#Victoria Castle

[loanebarnes]

for me, there are characters who have suffered so much that they either become gentle and take care of their girlfriends as if they were made of porcelain, with vanilla sex, etc…

or they turn that pain into pleasure until you have red marks all over your body and you’re crying for more while they tease you until you’re about to faint.

(i need to sleep…)

[descendinight]

里维埃拉Riviera

[disabled-sapphic]

Cannot stop thinking about how Shakira knew she was being cheated on because her husband's affair partner was eating all her strawberry jam, like was the affair partner Paddington Bear's evil cousin Elizabeth Line Bear

[foreverinthepagesofhistoryy]

@princesscatherinemiddleton’s Royal Fandom Summer 2024 Photo Challenge

Day 27: Favourite summer-themed photos of royals at Balmoral Castle

This is a series of footage clips containing several members of the British Royal Family including Queen Victoria, Prince Arthur of Connaught and his children, Princess Helena Duchess of Albany and her children, and also Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. This is sole of the first footage taken of most of these royals (except the Russian couple whose 1894 coronation was filmed) and is a perfect example of how the BRF vacationed at Balmoral (the location of the footage).

Source: National Library of Scotland

[brokehorrorfan]

House on Haunted Hill's soundtrack is available on vinyl for $40 via Waxwork Records. Sourced from the original film elements, the score is composed by Von Dexter (13 Ghosts, The Tingler) and includes select dialogue and sound effects from the film.

The album is pressed on 150-gram pink & black colored vinyl. It’s housed in a gatefold jacket with matte satin coating featuring art by Graham Humphreys and a four-page booklet featuring an interview with Victoria Price by Rob Zombie. It will ship in May.

House on Haunted Hill is the latest title under the Rob Zombie Presents banner, following White Zombie, Spider Baby, and Carnival of Souls.

[normiedoctorwho]

Doctor Who but it’s Lupin III:Castle of Cagliostro

[lgbtqreads]

Happy Pan Visibility Day 2024!

Today is Pan Visibility Day, and as usual, we’re celebrating with a bunch of books that have pansexual leads! Today is Pan Visibility Day, and as usual, we’re celebrating with a bunch of books that have pansexual leads! Please note that this post only includes books that weren’t featured in full in previous posts; you can find more pansexual books in posts from past years! Court of the Undying…

[albertvictoria-art]

“Howl Jenkins Pendragon”

How I imagined Wizard Howl from the novel “Howl’s Moving Castle” by Diana Wynne Jones. Made with pencil on paper, and colored with Procreate.

[captainsavre]

We are tasked by the city of New York to protect its people. Sometimes that task comes with a cost. I know what they call me, Detective. ‘Iron Gates’. I hear the whispers. ‘She’s from IA, she must hate cops.’ Well, the truth is, I love cops. My daddy was a cop. My uncles were cops. But the sergeant who assaulted my patrol partner under the cover of authority? Who holds him accountable? We do.

[fortheloveofbritishactors]

Happy Birthday Rufus Sewell 🎂

[do-it-for-the-fandom]

Mistletoe.

5x09 - Secret Santa.

The boys peered around the corner simultaneously trying to get close enough to see their targets clearly and stay out of sight themselves.

They had a clear view of the elevator, of the little surprise they had hung right in front of the doors, all they had to do was wait.

Half the bullpen was in on the bet - will they, won't they? - but given the advantage Ryan and Espo had (the knowledge of Castle and Beckett's actual secret relationship) they felt pretty confident that a friendly little 'Christmas kiss' was out of the question. The risk of outing themselves was too high. Beckett wouldn't risk giving Gates a reason to boot Castle from the precinct.

"- and I love the feeling, that sense of hope," they heard Castle say; a sign that their targets were approaching. And, sure enough, the pair stepped into view. "It's crazy, you know. On the shortest, darkest days of the year people of all faiths celebrate the light."

