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ALFA ROMEO - BMW WHAT IT IT ALL MEANS PRICE Recommended retail figure at time of publication (asterisk indicates driveaway price) ENGINE TYPE L, in-line; V, vee; F, flat. Number of cylinders. T, turbo; S, supercharged; D, diesel; H, hybrid; E, electric SIZE Litres or kWh POWER kW TORQUE Nm TRANSMISSION M, manual; A, auto; D, dual-clutch; C, CVT WEIGHT Kerb, kg 0-100 km/h, acceleration in seconds (Wheels as-tested figures in italics) FUEL CONS Consumption in litres, or kWh, per 100km RON Octane of fuel required, as numbered, or D for diesel RESALE percent, 3-year resale in Glass’s ISSUE TESTED month/year DRIVE A, all-wheel; F, front; R, rear. Any figure in bold is our own estimate. BMW – FORD WHAT IT IT ALL MEANS PRICE Recommended retail figure at time of publication (asterisk indicates driveaway…

It was the shocking tell-all that shook Buckingham Palace down to its 318-year-old foundations, blowing Princess Diana’s infamous 1995 Panorama confessional out of the water. And less than 24 hours after the world watched Meghan Markle and Prince Harry level explosive accusations of racism and neglect against the House of Windsor during their TV sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, one of their main targets, the Duchess of Cambridge, was seen looking stone-cold furious as she ran errands in London. The palace took the traditional route of issuing a brief statement professing their sadness and concern at Meghan and Harry’s claims – though it included a stinging jibe that “some recollections may vary”. The statement ended with the declaration that the family would investigate the issues privately. But New Idea can exclusively reveal via Kensington Palace…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were allowed to form a key part of the Queen’s funeral – at her wish – but now the buck stops with the King. Having “tolerated” Harry and Meghan’s presence during his mother’s 10-day farewell, the new monarch, 73, has told confidants that “he couldn’t wait to see the back of them”. “This has been the hardest two weeks of Charles’ life. He had to grieve his mother, face the world’s media, shake hands with guests, and all the while he was wondering what his son and daughter-in-law were plotting next,” says a source. “It might sound harsh, but they brought it on themselves, especially with Harry’s memoir looming over them, and Meghan’s threat made just before the Queen died that she could ‘say anything’ about the…

David Langdon could hear the revs a mile away as his old pick-up truck tore full-throttle around the property. “Holy hell, he’s giving it some boot today,” thought David over the din. But when David strode up to tell his brother-in-law to keep the ruckus down, long blonde hair was whipping out the driver’s side window. Behind the wheel was his daughter Allison, age 12, hooting and hooning. “I’m in awe of her adventurous spirit, but it’s her warmth and compassion that make her unique.”– Tara Brown “She’d pinched the keys and hit the gas. Even today, Allison’s a speed demon. If you’re in a car with her, you hang on!” laughs mum Helen. “Another time she lit a fire nearby and it got into our land. Next thing … BOOM! Up…

It’s been more than 15 years since 3-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing from her bed while holidaying with her parents and siblings in Portugal’s Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007 – and still, potential leads in the unsolved case continue to flow in. Now, a young woman claiming to be the missing British girl has shared ‘evidence’ to support her theory and is begging the McCann family to agree to a DNA test. Julia Wandelt (also referred to as Wendel or Wendell), from Poland, recently launched the Instagram account @iammadeleinemccan, revealing that she began questioning whether she was Madeleine “a few months ago” after hearing “something” from her grandma. The 21-year-old has since posted a series of photographs that she believes prove her likeness to the youngster. “I have a…

Ellidy Pullin is sun-kissed, sandy-haired, brimming with life. She grew up on the long, yellow arc of Sydney’s Narrabeen Beach, which blessed her with a love of nature, a dusting of freckles, a free spirit and an open-hearted optimism. These are all qualities that the love of her life, the late snowboarding champ Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin treasured. Eighteen months after his death, cradling their little one Minnie in her arms, not one of those qualities has dimmed – in spite of a fierce buffeting by heartache. “Now that life has flashed in front of my eyes, I’ve realised that it is all so fragile,” she says. “So I take every moment as it comes. Nothing really bad had ever happened in my life, and then the worst thing I could imagine…

