Kate misses Royal Ascot for second year as she aims for right balance

The Princess of Wales has pulled out of attending Royal Ascot as she continues to find the right balance following her treatment for cancer.
Kate is said to be disappointed at not attending the famous social and sporting occasion in Berkshire with her husband and the King and Queen.
She has been making a gradual return to public duties since it was announced in January she was in remission from cancer.
Her public appearances have increased in recent weeks and she has attended three high profile events including Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London.
But it is understood she is trying to find the right balance as she fully returns to public-facing engagements.
Racegoers had been hoping to see Kate as William was named as one of the figures awarding race prizes during the second day of the meeting.
She was named in the list of guests joining Charles and Camilla in the carriage procession.
The list was quickly amended removing Kate's name after Kensington Palace confirmed she would not be attending.

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Forbes

3 hours ago

• Forbes

Bubba Ray Responds To R-Truth, Makes Bold Prediction About WWE LFG

WWE LFG Season 2 premieres June 22, 2025 on A&E. If Bubba Ray Dudley (AKA Bully Ray) was a catchphrase, it would be 'That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.' As a no-nonsense curmudgeon with a heart of gold, Bubba Ray took to coaching the Season 1 cast of WWE LFG like a duck to water. Bubba showed a soft spot for potential prodigies in Zena Sterling and Drake Morreaux, but never hesitated to default to mean Uncle Bubba when he was shown disrespect. This manifested itself several times through the season-long beef alongside Season 1's habitual line-stepper BJ Ray. Jasper Troy (Team Booker T) and Olympic gold medalist Tyra May Steele (Team Undertaker) prevailed in Season 1, however neither was under the tutelage of Bubba Ray. Now back for Season 2, Bubba Ray is picking up where he left off. Bubba back as a coach in Season 2, where most of the Season 1 cast will be returning alongside new coach Michelle McCool and new talent Trill London, Hayley Montoya and Karyn Best. Bubba was also in rare form throughout this informative, if not heated, interview. Bubba Ray On Season 2 Of WWE LFG Bubba Ray Dudley: Alfred, before we get started- Alfred Konuwa: Let's go, let's go. BRD: Have you ever buried me on social media? AK: I don't believe I have. BRD: You don't believe you have? AK: No, because— BRD: Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah When Uncle Bubba talks you listen. Have you ever spoken disparagingly of me on the old Twitter machine? AK: My answer to you is: I do not think so. But because you're bringing this up, can you let me know what I may or may not have said? BRD: No, I'm asking you a flat…you would know if you talked bad about me. It's a yes or no question. AK: My answer is no because I've always put you over. BRD: Then we can proceed. As a matter of fact, since you put me over in the past, why don't you put me over some more? AK: I will (laughing), because one of my most viral tweets is when I said that I thought the Bully Ray character in TNA is a top five heel all time, without any qualifiers. And I can't tell you how many people I fought. Now, I'm not one of these people who stays on Twitter all the time and cares about what people tweet about me. But that was one where I got a lot of blowback about it and I stood on business about that. So no, I've said way more good things than bad, if I've said any bad things about you. BRD: Uh, uh, uh you almost slipped up there, Alfred, you almost... At, at, we almost caught you. AK: (Laughing) Okay, but I'm positive I've never buried you on social media. BRD: So, doesn't Forbes always do like their Top 100 or Top 500 or something like that? AK: They do do stuff like that. They have the 40 Under 40, Top Real-Time Billionaires etc. BRD: So is this like for the Top 10 Most Handsome Men in Professional Wrestling? AK: We could make it that. Why not? BRD: Because we all know by listening to 'Busted Open' every day and there's super sexy swinging sounds of Uncle Bubba's sandpapery smooth voice, that I am one of the most handsome men in professional wrestling. You would agree, right? Alfred? AK: I would agree that you are a Top 5 handsome man, without any question, without any qualifiers. BRD: (Laughing) You may ask your questions now, Alfred. AK: Absolutely. Well, I want to start by, of course thanking you. Again, big fan of yours. I don't care what anybody says. You are obviously an all-time great and you're coming back for season two of LFG. I would like to know, just based on Season 1, seeing everybody's coaching styles: Booker T, Undertaker's coming back, Michelle McCool is going to be there. Who do you feel is your biggest competition in terms of the coach? BRD: Actually, I have no competition because I don't look at it as a competition. And that's a genuine answer. We all have very unique in coaching styles. Obviously myself and Booker having wrestling schools over the past 15 to 20 years, Booker with Reality of Wrestling in Houston, Texas, myself and my brother D-Von with the Team 3D Academy down in Orlando, Florida, Booker