5 THINGS we’re talking ABOUT this WEEK!

1 KING CHARLES’ FIRST PORTRAIT

The former Prince of Wales has appeared in his first official portrait as KING CHARLES. Buckingham Palace released the portrait shortly after the official period of mourning for the late queen ended. It shows Charles with his wife CAMILLA, the QUEEN CONSORT, and eldest son and next in line to the throne, PRINCE WILLIAM, and his wife KATE, PRINCESS OF WALES. The photo, which was taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson, was snapped the night before Her Majesty’s funeral when the palace hosted a gala evening to welcome global leaders and dignitaries. It shows a more relaxed-looking royal family.

5 COOLIO’S LAST FAN SELFIE

A fan who took a selfie withrapper COOLIO just hours before what would be his final performance, shared that he appeared healthy and happy. Mika Janday bumped into the Gangsta’s Paradise singer (real name Artis Leon Ivey Jnr) at Houston airport in Texas, where he was happy to take photos with her before inviting her and her friend to his show in nearby Cypress. That show, in which he performed alongside Vanilla Ice, would be his last. Five days later, Coolio (59) died suddenly at the Los Angeles home of his long-time manager, Jarez Posey. His cause of death hasn’t officially been released.

3 IS BILLY RAY SECRETLY ENGAGED?

If the diamond ring on her left hand is anything to go by it appears Australian singer FIREROSE is indeed engaged to BILLY RAY CYRUS. Neither party has denied the speculation they’re engaged but the news has come as a surprise, given the 61-year-old only announced his divorce from Tish, his wife of 28 years, in April. While those close to the Achy Breaky Heart singer say he’s blissfully happy with 20-something Firerose, a rising country star who moved to the US at 19, not everyone is rooting for him – especially not his daughter, MILEY CYRUS (29). “There’s been some tension with Miley, which is sad to see, but everyone’s hopeful that they’ll be able to get over it soon enough,” an insider says.

4 ED SHEERAN TO BATTLE $100M LAWSUIT SLAP!

British pop star ED SHEERAN (31) has been ordered to stand trial in the US over claims he copied his 2014 hit track Thinking Out Loud from Marvin Gaye’s classic 1973 album Let’s Get It On. The $100m (about R1,8 billion) case will take place in a Manhattan court but no date has been set yet. The claim was originally lodged in 2018 by a company called Structured Asset Sales, who own a stake in songwriter Ed Townsend’s copyrights. Townsend co-wrote Marvin’s hit Let’s Get It On. A judge rejected the British pop star’s efforts to toss out the long-running copyright case, saying it must be determined by a jury trial. Ed is no stranger to legal dramas. He was sued in 2016 and 2018 for his songs Photograph and Shape of You.

5 KHLOÉ’S SECRET ENGAGEMENT

New details about KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN’s doomed relationship with her baby daddy, TRISTAN THOMPSON (31), have come to light. It turns out the 38-year-old reality star was secretly engaged to the NBA star for most of 2021 before calling it off when she – and the rest of the world – learnt about his paternity scandal with Maralee Nichols that December. During that time, they were also in their surrogacy journey. They’ve since welcomed a baby boy, who joins elder sis Truth (4). Given Tristan’s love-rat behaviour, Khloé is said to be well and truly done with him now and the pair speak only when they’re “co-ordinating for the kids”, an insider says. “Khloé can’t imagine ever getting back together. Far too much has happened over the years and the trust is gone.” She recently sparked dating rumours when she was seen with handsome Italian actor MICHELE MORRONE (32), who stars in the Netflix series 365 days.They were spotted hanging out together at the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week.