Although the newly-minted monarchs took pride of place at the ceremony, those born to rule in the future managed to steal the spotlight on several occasions. The Prince and Princess of Wales were standouts on the day, with their three children – Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 – melting hearts across the globe. Kate looked positively regal in an ivory Alexander McQueen silk crepe gown, embroidered with the national flora of the United Kingdom. The 41-year-old opted not to wear a tiara for the historic occasion, instead donning a silver bullion and crystal headpiece by British milliner Jess Collett. Charlotte coordinated with her mum in a matching dress and headpiece. And although George played a key role in the Coronation – as a Page of Honour to…

“Mat was sweet … He suffered depression his whole life. Tried to kill himself twice.”– Natasha Darcy The pencil pines that line the winding, dirt driveway mean we can’t see the farmhouse, leaving us blind as to what awaits us at the end. My chest tightens as we edge closer. As a crime reporter, I’ve travelled to the cool and misty town of Walcha, just east of Tamworth in the NSW Northern Tablelands, to confront a so-called ‘black widow’. She is being investigated for the murder of her grazier boyfriend, Mathew Dunbar, not long after he made her the sole beneficiary of his multimillion-dollar sheep farm. While the farmer’s girlfriend claims it was a suicide, most of the town is convinced she played a role in his death and, two months…

During A Country Practice’s golden years, millions of Aussies would tune in every week to watch the love story between Molly (played by Anne Tenney) and Brendan Jones (played by Shane Withington) unfold. But devoted fans had no idea that, away from Wandin Valley, Anne and Shane had also fallen head over heels in love with each other, and were desperately trying to keep their real-life romance a secret. Even Emily Nicol, who played their on-screen daughter, Chloe, was oblivious about the relationship for years, despite the former child actor exclusively telling New Idea that Shane and Anne became like parents to her. “There was a close bond with both of my on-screen parents,” Emily reveals, 40 years since ACP’s first episode went to air on Channel 7. “Both Shane and Anne are the…

I was named Joan Henrietta Collins, but perhaps you may know me better as ‘Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan’ from the TV series Dynasty, or perhaps Edith Keeler, the saintly missionary worker on Star Trek. I was born on 23 May, sometime between the end of the Great Depression and the beginning of the Second World War … Oscar Wilde once said, “Any woman who would reveal her age, would reveal anything.” So there! You can always Google it. I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt and a loyal friend. I have three children, three grandchildren and 13 godchildren, who range in age from nine months to 57 years old, and some of whom may not even remember that I’m their godmother. I am an actress –…

MIKE’S FLIRT-FEST WITH SARAH! He was accused of gaslighting his on-screen wife Heidi Latcham during their season, but according to our insider, Mike Gunner sets his sights on a new bride during the reunion. “He was seriously flirty on set,” dishes the show spy. “Mike was like a kid in a candy shop and was trying his luck with anyone he could. At one stage he seemed very starry-eyed for Sarah. There was lots of chatter about his interest in her”. INES IS NASTIER THAN EVER! She quickly became one of the series’ biggest villains after she unleashed a scathing verbal attack on her husband, Bronson Norris, while on their honeymoon – and fans shouldn’t expect anything less from Ines Basic upon her return. “Ines was so hostile!” says an anonymous participant. “It’s…

An air fryer works more like a small fan-forced oven and bakes food Air fryers have gained quite the following due to their reputation for being a convenient kitchen helper. They’re great for small households, can cook simple (or extravagant) dinners, and are handy for heating leftovers. Some fervent fans even admit to owning two or three, and others claim they now no longer need to use their oven at all. But with price tags ranging from $599 or more for a top-of-the-line Philips model to less than $60 for a Kmart version, it’s worth considering how much you’re prepared to pay to buy into the craze. When our expert testers put 21 popular air fryers through their paces in our labs, a few cheaper models got their tick of approval, which…