has pumped out a lot of talent that has made it to the top. We have pumped out so much talent that has made it to the top of all wrestling companies. So, we have our very unique styles. As a matter of fact, as much as me and Booker break each other's chops about so many things, we agree on nine out of 10 things that will come up about the way we train. And we often find ourselves using the same terminology or the same methods to help pass down the knowledge. This is very new for the Undertaker. This is new because we're seeing more of the Undertaker than we probably ever have seen before. As a matter of fact, the word on the streets is that Undertaker is too nice on season one. Will we see a meaner, more stern Undertaker on Season 2? And Michelle brings a different set of eyes and ears for the women. I think Mickie James did a phenomenal job in season one. Mickie became like the mother to these future greats. I don't think Michelle McCool has that same vibe with them, but she is now a Hall of Famer, four Hall of Famers, four legendary talents up there, all judging these 16 future greats. It's not a competition to me. I want to see all 16 of these future greats take steps forward. But mostly, I want to see Zena Sterling do in Season 2 what should have happened in Season 1. And that is her being given that NXT contract and moving on to become the star that Zena will become. AK: I'm glad that you brought up Zena because there's a lot of familiar faces we're going to see an LFG from Season 1. Are there any names that come to mind that after seeing and working with this talent in Season 2, where your opinion has either gone up or down about them? BRD: Not my opinion because I'm pretty dead on balls accurate, once I meet you for the first time. I've been doing this for a while so I can kind of figure it out within the first five minutes. It's like a song. I know within the first five seconds whether I know a song or not. And I can tell you within the first five minutes whether or not I think a talent will pan out, and whether or not I think they have the right personality for our industry. There are however talents that have come out of their shell, that at first you say to yourself, "I'm not quite sure if we're ever going to see this person's real personality." And then somehow, some way it shines through. On the women's side, it's Sirena Linton, the girl who, Season 1, told us the story about how she watched her dad get deported and her brother get killed at an early age. And we saw the emotion out of her. She really didn't do too much in the first half of Season 1. She started to shine at the end of Season 1. And in Season 2, we're seeing more of that inner spicy side of her come to life, a lot more confidence in Sirena. And she's going to be interesting to watch. On the men's side, I got two words for you: Elijah, mother-trucking, Holyfield. I'll say those two words again. Elijah, mother-trucking, Holyfield. Elijah, another guy…when I first saw Elijah, I was like, "Oh my God." You want to talk about the it factor when it comes to just the visual? Wow. Dear God. But then he would open his mouth and there'd be nothing there, no confidence, no nothing. But as I spoke to Elijah a little bit more and I watched him and I observed him, very shy, very reserved. One day he said something and I was like, "Aha, there's something there. There's an inner anger, there's an inner volcano waiting to explode." And we saw it happen in the middle of Season 1. And in Season 2, I think you're going to see even more of Elijah Holyfield. You're going to see that bad mother trucker that we all know that he can be. And I think he's going to open a lot of eyes, and I think he's going to get out of the shadow of being the son of Evander Holyfield. AK: That's amazing. And I've already read some of these synopses for the first couple of episodes. And I saw that it says that you revisited some old issues with one Drake, mother trucking, Morreaux. So what are your thoughts about— BRD: Alfred, Alfred, don't ever use my terms. If you want to use my terms, you have to ask Uncle Bubba permission first. And it should sound like, "Uncle Bubba, can I please use your terms? Thank you. XOXO, Alfred." That's for the future. AK: My apologies, Uncle Bubba. BRD: Drake is… really like Drake Morreaux, I really, really do. But I think that's the problem. I think he's too likable. I think I put this Bayou Boogie kind of New Orleans dancing happy, beer-drinking, alligator-juice-drinking, throwing personality on him because I didn't think that the inner badass would come through because he's so nice. So, I gave him something that the people could get behind, that they could relate to. Everybody loves going to New Orleans, everybody loves having beads thrown at them. To me, Drake Moreau came across as a modern-day, Jimmy Boogie Woogie Man, Valiant. And everybody loved the Boogie Woogie Man. But when the bell rang, Boogie Woogie would kick your ass. And that's what I wanted from Drake. Season 2 starts out with a little bit of animosity with me and Drake because I don't think Drake believes in me like I did not believe in him at the end of Season 1. Although, I really wanted to believe in him. So, you'll see the dynamic between Bubba and Drake play out in Season 2. Bubba