Your time is precious. Consider this your monthly shortcut to the exhibitions, books, restaurants and cultural moments across the UK that are genuinely worth leaving the house for.

SEE

Rooftop Cinema Club

Summer evenings were made for rooftop cinema, and Rooftop Cinema Club does it better than anyone. The open-air venue pairs cult classics, new releases and the sort of films that deserve to be watched under the stars. This month's line-up spans everything from La La Land and Grease to Inception, Amélie and Before Sunrise, best enjoyed from a deckchair with a cocktail in hand. Whether it's a date night or a catch-up with friends, London evenings deserve to feel cinematic.

When: Until 19 September Where: Peckham, London and Stratford, London

Barbie DreamHouse

If you've ever wondered what Barbie's DreamHouse would look like in 2026, now's your chance to step inside. As part of Barbie's partnership with Rightmove, a playful estate agent-inspired pop-up is taking over Covent Garden for one weekend only, reimagining the iconic pink home for a new generation. Expect Barbie-inspired property listings, more than six decades of DreamHouse nostalgia and the chance to channel your inner house hunter with help from Women in Estate Agency. Whether you're planning your own dream home or simply indulging in a little pink escapism, consider this one of the summer's most delightfully unexpected pop-ups.

When: 24–26 July Where: Covent Garden, London

Notting Hill Carnival

There are bank holiday weekends, and then there's Notting Hill Carnival weekend. Europe's largest street festival transforms West London into a buzzing celebration of Caribbean culture, with dazzling costumes, sound systems, steel bands and some of the best food you'll eat all summer, celebrating six decades since the first Carnival took to the streets in 1966. Whether you're a Carnival regular or planning your first visit, there's nowhere quite like it. Want to understand what Carnival means beyond the spectacle? Read Marie Claire contributor Chanté Joseph's essay on what Notting Hill Carnival has meant to her.

When: 30–31 August Where: Notting Hill, London

TASTE

Keller

Whitstable has a new reason to skip the fish and chips queue. From Michelin-starred chef Daniel Smith and sommelier Elliott Ashton-Konig, Keller is the sort of neighbourhood wine bar every seaside town wishes it had: charcoal-fired small plates, an expertly curated wine list that champions Kent alongside Old and New World bottles, and an effortlessly relaxed dining room made for lingering over just one more glass. If you're plotting a coastal escape this summer, make this your first reservation.

Where: Whitstable, Kent

Decimo

A long-time favourite of the fashion crowd—and host to countless launch parties, Fashion Week dinners and industry celebrations—Decimo is the kind of place where the room is as much part of the experience as what's on the plate. Start with its Saturday brunch for bold Mexican-inspired dishes, punchy margaritas and a soundtrack that encourages lingering long after lunch. Or book in for Sobremesa, its late-night celebration of the Spanish tradition of staying at the table, where chef Paola Cadena serves vibrant sharing plates alongside expertly mixed cocktails and DJ sets that keep the party going well into the evening.

Where: King's Cross, London

Hon's BBQ

London's cult barbecue favourite has finally found a permanent home. Taking over a canal-side space in Hackney Wick, Hon's BBQ pairs low-and-slow Texan barbecue with bold Chinese flavours, from Sichuan beef short ribs to smoked duck pancakes, all designed for sharing. But dinner is only half the story. Founded by former record shop owner and East London music fixture Man Hon Luk, the restaurant is set to evolve into a late-night music venue, with DJs, live performances and expertly curated wines and cocktails ensuring the evening stretches well beyond dessert.

Where: Hackney Wick, London

LISTEN

Manchester Village Pride

Not every great bank holiday needs a £300 ticket. Manchester Village Pride returns with four days of celebrations, with weekend wristbands starting from just £30 and Monday's Community & Family Day completely free. This year's line-up is a riotously nostalgic mix of pop favourites, including Cascada, DJ Sammy, Nadine Coyle and RuPaul's Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard. Community-led, proudly rooted in Manchester's Gay Village and celebrating this year's theme, No Place Like Home.

When: 28–31 August Where: Manchester Gay Village

Palace Bowl Presents

The inaugural Palace Bowl Presents series brings a run of huge open-air shows to the iconic South London venue, from Grace Jones and Lenny Kravitz to Bastille and Jimmy Eat World. Its headline moment, though, is the arrival of one of America's most influential music festivals: Philadelphia's legendary Roots Picnic, making its international debut with a heavyweight line-up including Nas & The Roots, Common, Questlove, Robert Glasper, Yasiin Bey and Floetry. More than a festival, it's a celebration of Black music and culture—and one of the summer's most exciting additions to the capital's cultural calendar.

When: Until 16th August Where: Crystal Palace Bowl, London

Dreamland Summer Series

The indie sleaze revival isn't slowing down any time soon. Dreamland's Summer Series leans all the way in, opening August with The Kooks celebrating 20 years of Inside In/Inside Out before closing the month with the long-awaited return of Babyshambles. In between, expect everyone from Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Bastille and Fatboy Slim to soundtrack sun-soaked evenings by the sea. Consider it the soundtrack to your August bank holiday.

When: Throughout August Where: Dreamland, Margate

READ

Kitten by Stacey Yu

If you're looking for the novel everyone will soon be talking about, make it Kitten. Stacey Yu's sharp, darkly funny debut follows a directionless twenty-something whose growing obsession with her boyfriend's cat spirals into an unexpectedly profound meditation on modern womanhood, loneliness and the messy business of becoming yourself. Equal parts unsettling and absurd, it's the kind of book you'll finish in a weekend before immediately pressing into a friend's hands.

Out: 14 August, pre-order now

Four Terrible Parents by Calla Henkel

What happens when four former indie sleaze icons decide to raise a child together? Calla Henkel's brilliantly offbeat new novel begins as a story about chosen family and creative reinvention before spiralling into a gripping literary mystery. Set between Berlin and a crumbling Southern Gothic hotel, Four Terrible Parents is equal parts millennial fever dream and page-turner, asking whether it's ever really possible to have it all—or whether something always has to give.

Out: 14 August, pre-order now

Take What You Can by Naima Coster

Can female friendship survive motherhood, marriage and the quiet ways our lives drift apart? In Take What You Can, bestselling author Naima Coster reunites two women who once imagined raising their children side by side, only to discover that adulthood has complicated far more than their plans. Moving between Brooklyn and the South of France, this beautifully observed novel explores class, chosen family and the women who shape us long after we've grown up. Expect this to be one of the summer's most talked-about novels.

Out: 4 August, pre-order now

ESCAPE

MASAJ

Once reserved for spa weekends and special occasions, massage is quietly becoming London's newest wellness ritual. The latest sign? Bodywork brand MASAJ has opened its third studio in Islington Square, bringing its design-led take on recovery to North London. Whether you're easing marathon-training legs with a deep tissue treatment, booking in for lymphatic drainage or trying its new Facework ritual complete with red light therapy, this is the sort of self-care that feels less like a luxury and more like a standing diary appointment.

Where: Various London locations

Festival Recharge at The Standard

Festival season is a marathon, not a sprint—and if Notting Hill Carnival has finally caught up with you, consider this your permission to check out before you check back in. The Standard's new Festival Recharge package is designed for exactly that post-party limbo, with flexible check-in, late checkout and breakfast included, plus recovery rituals from wellness brand Superoom to help you either keep the momentum going or properly switch off. Charli XCX was recently spotted staying at the hotel, cementing its status as one of London's coolest places to recover from a weekend well spent.

Where: King's Cross, London

Mad Swans

If the words country club conjure up images of starched dress codes and stuffy traditions, Mad Swans is here to change your mind. Set across 200 acres in the Mendips, just outside Bath, this playful new countryside retreat swaps old-school exclusivity for pizzas, padel, pickleball, wellness and a first-of-its-kind 12-hole golf course designed for people who'd rather play for fun than bragging rights. Equal parts stylish hotel and grown-up playground, it's proof that escaping the city doesn't have to mean taking yourself too seriously.

Where: The Mendips, Somerset and South Downs

As a woman, I'm never short on frightening moments: a man turning down the same dark street as me, unexplained sounds in the night, a taxi driver playing The Everly Brothers' All I Have to Do Is Dream on repeat all the way from Old Street to Peckham (true story). But nothing has given me the heebie-jeebies quite as much as an incident in 2017.

One of those irritating "Sorry we missed you" slips landed on my doormat, and when I went to the post office to collect the mystery package, I was met with a heavy box wrapped in brown paper, my name and address handwritten—an important detail I'd think back to later—across the front.

I hauled it home, intrigued by what might be inside. I hadn't ordered anything, and I wasn't working in journalism, so there was no reason for a publisher to have my address. I tore off the paper like a rabid dog.

I don't know what I was expecting to find, but it wasn't half a dozen hardback books. I slumped back. None of them looked like the sort of book I'd pick up.

"Well, what are they about?" my partner asked after I'd bemoaned the post office trip and my subsequent disappointment.

I scanned the dust jackets and realised that, while the covers bore little resemblance to one another, every book shared one unsettling thread: a woman had been murdered.

Panic settled in. Who had sent these to me? To my home address?

I fired off texts, but no one owned up. More confusing still, although each book had been bought new, they had different publication dates, making it less likely I'd won them in some online competition (my favourite form of procrastination at the time). And then there was the handwritten address. Surely, if this had been a prize, the packaging would have been more professional? Wouldn't there have been a note inside? An email telling me I'd won?

I never got to the bottom of it, but the memory surfaces from time to time, bubbling up like swamp gas.

I hadn't thought about that mysterious parcel for years. Then, this week, The Guardian reported that nine of Britain's bestselling fiction paperbacks begin with the murder of a woman.

How the "Dead Girl" Became Crime Fiction's Most Enduring Trope

The "dead girl" is one of crime fiction's defining narrative devices. Critics have long used the phrase to describe stories in which the violent death of a woman becomes the catalyst for someone else's journey, often a male detective's or journalist's, almost never her own. From Twin Peaks' Laura Palmer to Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones, she has become one of popular culture's most enduring crime tropes. The Guardian's bestseller analysis suggests she isn't going anywhere, either.

The statistic struck a nerve. At a time when violence against women and girls has rightly been declared a national emergency, the idea that Britain's bestselling crime novels begin with murdered women feels, at best, uncomfortable. Yet women have long been among crime fiction's most devoted readers. At Bloody Scotland, one of the UK's biggest crime writing festivals, director Bob McDevitt says the audience has been "predominantly female" throughout the decade he has run it.

Perhaps the more interesting question, then, is why the "dead girl" has proved so enduring. Is her continued dominance really telling us something about what women want to read—or something else entirely?

For Gill Plain, Professor of English Literature and Popular Culture at the University of St Andrews, the premise behind the statistic is misleading. "The issue is not how many books feature murdered women," she tells me. "It's how those books deal with the murders."

In other words, the dead woman isn't simply a shortcut to shock readers. At its best, crime fiction uses murder to examine the society that produced it. "Crime fiction is a genre that mediates cultural anxieties," Plain explains. "It deals with what is happening in the world around us." Whether it's domestic abuse, coercive control or misogyny, the genre often reflects the fears simmering beneath the headlines, sometimes directly and sometimes by transposing them into another place or time.

Criminal behavioural analyst Laura Richards of the award-winning podcast Crime Analyst believes that appeal isn't simply literary—it's deeply personal. "When a woman is murdered by a man, we all pay attention," she tells me. "We want to understand what happened to keep ourselves safe." Women, she argues, spend their lives navigating the reality of male violence, making stories about violence against women feel less like morbid entertainment than an attempt to understand a danger they already recognise.

But if crime fiction reflects our deepest fears, it also offers something reality often cannot: answers. "Some books offer the satisfactions of closure and justice," Plain says. "In a disturbing world, in which so many certainties seem to be evaporating, it is reassuring to read about detective figures... who care about justice, and who at least try to achieve answers for victims and the bereaved."

Women Aren't Reading Crime Fiction for the Dead Women

Denise Mina offers a different perspective. The award-winning crime writer argues that the "dead woman" is hardly a modern phenomenon. "The Perfect Victim and the Less Dead," she tells me, "has been omnipresent since at least the 17th Century." Rather than being inherently sinister, she suggests the trope is rooted in storytelling itself. "A victim needs to prompt a sense of indignation profound enough to make the reader want justice."

She rejects the idea that women are reading crime novels because they feature murdered women. "Women buy and read crime fiction," Mina says, "but I don't think we do it for the dead women." Instead, she believes readers are looking for narrative momentum. "Crime fiction is supposed to be a fun, propulsive read that feeds the reader's need for justice."

That desire for justice may resonate particularly strongly with women. "Women see a lot of injustice in the world," Mina says. "Maybe it chimes with what we see versus what we're told we're seeing." In a way, this echoes Plain's argument that crime fiction doesn't simply reflect violence; it creates a space where readers can confront it, question it and, unlike in real life, often see it answered.

Jane Corry, author of My Sister's Secret, who previously worked as a writer-in-residence in a men's high-security prison and later led writing workshops in women's prisons, has heard similar sentiments from her own readers. At a recent author event, women told her they rooted for stories in which female protagonists "save themselves or get back, mentally or physically, at their attacker", because they found those stories empowering. Others said that when a woman is murdered by a man, they kept turning the pages because they wanted to see justice done. "If a woman is murdered by a woman," Corry adds, "there seems to be more of a 'why?' intrigue."

Charlotte Vassell, author of The Other Half and The In Crowd, believes the answer lies in what crime fiction has always done best: holding a mirror up to society. "Crime novels are existential," she tells me. "They're about the meaning of life. They're satire. They're social commentary. They're a way of dissecting society."

From that perspective, the prevalence of violence against women is perhaps less surprising. "Violence against women is one of the biggest issues in society," Vassell says. "If you're writing about society, then inevitably it's going to feature."

But she is clear that murder is rarely the point. Crime fiction, she argues, gives readers a safe space to examine uncomfortable realities—to explore power, prejudice and injustice from the relative safety of fiction. The murder may open the novel, but what keeps readers turning the pages is everything that follows: the investigation, the moral ambiguity, the characters and the questions the crime leaves in its wake.

Which leaves one lingering question: if readers aren't demanding stories that begin with dead women, why does publishing keep supplying so many of them?

What If Publishing Has Misread Women?

One publicist I spoke to told me about an author she represents who runs a bookshop, and, frustrated by the sheer volume of stories about murdered women, removed the shop's crime section altogether.

Crime writer Saima Mir shares that unease, but not because she believes readers have fallen out of love with crime fiction. "I don't think women are necessarily drawn to stories of violence against women," she tells me. "I think they are drawn to crime fiction, and currently, they are being offered femicide more often than not. If publishers offer alternatives, then I believe women would read them."

She believes the statistic says as much about publishing as it does about readers. Her debut novel, The Khan, centres on a woman who wields power rather than simply suffers violence. It took years to sell because publishers struggled to work out where it belonged on the shelf. It later became a bestseller. For Mir, that's proof readers are more open to different kinds of stories than the industry often assumes. She'd like to see more women who are "ambitious, dangerous, morally compromised and unpredictable", rather than existing simply as victims.

Yet Mir doesn't believe crime fiction itself is the problem. "Real life is messy, and rarely brings answers or closure," she says. "Writers weave stories on the promise that there will be some resolution. Killers are caught, baddies are found out. Real life rarely offers that."

Richards reaches a similar conclusion from the perspective of criminal justice. Crime fiction, she argues, offers "a beginning, middle and end... justice and accountability that rarely happens in real life."

Maybe readers aren't looking for violence; they're looking for resolution—the rare comfort of a world where somebody asks the right questions, the guilty are found, and the story makes sense, even if real life rarely does.

Last Friday, Madonna unveiled her new album, Confessions II, a follow-up to the acclaimed, seminal 2005 release Confessions on a Dance Floor. Whilst this is not her first album since the original instalment, it does mark a return to form, bringing back a dance era that has influenced countless artists since.

Every summer has a record that soundtracks months of abandon and fun. Between beach holidays, busy city beer gardens and hedonistic festivals, there is always one album I associate with a particular time. In 2018, it was Robyn's Honey; in 2022, Beyoncé's Renaissance; and, following its 2024 release, Charli XCX's BRAT has dominated every summer since. In 2005, of course, it was Confessions on a Dance Floor. I was only 10 years old, but I still remember "Hung Up" creating a cultural zeitgeist. The video was on every music channel, seemingly at all times; I'd play it on repeat, and the pink leotard etched itself into my mind's fashion mood board forever.

I also remember the backlash Madonna faced back then. Adults in my life were fans of her music, so I was aware of the conversations around whether she was "too old" to be a pop star. Newspapers and magazine columnists declared she was "past it", criticising her for not stepping away from the limelight. Even now, I still see zoomed-in photos of Madonna's face more than almost any other celebrity's, such is the obsessive nitpicking she receives.

"Hung Up" was released twenty-one years ago, and since then, Madonna has been the focus of repeated media backlashes centred on two things: her age and her gender. Of course, they are never named outright, but they remain the thinly veiled motivations behind so much of the criticism she receives. There is little serious way to critique Madonna's talent, given the body of work she has created. Instead, the conversation almost always centres on her appearance and whether she should still be dancing "at her age", as if that isn't entirely her own decision—and evidence of remarkable fitness. Her age is seen as an affront rather than an inspiration. Personally, I see her as an example of what it looks like to live a full life, one where passion and creativity continue to grow rather than diminish.