Maggie Tabberer has graced the cover of The Australian Women’s Weekly many times but confesses she never thought she’d still be a cover girl at 84. “Darling, I’m thrilled,” she tells me settling into the make-up chair at our photographic studio. It took some coaxing to persuade the former model and Aussie icon out of retirement to step in front of the photographer’s lens once more for a full-blown photo shoot, but she is clearly having a ball. No sooner has she arrived than she’s talking through clothes, fabrics, hats, wraps and jewellery with The Weekly’s Style Director Mattie Cronan and sharing reminiscences from her days back in the 1960s as famous photographer Helmut Newton’s muse. And when she’s ready for her close-up Maggie doesn’t flinch and picks up right where she…

Anna Bey holidays around the world, eats at the best high-end restaurants, wears expensive clothes and mingles with the rich and influential. It’s a lifestyle she’s worked hard for – and one she’s now sharing with other women through her online finishing school. “I didn’t come from a wealthy background,” Anna, 35, tells New Idea. “I grew up with parents who had regular jobs. I only got a taste for the finer things in life when I was 19 and travelled to Rome on a student loan to study Italian.” It was there Anna met an affluent boyfriend who introduced her to luxurious parties and high-calibre members of Rome’s society. “I felt like I was in a movie,” Anna, who is now based in Geneva, Switzerland, laughs. ‘MY STUDENTS WANT TO FEEL MORE CONFIDENT…

Father’s Day 2005 began early for thousands of Australian dads who woke to cold tea and toast and gifts wrapped by small hands, before heading out to celebrate with their own fathers at backyard barbecues and picnic lunches all around the country. But for recently separated Victorian father Robert Farquharson, 35, Father’s Day was a forlorn affair spent browsing the toy aisles of his local Kmart store with his three children – and listening to the car radio while they gobbled KFC before he dropped them back at the former family home where he was no longer welcome. Ironically, it had not been Farquharson’s turn to have his children - Jai, 10, Tyler, seven, and Bailey, two – on September 4, 2005, because Father’s Day had fallen on a weekend that he…

When it was revealed Prince Harry met with his estranged father and brother for two hours following Prince Philip’s solemn funeral on April 17, royal insiders were all ears for the result. New Idea’s sources say that while talks were “at first cordial”, once they got to the core of each other’s perceived wrongs, things turned tense. “William had some very choice words to say about Harry’s Oprah interview, which he will never not see as a huge betrayal,” explains a royal source. “Harry has such a chip on his shoulder, there was no backing down from either one of them – and certainly no real apology was made. Charles was already in an emotional state after burying his father and couldn’t bring himself to confront Harry about any of the bad blood.…

Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle denounced palace life, it has become clear to royal watchers that almost everything the couple have said upon their exit were empty promises. On numerous occasions, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have appeared to go back on their word, or even contradicted themselves in some cases. Through it all, the Queen has remained dignified in her stoicism. Yet, her legendary patience is being tested by the latest Sussex bombshell. Indeed, it’s believed the 95-year-old monarch finally snapped last week, after she was informed her grandson is writing a memoir as part of a four-book deal. But the real kicker is a caveat that the second book isn’t to be published until after she dies! Although a Sussex spokesperson has denied the claims about the second book, a…

“WHILE IT’S A SMALL COTTAGE, EVERY ROOM FEELS SPACIOUS – AND WE’VE CREATED LOTS OF LIGHT-FILLED SPACES TO SIT.”James Watts, homeowner After decades of inner-city living, James Watts was hankering for a tree-change. With fond memories of growing up in the English countryside, the Sydney-based managing director of rug brand Armadillo found himself dreaming of rolling hills and rural vistas. Three years ago, he sold his home in Sydney’s inner east and started searching for a cottage within a 150-kilometre-or-so radius of the city. For 12 months, James and his partner Tony Chapman spent their weekends hunting for the perfect place. They began their search on the NSW South Coast before gravitating inland to the Southern Highlands. On one of their exploration missions, they took a turn-off to Burrawang, an historic village of…

With six children under the age of 14, you can only begin to imagine the juggling act that is Lauren Newton’s day to day. After welcoming her sixth child, son Alby, with husband, Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh, 44, last August, 40-year-old Lauren’s world became more beautifully busy than ever before. Now, the mum to sons Sam, 13, Monty, 5, and Alby, 11 months, and daughters Eva, 12, Lola, 9, and Perla, 2, is sharing her triumphs, challenges and learnings as New Idea’s new parenting columnist... THE MORE THE MERRIER “As a proud mum of six, life is very busy. I am so lucky to share this journey with a wonderful husband and very helpful parents, but it’s definitely a full-time job. When I had my first child, Sam, 13 years ago, I never realised just…

