All posts tagged: fairytale

Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling share romantic first kiss after fairytale wedding

Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling share romantic first kiss after fairytale wedding

Published by Daniella Wilson

Harriet Sperling and Peter Phillips shared their first kiss as husband and wife as they emerged from the church after their Cotswolds wedding ceremony in front of members of the royal family.  The rain did not dampen the newlyweds’ spirits as they posed for photographs outside All Saints Church, which is located in Kemble, Cirencester, close to where bride Harriet grew up. The blushing bride, 45, chose a column-style dress with a lace neckline and sleeves, and a dramatic train designed by Emilia Wickstead. There had been speculation in the lead-up to the ceremony as to whether Harriet would wear a tiara, and she did not disappoint. The jewels chosen were the Pragnell family tiara, as well as a set of earrings.  Peter and Harriet were supported by their bridal party, including his teenage daughters from his first marriage to Autumn Kelly – Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14 – and Harriet’s daughter, Georgina.  The groom’s divorced parents, the Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, his stepfather Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, his sister Zara Tindall …

My mother was forced to give me up for adoption. But when we finally met decades later, it was far from a fairytale ending

My mother was forced to give me up for adoption. But when we finally met decades later, it was far from a fairytale ending

Published by Sam Flores

One morning in late September 2023, I discovered by chance that my birth mother had been killed almost a year earlier. The revelation came while I was searching my work email for a stray message. In the bin folder, amid a slurry of irrelevant press releases, lay an unopened email, ­flagging a long-forgotten Google alert I had set up for her name, Susan Barras. We had been estranged for almost 15 years, so this in itself provoked trepidation. I had cut contact with her when our relationship had finally become too fraught and emotionally ­exhausting for me to continue. Opening the email, I realised with shock that the alert had been triggered by a probate notice about her estate. Susan was only 69 when she died, and my first thought was that the breast cancer she was being treated for when we were in touch had returned. My second was the realisation that both my birth parents were now dead – my birth father had died of liver failure in late 2018, aged 70. But then …

The Children by Melissa Albert review – intriguing fairytale of creativity’s dangers | Fiction

The Children by Melissa Albert review – intriguing fairytale of creativity’s dangers | Fiction

Published by Sam Flores

Children’s writers are sometimes cruel, and often damaged. And, as AS Byatt put it crisply when talking about her 2009 novel The Children’s Book: “Writing children’s books isn’t good for the writer’s own children.” Think of Christopher Milne, raging at having been Christopher Robin; Vivian Burnett, dragging Little Lord Fauntleroy behind him; Alastair Grahame, lying down on train tracks. This is fertile material, as Byatt recognised, for a grown-up book. The American author Melissa Albert, herself a very successful children’s writer, has made it the theme of her first adult novel. The Children’s protagonist is Guinevere Sharpe, who as a grown woman is trapped by a very public version of her childhood. Her mother, Edith, a sort of JK Rowling/Enid Blyton composite, wrote an era-defining run of children’s portal fantasies called the Ninth City series, in which Guin and her older brother Ennis appeared as the named protagonists. They didn’t know it at the time, but they were becoming as famous as Christopher Robin – with all that implies. In the present day of the …

everything you need to know from special guests, fairytale venue and royal snubs

everything you need to know from special guests, fairytale venue and royal snubs

Published by Daniella Wilson

Peter and Harriet, who have been together for two years, will be bringing together their loved ones – most of all, the daughters with whom they will form a new blended family. Peter has two girls with his former wife, Autumn Kelly, while Harriet is a mother to a teenage daughter.  With the final countdown now on, here is everything you need to know about the royal wedding of the year. A – Announcement Eight months after Peter and Harriet’s engagement was announced, an official statement confirming the couple’s wedding date was released in April.  “Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today announced their wedding date,” a spokesperson said.  “The summer wedding will take place at All Saints Church, Kemble, Cirencester on Saturday 6 June 2026 in a private ceremony. Both families have been informed jointly of the wedding date by invitation.” The King and Queen, and the Prince …

The Fairy-Tale Hour | Sanford Schwartz

The Fairy-Tale Hour | Sanford Schwartz

Published by José Betancourt

“Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds” at the Jewish Museum is one of the rare art events that can literally be called revelatory. As we learn from its accompanying catalog, it is the first survey the artist has had in a New York museum in decades. Almost as significant, it is the first in this country to focus primarily on his late work. These are pictures done in the later 1930s when Klee, living in his native Switzerland after a professional life spent largely in Germany and gravely ill with the then-incurable disease scleroderma—he would die in 1940 at sixty—developed a new and bolder approach to making images. While his works from the 1920s, when he created his best-known pictures, were small in size and populated with diminutive and delicately drawn figures and forms, and often gave viewers a sense that they were peering into enchanted and flickeringly lit other worlds, his later works, although showing the same enclosed, almost park-like realms, could be large (for him) in size and much punchier in their forms. Klee …