The boys looked at one another, rolled their eyes at their friend. He couldn't just say "I love Christmas". No, he had to make it poetic, make it beautiful. No wonder he had won Beckett over - they could see the smile on her face as she listened to him talk, absolutely enamoured. Honestly, how anybody was still in the dark about this relationship confused the boys to no end!

"Plus, who doesn't love presents?"

"There it is," Ryan whispered and Espo stifled a chuckle.

Castle glanced up, noticed the hanging ball of mistletoe directly above them. Kate's focus shifted almost immediately, searching for whatever had so quickly captured her partner's focus.

Espo looked across the bullpen, locked eyes with Karpowski and LT who stood by the breakroom door trying to look totally uninterested in whatever was about to happen. However, subtlety was not a skill Karpowski had honed and her intent focus had apparently drawn the attention of their captain.

Espo nudged his elbow into Ryan's ribs. "Gates alert," he whispered.

Ryan looked toward the captain's office, saw Gates standing at her door studying Karpowski. He watched as her gaze followed Karpowski's across the bullpen before landing on Castle and Beckett in front of the elevator.

He looked back over to Castle and Beckett, who had apparently entered the world's most intense staring competition. And... was that a smile on Beckett's face?

"Are they-?" Ryan stopped. Surely they weren't.

They all waited with bated breath, watched as their friends stood hesitating, wanting but not quite willing to take the risk. Beckett shifted her weight from one foot to the other, moving barely an inch closer, but it set the wheels in motion. Castle reached out for her - inevitably to pull her closer, to kiss her under the mistletoe - and Espo practically pushed Ryan out from their hiding place.

"Yo, Castle!" Espo called out, a desperate attempt to stop something he had never thought would actually happen.

But it was too late. Castle had so delicately cupped Beckett's face, pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Mr Castle," Gates' voice billowed across the bullpen. "What makes you think that that is appropriate behaviour for a precinct?" she demanded.

"Oh, I- th- just-" Castle stuttered and stumbled over his words, pointing to Beckett, to the mistletoe, to the various other decorations around the bullpen.

"'Tis the season?" Espo tried to defend his friend's behaviour without refocusing Gates' wrath onto himself.

"'Tis the season?," Gates repeated. "So I should just allow such tomfoolery?"

Espo looked around, all eyes on him. "Yes, Sir. I believe a certain amount of tomfoolery, as you call it, is good for morale. Especially at this time of year."

He waited, expected the scolding of a lifetime, but it never came. Gates simply smiled, like she knew something he didn't.

"In that case, I believe there is something you owe Detective Ryan."

Espo looked at Ryan, who seemed to be just as confused as he was. Karpowski walked toward them, her phone in hand, and began to play a recording from earlier in the day.

"Oh please," he heard his own voice echo through the speaker of Karpowski's phone. "You think a little bit of mistletoe is gonna make Beckett wanna kiss Castle?"

He groaned as he realised exactly where this was going.

"Sure, I'll take that bet. I'm in for $20. In fact, I'm so sure of this I'll make it $50. A hundred, even!"

"I didn't agree to a hundred bucks!" Ryan complained.

Karpowski laughed. "Oh, just you wait."

"You know what?" The recording continued. "If you win, we won't even take your money, that is how confident I am."

Ryan glared at Espo. "Dude!"

Esposito hung his head low. "It gets worse."

"If I'm wrong-" Esposito's laughter burst through the phone speaker. "I'll even kiss Ryan under the mistletoe."

"Nope," Ryan declared with a firm shake of his head.

"I was obviously joking!" Espo insisted. "And he only kissed her on the cheek!"

"A bet's a bet," Karpowski countered immediately.

"And it's good for morale, right?" Gates added with a smile.

Esposito looked over to Beckett and Castle who both looked entirely too pleased with themselves.

"You set me up," he concluded.

"Seems to me you set yourself up for this one," Beckett replied. "But maybe we can let you off the hook. Just this once."

"On one condition," Gates said. "No more nonsense bets on my time."

"Yes, Sir," they all agreed.