Prince Philip, wartime naval hero and the Queen’s “beloved” husband for 73 years, died at the age of 99 – just two months shy of his 100th birthday. The longest-serving and oldest royal consort in British and Commonwealth history passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle on April 9. His daughter-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, revealed: “It was right for him. It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went.” After dedicating his life to being by the Queen’s side, it was fitting then that Her Majesty was at the Duke of Edinburgh’s bedside during his final moments. “The Queen paid tribute to her husband saying he was her ‘strength and stay’ and that’s absolutely right,” explains royal author, Andrew Lownie. “She is a strong woman…

Julie Goodwin knows what struggle is. She has lived it, breathed it and walked side by side with it more than once during her life. Among the clearest and most poignant of her childhood recollections is an indelible memory of a time when her mother, Marlene, battled to put food on the table each night. “When I was little, Mum was on her own for a time while we were growing up,” recalls Julie, one of Australia’s most recognised and popular cooks. “She endured a lot of struggles. I clearly remember one Christmas when we were living in a flat in Normanhurst on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, and there was a knock at the door. Mum opened it and there was someone from the St Vincent de Paul Society holding a…

It was 2010 when Aussie-born Cambridge University historian John Guy took the phone call that would rock his world. On the line was Sotheby’s in London. The famed auction house had just been given a cache of newly discovered Queen Elizabeth I documents that they thought the Tudor expert might like to peruse before they went under the hammer. “Intrigued, I hurried down to New Bond Street. Breathtakingly, 43 documents in pristine condition, more than half signed by Elizabeth or her leading courtiers, were laid out on the desk,” John tells me with renewed excitement. He had no expectations but what he found was explosive. “The rules were the usual ones in these circumstances: no notes, no photos, as these were properties up for sale. All shed fresh light on the…

I opened my eyes, and there he was standing over me, just inches from my face. He was stroking my head, my hair; God, he was handsome. I wished he were someone who loved me instead of someone whose next words were, “You’re bleeding into your brain.” It was late September 2001. I was in the ER at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. I asked Dr Handsome, “Will I lose my ability to speak?” He said it’s possible. I needed to call my mom and my sister. They needed to hear this from me while I could still tell them myself. I called my sister, Kelly. She was as she always is: the most magnificent person I know. Then I called my mom, a more difficult conversation for me,…

Neighbours star Melissa Bell announced her engagement to Grant Thompson in 2020, just four years after the devastating death of her husband, Gary Dickinson. But no-one was more surprised by the relationship than Melissa herself. “I wasn’t looking for love,” she says. “So to meet Grant, that was really nice and it just felt right. We have a lot of things in common and we are similar in many ways. I wasn’t looking for it, but it’s a gift.” Inviting New Idea to join her as she tried on wedding gowns at Rosa & Mary’s Bridal Shop in Queensland, Melissa was every inch the blushing bride-to-be. But, the former E Street star admits planning her big day hasn’t been smooth sailing, with the global pandemic forcing her and Grant to postpone their…

“WE WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE HOME’S BEAUTIFUL TIMBER PANELLING AND SIGNATURE SIBBEL DESIGN FEATURES.” Fleur Sibbel, owner Fleur Sibbel, co-owner and managing director of furniture company Zuster, first saw this house late one night when she was scrolling through real estate listings online. Curious, she made an appointment for a viewing which confirmed her suspicions: the 1970s house was originally built by her father, Meyer, part of a family of builders who migrated to Australia from Holland after World War II. Sibbel Builders was renowned for its high level of workmanship and forward-thinking ideas, such as siting homes with a northerly aspect, installing concrete slabs with hydronic heating and limiting excavation in order to preserve sites as much as possible. Indeed, Heritage Victoria acknowledged the company as being ahead of its time…

