On December 6, 2024, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, held her fourth annual Royal Carols: Together at Christmas at Westminster Abbey in London.
She first hosted this concert in 2021, even playing the piano as a tribute to those who lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following year, 2022, the concert was dedicated to the memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The concert aired at 7:30 p.m. U.K. time on Christmas Eve, December 24, on ITV.
Kate Middleton attended the event with her husband, Prince William, and her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
“Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. It is a time for presents, tinsel and mince pies, but it’s also a time to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all. It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness, so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about,” the princess said before the service.
She added: “The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others. It also reflects our own vulnerabilities and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, as well as just how much we need each other in spite of our differences.”
During the concert, many noticed the exchange between Kate Middleton and her younger son, Prince Louis, who is known for doing goofy things in public, which is normal considering his young age.
Lip reader Nicola Hickling tried to capture the words the young prince told his mother in a clip that was shared online, showing Kate looking down at him and smiling. According to Hickling, Louis told his mom, “We’re looking out for each other.”
Kate Middleton, who had underwent an abdominal surgery back in January of last year and was diagnosed with cancer, announced in September that she is cancer free.
The news was accepted with delight by her many fans.
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My wife Emma has always had a unique sense of style. The way she combines her outfits brings admiration from everyone who knows her, as well as passersby. Her self-confidence is truly inspiring.
One day, however, she started questioning her beauty after she was humiliated by a clerk from a lingerie store.
Namely, Emma saw a sign that the store, which she loved because of the products they offered, as well as the luxurious display window, was hiring.
She was already looking for a job, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Excited and hopeful, she entered the store and greeted the store assistant, who didn’t appear welcoming.
Emma asked how she could apply for the job, and the sales assistant looked her up and down with a sneer before delivering the blow: “Look, I don’t think you’re pretty enough for this job. NO CHANCE. Don’t even try.”
My wife felt devastated, and so did I. I couldn’t believe someone could be so heartless as to tell someone they are ugly right in their face.
At that moment, I was so angry that I decided to teach that sell assistant a lesson.
I called my friend Mike, a handsome man who works as a talent scout, and told him about what had happened. He was in for a sweet revenge, so we headed to the store the following day, making sure that same sell-assistant was there.
When we entered, Mike introduced himself, and I pretended to be buying something. He talked to her about modeling and told her how he was looking for a new face for an upcoming campaign.
She appeared eager to make a good impression, groomed herself and struck poses, but after some time, just when Emma entered the store, Mike told the sell assistant, “Sorry, you are not what we are looking for.” He then turned to Emma, pretending to see her for the first time in his life, and said, “Miss, have you ever considered working as a model? You would be the perfect fit.”
From the moment Brandon mentioned wanting a PS5, I started saving every penny to be able to get him one for Christmas. I even took longer hours at the hair saloon, hoping I’d be able to purchase the console just ahead of the holiday. It would be the perfect gift.
It wasn’t that Brandon couldn’t afford one. After all, he worked as a pediatrician and made lots of money, but was more the lack of time that prevented him from getting the PS5 he wanted so badly.
When I was finally able to get it with the help of my cousin, who got it from a reseller since it was hard to get, I was overjoyed. Whenever I passed by the closet where I had stored it, I imagined my fiancé’s face when he would unwrap it.
Brandon led a lavish lifestyle. He gave his family early Christmas gifts and it felt like he was on a spree. His mom and dad got his old apartment, but equipped with new appliances. His sister, Nina, received a bracelet and a high-tech art tablet, while his brother was given Brandon’s old Mercedes.
I was eager to see what he had for me, although I was never a receiver, but a giver.
I once mentioned that I needed new hair-styling scissors, so maybe Brandon got me a pair, who knew.
When the time came Brandon to open the gift I got him, his reaction was exactly like I imagined it would be. He was so excited he wouldn’t stop hugging me.
“Cheer up, Vanessa,” Brandon said, “you don’t like big gifts anyways.”
