#eco warrior princess

[otakusapien]

I just got mouth surgery so I did what anyone would do- watch the entirety of Mermaid Magic on Netflix while half zonked on hydrocodone. Review incoming (no major spoilers)

Synopsis: Three mermaids set out to save their kingdom and get stranded on the surface. They're taken in by two teens who vow to help the mermaids save their kingdom and defeat an evil ghost pirate. Also there's a merpuppy. He is the most useful character in the show.

The first episode starts out solid. We get introduced to the important players and get a sense for them right away. L to R, there's Nerissa (serious but loving bodyguard), Merlinda (free-spirited warrior princess), and Sasha (influencer).

Does every kid's show now have to have an influencer character? It is a nice change of pace we don't have the cliche of magical creatures freaking out over human technology. I also like that they have what I think is an artificial sky with their civilization mostly on land, making mermaids in this world amphibians.

They're trying to stop the McGuffin pearls from being stolen by the ghost pirate Barbarossa and the mysterious sea witch

Barbarossa is such a captain Barbosa rip off they barely try to hide it. There's even a scene where he transitions from flesh face to skeleton face to intimidate someone. They're both serviceable if unoriginal villains. At least he has a flaming sword.

We get a lot of cool fight scenes with these guys because the mermaids ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO FIGHT. Seriously, some of this fight choreography is SO GOOD.

Merlinda has been warrior training in secret with Nerissa for years. Her dad is overprotective since her mom "disappeared," so right off the bat we get fun chase scenes and an excuse to show off their powers.

Did I mention the mermaids have powers? Yeah, every mermaid gets their own ocean-based super power. Nerissa (above) has electricity, Merlinda is hydrokinetic, and Sasha can camouflage herself and others to be nearly invisible. She also has bubbles, but it's not used nearly as much and is kinda meh? I guess she needed a combat power so they gave the bubbly girl bubbles?

I don't mean to hate on Sasha, she's just a type I've seen too many times before. But she is one of the few supporting characters who kind of gets development, and she's proactive enough she's not boring. She also brings the merpuppy.

(No joke, the merpuppy saves their butts or moves the plot forward multiple times. They'd be lost without him. His name is Beau Junior.)

They didn't even need to give her a combat power because they're all proficient with tridents. Each mermaid has a magic ring they can use to summon a trident and active their magical girl sequence

I absolutely love their warrior outfits. They're unique to each person in style, not just color, the colors they do have go well together, even their fin shapes are based on different fish. It's nice when you know it's not just copy and pasted with new paint. My favorite thing is that the transformations make their hairstyles more battle ready. And when they're on land, they all get PANTS! I've never seen a transformation sequence be so practical, I love it T-T

This show is also a marketing dream, because you get five doll modes right off the bat. Let's use Nerissa again because I love her and her outfits are the best

They have mer-casual, mer-warrior, human, and both mer-outfits have land and sea modes. The marketability almost makes up for how ungoogleable the title and characters are.

Enough about marketing, back to the show.

The human leads are twins Tyler and Celia, descendants of John Silver who basically run their father's marine rescue

Tyler is a true himbo. He's goofy and not the brightest, but without being irresponsible or negligent, which is usually how these kind of male characters are written. Tyler is blond and male, so of course he's a love interest.

Celia is a budding eco-warrior, but social awkwardness holds her back until Sasha steps in to help her. I'd argue Celia has more chemistry with Sasha than Tyler has with Merlinda.

It's nice the humans stay involved with the mermaid quests the whole time. Even when they're underwater, they use technology to keep up and stay relevant.

I wasn't gonna talk about individual episodes, but guys, I GOTTA talk about the bank episode.

~~~~BANK EPISODE DIVERSION~~~~

So episode 6 starts out with the marine rescue about to be bulldozed with several people inside because the bank foreclosed on their house. They play it off as the dad missing dozens of phone calls and emails, but they show the daughter going through the bills. Surely this is something they would have sent in writing? They were not given in-person or written notice, these guys just showed up to bulldoze the house without checking if it was occupied because the bank owns it now. Why would the bank immediately demolish it instead of auctioning a beachfront property? Who knows!

Instead of doing the normal human thing and calling their boss about how all they can do is get paid to sit on their butts while bureaucracy happens, the demolition guys continue to swing a wrecking ball at the house. Even after they see the house is filled with several minors, they shrug and go, "That's a you problem" and start forward to RUN THEM OVER. Yes, even the children. This is a thing normal humans would do.

The mermaid sabotage the wrecking equipment to buy them time to do a fundraiser. They advertise only to kids at their high school with very lame social media posts, and it's never stated HOW they're doing the fundraising? They're just. Throwing a party at their house with a donation jar on a table. Okay.

It's not even a good party. They're acting like things are going great, but the animation budget won't let it be more than sparse groups of kids refusing to dance to terrible music. They couldn't even play the theme song? Or the transformation music, that music is great if you ignore the forced rap verse! When the party inevitable gets attacked by monsters, they act like it's such a big loss, but the donation jar looks like it has $20 tops. Because that's what happens when you only invite high schoolers with no jobs.

(Come to think of it, they have a token rich friend. Did Fred not chip in? Does his dad not give him money? His mean girl sister was there. She has a crush on Tyler, why wouldn't she get Daddy to drop 10k on them to buy his love? Maybe then Tracy would have a reason to exist)

Anyway, they find random treasure and save the house, the end.

But this episode made me wonder how tf these kids can afford multiple underwater jet skis and diving equipment when they're apparently so broke. The dad is bad with money, so it kind of makes sense he would splurge on things they can't afford and slack on bills, but this never came up before. It's like the writers created the episode to answer a question no one had.

~~~~End Bank Episode Diversion~~~~

I lied.

The Bank Episode is a good example of a major flaw with the show: None of the supporting cast gets development.

We get moments that seem like it would be that way, like 16 year old Celia sorting through the bills while their father is flippant to the point of losing their house. Normally this would be a chance for Celia or Tyler to talk about how they've basically had to raise themselves, or show anger towards their dad. Give them some depth and maybe a bonding moment with another character, even easily wrap up the family conflict?

Instead we get slapstick and 2 minutes of what adults think tween tiktoks look like.

Merlinda is the main character, and she does get a lot of attention and development. She is such a well written lead for this kind of show. On top the the McGuffin plot, Merlinda has a subplot about finding out what happened to her mom that's much more tied into her emotional arc. We really see her grow in a way that's satisfying for what few episodes we got.

Too bad no one else got subplots!

They don't get subplots, they get love interests.

I'd honestly have been super cool with this! It's made to sell dolls, I can get behind them pairing people off like mashing Barbies together! But we don't even get that. We get hints that people like each other, but then they barely even talk?

Fred likes Celia (who's Fred? Don't worry about it. The show forgets he's their friend half the time), Celia might like Fred, but has an implied crush on a jock. Tracy is mean and likes Tyler, that's all she gets. Another jock has a crush on Nerissa, and I can get behind them because he fell for her when she judo flipped him

Honestly, same.

He's nice to her, she's indifferent, it otherwise goes nowhere. None of these relationships contribute anything. Most of them are barely there enough to be worth writing in. The girls go to high school, but then they never utilize the setting past one episode. They may as well have made it summer vacation. The reason it exists is purely an excuse to meet love interests.

(Notice Sasha is the only one without a love interest set up and she's the one that gets development. It's like they replaced character writing for two sentences of bad flirting)

Let's do something the show never does and make time for Fred. Fred is supposedly one of their best friends, but they only go to him when they need something for the plot. He and his mean girl sister Tracy don't get to be relevant until the last episode. Their DAD is the one with a subplot. We don't even get to see Fred's relationship with his dad before the resolution, that's how little care they gave Fred. I can tell you exactly 3 things about him: He's a tech genius, he has a crush on Celia, and he has a rich dad. These are all things we learn within seconds of meeting him, and we learn virtually nothing after that (Tracy's existence doesn't count as she's barely a character).

Celia gets some development, but it's subtle. It's not bad, it just feels like it's not much considering how little everyone else got. You'd think there'd be space for it.

The only other teen characters who arguably had story arcs were Merlinda's love interests. Tyler's was mostly as a love interest. Supporting Merlinda, teaching her about the surface, relating to her losing her mom, falling for her then struggling with the idea she'll inevitably return to the sea. He may have also become more responsible? Again, codine binge watch, cut me some slack.

But wait, I said love interests PLURAL? Well lucky day, now I finally get to talk about Alex!