___

Once almost everyone had cleared out and only the skeleton staff pulling the holiday shift remained, Beckett made her way to Espo's desk and sat on the edge.

"You know that when Karpowski and LT came to me with that, I couldn't say no, right?" she asked as he filled out the last of his paperwork from their case. "They'd already gotten Gates involved."

"I get it," he assured her. "I shouldn't have run my mouth like that, anyway. That was just asking for trouble."

Beckett laughed; he wasn't wrong. After looking over her shoulder to make sure they were still practically alone, she continued.

"I appreciate that you stood up to Gates, tried to pull the focus from us."

Espo looked up from his paperwork and gave her his most sincere smile.

"I've got your back, Beckett. Whether it's on the street fighting criminals or in the precinct taking heat from Gates, I got you. And I know you got me, too."

"I do," she confirmed. "Thank you."

[glitteeeeer11]

<3

[walkingaroundparis]

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 🎀🩰⚜️🐇

[lordansketil]

things i love: other people sitting on chairs built for prinny

[drtbrennan]

CASTLE - 5.07, ‘Swan Song’

[houseofbrat]

04 JUNE 2024: US Weekly, "Inside Kate Middleton's Recovery: She 'May Never Come Back' in Royal Role We Remember (Exclusive)"

According to the second source, Kate’s team is “reevaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back,” noting, “She may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.”

[...] The reprieve is a welcome one for the couple. “The announcement that the royals won’t be able to work as much has been unexpected, but it will allow Kate and William to spend more time together,” says the second source. “They’ve been reconnecting and are closer than ever.”

05 JUNE 2024: Tom Sykes of The Daily Beast, "Kate Middleton ‘May Never Come Back’ as She Was: Report" [archive link]

In remarks likely to displease the palace, which has sought a blackout on reporting about Kate’s health apart from official updates, the outlet added that Kate has been spotted out and about with family and on her own.

06 JUNE 2024: William attends D-Day 80th Anniversary celebrations in France.

07 JUNE 2024: NY Post, "Kate Middleton not pressuring herself to see anyone amid cancer battle: ‘Doesn’t care truly what anyone thinks’" [archive link]

“Kate’s recovery is a one day-at-a-time thing,” an insider told Life & Style. “She’s not putting any pressure on herself to do anything or see anyone because deadlines in a situation like this can make the recovery way more stressful. She doesn’t care truly what anyone thinks.” [...] And while her home life seems to be as strong as can be — especially after insiders said that she and William are now “closer than ever” — the same can’t be said for her royal duties at this time. A source claimed this week that Princess Catherine “may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.”

08 JUNE 2024: Emily Prescott, Daily Mail, "Princess Kate rewards 'Girl Friday' Natasha Archer for her loyalty with new top job as senior private executive at the Palace" [archive link]

In a move that has been interpreted in Royal circles as a reward for her loyalty, Ms Archer has been appointed to the new role of senior private executive assistant to Kate and William. Ms Archer, 36, updated her profile on the LinkedIn career website last week to reflect her upgraded status. Previously she was a PA and stylist, and was pictured carrying Kate's bags on and off planes for Royal tours. Ms Archer's promotion follows reports that she personally collected The Princess of Wales from the London Clinic after her abdominal operation earlier this year. After that, the mother of two was brought into the innermost circle of select friends and family members who have been supporting the Princess through her private cancer battle. Sources say Ms Archer, who is married to Royal photographer Chris Jackson, has been dedicated to her employer. She has been inseparable from Kate in recent months, often assisting her as she travels to and from hospital appointments. Now she will have a title and salary that reflects her trusted status.

09 JUNE 2024: Reddit post stating Kate had been seen at the St. Regis in Houston, Texas.

10 JUNE 2024: Rumor then starts that Kate is being treated at MD Houston Cancer Center on Twitter.

Houston Chronicle posts an article with a response by Kensington Palace to the rumor. [archive link]

A rumor that Kate Middleton is being treated at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston is false, according to a Kensington Palace representative.  Speculation about the princess' location has grown since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March. She began preventative chemotherapy in February, according to Kensington Palace, with no estimated date of when she might return to public duties.