I was both hurt and confused, unable to understand what was happening.
Heading towards the bathroom, I let the tears roll down my face. I simply couldn’t contain them any longer.
The laughter was killing me, and hearing Brandon’s family saying I needed to lighten up made my stomach churn.
“Come out, honey,” Brandon said as he knocked on the bathroom’s door. “It was Nina’s idea, getting you a random gift. Isn’t she hilarious?” he continued, not realizing how humiliated I felt.
I did get out of the bathroom, but I didn’t stay where I wasn’t appreciated. Instead, I grabbed my coat and wished everyone a happy holiday.
Brandon’s mom turned to me and said, “You are ruining Christmas over a joke and you are making everyone feel uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable?” I asked with an icy tone. “That’s how I’ve felt all night.”
I went to my mom’s place, crying my heart out the entire night.
“Vanessa, this isn’t the first time Brandon sides with his family over you, maybe you should reconsider marrying him,” my mom said.
While I was having a cup of tea to calm me down, I saw Nina posted the video on her social media. Random strangers laughed and commented under it, and I felt humiliated and defeated.
When he approached the huge green anaconda, Rosolie was equipped with a custom-made carbon fiber suit. It was designed to withstand the immense pressure of the snake’s constricting coils.
The suit also had an integrated oxygen supply. Of course, there were a number of cameras attached to it in order to film his endeavor.
The attempt of getting eaten alive by the snake was shown in a Discovery Channel documentary.
However, despite wearing the special suit, Rosolie, who didn’t suffer significant injuries, explained that he had a hard time breathing when the anaconda threw its strong coils around his body.
The pressure he felt was immense.
“I’m getting coils over me,” he said during the encounter. “She’s got my arms pinned. She knows there’s nothing I can do.”
As the snake held tighter, his heart rate increased.
After it was extremely difficult for Rosolie to breath, the team who monitored the experiment freed him from the snake’s hold.
In a piece for The Guardian, he described feeling ‘grimly amused’ by the trailers in which he was shown being ‘eaten alive’ by the snake. But at the same time, it sparked criticism from both animal welfare organizations and the public.
“I was willing to try something risky and yes, maybe ridiculous, to bring attention to a place and a species I loved.
“I figured that if feeding myself to a snake was the price I needed to pay to try to alert the wider community about the devastation we are waging on nature, I had to accept.
“So on a sunny September day, I spent two hours in that claustrophobic suit, being constricted by a captive anaconda,” Rosolie said.
Rosolie’s experiment sparked worldwide discussions about conservation and the importance of protecting the Amazon rainforest.
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That morning, as I was having my coffee, glad that I finally found a babysitter after two of them quit after just a day without an explanation, I received a text from Meghan. “Sorry, but I won’t be able to continue working for your family. Thank you for the opportunity.”
I couldn’t believe what I read. Meghan seemed excited about being our babysitter. She clicked with the kids, and now this?
There was no logical explanation. How could a third babysitter quit so fast? Something wasn’t adding up.
As I felt my chest tightening, there was knock on the door. It was Julie, my best friend.
She could sense something was awfully wrong. “What’s wrong, Sarah?” she asked, worried for me.
“Oh, Julie, it’s the babysitter. She quit. Can you believe this?” I poured my heart out.
“The kids are well-behaved, the interviews go well, and I’m paying fairly, but they all quit after a day…no explanation, nothing.”
Julie looked at me, puzzled. “I don’t know, Sarah, maybe it’s not the kids, maybe there is something – or someone – in the house to blame.”
My mind went straight to my husband Dave, but he seemed too enthusiastic about me getting back to work. Still, a seed of doubt was planted in my mind.
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Just to be sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong, I decided to secretly install the nanny cam I used when Luke was still a baby.
I set it up in the living room, tucking it between some books on the shelf where it wouldn’t be noticed. And then, I waited.
