"Announcing the Duchess: Meghan's Comic Self-Importance Reaches New Heights" This week in royal news with Mark Francis

0:03 Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Weekly. I am your host, Mark Francis. There are many ways to enter a room. You can walk in quietly, you can make a grand entrance, or if you're Megan Mirkle, you can have someone announce your presence, even when you appear to be the only other person there. Harper's Bizarre writer Caitlin Greenwich described arriving at a friend's Upper east Side home to interview the Duchess, noting, when I enter the house, manager announces Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, even though we appear to be the only other two people in the house. That single line has prompted a firestorm. One user on x asked, wait is this a direct quote from the interview?

0:49 Others accused Meghan of clinging to her title, with one comment reading didn't she see in the Oprah interview that titles meant nothing to her? Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Daily Man, I have often felt that Meghan took too hard Oscar Wilde's dictum to love oneself is the beginning of a lifetime's romance. He argued the exchange would make a wonderful skit in the South Park series, adding that it speaks volumes about the importance Meghan attaches to her royal status. Fitz Williams noted that the Ettica dictates the visitor should be announced to the royal not the other way round, so this breaks protocol. It also makes it look silly. He referenced the twenty twelve Olympics opening ceremony, saying someone is obviously announced. When say, James Bond arrives to escort Queen Elizabeth to the Olympics, he has announced as mister Bond, your majesty, and then he enters. Perhaps the most direct criticism came from Kristin Fleming, writing for The New York Post, under the headline Megan Michael has risen two truly comic levels of self importance in her ridiculous Harper's Bizarre interview, Fleming wrote, you seriously can't just open the door yourself. Maybe give your friend's help the day off. The scene immediately conjures up the old Saturday Night Live sketch in which Garrett Morris, playing a crier at a Victorian era ball announces the arrival of Lord and Lady douchebag. The interview also drew attention to Meghan's confirmation that she personally initiated contact to appear at Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show. Reports have suggested Prince Harry was

2:22 uneasy about Meghan attending without a formal invitation, citing concerns over security and the optics of an unannounced appearance. In The Royalist, Tom Sykes suggests Meghan's frantic insistence on the title of Duchess is an attempt to imprint her family's royal connections on the public before their inevitable removal. He writes, Meghan's strategy is to use the titles more, not less, across the private, commercial, and pr planes of her existence to try and imprint them on the public mind. Meanwhile, the fallout from Chris Janner's birthday party continues. According to heat Wild, Chris and Kim now fill the formal or Royals still see themselves as somewhat superior to the grafters of Tinseltown, and the request for candid photos to be taken down is something Chris cannot let slide. One insider said to her, it says everything she needs to know about them. She's had plenty of people use her connections in her lifetime. Many more have tried, but she's at a point where that doesn't really happen anymore, because as soon as she spots it, she cuts the relationship off and lets all of her influential friends know. So Harry and Meghan should take note of that. We asked our Royal inside a deep crown about this. Usually he isn't very interested in Sussex gossip, but we did get a reaction.

3:39 One has to marvel at the extraordinary naivete, or perhaps it's calculated audacity of imagining that an event hosted by Chris Jenner would somehow qualify as an intimate camera shi affair. The woman has built an empire on the strategic deployment of imagery. Did they suppose the photographers were there for mister Bezos's private scrapbook? And insider told Closer that Harry felt distinctly out of place at the Bond themed party. From Harry's perspective, it was surreal to be hanging out with that crowd, and not in a good way. Everyone could see he was like a fish out of water and found the whole experience awkward. He's got nothing against the Kardashians, but partying with reality stars and influences isn't what he imagined for his life when he moved to America.

4:26 Bethany Frankel offered a sharp analysis of the Sussex brand. When she first saw Meghan and Harry and US Weekly, she texted Meghan's ex husband, Trevor Engelson to confirm it was his ex wife. In their exchange, Frankel asked, do you think she'll close, to which Engelson immediately responded, oh, She'll close. Frankel emphasized their strategic missteps, stating they tried to put fifty pounds of shit in a five pound bag, attempting to simultaneously tell multiple conflicting narratives victimhood, triumph, freedom, exile, glamour, humanitarianism, privacy, exposure. She pointed out the absence of expected high profile support. I don't know what happened to Marlin George. Where are the Beckhams? The Obamas should have been their people. Regarding the Kardashian Party photos, Frankel offered this observation, they couldn't resist the temptation of going, but also wanted to resist the temptation of showing you can't ride two horses. At the same time, questions have also been raised over whether the Duchess retained items from a past magazine shoot. Megan appears in an emerald green GalF and gown in a new Netflix promotional clip. The same dress she wore during a twenty twenty two Variety photo shoot the journalist Vanessa Griogardess has claimed was not returned. Greorgardess expressed surprise at the allegation, saying, what's shocking is that somebody who is living in a fifteen million dollar plus mansion in Montecito, who's just had one hundred million dollar deals would care