11 JUNE 2024: Tom Sykes of The Daily Beast, "No Timeframe’ for Kate Middleton’s Return to Royal Duties: Source" [archive link]

Another source, an old friend of the family, said that they thought it would be “bizarre” if Kate appeared on the balcony at Trooping the Colour this weekend having declined to appear for her own regiment a week before. “I think this idea that Kate is suddenly going to pop up on the balcony on Saturday is far-fetched,” they said. “It would be wonderful, of course, but more than slightly bizarre given that she bowed out of the Colonel’s review.” [...] The Daily Beast has reported that Kate may not be seen publicly until next year, while the Daily Mail reported that Kate’s friends have said “we might not see Catherine again until the autumn—and only then if she has recovered fully.” Us Weekly alleged that the Princess of Wales’ team is “reevaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back.” The palace has dismissed such reports as speculation. Her office has reiterated that she needs “space and time” to convalesce.

13 JUNE 2024: Richard Eden of the Daily Mail writes about Andrew and Royal Lodge:

There has been some suggestion, it is true, that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children could move into 30-room Royal Lodge. The Waleses currently live in four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage at Windsor. However, a source close to William and Catherine tells me they are very happy there and have no wish to leave. In due course, they will occupy Windsor Castle. ‘The last thing William and Catherine would want is a load of controversy about their getting another big house,’ says a friend. ‘They already have their large home at Kensington Palace and their Norfolk property, Anmer Hall, in addition to Adelaide Cottage. There was a fair bit of criticism of the cost of renovations to their Kensington Palace home and they would not want to go through all that again.’

Tiktoker said she saw Kate shopping with Charlotte and Louis. [archive link]

Kate Middleton was reportedly seen on a shopping spree with two of her children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at a popular clothing store. The claim has been made by a TikTok user @lolchesss, on the video platform, who saw the Princess of Wales out and about with her younger ones, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. However, she clarified that she didn’t take any photos or videos in a bid to respect her privacy as the future Queen of England continues her public absence amid a cancer battle.

14 JUNE 2024: Kate announces she will attend Trooping the Colour:

Additional commentary regarding Kate's public statement:

(William made a separate statement regarding Kate's "start to engage with the work and projects," as he was not part of Kate's statement.)

Eleanor Hayward, The Times, "Kate’s ‘bad days’ from chemo will be brutally familiar to others" [archive link]

Kate is having preventative chemotherapy, also known as adjuvant chemotherapy. This is when drugs are given to “mop up” and destroy any cancer cells that are lurking in the body after surgery — to prevent cancer spreading or returning in future. Often patients undergoing preventative chemotherapy receive lower doses than those having it as a primary treatment, reducing the extremity of the side-effects. The length of chemotherapy varies from cancer to cancer. Professor Bob Phillips, professor of paediatric oncology at the University of York, said that the timeframe for chemotherapy treatment was “hugely variable”, adding that it was “traditionally between four and six ‘cycles’ of chemo, each cycle lasting 21 days and consisting of a day or few days of chemo”. He added that there would then be “time for the body to recover from it”, while the chemo keeps damaging the cancer cell. Phillips said: “Generally speaking, the healthier someone is before cancer treatment, the closer to optimal the amount of chemo and the gaps between chemo can be. Generally, the younger someone is, the healthier they will be.” [...] He added that preventative chemotherapy can “be given at lower doses and therefore be easier on the patients."

15 JUNE 2024: Kate attends Trooping the Colour and stands on the balcony for the flypast.

Allison Pearson creates a fire storm with her piece, "Our Fair Lady: Princess of Wales’s selfless display was the tonic that Britain needed"

Two words: Thank you. Thank you Princess of Wales for being an absolute trouper and attending Trooping the Colour on a cold, grey day when lesser mortals with your illness would have stayed home, tucked up in their jim-jams. Thank you for sacrificing the privacy that is so much needed to get you back to full health. Thank you for such a show of support for the King, who is not a well man, on his official birthday, and for giving a boost to the wider Royal family – which has sorely lacked star power since you withdrew from public life in January to have major surgery. Thank you for channelling the gamine beauty of Audrey Hepburn in that wow of a white dress with a jaunty, outsize, stripy black-and white bow. You are Our Fair Lady.

