PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

‘American Idol’ contestant says Perry kiss wasn’t harassment

Singer Katy Perry kissed a contestant on “American Idol” and he did not like it.

But Benjamin Glaze is downplaying some backlash aimed at Perry, who is a judge on the show. The 19-year-old took to Instagram on Wednesday to say he did not think he was sexually harassed.

The singer from Oklahoma says he was uncomfortable when Perry kissed him on the lips as he auditioned during the show’s two-night season opener on ABC. Glaze says he had never been kissed before.

He needed some water before singing Nick Jonas’ “Levels,” which Perry called “a bit rushed.”

Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan did not send Glaze to the next round. Glaze says he should have picked another song and calmed himself down regardless of the kiss.

‘I do’: Queen gives her consent for Harry-Meghan wedding

Well, that’s a relief. Queen Elizabeth II has given her formal consent to the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The British monarch has issued a declaration consenting “to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle.”

The prince, fifth in line to the British throne, and the American actress are to marry May 19 at Windsor Castle.

Alongside the declaration that was made public Thursday, the queen signed an Instrument of Consent, a formal notice of approval issued under the Great Seal of the Realm.

Harry is among a handful of senior royals who must seek the monarch’s permission to marry or have their descendants disqualified from succession to the crown.