When then-Amal Almuddin met George Clooney, she called London home and she worked for a London-based law firm. She still works for the same law firm, although she only takes on legal work which interests her at this point, and she’s obviously got other things on her plate. Once Amal and George got married, they bought a ritzy estate outside of London, and Amal clearly wanted to be more England-based more than anything else. By marrying George, Amal also began to make her way into the highest echelons of British society. That’s not a diss – Amal had a plan and George was happy to get Amal whatever she wanted.
Within a few years of their marriage, the Clooneys began giving generously to the Prince’s Trust, and by 2019, then-Prince Charles gave Amal some kind of position within his signature charity. Around that same time, Amal went out of her way to befriend then-Meghan Markle ahead of the Sussexes’ wedding. George and Amal were invited to the wedding, and Amal also helped out with Meghan’s baby shower. Throughout it all, Amal has also stayed close to Charles through the Prince’s Trust, and a few nights ago, Amal and George attended a Prince’s Trust event in London. The Mail’s Eden Confidential column is trying to make it into a thing.
When there are rifts as wide as that between Prince Harry and Meghan, and the rest of the Royal Family, friends have to choose a side. And it appears that George and Amal Clooney may have chosen theirs. The couple, who were courted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attended the Prince’s Trust Awards on Tuesday. That’s the organisation created by King Charles and his biggest charitable success.
‘The Clooneys clearly want to be on good terms with the King and the Royal Family,’ whispers a source at the ceremony, held at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London’s West End.
But do they still care about being on good terms with the California-based Sussexes? The Hollywood star and his wife, a lawyer and activist, have not been pictured with Harry and Meghan since the royal couple’s wedding at Windsor in 2018. Meghan was missing in action when the Clooneys launched a humanitarian award in New York last September.
The Clooneys invited showbusiness pals including British actress Phoebe Dynevor, of Bridgerton fame, to attend the launch of their Albie awards, named after South African Justice Albie Sachs, in honour of his commitment to end apartheid. Human rights lawyer Amal was joined by guests including Donatella Versace, Meryl Streep, Dua Lipa, Julia Roberts, Gayle King, Cindy Crawford, Jodi Turner- Smith, Charlotte Tilbury and Gemma Chan.
Afterwards there was a party in the penthouse suite of the Mark Hotel. It was the place where Meghan held her lavish baby shower for Archie in February 2019 — attended by Amal, who gave her a lift back to Britain on the Clooney private jet. And yet, although it fell well outside the mourning period for the Queen, Meghan and Harry were not among the guests.
The wafting desperation from the British media, my god. They’re just mimicking what they’re hearing from the Windsors too, that everyone has to “pick a side,” that no one can be “friends” with King Charles AND the Sussexes, that Prince William will throw a tantrum if someone says something nice about Harry and Meghan. While the Clooneys do own a nice estate outside of London (and I suspect they have a place in London too), they also have a home in Mexico and a home in LA. No one in Salt Island has any idea if the Clooneys have spent time with the Sussexes in California. You know why that is? Because Amal and George are perfectly capable of being discreet and diplomatic when it comes to navigating the Windsors’ bullsh-t.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Prince’s Trust Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. Featuring: Amal Clooney, George Clooney, Charlotte Tilbury, Baria Alamuddin Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 May 2023 Credit: Mario Mitsis/Cover Images
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- Prince’s Trust Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. Featuring: Amal Clooney, George Clooney, Charlotte Tilbury, Baria Alamuddin Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 May 2023 Credit: Mario Mitsis/Cover Images
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- Prince’s Trust Awards at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. Featuring: Amal Clooney, George Clooney, Charlotte Tilbury, Baria Alamuddin Where: London, United Kingdom When: 16 May 2023 Credit: Mario Mitsis/Cover Images
I think the way this is worded, Eden is hoping to give the impression to casual readers that Julia Robert’s, et al. attended the Prince’s Trust Awards. They are so desperate for that Hollywood stardust and approval. They can’t stand the thought that H&M are accepted in circles that the royals are not.
I think they write stories like this because they think the Sussexes care like the Windsor’s clearly do. I don’t think they do though. They don’t seem to have told Eugenie or any of their other England based friends they can’t support charities or do anything that may involve the BRF. They seem like pretty emotionally intelligent people and realize that people have to interact with all types and don’t seem like they make ultimatums. Also to Kaiser’s point the BM have no idea how often they interact. They don’t seem able to imagine how private citizen philanthropists can operate outside of the Royal mold. That’s why they get upset that Harry and Meghan don’t have their own court circular, and describe them visiting charities as ” engagements “.
George Clooney still chooses to work with Brad Pitt right? Hmm.
I’ve wondered about that and decided George is at heart one of the good ole boys. Ick. Same with the others male actors that continue to prop Pitt up. They know exactly the kind of trash the guy is, ignores him abusing his wife and children so they can all eff off.
Great point! And after KC and the clan have shown everyone who they are, if you want to be associated with that – then I (and others) don’t care to be associated with you.
Family drama is one thing but the current and past racism and classism and money-hungry demonstrations are just gross.
Very good point. Choosing the abuser side in both situations doesn’t look good.
You would think that Meghan was the Queen of England 🤣the way these people are obsessed with her 🤣
1-Mature adults don’t play school yards games like pick a side with friends and acquaintances.
2-Meghan is A-list and lunches and socializes with other A-list mover and shakers. The royal family can’t even pay these same people to show up for them publicly.