The main gripe people seem to have with Madonna is that she is not ageing "gracefully", because she didn't retire from music in her forties. Leaving your career with "grace" is something only famous women are expected to contend with. Grace is never demanded of men, because it isn't grace that anyone is after; what they really want is for women who have aged out of being objectified to quietly disappear. Older women are dangerous because they know who they are and are less vulnerable to the industry's manipulation. Despite Madonna's long history of pushing against expectations, once she reached her fifties, it was as though her career entered a new domain—one where she could never win.

Meanwhile, men perform well into the final decades of their lives and are celebrated as legends. Women don't even need to reach 50 before the pitchforks appear, and magnifying glasses are brought out to inspect whether they look their age. If they have the "right" amount of cosmetic work—an invisible line of acceptability—they may be granted a few more years of popularity. If they have "too much", it's over. The only other loophole is to perform a version of femininity rooted in demureness and quietness. God forbid they wear something joyful—say, a pink leotard—because that will instantly provoke outrage.

Madonna is more than a legendary pop star. She shaped modern disco, pop and dance music into what it is today, bringing the industry up to her level rather than sinking to its. She wasn't simply a pop star; she was the pop star: one of the last artists capable of dominating culture before fandoms and social media fragmented audiences into silos.

At every point in her career, Madonna has challenged the standards that treat women unfairly—sometimes deliberately, sometimes simply through existing. The ageism she has faced for almost two decades falls into the latter category. From the backlash to "Like a Prayer", to Pepsi dropping her, to the banning of "Justify My Love", to the outrage surrounding Erotica, Madonna has repeatedly found herself at the centre of cultural panic whenever she has challenged expectations around religion, sexuality and womanhood. The criticism she receives today follows the same pattern.

Confessions II is one of the best dance albums of 2026. Whilst the impossibly infectious lead single "Danceteria" is a standout, it isn't a one-hit wonder. Euro-pop banger "Read My Lips" transports me to a club filled with cigarette smoke in the Balkans; "Betrayal" should be blasting from rooftops in New York; "I Feel So Free" should be heard across Paris as the sun shines; "Love Sensation" deserves thousands of arms waving to it at festivals. It is an album made for this specific summer.

Yet, apart from rave reviews from critics, I have scarcely seen it cut through popular culture during its first week. Whilst culture journalists are shouting about it, and whilst the album is headed for chart success—and perhaps even a Grammy or two—it doesn't feel destined for cultural domination in the way albums of this calibre often do. That's not because of the music. Years of negative narratives surrounding Madonna have shaped how audiences approach her before they even press play. People can't shake the misogyny and ageism they have unconsciously absorbed.

It is a vulnerable, affecting and joyful record. In a world without those biases, perhaps it would receive the BRAT treatment—or at least a slice of it—and be declared the album of the summer. Instead, the campaign of hostility surrounding Madonna has become so relentless that many people claim to dislike her without being able to articulate exactly why. That's how misogynistic smear campaigns work: hear something often enough, from enough different places, and it begins to feel like your own opinion.

Just weeks ago, Loose Women asked: "Trailblazer or trying too hard?" whilst discussing Madonna's recent performances. It is a debate male performers of a similar age almost never have to contend with. Artists of comparable stature continue touring without endless headlines questioning whether they've somehow expired: Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Bob Dylan.

Instead, coverage of Madonna continues to focus on her body, what she wears and whether she is "trying too hard". She is labelled "raunchy", "past it" and "embarrassing". One particularly revealing headline read: "Madonna, and other acts whose schtick hasn't aged well."

But what is ageing well if not an arbitrary set of social codes designed to keep women small? Men who age are called silver foxes; continuing their craft is seen as wisdom. Women doing exactly the same are treated as cautionary tales. A woman who refuses to shrink herself with age is still viewed as transgressive.

That's precisely why Confessions II matters. It isn't just a brilliant dance album—it is another reminder that, even after decades of reshaping music and culture, Madonna is still being judged less on what she creates than on the fact she continues to create at all.

In Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel, a teen magazine is tossed aside in the garden, its well-worn pages thumbed and flicked into crinkled obedience. An armful of brightly coloured shopping bags swings purposefully to the triumphant beat of a girl's first pair of kitten heels. A phone cord stretches and twists itself aimlessly around the same girl's finger as she gabs for hours on end.

By all accounts, these are the rather mundane images of teen life—albeit teen life of a not-so-distant, but most decidedly bygone era. And Elle captures this bygone era with meticulous precision. But its portrait of '90s teenhood isn't merely about slapping a bunch of trivial '90s-coded aesthetics on our screens. Instead, it's an achingly nostalgic reminder that the analogue adolescence really was something special—and its irreversible loss has stolen some joy from the teen experience for good. ​

A prequel to the iconic Legally Blonde films, Prime's Elle offers up a glimpse of Woods's Elle before she defied the stereotypes of Harvard Law, proving once and for all that, yes, a pink-obsessed sorority girl with Malibu blonde hair can graduate from law school! Set six years before the film's events, Elle opens in 1995, smack dab in the middle of our heroine's teen years. Elle's perfect pink Californian life hits a snag when, after botching a celebrity's nose job, her plastic surgeon father announces that the family is moving to rainy, dreary Seattle. And so begins Elle's first little taster of life outside of her pink bubble—an appetiser to her journey to come in her Harvard days, if you will.

​As Elle bumbles her way through the sea of grunge, plaid, and heavy-set frowns that is her new Seattle school, things aren't always easy. There are mean girls, culture clashes, and complicated school politics to navigate! Of course, there is the argument to be made in favour of our digital world. After all, Elle's analogue world has its drawbacks. She finds herself disconnected from her friends back in L.A., catching up with them only over a crackly car phone. It's a far cry from the steady stream of Snapchats she might have enjoyed today. Upon arriving in Seattle, she is shocked to discover that her wardrobe filled with Clueless-worthy preppy pink is sorely out of fashion—a problem a quick scroll on Instagram would certainly have prevented. And then there's her addiction to Cosmo magazine, which suffers from having to redirect her subscription to a new address. Imagine having to wait weeks on end for your favourite reading material instead of having it at your fingertips—or, indeed, thrown in your face every time you open your phone, like it or not!

For teens today, the problems that come with growing up—the mean girls, the cliques, the growing pains—are only amplified by the addition of an iPhone. Countless studies have shown that the digital world does more to separate and alienate young people than to keep them together. Social media use has been linked to anxiety and depression in UK teens. According to another 2026 study by the Molly Rose Foundation, a third of all teenagers saw suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content on social media in a single week.​

It's tough out there for teens, so it's no wonder that they seem to be craving what Elle has. Along with Elle, this year brought Disney +'s Love Story, about the '90s romance of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy—and with it, a resurgence in the '90s minimal aesthetic. Meanwhile, the "Mum, what were you like in the '90s?" trend took off online, inspired, seemingly, by young people asking their Gen X mothers about life in the distant pre-iPhone days.

Other social media trends also embrace the '90s aesthetic, from coastal grandma to Meg Ryan Fall. Then there is the seemingly endless stream of other sequels and prequels and reboots bringing back beloved stories and characters from '90s teen hits—see, for instance, Practical Magic 2, Romy and Michele 2, Freakier Friday, a Bend It Like Beckham sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2—I could go on. Meanwhile, physical media and "grandma hobbies" are on the rise according to Pinterest Predicts and Etsy search data.

It's easy to see why the simple world of the '90s—the world of Elle—is so resonant for today's teens. Adolescence should be a time of learning and growing and becoming and experimenting. And for Elle, it is. Without the noise of a capitalist-driven algorithm dictating her tastes and sucking up her time, she is free to become her true self and enjoy her adolescence on the way.

Instead of taking inspiration from another TikTok aesthetic trend, she finds her sense of style by looking around her. By trying new things. By experimenting, and sometimes failing. A particularly sweet attempt at finding her Seattle style involves a Nirvana shirt customised with pink hearts over the 'X' eyes. She "leaned into its innate smiliness," people!

Instead of consuming an increasingly chaotic, divisive stream of opinions in the form of TikTok videos, she lives in a world that champions young women's media, whether that be in the form of a teen internship at Cosmo or a handmade culture zine passed around the school.

Instead of trading memes and selfies and DMs, she finds friends in the most unlikely places by—you know—going out and talking to them. There are phone-less house parties. Lively chats in the lunch room. Long chatty phone calls.

Of course, no matter how many sequels, prequels, or TikTok trends we consume, we can never really get the unique freedom of the analogue adolescence back. But Elle reminds us all that being a teen should and can be a little more fun. So, switch off, buy a mag, and call your bestie for a long talk about absolutely nothing. What, like it's hard?

Every two years, Venice hosts the Biennale d’Arte—the world’s largest and longest-running international art exhibition. Sometimes called the Art Olympics, the Biennale is made up of dozens of competing national pavilions, alongside two large-scale group shows put together by a guest curator. Programmed to coincide with this are hundreds more exhibitions, performances and interventions that turn the city into a unique cultural phenomenon.

The Venice Biennale is the art world’s most storied stage. From a performance pioneer making history to a feminist icon debuting new work, below (in no particular order!) is my pick of some of the women telling the most inspiring and powerful stories this year.

THE WOMEN OF VENICE BIENNALE 2026

LUBAINA HIMID AT THE BRITISH PAVILION

Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid transforms the British Pavilion into a beautiful meditation on belonging. Predicting History: Testing Translation brings together vibrant large-scale multi-panel paintings, with works on found objects, ‘kanga’ paintings, and a soundscape made in collaboration with artist Magda Stawarska.

Himid, who was born in Tanzania and raised in the UK, describes the exhibition as “a guide to navigating life beyond one’s roots and to understanding what home can mean”. In that context, the neo-classical architecture of the pavilion, which opened in 1909 at the height of the British Empire, seems the perfect site to reflect on questions of national and personal identities, and what it means to make a home in a new place.

Giardini della Biennale, Sestiere Castello, Venice
Until 22 November 2026. The British Pavilion is commissioned by the British Counil. Following Venice, the exhibition tours select UK venues.
www.arts.britishcouncil.org/projects/british-pavilion-venice-biennale

JENNY SAVILLE AT CA’ PESARO

British painter Jenny Saville’s first major exhibition in Venice traces her practice from the 1990s to the present. The show brings together more than thirty canvases and works on paper, including new pieces created in homage to the city, alongside some of Saville’s most recognisable early nudes, which revitalised figurative painting while raising questions about societal perceptions of the body.

Saville’s practice is deeply rooted in the history of painting—Venetian painting in particular has become an essential reference for the artist. Placed here on the Grand Canal, in conversation with masters of Venice’s past, her work feels very much at home.

Ca' Pesaro, International Gallery of Modern Art, Santa Croce 2076, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
www.capesaro.visitmuve.it

DANA AWARTANI AT THE SAUDI ARABIA PAVILION

Dana Awartani’s May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones, throws focus onto cultural heritage under threat. The artist invites visitors into an imaginary archaeological site, inspired by historically and materially important mosaics from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, whose shared motifs and traditions highlight common cultures spanning three millennia.

The work covers the entire pavilion floor and comprises 29,000 handmade bricks, made in collaboration with 32 master craftspeople over 30,000 hours. Fabricated without binding agents, the bricks crack as they dry, representing the fragility of places across the world that have suffered devastating damage through man-made conflict and violence.

The presentation is curated by Antonia Carver, the UK-born Director of Art Jameel in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and, as with much of the work she has a hand in, it stayed with me long after I left it.

Arsenale, Sestiere Castello, Campo Della Tana 2169/F, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
www.saudipavilion.org

KATE MCCGWIRE AT FONDAZIONE DRIES VAN NOTEN

The inaugural exhibition from Fondazione Dries Van Noten, The Only True Protest Is Beauty comprises more than 200 works of art, design, jewellery, and fashion—including stunning archive pieces from Comme des Garçons and Christian Lacroix—and explores beauty as a force for provocation and transformation. The title comes from one of American writer Phil Ochs’ 60s activist anthems, “In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty” —the concept being that beauty can be unsettling, awakening and rejuvenating.

Despite this context, the title didn’t sit entirely comfortably with me. However, I could very comfortably spend hours in the exhibition—an extraordinary celebration of craftsmanship across disciplines, exquisitely curated by Dries Van Noten himself. Amongst many highlights are Stifle and Murmur—two pieces by British sculptor Kate MccGwire, known for creating mesmerising ‘three-dimensional paintings’ using the feathers of common birds.

Fondazione Dries Van Noten, San Polo, 2766, Venezia
Until 4 October 2026
www.fondazionedriesvannoten.org

NALINI MALANI AT KIRAN NADAR MUSEUM OF ART IN VENICE

For the second edition running, Kiran Nadar—arguably India’s most influential collector and founder of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art—presents a large-scale immersive work in Venice. This year, legendary artist Nalini Malani’s Of Woman Born transforms a former salt warehouse into a “thought chamber” filled with 67 animations made from over 30,000 iPad drawings, accompanied by a 20-minute soundscape of women’s voices.

The work is inspired by the Greek myth of Orestes, who murdered his mother and her lover in revenge for them killing his father. Though pursued by the Furies, Orestes was saved from punishment by the goddess Athena. Here, Malani meditates on this myth and its resonance with present-day wars, where accountability is rare and women continue to bear the brunt of patriarchal violence.

Magazzini del Sale n° 5, Fondamenta Zattere Ai Saloni, Dorsoduro 262, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
www.knma.org

FLORA YUKHNOVICH AT VICTORIA MIRO VENICE

Currently on show at the Venice outpost of British gallery Victoria Miro, London-based Flora Yukhnovich is one of the most compelling painters working today. Her exhibition Egg is inspired by storytelling: myths, Biblical accounts and fairy tales, particularly those that feature fantastical conceptions and births.

Yukhnovich’s paintings are at once dreamy and unsettling and, hung against a large mural she has painted on site, they take on an almost ancient or mythical feel. One can easily imagine these works living on the walls of the gods and (wo)men whose legends they take inspiration from.

Victoria Miro Venice, San Marco 1994, Venice
Until 4 July 2026
www.victoria-miro.com

GABRIELLE GOLIATH AT CHIESA DI SANT’ANTONIN

Gabrielle Goliath’s Elegy is the biennale exhibition that almost never was. Originally selected as South Africa’s official presentation, the project was controversially ‘decommissioned’ before the entire national pavilion was cancelled. The work is now presented independently, and with particular resonance, in one of Venice’s many beautiful churches.

An elegy is a lament, and here it manifests as films of eight vocal performances dedicated to those who have been lost to violence or injustice – often women and minorities. As mournful as the work is, it is equally elevating. A truly sublime collective experience, the absence of which would have been genuinely tragic.

Chiesa di Sant’Antonin, Salizada S. Antonin, Castello 3477, Venice
Until 31 July 2026. Following Venice, Elegy will be presented at Ibraaz in London (October 2026) and ICA Milano (January 2027)
www.elegyinvenice.com

FAIZA BUTT AT PAKISTAN PAVILLION

Lahore-born, London-based artist Faiza Butt represents Pakistan with Punj•AB: A Sublime Terrain—one of the most beautiful presentations of the biennale. The exhibition is inspired by a region that is both a deeply personal geography for the artist and a historically rich site, shaped by millennia of trade, migration and cultural exchange.

Butt has filled the exhibition space with monumental and magnificent tapestries that combine dhurrie weaving, ikat, jacquard, and hand-spun cotton, and map the rise and fall of civilisations through colour and composition. A film work shot in a factory introduces viewers to rituals, labour, and communal life of Punjab today, juxtaposing rural traditions with industrialisation, and creating a through line from the past into the future.

Ex Farmacia Solveni, Dorsoduro 993-994, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
@pakistan_pavilion_2026

JUDY CHICAGO AT GALLERIA ALBERTA PANE

Judy Chigaco is a living legend. At 87, the artist—probably best known for her iconic project The Dinner Party—is having one of the richest moments of her already extraordinary career, creating vital new work, which can be seen for the first time at Alberta Pane Gallery this summer. 

The Materiality of Judy Chicago offers a sweeping survey of her six-decade practice, from 1960s minimalist works and The Dinner Party’s iconic plates to a series of new sculptures, including a glass piece made in collaboration with internationally-renowned Venetian glass specialists, Studio Berengo. 

For many years, Chicago has been a museum-level artist. This is a rare opportunity for fans to see her work in the intimate setting of one of Venice’s best independent galleries. 

Gallerie Alberta Pane, Dorsoduro 2403H, Calle dei Guardiani, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
www.albertapane.com

DAYANITA SINGH AT ARCHIVIO DI STATO

ARCHIVIO is Dayanita Singh’s tribute to the Italian archives she has photographed over the past decade, as well as her growing archive of images she’s taken of Italian architecture, interiors, artworks, friends, and more.

Singh is renowned not only for her photography, but also for challenging the concept of the exhibition, and the museum itself, as something static. She has reinvented both as living and evolving experiences, through an exquisitely-designed portable display system that can be used from architectural scale to that of furniture, or even a book. The system is used to perfection in Singh’s Venice presentation, which is part photographic exhibition, part sculptural installation, and wholly worth seeing.

Archivio di Stato, Campo dei Frari, San Polo 3002, Venice
Until 31 July 2026. After Venice, the exhibition travels to Rome, Turin and New Delhi.
www.dayanitasingh.in

LORNA SIMPSON AT PINAULT COLLECTION PUNTA DELLA DOGANA

Over almost 50 years, François Pinault, Founder of the luxury fashion group Kerring (Gucci, YSL, Balenciaga, Bottega Venetta) has built an extraordinary collection of over 10,000 works of contemporary art. In 2006, he created his first exhibition space at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, followed soon after by a second at Punta della Dogana. Along with a third space in Paris, they offer an opportunity to see pieces from the collection within a programme of world-class exhibitions.

