdesverdriet bleek ze echter een van de gelukkigste te zijn. Niet alleen was haar verloofde een liefdesfraude, hij is bij zijn onderzoek ook schuldig bevonden aan onwetenschappelijk wangedrag.

‘Ik heb veel verdriet en vernedering meegemaakt’, zegt Benita. ‘Maar ik wilde dit verhaal vertellen om de mensen die stierven een schijn van gerechtigheid te geven.’

Vorig jaar deed ze precies dat in een Netflix-documentaire over echte misdaad, Bad Surgeon: Love Under The Knife.

Nu ze 57 is, vormt Benita een glamoureus figuur terwijl ze spreekt vanuit haar huis in New York. Als ‘stoere’ onderzoeksjournaliste is zij de laatste persoon die je zou verwachten te vallen voor de schelmenverhalen van Macchiarini.

Maar toen ze elkaar in 2013 voor het eerst ontmoetten in Boston om zijn werk voor de tv-special Leap Of Faith te bespreken, zegt ze dat ze ‘zich een duizelig schoolmeisje voelde’.

Macchiarini, toen 54, vloog al hoog. Hij kreeg een contract bij het Zweedse Karolinska Instituut – een van de meest prestigieuze onderzoeksfaciliteiten ter wereld, die de Nobelprijs voor de geneeskunde toekent.

Benita bevond zich echter op een dieptepunt in haar leven. Bij haar voormalige echtgenoot, John, was hersenkanker vastgesteld, ‘en ik kreeg de taak om onze negenjarige dochter te vertellen dat haar vader zou sterven’.

Ze herinnert zich: ‘Ik was radeloos. Wat ik me niet realiseerde, is dat oplichters een kwetsbaarheidsradar hebben.’

Aanvankelijk bleek Macchiarini een empathische vriend. ‘Hij kon heel goed luisteren’, zegt Benita. Het was een soortgelijk medeleven dat hij voor zijn patiënten leek te tonen.

Hun relatie werd pas in juni 2013 intiem, nadat John was overleden. ‘Ik had dringend iemand nodig die zijn armen om me heen sloeg en me vertelde dat alles goed zou komen – en dat is wat hij deed.

‘Hij nam me mee naar Venetië en liet me overrompelen.’

Hun verkering, zegt ze, was ‘romantiek op steroïden’. In Venetië overlaadde hij haar met rode rozen.

‘Hij nam me mee op een wilde winkeltocht. Eens, in Londen, gaf hij £8.000 aan mij uit in de winkel van Diane von Furstenberg.’

Hebben zijn overdreven gebaren haar achterdochtig gemaakt?

‘Nee, maar zeker ongemakkelijk’, geeft Benita toe. ‘Ik bleef maar zeggen: “Ik hou van je, je hoeft geen indruk op mij te maken”.’

Niet lang na hun relatie stierf een van zijn patiënten. Benita had de tweejarige Hannah Warren, die een van de synthetische luchtpijpen had gekregen, leren kennen tijdens het maken van haar film voor NBC en was er kapot van door haar verlies. Net als Macchiarini, zo leek het. ‘Toen ik hem belde, huilde hij’, zegt Benita.

Op eerste kerstdag 2013 deed Macchiarini Benita ten huwelijk in haar huis in New York en overhandigde haar stilletjes een doos met daarin een diamanten verlovingsring van £ 80.000. ‘Het voorstel was mooi omdat het zo eenvoudig was’, zegt ze.

Hij had Benita eerder verteld dat hij en zijn vervreemde vrouw gescheiden levens leidden – zij in Italië, hij in Spanje – en vertelde haar later dat hun scheiding was doorgevoerd. Maar na het voorstel voegde Macchiarini eraan toe dat hij niet kon blijven voor het nieuwe jaar omdat hij een belangrijke operatie moest uitvoeren.

‘Toen beweerde hij dat hij deel uitmaakte van dit clandestiene netwerk van artsen dat zich op VIP-cliënten richtte.’ Deze omvatten de Obama’s, de Clintons en keizer Akihito van Japan. Geloofde ze hem?

‘Aan de ene kant klonk het belachelijk’, geeft Benita toe. ‘Maar aan de andere kant was het plausibel omdat hij bekend stond als de ‘superchirurg’.’

Hij vertelde haar broer ook dat hij was opgeroepen na het auto-ongeluk van prinses Diana in Parijs. Als hij er op tijd was geweest, pochte hij, had hij haar leven kunnen redden.

