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Queen Elizabeth May Have Made a Subtle Nod to *The Crown* in Her Annual Christmas Speech


Ever since The Crown premiered on Netflix in 2016, fans have wondered whether its subject, Queen Elizabeth, watches the drama—and what she thinks of it. Some reports have said that the Queen Mother approves of the series; while others have said she’s taken issue with the more fictionalized scenes. And now, new reports seem to suggest not only that the royal watches, but that she gave the hit show a subtle nod in this year’s annual Christmas speech.

On Tuesday (December 24), a photo from Queen Elizabeth’s annual Christmas Day broadcast shows the monarch seated a desk in front of a Christmas tree, surrounded by photographs of the royal family throughout the years. The Daily Mail spotted that among the desk decor was a picture of Queen Elizabeth’s handshake with the Apollo 11 crew—an event that was recreated on season 3 of The Crown.

Queen Elizabeth sits at her desk for her annual Christmas address.

STEVE PARSONS

During the seventh episode of season 3, Prince Philip watches the Apollo 11 team complete their mission and questions his own accomplishments as a result. The royal family also hosts an astronaut-themed birthday party for Prince Edward and Prince Andrew. Finally, the show depicts the famous meeting between Queen Elizabeth and the Apollo 11 team at Buckingham Palace, shown below.

Queen Elizabeth stands with the astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission

Queen Elizabeth met the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969.

Bettmann

Queen Elizabeth portrayed by Olivia Coleman meets the Apollo 11 crew on 'The Crown.'

Queen Elizabeth’s meeting with the Apollo 11 crew was dramatized on season 3 of ‘The Crown.’

Embedding a wink to that would be a savvy pop culture move from Queen Elizabeth, indicating yet again that she’s aware of the series. But it could also be a marker of the year: 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

Netflix Easter eggs or not, the Queen’s Christmas broadcast will have other moments for royal onlookers to chew on. Excerpts from Queen Elizabeth’s speech published by CNN say that she will address the tumultuous year in politics head-on. “Small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding,” she said. “The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference.”



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Elizabeth Warren Adds Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris's Paid Leave and Reproductive Health Care Policies to Her Platform


Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is blunt—the women have been pushed out.

In late August, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) exited the 2020 presidential race. Earlier this month, Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) announced she would end her campaign too. Meanwhile, over a dozen candidates—most of whom are less well known than those two women—remain in the contest, with the field somewhat narrower and much, much more male than it was even 12 weeks ago. As some on social media have noted, there are now more billionaires up for the Democratic nomination than there are black women. And of the six candidates who qualified for this week’s Democratic debate, zero are people of color.

The problem is bigger than just who gets to stand behind a podium. With candidates like Gillibrand and Harris out of contention, their ideas risk elimination too. And Warren—who has put a feminist spin on retirement benefits and student debt—refuses to let that happen.

“We’ve seen a record number of women in this race,” Warren tells Glamour. “That means, together, we’ve been able to shape the national conversation, to highlight issues impacting people in America.” But, she adds, as men who can afford to pour tens of millions of dollars into their own runs declare their candidacies, that discussion suffers.

After Warren announced her bid, she unveiled her plan to make affordable childcare available to families nationwide. Gillibrand pioneered paid leave legislation. Harris prioritized reproductive healthcare. “These are powerful issues, not just for women, but for families,” Warren says. And of course, the fact that Gillibrand and Harris aren’t on the trail doesn’t mean we’ve solved them. So, Warren reached out to her former rivals and asked their permission—both to add their policies to her platform and to attribute those plans to the women responsible for them.



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Elizabeth Banks Says She Still Feels ‘Judged’ for Using a Surrogate


Elizabeth Banks has a massively successful career as an actress, producer, writer, and director (most recently of the new Charlie’s Angels reboot) so it’s hard to imagine anyone questioning anything about her. But there is one area that she says she still feels judged about: surrogacy.

Banks and her husband, Max Handelman, have two sons—Felix, 8, and Magnus, 7—who were both born via a surrogate. In a new interview with Porter magazine, she opened up about the subject saying surrogacy was the option the couple chose due to fertility issues (which she called a “broken belly”).