Alex is best boy and I will hear no ill will against him. Alex is the token merman, and a late addition to the team.

He starts off as a friendly guard Nerissa jokes about being Merlinda's boyfriend (which she denies), but once they go to the surface and meet Tyler, I assumed he was a fakeout love interest who would remain a distant friend. So glad to be wrong!

Blaming himself for letting Merlinda put herself in danger when that's the literal opposite of his job, he comes up with a way to get past the horde of sea monsters between them and the surface to make sure she and the girls are okay. The gang comes across him injured, and he joins the household.

We haven't seen Alex and Merlinda truly interact until this point and their chemistry is so natural?

Don't get me wrong, Tyler and Merlinda do an adorable job as the couple just getting to know each other, especially when they're making jokes, but I was surprised how believable she and Alex were as two people who have known each other for years. He and Tyler have a macho pissing contest so annoying I had to stop the episode, but it doesn't last too long before they're bros.

Honestly, Alex is how Fred should have been written. Not in the story or design, just the fact all the girls are so happy to see him you can clearly tell they're friends who love each other and have known him a long time. He feels connected despite his absence.

Alex's arc is about his role as a guard, trying to redeem himself and assuage his guilt, but also trusting Merlinda enough to continue the mission instead of bringing her home like her dad wanted.

Tyler seems like the clear endgame given how much more screentime they've gotten, but their chemistry is kind of meh imo. (I am admittedly biased bc I don't like blonds. At least he has brown eyes.) When I liked them most was Tyler making a stupid joke and Merlinda immediately playing along, but we don't see much of that past episode 4.

The way they express how painful he finds the idea of her leaving is conveyed so well through the animation rather than dialogue, I really feel his pain. But it doesn't feel earned.

Keeping this as spoiler free as possible, the plotlines for the season wrapped up in a way that was overall satisfying. The villain's goal seemed vague and fairly cliche, but serviceable. The secondary villain was equally cliche, but much more of a threat, and set up to do more in the long term.

I'd be satisfied with Merlinda's story if they ended at season 1, but everyone else's stories are so obviously incomplete. Even if it gets a season 2 (which it should), what it really needed was more time. It's another victim of the netflix season, giving them 10 episodes to drop at once when they should have had 20 episodes spread over several weeks. By this point, though, that's to be expected, and they should have planned accordingly.

As much as the supporting characters' writing annoyed me, it was overall a really enjoyable show, with a great lead, good character design, and delightful fight scenes. Definitely keeping an eye out for season 2. Pop a few ibuprofen and enjoy!

[mayamidnightmelody]

The battle had ravaged Gotham, leaving a trail of twisted metal and scorched earth. Yet, in the heart of the chaos, a different kind of fight unfolded. Wonder Woman, her Amazonian armor dented and scratched, found herself pinned against a crumbling brick wall. Not by a villain, but by Poison Ivy.

Ivy, her emerald green hair a cascade down her back, pressed her lush curves against Diana's. The scent of chlorophyll and blooming defiance filled Diana's senses. A gasp escaped Wonder Woman's lips, not from pain, but from the unexpected heat radiating from Ivy's body.

"Didn't think I could surprise the Princess, hm?" Ivy murmured, her voice a husky purr. Her lips, usually stained with a venomous gloss, were bare now, glistening with desire.

"Ivy," Wonder Woman rasped, the warrior princess caught off guard. "This isn't the time…"

But Ivy wasn't listening. A tendril of vibrant green vine snaked around Diana's wrist, gentle as a caress. Another brushed against her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. The air crackled with unspoken tension, a stark contrast to the crackling flames licking at the nearby buildings.

"This is exactly the time, Diana," Ivy whispered, her breath warm against Diana's ear. "The world's burning, but here, with you, there's only us."

With a slow deliberateness, Ivy dipped her head, her lips brushing against the exposed skin of Diana's neck. A moan, a low guttural sound, rumbled in Diana's chest. She hadn't felt this raw, this vulnerable, since… well, never. The righteous warrior, the defender of truth, was a tangled mess of desire in Ivy's arms.

A groan escaped Ivy's lips as Diana, fueled by a sudden surge of primal need, arched her back into the wall, meeting Ivy's touch halfway. Their chests met in a flush of heat, the hardness of Diana's armor a stark contrast to the softness of Ivy's embrace. Hands, strong and calloused from battles and wielding vines, intertwined.

The moans became louder, a symphony of raw passion playing out amidst the city's ruins. Diana, for all her strength, felt a delicious weakness bloom in her core. Ivy, the eco-warrior with a heart of thorns, was a revelation – a storm of desire wrapped in the fragrance of blooming roses.

Their kiss was a tangle of urgency and tenderness. Ivy's lips, surprisingly soft, tasted like the earth after a summer rain. Diana kissed her back, pouring all her pent-up longing and newfound desire into the touch. The world around them faded, the battle, the flames, all but forgotten. In that moment, there was only them, two warriors finding solace in the unlikeliest of embraces.

The kiss deepened, a desperate exploration that spoke of more than just battlefield adrenaline. It was a connection, a yearning neither had dared to acknowledge until now. When they finally broke apart, gasping for breath, their eyes locked – a universe of unspoken emotions swirling within them.

This wasn't planned, it wasn't right, but in the ashes of Gotham, a different kind of spark had ignited. And as they stared at each other, the weight of the world momentarily forgotten, they knew this was just the beginning.

[charlotte-of-wales]

if you get the opportunity, do you want to work for princess anne as a some kind of secretary? no doubt she'll be a great leader to work for but the amount of works just... i probably will begging for some days off. remember this silly season when everyone had disappeared and she still worked. meanwhile working for the waleses also seems fun and more vacant days and the schedule would be like mental health in monday, eco-warrior in wednesday, babies in thursday, meeting with the brand designer in friday, football match in sunday

BRUH LMAO dragging them to the floor

anyways I’d love to work for the waleses ✨ I can fix them ✨

[tragically-jane-doe]

Sometimes I just think about what would've happen if Karnak sent everyone back

Ocean could have gone to a big name school but was actually afraid to, she went to community college with constance I don't think she would go towards something that helps people one on one but something where she can help from afar i.e that bitch is going to school to become a eco lawyer, I don't know if she would stick with it or have a crisis midway thru it and look into other fields, she has a lot of difficulty finding herself in relationships but sooner or later Constance just says they're dating and she asks zero questions. She gives the vibe of the baddie bitch who ends up with a by circumstance kid (probably some really distance relative dies and ocean not having a lot of family the kid ends up in her care)

Noel most definitely will be in uranium for a long time he'll get a bartender gig In his spare time he will write the most heartbreaking books like you read it in one sitting ugly crying it'll take years but he'll end up writing a best seller he'll be on talk shows it will be made into shows/movies/plays(he also writes super smutty raunchy toe curling novels also under a fake name), He seems like a forever kinda bitch so I think he would only ever have 1 serious relationship and a handful of hookups. Him and his hubs will probably wander around Europe for a couple years. He's very 50/50 on kids he can see why they're annoying and he can see why people have em

Mischa I'm going catfish Talia for this one. He'll fly back to Ukraine to be with her and she'll ghost him he'll never get closer he'll think something awful happend to her and even when he takes it to the police nothing will come from it, he'll go back to uranium and be roommates with Noel probably be in a slump for awhile, he's going to keep doing rap probably starts doing a bit more traditional Ukraine folk music one of which will become a TikTok sound and becomes viral, he won't end up Arianna grande famous but he will be well known He'll end up questioning his sexuality a bit he'll come to the conclusion that he's attracted to whoever he's attracted too and that's enough for him, it'll take awhile for him to start dating again he's gonna have a few handfuls of short relationships and after awhile of living with noel he would just wake up and realize one day that he's head over heels deeply in love with that man it takes awhile but after some miscommunication and hijinks they end up together. He definitely wants 5 kids minimum he's going to be THAT dad the dad that's going to dress up as a fairy princess for tea partys,learn everything about baseball (or any other sport) if his kids are interested in it, all one of his kids have to do is show big puppy dog eyes and a pout and the man will fold like a wet napkin,he'll support anything his kids put their minds too, he's also the dad throwing down in the stands his kids soccer game cus another dad was talking shit, he's afraid of very little i.e his kids...

