But who is Amanda Thirsk, how long has she worked for the Prince and what will she do now? Here's everything we know...
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Thirsk pictured at the Chelsea Flower Show earlier this yearCredit: PA:Press Association
Who is Amanda Thirsk?
Amanda Thirsk is a mum-of three educated at the University of Cambridge who has worked for the Prince for years and was regarded as his right-hand-woman.
The mum-of-three previously boasted she was so close to him her office is steps from his bedroom at the Palace.
According to holaconnect, Amanda studied law at Cambridge before going on to become a successful banker.
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She previously boasted that she previously boasted she was so close to Andrew her office is steps from his bedroom at the PalaceCredit: Press Association
How long has she worked for Prince Andrew?
Thirsk has worked for the Prince since 2012.
She was appointed as his Private secretary in August of that year and quickly became one of his most trusted members of staff.
According to The Telegraph, it was Thirsk who pressed Andrew to undergo his interview with Newsnight following calls for him to explain his highly publicised and controversial friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
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Prince Andrew's attempts to defend himself in a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview were deridedCredit: BBC Newsnight
It is alleged she advised him to be interviewed by a hard-line female journalist, and clashed with Aides over the decision.
She had hoped the no-holds-barred interview would leave viewers with "a clear and unambiguous denial from the duke that he'd known anything about Jeffrey Epstein's activities," ITV says.
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The Sun exclusively revealed that Thirsk was told she would have to step down following the interview - widely viewed as a career ending "car crash."
What will she do next?
The Sun revealed that Thirsk's next steps will see her remain close to the Prince.
She is being employed privately by the prince and has been announced as Chief Executive of his business mentoring undertaking, Pitch@Palace.
Prince Andrew says he is ‘stepping back’ from royal duties over Epstein scandal and offers to help police
Get ready to “Let It Go” all over again. That’s right, folks. Frozen 2 is here, and the long-awaited Disney sequel is likely to make just as big of an icy splash as the first film.
The cast — especially Kristen Bell — have been out and about talking up their latest project. All the promotional marketing has yielded tons of fun tidbits about Frozen 2, its cast, and the characters they play. After all, Frozen has become a bonafide phenomenon, and no one recognizes that more than the actors involved.
Kristen Bell at the ‘Frozen 2’ premiere | Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage
Kristen Bell on ‘Frozen’ fever
In an interview with USA Today, Bell took on the popularity of Frozen head-on. Sure, the film has catchy music and gorgeous animation. But Bell attributes its success more to how kids connected with the movie’s themes.
[Children don’t get enough credit] for their ability to understand and digest complexity and suffering. That’s why people identified with Elsa: She was a paradox. She felt shy and vulnerable and incredibly powerful at the same time. So having people watch these characters go through it, it’s a little bit like therapy.
Bell is certainly on to something. “Let It Go” in particular is powerful for moviegoers of all ages because of what it says about self-love and acceptance. While it remains ubiquitous years later, Elsa’s signature tune has endured precisely because of the cathartic release it represents.
Why ‘The Next Right Thing’ is so impactful
Bell said Frozen 2 features a song that similarly captures the essence of her character, Anna. One of Anna’s best attributes is her determination, and the sequel finds her at a crossroads, deciding what she should do. “The Next Right Thing” — Anna’s big solo this time around — sums it up best, according to Bell.
A lot of people feel that feeling: What do I do when I don’t know what to do? My personal mantra is you just do the next right thing. It also stems from when I am experiencing anxiety and depression. What do I do when I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning? You just do the next right thing, and that’s stepping out of bed. The next right thing is brushing your teeth. The next right thing is eating your breakfast. The next right thing is looking at your calendar and going to work. This idea of having an intrinsic motivation vs. extrinsic motivation is something that as a parent I know is incredibly important to show kids and to help them cope. I really wanted Anna to be representative of that.
Even in early reviews, critics noted how Frozen 2 made it a point to give each member of its principal cast a solo of his or her own. The above insight into Anna’s character is just one example of how the new film delves deeper into the franchise’s beloved characters and what makes them who they are.
Can ‘Frozen 2’ top the first film?
Yet, even if the soundtrack to Frozen 2 is as strong as the first film’s, the movie itself still faces an uphill battle if it’s going to compete with its predecessor. Back in 2013, Frozen earned an astounding $1.3 billion worldwide. That total still remains the biggest box office gross for an animated film, aside from perhaps this year’s The Lion King.