Hall of FAME Dolly changes her tune Dolly Parton initially declined her nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but the honour turned out to be a prompt for the star to record a rock album. “I thought, ‘Well, no better time to do it.’ I’d always wanted to. My husband is a big hard rock ‘n’ roll fan,” she revealed to music magazine Pollstar. The irrepressible Dolly, 76, was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Pink. New arrivals Three times the love Actress Michelle Williams, 42, has welcomed her third child, her second with hubby Thomas Kail. The new bub is a sibling to Matilda, 17, and Hart, two. Rebel’s reveal! After speaking candidly about her fertility struggle, Rebel Wilson has welcomed a daughter, Royce, via a surrogate. “She’s a beautiful miracle!” Rebel…

Not content with pushing her body to its limits on SAS Australia, mum of four, Jana Pittman, has found a new way to stretch her boundaries – a twins pregnancy! “I never thought I’d have six children,” Jana, the last woman standing on Channel 7’s popular reality show, exclusively tells New Idea during our photo shoot at her Sydney home. “I don’t know how we are going to cope. How will we all fit into my car? I can see life is going to be a logistical nightmare.” The much-loved contestant says she fell pregnant in the months after filming wrapped and is now 11 weeks along – and constantly nauseous. “Early on, I used to wonder: ‘Why am I so nauseous?’ None of my other babies made me feel sick,” Jana explains,…

Bombshell documents about Ghislaine Maxwell’s private life could reveal damning details about her relationship with the Clintons and Prince Andrew. This month, a federal judge in the United States ruled that the secret files would be unsealed. The documents are part of a batch of material gathered by Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s legal team, who allege that Maxwell recruited her when she was just 16 as a sex slave, taking her to Jeffrey Epstein to be repeatedly raped and abused. Until July 2020, British socialite Maxwell lived a life of privilege, consorting with the upper echelons of society and getting exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it. She became entangled with millionaire financier Epstein in the early ’90s, travelling the world with him and partying with celebrities, politicians like former US President…

Julia Morris doesn’t enter a room. She bursts into one. “Stand clear, mediocre talent walking,” the comedian cracks as she arrives on The Weekly’s set. It’s the beginning of a series of pithy and often self-deprecating jokes that will launch the assembled crew into fits of giggles throughout our shoot, occasionally holding up proceedings as we get sucked into the comedic stories. It’s this effortless flow of banter that has seen her traverse what she calls her “75 years in the business”, pivoting from one opportunity to the next and finding a legion of new, loyal fans along the way. But while it’s easy to write Julia off as a human one-liner generator, scratch gently beneath the surface and there’s a woman of many layers and complexities sitting underneath. “That was…

On October 3, 2019, a carefree teenage girl walked out of her family home and along streets lined with old wooden Queenslanders and well-tended subtropical gardens. The day was warm and full of promise. All over suburban Brisbane, jacarandas were flowering. Asha Morris was on her way to visit her boyfriend; then to the white-sand beaches of the Sunshine Coast for a family holiday. These were some of the last steps Asha would take independently for 18 months. In the following days, her world would shift on its axis. Her safe life in a comfortable, leafy suburb would be gone, she’d struggle for her very survival, and emerge a different person to that frivolous, slightly rebellious 15-year-old girl. “I was a ratbag,” Asha remembers now. “I was really naughty.” Her mother, Lucinda (or Luci)…

In these times, there are many reasons why women are publicly sharing their stories. For some, it’s a cathartic moment and they hope to improve institutions, laws and policies for future generations while others are seeking retribution. Often, it’s emancipation from years of hiding pain and can help others feel that they don’t have to suffer alone, too. Erica Packer’s motivation to speak to Vogue was born of a desire to raise awareness for the needs of rural Australian schools. It wasn’t planned to be a particularly personal story, but as with so much in our lives right now, things changed. I first sent a journalist and photographer to cover Erica’s work with UNICEF in 2011, accompanying her with a TV crew up in Laos, where she was highlighting work building schools…

Many renovations turn up the unexpected. But not every journey unveils such a sweet surprise as the one Melbourne homeowners Bridie and Justin uncovered: a magical view of the city skyline and, on clear nights, the moon, from the landing that leads to their new upstairs retreat. “Every time I walk up to our bedroom, I pause on the stairs for a few seconds to take it all in,” says Bridie. “It’s a very special view and a wonderful bonus of the renovation.” Certainly, though, the couple were confident they were in good hands when they engaged Mikayla Rose, principal designer and director of Heartly, and her team to reimagine their home. “The house, a single-fronted Edwardian brick cottage, sits on a 136-square-metre block in a narrow one-way street surrounded by…