One of four such shows running to coincide with the biennale, Third Person is the most significant presentation of American artist Lorna Simpson’s work in Europe for more than a decade. The exhibition brings together around 50 paintings, collages, sculptures, installations, and films, spanning more than 20 years, with the most striking being a series of monumental, majestic female figures.

Punta della Dogana, Dosoduro 2, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
www.pinaultcollection.com

MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ AT THE GALLERIE DELL’ACCADEMIA

Perhaps the most world’s most famous performance artists, Marina Abramović makes history by becoming the first living woman to be given a major solo exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia. Transforming Energy marks the artist’s 80th birthday and brings together iconic works from across her career with new pieces made for the show.

In recent years, Abramovic has become increasingly interested in Buddhism and spirituality, and one highlight of the exhibition is a room of her Transitory Objects—stone beds and structures embedded with crystals that visitors are invited to lie, sit or stand upon, activating what Abramović calls “energy transmission”. Another highlight —and one that could only happen in Venice—is the installation of Abramovic’s Pietà, a work made with former partner Ulay, placed in direct dialogue with Titian’s unfinished masterpiece of the same name.

Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Campo della Carità - Dorsoduro 1050, Venice
Until 19 October 2026
www.gallerieaccademia.it

PEGGY GUGGENHEIM & FRIENDS AT THE PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION

She’s no longer here in person, but Peggy Guggenheim’s spirit lives on in Venice as much as any artist’s. Guggenheim was born into a famously wealthy family, and was an avid collector of art. Before she settled in Venice, where her collection has its permanent home, she spent time in London, presenting work by avant-garde artists in her Cork Street gallery, Guggenheim Jeune.

Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector is the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to this period, when Guggenheim organised more than 20 shows over 18 months, including Kandinsky’s first UK solo. As well as a chance to see some of the world’s greatest artworks, this exhibition offers an insight into the influential personal and professional networks that helped Guggenheim shape her vision, and eventually made her one of the most revolutionary collectors and patrons in history.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701, Venice
Until 29 October 2026. After Venice, the exhibition travels to the Royal Academy of Arts, London (November 21, 2026–March 14, 2027) and the Guggenheim New York (April 16, 2027–September 12, 2027).
www.guggenheim-venice.it

MARÍA MAGDALENA CAMPOS-PONS AT THE CENTRAL PAVILION

Installed at the heart of the Central Pavillion, the venue for one of the two main curated exhibitions, María Magdalena Campos-Pons’ monumental Anatomy of the Magnolia Tree for Koyo Kouoh and Toni Morrison is one of the most affecting works of the Biennale. The painting is simultaneously a shrine, elegy and affirmation – rightly placing the late curator Koyo Kouoh at the centre of the Biennale she conceived.

Giardini della Biennale, Sestiere Castello, Venice
Until 22 November 2026
www.labiennale.org

KOYO KOUOH THROUGHOUT VENICE

Last but not least, the late, great Koyo Kouoh’s influence is tangible throughout Venice. Kouoh was the widely admired Cameroonian-Swiss Executive Director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town and the curator of this edition of the Venice Biennale. Tragically, she died almost exactly a year before the biennale opened. However, her vision has been realised posthumously by the team she put together before she passed.

Kouoh’s concept In Minor Keys calls for a shift away from spectacle, towards a more nuanced, quieter experience.

Her introduction to the theme began:

[Take a deep breath]
[Exhale]
[Drop your shoulders]
[Close your eyes]

And continued, “This is an invitation to…… shift to a slower gear and tune in to the frequencies of the minor keys. Because, though often lost in the anxious cacophony of the present chaos raging through the world, the music continues. The songs of those producing beauty in spite of tragedy, the tunes of the fugitives recovering from the ruins, the harmonies of those repairing wounds and worlds.”

It is a statement that has clearly influenced so many artists at the biennale and beyond, and one that I’ll be holding onto for a long time to come.

Summer’s round the corner and from fresh debuts to the welcome return of some old favourites, we have everything you need to make the most of those first long, lingering days in the park or by the pool. Whether you opt for a rollickingly wicked account of murder and revenge, a tangled tale of love and friendship, or a tender exploration of grief (with a full cast of ghosts on the side, no less) is up to you. What we can guarantee is that once you start to dip into this lot, you’ll won’t want to put any of them down. Happy reading!

Editor's Picks

More Summer Reads

They say a book can contain multitudes and Sarah Wang’s debut novel, New Skin, arrives with much anticipation as case in point. For years the writer has published essays, cultural criticism, and short stories that are as astutely written as they are politically poignant, and her novel shares these impressive dualities. It balances an admirable attention to sentences with pressing resonances about immigration and class, all topped off with a delightful, dark romp through plastic surgery, reality TV shows, and underworld crime subplots.

New Skin begins as twenty-six-year-old Linli returns home to Los Angeles after a 3-year hiatus. On arrival, she finds her mother Fanny’s face remarkably disfigured due to an addiction to bootleg plastic surgery procedures administered at under-the-table LA parlours. A careful portrayal of a seething mother-daughter relationship ensues, one in which traditional caretaking roles are skewered as Linli tries to get her mother’s dependency under control. Things spiral, to say the least, when Fanny signs herself up to star on America’s Beauty Extreme, a reality show that offers its winner facial reconstruction surgery.

Sarah and I speak the weekend before her novel’s stateside launch, and she tells me she’s running on a high because she’s just received news that her event at New York City’s McNally Jackson, an ultra-popular bookstore, has sold out. Despite the buzz, she has a calm, considered, and intelligent demeanour. From her book-clad NYC apartment, she talks about the years it took to write New Skin, balancing difficult subject matter with wise-cracking humour, and current beauty standards. She also talks about writing as a form of protest.

New Skin is such a beautiful and important debut novel. Tell me about the seed of inspiration

I've been living inside this book my whole life. I just needed to be brave enough to begin writing it. This novel is about an intense mother-daughter relationship that is, in some ways, inspired by the experiences I had in my own life with my mother. It’s maybe the most difficult terrain; it took me a bunch of tries to get closer to the material before I finally let go and began to write.

In one particularly heartbreaking scene not long after Linli returns to LA, she tells her mother she has “lost her face”. What does this statement mean to you?

In Chinese culture, and a lot of Asian culture, losing face is a huge shame. It's the biggest shame of all to lose face, to bring shame upon yourself, your family by extension, and even to your community and workplace. It can extend outwards.

I love Fanny, Linli’s mother. She’s so fierce and empowering, despite some of the questionable decisions she makes

Fanny is my hero. She can do anything she wants. What she wants isn't always good for her, but she can do it. Fanny energy for us all, please.

What did your research look like during the writing process? I imagine you watched some reality TV?

I didn't start watching reality TV until I decided to write this reality TV subplot in the book! I watched a lot of Botched to understand all the different things that can happen with botched plastic surgery procedures. And I watched Survivor to understand gameplay, how factions form, and how people can be pitted against each other.

I was struck by how adeptly you write the body

This is a novel about marginalised people, immigrant women, women of colour, undocumented women who are performing labor. While I admire and read all kinds of fiction where people are more distanced from their experiences, including their own bodies, I really wanted this to be a novel where people are experiencing the world through their bodies. If you're marked by ethnicity - if you're marked by being a woman or being marginalised in some kind of way - you are more aware of your body than perhaps someone who doesn't have to think about how their body or appearance is affecting the world around them. And in my purview, it is a radical embodiment to be extra aware of how you're being perceived and what your body is doing and how it's contextualised.

The novel, despite its depth, is hilarious! Talk to me about humour and satire in your writing practice

I like to be funny! I'm using humour in the novel not only because it's natural to me, but because I believe humour is a kind of intelligence. If you've ever been at a dinner with someone who's so witty and sharp but also hilarious and has this command over their story or the table, it is really a marvel. I think humour is also a way for my characters to balance all the very intense things that are happening and the dire circumstances they’re in. Sometimes, you can only laugh. Also, they enjoy each other's company, and they do enjoy life. And I wanted to show that: joy.

Do you have any thoughts on the beauty standards women are up against today?

I hope that when people read my book, they understand I am absolutely not against any kind of body modification. I wouldn't say I'm pro or anti anything, whether it's plastic surgery or natural aging. I think everyone should do what they want to do. I've been writing this book for over 10 years, and the fact that it just happened to be published in 2026 feels timely. It feels like the year when everything is really exploding, from K-beauty to medical tourism in Seoul. When I started writing the novel, we didn't have this variety of cosmetic procedures that are available now. I'm just trying stay current on everything. I'm fascinated by what’s available in terms of technology. I just learned about cadaver fat injections.

There is so much humanity and difficult subject matter at the heart of this novel. How do you hope it’s perceived?

All my nonfiction and fiction writing is very political and deals with serious issues, like poverty, intergenerational debt, incarceration and always, a female subjectivity. Thanks to how capacious a novel can be, I was allowed to put all my concerns, worries, heartbreaks, into a single work, which is miraculous, if you think about it. New Skin is really about the lives of these women who occupy a certain position in society. In some ways, it's a very difficult story. Life is hard for a lot of people. But it's not only hard. Like everyone else's life, it’s full of love and triumphs and joy.

I do think of this novel as an act of protest against beauty standards. I wanted to write about people who use their bodies as a site of politics and protest and speech, and I wanted to write against these narratives that I see commonly and that are prevalent in not only stories written by women writers, but also Asian women writers. I - while I like reading some of these other books - noticed that the goal is often for an Asian female protagonist to get together with a white guy. I wanted to subvert this heteronormative dynamic and goal. I wanted to de-centre it, or not even de-centre it, but not even have it be relevant. This is ultimately a book about undocumented immigrants and the next generation of immigrants in America. Immigrants are the future.

What does the title New Skin mean to you?

It can mean a lot of things. New skin is about wanting a new life, a new beginning. It’s about a desire to regain something you've lost. It’s also about shedding skin and becoming anew, again and again. It's regenerative. While I think the title speaks to the process of immigration - you have to go to a new country and shed some of your old skin and grow new skin to fit in, to learn a new language – there are also some amazing things about new skin.

Sarah Wang's Book Recs and Writing Advice

Last but not least, some bookish and writing questions. What is…

…the last book you recommended to a friend?

Landscape for a Good Woman by Carolyn Steedman.

…the last book that made you cry?

Push by Sapphire.

…the book that made you fall in love with reading?

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

…the book that shaped you into the person you are today?

The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson.

…a book you wish you could read again for the first time?

I Love Dick by Chris Kraus.

…the most important piece of writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Writing is rewriting.

…a piece of popular writing advice that everyone should ignore?

Write what you know.

…one thing you would tell all new writers at the start of their journey?

Anything can be writing. Anything can be a story.

New Skin by Sarah Wang is published in the UK by Picador, and is available to pre-order now.

Sophie Mackintosh has been a gem on the UK literary scene ever since the release of her 2018 debut The Water Cure; the novel was nominated for the Booker Prize when she was only in her late twenties. What’s perhaps most exciting about Mackintosh’s writing career, however, is that in a publishing world doggedly fixated by debuts, she continues to delight with her signature style and distinctive speculative worlds.

Permanence, her latest novel, is one of her sharpest yet - proof that a writer’s career only becomes more interesting to witness as time progresses. Not to mention that with a recent influx of adultery novels, we can trust in Mackintosh to give a familiar premise her own, original spin.

The novel begins as lovers Clara and Francis wake up in an unfamiliar city coined “the city of impermanence”; here, they quickly discover that everyone is (like them) an adulterer. Before long, the couple is shuttled between their real worlds and the city which at first seems a blue-skied paradise. As the novel unfolds, the city’s gardens start to wither, and it - along with the couple’s relationship - devolves into something less idyll.

Sophie and I speak on a brisk spring day from opposite sides of London. I’m struck by her humility and authenticity when she talks about her work and achievements. We also discuss writing taboo subjects, setting the terms and conditions for her speculative worlds, and advice she’d give to her younger self.

PERMANENCE is your fourth novel! Does publication get easier?

It’s obviously different, but there are still feelings that don't go away. It’s still amazing to see the book in the shops. There's still that nervousness before it comes out, the hope that people will respond to it, the hope it will be reviewed. I never take it for granted; I don't ever want to be complacent. I never want to lose that sense of wonder.

Tell me a bit about the novel’s evolution

I knew very early that I wanted to write a love story, but it was a process of iteration. There was never a lightning bolt moment, but I was thinking a lot about a relationship as a physical space. Then I just started thinking: ‘What if a relationship is a city, or, what would a literal manifestation of relationship look like?’ And then I started thinking about secret relationships, and that led me to affairs. It really fit the setting of an alternate world.

Speaking of alternate worlds, you’re so adept at writing these skewered stories governed by their own logic. How did you go about setting the rules for the “city of impermanence”?

It's always a fluid process for me. And with Permanence, it was quite easy, because I was thinking about a relationship and very familiar territory. Clara and Francis cannot walk or be apart from each other without physical pain in the “city of impermanence”. Francis is not able to remove his wedding ring. I was thinking about writing literal manifestations of the conditions we put on other people in relationships and affairs, the harm we cause other people, but also the joy we give to other people, too.

There are these moments when Clara and Francis remark on all the things they can do in the “city of impermanence” that they can’t do in the real world, like go to parties together

There is a real uncanniness to an affair - a relationship that no one else knows about. All the everyday moments that haven't been witnessed before. It turns something very ordinary into something quite strange. Clara and Francis have to believe in their relationship very hard, because they're not typically allowed any physical proof.

You write desire so convincingly in this novel

I think about desire as a gravitational force. I think everyone, even if not pertaining to an affair, can relate to the idea of wanting someone so badly that it feels like you’re tapping into the universe. But also, the flip side of this is feeling so discarded, or giving so much to someone who is not giving much in return. This concurrence of desire can be so powerful.

Did any novels inspire you as you were writing Permanence? I couldn’t help but think of Annie Ernaux’s Simple Passion

Simple Passion is like the Bible of affairs. I love that novel so much. It captures the banality of waiting in affairs so well. And the magical thinking of affairs, too. This idea like: “If I don't step on the cracks, I'll be rewarded.” That was something I really wanted to capture. The compulsive side of longing, and again, the uncanniness of magical thinking.

There’s a painting that reoccurs in the novel—Still Life with Cherries and Mouse. Clara and Francis meet for the first time in front of it. What purpose does the painting serve in the novel?

I wanted them to have a portal, something that would link the two worlds. I also wanted the painting to mean a lot to them, but not necessarily mean a whole lot objectively, or to others who observe it. And beyond that, it's just a beautiful object. As a couple, Clara and Francis have these votive objects which they cling to and which are also tiny portals in the absence of proof of their relationship. The painting also provides a visual clue as to how the relationship is doing.

Your writing commonly deals with the patriarchy and feminism. Were you thinking about it here?

It wasn't so explicitly on my mind this time, but traditional power structures are definitely in there. Francis is older and more settled. Clara is younger and freer. I was thinking a lot about class and lifestyle. Clara is much more precarious than Francis, and maybe also envying - not just Francis’s power, but his security as well. My characters are always very desiring as you said. You can't untangle desire from patriarchy.

Do you write every day?

I try to write every day. I'm working on a novel now. If I'm not working on a novel, I work on a short story or an essay. I love writing in the morning. I'm very much a writer who has to throw it all at the wall and then revise. I'm a very messy writer. I have to feel my way through something to see if it's good. I don't know if something's going to work unless I try it.

How do you cultivate such a distinctive voice?

Whenever I teach, students always ask: ‘How do you get your voice? How do you distil your voice?’ Honestly, you just have to sit with it and keep writing. It's not something you can decide on. It’s that recognisable quality to a writer’s work. It’s like my ability to recognise a James Salter sentence anywhere.

What are your long-term aspirations?

There are so many more books I want to write. I would love to be able to write books for the rest of my life. I would love to have these books find their readers, to reach the people who need them.

What would you tell your debut self?

When you're a debut, and when I was writing The Water Cure, I felt like I had one book and one chance. I actually think you have many more chances. We always have more time.

Sophie Mackintosh's Book Recs and Writing Advice

Last but not least, some bookish and writing questions. What is…

…the last book you recommended to a friend?

The Wax Child by Olga Ravn.

…the first book that made you cry?

All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews.

…the book that made you fall in love with reading?

Emily of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

…the book that shaped you into the person you are today?

The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter.

…a book you wish you could read again for the first time?

In the Cut by Susanna Moore

…the most important piece of writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Improvement isn’t always linear. Often in writing, you get to a point where you're plateauing. Don’t be afraid of the plateau, because usually a plateau means you're going to have a breakthrough. Trust in the process, trust in the plateau. A breakthrough is coming.

…a piece of popular writing advice that everyone should ignore?

That writing should be torturous.

…one thing you would tell all new writers at the start of their journey?

Take your time and be kind to yourself. It's really easy not to look after yourself and to compare yourself to others. We can't write well if we're in a position where we feel scared or envious or like we're not good enough. Writing comes from a place of generosity with yourself.

PERMANENCE by Sophie Mackintosh is published in the UK by Hamish Hamilton (an imprint of Penguin Books Ltd), and is available to order now.