Ray Reacts To R-Truth's Response To Him AK: Speaking of the dynamic of the happy-go-lucky wrestler who—when the bell rings—they could get serious. You've had some pretty controversial thoughts about one, Ron Killings in saying that you did not necessarily agree with him going so serious so soon. BRD: You're wrong, Alfred. You're wrong. I never said that. AK: Okay. But can I just premise this by saying that him coming back and being more serious, you did have some objections to that. Am I right about that? BRD: No, you're wrong. AK: Can you let me know exactly what you said, and more importantly what you meant? BRD: So, did you listen to everything that I said on 'Busted Open,' or did you listen to clips on the cesspool that is Twitter? AK: Not only did I listen to everything you said on 'Busted Open,' I saw R-Truth's response, who seemed to also take exception to you saying that maybe he should be more of who he was before he got released. And I'd like to know your response to his response. BRD: When Ron Killings came on 'Busted Open,' did he seem as fired up or more fired up on 'Busted Open' as he was on Monday Night Raw? AK: He did seem very fired up. BRD: You're welcome. Because only I can bring that type of level of fire out of people, because I'm off frickin Sith Lord, when it comes to lighting fires underneath asses. It's what I do. And it's a dying art form in our industry. And very few get it. What I said was, I didn't want to hear…and this was just a personal opinion, did not want to hear him refer to himself as R-Truth anymore. I didn't want to hear the Truth theme. It seemed by cutting off the hair, to me was symbolic of him leaving the Truth persona behind. He wants to be serious Ron Killings, then I only want to hear about Ron Killings. Truth is somebody that we were entertained by for 20 years. I was entertained, I laughed with, I laughed at R-Truth, but did I ever really care about R-Truth? I want to care, I want to be emotionally invested. And I want that serious side of Ron Killings that I want to care about the serious side of Ron Killings. That's why I said, "I don't need to hear the Truth name anymore." This was an opinion. This was not like he has to do this, he must do this. And if Truth heard something that inspired him to pick up the phone and call 'Busted Open,' well, as I said in the beginning, you're welcome. I bring out the best and the worst in everybody. Bubba Ray Praises John Cena Heel Character AK: And Ron Killings, we're seeing what I think is the best of Ron Killings because I love this feud that he has with John Cena, who has been very polarizing as a heel. What do you think WWE has gotten right with the John Cena heel character? What do you think they've gotten wrong with it? BRD: I'm not falling into your trap. AK: What's the trap? I'm asking both sides. BRD: What have they done wrong with John Cena? AK: I'm asking the question, I'm not going to say. BRD: And I'm asking you back. You tell me first. What have they done wrong with him? AK: If I could say anything that they've done wrong, which I've enjoyed more than I haven't, I would say that John Cena not changing anything was a misstep. I think it's a great idea that 'I'm not going to give you fans a new John Cena,' I love the psychology behind that. But for John Cena to continue to come out dressed like that, you still see him as John Cena. He still gets cheered. And I think if he was a completely different character, maybe he would get booed more. BRD: Alfred, are you familiar with a band named Kiss? AK: I am. Detroit Rock City, even though I was born in [Milwaukee.] BRD: Okay. Detroit Rock City, probably the greatest opening song of any rock act in history. Kiss wears the same makeup, plays the same songs. Gene Simmons blows the same fire, he spits the same blood, they play Rock and Roll All Night the same way. At the end of every show, they blow the confetti and they say, "Thank you. Good night. We're Kiss." They haven't changed a damn thing. And up until Kiss's very last show on December 31st in Madison Square Garden in 2000 and I don't know, 23, 24, whatever it was, they sold out every single night doing the exact same thing for 20 years. Why should John Cena change a thing? I'm not a big fan of cliches. And here's one, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. You're getting different side of John, a different personality from John. Why does John have to wear different clothing? It's about the personality. I want to react to everything that John Cena says. I want to react to his words, his tone, his inflections, his mannerisms. I don't give a damn what he's wearing, because if I'm booing the clothing, then I'm not booing the man. By the way, all this advice I'm giving you and smartening you up is free. The next round, you pay for. AK: I really appreciate it because I was going to take out a credit line, but now I don't have to. Thank you so much. I wish we could go on and on. You're going to have to invite me on 'Busted Open' one of these days. I love this conversation. I'm going to put you over on Twitter again. BRD: Thank you, Alfred. Appreciate you. WWE LFG Season 2 premieres January 22, 2025 on A&E at 10 pm EST/9 pm Central. All quotes were received firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Yahoo

