THE Duchess of Sussex’s PR stunt with Gwyneth Paltrow shows exactly what Meghan Markle is. And really has been all along: A self-centred con artist.
If you’ve not seen the toe-curling fiasco, they engineered a sham fallout, boosted by Gwyneth putting out subtle hints that the women were supposedly competing to be crowned queen of Montecito.
It appeared real, I got sucked in by it.
Then, on Wednesday, they appeared in an Instagram post showing they had been winding up their gullible social media followers all along. Hilarious.
So, no fall out. They were just sitting in their multi-million-dollar mansions conjuring up lies and laughing at us peasants who had no reason not to believe them, in order to gain attention and boost their businesses.
How arrogant and conceited.
You could applaud them for highlighting that not everything on social media is real.
Or consider that Meghan did it because she wanted to get back at those who have had a go at her.
But as Meghan had just started flogging her new clothing range, and Goop was launching its spring sale on Amazon, I believe there was only one thing on their minds — and that was PR.
They thought their little conspiracy was clever. They thought they were better than the rest of us.
But should we be surprised about Meghan?
This is what she has been doing for years. Reeled us in, spat us out.
I used to be a huge fan. I was obsessed with her acai bowls, bought her favourite Tignanello wine and followed her fashion.
I loved the way she and Harry formed the fab four with William and Kate.
Couldn’t get enough of her fairytale wedding to Harry and adored the fact her devoted father-in-law walked her down the aisle.
Hearing about King Charles’ cancer battle again this week somehow makes what Meghan has done in the past to that family feel even more cruel.
The Royal Family helped turn this American TV actress’s dreams into reality, but she shattered that relationship with her spiteful accusations and actions towards them.
Last weekend, when I had the house to myself, I binge-watched the end of her Netflix show. And actually loved it.
It may be ridiculous fluff, but it was quite calming to watch her make baskets of croissants decorated with strawberries, cook homemade chilli oil and gift eggs in boxes with a printed label saying Archie’s “Chick Inn” coop.
All things that us mere mortals wouldn’t bother with because we don’t have the time and can’t afford it.
It’s silly and totally unrealistic in her fake house with her wildly impractical white linen ensemble while cooking tomato sauce. But I warmed to Meghan again.
So on Monday, my guard was down. When she posted a picture of her and the kids — Archie with his little arm scrunched around his mummy’s leg — I thought it was adorable.
Even when it was blatantly pointed out that she had used those children, that she so rarely puts on social media, to cash in on her new clothing venture, I didn’t want to believe it.
But two days later, when Gwyneth revealed that clip of them sharing waffles, I realised I’d been sucked in and fooled by the sneering Meghan Markle Marketing Machine. Again.
The timings make it abundantly clear that she has cynically organised her publicity drive in the past week to cash in — and that stage managed picture of her kids was part of that.
It’s distasteful.
Meghan has shown once again — and possibly in the most glaringly obvious way possible — what a manipulative madam she is.
She has shown once again how she will use others for her own gain.
But more than anything, she has shown once again that the Royal Family are well rid of her.
HE may only be a fictional character but we can all learn a lot from Paddington.
The marmalade-munching bear loves to tell people: “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right.”
And that’s why there is, rightly, so much outrage about the pair of idiots who ripped apart a Paddington statue in Newbury, Berks, and then took it back to their RAF base.
The two engineers laughed as they did it.
In sentencing them this week, the judge slammed vandals Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, saying that they were the “antithesis of everything” kind and tolerant Paddington stands for.
The RAF say they know about the case but haven’t, as yet, taken action.
They deserve much more than a cold, hard stare. They both deserve to be sacked.
THERE is outrage about the Bafta nominations this year, after the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special was snubbed.
Despite a record 19.3million viewers tuning in to see Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa finally tie the knot, it received just one nod – for Ruth Jones as Nessa in the Female Performance in a Comedy category.
This Morning, I’m A Celeb and Emmerdale didn’t even make it on to the list. Surprised? Don’t be. The people who vote aren’t your average down-to-earth viewer.
You can only vote if you’re a Bafta member and to do that you’ve got to work in the entertainment industry, plus cough up £450 a year in fees.
So basically they’re a load of rich luvvies who probably turn their noses up at programmes like Gavin & Stacey.