Ricky stays in uranium he'll share a apartment with constance for a bit, this boy has been writing warrior cat fanfic since he was 10 after finishing his 2millon word fanfic he starts working as a website/product designer until a small publisher finds his warrior cat fan fic and gets in contact saying change a few things he could publish it, he thinks along time on it until Ocean forces her way onto his Google doc back up of it and starts editing it herself so she can bully him into publishing it... Which she successfully does... It ends up being like game of thrones but better. Penny and him end up together like RIGHT after they all come back from "death".. She goes to furry cons with him (he's a furry she likes how creative everyone is) they end up having a army of cats and and foster children

Constance goes to community college with Ocean. She goes into politics because she love her Small Town™ but sees ways to make it better she ends up running for mayor, she wins by a landslide because the man she's running against isn't even from there and looks down his nose a lot at all uranium natives. She always wanted one of those big (invite the entire town almost) themed weddings and all Ocean wanted was a elopement with only them they met in the middle and had a small(only immediate family and friends) theme wedding

Penny as soon as she's 18 she convinces the courts that she should have custody of Ezra. She works her ass off for him and she also goes to night school to become a mortician. She loves the nitty gritty bits of the human body the grosser the better for her She puts a lot of care into prepping the body. Her and Ricky actually don't end up living together until way into their 30s. They decide not to have a biological kids. Penny has always loved kids but the idea of pregnancy is terrifying and after her experience in foster care her and Ricky end up fostering kids of all ages and are very big on the reunification of family's if possible and work very hard with the kids and parents and social workers. They also foster cats Penny is on 4 different allergy medication and she is having a blast naming the kittens

[eartharoundsun]

The Paradox of Sustainability in Fashion: When Everlane is not that "eco-friendly" and Shein is much more “sustainable”... It’s all about lifestyle!

Remember those days when clothes were practically disposable? You'd zip up a trend for a season, toss it aside for the next hot look, leaving a trail of forgotten garments in your wake. It was the reign of fast fashion, a whirlwind of cheap thrills and environmental consequences. But guess what? Mother Nature wasn't exactly throwing a fashion show in our honor. All that waste, all that pollution – let's just say the Earth wasn't sending out "thank you" notes

Fast forward to today, and the runway is undergoing a major makeover. We're waking up to the environmental impact of our overflowing closets, and a new movement is strutting down the center stage: slow fashion, which leads to a new growing demand for “eco-friendly” clothes. However, trying to buy as many items from sustainable brands has never turned into a solution. It is not about supporting the brands, your consumption habit and lifestyle is all that matter!

The “friendliness” of sustainable fashion

Gaining profits is what makes brands alive, so, of course, I burn into laugh when read that slow fashion brands don’t put money into priority and their mission is to produce long-lasting clothes made from friendly materials to save the environment as well as reduce over-consumption issues. Have you ever realized that sustainable brands are like that friend who always recycles, but also buys a whole new "eco-conscious" wardrobe every season? Sure, their clothes are made from recycled plastic bottles and sustainably sourced llama wool, but isn't the whole point of sustainability... well, not constantly needing new stuff? And don't even get us started on their social media. It's a constant barrage of #ethicalliving selfies and influencer posts that make you want to replace your entire closet (sustainably, of course) – even if you just bought something similar last month. Maybe true sustainability is about cherishing what you already have, not buying a new "eco-friendly" version every time there's a full moon!

Oh, and do I mention about the price? Sustainable fashion is like that fancy new vegan bistro everyone's raving about. The ambiance is perfect, the ingredients are locally sourced, and the chef is a certified "eco-chef." But when you peek at the menu, your jaw drops faster than a dropped avocado toast. Those organic hemp overalls and fair-trade bamboo t-shirts cost more than your monthly rent! Sure, they're good for the planet, but most of us can't afford to save the Earth on an empty closet (or an empty bank account). While their intentions are noble, these high prices might be more "haute couture" than truly sustainable, leaving the rest of us wondering if saving the planet requires a personal stylist and a platinum credit card

At the same time, social media has also created a fake and “green-wash” sustainable fashion trend among the young generation

Sustainable brands on social media are like that overly enthusiastic yoga instructor who won't stop reminding you to "find your inner peace" while simultaneously hawking overpriced kale chips and detoxifying bath bombs. Sure, their clothes are made from recycled dreams and ethically sourced unicorn tears, but the constant barrage of #savetheplanet selfies and influencer partnerships low-key pressures you to buy a whole new "eco-friendly" wardrobe. It's like they're whispering sweet nothings about the environment in one ear, while subtly reminding you of your lack of "sustainable" clothing in the other. Maybe true eco-friendliness starts with a little less social media pressure and a little more, well, letting your clothes find their inner peace in your closet (without the constant need for a guilt-fueled replacement)

Furthermore, sustainable fashion on social media can even be more dramatic than a reality TV show. On one hand, it's all "eco-warrior princess" vibes, with meticulously documented hauls of organic cotton and recycled polyester. Hashtags fly like confetti, and everyone's saving the planet, one #ethicaloutfit at a time. But then, BAM! You stumble upon a receipt for neon green leggings from that questionable fast-fashion brand hiding in their online shopping history. Turns out, this "sustainable" crusade is about as real as those reality show "transformations" – all smoke and mirrors. It's like trying to convince everyone you're a vegetarian by posting pictures of kale salads... while simultaneously hiding a bucket of fried chicken behind the counter. The environment isn't getting fooled, and neither are we. So, let's ditch the performative sustainability and embrace genuine eco-conscious choices, even if they don't get a million likes

The “un-friendliness” of fast fashion 

Fast fashion brands, those chaotic engines of trendy clothes and questionable quality, might just be the accidental heroes of the "reuse and re-wear" movement. Hear me out! Sure, their clothes might not be built to last a lifetime, but that very impermanence encourages us to get creative. Those neon green leggings that went out of style last Tuesday? Perfect for a DIY project or a costume party (because who else has a closet full of neon green anything?). And that floral blouse with the mysteriously missing button? A prime candidate for some strategic layering or a quick snip-and-seek into a trendy crop top. Fast fashion, in all its fleeting glory, might just be the ultimate "disposable canvas" for the truly resourceful fashionista (or those of us who can't afford a closet full of ethically sourced llama wool sweaters)

The true sustainability in fashion - “It is all about consumption habit and lifestyle!”

The truth about sustainable fashion? It's not about your closet becoming a museum of organic cotton basics or a graveyard of forgotten "eco-friendly" trends. It's more like Marie Kondo for your shopping habits – thanking your clothes for their service, only buying what you truly love, and treating fast fashion purchases like a wild night out – exciting, but not a regular event. Because let's be real, true sustainability is about buying less, not just buying "better." So, channel your inner minimalist, embrace quality over quantity, and maybe hold onto that neon green fast-fashion monstrosity for next year's Halloween – the environment (and your wallet) will thank you. In conclusion, I wanna send a last quote for my beloved audience: Stop being fooled by all the “green-wash” marketing tricks and social media ridiculous anti fast fashion contents, sustainable brands are not that “sustainable” as well as fast brands are not that “un-sustainable”, you are the only one that matter!

[bodyshopindia]

The Body Shop India Gifts Under 1000 Rupees: Perfect Picks for Every Occasion 

Getting the perfect present for your loved one can be a bit tricky, especially when you are on a budget. A thoughtful gift doesn't have to empty your pocket.

Are you also finding the perfect gift set? Check out The Body Shop site. It offers amazing presents for every occasion – all for under ₹1000! Whether you are celebrating a friend's birthday, spoiling your mom, or showing a colleague some appreciation, the brand has something special for everyone.

Here is your ultimate guide to budget friendly The Body Shop hampers that will leave a lasting impression:

For the Pampering Princess

Give your special one a luxurious spa experience at home! The Body Shop India offers a variety of pampering treats under ₹1000. For the ultimate in silky smooth skin, gift the Nourish and Flourish Strawberry Duo.

This delightful The Body Shop strawberry gift set features a nourishing strawberry body butter and a refreshing strawberry shower gel, leaving their skin feeling soft and smelling divine. Bonus Tip: Add a calming bath bomb or shower gel from their extensive range for a truly immersive experience.

For Busy Days

Help your special ones unwind with a self care essentials kit from The Body Shop. A travel sized shampoo and conditioner duo is a lifesaver for gym bags and weekend getaways.

Pair it with a refreshing facial mist, like the hydrating British Rose facial mist, for a midday pick me up and a nourishing hemp hand scrub for on the go pampering. They will appreciate these little luxuries that fit seamlessly into their busy lives.

For the Eco Warrior

They care about the planet, and so should your gift! The Body Shop India offers a range of eco conscious products under ₹1000 that are kind to skin and the environment.