ANN LESLEY SMITH 2 WEEKS BROKEN ENGAGEMENT! Two weeks is pretty swift for an engagement, even for Rupert Murdoch, but that’s all it took for him to go from engaged to splitsville with his latest heartbreak victim, Ann Lesley Smith. The 66-year-old former dental hygienist was given a $3.5 million 11-carat Asscher-cut diamond solitaire ring from Rupert on St Patrick’s Day in March, but by April 3, it was all over. Sources told the UK press it was Ann Lesley’s reluctance to be in the public eye that prompted the end of their whirlwind romance - she was being targeted online as a conspiracy theorist after calling the COVID emergency a “plandemic” in a radio broadcast. “It was too much for him and too much for her,” says an insider. “She’s a very religious…

That’s got to hurt! Crown Princess Mary of Denmark shocked onlookers when she was seen sporting a large bruise underneath her right eye on February 27. Known for her love of horseriding, the mother-of-four didn’t seem fazed by the injury as she took a break from royal duties to enjoy a ride out in the sun with her two daughters, Princess Isabella, 13, and Princess Josephine, 10. The two girls appeared to be enjoying themselves as they trotted around the arena on their own horses and took instruction from their trainers. Looking on the fun was Mary’s husband, Prince Frederik, 52, who stood and observed his wife and children alongside the family dog, Grace, and two pals. At press time, it is unknown how the injury occurred. However, the shiner was not visible during…

Much to the surprise of the highest-ranking royals and courtiers around him, King Charles has invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to his May 6 coronation. It’s a stunning about-turn, given it was just revealed the King had kicked the couple out of their British home, Frogmore Cottage. Many insiders assumed this meant Prince Harry and Meghan were finally banished for good – until it was revealed that an email invitation to the historic event had landed in the couple’s inbox. But others speculate the surprise move came because the King knows something everyone else doesn’t. “Charles is so tired of the drama and Harry has threatened time and again that he has more revelations to come,” says a source. “If an invitation to Westminster Abbey for him and Meghan is enough…

For King Charles, enough is enough. On the same day he marked three months as sovereign – a destiny he’d waited 73 years for – the King found himself sat in front of the television, lawyers on speed dial and senior aides waiting anxiously at the door, watching the most explosive TV tell-all in royal history – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix series. “Harry appears hell-bent on destroying his family and everything they hold dear,” says a source. “While the Queen was alive, Charles was forced to be more lenient than he would have liked about the ‘Harry and Meghan problem’. Now, dealing with it is his job alone, and he will simply not stand for them making a mockery of the monarchy while still profiting from their titles. “He wants them…

Scientist and grandmother Mary White was 92 years old when she died in her nursing home bed one cold winter’s night in 2018. From the outside, the talented palaeobotanist’s death appeared to be a natural end to a full and productive life. The curls of her youth had long been white, and her final moments were watched over by her loving daughter, Barbara Eckersley. But when her doctor was asked to sign the death certificate, he refused. Something wasn’t right. Mary had lived actively on her Falls Forest eco-property on the mid-north coast of NSW until she was well into her 80s, when a heart attack and then a series of small, destructive strokes blunted her brilliant mind and left her paralysed down one side of her body. She was a…

When Tina Brown first presented her publishers with a book proposal for a new royal biography unpicking what had happened in the House of Windsor since the publication of her bestselling The Diana Chronicles in 2007, she didn’t anticipate her predictions would come to pass literally as she was writing. “My book proposal forecast all of it,” she says with a wry smile. “I forecast that there would be some kind of explosion with Harry and Meghan and they would leave, but I expected it to take five or six years, not 20 months. It was fascinatingly fast.” The former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and founding editor of The Daily Beast spent two years speaking to more than 120 sources for The Palace Papers, and the…

