We begin this week's newsletter with sad news. Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber and older brother of Kaia Gerber, has died at 27. His family has asked for privacy, and no cause of death has been disclosed. Our story is at the top of this issue, along with a few thoughts on the pressures of growing up in a famous family.
The rest of the week's pop culture news cycle has been dominated by Charles Spencer's new book about his sister, Princess Diana. I've spent the week analyzing Swan Song and its coverage, and you can find some of my videos here and here. You can also watch my analysis of the backlash against him from the pro-monarchist factions of the British public. Check out the Celebrity Intelligence YouTube channel.
The book has divided royal followers. Some are glad to finally hear Earl Spencer's side of the story, and others feel he is selling his family's secrets and object to his account of King Charles in the days after Diana's death. As a journalist and a forever student of British history, I am happy to have his account to assess and to weigh its validity. The more information we have, the closer we get to any sort of truth.
For today's newsletter, I have tried to counter-program the news cycle with a few stories that are an alternative to the royals, though I can't promise not to return to this compelling tale soon. In this issue: what we actually know about Channing Tatum's alleged burner account, my verdict on Ed Sheeran's apology, a gossipy take on Bruno Mars and a very phone-free night in Miami, and, at the bottom, an exclusive on the Beckham family standoff over Brooklyn's name.