De bruiloft vond plaats op 11 juli 2015 in Rome, en in oktober 2014 had Macchiarini opwindend nieuws. Hij was jarenlang de privéarts van paus Franciscus geweest en als persoonlijk dank had de paus beloofd de bruiloft te zullen bijwonen, en zelfs aan te bieden deze in zijn zomerresidentie, Castel Gandolfo, te organiseren.

‘Dat geloofde ik eerst niet’, zegt Benita, maar na online onderzoek ontdekte ze dat de paus onlangs in het Vaticaan met een groep stellen was getrouwd. Waarom zij ook niet?

In overeenstemming met zijn status van ‘superchirurg’ stonden op de gastenlijst de Obama’s, de Clintons en Vladimir Poetin (Macchiarini had werkbanden met Rusland), de Beckhams en Russell Crowe. Elton John en Andrea Bocelli zouden optreden.

‘Ik vond het allemaal een beetje belachelijk’, zegt Benita, ‘maar hij was onverstoorbaar. Het enige waar ik voor moest zorgen waren mijn jurken en de uitnodigingen.’

Benita besteedde £ 8.000 aan 300 uitnodigingen, die waren omhuld met lamsleer en voorzien van de initialen van het stel, en gaf nog eens £ 40.000 uit aan vier jurken. ‘Het was met dien verstande dat hij mij later zou terugbetalen. Ik had geen reden om daaraan te twijfelen.’

Macchiarini vertelde haar dat hij wilde dat Bill Clinton hun huwelijksdans zou aankondigen ‘omdat ze blijkbaar samen tennis speelden’. Toen ze hem vooraf vroeg een etentje met Clinton te regelen, werd dat echter drie keer afgelast.

Inmiddels begonnen de rode vlaggen te zwaaien. In november 2014 publiceerde de New York Times een verhaal waarin werd beweerd dat Macchiarini’s collega’s van het Karolinska Instituut een klacht hadden ingediend waarin ze hem beschuldigden van wetenschappelijk wangedrag – een beschuldiging die hij wegwuifde als professionele jaloezie.

Maar ook in zijn privéleven klopte het niet.

‘Hij had me over de hele wereld gevlogen, maar me nooit meegenomen naar zijn huis in Barcelona, ​​waar we gingen wonen nadat we getrouwd waren. Het sloeg nergens op’, zegt Benita. ‘Ik was ook boos omdat ik zijn kinderen niet had ontmoet.’

In mei 2015, twee maanden voor haar huwelijk, stopte Benita met haar baan bij NBC en haalde haar dochter van school ter voorbereiding op hun verhuizing naar Europa – om de volgende dag al uit haar wereld te verdwijnen.

Een vriend mailde haar over het aanstaande bezoek van de paus aan Zuid-Amerika – precies op het moment dat hij met hen zou trouwen.

Toen Benita Macchiarini belde, gaf hij de interne politiek van het Vaticaan de schuld van de verwarring. Vervolgens nam ze contact op met het kasteel in Italië waar hij zogenaamd kamers had geboekt voor hun gasten, maar niemand had van hem gehoord.

‘Toen zette ik mijn journalistenhoed weer op’, zegt Benita. ‘Ik heb twee privédetectives in de VS en Italië ingehuurd om bewijsmateriaal te verzamelen.’

Een week later ontmoette ze Macchiarini bij haar thuis. ‘Er was een klein deel van mij dat hoopte op een plausibele verklaring.’

Wat ze kreeg was dat Macchiarini haar vertelde: ‘Dat geheime netwerk van doktoren waar ik je over vertelde? Het wordt beheerd door de CIA.’

Benita annuleerde de bruiloft en vloog op de dag dat deze zou plaatsvinden met vrienden naar Europa. Macchiarini had haar verteld dat hij in Rusland was, ‘dus besloten we naar zijn huis in Barcelona te gaan omdat hij daar duidelijk iets verborgen hield’.

‘Ik bleef in de auto en zag hem de trap af slenteren. Toen zag ik een blonde vrouw met twee kleine kinderen. Ik had foto’s van zijn vrouw gezien, maar deze vrouw was veel jonger. Toen de kinderen hem Papa noemden, was ik het helemaal kwijt.’

Benita ontdekte dat hij, naast zijn familie in Barcelona, ​​nog steeds dertig jaar getrouwd was met zijn vrouw, ‘en ik heb ook van andere vrouwen gehoord’.

De omvang van het verraad was verwoestend. ‘Er was niet alleen sprake van diep verdriet en teleurstelling,’ zegt ze, ‘maar het werd nog verergerd door woede. Dit was vanaf dag één een berekende misleiding. Ik voelde me schuldig omdat ik mijn familie en vrienden had meegenomen op deze rit en de vernedering dat dit mij overkwam – een onderzoeksjournalist, in godsnaam!