Still, as Bell pointed out, there’s something almost elemental about the way Frozen connects with audiences. And after hooking families so strongly the first time around, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Frozen 2 emerge as one of this year’s top performers. Between its live-action remakes, Marvel releases, and the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney is having a record year. We expect Frozen 2 to be a big part of that equation.
Musician Beck Hansen, known popularly as Beck, is speaking out on his supposed affiliation with Scientology.
The 49-year-old Grammy-winning musician said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that: "I think there's a misconception that I am a Scientologist," he said in the article, published Friday. "I'm not a Scientologist. I don't have any connection or affiliation with it."
"My father (Canadian composer and arranger David Campbell), is a Scientologist has been a Scientologist for a long time, but I've pretty much just focused on my music and my work for most of my life, and tended to do my own thing," he added. "I think it's just something people ran with."
In an interview with Spin magazine published in 2008, Beck spoke about the role of Scientology in his life, saying he doesn't "pay attention to any of it, really."
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"I’m not that aware of what the perception is," he continued. "My father was doing Scientology in the ’60s, so it’s something that has been around for most of my life. But the only time I hear anything negative about it is in interviews. In the real world, people I know, they don’t give a (expletive). I was raised celebrating Jewish holidays, and I consider myself Jewish. But I’ve read books on Scientology and drawn insights from that."
He added: "You know, it’s books; it’s not a belief system. It’s only true if it’s true for you. That’s the way anything is."
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Scooter Braun says Taylor Swift's attacks on him and the Big Machine Records label have thrown his entire family into extreme peril, and the death threats have become so intense he's going public, pleading with Taylor to sit down with him and resolve their conflict.
Scooter posted his statement in the middle of the night after something clearly happened. He noted there have been numerous death threats directed at his family, but something even more ominous and imminent caused him to break his silence ... "I came home tonight to find my wife had received a phone call threatening the safety of our children .."
He posted one threat, which is chilling ..."Hi, why dont you just die withyour children??? I will buy a gun tmr and them shoot you allin the head."
Scooter then addresses Taylor directly, saying, "I assume this was not your intention but it is important that you understand that your words carry a tremendous amount of weight and that your message can be interpreted by some in different ways."
He goes on to extend an olive branch, asking Taylor to sit down, wherever she wants, and resolve their beef. He says he and Big Machine never tried to block her from singing anything at Sunday's AMAs, but then he said this ... "While I am frustrated with your accusations and respectfully disagree with many of your statements, it is important that I am clear -- no artist should ever feel cornered or bullied. I have spent my entire career in service of creatives and artists, never the other way around."
But, finally, there's something of a parting shot ... "Many have told me that a meeting will never happen as this is not about truth or resolution but instead a narrative for you. I am hopeful this is not the case."
In news that has us excitably screeching like a Wookiee, Star Wars legend Harrison Ford is reportedly eyeing up a role in an adaptation of one of the decade's best true-crime series.
According to a report in Entertainment Weekly, the Blade Runner actor is set to star in a new series based on The Staircase, the twisty, heartbreaking story of the death of Kathleen Peterson.
The Staircase, which filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade recently revisited a second time for Netflix, follows novelist Michael Peterson as he is charged with the murder of his wife. He's later released from jail when a key witness is revealed to have committed perjury.
Now, reports suggest that a TV series based on the documentary is in the works, with Ford tipped to play Michael Peterson, over 15 years since he last appeared on the small screen.
Peterson won his freedom after taking the 'Alford plea', prompting The Staircase's Lestrade to rule out any further filming.
Speaking to Digital Spy last year, the filmmaker said that the judge had delivered "the final answer, and nobody can come back to that."
He continued: "That's the end of the process for us. Sometimes I wish that some other step could be introduced in the court room that we could shoot. But it was not. So yes, it's finished."
The Staircase is available to stream on Netflix.
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Taylor Swift is gonna tell Scooter Braun and Big Machine what's up ... by performing her old songs at the American Music Awards ... at least according to the oddsmakers.
The cyber-gambling site, SportsBetting.ag, is offering tons of prop bets on this Sunday's AMAs ... and bookies are banking on Taylor to sing the hits owned by BM, and for Swift to take home Artist of the Year over Ariana Grande.