When Olivia Rodrigo wore a — shock horror! — babydoll dress on stage earlier this month, the backlash was swift and severe. The 23-year-old singer was accused of everything from adopting a “Lolita” persona to leaning into “pedo-core.”

Collectively, we could’ve recognised the well-worn style as a reference to alternative girlhood aesthetics — as was Rodrigo’s now-confirmed intention — but no. Instead, the babydoll dress debacle became supposed evidence that she was deliberately attempting to infantilise herself for male consumption.

This week, she finally responded. Appearing on The New York Times’ Popcast podcast, she admitted the controversy had left her “so upset.” And why wouldn’t it have? If being branded as promoting pedophilia, as one viral tweet claimed, isn’t cause for distress, I don’t know what is.

“What’s really disturbing is I feel like I have worn outfits that are maybe revealing on stage,” Rodrigo told The New York Times. “I’ve been on stage in a sparkly bra and little shorts, which is my right... And that wasn’t ‘inappropriate,’ but me fully covered up in a dress that people deemed to be childlike was inappropriate.”

Her observation, which she ought to get more credit for, cuts to the heart of a contradiction women have spent decades navigating. A woman can expose her body without criticism, provided that exposure fits within accepted conventions of adult sexuality. But heaven forbid, a woman invokes girlhood in ways that are not explicitly sexual.

The reaction to Rodrigo’s dress reveals less about the outfit itself than it does about the lens through which we have been taught to view girlhood. We live in a society that simultaneously infantilises and eroticises girls. “It’s just this rhetoric we’re fed as girls since we’re so little, which is: ‘Don’t wear that because then a man is going to sexualize your body and it’s your fault,’” says Rodrigo, and she’s right: “It just shows how we really normalise pedophilia in our culture.”

We’ve become so conditioned to seeing girlhood as sexualised that we can no longer recognise when women are reclaiming its aesthetics on their own terms. The irony of the Rodrigo controversy is that she wasn’t drawing from a tradition of sexualised girlhood at all. Responding to the criticism, Rodrigo explained that she had been thinking about Kathleen Hanna and Courtney Love, women who famously used the aesthetics of girlhood not to invite male desire but to challenge it.

The riot grrrl movement emerged in the early Nineties as a feminist rebellion against the sexism of punk culture and mainstream media alike. Its adherents wore babydoll dresses, hair clips, knee socks, and childish accessories not to appear sexually available, but to disrupt assumptions about what power looked like.

In Smells Like Teen Spirit: Riot Grrrls, Revolution and Women in Independent Rock, Gayle Wald describes this phenomenon: “I think reclaiming stuff that looked girly is troubling to the culture at large. When you have women dressed as girls but exhibiting grown-up sexuality, it brought attention to the culture’s sexualization of young girls in a way that you couldn’t deny.”

Do we really think that when Courtney Love pulled on a babydoll dress and belted out Doll Parts she was trying to convey innocence? It’s all there in the lyrics: “I am doll eyes. Doll mouth, doll legs. I am doll arms. Big veins, dog bait. Yeah, they really want you.”

Similarly, Kathleen Hanna’s pigtails were never meant to appeal to men. Both women and the wider riot grrrl orbit knew that femininity itself had become a battleground. By embracing aesthetics associated with girlhood while rejecting the expectation that women exist for male pleasure, they exposed the absurdity of those cultural assumptions. As Marisa Meltzer explained in her book Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music, “With riot grrrl, you could enjoy the playful aspects of being a girl and want to fight the power at the same time.”

That is Rodrigo’s reference point: punk feminism, not porn. “I was like, 'This is so cool. I feel like I look like Kathleen Hanna or Courtney Love,' all these people who are my heroes,” said Rodrigo of her riot grrrl-inspired outfit. Yet the reaction suggests that many of us have lost the ability to distinguish between the sexualisation of girlhood and girlhood itself.

If every reference to youth is automatically interpreted as sexual, we run the risk of accepting that girlhood exists primarily as an object of adult sexual interpretation. If the only way a woman can avoid accusations of inviting inappropriate attention is by dressing according to what the most predatory observer might think, then the result is that women and girls are once again being told what they can and cannot wear based on how men might perceive them.

Ironically, that is the very rhetoric Rodrigo was pushing back against. “You shouldn’t be responsible for some guy sexualizing you in a way that was never your intention,” she concluded.

The answer to the fetishisation of girlhood isn’t to erase girlhood from culture altogether; it’s to stop viewing it through the lens of male desire. Maybe the most revealing thing about Olivia Rodrigo’s babydoll dress is that so many people looked at it and immediately saw pornography instead of punk.

• Anne Hathaway has opened up about her decade-long health battle in a recent interview, revealing that she was “legally blind” in one eye for 10 years.
• “It impacted my vision so much that I was basically legally blind out of my left eye and I wound up getting surgery,” she revealed during a recent podcast appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast. “I didn’t realise how bad it had gotten until I could finally see the full spectrum.”
• Hathaway’s vision problems reportedly started in 2013 while working on Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, with the actress praising her vision in 2026 as “a miracle”.

Anne Hathaway has been front and centre in 2026, returning to our screens in The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mother Mary and The Odyssey this year. And with The Princess Diaries 3 and Yesteryear officially in the works, she never fails to get the world talking.

It was Hathaway’s personal life that made headlines this week however, with the 43-year-old actress speaking out about a private 10-year health battle.

During a recent appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast podcast, Hathaway revealed that she had previously struggled with early-onset cataracts, leaving her “legally blind” in her left eye for 10 years.

“This is maybe too much information, [but] I was half blind for 10 years,” the One Day star explained. “It impacted my vision so much that I was basically legally blind out of my left eye and I wound up getting surgery.

“I didn’t realise how bad it had gotten until I could finally see the full spectrum,” she continued. “I’ve calmed down since then. I didn’t realise it was actually taxing my nervous system.”

With Hathaway’s vision problems reportedly starting in 2013, she is believed to have been legally blind in her left eye while filming major Hollywood blockbusters, including Interstellar, The Intern, Colossal, Ocean's 8, Dark Waters and Armageddon Time.

“I appreciate vision because I literally feel like every day, I wake up and I get to see the way that I do, it’s a miracle,” Hathaway added in her Popcast interview. “I actually am like: ‘Oh, two generations back, that wouldn’t have been an option for someone like me.’ So, I actually do feel very connected to that kind of a miracle.”

We will continue to update this story.

• Meghan Markle has opened up about her family in a behind the scenes video for her luxe As Ever brand.
• “Everyone in my family has a different favourite," the Duchess of Sussex explained of her line of preserves in the surprise Instagram video. "My husband loves the raspberry, Lil loves the strawberry, and Arch likes both. And I like the marmalade."
• This comes as Markle has been increasing Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's involvement with the brand, releasing a signature candle inspired by each of her children earlier this month.

The Duchess of Sussex continues to be front and centre in 2026, with her luxe lifestyle brand, As Ever, dropping multiple seasonal lines since its 2025 creation.

And from homemade preserves and flower sprinkles to handcrafted chocolate and her own line of Napa Valley wine, Markle’s artisanal offerings have been selling out in minutes.

It was a sweet glimpse into the Sussex family’s home life that went viral this week, as Meghan Markle opened up about each family member’s As Ever product preferences.

And while speaking about her family, Markle revealed her personal nicknames for her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 4.

“Everyone in my family has a different favourite," the Duchess of Sussex announced in a candid video about her jam selection, posted to As Ever’s official Instagram account. "My husband loves the raspberry, Lil loves the strawberry, and Arch likes both. And I like the marmalade."

This is not the first time that Meghan Markle has included her children in As Ever, launching signature candles inspired by Archie and Lilibet earlier this month.

The candles, both costing $64, are inspired by the Sussex children's birthdates, with 'Signature Candle No. 506' named after Archie's May 6 birthday and 'Signature Candle No. 604' inspired by Lilibet's on June 4.

Their scent profiles also involve a sweet nod, with Markle designing signature blends based on her children's personalities, featuring notes of ginger and water lily, and promising to bring "a familiar ease" and "a sense of brightness and openness to the home".

Well, this is lovely.

We will continue to update this story.

• The Princess of Wales is rumoured to be considering attending the Earthshot Prize Awards in India this November with Prince William.
• "The Prince and Princess of Wales stand ready to assist the country however they can," a palace source reportedly told the Mirror. "The plans are in the early stages but it promises to be an amazing experience."
• This comes after the future Queen's recent visit to Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy, marking her first official overseas tour since her cancer recovery.

The Princess of Wales has dominated the headlines this month, with the future Queen taking part in her first official overseas tour since her cancer recovery.

Now in remission, the mother of three paid a two day visit to Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy, with the high profile trip being part of Princess Kate's work with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

And from the fan reactions to the viral photographs, the 44-year-old's highly-anticipated milestone visit has been a major success.

So much so in fact that royal experts are predicting that she will be making another overseas visit this year, with sources telling the Mirror that the Princess of Wales could potentially attend the Earthshot Prize Awards in India with Prince William this November.

"The Prince and Princess of Wales stand ready to assist the country however they can," the inside source reportedly told the outlet. "The plans are in the early stages but it promises to be an amazing experience."

This, according to royal expert Russell Myers would be a very important visit, noting on the Mirror's 'Pod Save The King' podcast that India holds "a very significant place in the world with the war in Ukraine and the state of trade and the environment as well."

"She is prepared to go and accompany William not only for the Earthshot trip, but the people in the government and the foreign office will be leaping around the room I imagine," he continued.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have not responded to the reports, but Prince William did open up about the possibility of future overseas tours during his recent appearance on Heart FM.

"She's sort of edging herself back into doing more of those trips," the future King explained during the special live broadcast to hosts Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston. "We have to balance that and make sure she's okay and rested but she's in good form."

We will continue to update this story.

Jan Saenz's debut novel, 200 Monas, was one of the first books I read this year. While squeezed into the middle seat on a flight to Stockholm, I was acutely aware of the side eyes from my neighbours as I found myself gasping, laughing and totally gripped to the chaotic world of Arvy Keening, a college student who finds a stash of unidentified pills in her recently deceased mother's wardrobe. Part dark comedy, part horny romcom, 200 Monas is a propulsive story about love, grief, and mind-blowing orgasms.

When I spoke to Jan over Zoom earlier this year, I was keen to find out what inspired this absolute rollercoaster of a story. Open, warm and effortlessly funny, she opened up about her own creative process, the book's upcoming film adaptation, and the most important piece of advice she'd give to new writers.

200 Monas is a joyride of a novel. I'd love to know how you describe it!

I usually lead with dark comedy, and from there I say a comedic erotic thriller - which seems like an odd genre in itself! It's very nerve-wracking to write something that can't easily fit into a box, so I'm really pleased when people say things like, “I have a hard time describing this novel to people.” I think that's a great thing! It's kind of like a weird girl, literary fiction novel, but also kind of a wacky romcom.

I've not read anything like it before, and I didn't know what to expect going into it

Now I'm telling people to go in blind, to just treat it like a ride. If you go in with no expectations, I think that's a cool way to read something!

Why did you want to write this book, and why now?

I was at a point in my career where I just wanted to have fun. Writing had become a bit of an uphill battle, a bit of a chore. I was always chasing that pedestal of literary fiction and I was ready to just say, “Fuck it, I just want to write for fun.” I really, truly wrote the book I wanted to read.

When we meet Arvy, she's just lost of her mum and is immediately drawn to Wolf. What inspired you to write about love and grief simultaneously?

My father passed away when I was 16. I remember not really processing his death in a way that seemed “normal”, not like what I would see in the movies; I wasn't crying, I was going on with my life, and school. And I felt shame because I felt like I wasn't grieving correctly. Later on, when my mother had been diagnosed with cancer, I felt the same way. I wasn't processing the magnitude of what was happening. One night my husband was talking about his day, and he casually mentioned my mother. I just burst, I was violently crying… it all came out. It made me understand that everyone does grieve differently. That moment of just feeling everything, all at once, it really felt orgasmic and that seemed interesting to me - this idea of a pill that could make you feel a little bit of everything all at once, expelling all of these repressed emotions from the body, while also releasing something.

Authors often talk about how their stories find them. Where did the idea to write about mind-blowing orgasm pills come from?

I was in the bath tub at 2am. I remember thinking about the female orgasm and wondering if one day they'll have a pill or something to help with sexual dysfunction or something like that. And I was like, "Wait a minute..." I grabbed my phone, and I still have the note! I outlined the book right in the tub.

For me, ideas always feel like this weird sort of premonition. As a writer, you're always getting ideas - you're always jotting them down your phone, you're always weighing what's worth your time. Some things are just a good idea, but some things are actually worth sitting at the work bench for hours and hours and tinkering with. I don't necessarily invest in any idea unless I can see the beginning and the ending very, very clearly.

How did you know 200 Monas was a story worth sticking with?

It usually starts with a curiosity about that opening scene; you can see it in your head very, very clearly. You can see the characters, the setting, you can feel the mood and the tension. And you're just like, “What's going on here?” It's enough to make you want to live in that world for a while and figure out. I remember thinking about that opening scene, of this girl in a closet and finding these pills and thinking: “Whose closet is this? What are those pills?”

The orgasm scenes are so visceral - some are intense and funny, others are shocking or tender. How hard were they to write?

I've been writing for 20 years and people would so often say, “I love it when you write about sex or sexuality!” I always avoided it because I was trying to save face or I wanted to deny that that's what felt natural to me, yet whenever I would get something published I noticed it was always something sexy. Leaning into that honesty of what - for lack of a better term - turns me on when I write was really the key to writing 200 Monas and those sex scenes.

It also came out of a frustration of what I was seeing in romance novels. The sex never really felt true to form. I think sex is wonderful, and awkward, and fun, and not perfect, which makes the perfect moments all the more special. I really wanted to say: “Hold my beer!” I wanted to write about sex in a way that I felt was true to form. I think sex is more weird than people give it credit for!

Arvy's pain and panic is palpable throughout, but it's perfectly matched with comedy and levity. Is it tricky to strike that balance?

Comedy is a coping mechanism for many, including myself. I come from a family of very funny people - people who do laugh at a funeral, people who do break awkward silences with a joke - so that balance of comedy and absurdity with tragedy comes naturally for me. It is a tragic book! If you take away all the comedy, what has happened to this girl is really devastating and really sad, and it's the comedy that's protecting the reader from feeling weighed down.

And finally, 200 Monas is set to be made into a film - that’s so exciting! How has that process been?

Shortly after the book was purchased by a publisher, the film rights were purchased and I really wanted to write the script. I didn't think that they would let me, but they did! They were so supportive, and I was truly excited because it’s a book that I can so clearly see as a film. When I was writing it, it was a film inside my head. So I'm really, really thankful to be brought on as an Executive Producer and a Screenwriter. It's a great team, they all love the novel and I think they're gonna do it justice. I'm excited to be part of that process!

Jan Saenz's Book Recs and Writing Advice

Last but not least, some bookish and writing questions. What is…

…the last book you recommended to a friend?

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Caragh M. O'Brien).

…the first book that ever made you cry?

I cried like five times reading Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller if that counts!

…the book that made you fall in love with reading?

Eloise by Kay Thompson.

…the book that shaped you into the person you are today?

If I'm being honest, my own books - is that an okay answer? 200 Monas is the third novel I've ever written, and I feel like I had to write those first two novels to really understand why I was writing in the first place.

…a book you wish you could read again for the first time?

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

…the most important piece of writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Write the book you want to read.

…a piece of popular writing advice that everyone should ignore?

Write every day. Fuck that! Live your life. Please walk away from the desk, take a huge break from writing, and come back in a week, a month, a year and revisit that manuscript with new eyes.

…one thing you would tell all new writers at the start of their journey?

It's a marathon, not a race. There is no hurry to create something extraordinary. Take your time with your writing, spread it out and don't be afraid to spend years on a novel. Don't be so nervous that you're going to miss the train, or that someone is not going to notice you - if you really care about what you write, someone will eventually find it.

Shop MC Editor-Approved Reading Gadgets

As a book lover who successfully pulled myself out of a reading rut a couple of years ago, these are the reading gadgets that always help me make a dent in my ever-growing TBR pile.

200 Monas by Jan Saenz is published in the UK by Harper Collins, and is available to buy now.

Lizzo has returned to the headlines in 2026, with her highly-anticipated fifth studio album, BITCH, set for release on Friday 5 June.

However, it is her recent social media activity that has got the world talking the most, with the 43-year-old taking to X this weekend to respond to accusations that she had 'shaded' singers Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo.

And in now-viral posts, the Good as Hell singer publicly shut down her online critics, stating that she would "never talk shit about any artist".

The online accusations were prompted by a post that Lizzo reshared to her X profile, comparing her and Taylor Swift's latest album sales figures.

“The Life Of A Showgirl + MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING — 4.005M," read the post, captioning a video clip of Lizzo’s STFU music video. "ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR — 683k."

"Can someone explain what this means?," Lizzo asked her fans, to which one X user responded: "It means all that shit talking you did about Tay finally caught up with you."

"Are you well? First of all I have never talked shit about Taylor Swift," Lizzo publicly responded, shutting down the accusations. "Also while we on the subject I've never talked shit about any artist. Just because I mention an artist by name does not mean I'm talking shit - grow tf up pls."

This is not the first time that Lizzo has shut down feud rumours between her and Taylor Swift, with the Pink singer speaking out during the Perth leg of her Australia tour in 2023.