LOSING HER VIRGINITY TO SUPERMAN! In the mid-'80s, Brooke Shields studied at Princeton, where she fell in love and lost her virginity to Lois & Clark star Dean Cain. “When we finally had sex, I immediately ran out of the room, ran down the hall butt naked, just running,” the 57-year-old recalls in her doco Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. “I didn't know where I was going. He ran after me with the duvet and grabbed a hold of me and said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you.’” While the pair didn't last, she'll always love Dean for being a kind man among a cohort of creeps. “People were trying to bribe students to sneak pictures of me in the shower,” she reveals. PLANS TO…

“I told her she had good legs and she should show them.” – Christina Stambolian The revenge dress In September 1991, designer Christina Stambolian was working at her boutique in Beauchamp Place when Princess Diana strolled in with her brother, Earl Spencer. The siblings had been out for lunch at Diana’s favourite restaurant, San Lorenzo, when they decided to do some shopping. That trip led to the creation of one of the most talked-about dresses in history: the black silk crepe cocktail gown with an asymmetric ruched bodice and side sash, which Diana wore on June 29, 1994, the night that Prince Charles admitted having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles on national television. Combining the dress with her favourite sapphire, pearl and diamond choker, which matched her engagement ring, and scarlet nails, Diana…

Model Toyota GR Corolla Engine 1598cc 3cyl, dohc, 12v, turbo Max power 220kW @3000-5500rpm Max torque 370Nm @6500rpm Transmission Six-speed manual Weight 1475kg (estimated) 0-100km/h 5.1sec (claimed) Economy 9.8L/100km (estimated) Price $62,000 (estimated) On sale Q1, 2023 TOYOTA PRESIDENT Akio Toyoda made his famous “No more boring cars” proclamation more than five years ago – and the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla is perhaps the starkest instance yet of the Japanese company leaning into performance on a traditionally conservative, conventional nameplate. Yes, we’ve seen edgier exterior designs and more aggressive performance versions of mainstream Toyota models across the manufacturer’s line-up. And, yes, we’ve seen performance versions of the Corolla in the distant past, but nothing like this weapon the company has just unleashed, with 220kW, all-wheel-drive, manual-shift only, and a 0-to-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds. Toyota says the GR Corolla, which borrows a…

King Charles reportedly once said that Lady Dale “Kanga” Tryon was “the only woman who ever understood me” but even while their love affair was scandalising English high society, the royal was also sleeping with the woman who would become his queen. It was an epic tug of war between Kanga and Camilla Parker Bowles that played out during the 1970s, and while Camilla eventually won the battle royal for King Charles’ heart, and is now his queen, many don’t know that for years he kept both women as mistresses, and reportedly “bounced from the bed of Camilla to that of Lady Tiyon, then back again”. The passions bubbled under the surface even after Charles married Princess Diana in 1981, with the women continuing to dislike each other. So how did a litde-known…

Little PIECES of luxe for home or away Glamorous accents ELEVATE the every day 1 Floris ‘Cherry Blossom’ eau de parfum, $249/100ml, Libertine Parfumerie. Curated CHIC for a stylish boudoir retreat Deploy EXQUISITE accessories that spark JOY Stylist’s assistants Laura Rees, Katie Turner & Jeanette Milne.…

ROYAL outing By George, good shot Prince George looked all grown up when he got suited up to watch England face Germany in the European Football Championship at Wembley Stadium. The young prince, now seven, cheered and clapped with his mum and dad, Prince William and Kate, by his side. The Cambridges praised the English team’s “incredible performance” on Instagram. Sporting royalty David Beckham also popped over to say hello. BILOELA family Reprieve in Perth Priya and Nades Murugappan and their daughters Kopika, six, and Tharnicaa, three, have been full of smiles since they were reunited in Perth, and granted a reprieve from immigration detention, with the federal government approving three-month bridging visas. However, supporters say it’s not enough. Former PM Kevin Rudd has weighed in, saying, “There is no defensible argument for why the…

For young Flynn Bloom, life coudn’t get more charmed. Up until he was 2, the tot happily accompanied his parents, Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom, between LA and the Aussie supermodel’s family home in Gunnedah, NSW. In 2013, the pair suddenly split, which could have spelled the end of Flynn’s perfect existence. But thanks to Orlando and Miranda’s determination to peacefully co-parent alongside their new partners, Katy Perry and Evan Spiegel, their now 11-year-old son still has it made. Here, New Idea breaks down Flynn’s modern family, who are worth a combined $5.17 billion! POP-STAR STEPMUM Worldwide singing phenomenon Katy Perry, 37, admits she wasn’t always “very maternal”, but that all changed when she met Orlando, who came as a package with his young son. “There was a bit of a disconnect [about the idea of…