THERE is a kerfuffle about the goings on in “England’s most beautiful village”.
An influx of TikTok sightseers to Bibury, in the Cotswolds, has become so “intolerable” for residents that they are now going to ban buses.
I feel their pain. Nobody wants a bus parked outside their house or a tourist standing in their garden taking a photo of their home.
But then you’ve got to remember about the cash those tourists are bringing in.
And also remember that when we are Brits abroad, there are probably locals who can’t stand the sight of us or the way we behave, either.
KIM CATTRALL, the amazing Samantha Jones from Sex And The City, is the new face of Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk line.
And she’s doing it at 68, which is great.
The problem is, Kim looks like she’s in her 40s in the ads and I doubt that is down to some high-end foundation or lipstick.
I’m not afraid to admit that I’m a fan of Botox.
But to be so utterly wrinkle-free surely defies the entire point of paying a pensioner to promote your make-up.
THERE are some perks of working in our office, and this week that included bumping into former boy band members 5ive next to the lift. As you do.
They were charming, down-to-earth and friendly.
They’ve obviously aged since their heyday, and Jay has a lot less hair than he once did.
But without sounding too much like a middle-aged mad woman, I reckon he looked amazing.
Meanwhile, Dane Bowers of boy band Another Level was on Instagram talking about his trip to Turkey for some new teeth and a hair transplant.
He said: “People are asking me why would I share this, am I not embarrassed? Not at all. Vanity is never that important.”
Translated as: “I am gett-ing a freebie, I am dreadfully vain and am plugging the Turkish dentist.”
He looks ridiculous. Both 5ive and Another Level are making comebacks – and I know who I would spend my money on.
HAPPY Mothers’ Day to all mums out there.
I said to The Geordie that all I wanted was a cup of coffee in bed and a lie-in.
Which you’d think is not too much to ask for.
But I was told, in no uncertain terms, that would be totally out of the question because he was going home to watch the Newcastle United parade – with our son.
Only 365 days to wait till the next Mothers’ Day.
AS modern pop stars such as Sabrina Carpenter perform on stage in what looks a lot like their freshly laundered underwear, the Spice Girls increasingly seem like they hail from some lost age of innocence.
Was there ever a more sunny-natured girl band than Ginger, Sporty, Posh, Scary and Baby?
Even as the bad boys and girls of Britpop were running amok, swearing and smoking, all flying fists and fast white powders, the Spice Girls were always wholesome, healthy, good clean fun.
True, Ginger’s Union Jack frock barely covered her modesty.
Scary looked like she could be a bit of a handful. Posh was permanently on the moody side.
But the Spice Girls were always the pop group that you could take home to your granny.
So how weird to find that our woke modern world wants to censor the Spice Girls.
At the BBC, their happy-clappy hit Spice Up Your Life is considered too racy for contemporary tastes because it contains the inflammatory line, “Yellow man in Timbuktu, colour for both me and you.”
If I was a man in Timbuktu of any hue, I suspect I would be flattered by the attention. The much-loved song — the opening track on Spiceworld — is surely a cheerfully ham-fisted attempt at being anti-racist.
“Yellow man in Timbuktu, colour for both me and you. Kung fu fighting, dancing queen, tribal spaceman and all that’s in between.”
The song is as innocent as the dreams of Snow White.
But while puritanical executives at Radio 2 allow Spice Up Your Life to be played, they insist on a version where “yellow man” is edited out.
Yes, that should rid the world of racism.
The BBC did not make the edit — this ludicrously “cleaned-up” version has been around for years, much to the consternation of yellow men in Timbuktu.
Because much historic music is hard to hear for modern ears.
Brown Sugar is the Rolling Stones’ finest moment, but the band no longer play it live.
Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues is the most beautiful Christmas song of all time, but every Yuletide debate rages about one word in the lyrics — an insult spat out by the female character in this masterpiece.
Earlier this week, the Sex Pistols, fronted by new singer Frank Carter, changed “ft” to “loser” in their performance of New York from their album, Never Mind The Bks.
Censoring the Spice Girls suggests that it is not the old music that needs to change.
It is our thin-skinned, oversensitive modern world where racism, homophobia and ill intent are seen where they do not exist.
The Stones, The Pogues and the Pistols should not have their canon tampered with.