5:59 enough to take home and jewelry and clothes from a photo shoot that she can clearly afford. Meghan faced fresh criticism after releasing the trailer for her Netflix Christmas special at the same time, the Prince and Princess of Wales were attending the Royal Variety performance. In The Telegraph, Judith Woods writes right on que as the Prince and Princess of Wales made their glittering entrance at the Royal Variety show, Meghan, Duchess of Montecito, frantically attempted to upstage them with a bizarre tradwife routine worthy of Stepford. Woods also noted that at no point in the trailer did the sea word cross Megan's lips. Not when she was lacking about in the Christmas tree lot, not when cobbling together a wreath, not even when laying out cookies. The Father Christmas, our Royal inside a deep Crown, shared his thoughts. His Majesty takes his role as head of the Anglican Church with considerable seriousness. It's not merely ceremonial pageantry, but a sacred duty.

6:52 To studiously avoid Christmas while training on one's proximity to the monarchy strikes one as having rather carefully considered at which elements of royal heritage prove profitable and which might be inconvenient. Meghan's holiday special was not filmed at the Sussex's own Montecito home. Instead, the Netflix production takes place in a rented mansion roughly two miles from their residence. Meghan explained to people, I wanted to protect that safe haven. Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of eighty plus people, that's a lot of people. To have in your house for Thanksgiving. Meghan used the as Ever newsletter to share a curated glimpse of preparations, including a video showing her in a Burgundy holiday gown glazing a turkey. Her accessories left to the overall value considerably the Lorraine Schwartz pinky ring estimator between sixty two and seventy thousand dollars, her Cartier Justin Glue necklace valued at eighteen thousand, seven hundred, her Cartier Love bracelet eight thousand dollars, and her engagement ring estimated at around one hundred and fifty thousand. In total, the outfit and jewelry amounted they do just over two hundred and forty seven thousand dollars. One user on ex wrote, nothing screens authenticity quite as remarkably as a woman basting a chicken in a satin frock without an apron. More palasy just a moment. Prince Harry is said to be considering bringing Prince Archie and Princess Lillabit to Britain more regularly,

8:23 even if Megan disagrees. According to Radar Online, Harry is determined that his children maintain a genuine link to their British roots. One source remarked, He's focused on making sure his kids don't lose their connection to the UK. He won't let anyone stand in the way of that, not even his wife, no matter what consequences that has for their marriage. Sources describe Harry as intent on repairing what they call years of negativity surrounding his rare visits. As one insider put it, Harry misses sports and going out to the pub with his mates. He sees it as part of himself and his culture, and he wants a good drink up this Christmas. Selfridge's has unveiled its new royal themed Christmas decorations, but Harry and Meghan are noticeably absent.

9:07 The retailer's festive range features glass baubles modeled on King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Catherine, and even Diana. However, there are no ornaments of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The BBC has disclosed it received seven hundred and twenty eight complaints about references to Kate Middleton rather than her formal title during Armistice Day coverage. We remind lesseners that casually referring to the Duchess of Sussex's simply Megan Markel seems to offend fewer people. The Princess of Wales has offered a simple explanation for her noticeably lighter hair sunshine. Speaking backstage at the Royal Variety performance, she told actress Sue Pollard, it used to be brown, but it's gone light in the sunshine. Apparently the Princess has never been outside before prior to this summer. The Princess of Wales is said to be extending quiet invitations to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie for her annual Christmas Carol service, a gesture that Royal observers suggests reflects her determination to keep the wider family connected during a turbulent year. Royal commentator Neil Shawan said the invitations were deliberately personal, adding that the Princess believes in not assigning Blaine. The idea is that the sisters would make a low key entrance in show support. A new symbol of the Prince and Princess of Wales has quietly emerged. The revised conjugal coat of arms appeared in the program for this year's Royal Variety performance.

10:32 The earlier version, unveiled in twenty thirteen, united their individual shields for the first time. The updated design reflects their positions its Prince and Princess of Wales, including the Prince of Wales's feathers, the coronet of a Prince and peer, and the traditional motto echdeine German for I Serve. The Princess of Wales issued a deeply personal appeal to mark the start of Addiction Awareness Week, urging the public to reconsider assumptions about tency. She said addiction is not a choice or a personal failing, but a complex mental health condition that should be met with empathy and support. The stigma surrounding those who face addiction allows it to thrive behind closed doors, impacting families and communities and ultimately ruining lives.

