“The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes says he will remain in mourning long after the shocking deaths of beloved friend Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, earlier this month.
“Because my heart still aches every time I think of you, I know the grief of losing you too soon will likely never go away,” Elwes wrote Tuesday in an Instagram tribute to his longtime friends.
Elwes published his heartfelt remembrance of the Reiners more than two weeks after they were found dead in their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. “Enough time has passed that I can finally put my grief into words,” Elwes began his post.
The actor, 63, looked back on his time working with Reiner on 1987’s “The Princess Bride” and their relationship over the years since then, sharing behind-the-scenes footage from filming and a charming snippet from a reunion celebrating the 25th anniversary. He recalled meeting Reiner nearly 40 years ago when he was cast as Westley, the farmboy-turned-hero of the beloved fantasy film.
Elwes, who had been a Reiner fan before working with the filmmaker, wrote that “from that very first meeting I fell in love with him.”
The “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Stand By Me” director was “someone I wanted in my life,” Elwes continued, recalling the filmmaker’s authenticity and efforts to find the best in people. Looking back on his time with Reiner on “The Princess Bride,” Elwes wrote, “I can’t remember a single day without laughter.”
The actor’s social media post also paid tribute to the Reiners’ relationship and their longtime devotion to progressive political causes. “In a town where many talk the talk, they truly walked it,” Elwes wrote.
Elwes celebrated Reiner’s effortless comedy and dedication to “finding the joy.” He also compared making Reiner laugh to winning the lottery.
“His laugh was one of the greatest sounds I’ve ever known,” Elwes wrote, “so heartfelt it still rings in my ears.”
Elwes and Reiner maintained a bond long after “The Princess Bride” and collaborated again in 2015 on “Being Charlie.” Nick Reiner, the filmmaker’s second son, co-wrote the movie about a successful actor with political ambitions and a son addicted to drugs. The younger Reiner, 32, has been charged with murdering his parents after years of struggling with addiction and other issues.
Elwes, the latest Hollywood figure to salute the Reiners, concluded his post channeling a memorable line from his “Princess Bride” character.
“Sure, death cannot stop true love,” he wrote, “but life is pain without you.”
Princess Kate and her daughter Princess Charlotte shared a touching moment at the royals’ carol concert, Together At Christmas, that had fans in tears, as Louis stole the show
19:56, 24 Dec 2025Updated 19:57, 24 Dec 2025
The Princess of Wales opens royal Christmas concert with touching duet with Princess Charlotte(Image: Kensington Palace)
The Princess of Wales and her daughter, Charlotte, delighted fans by sharing a. beautiful moment together at the royal carol service. The concert was filmed at the beginning of December but aired on ITV on Christmas Eve.
Opening the concert, Catherine and Charlotte took to the piano together for a song. As a voiceover from the Princess spoke about the meaning of Christmas, a pre-recorded duet with her daughter played.
The mother and daughter played Holm Sound, a 2020 piece of music by Erland Cooper. It was written for the composer’s mother, Charlotte. Cooper hails from the Orkney Islands, and his work is inspired by nature and connection, themes which, according to ITV, are of deep importance to The Princess of Wales.
“Omg! It’s The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte on the piano!” one fan wrote online. Another added: “Aaaw, a mother daughter duet from the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte. How lovely.”
A third said: “The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte! So beautiful.” Another added: “Princess Charlotte and our beautiful Princess of Wales playing piano together. What a beautiful vision and spoken words – Together at Christmas. Wow.”
One emotional fan particularly loved Catherine’s speech: “What a gorgeous opening, well spoken and incredibly thoughtful. 1st speech I’ve wanted to listen to this festive season. Found myself quite tearful.”
The Royal Family teased Kate and Charlotte’s musical moment before the concert. They posted a teaser of Kate on the piano to Instagram with the caption: “A special duet…” Fans were excited, and many remembered when the princess accompanied Tom Walker on the piano in 2021.
The Princess has been playing the piano since she was a child. Her second public performance came in 2023 when she appeared in a segment of the Eurovision Song Contest’s opening sequence. She has passed on her love of the piano to her daughter.