‘Ik wilde in een gat kruipen. Het was bijna verlammend.’

Wat Benita uit haar verdoving schudde was, zegt ze, ‘de openbaring dat als hij zo tegen me loog, het onmogelijk was dat hij in zijn professionele leven niet loog’.

‘Dat was angstaanjagend omdat hij als arts de levens van mensen in zijn handen had.’ Het verhaal dat uiteindelijk naar voren kwam was huiveringwekkender dan zelfs zij zich had kunnen voorstellen.

De Netflix-documentaire toont beelden van de patiënten bij wie Macchiarini tracheatransplantaties uitvoerde, onder wie Hannah Warren, de Amerikaan Christopher Lyles en een jonge Russische moeder, Yulia Tuulik. Alle drie stierven. Sommige scènes waarin Yulia pijn lijdt, zijn niet te bekijken.

Sommige van zijn geloofsbrieven waren naar verluidt niet waar. ‘Ik heb met chirurgen gesproken die bij hem in de operatiekamer zijn geweest. Sommigen denken dat hij bekwaam is en sommigen denken dat hij een roekeloze chirurg is die risico’s neemt – en dat als er iets misgaat, hij een stap terug doet en iemand anders het over laat nemen’, zegt Benita.

‘Slechts één persoon die de luchtpijpoperatie heeft ondergaan, leeft nog, en die is eruit gehaald.’

Benita heeft Macchiarini twee keer gezien sinds haar verloving mislukte – in een rechtbank, waar hij te maken kreeg met strafrechtelijke beschuldigingen.

Dankzij het werk van zijn voormalige collega’s die klokkenluiders waren geworden en die ontdekten dat hij had gelogen over sommige aspecten van zijn onderzoek, en dankzij de inspanningen van Benita, verscheen Macchiarini in 2022 voor een Zweedse rechtbank en werd hij schuldig bevonden aan het toebrengen van lichamelijk letsel aan een patiënt en kreeg een voorwaardelijke straf.

Afgelopen zomer werd hij veroordeeld tot 30 maanden gevangenisstraf nadat hij schuldig was bevonden aan grove mishandeling tegen drie van zijn patiënten. ‘Toen ik hem in de rechtszaal zag,’ zegt Benita, ‘voelde ik niets voor hem.’

Over de reden waarom hij Benita zo uitvoerig heeft bedrogen, kan ze alleen maar speculeren. ‘Ik weet dat zijn motief geen geld was, want hij was altijd vrijgevig. Het enige wat ik kan bedenken is dat hij een soort misselijk gevoel kreeg van het wegkomen met alles en hoe groter de leugen, hoe groter de haast.’

‘Ik denk dat hij een volledige minachting had voor iedereen behalve zichzelf, en misschien richtte hij zich op mij omdat ik een journalist was – toen de s*** de fan raakte [in his professional life]hij zou mij in zijn achterzak kunnen hebben als zijn cheerleader.’

Ze geeft toe dat ze aanvankelijk terughoudend was om opnieuw een relatie te krijgen, maar nu een relatie heeft met Martin Huddartz, directeur van het Britse beveiligingsbedrijf.

‘Hij is lieflijk en romantisch in de belangrijkste opzichten. Het is duidelijk dat je zoiets niet meemaakt en geen vertrouwensproblemen hebt, maar ik heb mezelf beloofd dat ik niet verbitterd zou worden of de essentie van wie ik ben zou veranderen.’

Het was misschien geen klassieke romantiekzwendel, maar het was niettemin het werk van een gevaarlijke fantast – en een herinnering dat iedereen erin kan trappen.

Bad Surgeon: Love Under The Knife staat op Netflix

Noomi Rapace sat next to Juliette Binoche in the front row at the Alexander McQueen Paris Fashion Week show on Saturday evening.

Swedish actress Noomi, 44, went goth for the occasion in a stylish black leather mini dress with dramatic shoulder pads and oversized sleeves.

She completed the look with a quirky metal choker and tucked her feet into a pair of chunky ankle boots.

Meanwhile, Oscar winner Juliette, 59, opted for a chic cream suit which she wore over a white satin shirt.

The French stunner accentuated her age features with glamorous makeup and wore her brunette locks in loose waves.

Noomi’s new space-based Apple TV+ series Constellation is so sinister that even the showrunner would politely decline an invitation for an intergalactic voyage.

The eight-part psychological thriller, created and written by Peter Harness, follows astronaut Jo, played by Noomi, who returns to Earth after a disaster in space, only to discover that important pieces of her life are missing.