Responding to a fan's sign that said "I chose you over Taylor," Lizzo publicly announced: "I’m going to start off be saying thank you for coming to my show, I know tickets are expensive to everybody’s shows, so it means the world to me that you’re here.

"[But] Taylor Swift is amazing as well," she added. "I heart Tay Tay too, there’s no competition here."

Lizzo also went on to shut down a claim that she was throwing "shade" at Olivia Rodrigo over the weekend, taking to X to clear up the situation.

"WOAH! would never shade Olivia Rodrigo," Lizzo posted. "I think she's amazing. Maybe I'll stop interacting with Stan accounts so there's no confusion - I need Twitter to give y'all a orange check or something."

BITCH, Lizzo's fifth studio album, is set for release on Friday 5 June 2026.

We will continue to update this story.

Nobody Wants This continues to make headlines, with Erin Foster's critically acclaimed Netflix comedy series currently filming its highly-anticipated third season.

The award-winning series stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as sex podcaster Joanne and rabbi Noah, as the unlikely couple and their families navigate their unorthodox relationship.

And with an all-star supporting cast including Justine Lupe, Jackie Tohn, Timothy Simons and Emily Arlook - not to mention new season two additions Leighton Meester and Seth Rogen, the series has quickly become a cult classic.

It was the season three cast that got the world talking recently, as some new Nobody Wants This guest stars were confirmed.

And joining Sarah Silverman, Andrew Rannells and Keyla Monterroso Mejia was one surprising new A-list addition, show creator Erin Foster herself.

Foster, who has appeared in The OC, Barely Famous and Daddy Issues among others, will be guest starring in season three as new character Nicole, described by Netflix as "a terminally single, chaotic, and somewhat messy person. She’s Joanne if everything had gone wrong in her life."

This will be Foster's first appearance in the show, with the 43-year-old writing the series based on her own relationship and conversion to Judaism.

And as an actress herself, Foster has previously revealed that before Kristen Bell came onboard, she actually wrote the lead role of Joanne for herself.

"I wanted an actress who would fall into it in a really relaxed, natural way," Foster has recalled in a previous interview with Harper’s Bazaar. "And from our first meeting at Netflix, after they bought the idea, immediately for them, it was like, ‘It’s Kristen Bell no matter what.’ They have worked with her many times before, and they are obsessed with her. They love her."

"We had a meeting, and she was so respectful, nice, and complimentary, and she very clearly, very quickly said, 'Erin, I know you wrote this for yourself to be in. I’m not comfortable taking this role away from you'," Foster continued. "And I said, 'Well, first of all, it doesn’t sound like I really have a choice, so let’s do this.'

"I said to her, ‘The truth is, I want to be a mum. I’m trying to get pregnant, and that’s really my life focus right now, becoming a mum,'" she added. "I don’t want to be sitting in a hair and make-up trailer at 5am. I was really trying to get pregnant, and I knew that those two things happening at the same time wasn’t going to work. And so I was kind of giving her my blessing. Like, 'I want it to be you. I don’t want it to be me'."

There is not yet an official release date for Nobody Wants This season three, but we will continue to update this story.

• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a secret home in the Cotswolds in the first years of their marriage.
• The four-bedroom farmhouse, known as Westfield Large, was worth £2.5 million in 2018, located near Soho House and the Beckham family's estate.
• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were forced to leave their beloved country home in 2019, after leaked photographs of the property "put the pair’s safety at risk."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have dominated the headlines since their 2020 relocation to California. And from the As Ever founder's words about the family of four's dynamic to their stunning Montecito home, the royal couple's new life in the US continues to get the world talking.

It is hard to even remember a time before their move to the States, but of course Prince Harry and Meghan Markle actually lived in several UK properties before their relocation.

The royal couple most famously lived in Frogmore Cottage, a Grade II listed home in Windsor Great Park that was gifted to them as a wedding present from the late Queen Elizabeth II.

However, news resurfaced this week that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also had a secret UK home in the Cotswolds, signing a two-year lease on the property shortly before getting married.

The four-bedroom farmhouse known as Westfield Large was located on the Great Tew Estate, just an hour and a half outside of London, with Soho Farmhouse and the Beckhams among their neighbours.

And worth a reported £2.5 million in 2018, its four acres featured a main house, a converted barn with two kitchens and a two-bedroom cottage for visitors.

The royal couple is reported to have stayed at the property while renovations at their official home, Frogmore Cottage, were being carried out.

And according to sources via The Sun, Harry and Meghan loved to host their A-list friends including George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams, and Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas "in complete solitude".

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were forced to leave Westfield Large in May 2019 after paparazzi photographs of the inside of their home were published, posing a security threat.

"The syndication and publication of the photographs very seriously undermined the safety and security of the Duke and the home to the extent that they are no longer able to live at the property," the royal family announced in a statement at the time.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex subsequently moved into Frogmore Cottage.

We will continue to update this story.

• Zendaya and Tom Holland have expanded their family, with the Dune actress confirming that the couple has adopted a dog together.
• "Logistically, it wasn't probably the smartest idea," the 29-year-old explained in a recent interview with ELLE. "But emotionally, it was. He’s a wonderful addition to our family."
• The A-list couple now shares three dogs together, with their new rescue joining Noon, a Miniature Schnauzer and Daphne, a Doberman Pinscher.

Zendaya and Tom Holland are one of the most talked-about couples in the world, with the notoriously private pair dominating the headlines in 2026.

The A-listers have famously been dating since 2021, after meeting on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming. And following the news of their engagement last year, they have been surrounded by wedding speculation.

It has been rumoured that the Hollywood couple tied the knot in secret earlier this year, with Zendaya's stylist Law Roach alleging that the wedding had already happened. However, despite the buzz around them, the A-listers have chosen to keep their personal life under wraps.

"Our relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible," Holland has previously explained to the Hollywood Reporter. "We don’t think that we owe it to anyone, it’s our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers."

This week, three months after the wedding rumours, Zendaya made a rare admission about their personal life, with the Euphoria actress confirming that they had adopted a dog together.

The couple already shares Noon, a Miniature Schnauzer and Daphne, a Doberman Pinscher. But recently, they expanded their family, adopting a pocket American Bully from a shelter in Oakland, California.

"Logistically, it wasn’t probably the smartest idea," Zendaya explained of their recent relationship milestone in a new interview with ELLE. "But emotionally, it was. He’s a wonderful addition to our family.

"I saw his little face and I was like, 'I can’t leave you behind,'" she added.

"I’d say quintessential Hollywood shit is probably how I am with my dog," The Drama star previously explained in a 2026 conversation with co-star Robert Pattinson for Interview Magazine.

"They get their fancy meals with the vitamin supplements. It sounds very ridiculous when I talk about it, but I love my child," she added. "That’s probably the most ridiculous Hollywood thing about me, how my dog be living."

Well, this is lovely.

We will continue to update this story.

• Lily Collins has confirmed that the sixth season of Emily in Paris will be the Netflix show's last, with fans mourning the unexpected update.
• "After six unforgettable years of playing Emily Cooper, I'm here to share that this upcoming sixth season will be our final," Collins announced in a viral video this week. "Season six will bring you everything you love about the show and serve as the final chapter in Emily's adventure of a lifetime."
• Emily in Paris season six is currently filming in Mykonos, Greece.

Emily in Paris season six is officially in the works. And from the surprise location change to Greece to the all-star returning cast (Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucien Laviscount and Lucas Bravo to name a few), the popular series never fails to generate interest.

However, it was a "bittersweet" update that made the Netflix show headlines today, as Emily in Paris star Lily Collins confirmed that the upcoming instalment would be the show's final season.

"Hey, it's Lily. I just wanted to share something with you all. After six unforgettable years of playing Emily Cooper, I'm here to share that this upcoming sixth season will be our final," Collins announced in a video message, posted to Netflix's social media channels.

"Season six will bring you everything you love about the show and serve as the final chapter in Emily's adventure of a lifetime," she continued. "Our entire cast and crew are pouring our hearts into making this a fantastic farewell season, which we're now filming.

"I can't wait for all of the magic ahead, and to celebrate our final season with you in the most chic way yet. We're so incredibly grateful and we love you all."

"Annnnnd we're back — for the last time," Collins posted on her own Instagram profile, captioning a series of photographs on location in Mykonos. "Emily in Paris takes on Greece (and of course France) for one final, epic adventure. Let’s make it the most incredibly special season yet!…"

The "bittersweet" update has prompted an outpouring of support for Collins and the show, with fans mourning the end of the cult classic, while celebrating the show as a whole.

"I am definitely grieving this," read one comment on Collins' post. "Thank you for everything, you made us happy for 6 years! It was wonderful!"

"Nooo not the last one. I am not ready to say au revoir," one fan added, while another posted: "So not ready for the end, but excited to see the next sunny adventure."

There is not yet an official release date for Emily in Paris season six, but we will continue to update this story.

• Prince William spoke about his pride in Princess Kate's first overseas tour since her cancer recovery during a special live broadcast on Heart FM this morning.
• "She's an amazing mum and an amazing wife and literally our family couldn't cope without her," the future King told hosts Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston. "She's been absolutely stunning, she really has."
• "She's sort of edging herself back into doing more of those trips," he added. "We have to balance that and make sure she's okay and rested but she's in good form."

The Princess of Wales has been front and centre this month, with the future Queen embarking on her first official overseas tour since her cancer recovery.

The mother of three confirmed her cancer diagnosis in 2024, taking a leave of absence to prioritise her health and focus on her recuperation in private.

And now in remission, the 44-year-old has been increasing her duties, with her recent two day visit to Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy being her biggest milestone to date.

The high profile trip was part of Princess Kate's work with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. And it has been widely considered a huge success, with royal fans eager to know where the Princess of Wales will be visiting next.

Prince William weighed in on the situation this morning, giving an update on Princess Kate's health during a recent radio appearance.

Joining Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston on Heart FM from the Isles of Scilly for a special live broadcast, the future King spoke about his wife's return to duties, explaining that he was "so proud" of her progress.

"It must've been a difficult time back then with the kids and seeing her fulfil those duties must've made you very happy," reflected Jamie Theakston.

"Yep, very much so," Prince William responded. "She's an amazing mum and an amazing wife and literally our family couldn't cope without her. She's been absolutely stunning, she really has."

And when asked about the possibility of future oversees tours, William added: "She's sort of edging herself back into doing more of those trips ... we have to balance that and make sure she's okay and rested but she's in good form."

Listen to the full special live broadcast on Heart FM.

We will continue to update this story.

For fans of The White Lotus and The Perfect Couple, there's a new holiday drama series on its way, with Two Weeks in August airing this week on BBC One.

The upcoming mini-series follows a group of old university friends whose reunion holiday to a Greek Island quickly turns sinister after an "illicit kiss".

And from the star-studded cast list to the stunning locations, it already looks set to become a cult classic.

Here's what we know so far about the highly-anticipated series...

Two Weeks in August

Two Weeks in August is a dark comedy and psychological drama series, written by Catherine Shepherd.

The eight episode mini-series follows a group of friends from University who reunite years later for a summer holiday in Greece.

However, with a lot changing since their University days, cracks and tensions in relationships and friendships come to the surface, and their paradise quickly becomes a nightmare.

"There's a real hopefulness about booking a nice villa somewhere and thinking everyone's going to have a great time together," explained Antonia Thomas, who plays Jess in the series, via BBC. "But people change. They're not the same people they were 10 years ago.

"It becomes a kind of pressure cooker," she continued. "Everyone falls back into old roles, even if they don't fit anymore."

The 'British' White Lotus

People have already made comparisons between Two Weeks in August and HBO's The White Lotus, with both shows following picture-perfect holidays gone wrong.

However, in a recent interview with the Royal Television Society, Catherine Shepherd explained that there are also many differences between them.

"The White Lotus is about people who are super rich", she stated, explaining that Two Weeks in August instead follows "relatively normal people with normal concerns".

She was actually reportedly inspired by Ruben Östlund’s black comedies Force Majeure and Triangle of Sadness, stating: "I hope – in my dreams – we have made something a bit like that, which has cinematic epicness but is also funny."

Two Weeks in August cast

Two Weeks in August boasts an impressive cast, with Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) and Damien Molony (Brassic) at the show's helm. Also starring in the series are Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie), Hugh Skinner (Mamma Mia 2), Antonia Thomas (Misfits) and Nicholas Pinnock (For Life).

Two Weeks in August full cast list

• Jessica Raine
• Damien Molony
• Antonia Thomas
• Hugh Skinner
• Leila Farzad
• Nicholas Pinnock
• Penelope Markopoulou
• Tiana Formosa
• Dylan Brady
• Panos Koronis
• Cassius Hackforth
• Yorgos Pirpassopoulos
• Florence Banks
• Dimitris Xanthopoulos
• Panos Vlahos
• Christos Dante
• Tom Goodman-Hill
• Dolly Wells

Two weeks in August release date

Two Weeks in August is set for release on Saturday 23 May, with all eight episodes airing on BBC One. They will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

We will continue to update this story.

It has been five years since the release of the last James Bond film, No Time To Die. And with Daniel Craig officially hanging up his tuxedo, there have long been rumours around who will take up the mantle.

This week, it was confirmed that casting for the iconic role is officially in progress, with renowned casting director Nina Gold hired to find the next 007 with director Denis Villeneuve.

"The search for the next James Bond is under way," a spokesperson for Amazon MGM Studios announced in a recent statement.

"While we don't plan to comment on specific details during the casting process, we're excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right."

According to multiple outlets, auditions have already started, with numerous A-listers said to have tried out for the role in recent weeks.

But who are the rumoured frontrunners? From Callum Turner to Jacob Elordi, these are six of the names that are reportedly being considered...

Callum Turner

Callum Turner, 36, has long been considered one of the James Bond frontrunners, with a well-placed source reportedly telling The Times that "there is a lot of talk about [the English actor]".

Turner is famed for his television and film work, starring in Eternity, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Emma, Queen & Country and War & Peace, among others. He is also engaged to Grammy award winning singer Dua Lipa.

Jacob Elordi

Jacob Elordi, 28, is also considered to be a "favourite" for the iconic role, with the Oscar-nominated actor currently at his career peak - starring in Wuthering Heights, Euphoria and Frankenstein in the last year.

The Australian actor has also allegedly met with James Bond director Denis Villeneuve and Amazon executives in recent months, fuelling rumours that he is in consideration.

Jack Lowden

Jack Lowden, 35, is also rumoured to be in the running to play James Bond, with the Scottish actor known for his work across the stage and screen.

He has famously starred in Slow Horses, War & Peace, Mary Queen of Scots, Dunkirk and Fighting with my Family. Not to mention, he is set to play Mr Darcy in the highly-anticipated Dolly Alderton remake of Pride and Prejudice later this year. Lowden is also the husband of Little Women and Ladybird actress Saoirse Ronan.

Louis Partridge

Louis Partridge is a relatively new entry to the rumoured James Bond considerations, and at just 23-years-old he would be the youngest 007 in history.

The English actor has starred in major projects including Enola Holmes, Paddington 2 and Pride and Prejudice. However, his breakthrough role has undoubtedly been Netflix's 2025 historical drama, House of Guinness, written by Steven Knight. And with Knight officially coming onboard to write the next James Bond film, fans believe Partridge could be a strong contender.

Harris Dickinson

Harris Dickinson, 29, has been surrounded by a lot of James Bond speculation in recent months, with the English actor widely considered to be a strong contender.

The Bafta-nominated actor has starred in major Hollywood projects including Babygirl, Where the Crawdads Sing, Blitz and The King's Man. Not to mention the forthcoming Beatles biopics, with Dickinson cast as John Lennon in the four upcoming films.

Tom Francis

Tom Francis, 26, is a new contender, with Variety reporting just days ago that he had auditioned to be the next James Bond.

The English actor has appeared in films including The Mosquito Bowl and Jay Kelly, as well as the final season of Netflix's YOU. However, he is most known for his work on the stage, appearing in & Juliet, What's New Pussycat? and Sunset Boulevard, going on to win a Laurence Olivier Best Actor award for the role.

The next James Bond actor will be the seventh in history, coming after Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and of course Daniel Craig.

We will continue to update this story.

• Royal experts have weighed in on Prince William and Princess Kate's new forever home in Windsor, confirming that the future King and Queen will not move their family to Buckingham Palace in the future.
• "When they left London for Windsor, William and Kate made it clear that they were doing it so their children could have more green space and freedom," reported Emily Nash, via HELLO!. "That won’t change."
• The Wales family relocated to Forest Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, in October 2025.

The Prince and Princess of Wales continue to make headlines. And from the change to the royal couple's roles in 2026, to the emotional shifts for their family behind palace walls, they have been front and centre.

It is the Wales family's recent house move that has undoubtedly got the world talking the most, with Prince William and Princess Kate relocating their household to Forest Lodge in 2025.

The 328-year-old property has been described as the family's "forever home", with the Grade II-listed Georgian-style estate featuring eight bedrooms, marble fireplaces and Venetian windows. As well as a tennis court, stables and a lake, set on 4,800 acres of Windsor Great Park.

However, tradition would dictate that the family of five would move to Buckingham Palace when Prince William one day becomes King, with the historic property being the official London residence of the monarch for 189 years.

This is something royal expert Emily Nash opened up about this week, reporting that the future King and Queen are unlikely to change their minds about Buckingham Palace, and confirming that Forest Lodge is their "forever home".

"When they left London for Windsor, William and Kate made it clear that they were doing it so their children could have more green space and freedom," reported Nash, HELLO!’s royal editor. "That won’t change, and they have since made it very clear that Forest Lodge will be their 'forever home.'

