Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s family friend is speaking out about the actress’ Vanity Fair tell-all. In the cover story, released earlier this week, Jolie touched on everything from her highly publicized split from Pitt last September to her Bell’s palsy diagnosis to life as a single mom. At one point in the interview, she also talked about how her and Pitt’s six children — Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 12, Shiloh, 11, and 9-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox — have been coping with the divorce.
“They’ve been very brave,” the By the Sea star told the outlet. “They were very brave…In times they needed to be. We’re all just healing from the events that led to the filing. … They’re not healing from divorce. They’re healing from some … from life, from things in life.”
According to the family friend, Jolie’s candid conversation about the kids came as a shock, as Pitt’s main priority has always been to protect the privacy of their children, refusing to speak of them publicly. Because of that, it was unexpected to see the children’s lives at home exposed in the pages of Vanity Fair.
“It’s surprising that Angelina would use the children to help herself in the story, especially after years where both were dedicated to protecting their privacy,” the family friend told ET on Friday.
As for Pitt, the family friend tells ET that he continues to go to individual therapy and therapy with his children, whom he sees a few times per week.
“He’s doing great, he’s doing well,” the friend said. “The kids are his family. He’s continuing to adjust to a new normal.”
When he’s not with the children, the Allied star spends his free time hanging out with his guy friends, focusing on art and enjoying music, recently making a surprise cameo during Frank Ocean’s set at FYF Fest in Los Angeles. The family friend said he’s also getting ready to start filming Ad Astra, a futuristic sci-fi epic directed by James Gray. Pitt reportedly portrays space engineer Roy McBride and stars alongside Tommy Lee Jones.
[From AOL]
Prince Charles And Queen Are Gradually Combining Offices For The ‘Handover’
The Queen’s top aide Sir Christopher Geidt is set to stand down from his key role at her side amid a dramatic shake-up of senior Royal staff. The Mail on Sunday understands that Sir Christopher’s surprise departure is the first of a ‘slew’ of personnel changes at a senior level in the Royal Household. It comes as the Queen and her heir the Prince of Wales attempt to impose greater unity on the rival ‘firms’ or households of the younger Royals. This is a watershed moment for the monarchy, as the Queen and Prince Philip step back from official duties and hand responsibility to the younger generation.
Sir Christopher, the Queen’s Private Secretary and a shrewd former Army intelligence officer, is a key figure in this transition, or ‘operation handover’ as it is known. Sources within the Royal Household say his departure will be followed by ‘two, maybe three more’ senior figures, who are set to leave before Christmas.
‘Sir Christopher’s departure is just the beginning. Major changes are afoot. Yes, it is a shake-up,’ said a senior source. One of those who is understood to be considering his position is Prince William’s Private Secretary, Miguel Head. Another said to be weighing up his options is Prince Harry’s Private Secretary Edward Lane Fox, a former captain in the Household Cavalry. Mr Head has served the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge loyally for a decade but has privately told friends he never intended be ‘a palace lifer’.
The privately educated former Ministry of Defence press officer has confided that he ‘feels his time is up’. If he does walk away it would be a huge blow to William and Kate who have relied on his counsel for a decade, although Kensington Palace last night insisted he has not quit. It has been previously announced that Kate’s Private Secretary, newly married Rebecca Deacon, has already officially announced that she is leaving her job.
Unifying the households of the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is something Sir Christopher has long championed, albeit with varying degrees of success. He tried to bring the press office – now named Royal Communications – under one director, former Daily Mail reporter Sally Osman. This has not really worked out as planned and has been marked by squabbles, rivalry and high- level departures.
Some courtiers see his departure as a ‘line being drawn’ – the beginning of a new era that might yet see the Queen accept Prince Charles as regent. Sources say she would seriously consider this once she reaches 95. It is widely acknowledged Her Majesty will never abdicate and the succession is rarely, if ever, talked about in official terms. It is perhaps no coincidence that despite the upheaval at Buckingham Palace, there are no sudden changes at Clarence House, the Prince of Wales’s household.
[From The Daily Mail]