The odds of Taylor singing stuff like "Shake It Off" are 1 to 5, meaning you gotta wager $500 to win $100. That's a pretty heavy favorite. The odds of Taylor eschewing songs from Big Machine are 3 to 1, meaning a $100 wager pays $300.
As you know ... there's some debate over Taylor's choice of songs for her big AMAs performance. She's angry at Scooter and BM over ownership of the masters from her first 6 albums. Taylor claimed BM was withholding permission for her to sing her old hits, but the label says she can perform anything she chooses during the live broadcast.
Of course, we've reported Taylor might not have enough time to rehearse her old songs. The jury is still out.
Taylor is the favorite to win Artist of the Year -- her odds are even -- while Ariana is second with 2 to 1 odds. Halseycomes in at 3 to 1, Post Malone is 7 to 2 and Drakeis 4 to 1.
Taylor's also expected to go after Scooter and Big Machine during her acceptance speech for Artist of the Decade, and the odds of her saying "Big Machine" on the broadcast are 3 to 2, meaning a $200 wager pays $300.
Looks like Taylor's still making other people rich!!!
Episode three of The Mandalorian season one is called “The Sin” and as the episode proceeds, and the Mandalorian does some heinous stuff, the meaning of the title seems to change. That shift is probably going to be the defining moment for this character. His choices at the beginning and end of this episode are everything.
As the episode started I felt anxious. Was the Mando really going to bring Baby Yoda back to the Client? After all that they’d been through, didn’t you hope he would fly away and raise him on his own? Was the story really going to be so mean to this hugely significant character? It didn’t help the episode began with the maddeningly adorable, and important, moment where the baby removed the chrome top from the lever.
Soon after landing, we see the first “Sin” which was the Mandalorian doing exactly what we hoped he wouldn’t. He brings the baby right back to The Client and gives him up. And guess what? You hate him for it. The shots of the baby looking back at him as he leaves the room are gut-wrenching. You kind of get it, though. He’s a bounty hunter, he needs money, and he’s about to get a lot of it. Still, as he walked out of that room without the baby, I was ready to truly hate this character.
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From the Mandalorian’s point of view though, it seems like the safe play. He has no idea what that baby means or how important it is. Plus, he just got a “camtono” full of beskar steel, just as The Client promised. (A camtono is the ice cream maker from The Empire Strikes Back. We wrote all about it a few months ago.)
New beskar means a trip to the secret, underground Mandalorian hangout and a trip to The Armorer. In episode one, he just had a single piece of armor made. Now, since his armor got destroyed by the Mudhorn and he’s flush with the precious metal, he decides to craft a whole new suit.
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The Armorer scene in episode 3 is crucial.Photo: Lucasfilm
There’s a ton to unpack in the sequence, like the moment where Mando tells the Armorer about Baby Yoda, but describes it as an “enemy” who saved him in battle. An enemy who didn’t know he was his enemy. That’s how the Mandalorian justified giving up the baby, by thinking of him as an enemy, and you can really sense the conflict in him during the exchange.
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Next, there’s how all the beskar attracts the rest of his fellow Mandalorians and the scene evolves from an armor making montage into a short history lesson about Mandalorian culture. It seems like in addition to the purge of Jedi started by Order 66, there was also a “Great Purge” where the Empire wiped out most of the Mandalorians. It’s not clear if these Purges are the same but it’s definitely why seeing a Mandalorian out and about is such a big deal and why the majority of them are in hiding. Plus, it seems, this beskar with the Imperial insignia is just a reminder that the Empire stole from a whole race of people and why tensions are high when it returns.
Finally (yes, still talking about this one scene), I hope you didn’t spend too much money on Mandalorian toys on Triple Force Friday. Because it’s episode three of the show and he’s already got a full new set of armor. From the greens and browns of his first suit, now the Mandalorian is chromed out Phasma-style. Covered in beskar, he’s basically inviting people to hate him because of the flashy show of wealth.
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New suit of armor and Mandalorian history lesson acquired, Mando heads back to Greef to get a new job. Greef can’t believe Mando wants to go back out. Instead, he suggests a trip to the “Twi’lek healing baths,” which sounds less “bath” and more brothel. Mando doesn’t care, though. He wants more work and picks out a bounty on a royal Mon Calamari male that’ll take him far, far away.
