Princess Kate and the Middleton clan had reason to celebrate this week, as her sister-in-law Alizée Thevenet marked a milestone birthday and as always, the family story comes with a charming twist.

Alizée, the French financial analyst who captured the heart of Kate’s younger brother, James Middleton, turned 36 on November 30. 

And while James usually quick to post heartfelt tributes, has kept this year’s celebrations under wraps, it’s safe to imagine a cosy day surrounded by their two-year-old son, Inigo, and their pack of beloved dogs.

Since first meeting James in 2018 thanks to an unexpected matchmaker, his late cocker spaniel, Ella, who wandered over to Alizée at the South Kensington Club where she has become a treasured figure within the Middleton fold.

From holidays in St. Barts to family gatherings with Carole, Michael, Pippa, and of course Princess Kate, she has long felt like one of their own.

Now, as she rings in 36 with her growing family, the woman who arrived in James’s life by happy accident continues to shine at the heart of the Middleton circle.

Meanwhile, royal watchers will notice a notable absence from King Charles’s traditional Christmas lunch this year, as William and Kate are reportedly not attending the festive gathering.

It feels almost surreal and bittersweet to remember that not long ago Princess Kate quietly stepped back from royal life to focus on her health after her cancer diagnosis. 

Her annual Christmas Carol Concert still went ahead in 2024, but with the Princess of Wales wisely prioritising recovery, it became a rare, pared-back treat for royal watchers.

This year, the festive favourite is not only back in full force, but carrying a whole new sense of significance.

Royal expert and Woman & Home correspondent Emily Andrews explains that Kate’s “slow and considered return to work” has proved exactly the right approach. 

And now, with her strength renewed, the princess is once again at the heart of her beloved holiday tradition.

Unlike last year, when she understandably took a step back, this season sees Kate “heavily involved in organising, curating, and inviting all the participants,” Andrews reveals. 

The December 5th concert set to be broadcast across the U.K. on Christmas Eve offers more than carols and candlelight. 

Elon Musk has again grabbed online attention with a startling—yet brief—comment on X (formerly Twitter) that has sparked buzz online.

Tesla chief Elon Musk Tesla, who is known for making direct commentary on X, replied to an online discussion on nuclear deterrence with a brief comment, “War is inevitable.”

That brief comment, without providing any context, generated buzz online, with netizens starting to speculate about who tried to decode it and what Musk exactly meant.

The exchange began when an X user, Hunter Ash, with the handle @ArtemisConsort, commented on how nuclear weapons have shaped the behavior of governments globally.

The user argued that without the threat of major-power conflict, governments face no pressure to evolve—and have grown weaker as a result.

The user wrote, “Governments all suck now because nuclear weapons prevent war, or even the credible threat of war, between major powers. So there’s no external/evolutionary/market pressure on governments to not suck.”

Then, Musk jumped into the discussion, predicting war could break out within a decade: “War is inevitable. 5 years, 10 at most.”

However, he didn’t provide any further clarification on the remark, spotlight any specific regions, or draw any outlines of the reason behind such a major prediction.

The lack of detail led the users to guess and interpret his previous public comments on global tensions.

What did Grok’s analysis uncover?

Netizens attempted to comprehend Musk’s message by asking Grok, the AI chatbot designed by xAI.

Grok offered interpretations based on Musk’s earlier comments rather than this specific post.

According to Grok, Musk had earlier debated potential sources of instability, such as internal tensions in Europe due to mass migration and identity politics or global flashpoints involving Taiwan, Ukraine, and other geopolitical animosities.

Grok noted that Musk had not spotlighted any specific conflict in this latest post, but it connected the idea to Musk’s previous warnings about possible crises, noting these could include both internal civil conflicts and major-power disputes.

Without further explanation from Musk, his prediction remains open to interpretation, reigniting debates on global tensions, nuclear deterrence, and the ongoing influence of his online commentary.

Stranger Things fans have once again zeroed in on continuity errors—this time in the newly released first volume of the show’s fifth and final season.

Viewers quickly noticed a discrepancy involving Will Byers’ childhood memory in episode 4, Sorcerer.

In the scene, Will (Noah Schnapp) flashes back to a bright, sunny day when he and his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) built Castle Byers. But the moment doesn’t line up with how Jonathan previously described that day in season 2’s The Mindflayer.

At the time, Jonathan said, “We stayed up all night building Castle Byers… just the way you drew it. And it took so long because you were so bad at hammering. You’d miss the nail every time.” He also recalled that it started raining and they both got sick but refused to stop.

“We just had to finish it, didn’t we? We just had to.”

Fans pointed out that the two versions of events don’t match, though some note the difference could be attributed to the way trauma distorts memory—especially since it happened shortly after their father left.

The flashback isn’t the only continuity slip viewers caught. In episode 6, The Turnbow Trap, Joyce (Winona Ryder) says Will was 11 when he was taken into the Upside Down, despite earlier missing posters listing his age as 12.

This echoes a previous oversight from season 4, when the show failed to acknowledge Will’s birthday. At the time, creators Matt and Ross Duffer admitted the mistake, telling Variety, “It was obviously a mistake, and we’re sorry. We apologize to the fans.”

They joked about possibly doing a “George Lucas” fix in the future, though it hasn’t happened.

Volume 2 of the final season arrives December 25.