Charles Comes Home in Triumph, Archie's Birthday Candle & Meghan's Money Trouble - The week in Royal news.

0:03 Calorouga, shark media at low and welcome through palace intrigue. I'm your host, Mark Francis. That sounds a little echoe for the next few days. It's because I'm on a boat in the Mediterranean and I'm using the bathroom as a recording studio. Well, it's been a week in which a king returned home in triumph, the Queen was spotted walking unaccompanied through an American airport too mild Internet astonishment, a prince turned to seven without a photograph, and the Duchess of Sussex was compared in print to Dame Edna Everage, Sarah Ferguson, and a witch. Not all in the same article, but it was close. Let's get into it. We begin where last week ended and this week began in front of Royal Virginia, where King Charles and Queen Camella wrapped up the United States portion of their tour with a something neither Washington nor New York had quite managed to provide warmth without complications, The King and Queen arrived to find Main Street lined with people waving British and American flags, marching bands, clog dancers, a parade of vintage cars, and bluegrass music. They sampled the atmosphere mets, scouts, veterans and young farmers, and brought with them a coronation keish, a victorious sponge and honey from Royal Hives. Queen Camilla stopped at a girl scout's stall and, in what may be the most quietly charming image of their entire tour, brought thin mints. Deep Crownd, reflecting on the visit, wrote that the ability to stand on a pavement in a small

1:34 town and made people feel you are genuinely pleased to be there is a real quality and almost impossible to define. He noted the Charles whos been doing this for fifty years. The machinery is invisible, he wrote, that is what Front Royal looked like. The broader verdict on this strip has been, by almost all measures, extraordinary. The BBC asked whether the Royals had got their mojo back. The Guardian called the Congress speech a masterclass. Australia's Daniel Elsa wrote that seventy seven year old beekeeper and watercolorist had walked into a room containing the most unpredictable leader on earth and rendered him positively giddy. Several commentators noted that abdication talk, which had been circulating for months, had effectively evaporated. One piece in The Independent argued that in the space of a few days in America, charles image had been transformed more rapidly than an Atlantic squall. Tony Walters wrote that the King had emerged from the long shadow of Queen Elizabeth, and done so precisely the moment the institution needed it most.

2:34 The submarine joke, it must be noted, continues to generate coverage a full week later. HMS Trump, a Second World War navy vessel that sank several Japanese ships and was scrapped in Newport in nineteen seventy one, has now been written about in more outlets than most active naval vessels. The joke that accompanied the presentation of its bell, should you ever need to get a hold of us, just give us a ring, has been described in a Radar Online report as the product of careful workshopping, with one source of saying every beat was deliberate, We are choosing to believe it was also genuinely funny. Trump, for his part, told Robert Hardman in the Oval Office that Charles is a great guy, said William will be a good king, and then asked whether Harry could make a comeback. When told this was unlikely, he replied that wife of his point and what she done to that guy. He also reportedly asked a British visitor separately, can you take him back?

3:26 These remarks were not, it is worth noting, part of any formal diplomatic communic k the tariffs on Scottish whiskey were removed. Trump credited the King, saying he had achieved something nobody else was able to do without hardly even asking. Piers Morgan text to the President and reported back that he was ecstatic. On Saturday Night Live, Colin Joe suggested the entire visit of a covert mission to seek the release of a British hostage held by an American terrorist, at which point a photograph of Harry and Megan appeared on the screen. The joke landed more palasing just a moment. Now to the stories that ran in parallel with the state visit, which is another way of saying, now, to Harry and Megan, we begin with a birthday. Prince Archie turned at seven on Tuesday, and no photograph was released.

4:13 This in itself became a story. Reports suggests Harry and Meghan are at odds over how publicly to mark the children's milestones, with once was claiming Meghan had wanted to release a formal birthday image, particularly given that a lifestyle brand had just launched a candle named after Archie's May sixth birth date, priced at ninety dollars, while Harry is said to be more cautious about his children's visibility. One inside had said Harry worries about trolls and about putting a target mark on their young son's back, another suggestion he is also concerned that continued commercial use of the children's identities could put their royal titles at risk. The candle launched on Tuesday, regardless, alongside a Mother's Day collection that includes a full edit, retailing it one hundred and eighty six dollars with free standard shipping on orders over fifty dollars. Serena Williams received a gift set and described the chocolate as delicious, adding I don't like chocolate, but I've been killing them. Reports also emerged this week that the Sussexes have registered domain names, email addresses, and social media handles for the names Archie and Willibert, a move their team describes as protective and critics describe as the latest chapter in a familiar story about commercializing royal identity.