Again, no episode 3 photos just yet but here’s the Mando working on his suit.Photo: Lucasfilm
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Arriving back to the Razor Crest, that’s when it happens. The Mandalorian is about to head off and he notices the knob missing on the lever. He misses Baby Yoda. He’s unsure what’s going to happen to him. And at that moment, he makes the choice to go against everything he believes. To break all the rules of bounty hunting. He’s going to make the second and true “Sin” referenced in the episode’s title—a violation of his code as a bounty hunter. He’s going back and rescuing Baby Yoda.
Before going in, Mando hears the Client asking to extract the “necessary material” from the baby. He’s gotta be talking about midichlorians, right? Could they be trying to duplicate midichlorians to make more Force-sensitive beings? Unfortunately, we don’t find out. What we get is Mandalorian sneaking his way into the complex fairly easily, especially since Stormtroopers after the fall of the Empire are still as useless as Stormtroopers at the height of the Empire. Once the Mando finds Dr. Pershing and Baby Yoda, Pershing is worried the Mando is there to kill the baby, not rescue it. Why would that be? So many questions.
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Still, Mando gets Baby Yoda and escapes fairly easily, thanks to the “Whistling Birds” the Armorer crafted for him. Then the beeping begins. It’s the sound of every bounty hunter in town being alerted that there’s a new bounty that needs to be brought in: The Mandalorian himself.
Mando is in deep you-know-what now.Photo: Lucasfilm
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Chaos ensues. Every bounty hunter is blasting their way through town trying to capture the Mandalorian, even good ol’ Greef Carga. Trapped in the back seat of a speeder, it seems all is lost. But then, something happens. The other Mandalorians come out of hiding and fight by the Mandalorian’s side. He knows that means they will have to relocate to another planet but it doesn’t matter. “This is the way,” they say as they cover him and he narrowly escapes, after nearing killing Greef Carga in the process.
And so episode three ends, with The Mandalorian now a wanted man, carrying the most valuable bounty of his career with him, wearing a brand new suit of armor, probably completely clueless of how to get out of this.
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Deborah Chow directed “The Sin” and, if you don’t know who that is, she’s the person directing the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. After watching “The Sin”, it’s obvious that the show is in great hands. Chow has an excellent eye for action, suspense, and peppering in just the right amount of exposition. She directs the hell out of this episode.
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So now, the hunter has become the hunted. And with Baby Yoda now under his full protection at the expense of his livelihood, we have a true emotional connection to this character and his cargo.
Great to see Greef finally get in on the action.Photo: Lucasfilm
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Assorted musings:
Though we have yet to meet Gina Carano’s Cara Dune after three episodes (she should be in next week’s episode), it was cool to see Greef Carga get into the mix a bit. Carl Weathers rules. The way he says “Mando” with an emphasis on the “O” is incredible and it’s fantastic that he’s now being set up as an adversary.
There was lots of talk in “The Sin” about the bounty hunter guild. How asking about the baby was against the guild and how going back was against the guild. Where is this guild, who is in charge, and will we learn more about it?
I appreciate that in all three episodes, the Mandalorian has used his flame thrower a lot. I always loved that Boba Fett had a flame thrower on his arm but he didn’t get to use it much. Here, Mando is flame thrower obsessed. He literally runs out of gas he uses it so much.
Why do none of these planets have names? Even the original Star Wars organically worked the name of the planet into the dialogue. However, I think, so far, we haven’t heard a peep. (Though know Kuiil’s planet is Arvala-7 via the Star Wars website). Is there a reason?
While getting his armor made, Mando had another flashback to his youth. In it, we see several Super Battle Droids, which were used by the Trade Federation during the Clone War era. That basically tells us when he grew up and what he’s lived through.
Where are these Mandalorian foundlings who keep getting beskar saved for them? That must play a role coming up at some point, right?
Great emphasis is put on the importance that Mandalorians never take off their helmets. It’s part of their deepest beliefs. Which, of course, means Mando is totally going to do just that at some point, right? Maybe at the very end of the season?
“I’ve got to get one of those,” Mando says when he sees a fellow Mandalorian with a jetpack. We hope he gets one too.
Finally, one of the most important moments in the episode is in the bar when Greef suggests to Mando he can take his issues up with the New Republic and Mando says that’s a joke. You have to wonder if that’s the popular opinion of the time or not. Do people not care about the new government being formed? And if not, maybe it’s a tiny piece of retcon to explain why there’s no real fallout from its destruction a few years later in The Force Awakens.
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