The action-packed series explores the dark edges of human psychology and follows one woman’s quest to uncover the truth about the hidden history of space travel in an effort to regain everything she has lost.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Peter revealed the story that inspired the plot, while also admitting that he is so scared of space that he would only consider jumping aboard a rocket if his days were numbered.

“I was once on vacation in a cabin in the Swedish woods, and as night fell, we heard a little girl in the woods calling for her mother,” he said of how he was inspired to create the plot.

‘It was very creepy and a bit weird, and we didn’t know where it came from. And we never found out where it came from.

“But a few nights in a row we heard this sound and I always thought I should write something about this little girl who was lost in the forest in Sweden.

“And when I was asked if I wanted to write something about astronauts and what it’s like for them to return to Earth, I wanted to address how challenging that is.

“I have a mother who is stuck out there in space trying desperately to reach her daughter. And for some reason that daughter was the little girl who got lost in the woods… and I had to write for the show to get them back.”

Oppenheimer actor James D’Arcy plays Jo’s husband Magnus, who desperately tries to understand his wife’s altered mental state after her return to Earth.

James admitted he was stunned after reading the entire script in one sitting – and hinted audiences will be hooked.

“When I first read the script, I read all eight episodes in one day and when I got to the end my head exploded,” he told DailyMail.com.

‘I realized I had just read something truly unique, it defies description: it’s a science fiction, but it’s a thriller, but it’s a conspiracy drama, but it’s also a family affair.

‘What I loved about it was, even with this huge epic scope, that at the heart of it was this deep meditation on the nature of being human and dealing with reality.

“I really resonated with that, especially since the pandemic, where reality feels very loose.

“Peter Harness, who I think is a genius, has written this series that tackles all those big questions, but does it in the most entertaining way.”

The Duchess of Edinburgh again showed her support for British sport on Friday when she attended the British Cycling National Track Championships in Manchester.

Sophie, 59, patron of the British Cycling Federation – the organization that runs the National Track Championships – was seen speaking to athletes and staff on the first day of the competition.

Wearing sporty stripes under a smart navy blazer from British fashion house Alexander McQueen – on sale for £1,990 on the Harrods website – the royal was certainly dressed for the occasion.

The mother of two wore a camel cashmere sweater with red horizontal stripes from American brand Frame, which she paired with navy blue cropped trousers and light brown leather boots from Prada.

She completed the look with a brown studded bag from French designer Isabel Marant.

Sophie kept her makeup simple and wore her hair up, revealing a pair of Tiffany & Co. earrings with the yellow birthstone Citrine.

At the event, which brought together Britain’s top cyclists including Olympians, Paralympians and world champions, Sophie was photographed chatting to Scottish cyclist Jack Carlin, who took both a silver and bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

She was also seen chatting to youngster Harry Radford, a track sprinter and part of the Great Britain Cycling Team, as well as event staff from the National Cycling Center in Manchester.

The royal was joined by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the pair were even spotted trying out adaptive cycles together.

Edward, 59, paired his wife with a relaxed formal ensemble, opting for a sage green blazer, cornflower blue shirt and navy trousers.

Sophie, patron of more than 70 charities and organizations, supports a wide range of projects and charities.

As patron of the London College of Fashion (LCF), she visited the university’s new East Bank campus in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park last week.

There she tried out a virtual mirror that allows people to see what they would look like in countless different outfits, without having to change clothes. She showed her adventurous side when she opted for a fluorescent pink baseball jacket.

The royal beamed as she saw what she looked like in her new trendy clothes on a computer screen.

During the day, Sophie also met Filip Gesse, a postgraduate costume designer, and viewed his avant-garde creations.

Sophie appeared cheerful as she chatted with Filip about his innovative designs.

The Duchess also admired a unique piece called The Monster Project by Emily Amanda Higgins.

Sophie admired the striking bright pink image and ran her fingertips over the varied textures.

The presentation took place at an invitation-only event. However, in addition to the exclusive presentation, an immersive exhibition will be open to the public at LCF’s East Bank Campus from February 12 to March 9.

People in Greece are up in arms over the portrayal of Alexander the Great in a Netflix series depicting the Macedonian king in a romantic relationship with his friend Hephaestion.

Alexander: The Making of a God stars Buck Braithwaite in a series of reenactments, following the style of a documentary. Six episodes dramatize key events and attempt to summarize his desire to conquer the world.

However, as a romantic encounter between Alexander and Haphaestion unfolds, Greece's culture minister has criticized Netflix for “extremely poor quality fiction” that is “full of historical inaccuracies.”

Lina Mendoni has joined a chorus of voices in Greece who have criticized the streaming giant's series, with a Greek newspaper blaming a previous adaptation of the story of Alexander the Great for starting a “propaganda campaign” that Alexander was homosexual.