Its refreshing Bloom & Glow British Rose Treats gift set features recycled packaging and ethically sourced ingredients. This set includes a shower gel, body butter, and soap, all infused with the iconic British Rose scent.

For the Guy on the Go

Guys deserve pampering too! Go for a travel sized essentials gift set for men with a refreshing face wash like the Vitamin E Gentle Face Wash for a morning pick me up, a hydrating moisturizer, and a multi purpose hair and body wash like the Fresh and Foamy Shower Gel Cream. Throw in a stylish toiletry bag for an extra thoughtful touch.

For the One Who Has Everything!

Sometimes, the best gifts are the most unexpected. A beautifully scented home fragrance diffuser is another thoughtful way to add a touch of luxury to their space.

Surprise them with a fun bath bomb shaped like a cute animal or a quirky hand cream with a playful scent. The Body Shop India has a variety of options in perfume gift sets under ₹1000 to choose from.

The Personal Touch Makes All the Difference

It is the thought that matters! Personalize your gift by including a handwritten note of appreciation or a funny inside joke. You can even make a DIY gift basket by combining a few of their favorite Body Shop items with some homemade items – a touching proof that you are working extra hard to make them feel special.

Shop For Your Much Awaited Gift At The Body Shop India

With a diverse range of products, beautiful packaging, and commitment to ethical sourcing, The Body Shop India offers something special for everyone, all under ₹1000!

Head over to their website and discover the magic of budget friendly gifting that leaves a lasting impression. 

[devonellington]

Thurs. Feb. 8, 2024: Organizing and Planting

image courtesy of Eco Warrior Princess via Unsplash Friday, February 8, 2024 Dark Moon in Capricorn No Retrogrades Celtic Tree Month of Rowan Clear and cold Hello, and I hope you had a lovely week! It’s February, and I already got a bad case of the Februaries by the end of January. However, planting helps, because it’s full of possibilities. The day before Imbolc, I ordered a bunch more…

[instagramsimpactonbodyimage]

[booksvenue1]

Online book store dubai- Black Swan Saga

The legend of Saint George and the Dragon is well known. It's in books and statues and on coins. But that is not the true story. Black Swan Saga tells the true story. St George is misguided by stories of heroes killing dragons, and rescuing and marrying a princess. In the true story, the Dragon and the Princess rescue St George from a wetland. An evil lord twists this true story into the legend of St George killing the Dragon in a plague-ridden swamp. When the Princess finds out about the untrue legend, she gets the true story told. The Dragon and the Lord eventually do battle. The daughter of the Princess becomes an eco-warrior and the Dragon becomes a superhero. They help save people and cities from drowning with rising sea levels and more severe floods. Black Swan Saga is an allegory for the age of global warming/climate change.

Buy now

Visit our website - www.booksvenue.com

[chanelfunnell]

mail

A) anon, yes, Sidney Crosby visits a lot of clubs. Not just golf pitches and disco clubs. No idea about strip ones but he was seen often in the VIP areas of the clubs with bottle girls...I don't think he has big fan up to his 20 but in his 20s in the bars having fun. No, no drunkard what crazy Ashley claims on her old Nemesis blog. His level of sportsmanship is high and has been 9ver the years but the guy has his fun.

B) anon, yes, call it by the right words. Jonathan Toews's bloated face and bs is tied to the crap linked to Marcus Aubrey's psychedelic and brainwashing and in his life in person by ye preaching supporter of that crap Megan Butler aka a new gf of Tazer. the pseudo medical bs, brainwash is dangerous plus not their covid theories but a support 9f Cray stray Trump, his attack on Capital and racist theories. Yes, Tazer is bloated in the face since Butler is in. Personally in his life bcs Aubrey+Innit bs agenda has been with him since 2017. New bf or gf transform diets and clothes of their partners. You see his head was not bloated yet during Puerto Rico ,holistic, trip in June where they smoked weird substances. After that yes...not before.

C) anon, it 8s non ice hockey but you get certain so called clients, usually upstarts such as non entities bedding a rich idiot and they have high demands to be in the public eye but zero claim to fame. It is often to get them shut up if you want to promote something with them or them and the PR crisis management is the testing litmus paper. These non entities call paps on their own to be photographed, then crying a river for fake stalking and harassment and you get stories from both sides with scream that she's a victim and looks horrible on pap's camera and about tabs being invited and threatened later on. These clients are a nightmare. Ameteurish, dramatic airheads lazy to run into any charity to go with flow how the person continues smiling and on with life and work when we call press for staged photoshoot. It's also good for the organisation but I reckon UK ruling royals. Particularly Prince Andrew then with his dumb tone deaf interview about Epstein and a pump Maxwell was a great example of it. So Camilla blowing a cover now, stupid beyond belief but control freak drunk on power linked to the bed like Meghan Markle. Stupid like Andrew. William is doing better but their money spending. Virtue signalling. Zero charity work beside a couple of posh galas and Kate's so expensive closet during hard times don't make them favour. Yes. Read one book by Jane Austen called Sensibility.. there is a landlord man who helps bcs he names a man to be a priest on his estate's parish and church (of England). So basically as a landlord with Anglican church on your estate you can ban Camilla or even a king as a sinner dragging his bedmate to your estate from your church and upon certain conditions. Certainly a witch who slut shamed and trolled you. I don't get that church walk and flying on the non eco chopper between not your houses from Scotland to Norfolk. uK each weekend..are you an eco warrior or a church goer living in the sin with the bedmate while a princess is hidden and a nasty witch Meghan Markle with a title? Their royal PR is either ambitious sycophantic manipulator like Jake Mann arm dealer smugglers next to Harry ,Hewitt, not a prince or a dumb masochist PR person bcs these UK royals are useless. Old bimbo up to the car drive and paps call Bs can't stay out like deluded Andrew or huge grin from nothing, just like other useless commoner turned royal us on the drugs and gee bulimia is not enough so lack of workload.

D) anon, well , late learning not to be associated with crazy puckbunny boiler Markle but I guess crazy and crazy cut the deal so she did so with ex KGB STB mafian Ex PM Andrey Babis and his wife a former promo girl skank from other mafian's disco club Sylvia. Her chavvy look reminds her history but it is good to turn from a local mafian with links and links Crimea where his son was taken upon his orders to be more than fighting Marxist EU or French authorities about unpaid property tax with similar siphon and tax evasion. Brilliant to get for a crazy us non entity asking him to monitor and troll UK princess and self made biz girl beauty who has links to UK army and stare secrets to get full attention of various agents to watch every step. Financial transactions and so all his family. Calls, workers and up to serious international crimes. Tikbtok Tik took..they are like a communist horde behaviour...all up to Netherlands and Cyprus for offshore and HQs lol wives were firmer non good looking bimbos' unable to run biz now if anything happens to old farts....idiot.lol what Markle and her friend's government with fat political clown and a fat cat robbing UK,increasing NI and planning their healthcare privatization touch it turns into dust. uK intelligence checks it and huge arrests for corruption planned in late 2024 with life sentences and taking over politician and his wife's assets to meet damages made by his greedy decisions. The man behind the biggest UK rip off, corruption and NHS privatisation called Hunt is under the heaviest surveillance., So father and a son called Johnson and his bedmate's murky actuvities. Apparently money from China to Saudis flowing to them..Charities fall after Markle's touch, so people. Only dumb Mountbattens Windsors let her in. They can't run a water tap, run by her and Camilla so UK and mafian's with arm trade smugglers war mongers look on Mann and his bff Harry.

[matterprints]

Connected Clothing: Jennifer Nini

Jennifer Nini is a writer, activist and the founding editor of Eco Warrior Princess - an online platform discussing all things concerning eco-fashion and a green lifestyle. Her journey to sustainable and ethical fashion is one where intention meets mindfulness. As action creates impact, Jennifer and her partner decided to move from city to farm to start an organic food venture while cultivating a permaculture farm and food forest. From what she wears to how she lives - Jennifer Nini makes a conscious decision to actively be a part of the solution.

What is your intention behind what you wear and what you buy?

Process and material are just as important as style. I seek first clothes that are well designed, and made sustainably and ethically. The main motivation is that I want the clothes I wear to be biodegradable, not just because it feels better on my skin but because of its impact. What this means for me is that I usually buy natural and organic fabrics, like organic cotton, lyocell, tencel, hemp, and bamboo - plant based materials that are built to last and transeasonal. Of course, bamboo isn’t as eco-friendly because of the way it’s spun but I trust that over time, it will be improved.

