AFO Finale and More Miscellany

The Music Academy of the West ended its annual summer festival on a high note at the Granada with the Academy Festival Orchestra, under conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, playing Mahler’s “Symphony No. 3 in D Minor.”

The stellar performance featured Julia Holoman, mezzo-soprano fellow, the children’s troupe Sing! and the Music Academy Women’s Chorus.

Stirring stuff…

Commission Findings

Prince Harry has issued a scathing response after the Charity Commission for England and Wales said it discovered no evidence of “widespread or systemic bullying, harassment or misogyny” at the Sentebale charity co-founded by him and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

Although the commission also announced that it found no “overreach” by the Riven Rock resident or the African charity’s current chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, it criticized both parties for allowing the dispute “to play out publicly.”

The commission pointed to poor internal governance within Sentebale and claimed both the Duke of Sussex and Chandauka’s “failure to resolve disputes internally severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally.”

A spokesperson for Harry says it isn’t surprising the commission found no evidence of wrongdoing as “falsely claimed by the current chairman.”

The Sentebale scandal began in March when Harry and Seeiso, who co-founded the charity in 2006 to helps AIDS patients in Africa, announced they were stepping away from their roles as patrons and trustees due to infighting within the organization.

Stay tuned…

Legal Fees Continue

Meghan Markle is gearing up for another legal battle with her half-sister Samantha Markle.

The former actress emerged victorious in early 2023 after Samantha sued her in Federal Court for allegedly making “demonstrably false statements” about her to global audiences during her sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Samantha, 60, filed the $75,000 suit after the former Suits actress, 44, told Winfrey she grew up as an only child during her and Harry’s bombshell March 2021 interview.

Samantha, who shares the same father as Meghan, claimed the comments subjected her to “humiliation and hatred.”

At the time a judge in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal in Atlanta, Georgia, scheduled the case for earlier this month.

But, according to the New York Post, the hearing will now be on September 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

A Close Call

Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry dealt with a scary incident on her Lifetimes Tour.

The singer, 40, had invited several young people on stage for a rendition of her 2011 song “The One That Got Away” at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

But one of the youngsters, named McKenna, suddenly collapsed, as seen in a shared video.

Immediately Katy dropped to the floor to help as crew members and medical staff rushed to help.

After McKenna was taken off the stage, Perry hugged the other three fans and led a group prayer, according to Billboard.

In the Courts

Actor Chris Pratt is involved in Katy Perry’s unfortunate legal battle over a $15 million Montecito estate.

He is expected to be a witness as he and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger are currently renting the property from the Santa Barbara musician.

The legal dispute stems from the sale of the property by U.S. Army veteran Carl Westcott in 2020, when he claims he was under the influence of medication when he made the sale.

Stay tuned…

Moving Around

Former Montecito funnyman John Cleese, 85, is planning to return to the idyllic Regency town of Bath, a tiara’s toss or two from where he grew up.

The former Monty Python star, who described himself as “surprisingly poor” after a particularly expensive divorce, has moved a number of times since leaving our rarefied enclave, most recently to Nevis in the Caribbean and the postage stamp-sized principality of Monaco.

He said in April he’s gifted his $2 million home in London’s oh-so tony Chelsea to his fourth wife, Jennifer Wade, “to make her feel secure.”

Cleese bought a home in Bath’s architectural gem Royal Crescent in 2016 and then sold it two years later when he settled in Nevis.

Interestingly enough, his London home in Culford Gardens, was just down the road from me off Sloane Square, making us both Sloane Rangers.

Sightings

Oscar winner Kevin Costner checking out the chukkers at the Santa Barbara Polo Club… Actor Josh Brolin at Pierre Lafond… Author T.C. Boyle at Lucky’s.

Pip! Pip!