“Women’s reproductive issues were things you would whisper about in small circles,” she said. “[Now,] there’s #ShoutYourAbortion and IVF Facebook groups. I definitely think I’m still judged for what I’ve done and that people don’t understand my choices, but I don’t feel I owe anybody any explanation. And, if my story helps people feel less alone on their journey, then I’m grateful for that.”

Surrogacy has certainly become a more vocal topic in mainstream media and Hollywood in recent years. Along with Banks, celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Kardashian, and Gabrielle Union have opened up about using a surrogate. “People want to see the bump, hear that you got hemorrhoids; they want to know you’re like them,” Union has said about her decision to use a surrogate after years of struggling with infertility. “I was like, ‘This is going to seem like the most Hollywood shit ever. Will I be embraced as a mom?’ It’s terrifying.”

And at this year’s Glamour Women of the Year Wards, comedian Michelle Buteau spoke candidly about owning her decision to use a surrogate—also after spending years (and thousands of dollars) on infertility treatments. She’s now the proud mother of twins, Hazel and Otis. “I wanted to find the good in all of it, because that’s what you do sometimes. And so when my surrogate was pregnant and going into labor, my husband, my mother, and I went to the bar next door and had a bottle of Malbec,” she said.

“I just want to let you guys know that whatever you want in life, I want it for you,” Buteau added. “It might not be the way you planned or you want, but never give up because you can get your shit together and get what you want in life.”



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Queen Elizabeth Is Reportedly a 'Fan' of How Relatable Kate Middleton Has Been Recently


Kate Middleton has got to be feeling very good right now because she is reportedly in very high favor with her boss—a.ka. her grandmother-in-law and the Queen of England. It’s easy to forget as we fawn over Middleton’s fashion and enviable hair that when she’s out at engagements and on royal tours, it’s all in service and at the behest of Queen Elizabeth II.

“The Queen is a fan,” a source told Vanity Fair‘s royal reporter, Katie Nicholl. “Kate is unflappable. Her mantra is very like the Queen’s keep calm and carry on approach in life, and she has the added benefit of making the Royal Family seem almost normal and in touch.” There’s been a lot of drama surrounding the family of late, including rumors of sibling rifts and lawsuits against certain tabloids, so it makes sense that the queen would appreciate the Duchess of Cambridge’s calm, cool, and collected demeanor at the time. Reportedly, the monarch was also very happy with Middleton and Prince William’s recent royal tour of Pakistan.

Duncan McGlynn/Getty Images

“It feels very much like this has been Kate’s year,” royal biographer Claudia Joseph told Vanity Fair. “She looks happy, in control and there’s a new confidence about her. “I think Kate seems much happier than a year ago. She has three lovely children, has been honored by the Queen for her hard work and is really well liked not just here but around the world.”

“She’s very much the girl next door, from how she dresses to how she behaves and interacts with people on engagements,” Joseph continued. “She is likeable and relatable and that has made her very popular.” And there definitely have been lots of good stories about the Duchess of Cambridge lately—like when she was spotted shopping at a chain store with Prince George and Princess Charlotte for Halloween costumes or how she had a mom’s night out at a pub with women from the kids’ school. She’s also reportedly trying to help her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, after the Duchess of Sussex opened up about how difficult she’s finding it to handle the tabloid scrutiny.

“They [the Cambridges] seem to be making a real effort and it’s paying off,” another source told Vanity Fair. “They are getting great press.”

Well done, Kate. But now can you give an interview about every single hair product you use?



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Elizabeth Warren Brilliantly Answered a Question About Same-Sex Marriage—And the Internet Loves It


Last night CNN and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) hosted an Equality Town Hall with 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to discuss LGBTQ+ issues. A wide range of important topics were discussed, including banning conversion therapy and lifting restrictions on gay men donating blood. But there was one standout moment that made the internet go wild, and it came from Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass).