As I drove to work the following morning, I could see Rachel, our new babysitter, a college girl happy to be working for us, playing with my kids on the floor.
And then, Dave entered the house.
“How’s it going?” he asked Rachel.
“The kids are awesome,” she replied and continued building the bricks.
“Can I have a talk with you?” Dave asked her.
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Hesitantly, she stood up from the floor and sat on the couch. My heart sank as I saw them talking, not knowing what to expect.
“Rachel, was it?” he asked. “Yes,” she replied, shyly.
“Listen, Rachel. Maybe you are not aware of it, but the kids can be a handful. And Sarah, she’s got a postpartum depression and can be a real mess.”
“But the kids are so nice,” Rachel said, confused by Dave’s words.
“You don’t understand,” Dave said, “you better leave before things get messy.”
I stopped my car, unable to continue driving. “What the hell is going on?” I thought to myself.
Next, Dave basically threatened our babysitter. “You better leave, or else,” he said, and I was shocked. I never expected my husband to act like that. It was as though he turned into a man I didn’t recognize.
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I drove back home after I saw Rachel grabbing her bag and leaving our house.
“Hey, honey,” Dave greeted me, “you are home early, what’s the matter?”
“Dave, why did you threatened the babysitter?” I asked him.
“What? What do you mean?” he pretended as though he didn’t know what I was talking about.
“You know what. I heard you. I saw the nanny cam?”
“You what!?” he yelled. “Were you spying on me?”
“Oh, Dave, don’t play a victim. I demand an explanation.
It was then that he admitted he hated the idea of me getting back to work. He believed my place was at home, taking care of the kids and the house.
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He claimed he was protecting me. But that wasn’t protection, that was control.
“I want what’s the best for the kids,” he said.
“But what about what’s best for me?” I asked. “Don’t I get a say in that? Don’t I deserve to have a life outside this house?”
Dave disappointed me. I lost my trust in him. He was no longer the man I loved.
I packed a bag of my and my kids’ belongings and went to my mom’s. I still haven’t decided what to do next, but I know I won’t let anyone take the control over my life.
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Dr. James Hiram Bedford was a man of many talents – a professor at the University of California and a veteran of World War I who lived a fulfilled life and traveled the world. But this man will be best remembered as the first person whose body underwent cryonic preservation. It is the practice of preserving a human body (or brain) at extremely low temperatures after death.
Bedford, who was a rather wealthy man, was diagnosed with kidney cancer that metastasized to his lungs in 1967, a time when the medicine was not as advanced as it is today.
At the time of his diagnosis, Bedford was familiar with the concept of cryonic preservation.
He read about in the book The Prospect of Immortality by Dr. Robert Ettinger.
Dr. Ettiger is the founder of the Cryonics Institute and is considered the father of body freezing experiments. His institute provides body freezing services after death, with the aim of potentially reviving it in the future when medical technology has advanced enough to cure the condition that caused the individual’s death.
Having read about this process, Bedfrod asked his body to be frozen after his passing.
On the afternoon of January 12, 1967, he was injected with dimethyl sulfoxide – to protect his internal organs – after all his blood was drained from his body.
Next, they placed Bedford in a tank of liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius.
Twenty-four years later, Alcor, an organization performing cryonic preservation, opened Bedford’s body and checked his cryogenic condition.
It was determined that the body was preserved nicely. His nose and mouth smelled like blood and his face looked younger than his 73 years. Areas of skin on his chest and neck were discolored and his corneas were the chalky white of ice.
Dr. James Hiram Bedford/ Wikimedia Commons
Then, technicians wrapped Bedford in a new sleeping bag and immersed his body in liquid nitrogen to wait.
Today, over 50 years after the promised time to wake Bredford, he’s still just a “mummy.”
According to Robert Nelson, one of three scientist who performed the cryonic preservation, Bredford’s last words were: “I want you to understand that I did not do this with the thought that I would be revived. I did this in the hope that one day my descendants will benefit from this wonderful scientific solution.”
