Gwyneth Paltrow is leading a wave of heartfelt tributes following the death of legendary Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, who passed away Monday in Rome at the age of 93. 

The Oscar-winning actress shared a deeply personal message remembering not just the iconic designer, but the man she knew privately and loved dearly.

Valentino played a meaningful role in Paltrow’s life, dressing her for major moments including the Met Gala, numerous awards shows, and her 2018 wedding to Brad Falchuk. 

Reflecting on their bond, Paltrow wrote, “I was so lucky to know and love Valentino-to know the real man, in private. 

The man who was in love with beauty, his family, his muses, his friends. His dogs, his gardens, and a good Hollywood story. I loved him so much. I loved how he always pestered me to ‘at least wear a little mascara’ when I came to dinner. I loved his naughty laugh.”

She ended her tribute on a poignant note, adding, “This feels like the end of an era. He will be deeply missed by me and all who loved him. Rest in peace, Vava,” followed by a broken heart emoji.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford also honoured Valentino, sharing photos from her time with him and writing, “I’m heartbroken to hear of Valentino Garavani’s passing. He was a true master of his craft, and I will always be grateful for the years I had the privilege of working closely with him.”

Valentino’s passing was confirmed by his foundation via Instagram, stating in part, “Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones.” 

According to the foundation, a funeral will be held on Jan. 23 at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome.

Throughout his career, Valentino dressed and worked with countless stars, including Sharon Stone, Nicole Kidman, Barbra Streisand, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Monica Vitti, and Jackie Kennedy, for whom he designed her wedding dress for her 1968 marriage to Aristotle Onassis.

Fashion designer Zac Posen paid tribute with a moving message, writing, “Mr. Valentino has left us, and with him an era of rare elegance and grace. He believed deeply in glamour, in beauty, and above all in the power and love of women. He was a true gentleman and a romantic in every sense of the word… The world is more beautiful because he was in it. Riposa in pace, genio dell’eleganza.”

“Riposa in pace, genio dell’eleganza” is italian for “Rest in peace, genius of elegance.”

Model Coco Rocha echoed those sentiments, sharing, “Today Fashion lost another giant of our industry, and a true gentleman. I was lucky to know Valentino, not just as the iconic Roman couturier, but as a warm, generous presence who shaped fashion with grace, discipline, and beauty.”

As tributes continue to pour in, it’s clear Valentino’s influence reached far beyond the runway, leaving behind a legacy defined by elegance, artistry, and deep personal connections.

Prince Harry stepped out of the High Court on Monday afternoon, flashing a confident grin that suggested he already felt the first round was his.

The opening day of the high-stakes privacy battle with the publishers of the Daily Mail saw hours of detailed submissions, but the Duke of Sussex appeared unfazed.

The proceedings, overseen by Mr Justice Nicklin, will restart at 10.30am on Tuesday, with Harry expected to return to court later this week to give evidence himself.

At the heart of the case are claims brought by seven public figures against Associated Newspapers Limited, the company behind the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. 

Monday’s hearing saw barrister David Sherborne begin laying out what he described as a pattern stretching back more than two decades. 

Speaking on behalf of the claimants, he alleged a sustained reliance on private investigators across Mail titles and named several individuals he said were linked to the practice.

Among the examples raised was an investigator allegedly tasked with obtaining information about a burglary at the home of the Queen’s cousin. 

Sherborne also referenced Jonathan Rees, a private investigator once notorious for boasting about the reach of his information network. 

According to him, Rees had shown particular interest in the murder of Stephen Lawrence due to the intense public attention surrounding the case.

The court then turned to the individual claims, first filed in October 2022. 

Baroness Lawrence’s case centers on five articles published between the late 1990s and 2007. 

Attention was later shifted to actress Sadie Frost, whose claim focuses on 11 stories and two specific incidents. 

Three journalists are primarily named across those articles. 

One draft piece, written but never published, concerned an ectopic pregnancy Frost suffered in 2003. 

Sherborne told the court the level of detail contained in the material was deeply personal, noting that even members of Frost’s own family had been unaware of the situation.

As proceedings paused for the day, Prince Harry and Liz Hurley were both seen leaving the court with a smile. 

Sherborne is set to continue outlining the remaining claims when the hearing resumes, before the publishers present their own opening arguments.

London — Prince Harry was back in London on Monday, sitting in the U.K.’s highest court to take part in the third and final of his outstanding legal battles against Britain’s tabloid newspapers. 

Harry is among the high-profile claimants, along with Sir Elton John and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, who have accused the Associated Newspapers group of “unlawful information gathering.”

The 41-year-old royal, who lives in California, and his fellow celebrities claim the company, which publishes the Daily Mail and the linked MailOnline website, illegally snooped on them by hiring private investigators to hack their phones, bug their cars and access private records to generate scoops.

The publisher has denied all of the accusations, calling them “preposterous smears” and part of a coordinated effort driven by the claimants’ personal dislike of the news media.

In a witness submission seen by CBS News, Harry said it was, “disturbing to feel that my every move, thought or feeling was being tracked and monitored just for the Mail to make money out of it,” adding that the “terrifying” intrusion made him, “paranoid beyond belief, isolating me.”

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, whose case is based on 14 separate newspaper stories, says the alleged illegal information gathering between 1993 and 2011 put a “massive strain” on his personal relationships. He has long blamed the media for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 as her vehicle was pursued by photographers on motorcycles.

He listened in court Monday as his lawyer argued that there was, “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering at both the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.”

Testimony from several private investigators, who have said they worked on behalf of Associated Newspapers, will be used in the trial. CBS News’ partner network BBC news reported Monday that Harry was expected to take the stand himself to offer evidence. 

During his first legal battle with the press, in 2019, against the owners of The Mirror for hacking his phone, Harry became the first senior member of the royal family to give in-person testimony in a British court in more than 130 years. Courts ruled in his favor multiple times in that case.

“The journalists who used me and the editors who sanctioned this knew full well that I was a practitioner of the ‘Dark Arts,'” private investigator Steve Whittamore said in a witness statement ahead of the trial that began Monday. “If the information the journalists requested could have been acquired legitimately … then the newspapers would have had no need to use my particular services.”

Another witness, known as “Detective Danno,” claims to have been paid the equivalent of more than $1 million by the Mail for over 20 years of work for the paper. 

The publisher has argued that evidence from private detectives can’t be trusted.

Royah Nikkhah, royal editor for The Sunday Times and a CBS News contributor, said Monday that Prince William appeared to be “full of confidence” about his case, but “he’s not really relishing the prospect of being in court all week.”

Last year, Rupert Murdoch’s right-leaning News Group Newspapers settled out of court with the royal, offering a full formal apology for “serious intrusion” and a multi-million dollar payout.

The case against Associated Newspapers is expected to last nine weeks, culminating with a decision by Judge Matthew Nicklin, whose verdict will determine not only the lasting reputation of a major media company, but also who foots the bill for tens of millions of dollars in legal costs. 

“If Harry wins this case, it will give him a feeling … that he wasn’t being paranoid all the time,” Nikkhah told CBS News. “If Harry loses this case, it’s huge jeopardy for him, not just in terms of cost, but in terms of pushing all the way to trial and not seeking to settle. So we have to wait and see, but it’s high stakes for Harry.”