• Anne adheres to Queen Elizabeth’s approach as royals ditch tradition
• King’s sister disproves new change as William grows in influence
• Anne would ‘rather not be a lone outlier’ in amid key transition
  

Prince William and Princess Kate have planning big changes for the monarchy as the Palace has already begun setting the groundwork for the new King and Queen.

There is no suggestion from the royals nor the Palace that King Charles, despite his ongoing cancer treatment, has an intention to abdicate, but the monarch has been entrusting more duties to his heir.

Princess Anne’s had a solid reputation as a hardest working member of the royal family and she is “fiercely loyal to the monarchy”. And while she is devoted to her brother Charles, she is also one of the very few who can challenge him and “not be ignored”, according to royal expert Richard Kay.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that she is not keen on the many changes that have been taking place as William grows in influence. She is irked by the fact that the royal family has “moved away from Queen Elizabeth’s approach” especially in light of the Epstein scandal.

The royal expert shared that as the royal members become more open in their statements, Anne “would rather not be a lone outlier in this regard and dislikes the way the family has moved away from Queen Elizabeth’s approach”.

He explained that Anne likes Kate very much but she is “not entirely comfortable with the way Catherine and William have opened their hearts at times of personal difficulty”.

Anne is old school and strictly adheres to “stoical and noble traditions” which is why it is a rather tough transition for her. Though, he still remains a key asset and unlikely to change her ways even if the monarchy takes new shape in William’s reign.

Steven Spielberg has become the latest, and perhaps most quietly devastating, voice to push back against Timothée Chalamet’s comments about ballet and opera, delivering a pointed reminder at SXSW that the art forms very much still matter.

Speaking at a panel titled The Big Picture With Steven Spielberg at the 2026 SXSW Conference and Festival on Friday, 13 March, the legendary filmmaker, 79, was discussing the power of shared cultural experiences when he made his move. 

After talking about the unique feeling of leaving a cinema after a great film, he extended that thought to concerts, and then, to applause from the crowd, added: “And it happens in ballet and opera, by the way.” 

He followed it with a straightforward declaration that these experiences are worth protecting. “We want that to be sustained. We want that to go forever.”

He didn’t name Chalamet.

The 30-year-old actor had sparked a wave of industry criticism after a filmed town hall with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas at Austin on 24 February, where he said he had no interest in working in art forms where the pitch was essentially keeping something alive that “no one cares about anymore.” 

He appeared to clock the potential fallout almost immediately, adding a hasty cover, “All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”

The attempt at self-deprecating damage control didn’t quite do the job.

The backlash that followed was swift and came from across the industry. Ballet stars Misty Copeland and Tiler Peck responded, as did opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Isabelle Leonard. 

The Metropolitan Opera itself weighed in. 

Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Jamie Lee Curtis, Karla Sofía Gascón, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Charlie Puth were among the many others who made their feelings known.

Spielberg’s contribution was characteristically understated, no lecture, no direct call-out, just a quiet and authoritative restatement of what most of the industry already believes. 

Coming from one of cinema’s greatest living filmmakers, at one of the entertainment world’s most prominent festivals, it landed all the same.

Keke Palmer’s SXSW panel took an unexpected turn on Friday when a stranger rushed the stage and dropped to one knee in front of her, ring box in hand, in front of a live audience.

Palmer was in the middle of hosting a live recording of her podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, alongside her I Love Boosters co-stars Demi Moore, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu and Eiza González when the man appeared at the stage, knelt down and grinned up at her with a ring box propped open. 

Palmer’s jaw dropped. Her co-stars reacted with a mixture of shock and laughter.

She handled it with as much grace as the situation allowed. 

“I can’t marry you. I don’t know you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, sir,” she told him, which got a laugh from the crowd. 

Assuming it must be a set-up, she asked whether the whole thing had been planned in advance, but staffers and audience members near the front quickly made clear it wasn’t. 

Someone called out that she needed security.

Her security guard came out from backstage, and a SXSW staffer stood up from the audience, both moving to escort the man away. 

He didn’t budge easily. 

Still on his knees, he insisted she wanted to say yes. Several audience members shouted back that she very much did not. He was eventually led out of the event space, with Palmer visibly concerned for him and apologetic towards her co-stars and the crowd.

Taylour Paige, ever quick on her feet, leaned into the moment. 

“Sorry to this man,” she said with a laugh, a nod to the iconic meme that features Palmer herself.

Once the dust had settled, Palmer joked that she’d assumed Ashton Kutcher’s hidden camera show Punk’d must have been revived. 

She then asked the room to take a collective breath, the audience obliged with a round of applause, and the podcast recording got back on track.