Tess Daly’s fairytale wedding revisited amid shock split from Vernon Kay

Tess Daly’s fairytale wedding revisited amid shock split from Vernon Kay

Published by Daniella Wilson

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay were the ultimate BBC power couple, with the TV host lending her presenting skills to Strictly for 21 years and her husband joining BBC Radio in 2004. However, on 9 May, the couple announced their split after more than two decades together.  Taking to Instagram to share the news, the broadcasters penned: “This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire for what is best for both of us. © Mike Marsland/WireImageTess and Vernon have split after 23 years of marriage “We remain great friends and more importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.” All the way back in 2003, they tied the knot. Now, as Tess and Vernon move on as friends, we’re revisiting their big day… Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Looking back at Vernon Kay and Tess Daly’s love story The former Strictly Come Dancing host and the Im a Celebrity star tied the knot for the …

Kate Middleton’s ‘fairytale’ mini dress was her most coquettish look to date

Kate Middleton’s ‘fairytale’ mini dress was her most coquettish look to date

Published by Daniella Wilson

We love watching how the Princess of Wales’ style has evolved through time. From her preppy ensembles at university, where she first met future husband Prince William, to her Jenny Packham Bond girl red carpet dress, her timeless style is loved and celebrated by many. It’s also a nostalgic treat to delve into her outfits from her early royal days. In 2011, Kate was the unofficial high street queen, enjoying Topshop, Zara, and L.K. Bennett, to name a few. © Samir Hussein/WireImageKate’s style has evolved over the years © Getty Kate’s Reiss dress had a flirty hemline In June 2011, just two months after her wedding, Kate looked ethereal in a white outfit from Reiss for a joyous day at Epsom. © Getty Images Kate added a jacket by Joseph and heels by L.K. Bennett Kate wore the brand’s ‘Peacock’ dress, which was designed with a full chiffon skirt and lace panels. She paired the Carrie Bradshaw-esque look with a tweed ‘Nessie’ jacket by Joseph.  Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Princess Kate’s best outfits over the …

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s teen daughter Sunday looks stunning in fairytale prom dress

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s teen daughter Sunday looks stunning in fairytale prom dress

Published by Daniella Wilson

Nicole Kidman’s daughter Sunday Rose is stepping into the spotlight in the most enchanting way, sharing a glimpse of her prom night in a breathtaking gown that feels straight out of a modern fairytale. The 17-year-old, whose full name is Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, posted a single image to Instagram simply captioned “prom,” but the understated wording did little to contain the impact of the look.  Seated gracefully on a stone staircase, Sunday wore a strapless, intricately embellished bodice paired with layers of soft, flowing tulle that cascaded around her. The ethereal silhouette, in muted silver-grey tones, gave the dress a dreamy, almost weightless quality, while delicate detailing added a couture-like finish. © InstagramSeated gracefully on a stone staircase, Sunday wore a strapless, intricately embellished bodice paired with layers of soft, flowing tulle that cascaded around her Her hair was worn loose and natural, falling over her shoulders, and her minimal styling allowed the gown to take centre stage. The overall effect was elegant, refined and quietly confident,  a look that feels entirely in keeping …

The Mansion, the Heiress, the Jewel Heist, and Me: A Bel-Air Fairytale

The Mansion, the Heiress, the Jewel Heist, and Me: A Bel-Air Fairytale

Published by Sam Flores

Carla was just a toddler when Arnold moved the family from Chicago to Bel-Air, after his friend, dam and pioneering California highway builder Lynn Atkinson, defaulted on a personal loan from Kirkeby he’d taken to finish the dream home Atkinson had built for his wife. Now, the Kirkebys would live in the elaborate estate. Carla says her mother wasn’t thrilled about inhabiting the swanky home now known as “the Beverly Hillibillies house.” Carlotta felt the house was too big and extravagant. (Even though the home had been built for her, Atkinson’s wife had expressed a similar sentiment.) Nevertheless, the Kirkebys settled in and hired a nine-person staff, six of whom lived in the house. Carla says she wanted to learn to cook, but their chef—a 6-foot-tall Dane named Ida who served the family for over 40 years—barred her from the kitchen. Carla’s childhood reads like a transient fairytale. Though they were based in LA, her family also flitted between homes in Florida, New York, and Cuba, where Arnold owned the Hotel Nacional, which hosted the …