The Guardian reports a commentary piece in Eleftheros Typos accused Oliver Stone's 2004 film starring Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie of perpetuating the idea that the Macedonian king had homosexual relationships.

Dimitris Natsiou, leader of the far-right Orthodox Niki party, said in the Greek parliament that the new Netflix series is “deplorable, unacceptable and unhistorical.”

He added that there is “no basis” for assuming that Alexander the Great was homosexual.

In response, Mendoni said the director's style reflected “sloppiness” and added that ancient texts never revealed any sense that the relationship between the Macedonian king and Hephaestion exceeded “the limits of friendship.”

However, the Culture Minister added that the concept of love has always been “broad and multi-dimensional” throughout the centuries, stressing that modern society cannot impose its norms on the conventions of ancient civilizations.

Despite criticism of the show, she insisted that the Greek government would not take action against the streaming giant as it would be 'unconstitutional'.

She noted that the Greek constitution protects “freedom of art” and that carrying out such an action would amount to “censorship.”

“The inspiration of artists, the personal interpretation and judgment of individuals cannot, of course, be subject to a regulatory regime and control, nor can they be governed or dragged into the courts,” she said.

“Instead, it is judged and judged by each of us, by the international community. That's how Netflix is ​​judged.'

Historians have long debated Alexander the Great's sexuality, which is never specified in ancient texts.

One piece of text that is sometimes taken as a sign of homosexuality is the text by the Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus, which states that Alexander's mother was concerned that her son seemed to have no romantic interest in women.

The text reads: 'He disdained sensual pleasures to such an extent that his mother feared that he would not be able to produce offspring.'

Writings suggest that Alexander's mother brought him a woman, Callixena, and asked him to sleep with her, but he refused.

Of Alexander's relationship with Hephaestion, Rufus once wrote that he was “the dearest of all the king's friends” who “shared all his secrets.”

When Hephaestion died, Alexander is said to have gone into a period of deep mourning and not eaten for several days. He then held a funeral for him in Babylon.

However, the king was married to three different women throughout his life, and the Greek philosopher Plutarch once stated that Alexander had sex with one woman, Barsine, after being won over by her beauty and love of literature.

FEMAIL has contacted Netflix for comment.

Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia has revealed he 'only recently defeated prostate cancer' after admitting he was encouraged to speak out by King Charles' 'openness'.

In a shocking statement, the 78-year-old, a cousin of the British monarch, 75, revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December last year.

He previously kept his battle with the disease a secret, but Charles' 'openness' about his own cancer diagnosis inspired him to speak out.

The 78-year-old said he was 'terrified' at the time he was diagnosed, but the support from family and friends helped him get through the struggle. Alexander has now received the 'all clear' from doctors.

He concluded the message by sending well wishes to his “dear friend and cousin” Charles and expressed his “high expectations” that the monarch will also be “triumphant” in his recovery.

Alexander began the statement by expressing his deep concern for Charles, saying, “[I am] moved by his courage, despite the illness, sharing his personal health condition with his people, I send the following message of support, but also of understanding and compassion.

“The love of all of us who know him, and of his people, we care deeply for him, will sustain His Majesty to persevere and win this most important battle. “The news that this is in the early stages is encouraging,” he continued.

'You don't want to hear the unfortunate news about cancer. And I can say it personally because I know very well how you feel once you hear it.

'How frightening and terrifying it is for the family, how all the feelings are mixed and how you can't think of anything else.'

Alexander then talked about his personal experience with the disease. He said: 'I can say it now because I only recently beat cancer.

“I had avoided talking about it because it is a personal matter that only affects me and my family, but King Charles' openness moved me and encouraged me to talk about it too.”

“I'm sharing this now because this kind of tragic news can encourage people to respond and take care of their health,” Alexander continued.

'The statistics already show that after we heard about His Majesty's previous condition with the prostate, the number of check-ups in Britain increased sharply.

“That's why people need to hear my story, to see that it's something that can happen to any of us. But if we are responsible, the outcome can be good.

'In December last year I found out that I had early-stage prostate cancer. The year before I was at my regular check-up, the doctors performed an MRI examination and saw something suspicious. They did a biopsy and then everything was fine.

Alexander continues: 'A year later an MRI scan, although I had no problems with it, again showed worrying images, but this time the biopsy results showed the word we all fear.

'At that moment I was terrified. But I wasn't the only one. I'm not talking about family and friends who knew this and shared their support, which meant so much and cannot be described in words, but also about all the other people who are fighting this disease.

“Then I strictly listened to the doctor's orders, did all the necessary tests before the intervention, had surgery, did all the mandatory checks after the operation and finally received the most joyful words from my doctor: “Everything is clear now”.

