Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Country music star Garth Brooks said he’ll pony up for a Hawaiian honeymoon for a Texas couple who got engaged at his concert in Oklahoma City. WFAA-TV reported that Drew Bargsley proposed to Chelsea Townsend while Brooks was playing his hit “Unanswered Prayers” on Saturday night. The singer got wind of the commotion and from the stage asked the Dallas-area couple about their honeymoon plans. He told them that he and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, will pay for their honeymoon if they decide to go to Hawaii. Yearwood had a set during the concert and acknowledged the couple once again. When Brooks told his wife that he had offered to pay for the honeymoon, Yearwood responded: “Sure … absolutely. Congratulations!” She then jokingly said, “Nobody else can get engaged tonight!” ■ British singer Ed Sheeran is basking in the aftermath of his Game of Thrones cameo. Sheeran appeared as a Lannister soldier leading a group in song in Sunday night’s season premiere of the hit HBO fantasy drama. The 26-year-old Sheeran posted on Instagram a shot of himself on screen with the caption, “Throwback to the time I was a Lannister.” He also posted a picture of himself on set alongside Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark. Producer David Benioff said in March that the team had been trying to get Sheeran a spot on the show for years to surprise Williams, who’s a Sheeran superfan.
■ Prince Charles’ wife, Camilla, is turning 70 with few complaints, although she admits her feet are sore after a long day of royal duties. The milestone for the Duchess of Cornwall was marked Monday with the release of an official portrait of Charles and Camilla. She has quietly earned the public’s trust after a rocky beginning to her public life caused by her relationship with Charles during his unsuccessful marriage to the late Princess Diana. Camilla was initially blamed by some for Diana’s unhappiness as she complained publicly about Camilla’s continuing close relationship with Charles. Those hard feelings faded with time after Diana’s 1997 death in a car crash. Charles and Camilla married in a low-key ceremony in 2005. Camilla, who has accompanied Charles on many foreign trips and is a familiar figure at royal events, has been active in many charities. On Monday, she was named first royal patron of The Silver Line helpline, a charity that helps older people. She told the Daily Mail newspaper that she often feels like a teenager but realizes she is getting older because her feet are in “agony” after a long day.