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The sound of dry leaves crunched under Jordan’s feet as he pushed the stroller through the cemetery. It was the first anniversary of the passing of his wife Kyra, the mother of his triplets, whom he was now raising all by himself.
Each step towards Kyra’s resting place felt heavier than the other. With tears in his eyes, Jordan whispered, “We’re going to see mama.”
His triplets were babies when their mom died, and Jordan was heartbroken by the thought that they won’t remember her, her love, her devotion, and her warmth.
Life was cruel, but at least he had his babies, who were the only reason he kept going.
As they approached Kyra’s grave, Jordan noticed a man in his 50s brushing the epitaph that read: A twinkle in our eyes & hearts is now on the skies.
“Who could this man be?” Jordan wondered. His unease grew bigger when he finally got to Kyra’s resting place.
“You must be Jordan,” the man said. “Yes, and you are?” Jordan asked, confused.
The man introduced himself as Denis. He claimed to be Kyra’s old friend from Chicago.
“But she never mentioned someone named Denis,” Jordan thought to himself.
Denis approached the triplets. He observed their features and made comments about their appearance. His behavior was rather awkward, and it made Jordan uncomfortable.
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“Listen,” Denis said, “these babies aren’t yours. I’m their real father.”
These words shattered Jordan’s world.
“You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Give me the babies and start over,” Denis said and handed Jordan a check on $100,000.
Jordan froze and accused Denis of lying. Kyra could never lie to him.
But Denis knew too much about Kyra. He knew of her love for French cusine, her allergies, and even about the scar on her tight.
Jordan got scared. Without saying anything, he took the triplets and rushed towards his car.
The drive home felt like eternity. He had a hard time letting Denis’ words sink in. How could he know so much about Kyra? Was he right about the children? Could Kyra be unfaithful?
His head was buzzing with countless questions.
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Jordan’s thoughts drifted to the day he and Kyra first met. He was a bartender, and she walked in one day, taking his breath away. At first, she saw him as nothing more than a friendly bartender.
But one evening, as he was leaving the bar, he saw her crying. She had broken up with her boyfriend, and Jordan comforted her. From that moment on, their bond grew stronger, and she eventually fell fro him.
They tied the knot when she revealed she was pregnant. But no family of Kyra was in attendance. She told Jordan that her parents were dead, and he never questioned anything.
Denis’ words, especially his knowledge of Kyra’s scar, made Jordan doubt her love for him. He started asking himself if the triplets were really his or Denis was telling the truth.
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In the days that followed, Jordan went through hell.
Even the thought of losing his triplets sent waves of panic through him.
A week later, he got a call from Denis. “What have you decided? I want my children!” he said. But Jordan wasn’t about to give up without a fight.
“A father is someone who raises them and loves them unconditionally. I will always be there father.”
Denis hesitated a bit and then suggested they meet at a local cafe the following day. “Bring the babies with you,” he said and hung up the phone.
Jordan was fearful. What if it turned out Denis was the real father?
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In the morning, he went to the cafe Denis suggested. When he entered, Denis was already there, waiting for him.
Without saying anything, he handed Jordan an old photo.
Jordan was confused. The young woman on the photo resembled Kyra, and the man next to her was obviously Denis. But there was also another woman on the photo.
“What’s this?” Jordan asked, his hands trembling as he held the photo.
“I’m sorry, Jordan,” Dennis said. “I’m not the father of the triplets, I’m their grandfather.”
“What!?” Jordan asked. “But how could that be? Kyra’s parents are dead. She told me that herself.”
It turned out her dad wasn’t. Sadly, their relationship was strained and they didn’t have any contact. But following Kyra’s sudden passing, he wanted to meet her children.
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Denis wanted to be part of their lives, so he made up the story of being their dad. He wanted to take them and raise them as his own.