Natalie Juniardi kissed her husband John outside their favourite Kuta restaurant and said, “Bye.” “Be home soon,” John promised, flashing his dazzling smile. It was the evening of October 12, 2002 and would become the last time Natalie ever saw John, 33. Tragically, John, an Indonesian surfboard manufacturer and loving dad to their toddler Kiola, was one of the 202 people killed in the Bali bombings. With the 20th anniversary of that terrible event upon us, Natalie vividly recalls the night she was left a widow. “We’d just had a seafood meal together. Pregnant with our second child, I was tired, so decided to head home, while John set off to the Sari Club,” Natalie, now 48, tells New Idea. Born in Nowra, Southern NSW, Natalie met John at Kuta Beach in 1993 when she was…

A day is a very long time in the current news cycle surrounding the royal family, and since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved their family to the US, the constantly analysed narrative of brothers at war and of the monarchy exposed feels almost overwhelming. There’s no denying these are landmark times. The Queen is 95 and despite showing an infectious passion for her public role, the passing of Prince Philip, the patriarchal head of the House of Windsor and a calm source of experience, advice and reason, is significant. If we’ve learned one thing from the current slew of revelations from Prince Harry and Meghan, it is that being a royal isn’t as enviable as it may appear. Behind the palaces and privilege is a predestined work life…

It’s hard to believe that a quarter of a century ago, a handsome but little-known actor by the name of Hugh Jackman managed to win the heart of iconic Aussie star, Deborra-Lee Furness. This week, the couple celebrates their milestone silver wedding anniversary, some 26 years after Hugh plucked up the courage to admit his feelings for the formidable woman he now affectionately calls “Deb” on the set of TV series Correlli. “Deb, she was the big star. I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat,” Hugh recalls of their first meeting. “She took off her seatbelt and she turned around and put her hand out and took off her sunglasses … I remember thinking, I like this girl.” A few weeks later, Hugh had well and truly developed feelings…

It has been a cataclysmic month for the royal family on so many fronts and as The Weekly goes to press one thing is certain, there’s a lot more hurt and upheaval to come. With Prince Philip in hospital – he underwent heart surgery on March 3 – and COVID-19 preventing the Queen from visiting her 99-year-old husband, early snippets from their grandson and granddaughter-in-law’s interview with US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey started to screen. One can only imagine how the 94-year-old monarch felt sitting alone in her “Windsor bubble” as Oprah declared, “you’ve said some pretty shocking things here” to Harry and Meghan in the bucolic garden of a Californian home (not theirs or Oprah’s we were later told) and offered, “I just want to make it clear to…

Sparkling chassis dynamics; now featuring torque; even better looking than a BRZ PLUS MINUS Pricing a little opportunistic; manual transmission buyers miss out on safety gear; supply issues AUSTRALIA LOVED THE Toyota 86. In nearly a decade on sale here, the lightweight coupe shifted 21,823 units, making Australia its third-biggest market behind Japan and the United States. Suffice to say, we thought the old 86 was something special, to the extent that the Toyota and its Subaru BRZ sibling went on to claim the 2012 Wheels Car of the Year crown. But while the 86 was a good car, it came with some caveats. The engine had a hole in the middle of the torque curve that meant that the Toyota felt about as muscular as an Alloytec running on one bank. The cabin felt ruthlessly built…

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF 2021? The closure of the restaurant the day it was about to open, thinking it was going to be a one-week lockdown that actually lasted about 110 days. Financially, it has been a massive hit. UNEXPECTED POSITIVES? We were able to pivot, doing Providoor and burgers – and that kept the team going. I have a fantastic team here of 45 people who’ve been through a lot together in the last four months. We looked after each other – so that’s a positive to come out of it. A LESSON LEARNED FROM THIS YEAR? To be resilient, expect anything and make sure you figure out a way around it. It was a case of pivot or perish. HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE THE FESTIVE SEASON? I’ll be cooking something beautiful at home – the…