Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Harry and Meghan’s secret Amsterdam weekend saw the royal couple attend two boozy bashes and join a racy celebrity set who partied till dawn
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex secretly attended a party in Amsterdam last weekend and, according to insiders, they were just like any normal couple as they parties with celebrities and millionaires till the early morning.
The party was at the invitation of Nick Jones, the boss of Soho House. This celebration
marked the opening of an outpost of the Soho House empire in Amsterdam.
The royal couple, having arrived in Amsterdam on Friday afternoon and left on Sunday, attended two boozy private parties with Jones and his friends. One fellow guest told Alison Boshoff, a Daily Mail writer, that there was a sense of a "new court" forming around the royal couple — a group who are mostly friends of Meghan's, including Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne. The Oscar-nominated American actor Stanley Tucci was also in town for the shindig.
A guest said:
On the Friday night it was more of a loose party, and Prince Harry and Meghan were circulating with everyone.Because she went to the opening of Soho House in Istanbul in 2015, it was a very similar invitation list, so she did know a lot of people. She spoke to everyone, and Harry never left her side. They looked absolutely in love.
Meghan Markle has been a member of the Soho House club chain since 2014 when she was introduced to Markus Anderson, who worked at Soho House. She was introduced to Markus by her previous boyfriend, chef Cory Vitiello. At the time, she was filming her legal drama, Suits, in Toronto four years ago.
It is believed that it was Markus Anderson who later introduced Meghan and Prince Harry in July 2016 and even oversaw their first and second dates both at Soho Houses where he worked, in London and Toronto.
The guest added:
They were side by side throughout the night and sat on the top table with Jones. As the evening wore on, I think more people became emboldened to go up and talk to her. She behaved beautifully.There was lots of drinking — it was a proper party.
Celebrities who were at the party shared video footage and photos on social media. A post on Instagram by Radio 1 DJ and party animal Nick Grimshaw makes clear, it was a big night. He posted video footage of fashion designer Henry Holland trying to sip his drink through a "straw" which was actually the stalk of a chilli pepper, while loud music thumps in the background.
The final stragglers left the Friday night party at around 5am, although Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, are thought to have gone to bed "long before" then.
One waitress who served the royal couple dinner in the fifth-floor dining area said:
I was so shocked to see them there. They were like any other couple. They ordered food from the normal menu guests order from.
The royal couple, wisely, were not among those who took part in a conducted walking tour of the nearby red-light district on Friday.
Neither did they go on the lunchtime canal tour on Saturday, a leisurely affair which a picture posted by actor Douglas Booth reveals featured delicious-looking beef wellington and plenty of wine.
A source said:
The royal couple stayed in the hotel for security reasons and because they didn't want to be photographed — the boats had see-through roofs. When there were drinks on Saturday before the dinner, they also hung back in a separate area, chatting quietly with friends.
On Saturday night, Harry and Meghan were seated at one discreet end of a long table, and were served lobster spaghetti, followed by tiramisu.
Meghan, smiling and giggling, had a glass of red wine in front of her — perhaps it was her favourite Tignanello, on the Soho House menu at £115 a bottle, while Harry seemed to be drinking vodka cocktails.
The couple spent a long time in conversation with Old Etonian actor Eddie Redmayne, 36, who was in Prince William's year at school, and who attended with his wife of four years, Hannah, 35.
They also hung out with Fifty Shades actor Jamie Dornan, 36, and his wife Amelia Warner, also 36, plus the pillow-lipped Riot Club star Douglas Booth, 26, and his actress girlfriend Bel Powley, 26.
Victoria actress Jenna Coleman, 32, who has known Harry for several years, was there and in their gang — indeed, there was once talk of a romance between her and the prince after they were spotted having a tete-a-tete during a charity polo match in Ascot in 2015.
Most time of all, though, was spent with the flamboyant Markus Anderson, Meghan's pal who nabbed a prime spot at their May wedding and who oversaw their first and second dates (both at Soho Houses where he worked, in London and Toronto).
On Sunday morning, Harry and Meghan left the art deco building on the Singel canal after breakfast. Fellow guests suggest that Meghan had the fruit salad and granola.
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