"What a repulsive 'photo op' they achieved. They are 'touring the damage'?"

If there was one extremely interesting subplot of the year just past, it was Prince Harry’s full embrace of the Surf Ranch life. The spare heir to the British throne has taken his talents to the Lemoore, California facility a handful of times, now, even potentially learning to barrel, though a visit in October was met with scorn. “The contrast of King Charles interrupting his cancer treatment to perform royal duties on the other side of the world with his self-indulgent 40 year old wastrel son at a surf park is a very stark one …” conservative Australian columnist Gray Connelly penned at the time.

Undaunted, the carrot-topped prodigal took his young son to Surf Ranch to share the joys of artifice and was even captured on film by the legendary Raimana van Bastolear, Derek Rielly sharing, “In the deleted photo, we see Harry and Archie or, to use the lil man’s correct title, Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, sitting on Raimana’s jetski, waiting for the train to roll down its track and create the famous perfect wave.”

Criticism was muted, that time around, with pundits seemingly happy for a peek into the fancy life or maybe they were just keeping their powder dry, saving it up for a later date which appeared to come yesterday.

Prince Harry and his wife Princess Megan Markle visited fire-scorched Los Angeles over the weekend, touring destroyed areas etc. though their relief efforts were not enjoyed by all.

Actress and twin Justine Bateman took to X, posting a video of the couple possibly handing out bottles of water and declaring, “Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive ‘photo op’ they achieved. They are ‘touring the damage’? Are they politicians now? They don’t live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists.”

Ouch.

Not yet done, Bateman went upon the news to slam Los Angeles’ handling of the deadly firestorm, demanding heads on spikes.

Thoughts about who’s to blame or was there no way to prevent the scope and scale of the disaster being called one of the worst in U.S. history?

Opportunity knocking?

Playboy Dan Bilzerian was once a frequent-esque subject on these very pages. The micro man who looks very much like a garden gnome enjoyed a life of unchecked hedonism, sharing his various yacht rides with bikini-clad gals and, of course, his wrangling big waves to social media platforms. The self-described “King of Instagram” claim his wealth flowed from a successful poker career, though professional players cast doubt upon the assertion.

Well, Bilzerian is back in the news, today, but for all the wrong reasons. His 38, 289 square foot Las Vegas mansion, once the most expensive property in Sin City, is languishing on the market, price recently slashed by over $5 million, from an original listing of $25 million down to $19.9 million.

It is now, officially, not the most expensive property in the Mojave.

The Spanish Colonial sits upon a five-acre lot and is described as a “monument to excess.” It was built in 2006 and features a full-sized basketball court that can also be used as a roller hockey rink, a poker room, home cinema and golf simulator. Not included is a Kelly Slater Surf Ranch though Bilzerian has enjoyed time in Lemoore.

Losing the most expensive property in Las Vegas title is not the only bummer the human growth hormone-enthusiast is currently dealing with. His company Ignite International Brands is currently being investigated by the federal government, he is suing his father for kicking him out of Ignite’s CEO role and he only posted two Instagram photographs during the whole of 2024.

Dark days but take a tour of his home, here, and maybe think about putting an offer in.