"While Buckingham Palace will always remain 'monarchy HQ,' for now, they want to keep as much normality for their family, and that means not living in a palace or a castle," she continued. "It’s hard to see that changing anytime soon."

Well, that's that.

We will continue to update this story.

• Steve Coogan has spoken out about Helena Bonham Carter's exit from The White Lotus, with the 59-year-old actress leaving the project a week into filming.
• "Sometimes you find that something isn't working the way you want it to, in terms of, like, the character and the dynamic of the whole story," Coogan told Deadline. "So that was just a mutual decision."
• The White Lotus season four is currently in production, filming across Cannes, Saint Tropez, Monaco and Paris.

The White Lotus is already the most talked-about show of 2026, with Mike White's highly-anticipated fourth season in the works.

And with the next instalment of the HBO show set at the Cannes Film Festival, filming is currently underway across Paris, Monaco and the French Riviera.

This has not been without its challenges, with A-list actress Helena Bonham Carter officially leaving the series last month, just one week into filming.

According to a spokesperson for The White Lotus, the character that "Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set" after filming the first few scenes. And a decision was subsequently made to rewrite and recast the role.

"HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon," the spokesperson continued.

Echoing the statement was also actor and comedian Steve Coogan, who is set to star in The White Lotus season four.

Coogan, 60, was filming alongside Bonham Carter before her exit from the show. And during his recent appearance at the TV BAFTAs, he confirmed that the story went in a "different direction" after finding that it wasn't "working".

"It was like, sometimes you find that something isn't working the way you want it to, in terms of, like, the character and the dynamic of the whole story," Coogan explained to Deadline of the situation. "So that was just a mutual decision. The whole part was rewritten from scratch."

It has since been confirmed that Big Little Lies star Laura Dern will be replacing Bonham Carter on the show.

The 59-year-old actress has already appeared in the show, playing the minor voice role of Abby, the estranged wife of Dominic Di Grasso, played by Michael Imperioli in season two.

There is not yet an official release date for The White Lotus season four.

We will continue to update this story.

• Lucas Bravo was spotted attending Cannes Film Festival with comedian Mary Beth Barone this week, fuelling dating rumours around the pair.
• According to onlookers, via DeuxMoi, the "unexpected" couple was seen “making out” at an after-party.
• The A-listers first sparked romance speculation earlier this year, attending a New York Knicks game together in March 2026.

Lucas Bravo is one of the breakout stars of Emily in Paris. And from his near-miss casting for his role as Gabriel to public fears that he might be leaving the Netflix show, the 38-year-old has been dominating the headlines in recent years.

It is Bravo's private life that has garnered the most attention in 2026, with the French actor rumoured to be dating 34-year-old comedian and podcaster, Mary Beth Barone.

Barone made her name in stand-up comedy, with major acting credits in Black Mirror and Overcompensating, which she also wrote for. Not to mention, she has perhaps become most known for RIDE, her popular podcast with Benito Skinner.

Barone and Bravo were first linked together in March 2026, when the Emily in Paris actor and the Overcompensating star were photographed attending a New York Knicks game.

And following reports that Barone and Bravo attended Cannes Film Festival together this week, spotted together on multiple occasions, rumours around their potential A-list relationship have been going viral.

Bravo has been in Cannes to attend the premiere of his new film, La Vénus Electrique, at the 79th annual festival. And in a video shared by Paris Match, he was accompanied by Barone, with the pair reportedly engaging in public displays of affection at the Carlton Cannes, and on a separate night out in the resort city.

According to eyewitness reports via DeuxMoi, the pair was reportedly seen "making out" at an after-party, with the source calling Bravo and Barone "quite the unexpected pair."

This comes after Bravo's split from Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley, with the pair dating in 2025. Barone has also come out of a high profile relationship, previously dating her Overcompensating co-star, The White Lotus' Adam DiMarco.

Neither Lucas Bravo nor Mary Beth Barone have commented on the reports.

We will continue to update this story.

• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are officially adapting an Afghan war memoir for Netflix.
• No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege is a powerful firsthand account of twenty-one days under attack in Afghanistan, written by Major Adam Jowett.
• The project, produced by the royal couple, is set for release on Netflix as part of their new deal with the streaming platform.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to be front and centre in 2026. And from the success of Meghan Markle's As Ever lifestyle brand to their recent tour of Australia, the A-list couple never fails to generate interest.

It is their venture into the big screen that has been making the most headlines, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle producing multiple documentaries including Cookie Queens, Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, Polo, Heart of Invictus, Live to Lead and The Me you Can’t See.

And this week, it was announced that the Duke and Duchess would be going one step further, officially developing a movie.

The feature film will be an adaption of war memoir, No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege, a powerful firsthand account of twenty-one days under attack in Afghanistan, written by Major Adam Jowett.

Netflix is believed to have signed on for the project, with No Way Out's release being part of the royal couple's new deal with the streaming platform.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Archewell Productions' Tracy Ryerson will be producing the adaptation, and Oscar-nominated Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman will reportedly be coming onboard to create the script.

There is not yet a release date for No Way Out: The Searing True Story of Men Under Siege.

We will continue to update this story.

• Ryan Reynolds has written a beautiful tribute to Blake Lively on Instagram to mark US Mother's Day.
• "I appreciate this mother beyond measure," read his sweet message. "She is kind. She is fearless. She's the absolute love of my life."
• This comes just a week after the news that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached a settlement in the Lively v Wayfarer Studios legal battle.

Blake Lively continues to make headlines, with this month seeing the Gossip Girl star reach a settlement with her It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni, following a lengthy legal battle.

Lively, 38, accused her director and co-star, 42, of sexual harassment on set, and for allegedly coordinating a smear campaign against her, filing a legal complaint in December 2024. Baldoni has denied the allegations.

A trial for Lively v Wayfarer Studios was officially set for 18 May 2026, however following a year and a half of public legal drama, a settlement was reached last week.

Lively herself has not spoken publicly since the news of the legal settlement. However, her husband of 14 years Ryan Reynolds took to Instagram this weekend to post a rare tribute to her.

"I appreciate this mother beyond measure," read the sweet message, posted to his Instagram Stories on Sunday to mark US Mother's Day.

"She is kind. She is fearless," his post continued, alongside two photographs of the A-list couple. "She's the absolute love of my life - and to our four little kids, she's the life of their love."

Lively and Reynolds share four children together - James, 11, Inez, 9, Betty, 6, and Olin, 3.

This comes after another public statement from Reynolds just last month, with the Deadpool actor speaking out to praise his wife's "integrity" throughout the legal battle.

"Really, without getting into too much, I have never in my life been more proud of my wife," Reynolds explained to host Willie Geist during a recent interview on Today's Sunday Sitdown Live series. "People have no idea what is really going on.

"I’ve never been more proud of someone in my life, with that level of integrity that they bring with them in everything they do."

We will continue to update this story.

• The Princess of Wales reportedly once pushed back against protocol, choosing to delay the announcement of Prince George's birth in 2013.
• "[Princess Kate] insisted, with her husband's backing, that the Palace wait four hours so that they could savour the moment in private 'as any young family would,'" Christopher Andersen claimed in his new book, Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen.
• Prince George was born at 4.24pm on 22nd July, however the royal family did not announce the news until later that evening.

The Princess of Wales continues to make headlines, with the future Queen embarking on her first oversees trip since her cancer recovery this week.

And with the 44-year-old royal being front and centre this season, emerging as one of the leaders of the fold, experts have been praising her modern approach to public life.

This, according to Christopher Andersen, started early on, with Princess Kate reportedly putting her foot down and changing outdated protocol when necessary.

One such moment happened after the birth of Prince George in July 2013, with the royal expert reporting that Princess Kate chose to keep the news of her son's birth private for longer than was expected.

"It was customary to proclaim a royal birth to the waiting world without delay," Andersen wrote in his new book, Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen.

However, despite the public interest in Prince George's birth, with the now 12-year-old being second in line to the throne, Princess Kate and Prince William were keen to prioritise their private time together.

"[Princess Kate] insisted, with her husband's backing, that the Palace wait four hours so that they could savour the moment in private 'as any young family would,'" Andersen reported.

And while Prince George was ultimately born at 4.24pm on 22 July 2013 at St Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing, the royal family did not issue an official press release until that evening, allowing four hours for the young family to celebrate in private.

Kate! The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen by Christopher Andersen is out now.

Last night saw the 2026 TV BAFTAs, with the television awards with P&O Cruises celebrating the last year on screen.

And from British favourites Toxic Town, Amandaland and Film Club, to international offerings including The White Lotus and The Studio, this year's nominees were truly star-studded.

Adolescence emerged as the big winner of the night, picking up four awards in the Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Limited Drama categories. And not far behind were The Celebrity Traitors and Last One Laughing, picking up two awards each.

From Owen Cooper and Steve Coogan to Katherine Parkinson and Narges Rashidi, here's who won big last night...

2026 TV BAFTA Award winners

Drama series

WINNER: Code Of Silence
A Thousand Blows
Blue Lights
This City Is Ours

Limited drama

WINNER: Adolescence
I Fought The Law
Trespasses
What It Feels Like For A Girl

Leading actor

WINNER: Stephen Graham - Adolescence
Colin Firth - Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
Ellis Howard - What it Feels Like for a Girl
James Nelson-Joyce - This City is Ours
Matt Smith - The Death of Bunny Munro
Taron Egerton - Smoke

Leading actress

WINNER: Narges Rashidi - Prisoner 951
Aimee Lou Wood - Film Club
Erin Doherty - A Thousand Blows
Jodie Whittaker - Toxic Town
Sheridan Smith - I Fought The Law
Siân Brooke - Blue Lights

Supporting actor

WINNER: Owen Cooper - Adolescence
Ashley Walters - Adolescence
Fehinti Balogun - Down Cemetery Road
Joshua Mcguire - The Gold
Paddy Considine - MobLand
Rafael Mathé - The Death of Bunny Munro

Supporting actress

WINNER: Christine Tremarco - Adolescence
Aimee Lou Wood - The White Lotus
Chyna McQueen - Get Millie Black
Emilia Jones - Task
Erin Doherty - Adolescence
Rose Ayling-Ellis - Reunion

Scripted comedy

WINNER: Amandaland
Big Boys
How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge)
Things You Should Have Done

Best actor in a comedy

WINNER: Steve Coogan - How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge)
Jim Howick - Here We Go
Jon Pointing - Big Boys
Lenny Rush - Am I Being Unreasonable?
Mawaan Rizwan - Juice
Oliver Savell - Changing Ends

Best actress in a comedy

WINNER: Katherine Parkinson - Here We Go
Diane Morgan - Mandy
Jennifer Saunders - Amandaland
Lucy Punch - Amandaland
Philippa Dunne - Amandaland
Rosie Jones - Pushers

Entertainment

WINNER: Last One Laughing
The Graham Norton Show
Michael Mcintyre's Big Show
Would I Lie To You

Entertainment performance

WINNER: Bob Mortimer - Last One Laughing
Amanda Holden & Alan Carr - Amanda & Alan's Spanish Job
Claudia Winkleman - The Celebrity Traitors
Lee Mack - The 1% Club
Rob Beckett & Romesh Ranganathan - Rob & Romesh Vs...
Romesh Ranganathan - Romesh: Can't Knock the Hustle

Factual entertainment

WINNER: Go Back To Where You Came From
The Assembly
Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars
Race Across the World

Reality

WINNER: The Celebrity Traitors
The Jury: Murder Trial
Squid Game: The Challenge
Virgin Island

Soap

WINNER: EastEnders
Casualty
Coronation Street

Daytime

WINNER: Scam Interceptors
The Chase
Lorraine
Richard Osman's House of Games

International

WINNER: The Studio
The Bear
The Diplomat
Pluribus
Severance
The White Lotus

Children's: Scripted

WINNER: Crongton
Horrible Science
Shaun the Sheep
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball

Children's: Non-scripted

WINNER: World.War.Me
A Real Bugs Life
Boosnoo!
Deadly 60 Saving Sharks

Factual series

WINNER: See No Evil
Bibaa & Nicole: Murder in the Park
Educating Yorkshire
The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed

Specialist factual

WINNER: Simon Schama: The Road To Auschwitz
Belsen: What They Found
Surviving Black Hawk Down
Vietnam: The War That Changed America

Current affairs

WINNER: Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel's War (Exposure)
The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money
Undercover in the Police (Panorama)

News coverage

WINNER: Channel 4 News: Israel-Iran: The Twelve Day War
BBC Newsnight: Grooming Survivors Speak
Sky News: Gaza: Fight For Survival

Single documentary

WINNER: Grenfell: Uncovered
Louis Theroux: The Settlers
One Day In Southport
Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire

Live event coverage

WINNER: VE Day 80: A Celebration To Remember
Holocaust Memorial Day 2025
Last Night of the Proms: Finale

Sports coverage

WINNER: Uefa Women's Euro 2025
The 2025 Ryder Cup
The FA Cup Final
Wimbledon 2025

Short form

WINNER: Hustle And Run
Donkey
Rocket Fuel
Zoners

P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award

WINNER: The Celebrity Traitors - Alan Carr wins
Adolescence - Jamie Snaps at the Psychologist
Big Boys - I didn't make it, did I?
Blue Lights - The police are warned of an ambush plot to silence a key witness
Last One Laughing - Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade's speed date
What It Feels Like For A Girl - Byron leaves for Brighton to start Uni, where she introduces herself as Paris

Bafta Fellowship

WINNER: Dame Mary Berry

Special award

WINNER: Martin Lewis

The 2026 TV BAFTA Awards are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

• Sources have weighed in on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding preparation, reporting that the couple could even be holding a "decoy wedding".
• "The strategy being discussed is to hold one large, highly visible celebration with extensive security, which effectively acts as a decoy, while a second, much smaller ceremony takes place privately," an insider close to the wedding reportedly told OK! magazine.
• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's nuptials are reportedly set to take place in New York City on Friday 3 July 2026.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's highly-anticipated wedding plans have been dominating the headlines in 2026, with the Opalite singer and NFL star announcing their engagement last year.

And from Swift's rumoured bachelorette plans to the star-studded guest list with even the Prince and Princess of Wales predicted to receive an invitation, the long-awaited nuptials are all anyone can talk about.

It is the privacy measures around Swift and Kelce's New York wedding that have garnered the most attention, with sources reporting that the A-list couple are keeping the exact location of their nuptials under wraps.

"No one knows exactly where it will be yet, not even the guests," one insider recently told Rob Shuter. "They want total control and total privacy," they continued, reporting that a confirmed location "would turn into a circus".

Now, it has been reported that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could even be holding a "decoy wedding" in order to "draw attention away from the real, more meaningful moment".

"Taylor is extremely aware of the risks that come with this level of fame and exposure, and there is a feeling that a single event simply cannot be protected in the way she would like," a source close to the wedding reportedly told OK! magazine this week. "The strategy being discussed is to hold one large, highly visible celebration with extensive security, which effectively acts as a decoy, while a second, much smaller ceremony takes place privately.

"The idea is that by putting on a big, headline-grabbing day, it draws attention away from the real, more meaningful moment," the source continued. "She believes that will reduce the risk of stalkers or troublemakers attempting to track her movements on a second big day."

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have not commented on the reports.

We will continue to update this story.

The Beckham family's relationship with the Peltz Beckhams continues to dominate the headlines, with Brooklyn, 27, confirming a fallout in a public statement in January 2026.

"I do not want to reconcile with my family," the Cloud23 founder wrote in an explosive social media post, following years of speculated tensions. "I'm not being controlled, I'm standing up for myself for the first time in my life."

The shock statement focused on 'Brand Beckham', with Brooklyn accusing his parents of controlling narratives about their family in the press and valuing "public promotion and endorsements above all else".

"Brand Beckham comes first," he wrote. "Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it's at the expense of our professional obligations.

"The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards," he later added. "I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life."

This week, Victoria Beckham, 52, appeared to respond to her son's accusations, commenting on 'Brand Beckham' and the conversation around it during a recent interview.

"When David and I first met, it was never our intention to start a brand," the fashion designer explained on Emma Grede's popular 'Aspire' podcast. "People talk about 'Brand Beckham' – that has happened so organically.

"When I first met David, he was a Brylcreem boy. David was Adidas and Brylcreem and Pepsi and I was in the Spice Girls and that’s where I learnt so much about how to build a brand and marketing," she continued. "While he was doing Brylcreem and Adidas, the Spice Girls were doing Walker’s crisps, Pepsi, Chupa Chups lollies, deodorant.

"True story, my mother still has a Spice Girls pizza in her oven. That pizza’s been in the freezer for thirty odd years. So when people talk about 'Brand Beckham', that was never something that we even discussed."

"We don’t have any deals together. David does what David does, I do what I do," she continued of their approach. "That’s the way it’s always been. We have very different interests. I think it was the outside world that really talked about Brand Beckham. That’s never really how we saw it. We’re just doing what we do.

"Our children have had a very different upbringing to myself and David and I think the world is also a very different place now to what it was when they were younger," she added of Brooklyn, 27, Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and Harper, 14.

"We’ve always tried to protect the children as much as we can. We’ve always been very close."

We will continue to update this story.

• The Princess of Wales will embark on her first official overseas trip since her cancer diagnosis next week.
• The future Queen will be visiting Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy as part of her work with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, marking an "important moment".
• “The princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children’s development," a Kensington Palace spokesperson announced in a statement.