“I know I shouldn’t have done that, Jordan,” Denis said, with tears in his eyes. “But I really want to be part of their lives. My daughter is no longer here, but her babies are. I regret not being the best father, but let me be a better grandfather.”
Jordan needed time to think about everything. He was mad Denis lied to him, but over time, he forgave him.
Despite the pain of the past, they were united by shared responsibility.
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After years of struggling to conceive, my doctor delivered heartbreaking news that made me wonder if my marriage could even survive the weight of it. “You are infertile.” My world shattered and my dreams burst like a soap bubble. But my husband was there for me, restoring all my hopes when he mentioned the option of adopting.
Camden and I dreamed of becoming parents from the moment we tied the knot, but that didn’t come naturally to us.
Sadly, I learned I couldn’t be a mom. As much as I felt sorry for myself, my heart ached for my husband who deserved to be a father. “Don’t worry, Zelda,” he said at the doctor’s office after I head the news that broke my heart into a million pieces.
“Adopting a child in need of a family doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he said smilingly, trying to cheer me up.
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The thought of adopting found its roots in my head. It didn’t take long before we met with social workers and started foster care visits. The process was extremely slow, and the paperwork was endless, but we knew it would be worth it.
And then, one day, we met Nicholas, a five-year-old boy with the most beautiful brown eyes. I knew he belonged to us the moment I fist saw him.
We started the process of adopting him, but then, another family, a very wealthy one, came into the picture.
They were as interested in adopting Nicholas as Camden and I were.
Mrs. Jameson said they had the right to apply as well. Nicholas was about to spend a week with each family before making a decision. At that point, it was up to him to choose his family.
When the Featheringhams, the family interested in adopting Nicholas, entered the foster home, they acted as they owned the place. Mrs. Featheringhams wore a diamond necklace and looked at me and Camden from above, as though we weren’t worthy as a competition.
“You see, we can provide Nicholas with the best schools there are. He’ll live a life of luxury. Why don’t you make the kid a favor and quit trying for him?” she told us.
Turning to her husband, who was equally polished as she was, she said, “Honey, they are just a plain, middle class family. What do they have to offer? A tiny house in the suburb?”
The two started laughing, their words cutting deeper than I though they could.
The Featheringhams got a week with Nicholas first.
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When he came to our home, he couldn’t stop talking of the amusement parks they took him to, the toys they bought him, and the fancy food he had.
Whenever he would mention his adventures with them, my heart sank. “Did we have any chance?” I kept wondering, with the hope fading away.
We couldn’t afford expensive things, but we had a lot of love for that boy.
On the first day of his stay at our place, we took him to the zoo, but it started raining and we were forced to get back home where Camden built a fortress of blankets and used a flashlight as a pretended fire.
Nicholas seemed to like it.
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The following day, we visited the local arcade, but most of the machine there was broken. Instead, we went to the park and played the board games we had with us.
Camden even taught Nicholas how to play chess.
We ate at the local diner, took long walks, and shared stories of our childhoods with Nicholas.
One evening, as we were watching a film, he fell asleep in my lap, his hand holding mine tightly.
After the week passed, it was time Nicholas to make a decision.
Camden and I were at the office of Mrs. Jameson. Nicholas was sitting next to her, and the Featheringhams were opposite us.
“Nicholas, darling, don’t forget about all the toys. You can have everything you want with us,” Mrs. Featheringhams reminded him, certain he would choose them, because as she said, love doesn’t pay for college, and they had all the money in the world.
When Mrs. Jameson asked Nicholas about the family he wanted to live with, he was a bit hesitant, or maybe he was afraid to make the choice, not wanting to offend any of the four people eagerly waiting for his answer.
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After minutes of silence, which felt like eternity, he said, “I want to live with them,” pointing at me and Camden, “they are so fun.”
Tears started rolling down my face. The boy I knew belonged to me all along chose me to be his mommy.
The Featheringhams didn’t say a word. They just excused themselves and left the room, and Camden and I felt like the proudest parents ever.
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