“I strictly intend to continue regular doctor checkups in the future. I appeal to everyone to follow suit and do the same.

'Be responsible for yourself, listen to the doctor's advice and look after your health, preserve it and cherish it as the greatest wealth and gift you will ever receive.'

Alexander concluded the message by saying: “I hope with all my heart that His Majesty the King, my dear friend and cousin, will also be victorious.”

Alexander was born in exile in London's Claridge's hotel, which was temporarily declared Yugoslavia for a day in 1945 to avoid succession laws that required future kings to be born on home soil.

But in 2001, after the Yugoslav wars, he moved 'home'. He is a good friend of King Charles.

It comes after a smiling King Charles left Clarence House following a 'brief' meeting with Prince Harry – with the monarch returning to Sandringham after his initial treatment for cancer.

Charles and Queen Camilla were seen waving to the crowd as they left the royal residence in the back of an official car. It is believed they will head to Norfolk by helicopter.

It comes after the monarch had a brief meeting with the Duke of Sussex, who rushed to Britain after an event 11-hour British Airways flight from California – where his wife Meghan Markle and children, Archie and Lilibet, are left behind.

The Duke of Sussex was spotted in the back of a Range Rover driving in a large convoy through the gates of Clarence House, where 75-year-old Charles is said to be 'in good form' after treatment earlier today for an unspecified cancer.

It is not known whether Harry will remain in central London or stay in Windsor, most likely at Frogmore Cottage – which he and Meghan vacated last June.

Experts have said they hope Harry's trip is the 'sign of a truce' with Charles, but… there remains little sign of rapprochement with his brother William – with a source close to the Prince of Wales saying there were 'no plans' for a meeting.

The source told The Mirror: 'The prince mainly focuses on his wife, who is recovering from an operation, his three children and now his father. There are no plans for Harry's visit to serve as any kind of vehicle for reconciliation.”

Charles is now said to be 'in good shape' and in regular contact with his relatives.

“He is in his usual good form in every respect, just a little frustrated as his condition has affected not only his own plans but those of others,” a palace source told the Telegraph.

Harry left LAX for London last night after Charles personally called him to tell him the devastating news.

A luxury Range Rover believed to be carrying the British Royal Family was spotted arriving at LAX's VIP terminal last night, boarding the earliest flight so he could get to London by lunchtime.

Harry was accompanied by police security, despite his ongoing row with the Home Office.

Daily Mail Diary editor Richard Eden tweeted today: 'Following his 5,000 mile flight from Los Angeles, #PrinceHarry is said to have had a brief meeting with #KingCharles before His Majesty departed for his Norfolk retreat, Sandringham. It will be interesting to see how long Harry stays in this country.'

Earlier, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said it was important for the duke to show solidarity with his father.

“I am sure Harry will now put the past aside for this serious issue,” he said. “It's so important that everyone is moving in the right direction.”

Kristina Kyriacou, the king's former press secretary, said: 'Charles loves Harry. He didn't want this alienation.

“If bad news comes with good news and Harry and the king, the queen and his brother are reunited, how wonderful.”

In Spare, Harry had revealed that Charles had urged his warring sons, “Please, boys, don't make my last years a misery.”

Harry's journey could have been motivated by that plea. The Prince flew into London's Heathrow Airport on a scheduled British Airways flight from Los Angeles before being picked up by a black Range Rover.

Cher was seen for the first time on Thursday after a judge denied her request for a temporary conservatorship over her 47-year-old son Elijah Blue Allman.

The legendary songstress, 77, was pictured arriving at Warner Music Group’s pre-Grammy party in Hollywood with her rapper boyfriend Alexander Edwards, 38.

Alexander held the door open for his lady as she stepped out of the backseat of their chauffeured SUV.

Cher – who said she fears for her son’s Elijah life – looked stylish in faded black jeans decked out with rhinestones on the pockets and legs.

She tucked a low-cut black shirt into her pants’ high waistband and she layered up with a black velvet jacket.

The hitmaker’s bleach blonde hair was curled and she rocked sparkly chandelier earrings.

Cher flashed a smile as she greeted fans and photographers outside of the party venue.

Alexander kept it low-key on this rainy night by rocking an all-black look that included a warm coat.

The couple have been dating on/off since December 2022 and she’s continually defended their 40-year age-gap.  

Thursday’s party was held at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Los Angeles.

Sofia Richie, Charlie XCX, Heidi Klum and Bebe Rexha were among the other glamorous stars to attend.

Cher’s outing comes days after the latest update in her ongoing conservatorship battle with son Elijah.

Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui ruled Monday there was insufficient evidence that recovering addict Elijah couldn’t look after himself and manage his own finances, currently held in trust – despite Cher’s fears he may be dead within the year unless it was approved.

She said he showed no ‘lack of capacity’ to manage his own affairs. There is ‘no urgency,’ she added.

The court heard that Elijah Blue is currently ‘drug free’ and has rented an apartment to live in.

The news was a blow for the superstar singer and Best Actress Oscar-winner, 77.

Sounding dejected, as if reading from a teleprompter, ‘My name is Cher’, is how she introduced herself to the courtroom in Room 236, Department 5 Los Angeles Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles.

She was appearing remotely on screen via video link.

Cher had argued Blue Elijah was  unfit to care for himself amid severe substance abuse and mental health issues. 

Cher sat stoic, unsmiling, upright on a cream colored sofa with beige curtains behind her, wearing a plain black jacket with a white top underneath.

Her immaculate raven hair was wavy and long, down to her chest.

Elijah Blue, wearing a black suit, appeared in court with wife Marieangela King, 36. Neither he nor Cher smiled at each other.

King, 36, had previously said said that Cher would be ‘categorically unfit to serve’ as the head of a conservatorship even if one was implemented, according to court documents.

King said that she’s known Cher for more than a decade; and that the Moonstruck actress ‘doesn’t drive, doesn’t make her own food or dress herself.’

Cher’s attorney, Gabrielle Vidal – chair of law firm Loeb & Loeb’s Guardianships practice – told the court that Elijah Blue, despite his recent sobriety, still suffers from ‘periods of psychosis.’

A temporary guardianship was needed to protect ‘the assets’, said Vidal, adding: ‘Cher fears her son would not be alive within the year.’

Elijah Blue, said Vidal, has been 5150 sectioned ‘multiple times over the last calendar year.’

A section 5150 is the number of the section of the Welfare and Institutions Code, which allows an adult who is experiencing a mental health crisis to be involuntarily detained for a 72- hour psychiatric hospitalization if deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.

Elijah Blue, explained Vidal, is currently being treated by ‘a non-medical doctor.’

‘Periods of stress create psychosis,’ she said. ‘He has a history of drug addiction.

‘Mental illness makes Mr Allman vulnerable. People around him deny the psychosis.’

Although ‘she applauds his efforts,’ medical experts told Cher ‘that if she did not take this step (a conservatorship) as his mother he would once again end up on the street.

‘This is not about Cher wanting to control Elijah or his money.

‘We do believe that the urgency exists.’ Elijah Blue’s history of drug abuse and mental issues are ‘separate but interrelated.

If the funds from his trust ‘come directly into his hands they could be misused.’

After the verdict outside court, Elijah Blue’s attorney Steven Bremer said: ‘Elijah is thrilled that the court saw he does not need a temporary conservatorship.

He’s grateful to his fans, friends, other members of the recovery community for their support.’

Another hearing is scheduled for March 6.

Last week Elijah Blue told the court that he has been sober, financially responsible in paying his bills, and taking administrative steps to manage the quarterly payments he receives from his late father’s trust, TMZ reported, after reviewing court documents.

King had previously said in court docs that Cher personally told her that she was ‘manic depressive.’

In the court papers, King reiterated claims she previously made that Cher attempted to kidnap Elijah Blue in the fall of 2022 in an effort to send him to a rehab facility; Cher has denied the allegations.

King told the court at an earlier hearing that Elijah Blue had been taken to Rosarito, Mexico and left at a ‘makeshift prison-type facility known as the Baja Rehab where he was being held against his will.’

King said that Elijah Blue was told by a doctor that he’d be ‘doing holistic alternative therapy’ while at the facility, the outlet reported, citing court docs.

King said that Elijah Blue had been ‘held captive’ at the facility – in a situation ‘his mother arranged’ – for two months until Mexican government officials gave him an escort out of the facility and transported him to the U.S. border.

Cher in December told the court Elijah Blue is ‘substantially unable to manage his own financial resources due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues.’

Elijah Blue is the son of Cher and late rocker Gregg Allman, the artist of hits such as Ramblin’ Man and Midnight Rider, who died at the age of 69 in May of 2017.

Cher said that Elijah receives interval payments from a trust Allman set up, and that she’s worried he will use his money to obtain more drugs instead of paying essential expenses.

The If I Could Turn Back Time singer said that as Elijah’s mother, she is best suited to be the conservator, and has received internal family support on the issue.

Cher said King has been a destructive presence in his life and is impeding efforts to have him get the help he needs with drug and mental health issues. 

The Believe singer said in court docs that she has not been able to effectively communicate with Elijah on the important issue, The Blast reported last month.