 When I’m adding pieces, I know what my non-negotiables are. It has to be sustainable and ethical - from process to product. Living on an organic farm, I’m committed to wearing fabrics that are sustainable because I see first hand what the impact is from that - and so I’ll steer away from anything synthetically made and created with chemicals. Aside from sustainability, I’m also passionate about the ethical aspects of fashion - it’s important to me that the garment workers, farmers, and people involved in the supply chain and production are paid and treated fairly.

I tend not to buy very frequently, when I need an item I try instead to look for secondhand options first. Where a brand gets me is the story, if they practice what they preach and value their positive impact in the community and the environment - then I’m more inclined to support them.

When I say that it’s something I’m passionate about, it’s not just a superficial statement. This really is my life and purpose.

Tell us more about your journey to ethical fashion, was it a change that happened over time? How did this come about?

 Like many modern women, I grew up in a time of fast fashion. This generation is the first where fast fashion has completely taken a hold of the industry, before that I would say that conscious fashion and respect of the garment and trade was more important. I did a Fashion Business course and in that time my business partner and I went to China in 2008 on a mission to start our own fashion brand. In our time there, we learned about the background of fashion - everything behind the scenes, beyond the glory and beauty of aesthetics and advertisements. We travelled around South China, in cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou to look at the different factories and got a glimpse of the industry that one rarely gets to see. We never did get the fashion brand off the ground, but it was still a significant trip for us. It was the key changing point for me where I really thought about my clothes, who made them, the factories involved, and the way the workers were treated - this was the catalyst to my journey with ethical fashion.

Growing up, I had always been politically active - my parents fled from the Philippines because they felt that the government was corrupted and the President ended up stealing millions of dollars. I learned from a young age that it was vital to stand for social justice. I had always been going to protest marches, but I never thought about fashion in that same light. To come back from that trip in China was an awakening for me, and I started talking to anyone who would listen. My partner encouraged me to start a blog and so I did - that’s how Eco Warrior Princess came to be. 

The name Eco Warrior Princess is a tribute to the fact that I was living in cosmopolitan Melbourne and about to make my move to a rural area of 300 people where I would live in a tent for 4 months. I left Melbourne because I wanted to start producing my own organic foods. The farm runs 100% on solar power, it’s sustainable, self-sufficient, and we recently received our organic certification - our life has completely shifted to a more primitive sort of lifestyle but I love it because of its low impact. There’s 40 odd varieties of things that I grow - from mangoes to nuts. It’s a cross of two worlds, cocktail parties and organic farms. I moved to the country to live off the land and be one with nature, and it’s taken me several years after to learn more about what this lifestyle really means. When I say that it’s something I’m passionate about, it’s not just a superficial statement. This really is my life and purpose.

Vintage pieces are my weakness when it comes to curating my closet - it’s like a collectible for me. I have high respect for the construction and uniqueness of the garment, they’re one of a kind treasures that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

What are some of the items currently in your closet?

Actually, I don’t really have a closet - not in the conventional sense anyways. 3 years ago, my partner and I bought a farm and we’ve since yet to build one. What I use instead is just a tall boy - a set of drawers to hold my clothes. I figured since I don’t really have many clothes, I don’t exactly need a closet. I have a highly curated selection of clothes, it’s completely minimal with only the necessities. Most of them are pieces that I can wear easily with others, secondhand pieces, and gifts that I’ve received through Eco Warrior Princess.

What would your ideal wardrobe look like?

Most people might not agree, but I would say my ideal wardrobe is the one I have now. When I look at it, there’s nothing that I would consider adding. The only thing I can see myself needing would be a pair of gum boots for the farm. Every 6 months, I sort through what I own and make sure it’s curated properly so that I’m not holding onto anything that I don’t need.

 Vintage pieces are my weakness when it comes to curating my closet - it’s like a collectible for me. I have high respect for the construction and uniqueness of the garment, they’re one of a kind treasures that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. I tend not to buy multiples of anything, I’m not looking to buy repeats - I prefer pieces that are unique in look and history.

What do my clothes say about me as a human being and the identity I created for myself today?

 What statement do you want to make with the clothes you wear?

Clothes, for me, are a sense of expression and an artistic endeavor. Everything I own is highly functional and versatile - it’s an expression of who I am first and foremost, then what I stand for. Because of the industry I’m in and the values that I’m passionate about, what I choose to wear goes beyond the surface of how it looks on my body. That might be the first conversation shared, but the more important one to consider is - what do my clothes say about me as a human being and the identity I created for myself today?

If your house is on fire, what are the five pieces you would save - even if it meant running back into a burning house?

Definitely my vintage dress, it was an old 1960s style dress that I found in a shop in Melbourne. I brought it to a tailor to get the sleeves cut off and it’s one of my go to pieces. I’d also grab my leather skirt, a secondhand vintage piece I bought 10-15 years ago (before I made the decision to go vegan) and it still fits me perfectly. My engagement dress would be another to take along, the year I got engaged I didn’t want to buy anything new - even for my wedding, and so I found a vintage dress from the 1950s and got it secondhand. I was lucky to score it and till now, I still wear it on other occasions. There’s a pair of skinny jeans that I got as hand me downs from my niece, she was going to get rid of them but I saw it before she did and grabbed it. I was on the lookout for a pair of black skinny jeans and since then they’ve been a staple. The final thing I would grab is an old hoodie that I’ve had since I was 16, it was my first boyfriend’s basketball hoodie - it’s a sentimental piece to me because he’s since passed away and it’s something of his that I have to hold on to.

Sustainability isn’t just about consuming what’s there, it’s also making sure that you’re consuming someone else’s waste.

What advice do you have for those who want to build a more sustainable closet?

Sustainability is such a broad topic. I think the first step is to focus on what’s important to you. What is important to you - veganism, locally produced, natural fabrics, workers’ rights? What are the key factors and values that matter most to you? If you’re able to define what that is first, then it’ll be easier to break it down into something that’s easier to tackle later on.

Do your own research! Some people find it difficult, but there’s a lot of apps and platforms available like Project Just where you can check up on certain brands. Research before you make a purchase.

Always look for secondhand stuff before making a brand new purchase. Sustainability isn’t just about consuming what’s there, it’s also making sure that you’re consuming someone else’s waste. It’s a part of sustainable fashion to shop secondhand - to reduce waste that goes into the landfill. Try first to purchase something secondhand, and only when you can’t then buy something new.

All photos were taken by Ben McGuire.

We began with the intention to inspire consciousness in our everyday, to cultivate a culture that encourages others to uncover where and why something is made. The Connected Clothing series spotlights on different individuals in the fashion industry - why they wear what they wear and the significance behind their choices. 

Read the rest of the series here.

[duchass-of-grifting]

“...helicopters are significant sources of particulate air pollution, and have been shown to be major sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon particles (PAHs)—an especially harmful component of particulate air pollution.” Aug 5, 2019

[markthexenaaddicted]

Lucy Lawless with Greenpeace [2017] MY HERO. <3

[causeiwanttoandican]

The Times

Prince William’s close friends on what makes him tick — and why he’s not trapped

March 20 2021, 6:00pm

As the world devours the Harry and Meghan interview, what’s going on with the brother who was left behind? He’s embracing his destiny, William’s close friends tell the Sunday Times royal correspondent, Roya Nikkhah

Next month Prince William will celebrate his tenth wedding anniversary — the day he became a duke and embarked on the most formative decade of his life. Back then, the tentative 28-year-old newlywed was not ready to devote himself entirely to royal duties. A decade on, he is in a very different position.

The job of being the heir to the heir to the throne, of finding a balance between life and duty, is difficult at the best of times. These are not the best of times. In their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey this month the Duke and Duchess of Sussex accused the royal family and the institution around it of racism and callous disregard for a suicidal newcomer, among many other damning charges. Harry the spare also declared that William was trapped within “the system … My brother can’t leave that system, but I have.”

In the immediate aftermath of the interview William was “reeling”, a source close to the duke says. “His head is all over the place on it.” Four days after the Sussexes had their say, he hit back during an engagement with the Duchess of Cambridge at a school in east London. Asked about accusations of racism, William retorted with restrained fury: “We’re very much not a racist family.” He also confirmed that he hadn’t spoken to Harry yet, “but will do”. By the weekend it emerged they had “been in contact”.