11:19 Roman Camp revealed that his friendship with the Princess led to an unexpectedly homely afternoon when she visited his parents' home. So my mum raced out and got a load of nice things in and suddenly the future Queen is having tea and biscuits with her and my dad, Roman told the son. He recalled that the Princess immediately noticed that relaxed atmosphere and offered to take her shoes off. It was surreal somehow, you never expect to see a member of the royal family in their socks. The visit ended with a small gift, a bottle of the apple juice that Camps to press in their garden. A note arrived from the Princess, thinking the family and adding that Prince George loved the juice and is there any chance of Moore. Andrew mount Patten Windsor reportedly has not resipponded to a request from members of the United States Congress to testify about his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Democratic lawmakers had written to him on November sixth, asking for a reply by November twentieth. Sources told The Telegraph that no response had been received. Under US law, Congress cannot compel testimony from foreign nationals living overseas. Insiders insist Andrew's lifestyle is very much still intact. One source told Closer Andrew is still acting completely entitled. He still wants to be the man of the manner and is insisting on being waited on hand and foot, at a great cost to the King's own personal coffers. Every day starts with a fully cooked breakfast prepared by his personal chef and laid out in royal style, with enough to feed a small army, even though most times it's just Andrew eating all alone at

12:49 the head of his massive table. Andrew being spotted horse riding on the grounds of Windsor Castle did not go over well. One source said, it's really not a good look. The King won't be happy that his brother has been photographed riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle, which after all, is funded by the taxpayer that moved to Sandringham. Can't come soon enough to get him away from Windsor More palace weekly in just a moment. Prince William is reportedly preparing for a sweeping overhaul of royal titles once he ascends to the throne, with plans to strip prince and princess style from non working members of the family. Sources speaking to The Daily Beast claim William will issue new letters patent early in his reign. Those affected will include Prince Harry and Harry's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

13:39 A source close to the situation explained William is clear that if you're not working for the crown, you're not carrying the titles. This is about drawing a firm line between public duty and private life. It is believed King William will also scrap what sources call ridiculous and totally outdated traditions. Those elaborate velvet robes worn during ceremonies like Order of the Garter. William finds them ridiculous roles like Keeper of the Swans or Yeomen of the Glass Pantry may soon be history. William has reportedly never been comfortable with bowing and curtseying expected in royal circles, preferring a more natural greeting style. Julie Cleverton, who spent over three decades working alongside King Charles, offered appointed comparison. The current Prince of Wales, unlike his father, is unlikely to work until two o'clock in the morning, signing letters which he has personally handwritten. The King has never used a computer in his life, although he can manage a WhatsApp message to a grandson. William is a man of his times and his age. I think it will be much more like a European bicycling monarchy, a royal commentator said it is increasingly unlikely that Prince Louis will ever be styled Duke of York. Richard fits William's told gb News certain titles are identified with their holders, maybe unfairly. The Duke of York rings alarm bells worldwide. There probably will never be another Duke of Ruth York. He compared the situation to the Duke of Windsor title, which became permanently linked to Edward the Eighth after his abdication. Fake AI generated

15:11 videos of the royal family are spreading rapidly online. Clips include bizarre depictions of the late Queen and Princess Diana, ranging from comedy skits to offensive scenarios. Some videos use synthetic voices eerily mimicking the royals accents, with one fake queen reciting rap lyrics run heavy, but I keep it cocked, Jewels in the pocket, tea kettle locked, came out the Palace straight to the block. As the year draws to a close, the contrasts of never been sharper. Catherine attends to duty and receive seven hundred and twenty eight complaints when misnamed Megan markets Honey while wearing a quarter million dollars in jewelry and wonders why authenticity feels out of reach. William prepares to reshape the monarchy, while his father refuses to seed ground and somewhere in a rented Montecito mansion, a crew of eighty films, a woman who wanted privacy making jam for Netflix. The institution survives by adapting. The question now is whether everyone claiming a place within it understands what adaptation actually requires. And there you have it.

16:13 If you'd like to email us addresses the Palace Intrigue at a gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, or the apple of your choice. Don't forget Sunday is our big day. Here, We've got your Palace Weekly. We've got Palace Intrigue Daily. We have Crown and Controversy season three. We've got Crown and Controversy Prince Andrew all with new episodes out today. Check the links in the show notes or search for Crown and Controversy for those series Lots of stuff. I'm Mike Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly contems