At one point HRC chairman Morgan Cox posed a question to Warren: “Someone approaches you and says ‘Senator, I’m old-fashioned, and my faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and one woman’—what is your response?”

Warren, arms folded, grin wicked, didn’t miss a beat. “Well, I’m gonna assume it’s a guy who said that,” she said as the audience started to laugh. “And I’m gonna say, ‘Well, then just marry one woman. I’m cool with that!’”

After a pause so impeccable Lorne Michaels should recruit her to play herself on SNL, Warren added: “Assuming you can find one!” The crowd went nuts—and so did Twitter.

Watch the moment for yourself below.

“@SenWarren this was ? ???,” USWNT star Megan Rapinoe tweeted.

“The TIMING. The DELIVERY. The TWINKLE IN HER EYE. I can’t wait to see Elizabeth Warren wipe the debate stage with Donald Trump’s haystack of a toupee,” Sam Stryker wrote.

“This is a perfect response to homophobic religious bigots. Elizabeth Warren is a legend. #EqualityTownHall,” another person wrote on Twitter.

Seriously, the social media responses were almost as good as Warren’s own answer. “Elizabeth Warren just ended homophobia,” one user wrote. “Willing to vote for @SenWarren based on her comedic timing alone at this point,” another said.

Earlier in the day, singer Melissa Etheridge publicly endorsed Warren for president and noted her support of the LGBTQ community. “Elizabeth Warren understands the LGBTQ community and the needs we have,” she said. “On this National Coming Out Day I am officially pledging my support for her candidacy for president. Let’s move forward with the woman that has a plan for our future.”



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Hello Hope, My Old Friend: As Donald Trump Faces Impeachment and Elizabeth Warren Rises in the Polls, Can Democrats Learn to Hope Again


But last month, I registered a shift. In me. In the people I know. Even on Twitter. An odd thing has happened. For the first time since the presidential election, some of us have started to feel…hopeful?

The sensation is so novel, I didn’t recognize it at first. But it began with that old nemesis of mine—polls. After months of ambitious plans, hundreds of photo lines, and countless appearances, Elizabeth Warren surged ahead in them. At last a woman whose hard work seemed to be noted and appreciated. The first primaries are still months from now, but for a lot of women, Warren presents a chance to finish what Geraldine Ferraro, Margaret Chase Smith, and Shirley Chisholm started. For a lot of us, the fact that we’ve never had a female president still stings. Even prim-and-proper England had Margaret Thatcher. (Yes, I know.)

Sure, Clinton had her problems, but those issues paled compared to her opponent’s deficiencies; the harassment and assault allegations, his numerous bankruptcies, the grift. I’m not here to re-litigate 2016, but the stark fact was that one candidate was qualified and the other didn’t know who Fredrick Douglass was.

Then, the Ukraine news broke. As reports trickled out, we learned that Trump has been pushing Ukraine for dirt on Joe Biden. Even moderate Democrats backed impeachment proceedings. And in the time since, I have sometimes wondered: What would happen if we didn’t all get dark and doubtful again? What would happen if we decided to hold the Trump administration accountable for once? Stranger things have happened.

There’s an expression in politics that “Republicans fall in line and Democrats fall in love.” As much as I hate the idea, I think there’s some truth to it. But I’ve held off on following my heart. I’ve been burned, and it’s so much easier to just assume the worst than hope for the best. At least that’s how I felt until now.

For the next few weeks, the Trump administration will have to answer for their actions. And in the meantime, women continue to run rings around him. Harris is on the cover of TIME Magazine! Warren, with her focus on childcare and student debt, makes me feel warm inside! I can’t help it. I feel…almost optimistic.

This election will take place 13 or so months and several million news alerts from now. And I am not blind to the realities of our current moment. Abortion is on the chopping block. Immigrants rights’ have been trampled. Our president just asked China to interfere in our elections from the White House lawn. I’m not delusional, but I am hopeful. Because for the first time in a long time, some determined part of me feels like we’re at the beginning of something.

Molly Jong-Fast is the author of three novels. Follow her on Twitter @mollyjongfast.





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