William is thought to have been less than thrilled a few days later when that conversation made global headlines after the American presenter Gayle King, a close friend of the Sussexes, revealed live on air that it had not been an easy chat: “I did actually call them to see how they were feeling,” she told viewers. “Harry has talked to his brother and he had talked to his father too. The word I was given was that those conversations were not productive.” The intervention prompted a senior royal source to say that “none of the households will be giving a running commentary on private conversations”.

A close friend of both brothers says Harry’s “trapped” comment was “way off the mark”, insisting that William does not see it that way. “He has a path set for him and he’s completely accepting of his role. He is very much his grandmother’s grandson in that respect of duty and service.”

When the Queen turned 90 nearly five years ago William admitted “the challenge” that “occupies a lot of thinking space” is how to “modernise and develop” the royal family, and make it “relevant in the next 20 years’ time”. Twenty years now seems like a very long time. In the hours and days after the Oprah broadcast, William was at the heart of all discussions with the Queen and the Prince of Wales about how to respond to the Sussexes. He was keen that the issue of race should be acknowledged in the Queen’s statement as an area of particular concern that “will be addressed”.

William has always railed against being a “ribbon-cutter royal” and the issues he champions — mental health, battling racism in football, homelessness and his ramped-up eco-warrior role — are a window into where the future King William V will take the House of Windsor. A friend says: “He’s a small-c conservative. He values tradition and the need to go around the country, but he realises he can make a difference beyond traditional royal duties.”

Today royal popularity is, to put it mildly, in a state of flux, but William’s strategy has been working. Post-Oprah, he ranks just below the Queen at the top of a YouGov poll of royals. Not so long ago such a position looked like a long shot, when the “workshy Wills” and “reluctant royal” tags plagued him and he was clocking up fewer days of royal work than his nonagenarian grandparents. Pictures of him hitting the ski slopes and clubs of Swiss resort Verbier in March 2017, missing a Commonwealth service that even the Duke of York flew back for, didn’t help.

After the lasting PR gold dust of the Cambridges’ 2011 wedding and the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, it was the first public nosedive for William, who was still working as an air ambulance pilot. “That pissed him off,” a friend says. “He was leaving home at 5.30am, getting home after dark and saving lives in between, but people were still being critical of his commitment to his [other] job.” William was based at Cambridge airport with East Anglian Air Ambulance for two years, where he was on call for “some very sad, dark moments”, often working “on very traumatic jobs involving children”. He later acknowledged that “after I had my own children … the relation between the job and the personal life was what really took me over the edge, and I started feeling things that I have never felt before”. But it was a job he loved, because of “working in a team … that’s something that my other job doesn’t necessarily do. You are more out there on your own.”

A former royal aide says: “Immediately after their wedding he had a very clear idea of the pace at which he wanted to take things.” William was adamant he wouldn’t curtail his day jobs, first as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot in Anglesey and then with the air ambulance. “If you’re not careful, duty can weigh you down an awful lot at an early age,” he said, insisting he didn’t “lie awake waiting or hoping” to be king. He delayed full-time royal duties until the autumn of 2017, when, acknowledging the Cambridges’ future required more time at “monarchy HQ”, they moved from Norfolk to London and George started school.

He’d had to fight his corner for the air ambulance role. A source close to William reveals “there were lots of raised eyebrows in the Palace when he wanted to do that. While the Queen and his father backed him, some senior courtiers questioned whether it was becoming of a future king to be doing a middle-class role, hanging out with ordinary people. They thought he wouldn’t stick it out, he’d find it boring, or was doing it out of stubbornness to put off royal duties. He was pretty bloody-minded about it, and determined that other people’s expectations in the media or the system shouldn’t get in the way of his own values.” In the wake of Harry and Meghan’s interview much has been speculated about the extent to which royal life is dictated by Palace officials, but it is clear that William has managed to forge his own path. Who knows how high those senior courtiers’ eyebrows rose in 2019, when William spent three weeks shadowing the spooks of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ to learn how they combat terrorism. He insisted on being called “Will” and lunching in the canteen every day.

Those closest to the duke say his resistance to the idea of full-time royal duties stemmed not only from a desire to achieve something for himself but also from a fear of the impact on his family life. Miguel Head worked alongside the prince for ten years until 2018, as William, Kate and Harry’s communications secretary and later as William’s private secretary. “In his role everyone’s going to tell you you’re marvellous,” Head says. “The RAF and air ambulance jobs were about knowing what his abilities were, what he was good at in his own right. Without that he’d still be hankering for something that was his own.” After children came along he says William developed a “visceral determination to give them a life of consistency and privacy that were missing for large parts of his own childhood”.

Another close aide says the plan enabling the Cambridges to have a few years of “normal” married life, away from the full-time glare of the royal spotlight, paid dividends: “For years, the battles around privacy and paparazzi intrusion were all-consuming. He wanted to know, could we build them a credible plan allowing them a family life while slowly increasing the profile of official life? It took years to get there, but the success of that plan allowed him to be confident and content in his role. He’s not worried about his kids’ privacy any more and he has been able to be the kind of dad he wants to be.”

“Marriage maketh the man,” a friend says. “Catherine’s groundedness has been the critical anchor. And where his relationship with the media was once all fury and frustration, he now understands using the power of modern media, so the public feel they’re getting enough access.”

The children’s birthdays are marked with photographs — often taken by the Duchess of Cambridge — and there has been a noticeable increase in their public appearances of late. While not “officially” staged, William was happy to let George and Charlotte be photographed at their first Aston Villa match with Mum and Dad in 2019. Pandemic set pieces have shown the family clapping for the NHS on the steps of Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home, and, before Christmas, their first red-carpet appearance together for an evening at the panto with key workers and their children.

As they celebrate their anniversary on April 29, friends who joined the Cambridges on their wedding day tell me the partnership’s equal footing is key to its success. “They’ve got a solid relationship and she gives him confidence,” one says. “There is no jealousy, no friction, they are happy for each other’s successes.” In private William talks as passionately about Kate’s work as his own campaigns, and takes pride in her growing confidence on the public stage.

William has said his grandmother’s approach to being head of state is to take “more of a passive role. She’s above politics and is very much away from it.” He doesn’t plan to meddle in party politics, but he was not happy about the unenviable position the government put the Queen in with the 2019 proroguing of parliament, which was later ruled to be unlawful and forced an apology from Boris Johnson to the monarch. Constitutionally the Queen had no alternative other than to act on the advice of her government, but in William’s reign there will be “more private, robust challenging of advice”. His last three private secretaries — Christian Jones, Simon Case, now the cabinet secretary, and Head — had all worked in government departments, helping William to keep his finger on the political pulse. The new incumbent, the Whitehall heavyweight Jean-Christophe Gray, who served as David Cameron’s spokesman, continues in that vein.

The former Conservative leader Lord Hague of Richmond was last year appointed as chairman of the Royal Foundation to develop William’s work on mental health, the environment and a raft of new support programmes for key workers. “People internationally and nationally respect his credibility and knowledge on these issues,” Hague says. “He’s very persuasive. You only see that behind the scenes. He knows what he wants and he goes out to get it.”

Charlie Mayhew, chief executive of the conservation charity Tusk, has known William since he was 20. In 2005 Tusk and Centrepoint, the homelessness charity championed by Princess Diana, were the first patronages William took on. “In those early years I kept having to pinch myself to remember how young he was,” Mayhew says. “He was much more mature than his age and very aware of his destiny coming down the track. He had a sincerity, but never without wicked humour. His teasing is merciless.”

William knows some people see his passion for conservation as a posh man’s part-time hobby, but Mayhew says the duke’s “genuine and huge knowledge” undermines that view. “He’ll call and WhatsApp to flag up something that I haven’t even seen in the conservation space. He can be impatient to get things done.” Last year William launched the Earthshot prize, a £50 million Nobel-style environmental award to galvanise solutions to global problems over the next decade. He believes “conservation and the environment … shouldn’t be a luxury, it’s a necessity”, Mayhew says. “That’s the drum he wants to beat. He’s got a megaphone and wants to use it in the most constructive way. He speaks for that next generation and I think they can relate to it.”

A turning point for William was his 2015 official visit to China, one of the world’s largest consumers of ivory, where he met President Xi and condemned the illegal wildlife trade as a “vicious form of criminality”. Unlike his father, who has refused to visit the People’s Republic over its human rights record and treatment of Tibet, William’s view was that despite the UK’s fractious relationship with China, “we’ve got to engage”.