During the concert, fans also pointed out how lovely it was to see the whole of Kate and Prince William’s family together. “Beautiful images of the Prince & Princess of Wales & their three gorgeous children. What a wonderful example of family unity & love.”
William and Kate have two sons, as well as Charlotte. George is their eldest, and Louis is their youngest. The younger son is known for his tendency to steal the show at big events, with his outgoing and often silly nature.
In 2023, Louis made many smile as he provided some hilarity to the service. During one song, he leaned over and blew out his sister’s candle. Charlotte was left giggling at her brother’s behaviour, as were many fans.
The Princess of Wales personally requested compoer Erland Cooper to watch her and Princess Charlotte perform his piece, Holm Sound, at Windsor Castle for tonight’s Together At Christmas on ITV
Princess Charlotte playing the piano with her mum the Princess of Wales as part of the Royal Carols: Together at Christmas concert(Image: Kensington Palace)
The composer behind the piece of music played by the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte has spoken of his pride of witnessing their “incredible bond”. Kate was joined by her 10-year-old daughter for a special performance to launch her Together at Christmas carol concert broadcast on ITV1 this evening.
She personally requested Erland Cooper to accompany them at Windsor Castle earlier this month as they performed his piece Holm Sound. The award winning composer and producer, from Orkney in Scotland, cited as “one of the most unique, consistently engaging composers of his generation”, is renowned for taking inspiration for his melodic work from nature and connection.
Speaking of his shared passion for the natural world with the princess, who has credited immersing herself in nature as a marker in her recovery from cancer treatment last year, Erland said: “It was such a treat, such a lovely, warm and inviting day to be present with Their Royal Highnesses. It completely took me by surprise. I’m used to rambling around the ruins and brochs of the Orkney Islands, but to go to Windsor Castle itself was a slightly different architectural wonder.”
Erland, 43, wrote his classical piece in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, taking inspiration from the wild environment of the Orkney islands. The Princess of Wales, who has played the piano since the age of 10, first wrote to Erland to express her love of his music and thank him for his dedication to promoting the beauty of the natural world through his craft.
Through their exchange of messages, the future queen revealed how she had enjoyed teaching Charlotte his compositions at home, creating a special bond between them. As she planned to create a special moment as part of her fifth annual Together at Christmas carol concert, celebrating hundreds of community heroes at Westminster Abbey, the princess requested to play one of her favourite pieces with her daughter as part of the television on ITV1 on Christmas Eve.
“I’m always in the head and hearts and back gardens of others. I often think, in this case, this little piece of music sort of landed on her shoulder like a bird,” Erland said. “And when you write a piece of music and you share it with the world, you’re sort of letting that out, and you’re letting it go, and you have no idea how far and wide it might fly. So it’s always a great surprise when people write to me or call me, and this was, you know, one of those great surprises. I didn’t expect it at all.”
Describing the moment as “a wonderful bit of serendipity” after originally composing the piece for his mother, Charlotte, Erland said: “We had a very warm, creative conversation earlier in the year, which was lovely, and then it culminated with an invitation to Windsor Castle. The princess asked ‘Would it be okay if we perform this piece of music that we so enjoy together?’
“It was such a lovely request so I said absolutely no problem at all. I was invited to witness this incredible bond between mother and daughter performing together and for that I am so grateful. And there’s a wonderful bit of serendipity as the piece was composed and dedicated to my mum, also called Charlotte, they didn’t know about, that it’s about motherhood, and how family plays such an important role and such a key part to all of this.
“The Princess and I both have a sort of shared love of music that celebrates the natural world and its rejuvenation and the wonder that you know that comes from it. There’s so much joy and warmth and creativity and ideas surrounding those themes.”
Erland, whose work combines field recordings with traditional orchestration and electronic elements, is renowned for burying the only copy of his first classical album as part of the “return to the natural earth” process. In 2021, after deleting all digital copies of his composition, he planted the master tape in peaty soil in Orkney, along with a “cheap violin”, the original score in a biscuit tin and a note to return to sender if it was ever found.
Erland posted clues on his website, but said if no-one found it he would dig it up himself and release the music in 2024, no matter how much the recording had changed. The score was discovered by two fans who found the soggy spool of magnetic tape buried in Stromness and returned it to him.