Cher ‘has been unable to discuss Elijah’s preferences concerning the appointment of a temporary conservator because given Elijah’s current mental and physical health issues,’ her legal team said. 

Attorneys claimed Elijah ‘is unable to form or express a preference concerning the appointment of a conservator for his estate.’

In legal docs, Cher said she was concerned that ‘that any funds distributed to Elijah will immediately be spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah’s life at risk.’ 

‘Their tumultuous relationship has been marked by a cycle of drug addiction and mental health crises,’ Cher said in court docs.

Cher said in legal docs that King has not been ‘supportive of Elijah’s recovery and … actively works to keep Elijah from getting clean and sober or receiving mental health treatment that he desperately needs.’

Cher said she was ‘informed and believes’ King was instrumental in making moves ‘to check Elijah out of the treatment center where he was receiving much needed medical care.’ 

Cher said it ‘would be unsafe for Elijah and his estate’ to assign King any control of the conservatorship,’ saying that ‘it would result in the immediate loss or dissipation of Elijah’s assets for self-destructive purposes.’

In October, Cher spoke with People about King’s past claims that Cher had kidnapped Elijah, calling them ‘not true.’

She added: ‘I’m not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren’t. I’m a mother. This is my job – one way or another, to try to help my children.’ 

Cher noted, ‘You do anything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that’s what being a mother is. 

‘But it’s joy, even with heartache – mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them.’

Cher is also mother to son Chaz Bono, 54, from her marriage to the late Sonny Bono, who died in January of 1998 in a skiing accident in South Lake Tahoe, California.

It is an almost unfathomable sensation to stand in the enormous colonnaded courtyard where 4,000 Greeks lived in 336 BC. declared the 20-year-old Alexander king of Macedonia. Especially when you practically have the place to yourself.

Alexander the Great's palace in ancient Aigai, modern Vergina, now welcomes visitors after years of painstaking repairs. I stroll through the empty theater where Alexander's father, Philip II, was murdered by a bodyguard at the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra.

His heartbroken son was crowned shortly afterwards in the vast palace where I stand. At 15,000 square meters, it is the largest surviving building from the classical Greek period.

But because it is located in old-fashioned northern Greece, far from the tourist hotspots of Athens and the holiday islands, it is wonderfully empty.

My only companions are the rows of Doric and Ionic columns, re-erected for the first time in 2,200 years, after the Romans toppled them in the second century BC. Behind me are the snow-capped peaks of the Pierian Mountains. Below me lies the Macedonian plain, with its lattices of peach trees.

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was Alexander the Great – the most triumphant leader ancient Greece has ever seen. He moved east through modern Turkey and defeated Darius III, king of Persia. He marched into Egypt and even into India, winning every battle. He died, only 32 years old, in Babylon.

Alexander is still hero number one here. His palace was reopened this month by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, an hour's drive from the palace, a mighty statue of Alexander on his beloved horse, Bucephalus, rises over the promenade on the Aegean Sea.

Even at the train station of Thessaloniki, a bronze bust of Alexander takes pride of place. You can see why the Greeks revere the palace today. I wander through dining rooms where Alexander held symposia – drinking parties where they discussed philosophy. He was taught by Aristotle, Greece's best philosopher, and was devoted to Homer's Iliad.

Intricate mosaic floors depicting goddesses, flowers and winged creatures have been preserved, as has a shrine dedicated to Heracles, the Greek strong hero, son of Zeus, believed to be Alexander's ancestor. After its destruction by the Romans, the palace became a stone quarry. It was rediscovered in the 1970s, but remained a wreck. In 2007 it was closed for this spectacular renovation.

The palace was largely built by Alexander's father in the mid-4th century BC – and you must see his buried tomb, a five-minute drive away. You descend under a tumulus of earth to reach the grave, which was only discovered in 1977.

Philip's remains and those of one of his queens were found behind a marble door, with his golden crown and golden wreath of oak leaves – the pinnacle of Greek craftsmanship, plus small ivory busts of Philip II and Alexander.

The renovation is all part of a campaign to attract tourists to northern Greece. It's a long time ago. Not only Vergina but also Thessaloniki are home to some of the most beautiful treasures in the world.

Thessaloniki is well equipped with hotels and restaurants. The Excelsior is an elegant, classic hotel, but modern with modest prices.

Thessaloniki was a vital Roman city. The Roman forum has been preserved, as have the 4th century AD walls that encircled the city. Two gigantic buildings from 300 AD. – the Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda – were built in honor of Emperor Galerius (258-311 AD).

These mighty fragments of ancient northern Greece should be much better known, just like the palace of Alexander the Great.