“It was very political, raising the illegal wildlife trade in China. I’m sure the diplomats were having all sort of nightmares in advance,” says Mayhew, who joined the duke in China. “But he was gathering greater confidence that he had the ability to be a mouthpiece for the issue.” Mayhew reveals that while William was visiting Japan before China, he still hadn’t secured a meeting with Xi. “But when the Chinese saw all the high-level meetings he was having in Japan, they changed their minds and Xi made time for him.” Later that year, as Xi began a UK state visit, William appeared on Chinese television condemning the ivory trade. Two years later China banned the trade.

In 2018 he spent months prepping for his most high-stakes overseas visit yet, to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories that summer. Navigating the diplomatic tightrope walk between Jerusalem and the West Bank, he visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Ramallah. As he travelled back to Jerusalem, he changed his speech for a reception with young Israelis and Palestinians to strengthen his solidarity with the latter: “My message tonight is that you have not been forgotten … The United Kingdom stands with you.” It was a bold move, but both sides hailed his visit a success and the officials breathed a sigh of relief. To the delight of the travelling press pack, William’s engagements on the final day were brought forward, allowing the diplomat duke and president of the Football Association to land back in the UK in time to watch England’s World Cup tie.

Ask him if he’s a peacemaker and William will laugh, saying Kate is the mediator. But according to a source close to William and Harry, his bridge-building skills were deployed in the lead-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, when tensions in the Kensington Palace household, then still shared by the brothers, were running high: “Every time there was a drama, or a member of staff on the verge of quitting, William would personally try and sort it out.”

As the brothers clashed more over the substance and style of their work, and the family hierarchy that William is a stickler for but Harry is less keen on, a split was inevitable. When they finally divided their households in March 2019, it had been a long time coming. But he never thought that a year later his brother would up sticks for America.

The pair went for a long walk to clear the air after the “Sandringham summit” when the Megxit deal was hammered out, but did not part shores as friends. What upset William the most was Harry and Meghan’s surprise launch of their “Sussex Royal” website before the summit, which featured their blueprint wish list of a part-time, commercial royal future. Later, when the Queen decreed they could no longer use “royal” in their future ventures, their website hit back with this bold statement: “While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy … over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ … or … ‘Royal’ …” Both “the content and that it’s still online is staggering”, a senior royal source says. “That was it for William, he felt they’d blindsided the Queen in such an insulting and disrespectful way,” says a source close to him, who reveals it was still at the forefront of William’s mind at the Commonwealth Day service one year ago. It was the Sussexes’ final engagement as working royals, and the froideur between them and the rest of the family was unmistakable.

It is a year since the Sussexes left for California and William misses Harry. “Once he got over the anger of how things happened, he was left with the absence of his brother,” an aide says. “They shared everything about their lives, an office, a foundation, meetings together most days and there was a lot of fun along the way. He’ll miss it for ever.” A close friend says William “definitely feels the pressure now it’s all on him — his future looks different because of his brother’s choices, it’s not easy.” Another friend says: “It’s still raw. He’s very upset by what’s happened, though absolutely intent that he and Harry’s relationship will heal in time.”

After lobbing bombs in his Oprah interview, Harry said: “I love William to bits … We’ve been through hell together … we have a shared experience … The relationship is space at the moment, and time heals all things, hopefully.” Harry would be wise not to set his stopwatch.

The first test will come this summer, when the brothers could be reunited for a series of family engagements including the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday and the Queen’s birthday parade in June. In July they are scheduled to unveil a statue of their mother at Kensington Palace, marking what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday, an emotionally charged occasion with the world watching.

While a chasm has opened up between the brothers, William has grown closer to the Queen and Prince Charles. He has helped them to navigate their way through Megxit, Prince Andrew’s removal from public life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and, now, the Oprah controversy. “That has changed the way the Queen sees him and values his input,” a courtier says. William also feels his relationship with his grandmother has “massively improved” in recent years and their views are “more aligned than ever”.

Friends say there has also been a “renaissance” in William and Charles’s relationship. “As the years passed there were strains imposed by the system — money, work, competition, Diana,” one says. “Part of William’s evolution is that as he has become closer to his father, he sees their similarities. At William’s wedding there was a gag in one of the speeches that he was more like his father than he’d ever admit, which made a lot of us laugh. As their respective destinies get closer, it weighs more heavily on them and strengthens the bond. The rift with Harry has also brought them closer.”

William is said to hate “flummery”, though the role of future king comes with plenty of bowing and scraping. But in 2017, for the first time publicly, he didn’t get his way. As a new parent worried about rising teenage suicide rates, he had spent a year convening a Cyberbullying Taskforce with big cheeses from tech and social media giants including Facebook, Snapchat, Apple, Google and Twitter. He wanted them to adopt industry-wide guidelines creating safer online spaces for children. According to William the meetings at Kensington Palace got “fruity” and the tech giants didn’t come close to the change he wanted. He was furious.

Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award youth charity, sat on the taskforce. “He was deeply disappointed,” she says. “He didn’t come into it as ‘the duke’, he gave emotional pleas as a father.” William has since publicly condemned social media giants for their “false choice of profits over values” and privately offered support to the family of Molly Russell, who took her life at 14 after viewing images of self-harm online. Ojo believes it is William’s “lived experience of the fragility of life that guides the work he does”.

It also shapes the way he and Kate are raising their family. William has said he is determined that the grandchildren Diana never knew should “know who she was and that she existed”. He “constantly” talks to his children “about Granny Diana” at bedtime, so that they know “there are two grandmothers in their lives”. Earlier this month on Mother’s Day, Kensington Palace’s social media feeds published George, Charlotte and Louis’s cards paying tribute to “Granny Diana”, revealing it is an annual ritual for the Cambridge children. After a difficult few weeks for William, a line in Charlotte’s card provided poignant insight into how he is feeling: “Papa is missing you.”

He is on course to be a more modern monarch than any before him, but William is still a creature of habit at heart. He has the same tight circle of friends from his schooldays, one of whom says that, with William, “it’s all about trust and loyalty”. He plays five-a-side football in his Villa socks when he can, goes to the Chelsea Harbour Club gym he went to as a child with his mother and has a “smart casual” public uniform of chinos, jacket, blue shirt and no tie.

“William’s not trying to be down with the kids,” a friend says. “He never wants to be painted as irrelevant or dull, though he’s allergic to being compared to celebrities. The public doesn’t always get to see his funny side, but otherwise he’s the same in private as in public. He once said, ‘I’ll be in the public eye all my life. I can’t hide who I am because I’ll be found out.’ ”

In 2019, during a visit to a youth homelessness charity supporting LGBT people, William was asked how he would feel if one of his children was gay. “Absolutely fine,” he replied. “I fully support whatever decision they make, but it does worry me from a parent’s point of view how many barriers, hateful words, persecution and discrimination might come.” Such a personal exchange was a radical departure from royal engagement small talk. But William, the first in his family to be photographed for the cover of a gay magazine, had personally put the issue on the agenda.

As president of Bafta he gave the academy a diplomatic dressing down in his speech at last year’s ceremony, expressing his “frustration” over the lack of diversity: “In 2020, and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process — that simply cannot be right in this day and age.” The 2021 nominees announced this month suggest his words hit home.

William “thinks the public look to him to keep royal work looking modern”, a confidante says. “The Queen and Prince of Wales are providing continuity and stability. He’s carving out his own relationship with diverse communities. He sees it all as a way of doing things now that will help a smooth transition when the time comes.”

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as a former frontline worker himself, William has led the royal charge supporting key workers. “Now, more than ever, he knows what his role in public life is, and he sees the value in it,” a close aide says. Chatting to NHS workers in January, William said: “Something that I noticed from my brief spell flying the air ambulance … is that when you see so much death and so much bereavement, it does impact how you see the world … as a … darker, blacker place.” Soon after the first lockdown was announced, the Cambridges’ Royal Foundation launched Our Frontline, a round-the-clock mental health and bereavement service for key workers.

Miguel Head says the future King William will continue to campaign on his big issues: “I can’t see him backing away from causes he’s passionate about. And while he’s not someone who loves ceremony, he knows the importance of it. When he gets the top job he won’t do away with it all. He’s mindful the monarchy represents something timeless that’s above all of us, and many people like the magic and theatre of it.”

Roya Nikkhah

Roya is royal correspondent at The Sunday Times. Over more than a decade she has covered royal events for the BBC, interviewed the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry and presented the films Prince William, Monarch in the Making and Meghan and Harry: The Baby Years.