16 JUNE 2024: Kensington Palace releases a new photo of William and three kids for Father's Day.

21 JUNE 2024: Kensington Palace releases a new photo of William and three kids for his 42nd birthday.

(No photo was released for Kate's birthday in January.)

Tom Sykes, The Daily Beast, "William and Kate Will ‘Encourage’ Charlotte and Louis to Not Be Working Royals" [archive link]

They were speaking after a report in the Daily Mail said William not only agreed with his father King Charles’ drive to slim down the monarchy but would go even further. The report cited a friend as saying: “When the older members of the family retire, (William) won’t be inviting anyone else to become working royals. It remains to be seen if he will even want his two younger children to be working royals.” The source said of the report, “It’s absolutely true. The option isn’t there for George, of course, but the children have been kept at arm’s length from royal life. They are exposed to the minimum possible publicity, and that is a deliberate strategy to let Charlotte and Louis choose their own destiny.” [...] Critics, of course, will argue that if the couple don’t want the children to take on formal royal duties, they should stop promoting them, and the royal family should stop using them to market itself. The children are often featured in Wales family photos (most recently their Father’s Day snap with William, and Wales promotional videos, such as those released after Trooping the Colour, which featured the kids extensively. Prince Louis’s facial antics have made him a superstar, and similarly Princess Charlotte is seen as a commanding big sister.

22 JUNE 2024: Kensington Palace releases a photo of William, George, Charlotte, and Taylor Swift:

25 JUNE 2024: Sophie, The Duchess of Edinburgh, is seen wearing the Lotus Flower Tiara, which was previously worn by Kate from 2013 to 2022, at the state dinner for Japan. The Lotus Flower Tiara no longer appears to be in the possession of (or loaned out to) Kate.

03 JULY 2024: William attends the Order of the Thistle service in Edinburgh with King Charles & Queen Camilla.

04 JULY 2024: William spotted on a scooter at Windsor Castle.

06 JULY 2024: William attends the Euro quarterfinal between England and Switzerland.

People magazine (US) announces that William will star in a documentary about his short-lived effort, Homewards, this fall. [archive link]

The Prince of Wales' Homewards program, dedicated to ending homelessness, will be featured in a compelling two-part ITV documentary series that will air on ITV1 and ITVX this fall. Titled Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, the series will chronicle the first year of this five-year initiative. Viewers will follow Prince William, 42, as he launches Homewards across the U.K., capturing the stories of individuals currently facing homelessness and those with lived experience.

Last day of school for George, Charlotte, and Louis at Lambrook School until Wednesday, 04 September 2024.

Kate sends a "personal message" to Andy Murray on Twitter.

08 JULY 2024: Ellie Hall publishes "The Disappearing Timeline of Rose Hanbury" for Vulture (New York magazine). [archive link]

As far as royal scandals go, the Rose-William story barely registers on a list that includes the far more sordid (and substantiated) stories of the previous generation of Windsors, such as Squidgygate, the now-King Charles’s infamous tampon comments, and the whole Fergie toe-sucking thing.

The Telegraph posits that The Duchess of Gloucester may present trophies at Wimbledon in Kate's absence. [archive link]

The Duchess of Gloucester has been earmarked as a likely candidate to present the Wimbledon trophies this weekend if the Princess of Wales is unavailable, as she continues her recovery from cancer treatment. All England Club Chair Debbie Jevans told Telegraph Sport in the build-up to the Championships they would give the Princess “as much flexibility as possible” in determining whether she is able to fulfil her ceremonial duties as Club Patron on finals weekend, including leaving a decision until the morning of the women’s final on Saturday.

TIMELINE:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3