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Adele Officiated Her Friend's Wedding—and Then Sang “Rolling in the Deep”

Adele and English author/illustrator Laura Dockrill have been friends for decades—they’re so close, in fact, that Adele wrote the 2008 song “My Same” from her album 19 about their bond. So when Dockrill married The Maccabees musician Hugo White this weekend, Adele went all out: In addition to officiating her pal’s wedding ceremony, the singer grabbed a mic at the Mason’s Arms pub in London and gave a little private concert to all the guests, reportedly performing songs like her own “Rolling in the Deep” and the Spice Girls’ “Spice Up Your Life.”

Adele wasn’t the only celebrity present, either—according to E! News, Chernobyl actor Robert Emms and Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine) were also on the guest list. At one point, Welch even reportedly joined Adele on stage to sing.

While there aren’t too many social media posts available of Adele’s impromptu wedding concert—hopefully the guests were too busy living in the moment—there is one picture that Dockrill posted on Instagram in which you can see Adele onstage, providing a soundtrack for the newlyweds.

In 2018, Adele shared a photo with Dockrill as well as a link to an essay the author had written about postpartum psychosis. “This is my best friend,” Adele captioned the photo. “We have been friends for more of our lives than we haven’t. She had my beautiful godson 6 months ago and it was the biggest challenge of her life in more ways than one. She has written the most intimate, witty, heartbreaking and articulate piece about her experience of becoming a new mum and being diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. Mamas talk about how you’re feeling because in some cases it could save yours or someone else’s life.”

While being a part of Dockrill’s wedding was certainly a milestone moment for the friendship, this isn’t the first time Adele has married her close pals. In 2018, she officiated a wedding for the English comedian Alan Carr and his partner, Paul Drayton, and even helped plan the whole event, which was held in her own backyard.

“She’s known me and Paul for ages, and she said, ‘I want to do your special day. Let me do everything.’ And she did everything and she got ordained and she married us,” Carr said in an interview later.

And Adele also notoriously organized an elaborate bachelorette party for Jennifer Lawrence at Pieces, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village. When she’s not participating in major life events for her friends, Adele has been keeping a relatively low profile following her divorce last year. She’s only been spotted out a few times, including a vacation with Harry Styles and James Corden

So let’s recap: Adele is a wedding officiant, a wedding planner, and a wedding singer. We can’t wait to see Adele’s take on catering, florals, or bridesmaid duties next!

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Title IX: What to Know About the Campus Sexual Assault Guidelines Betsy DeVos Is Rolling Back

Remember the Obama administration’s efforts to curb rape and sexual assault on college campuses? Thanks to the Trump administration, that progress is now in jeopardy.

Speaking at George Mason University on Thursday about enforcement of the Title IX law, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced her plans to do away with Obama-era guidelines on how schools should investigate sexual assault.

“Instead of working with schools on behalf of students, the prior administration weaponized the Office for Civil Rights to work against schools and against students,” she said.

Here’s what to know about Title IX and the uncertain future of campus sexual assault investigations.

What is Title IX?

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law banning sex-based discrimination at any school that receives federal funding.

Here’s what it says: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

In other words, the law upholds gender equality on campuses nationwide.

What does it have to do with sexual assault?

Thanks to various Supreme Court rulings and guidance from the Department of Education, Title IX’s ban on sex-based discrimination applies to sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape on campus. A school receiving federal funding can face legal trouble if it knowingly ignores reports of sexual violence in its programs or activities.

The Obama administration was serious about cracking down on campus sexual assault, and in 2011, the Department of Education issued a key piece of Title IX guidance called the Dear Colleague Letter. The DCL wasn’t a law, but a directive on how schools should handle sexual violence issues. Here’s an overview of everything the DCL covered.

With Trump in office, those Obama-era guidelines have been in jeopardy.

It’s sad, but true—and sexual assault survivors and their advocates have been worried.

DeVos has been considering changes to her office’s policies on campus sexual assault, meeting in July with rape survivors and men’s rights activists who argued Obama’s guidelines unfairly favored accusers. At the time, she made it pretty clear that she was planning to take action.

“We need to do this right, we need to protect all students and we need to do it quickly,” she said.

On Thursday, that action finally came down.

In her speech at George Mason University, DeVos announced her plans to end Obama-era guidelines on how schools should handle sexual assault investigations.

“The era of ‘rule by letter’ is over,” she said, adding that the 2011 directive was a “disservice to everyone involved.”

As for putting together a replacement for the current rules, DeVos said the Department of Education will solicit public comment and feedback from universities.

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