[practicalmagicintuitions]

M + H have sound wires on them during their events in NYC at the moment. Is nothing just for their cause? It is all fucking publicity and filming for their own agenda. Why does no one see how narcissistic they are? They aren’t doing a single fucking thing for good they’re doing it for their Netflix deal. It’s horrendous. And then Meghan wearing 300k of jewellery and clothes to a Harlem school where the kids are all below the poverty line? Tone deaf. Harry used to do things because he cared. Now he’s tagging along with Meghan’s desperate need to be the new Diana or Oprah. At least they both have a genuine shit. people don’t like her because they can see she’s a manipulative narcissist who was disproved on all of her lies during the Oprah interview and even before “I never knew who Harry was” are you kidding? You went to Buckingham palace when you were 14, everyone knows who prince Harry is. She’s worse than Amber Heard. Both people have taken their partners good spirit, and separated them from their family and friends, made them as the only people who should be paid attention to and have never left their side (only until recently where Meghan clearly wasn’t invited) that’s an actual narcissist tactic. Make them the one you rely on. And it’s clear that Harry now relies on her for all of his emotional and family needs. I bet you that she uses Harry for all he’s got and then when she has enough influence on her own, she drops him.

Agree. To be honest I fed up with people who have entered in the BRF fandom after Meghan. They have no idea about anything.

MM was offered the possibility to continue her acting “career”. Before H her loved her father had many nice post about him on her blog. Diana wanted to messing with Charles but she never wanted to hurt the BRF or the crown. She wanted to preserve the throne for William and she continued to make service because even after the divorce she was Princess of Wales and she know this means something.

And don’t let me start with this humanitarian eco warrior who is parading in designer dresses and traveling by private jet. But shame on you if you travel by commercial once in a year or every 2 year to have a 2 weeks vacation. No wonder she called as a Designer Duchess after this NYC trip.

I stopped supporting the Queen because she lets everyone for these 2 and Andrew, I stopped supporting charles because he is week. I love W+K but they are so far away from the throne atm, I just don’t want to stay in this fandom and listening the sugars about MM. I simply don’t have time or strength to argue with people who don’t listen to facts. Doesn’t matter that the Oprah interview was full of prooven lies… MM anf H is the victims… Sure…

And yes, he was wired and they had a Netflix cameraman with them.

[tessandscottforever18]

How Camila Cabello Advocates for the Planet and People Everywhere

When you think of Camila Cabello, you likely think of the confident pop star who holds the world at her fingertips. After all, she’s a powerhouse in the global music scene, snapping up music awards for dance hits like “Havana” and “Señorita” year after year.

But focus only on her music career and you may miss out on Cabello’s personal side, the one you can glimpse not only in the cute videos she and boyfriend Shawn Mendes share on social media, but also when she uses her platform to speak out on global issues, encouraging others to take action for the good of the world.

At the beginning of 2020, for example, Cabello was gearing up for her Romance Tour — scheduled to take place in countries throughout Europe and North America in support of her second studio album, Romance. But as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, Cabello canceled the tour.

"We can't start rehearsals without putting people at risk and with so much up in the air with no real and definitive end in sight, I feel this is the responsible thing to do," she wrote in an Instagram post.

Instead, Cabello participated in Global Citizen’s Together At Home Instagram Live concert series, encouraging fans to take action and help stop the spread of the coronavirus. She and Mendes performed together, connected with fans to ask how they’re doing while social distancing, and even discussed proper handwashing technique.

“This is a crazy time, and we're all going to come out of this together, we're going to pull through, and we're going to try and connect and make each other smile in the meantime,” Cabello said.

A month later, in April 2020, she and Mendes joined Global Citizen's One World: Together At Home global broadcast special to honor frontline health care workers, performing a cover of "What a Wonderful World."

When she’s not releasing new albums, starring in the new Cinderella film, or taking over the streets of LA with an impromptu musical number, Cabello is just a regular person who knows the importance of doing the right thing, even when it’s hard, to generate real change in the world.

That’s why she’s joining Global Citizen Live, a once-in-a-generation, 24-hour global event on Saturday, Sept. 25, and performing in New York City’s Central Park as part of our campaign to defend the planet and defeat poverty.

And by advocating for sustainability, as well as demanding equity for people everywhere, Cabello wants to normalize taking action for her fans, too.

How Camila Cabello Defends the Planet

The pop singer knows that climate change is a serious threat to all people — and that the most vulnerable among us are going to suffer unless we do something to curb our CO2 emissions.

That’s why she’s taken it upon herself to pay attention to how her individual choices impact the environment. She also uses her voice to uplift eco-warriors around the world who are educating the public on the climate crisis.

The fashion industry generates at least 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, from manufacturing to disposal. But as long as consumers continue supporting fast fashion, these numbers aren’t going to go down and can have devastating consequences.

Cabello took to TikTok to share her love of sustainable practices, featuring a pair of Allbirds tennis shoes. Allbirds are crafted from eucalyptus tree fiber and Brazilian sugarcane.

"Shoutout to my new Allbirds, a sustainable shoe brand,” she captioned the video. “Not an ad, I just love sustainable clothing."

With a loyal fan base and massive platform, Cabello’s ability to spread the news about eco-friendly clothing items can influence people around the world to pay attention to their own consumer choices. But she also uses her social media clout to support the work of world-renowned climate activists.

In 2017, Cabello tweeted at followers to tune in to An Inconvenient Special, a televised town hall that featured former United States Vice President Al Gore in conversation with young people about climate change. Connecting the climate crisis to her home city of Miami — which is especially vulnerable to extreme weather events — Cabello raised awareness about the TV special to engage Global Citizens in climate action.

Outside of caring for the planet and all of its inhabitants, Cabello takes action on other issues affecting people around the world. She starts by advocating for herself, speaking up about the importance of mental health and how she’s learned to heal.

Advocating for Mental Health Awareness

Amid months-long lockdowns, social distancing regulations, and a shared grief as the world mourns over 4.5 million people lost to COVID-19, the pandemic has taken a serious toll on mental health.

Celebrities like Cabello have the opportunity to speak up about taboo subjects like mental health that don’t get enough attention due to stigma and ignorance. By sharing her own struggles with mental illness, Cabello has chosen to advocate for others and let them know that it is OK to not be OK.

“Before lockdown I was burnt out. I was living with a really high amount of anxiety. It was too much and it was not sustainable. I felt like I was running with a broken leg but I wasn’t really listening to how I felt,” she said during an interview with Page Six. “I know now I have to take care of myself. No one is going to know when I’ve reached a limit other than me, so I have to take care of myself in that way.”

The singer has also made a point to advocate for others. She teamed up with nonprofit Movement Voter Fund to launch the Healing Justice Project, an initiative that provides funds for mental health and wellness resources to support youth activists and organizations making the world a better place.

Cabello shared the work of the 10 grassroots organizations on Instagram to introduce the project earlier this year.

“These organizers work tirelessly to create a positive impact, but the work can be exhausting,” she wrote in an Instagram caption. “Over the next few months, these incredible activists are going to come on my page to share about their work and how they are prioritizing self-care and healing during these really challenging times.”

A Role Model for Girls Everywhere

Utilizing her platform for good has always been a central part of Cabello’s fame. Her hard work and social impact make her an ideal role model for young women, which is why it was an easy decision to cast her in the new Amazon film adaptation of Cinderella.

In this adaptation, the princess is looking for more than marriage; she's a talented clothing designer who wants to travel the world. Determined, hard-working, and passionate, Cabello’s Cinderella focuses less on love and more on living the life she truly desires, fighting gender stereotypes to inspire girls.

Cabello also understood the responsibility her role held, particularly as a Cuban Mexican American woman playing a traditionally white and blonde character.

“We’ve never seen that representation before,” Cabello said in an interview. “It’s just an honor.”

The singer has had to battle judgments from others concerning her looks and personal life. But she hasn't stayed silent or let the haters influence her self worth. Instead Cabello consistently stands up for herself to show women and girls that they are beautiful and worthy in their own right.

After fatphobic headlines and comments targeted Cabello’s body shape, she posted a video on TikTok to remind people that “being at war with your body is so last season.”

“I am grateful for this body that lets me do what I need to do,” she said in the video. “We are real women with curves and cellulite and stretchmarks and fat, and we gotta own that, baby!”

No matter where her career trajectory takes her — from promoting her solo albums to representing women in movies and on stage — Camila Cabello won’t forget to advocate for others on today’s most pressing global issues.

That’s why she’s taking the stage with other all-star musicians and activists in New York on Sept. 25 for Global Citizen Live.

Join Cabello in taking action to defend the planet here.