8 hours ago

• Yahoo

EXCLUSIVE: Jacquemus Is Returning to Versailles for Next Show

ORANGE APPEAL: Simon Porte Jacquemus is returning to the Château de Versailles for his next fashion show, scheduled for June 29 at the tail end of men's fashion week in Paris, WWD has learned. The designer has chosen the Orangerie, which 'Sun King' Louis XIV had built to shelter his citrus trees and palms in the winter, as the venue to unveil his fall 2025 collection. More from WWD KidSuper Creates Hot Bag for Papa Johns' New Croissant Pizza Saint Laurent, Dries Van Noten Return to Paris Menswear Schedule Halle Berry's 2025 Cannes Film Festival Looks So Far: Chanel Suiting, Shimmering in Custom Gucci and More The grandiose stone greenhouse was famously the site of a Dior haute couture show by John Galliano in 1999. Jacquemus, who comes from a farming family in the South of France, has made lemons, straw and other pastoral references part of the fabric of his brand. The designer staged his first show at the famous palace in 2023 that kicked off a brand elevation strategy — and fulfilled a childhood dream. For that runway spectacle, guests were ferried in small rowboats on the Grand Canal to watch models parade puffball shapes on one shore. The French fashion brand returned to the Versailles palace a second time in 2023 for a dinner hosted by Net-a-porter to fete a Jacquemus eveningwear capsule — and it funded restoration work on the canal's borders. 'Supporting such an historical French monument through (patronage) means a lot to me, especially to nurture this relationship in the long term as an independent designer,' he said, confessing that he's been eyeing the Orangerie and 'waiting for the right collection to show there.' 'Le Paysan felt like that moment, a collection that tells the story of where I come from, but also where we're heading,' Jacquemus told WWD. 'The Château de Versailles, to me, represents the proof that dreams can come true.' Jacquemus has been teasing Le Paysan on Instagram, showing clips of ravishing country lanes, a donkey munching carrots, hands busy shelling beans and a boy selling sheafs of wheat at a roadside stand. 'This collection is an homage to my family, my roots, my culture, where I come from,' he wrote. 'It's also where I'm heading, and the dream I'm chasing.' Best of WWD Kate Middleton's Looks at Trooping the Colour Through the Years [PHOTOS] Young Brooke Shields' Style Evolution, Archive Photos: From Runway Modeling & Red Carpets to Meeting Princess Diana The Most Memorable French Open Tennis Outfits With Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka & More [PHOTOS]

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

Lazzat runs home and then runs free in Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot

The aftermath of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes had almost as much drama as the race and it was certainly more extended. Lazzat, the 9-2 winner, galloped loose around the track for about a quarter of an hour and delayed the presentations after throwing his jockey, James Doyle, shortly after crossing the line. 'I did apologise to the king and queen when I went to collect my prize,' Doyle said, 'and said I should have stayed in Pony Club a bit longer than I did. We had a good laugh about that.' Advertisement Related: Parades, picnics and parasols: Royal Ascot 2025 – in pictures It had already been a good meeting for Doyle, with three winners for his main employer, the increasingly powerful Wathnan Racing operation, but a Group One win on a horse that was bought to join Wathnan less than a month ago took his week to a new level. Lazzat was quickly away and soon leading a group of 10 horses racing down the middle of the track. While the Japanese hope Satono Reve, backed down to start favourite at 2-1, fired a serious challenge at him in the final furlong under João 'Magic Man' Moreira, Lazzat was a half-length in front at the line, with another recent Wathnan purchase, Flora Of Bermuda, another three lengths away in third. 'It's been an amazing week and that has capped it off,' Richard Brown, Wathnan's racing manager, said. 'What an amazing horse race, he's locked up with the Japanese horse and they've gone a long way clear in a six-furlong sprint. That was an absolutely phenomenal race to watch. Advertisement 'When you saw him [Satono Reve] come in, he's a monster walking round here but that is a very, very brave performance. That's two brilliant rides from James from the front.' Doyle had won the opening Chesham Stakes on Humidity. Japan's wait for a first Royal Ascot winner goes on. Satono Reve ran a fine race to finish a half-length second, but he raced in a group of five runners near the stand rail as Lazzat led a larger group in the middle of the track. Had he enjoyed a little more of a tow into the race, it might well have been a different story. Charlie Appleby was on a miserable run of 37 losers at the Royal meeting dating back to the final day in 2022 as Rebel's Romance went to post for the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes. The most dependable and high-achieving horse in the yard delivered for his trainer when he needed it with a one-and-three-quarter-length defeat of Al Riffa. William Buick sent Rebel's Romance to the front well over a furlong out and the seven-times Group One winner stayed on strongly all the way to the line. He will now attempt to win an eighth Group One, taking his prize money earnings past £11m in the process, in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over the same course and distance next month. Advertisement 'I've got a picture of this fellow on my bedside table, he means that much to us all,' Appleby said. 'Full credit to the horse first and foremost, and full credit to all the team. It has been a tough week and that is what you expect when you come here. It is the Olympics. You can come here thinking you are fully loaded and have great chances, and you can walk away with excuses, but that's racing. Pontefract 2.10 Bleep Test 2.40 Roman Secret 3.10 Creatif 3.40 Meribella 4.15 Captain Potter (nap) 4.50 Partisan Hero (nb) 5.25 Adorla Of Achill Hexham 2.18 Huit Reflets 2.48 Beny Nahar Road 3.18 Man Of Action 3.50 Moonbow 4.25 Marty McFly 5.00 Feach Amach Ffos Las 2.30 Shabu Shabu 3.00 Jimmy Mark 3.30 Magnetite 4.05 Hunky Dory 4.40 King Of The Dance 5.15 Three Yorkshiremen Advertisement 'If I was coming into the last day with my last roll of the dice, he was the horse that we needed. It was a fantastic ride by William, and once he kicked for home, I knew it would take a good one to get past him. We've seen so often before that he's a battler, and if something comes to him, he finds again. As it happened, they didn't get close enough. 'It's been a great week for Godolphin [with winners for the John Gosden and Saeed bin Suroor stables] and I'm just glad I've got the monkey off my back there. It's a tough week, but it's a week you've got to enjoy because I know how hard it is to get horses here. To win with them is just a bonus.' As a gelding, Rebel's Romance's racing career is relatively open-ended and after the King George, the seven-year-old is likely to be aimed towards an attempt to become the first three-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf. 'He's kept the whole yard afloat this week and you just don't come across these horses often in your career,' Appleby said. 'He's our stable favourite and always will be.' Advertisement Ryan Moore, who rode Sober to victory in the concluding Queen Alexandra Stakes, finished the week as the meeting's leading jockey for the 12th time with seven winners, while John & Thady Gosden, who tied with Aidan O'Brien on five winners after both drew a blank on Saturday, won the trainers' award thanks to one more runner-up. The trainers' award has now been won by either the O'Brien or Gosden stable at the past 11 Royal meetings.