If the original versions of Brown Sugar, Fairytale Of New York and Sex Pistols songs offend you, then perhaps you should be listening to something else.
Look, I understand why “f*t” is offensive. I get why singing about sex on a slave plantation raises a few eyebrows.
But when we are censoring those paragons of innocent virtue Mel B, Mel C, Geri, Emma and Victoria then the new puritans go too far.
This music is the soundtrack of our lives. Stop tampering with it, stop censoring it, stop seeing malice in it where none exists.
This world will not be a kinder, gentler, more tolerant place by trampling over the music we have loved.
Or should we start calling that first Sex Pistols album Never Mind The Testicles?
WHEN the King cancelled a string of engagements after suffering side effects from his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace moved quickly to put the event in perspective.
We were assured that after a short period of observation in hospital, His Majesty was at home at Clarence House “working as usual” and that this temporary setback was “a most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction”.
And of course that is all good news. But how could this country not be concerned? The King is a 76-year-old cancer patient.
At an age when most have retired, he is working harder than ever. His state visit to Italy is scheduled for April 7.
And there is something else. It was widely believed that the longest- serving and most beloved monarch in our history, Queen Elizabeth II, would be an impossible act to follow.
And yet Charles III has already proven to be a historically important monarch. He is a rock of calm, compassion and diplomacy in this changing, unpredictable new world.
After his bruising humiliation in the White House, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met our King, where Zelensky was greeted with respect, warmth and friendship.
As Donald Trump mouths off about making Canada an American state, Charles – who happens to be King of Canada – greets Prime Minister Mark Carney and lets the world know that Canada is a free, proud, sovereign nation – without saying a word.
As he has stoically fought his cancer, King Charles has given inspiration to countless sufferers and their families. He is a force for good in this dangerous age. So get well soon, sir.
And long may you reign.
A PRIMARY school has cancelled its annual Easter celebration to “respect diverse religious beliefs”.
Norwood Primary School in Eastleigh, Hants, sent a letter to parents informing them that the school’s Easter service and Easter bonnet parade have been cancelled this year.
After many shook their heads in disbelief, the school is backtracking like crazy, promising: “We are marking Easter in school as with other religious festivals.” Big of them!
The fact remains that those children will not be going to church to hear the story of Easter and the Easter bonnets remain proscribed.
But we do not build a healthy, multi-cultural society by apologising for this country’s heritage. We do not show our respect for diverse religious beliefs by being embarrassed to tell the story of Easter.
And our children will not grow into tolerant adults because some loon has banned them from enjoying their Easter bonnet parade.
SIX-PACK stomachs are not made in the gym – they are made in the kitchen.
You can do your sit-ups until the cows come home, but you will never have a stomach like a bronzed washboard unless you are on the most disciplined of diets.
As spring begins, mere mortals can only stare in wonder at the six-packs that are all over social media. Christine McGuinness, Molly Smith and Rita Ora have all proudly displayed their rock-hard abs.
“Let’s get summer ready together!” urges Molly. I don’t think I’m ever going to be that ready for summer.
COLIN HART was a boxing writer of genius.
The Sun’s Voice of Boxing, who has died at the age of 89, knew as much about the sport as anyone alive.
When Muhammad Ali was about to fight the undefeated George Foreman in Zaire in 1974, many observers seriously feared for Ali’s life. Foreman was that ferocious. Ali, it was believed, was that far past his prime.
But Colin Hart predicted Ali would flatten big bad George by round nine – and the Rumble In The Jungle reached its stunning conclusion in round eight.
Colin, right, was that rarest of journalists – if I saw his byline, then I would read whatever he had written.
Colin Hart was our eyes at ringside. He saw history happening. The great heavyweight battles of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
The epic middleweight clashes of the Eighties, of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran. Mike Tyson’s rise and fall. All the way to Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
Colin’s wise, pristine prose told boxing fans what had just happened, and what was going to happen next.
Colin Hart was there for boxing’s golden years.
The sport was lucky to have him as its greatest chronicler.
BARRY FERGUSON last night slammed Rangers for letting bad habits creep back in against Dundee.
Stand-in Gers boss Fergie was stunned with what he saw as Tony Docherty’s side strode into a 2-1 half-time lead.