The UK breathlessly reports on celebrities who are remotely adjacent to any royal. Meghan and her team don’t have to because she IS the wave. These 2 are not the same.
IDK, why would Clooney care about KC?
I don’t think about Clooney much any more. That movie w/Clooney and Julia Roberts on Amazon Prime? Zero interest.
The dress Amal is wearing, looks like a painters canvas drop cloth to me, including the color. The bottom hangs badly and is a bit too long.
Got the DVD out from the library. Fell asleep. Trying to decide if I’m going to go back to watch the end before returning. Part of the problem is that in these dual generation films, the younger lovers need to be compelling, not just the parents.
One thing reading this mess, Harry does have it right that the British press is a huge part of the royal family’s problem. Shit stirrers with megaphones, competing daily for who has the most outrageous take.
Didn’t George Clooney at one point call the press treatment of Meghan unfair and unkind? The British tabs create high school drama and Richard Eden lives to stir this ish up.
The difference between the Sussexes’ friends and the Windsors’ friends is you’ll never see friends of the Sussexes trashing the Windsors in the media even though it would absolutely be warranted if they did. Every other week a friend of William is briefing the Daily Beast about how he “fucking hates Meghan” and won’t speak to his brother ever again. Charles’ buddies were trashing Harry and Camilla’s horse groomer tried throwing shade about Meghan’s hair just a few weeks ago.
I suspect that the Clooneys were actually Charles’ guest at the wedding rather than Meghan and Harry’s.
Just commented something similar.
Idris Elba attended an event for the Princes trust a few weeks ago. He also attended their wedding and hasn’t been pictured with them since….has he now chosen a side too? Yes I know he’s talked about them since.
Omg the lengths they will go to create a story.
Meanwhile Meghan and Harry are going about their business.
But did they attend the ClownFest concert? Did they have front row seats?
Anyway these RRs are so juvenile in their writing. Anyone the Sussexes say hi to are automatically their BFFs and if they interact with the BRF, they have chosen a side and are on the outs with the Sussexes. If only they knew or cared how pathetic they sound. Most people don’t apply cancel culture to someone unless they have done something really egregious or illegal. Using charities they Clooneys involved with to attack or belittle the Sussexes isn’t the flex they think it is.
Wonder if Special K will start using Amal for style inspiration and copykeening…
This kind of commentary could end up alienating the very celebrities that royals care so much about being seen with. The Clooneys have no interest in being a part of this royal nonsense. I wouldn’t be surprised if their publicist rings up the writer or the newspaper and says, “keep our names out of your mouths!”. This silly one-sided fight has nothing to do with any celebrities, and they don’t want to be coopted into it in a way that alienates their own fan bases. Especially as the royals lean hard into their right wing syncophants. I think the royals and their adjacents are going to learn the hard way that no one really cares to be associated with them. That there’s nothing to gain from being associated with them if they don’t stop this one-sided feud.
The Clooneys owe nothing to the royals, and they aren’t going to risk their own reputations to lay down the the royals. It can even be said that the Prince’s Trust is a product of David Linley, Earl of Snowden now. It’s a safe, functional royal project to be associated with outside of the stink of the racist royals and their ratchets.
Yeah, to me The Prince’s Trust is just a charitable organization with multiple branches/charitable ties. I’ve always taken any celebrity involvement in PT events as support for that particular cause, not personally for Charles.
These tabloid writers must be wearing their fingers raw grasping at all those straws. Meanwhile, the Clooney and the Sussexes likely don’t give a flying fig.
Yes as they act like we are all still in high school and the drama continues. The Clooneys are simply supporters of the PT, nothing more.
I’ve been wondering for a while now if chuckles asked for the Clooneys to be put on the wedding guest list and/or doing a solid for Brooksbank since George was his boss at the time.
It^^ Yeah right. The Sussexes had no need to ‘court Amal & George Clooney’. If anything, Amal befriended Meghan, while George had previously been socially acquainted with Harry. The Clooneys’ support of the Prince’s Trust is a completely separate matter from their acquaintanceship with H&M (tho’ it may well be one reason why they were included on the guest list at H&M’s wedding). As well, the Clooneys had socialized with Jack and Eugenie, as a result of Jack being employed by Casamigos Tequila, a beverage company that George formerly had an ownership interest in. On one occasion, sometime after H&M’s wedding, the Clooneys invited both the Sussexes and the Brooksbanks to spend time with them at their villa in Italy.
George was also the first celebrity to speak out in support of Meghan, in Fall 2018, when the smear campaign against her began heating up in the British tabloids. Amal attended Meg’s baby shower in early 2019, and she gave M a lift back home to London on her private plane. That’s pretty much the extent of what the public knows about contact between the Sussexes and the Clooneys.
Both couples are busy, hard-working A-listers who don’t engage in cheap ‘taking sides’ nonsense. They all keep their private lives and friendship connections under wraps as much as they can. How close they currently are is not a matter for public consumption, nor is it a stick for the rota to try and beat the Sussexes with. This entire OTT storyline is a non-starter, and quite dead in the water.
I thought they hated Hollywood? 😁😁😁 As I mentioned before the BRF needs relevance and it’s obvious they’re the ones that need to attach themselves to Hollywood celebrities these days for the glamour factor.
It’s already a known George and Amal is literally a power couple without the need to attach themselves to the BRF. And Amal is very intelligent, something Kate is lacking.