The Princess of Wales has been front and centre in 2026, returning to her role as one of the leaders of the royal family, following her cancer recovery.

The mother of three confirmed her cancer diagnosis in 2024, taking an extended leave of absence to prioritise her health and focus on her recuperation in private.

And since confirming that she was in remission last year, the 44-year-old has been increasing her duties, and stepping up as future Queen.

This month will see the Princess of Wales pass one of her biggest official milestones to date, as she embarks on her first official overseas tour since her cancer diagnosis.

The two-day trip will see Princess Kate visit Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy from Wednesday 13 May to Thursday 14 May, as part of her work with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

"The princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children’s development," a Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed in a statement this week.

"As the Centre for Early Childhood continues to build its work internationally, this visit is an opportunity to connect the Shaping Us Framework with leading global approaches, and to highlight a shared understanding, that it is in these early years, through the natural world and the warmth of human connection, that we begin to lay the foundations for a resilient and healthy future."

We will continue to update this story.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is finally here, with the highly-anticipated sequel hitting cinemas this month.

And following a blockbuster press tour, everything from Anna Wintour's surprising input to Anne Hathaway shutting down misinformation around the sequel has been going viral.

It is the star-studded cast list that has of course been making the most headlines, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 seeing Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci return to their iconic characters.

However, the original casting considerations for The Devil Wears Prada resurfaced this week, and it turns out that multiple A-list names were being considered for the three leading roles.

Andy Sachs casting considerations

Anne Hathaway, who stars in the franchise as Andy Sachs, has previously opened up about her casting, confirming that she was actually the ninth choice for the role.

Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Juliette Lewis, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are all known to have auditioned for the part, with Kate Hudson even turning down an official offer.

So too did Rachel McAdams, with the Mean Girls actress widely reported to have been the producers' first choice. But despite being offered the part three times, she declined to work on the project.

"I felt guilty for not capitalizing on the opportunity that I was being given, because I knew I was in such a lucky spot," McAdams reflected of the situation in a 2023 interview with Bustle. "But I also knew it wasn’t quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane.

"There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that?," she continued. "It’s taken years to understand what I intuitively was doing."

Miranda Priestly casting considerations

Meryl Streep was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal as Runway editor in chief, Miranda Priestly. But according to reports, her casting wasn't immediate, with multiple Hollywood heavyweights considered for the role.

These included Glenn Close, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Michelle Pfeiffer. However, producers have reportedly claimed that Streep was always their first choice.

Nigel Kipling casting considerations

The role of Runway's creative director Nigel Kipling appears to have been the most difficult character to cast, with Stanley Tucci only hired three days before filming.

And before securing the part, he was reportedly up against major names, including Carson Kressley, Thomas Lennon, Denis Leary and TV presenter Graham Norton.

Romeo + Juliet star John Leguizamo has even revealed that he was officially offered the part, but he turned it down - a decision that he has called one of his biggest career regrets.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is out in UK cinemas now.

• Nicola Coughlan has confirmed that she will play a reduced role in Bridgerton season five, announcing on Dish from Waitrose that she "won't be in it very much".
• "I have it so good now ’cause I come in for a few days and I’m like, ‘Yay! How is everyone? I’ll see you in two months. Bye!'," admitted Coughlan, who stars in the series as Penelope Featherington. "They’re working super, super hard."
• Bridgerton season five is predicted for release in 2027.

Bridgerton season five is officially in production, with filming for the Netflix show's highly-anticipated next instalment underway. And from predicted release dates to new cast additions, the high profile project has been going viral.

The Regency drama's fifth instalment will adapt When He Was Wicked, the sixth novel from Julia Quinn's collection, starring Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton and Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling.

As always, the new season will also see the return of the wider ensemble cast, with Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha and Claudia Jessie among those returning as the Bridgerton family.

Also joining them will be Nicola Coughlan, the undoubted star of the series, playing Penelope Featherington, aka gossip columnist Lady Whistledown.

However, in a recent interview, Coughlan admitted that she will be playing a reduced role in season five, with the 39-year-old busy across multiple projects.

In 2026 alone, Coughlan has starred in The Magic Faraway Tree, GOAT and Big Mood season two, even hosting Saturday Night Live UK last week.

And during her appearance on Dish from Waitrose, she confirmed that she will subsequently be taking a step back in Bridgerton.

"Season five has started filming already, so I won’t be in it very much. But I'm always happy to come back," Coughlan told hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett.

"I have it so good now ’cause I come in for a few days and I’m like, ‘Yay! How is everyone? I’ll see you in two months. Bye!'," she explained. "They’re working super, super hard and I’m just like coming back. It’s lovely."

Coughlan is not the only star to move into more of a background role, with Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley scaling back their screen time while remaining a constant in the Bridgerton universe.

"I think [Bailey] set a great example, of I guess for a better word, the loyalty to the show," Ashley explained recently during her appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast.

"It is a show about family and returning home and returning to the family and I think a lot of people follow that suit," she continued. "I particularly learned a lot from that example. And now when we go back, there is that environment of coming home and feeling like we're part of a family.

"I can only comment on what me and Johnny have done," she added. "And that is, we just really make sure that our schedules can just make it work."

There is not yet an official release date for Bridgerton season five, but we will continue to update this story.

• Royal expert Russell Myers has spoken out about Prince William and Princess Kate's 2007 break up, describing the future King as being "more than just crestfallen."
• "He was worried about whether he was throwing away the one constant in his life," sources noted via Myers, with the Queen allegedly stepping in to advise her grandson to have "faith" in their relationship.
• William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by Russell Myers is out now.

The Prince and Princess of Wales continue to make headlines. And from the change to the royal couple's roles in 2026, to the emotional shifts for their family behind palace walls, they have been front and centre.

It is their relationship that gets the world talking the most, with the future King and Queen celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary last month. And in the weeks since, royal experts have been sharing anecdotes from the couple's decades-long relationship.

This included details from their 2007 break up, with royal expert Russell Myers speaking out about the couple's time apart in his 2026 release, William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story.

"In March 2007, William and Catherine, who had barely seen each other since Christmas, were pictured decked out in matching tweed, appearing frosty with each other at the Cheltenham horse racing festival. Sources claimed the relationship had 'soured beyond repair'," reads a segment of the book, alleging that Kate had given William an "ultimatum".

The separation, Myers reported, had left Prince William "more than just crestfallen," with the future King "worried about whether he was throwing away the one constant in his life."

And after he visited the Queen, his grandmother's idea to "judge his mood," it was clear that "he was, according to one well-placed source, 'completely broken'."

"In that moment the Queen advised her grandson that the only certain path is the one supported by faith," the source continued. "It was all she had to say.

"They came back clear that they would face the future together," the source reflected. "That's all Catherine had ever wanted and now that William was fully on board and recognised that it was not solely about him, everything seemed to fall into place."

Well, that's that.

William & Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story by Russell Myers is available to buy now.

The Crown was one of the most popular TV shows of recent years, with the critically acclaimed Netflix series following the royal family and particularly the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

The six seasons spanned Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne in 1952, to her guiding the next generation of royals into the millennium, with the series ending in the early 2000s.

However, since the TV show's 2023 finale, the royal family has become even more front and centre. And from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's step away from royal life, to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's recent arrest, there have been calls for the TV show to return with another season.

Now, the Netflix gods appear to have answered, with sources reporting that The Crown show creators are returning for a brand new spin-off show.

According to "a well-placed source" via the Daily Mail's Richard Eden, "Netflix has been locked in negotiations with the company for quite a long time about this spin-off series, but they've recently finally managed to seal the deal and come to an agreement."

However, it will not be the instalment that fans are expecting, with Eden reporting that the spin-off series "will span the period from Queen Victoria’s death in 1901 to the wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947."

"Peter Morgan had already been putting pen to pad," Eden continued of the prequel season, adding that "casting is expected to take place next year."

It is not known whether The Crown will ever return to depict the current royal family. However, show creator Peter Morgan has previously spoken out about his 20-year rule, suggesting that a modern season would be a long way off.

"I don't know where in the scheme of things Prince Andrew or indeed Meghan Markle or Harry will ever appear," Morgan explained to the Hollywood Reporter back in 2020. "We won't know, and you need time to stop something from being journalistic. And so I don't want to write about them because to write about them would instantly make it journalistic.

"I just think you get so much more interesting [with time]," he continued. "Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I don't know what their journey is or how it will end. One wishes some happiness, but I'm much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago. I sort of have in my head a 20-year rule. That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance."

We will continue to update this story.

• Anne Hathaway has shut down the "misinformation" around the reports that she banned The Devil Wears Prada 2 from using "alarmingly thin" models, insisting that "nobody lost their jobs".
• "I do want to mention there’s a little misinformation getting out there right now that people were fired because of the size inclusivity and that just didn’t happen," the 43-year-old actress recently explained. "Nobody lost their jobs. In fact, it created more jobs."
• The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now available to watch in cinemas, released on Friday 1 May 2026.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is dominating the headlines, with the highly-anticipated sequel hitting cinemas this week.

And from the star-studded cast list - Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci among others, to Anna Wintour's surprising input, the 2026 release is already the most talked-about film of the year.

It was a change to the sequel that garnered the most attention this month, with Meryl Streep revealing that Anne Hathaway insisted upon more inclusive models being used in the film.

According to the 76-year-old actress, Hathaway "made a beeline" for producers while they were filming at Milan Fashion Week. And after seeing the "alarmingly thin" models, she secured "assurances" from the producers that the models featured in The Devil Wears Prada 2 would look healthy.

"[I was] struck by how not only beautiful and young – but alarmingly thin the models were," Streep recalled of the experience to Harper's Bazaar. "I thought that all had been addressed years ago.

"Annie clocked it too," she added. "She made a beeline to the producers about it, securing promises that the models in the show that we were putting together for our film would not be so skeletal. She’s a stand-up girl."

"I had noticed that we had beautiful models on set, and a lot of them were more traditionally model-sized," Hathaway added, when asked about the situation by Variety at The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere.

"I knew what the context of the scene was, and I thought the scene would be so much more enjoyable for the audience if we had just a wider range of bodies on display, because all different shapes are beautiful.

"I just went to the producers and I asked that question: ‘Don’t you think the scene would be stronger if we had a more inclusive approach to sizing?'" she continued. "They looked up and were so sad that they hadn’t thought about it. I think they were so locked in, just kind of going with the flow. But as soon as they saw it, they were the ones who made it happen in like an hour."

Reports around Hathaway's change to the film have gone viral, with rumours spreading that size zero models had lost their jobs as a result. And during her recent appearance on Good Morning America, Hathaway spoke out about the situation to clear up the "misinformation".

"It was just this kind of quick thing that happened on set and now it’s become a much bigger story," the actress explained. "I do want to mention there’s a little misinformation getting out there right now that people were fired because of the size inclusivity and that just didn’t happen," she continued. "Nobody lost their jobs, in fact, it created more jobs.

"It’s so hard because I can’t say what the scene is about," she added. "But there’s a song that Lady Gaga wrote and it’s a beautiful, amazing song. Isn’t it better when you see so many different types of bodies up there with that?"

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is out now in UK cinemas.

Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan were one of the most talked-about couples of recent years, with the A-listers separating in December 2024 after almost a year of dating.

And with the Espresso singer and the Saltburn actor being at the height of their careers, the online fallout from their respective fan bases was major.

Barry Keoghan in particular faced an extreme online backlash in the aftermath of their split, following rumours that the 33-year-old actor had cheated on Carpenter, 26, who is seven years his junior.

This is something Keoghan spoke out about this week, addressing the rumours around their break up during his recent appearance on Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky's podcast, Friends Keep Secrets.

"I feel in a safe space to say this, but I have been avoiding stuff," Keoghan explained in a rare statement. "I came off Instagram and social profiles. I’ve stopped going to events. I’ve stopped just socialising.

"It’s because there was a narrative out there that was never really sort of even spoken on," he continued. "A narrative that’s not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. And I just disappeared."

This, he confirmed, when asked by Lil Dicky (real name: David Burd) was in reference to the rumours that he had cheated on Carpenter.

"I’m not asking for people to become my fan and like me because that’s not normal," Keoghan continued. "I’m asking for people to stop assuming and also stop jumping on this narrative and attacking me and dragging me down in any way you can. I’m not saying this for pity. Why is it cool to hop on and beat someone up?"

This is not the first time that Keoghan has spoken out about the online abuse he has received, with the actor previously opening up about his decision to step away from the internet.

"People are so lovely out there [but] there’s also a nasty side of it," the Peaky Blinders star told SiriusXM earlier this year. "And I’ve removed myself from online, but I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on. And if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it was received. And it’s not nice, you know?

"There’s a lot of hate online," he added. "There’s a lot of abuse of how I look, and it’s kind of past the point of, ‘Everyone goes through that.’ And everyone does, but it’s made me shy away. It’s made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside. And I say this being absolute pure and honest to you – it’s becoming a problem."

We will continue to update this story.

Anne Hathaway is in her sequel era, with the 43-year-old actress hitting screens this week in The Devil Wears Prada 2. And coming almost 20 years after the original, the highly-anticipated release is dominating the headlines.

However, it was another one of Hathaway's upcoming sequels that got the world talking this weekend, as fans shifted their focus to The Princess Diaries 3.

Disney first announced that The Princess Diaries would be getting a third instalment last year, 24 years after the original and 21 years after Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

And with Crazy Rich Asians director Adele Lim officially signing on to the project, Hathaway, who stars in the franchise as Mia Thermopalis, posted the news to Instagram. "Miracles happen," she captioned the update. "Back to Genovia... the fairy tale continues."

However, despite the ongoing excitement, and even an open casting call published by Lim, progress on the long-awaited sequel appears to have slowed down.

This is something that Hathaway spoke out about this week, giving a major update on The Princess Diaries 3 during her TDWP2 press tour. And unfortunately for fans, it looks like the sequel could be a long way off.

"One hundred percent, we’re constantly working on it," Hathaway told Entertainment Weekly of the project, revealing that they are "chipping away" at the script.

"[The Devil Wears Prada 2] cropped up unexpectedly and took over the space," she continued, explaining that "it became impossible to focus on both at the same time."

"The intention is to make Princess Diaries hopefully next," she added, before revealing that contrary to popular belief, the third film "is not greenlit or confirmed yet".

"If I learned anything from [The Devil Wears Prada 2], it’s that expectations are very, very high," she later stressed. "And if you’re going to do it, you have to knock it out of the park."

Little is known so far about The Princess Diaries 3, but many of its A-list original cast have confirmed in the past that they would be open to reprising their roles.

"I think I would [do it]," Julie Andrews has previously said of returning to play Clarisse Renaldi, in a 2020 interview with The Talk. "I’m getting awfully old and crotchety. I’m not sure if it’s the right timing, but I think to work with Annie would be lovely again, and sure I’d be up for it."

"If Annie and Julie are down, of course," stated Heather Matarazzo, who played Lilly Moscovitz, via Cosmopolitan. And even Chris Pine has confirmed that he would be open to returning as Nicholas Devereaux.

Well, this is exciting.

We will continue to update this story.

Volvo's best-selling car, the iconic XC60, has sold over 2.7 million times worldwide - and for good reason. The vehicle is well-loved internationally; the safety features are second to none, the design is world-class, and - when eco-consciousness is a key motivator for drivers to switch to electric vehicles - it has introduced excellent hybrid models.

But now, Volvo is taking on a new challenge entirely: combining the magic of the iconic XC60 with the energy efficiency of their first fully electric model, the EX30. The result? A car that is sleek, safe, and promises to make driving an electric vehicle easier than ever before. Enter: the EX60.

The new model, which was unveiled in Stockholm earlier this year, is built on Volvo's most advanced technology base, SPA3, which allows for 810km of driving on a single charge; an impressive advancement from its predecessor, with a charge time of just ten minutes. According to the team at Volvo, just 19 minutes of charging increases the battery from 10% to 80%.

With regards to the safety features, the EX60 also boasts exceptional sensing and software which engages a dual-monitoring system tracking both internal and external conditions. The manufacturer's award-winning Driver Understanding System is able to detect micro-changes to the driver's focus, due to tiredness or distraction, and effectively offer functional support. And, further ensuring all passengers safety, the multi-adaptive safety belts also offer personalised protection for those in the front seats based on size, body shape and seating position, while simultaneously gauging external safety and pre-emptively offering protective measures ahead of potential collisions.

Embodying Volvo's heritage and commitment to Scandinavian design elements, the EX60 is also impressively chic; think natural materials alongside six illumination themes, including a forest light projection that simulates natural sunlight, as well as light-adjustable panoramic roof and Volvo Cars’ latest air purification technology.

Considering that the EX60 is now Volvo's lowest carbon footprint for a fully electric car, it could just be the deciding factor in making the very tempting EV switch.

• Helena Bonham Carter will no longer be starring in The White Lotus season four, with the actress confirmed to have left the project a week into filming.
• "It had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set," stated a spokesperson for HBO. "The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks."
• The White Lotus season four is currently in production, filming across Cannes, Saint Tropez, Monaco and Paris.

The White Lotus continues to make headlines in 2026, with its highly-anticipated fourth season officially in the works.

Season four of the HBO show will be set at the Cannes Film Festival, with filming currently underway across Paris, Monaco and the French Riviera.

However, just one week into production, it has been confirmed that this season's most high profile star, Harry Potter actress Helena Bonham Carter, has officially left the series.