But Ferguson admits the stunning comeback which saw James Tavernier, Tom Lawrence and Cyriel Dessers score late on to win 4-3 wouldn’t have happened before he took over.
Fergie snapped: “It’s a brilliant three points but overall, certainly the first half, we were miles off it.
“You can see in my face it’s frustration, I saw so many old, bad habits come in.
“I had to make a couple of changes at half-time, I had to change the shape of the team from a three to a four to try to kick-start us basically.
“Second half was more like it but we were giving too many opportunities and easy goals away.
“We were sloppy at times.
“I said to them after it, there’s a lot of work needs to happen this week.
“We need to sit down, go through things and work hard on the training ground because there were a lot of things I didn’t like.
“But one thing about my players is they never give in.
“This has been labelled at them for a long time now but I think five or six weeks ago, Rangers come away with nothing.
“The Rangers team I have got just now, my players, that’s the side I’ve drilled into them.
“But we need to do a lot better with other things within the game, in terms of how we approach it from the start.
“I warned them what it would be like coming here, but we gave Dundee a goal of a start.
“We were sloppy, off it.
“Obviously we got the goal back, in at half-time and a few choice words were said.”
Ferguson whipped off Connor Barron and Leon Balogun at half-time, throwing on Ianis Hagi and Bailey Rice in a bid to spark his team up.
And he insists he will never shirk from making big calls.
He said: “I had to make some tough decisions but I’m not scared to make tough decisions.
“I’ve said that and they know that.
“Overall, a brilliant three points but there’s a lot of work to be done still.”
When Scott Tiffoney put Dundee 3-1 up it looked like the game was over for Rangers, but three goals in the space of 18 minutes turned the night on its head.
And while Ferguson was disappointed with the quality of football on show, he DOES believe this Ibrox squad have the character needed.
He said: “I’m building good characters just now, but we need to be a lot better within the game.
“I’m just frustrated because I saw so many old habits creeping back I and I can’t allow that.
“I told them I won’t accept that.
“But as a group of players they understand that and know certain the first half was not what I expect.
“They shouldn’t expect it either.
“We will get back to work on Monday morning and make sure these habits don’t creep back in.”
Tony Docherty insists Dundee have to face up to blowing a 3-1 lead against Rangers.
He said: “There’s no feeling sorry for ourselves, there are things we need to accept responsibility for.
“There are a lot of things we are doing right but there are things we are doing wrong and that’s why we’re in the position we are in.
“It speaks volumes when we are the third highest scorers in the league but the concession of goals is why we are in the position we’re in.
“We need to address that.
“We should be in the position where three goals are enough to win a football match.
“So the overriding emotion is huge disappointment, I can’t focus on anything but the fact we’ve lost a game we should never lose.
“The expected goals for us was 2.8, Rangers was 2.4 and we had numerous chances.
“It tells its own story that we are third in the league for goals scored but bottom of the league for goals conceded.
“At 3-3 Simon Murray goes through and I think he’s scored the winner, then we’re picking the ball out of our own net and losing 4-3.
“It’s really hard to take, three goals should be enough to win a game.
“At half-time Rangers changed to 4-3-3 and we then changed shape.
“With that we contained Rangers and hit them on the break, that’s where our third goal comes from.
“We were doing that well but I felt we went a little bit deep.
“We didn’t get out to the ball quickly enough on goals two and three, we should get more pressure on the ball.
“The two goals come from 25 yards and there should be bodies there to stop that.
“Then the fourth is a sickener.”
Despite the disappointment Doc is convinced Dundee can pull away from the relegation play-off place.
He said: “If we keep that consistency of performance but we work harder to stop conceding goals, we’ll be OK.
“Since the Motherwell game there has been a decent level and we keep doing that in the games remaining we’ll be OK.
“We could have scored more today when you look at the chances.
“The gameplan was to make sure we were in a position to absorb pressure and hit them on transition.
“We did create chances.”
Docherty had to take Simon Murray off towards the end and hopes the striker hasn’t picked up a knock.
Asked if the 19-goal striker was crocked, he said: “I’m not sure, I haven’t spoken to the medics yet.
“Before he went through he was struggling a bit and we were contemplating putting Charlie Reilly on.
“But when he goes through Simon being Simon he bursts himself to try to get the winner.
“Hopefully there’s no damage.”
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