The record, titled Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence, later became a number one classical album, in collaboration with nature, topping the UK official charts in 2024.
Erland added: “I merely tap into the energy of the natural world, and I’m very grateful for it. It is a constant source of inspiration. It’s the life blood of my work. The idea behind my first piece was to compose, decompose, and then recompose. The finished piece would be a collaboration with Mother Nature. We all have this incredible connection to the natural world and I find it so warming that the Princess of Wales has found solace and such comfort in nature.”
On witnessing Kate and Charlotte sharing the stage together for their joint performance, he said: “It was just lovely. I think I was there for a little bit of encouragement. I mean, imagine anybody performing a piece of music in front of a film crew, and then the person who wrote it. Princess Charlotte played beautifully, she really has a wonderful way of playing the lighter notes just beautifully. So we were able to celebrate in that together.
“It’s certainly one of my favorite winter solstice moments. To walk into the Castle, to be greeted by a Steinway grand piano, and then to have a really poignant recital and performance. It was a very special, sort of quiet moment. There’s a power in reaching out to people, and that’s what they did here.”
Princess Andre has revealed that neither her mum, Katie Price, or dad, Peter Andre, have watched her ITV series The Princess DiariesCredit: ITVPeter, who Princess has a close bond with, appeared on the first season of the ITV showCredit: GettyWhile Katie claimed she was shunned from the production and didn’t feature in itCredit: PA
And despite the show being a massive hit, Princess says her famous parents weren’t sitting down on the couch to give it a watch.
She told The Sun: “I actually don’t think either of my parents have watched the show.”
“I don’t think it’s my dad’s thing, it’s more, it’s a show for people my age to watch, I think,” explained Princess, who was speaking at the launch of 3D Refirm x Facebible in Windsor.
Exes Katie and Peter share Princess and her older brother Junior, 20. While Peter is also a dad to Theo, Amelia and Arabella, and Katie to Harvey, Jett and Bunny.
“I’ve finished for season two and then I’ve got season three to film. So, I’m really excited. I think people are going to love it,” she said.
A date for the show’s release has not yet been confirmed, with Princess simply telling fans last year: “See you in 2026”.
In a break from filming, Princess was speaking at The Fairmont in Windsor, where Dr Raj Arora was launching 3D refirm – non-surgical skin tightening procedures – at her clinic, Facebible.
The doctor is a close friend of Princess’s dad and stepmum, Emily Macdonagh, who were also in attendance at the event.
She is the first doctor to offer 3D refirm at a medical-grade in the UK, with the treatment now available to book at http://www.thefacebible.com.
Princess is currently filming for the second two seasons of her reality showCredit: SplashHer brother, Junior, also features in the show as the pair’s close relationship is displayedCredit: Getty
Dec. 19 (UPI) — Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s lung condition has worsened, and her doctors are considering a lung transplant, the royal palace announced Friday.
The 52-year-old was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a rare, chronic disease that causes lung tissue to become damaged and scarred. This scarring causes difficulty for the lungs to carry oxygen to the bloodstream.
Symptoms of the condition include shortness of breath, dry cough, fatigue, weight loss and loss of appetite, muscle or joint pain, and rounded or swollen fingertips.
“During the autumn, a number of tests have been carried out that show a clear worsening of the crown princess’ health,” a statement from the palace said.
“The physicians at Rikshospitalet University Hospital have therefore started the process towards an evaluation for potential lung transplant surgery.”
At the time of her diagnosis, Mette-Marit predicted the condition would restrict her ability to perform royal duties.
“Although such a diagnosis will limit my life at times, I’m glad that the disease has been discovered so early,” she said in 2018. “My goal is still to work and participate in the official program as much as possible.
Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon, son of King Harald V and heir to the throne, in 2001. The couple share two children — Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, and Mette-Marit has a 28-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, from a previous relationship.
Høiby faces trial early next year on 32 charges, including four counts of rape.
Former President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Citizens Medal to Liz Cheney during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on January 2, 2025. The Presidential Citizens Medal is bestowed to individuals who have performed exemplary deeds or services. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