The 59-year-old was the first confirmed star of season four, but according to a spokesperson for the Mike White project, her TWL character "did not align on set" after filming the first few scenes. And a decision was subsequently made to rewrite and recast the role which is said to be central to season four.

"With filming just underway on Season 4 of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set," a spokesperson for HBO confirmed in a statement to Deadline.

"The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks," they continued.

"HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon."

The remaining season four cast includes Philomena star Steve Coogan, The Hunger Games actor Alexander Ludwig, Sharp Objects' Chris Messina, Super 8 actress AJ Michalka and stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani, among others.

The rare move to recast during filming has happened once before on The White Lotus, with the season three role of Chloe, Greg Hunt's model girlfriend, originally played by actress Francesca Corney.

However, according to Deadline, producers decided to recast the role mid production, choosing to cast an older actress after making character development choices. And as a result, Corney, 32, was replaced by 38-year-old Charlotte Le Bon.

There is not yet an official release date for The White Lotus season four.

We will continue to update this story.

• The Duchess of Sussex shared a rare astrology reel video to her Instagram Stories this weekend, hinting at her difficult last few years.
• "Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius ending the hardest seven years of their lives on April 25th", read the video from @astrologyisforeveryone, with Markle herself being a Leo.
• This comes after Markle's recent comments, describing herself as "the most trolled person in the entire world".

The Duchess of Sussex has been front and centre in 2026. And from her and Prince Harry's recent tour of Australia to new seasonal releases from her lifestyle brand, As Ever, Meghan Markle continues to make headlines.

This has been particularly true since the 44-year-old mother of two rejoined Instagram, with the Duchess sharing lifestyle updates and sweet candid family snaps with her 4.5 million followers.

It was a surprising post by Markle that went viral this week, as the former Suits actress shared an astrology reel video to her Instagram Stories, hinting at her difficult last seven years as a Leo (the Duchess was born on 4 August 1981).

"Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius ending the hardest seven years of their lives on April 25th", read the video from @astrologyisforeveryone, showing two men dancing in celebration.

"Uranus in Taurus has delt Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius with some of the toughest years of their lives," read the caption from the popular astrology account.

"Uranus is the planet of change, disruption, and revolution. And sometimes we need change. But Taurus is probably the most change resistant sign of the zodiac. It’s reliable. It likes what it knows and it finds a lot of comfort in the same routine routines.

"So when Uranus entered Taurus, everything that you were relied upon, whether that was a job, a spouse, even your faith, was tested and flipped upside down over and over these last seven years.

"It’s been unsettling and I’m sure that what you valued in 2019 is not what you value now. Or at least it looks a lot different," the post continued.

"But on April 25, Uranus leaves Taurus. This is the end of a seven year cycle of radical change for these signs. You will finally settle into the version of who you became through all this change."

Meghan Markle is known to have endured a difficult few years, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping away from their royal roles in 2020, before relocating to California. And Markle in particular has faced a barrage of online abuse in the years since.

"[E]very day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked," Markle stated recently during the couple's tour of Australia. "I was the most trolled person in the entire world, man or woman."

We will continue to update this story.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is officially days away, with the highly-anticipated sequel set for cinematic release next week. And coming almost 20 years after the original, details around the high fashion film have been going viral.

The long-awaited follow-up will see Andy Sachs [Anne Hathaway] return to Runway, reuniting with Miranda Priestly [Meryl Streep], Emily Charlton [Emily Blunt] and Nigel Kipling [Stanley Tucci] as they fight to save the magazine.

Joining them for the sequel is an A-list TDWP2 cast, featuring new faces Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux and Pauline Chalamet. As well as some returning stars from the original film, including Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman.

However, there is one noticeable cast change, with Adrian Grenier, who played Andy Sachs' boyfriend Nate, not returning for the sequel.

Grenier has spoken out about the situation to Page Six, confirming his "disappointment".

"We’re all fans of the movie, whether or not we were in it," he explained to the publication. "Obviously, it was a disappointment that I didn’t get the call to be in the sequel. But I also understand there was some backlash with Nate, the character, so that might have something to do with it.”

"Either way, it’s a disappointment," he continued. "And either way, it leaves room for a beautiful spinoff in which Nate has his own film."

After the news of his absence went viral, Grenier went on to star in a Starbucks advert, poking fun at his TDWP character and the decision for him not to return.

"You might have seen the headlines that I wasn't asked to return for a certain sequel, but I'm good, really, it's all good energy," Grenier can be seen telling a Starbucks barista in the viral advert. "So, a toast to Nate - he made a mean sandwich, he loved his girlfriend... to a point.

"OK so he wasn't perfect," he later added. "So let's leave Nate in 2006 and keep this good energy going. I mean if they call, I'm free."

Now The Devil Wears Prada 2 director David Frankel has officially weighed in, breaking his silence on Grenier's absence and praising his "funny" advert.

"I had an idea about sneaking him into a cameo," Frankel explained to Entertainment Weekly of the sequel. "And, in the end, it was just too late in our production schedule to make it happen."

When asked about the original plans for the cameo, Frankel continued: "I probably shouldn’t say. But, I think I’m thrilled that [Grenier] did a Starbucks commercial, which was really funny and so self-effacing. I love the humility and the comedy of it!"

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is set for UK release on 1 May 2026.

Margo's Got Money Troubles is one of the most talked-about shows of the moment, with the Apple TV+ series going viral since its April 2026 release.

The comedy drama show follows new mother Margo, played by Elle Fanning, who becomes an OnlyFans star in order to solve her financial problems.

And with a supporting cast of Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Thaddea Graham and Michael Angarano to name a few, the series is already set to become a cult classic.

It was Nicole Kidman who made the show headlines this week, with the 58-year-old actress executively producing the project, as well as appearing in the series as Lace, a pro wrestler-turned-lawyer.

However, according to her MGMT co-star Nick Offerman, Kidman's filming experience was very dramatic, with the actress hospitalised after finishing her scenes.

According to Offerman, Kidman's first day of filming - a "huge set piece" - very almost didn't happen, with the Big Little Lies actress becoming extremely sick with flu. But despite her illness, Kidman reportedly kept to the filming schedule, only leaving for the hospital "for an IV" after having completed the day's shoot.

"We're there in the morning, we're getting warmed up — some of us are going to be performing some actual wrestling, and so we have our doubles, we have people we're working with. And the word comes in that Nicole has the flu, and we might not get Nicole today," Offerman recalled to PEOPLE in a recent interview. "And we're like, 'Oh no, that's such a bummer,' because we only have the one day that we've built this whole circus for. It's about 8:00 in the morning that we get this news.

"Come to be about 11:00am, the word comes in: Nicole's coming," he continued, describing Kidman as "so sick".

"She was so pale, shaken - she just had the flu really so bad," he recalled. "[But] she showed up and made sure that we got every shot of her, total superhero style.

"We did everything we needed to so that we did not lose one scrap of what we needed for her character," he added, revealing that once she had finished filming, Kidman "was literally taken to the hospital for an IV.

"I just said to her, 'I already admired you so much, but this is how you get to be Nicole Kidman'," Offerman recalled. "You show up so that your show doesn't lose a minute of your value. It was so generous. It was astonishing."

Season one of Margo's Got Money Trouble is available to watch now on Apple TV+, with new episodes released every Wednesday.

We will continue to update this story.

• British baker Fiona Cairns has opened up about her "secret" planning sessions with Princess Kate ahead of the 2011 royal wedding in a recent interview with Country Life.
• Describing the event as "quite stressful" given the stakes, Cairns recalled getting a phone call from the future Queen on the day itself thanking her for "taking part in such a special [occasion].”
• The Prince and Princess of Wales will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on Wednesday 29 April 2026.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been front and centre this season. And with the future King and Queen celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary next week, that shows no signs of slowing down.

In fact, in the days leading up to the milestone anniversary, royal employees and wedding guests have been sharing behind the scenes anecdotes and details from the historic wedding.

It was the royal couple's eight-tiered wedding cake that got the world talking recently, with the iconic display, created by British baker Fiona Cairns, standing at over three feet tall and wide.

This is something Cairns herself opened up about in a recent interview with Country Life, detailing its creation and "secret" planning sessions with Kate Middleton.

"I get goosebumps thinking about that phone call," Cairns recalled to the publication of her "career-defining" moment.

"The couple actually did reach out to us," she continued. "We went to Clarence House and had a meeting with the princess and we had a cup of tea. Three days later we received the phone call, and I will never, ever forget that.

"The Prince and Princess of Wales asked for a classic fruit cake, which is the cake used for all the royal weddings since Queen Victoria’s day," Cairns added, noting that her creation served 600 guests and weighed 70 kilos.

"The wedding did feel like a family wedding but on a huge global scale," Cairns reflected, noting that it was "quite stressful, particularly when the queen is coming to visit you".

"On the day of the wedding, all that mattered to myself, my husband, the team was, ‘what did the couple think of the cake?’," she continued, before revealing that she received a personal phone call from Princess Kate herself.

"My mobile rang [on the wedding day] and it was actually the princess," Cairns recalled. "She was just thanking us all for taking part in such a special day."

Well, that's lovely.

• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly keeping the exact location of their 2026 wedding a secret, with even guests being kept in the dark until the last minute.
• This, according to reports via Rob Shuter, is to ensure "total control and total privacy", with the A-list couple hoping to avoid it turning "into a circus".
• It has previously been revealed that Swift and Kelce will marry in New York City on Friday 3 July 2026.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's highly-anticipated wedding plans continue to make headlines, with the Opalite singer and NFL star announcing their engagement last year.

And from the floral details and dress designs to Swift's rumoured bachelorette party, speculated details around the big day have been going viral.

Not to mention, the star-studded guest list, with Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, Ed Sheeran, Zoë Kravitz and even the Prince and Princess of Wales predicted to receive an invitation.

The wedding's location and date have made the most headlines, with the A-list couple reportedly sending their 'save the date' invitations to guests earlier this month. And according to sources, via Page Six, the ceremony will be taking place in New York City on Friday 3 July, with the weekend falling on America's 250th anniversary.

It was previously believed that Swift and Kelce would tie the knot at her 11,000-square-foot Rhode Island home. However, Page Six has alleged that they opted to move the wedding to New York instead in order to accommodate more guests.

While New York City is reported to be the wedding destination, the venue itself is not known, with the A-list couple said to be keeping the exact location under wraps.

In fact, according to sources via Rob Shuter, even the guests are being kept in the dark, with the couple expected to share the location at the very last minute.

"No one knows exactly where it will be yet, not even the guests," one insider recently told Rob Shuter.

This, they reported, was in order to avoid venue leaks, explaining that a confirmed location "would turn into a circus". The source continued: "They want total control and total privacy."

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have not commented on the reports.

We will continue to update this story.

• The Prince and Princess of Wales have publicly celebrated Prince Louis' eighth birthday by releasing a brand new photograph of their youngest son.
• "Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today," the royal couple captioned the portrait, captured by Matt Porteous.
• The new release is part of a longstanding tradition, seeing the Wales family share home photographs of their three children to mark each birthday.

The Wales family continues to make headlines. And from Prince William and Princess Kate's recent role changes to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10 and Prince Louis, 8, appearing to increase their public duties, the family of five has been front and centre.

This week, it was Prince Louis who garnered the most attention, with the young royal celebrating his eighth birthday.

And as per Wales family tradition, Prince William and Princess Kate took to their social media to share a brand new portrait of their son with the public.

"Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today," the future King and Queen captioned the sweet never-before-seen photograph, showing the young royal smiling on the side of a boat.

The portrait, captured by Matt Porteous, is believed to have been taken earlier this month, during the Wales family's recent holiday to Cornwall. And with the post going viral, the upload has already raked in thousands of comments from well wishers, with fans particularly struck by Louis' resemblance to his older brother.

"For a moment I thought it was George!!," read one comment. "He's growing so fast." While another read: "More and more like big brother."

It is not known how the Wales family will be celebrating the occasion behind closed doors, but Princess Kate has explained in the past that she always insists on baking her children's birthday cakes.

"I love making the cake," the mother of three revealed to Mary Berry during her appearance on BBC One’s A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019.

"It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it."

Well, this is lovely.

We will continue to update this story.

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 creators have revealed that Anna Wintour inspired change on set, advising them in one scene set at Dior HQ that there were too many flowers, and that they were the wrong colour palette for the fashion house - something that the director immediately corrected.
• The Vogue Global Chief Content Officer is widely reported to be the inspiration behind Runway Editor in Chief Miranda Priestly, played in the film franchise by Meryl Streep.
• The Devil Wears Prada 2 is set for UK cinema release on Friday 1 May 2026.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is officially here, with the highly-anticipated sequel set for release in a matter of days. And coming almost 20 years after the original film, details around the long-awaited follow-up have been going viral.

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci have of course returned to the helm as the original Runway team - Andy Sachs, Miranda Priestly, Emily Charlton and Nigel Kipling.

And with the foursome reuniting in the sequel to save the magazine, they will be joined by a new A-list TDWP2 cast including Simone Ashley, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux and Pauline Chalamet.

Not to mention, some high fashion cameos, with Donatella Versace, Marc Jacobs, Brunello Cucinelli, Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana, Jon Batiste, Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow appearing in The Devil Wars Prada 2 as themselves.

Sadly, Vogue Global Chief Content Officer Anna Wintour will not be making an appearance in the new release. However, the 76-year-old, who is famously the inspiration behind Runway Editor in Chief Miranda Priestly, did reportedly film a "gag take" which will be released as an extra scene after the film arrives on streaming platforms.

"Unfortunately, Anna jumped her cue, so the shot isn't always in focus. And I didn't want to do a second take," The Devil Wears Prada 2 director David Frankel recalled during a recent appearance on Amy Odell's 'Back Row' podcast. "I can't ask Anna to do take two."

Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna went on to add that Wintour did still influence change, giving some important notes behind the scenes while visiting the cast and crew on set.

The scene in question was set at the Dior offices where Emily Charlton [Blunt] now works, with Wintour reportedly finding fault with the pink floral arrangement on display.

According to Brosh McKenna, the former Vogue editor-in-chief suggested that the shot featured too many flowers, going on to explain that Dior would only have white flowers in their offices.

"I came running out and I was like, ‘Dude, kill the flowers,’" she recalled, confirming that the prop team replaced the pink floral display with a smaller vase of white flowers instead.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is set for release on Friday 1 May 2026.

We will continue to update this story.

• Victoria Beckham has spoken publicly this week about how she and husband David navigate "tough times".
• "We always put our children first," the 52-year-old emphasised during an appearance on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, explaining that the couple supports each other and grows together.
• This interview comes after son Brooklyn's bombshell statement, with the Cloud 23 founder speaking out against his family in January 2026.

Tensions between the Beckham family and the Peltz Beckhams have dominated the headlines in 2026, with Brooklyn, 27, speaking out against his family in an explosive public statement.

"I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private," the Beckhams' eldest son wrote in a lengthy social media post in January.

"I do not want to reconcile with my family. I'm not being controlled, I'm standing up for myself for the first time in my life."

Brooklyn's statement took particular aim at his parents, accusing them of controlling narratives in the press, allegedly "hijacking" his wedding to Nicola Peltz and "trying endlessly to ruin [their] relationship."

The Beckham family has remained tight lipped in the months since Brooklyn's statement, choosing not to comment on the situation directly.

However, this week has seen Victoria Beckham subtly address the family drama, speaking publicly about how she and husband David navigate "tough times" together.

"We always put our children first," the mother of four explained when asked about her "challenging year" during her recent appearance on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle.

"We love our children so much and have always really focused on protecting our children, but we laugh a lot. David Beckham is really, super funny.

"You know, myself and David, we're so close and we have incredible people around us," she continued. "We're close to my parents and David's parents. We support each other through everything that we do.

"We've grown together," she later added of their 26-year marriage. "And that's where I feel so blessed."

"We love our children so much. We've always tried to be the best parents that we can be," Beckham added in a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal this week.

"You know, we've been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now," she continued. "And all we've ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children."

The Beckham family and Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham have not commented further.

We will continue to update this story.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been front and centre this season, taking part in a high profile tour of Australia.

And with major stops in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, the couple met with members of the public and visited organisations close to their hearts, including a homeless shelter, a children's hospital and Invictus Australia.

The visit also included a few surprise moments, including a stop at the MasterChef Australia set, with Markle making an appearance as a guest judge.

The As Ever founder is known to be an experienced foodie, sharing her own recipes and hosting tips in her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.

And in a video shared to TikTok, one of the former MasterChef Australia producers shared what the Duchess of Sussex had reportedly been like off camera, revealing that she was "really good at judging."

Alexandria Funnell, a former MasterChef Australia post-producer, reportedly reached out to a friend who still worked on the show, sharing what she had heard about Markle to social media.

"I was keen to hear the goss," Funnell explained in her now viral TikTok video, before confirming that "she was so great".

"She was so nice to all the crew, had a good sense of humour, and was just a normal human," she reported, adding: "her entourage was only two people and they were so great, too."

"She was really good at judging too," Funnell continued, noting that she had been told that Markle was "more concise than the regular judges" when it came to giving feedback.

"That’s the thing about the judges, as a post-producer, you have to cut them down a lot," she explained. "The waffle is waffling, they waffle like you would not believe."

And when commenting on Markle's potential fee, Funnell speculated: "I actually feel like she would have been a bargain. I feel like she would have felt like she wanted to do it, and it would have been a publicity thing. Apparently she was awesome."

We will continue to update this story.