5:20 Pr expert Chad Tkxera said the action would not cause long term damage, but keeps that say one thing, do another narrative in circulation. He is probably right on both counts. The one off fashioned platform controversy did not go away. The heat Well Report claimed the situation has caused friction between Harry and Meghan, with a source alleging that Harry winces at what he sees as excessive money talk that Meghan has told him to get on board. One source said Harry was raised never to speak about money, and it finds it goasch Another said Megan is incredibly driven and he has told Harry clearly they are building a dynasty. The report also claims she gets extremely defensive when accused of being greedy, so the fact Harry's giving her a hard time over it cuts a major nerve. Neither Harry nor Meghan's team commented on any of this. We present it in the spirit of which it was offered. Jenny Bond, speaking to The Mirror, described Megan's habit of linking commercial opportunities to charitable appearances as rather in your face, and suggested it might be prudent for her to choose the occasions more carefully. She also offered what was all things considered a fairly generous conclusion that Meghan is an independent career woman who found it difficult to have her wings clipped, and that perhaps the simplest solution would be to stop using the royal title and just use her own name.

6:35 This suggestion will not, we suspect, be acted upon immediately. Tom Bower appeared on the podcast this week to offer his periodic assessment of the marriage, concluding that it will survive because he needs her and she needs him, prescribing Harry as a lonely sad man who needs the relationship and Megan is someone who needs the label. He also said Harry would probably like her half in half out arrangement, but that Meghan definitely would not want to live in London and that as long as they are married, this is a completely untenable solution. He did not appear to find any of this contradictory. Rob's Shooter reported that a trip to Africa is being discussed, described by Inside as a design to walk, talk and feel like a royal tour, which one source noted is exactly the issue. Sources also claimed that UK visit may be in the works, potentially coinciding with Invictor's preparations in Birmingham, with Meghan described as in two minds and having conditions that need to be met.

7:25 Harry is said to be considering acquiring a base near Windsor. Meghan is said to consider that a deal breaker. The situation, as one source summarized, is that neither seems ready to budge. Deep Ground. Writing in a paid substack Piece drew a line between Harry's Kiev's speech and the King's Congress address, noting that both men argued for American leadership on Ukraine in the same week, but that one spoke from a security forum in Poland with no institutional backing, and the other spoke from the floor of Congress to a standing ovasion. Harry and his Kiev speech urged American leadership on Ukraine, Deep Crown wrote five days later, his father made the same argument from the floor of Congress to the people who actually vote on American foreign policy, and received a standing of vation. He did not suggest that Harry was wrong.

8:09 He simply observed where the architecture matters and where it doesn't More Palace. In just a moment elsewhere in the family, Princess Eugenie announced that she is expecting her third child, due this summer. Buckingham Palace confirmed the news, noting that Sons August and Ernest are very excited. The King, we are told, is delighted. The baby will be fifteenth in line to the throne, will not hold an HRH title, and will become the fifteenth great grandchild of Queen Elizabeth. This is by any measure happy news, and we offer our congratulations. The Prince and Princess of Wales revealed the name of their new puppy, Otto, the chocolate cocker Spaniel born to their older dog Orler, celebrating his first birthday this week. Cancling of Palace shared the news with the caption welcome to the family, Otto one today. Otto has already appeared in the couple's anniversary portrait and William's birthday photographs.

9:02 Here's by available evidence. Extremely cute Kate, meanwhile, was reported to have turned down an invitation to the Mett Gala despite what was described as a personal push from Anna win Tour, who allegedly views the princess as the one celebrity she wants and cannot get a palace, saw us that Kate has no interest in playing that role and was never going to turn herself or Diana into a met gala moment. Megan separately was reported not to have received an invitation a spokesperson tonight. She was upset by this. The denial was not universally believed. Williams's portrait for Tattler generated its own conversation this week after Nigerian artist Olin wally Oma Femei depicted the Prince of Wales with a noticeably full ahead of hair than he currently possesses. Multiple outlets around the image alongside photographs of the real william The contrast was observed in what we will diplomatically call extensive detail. One source described the portrait as sycophantic and a fantastical characture. The artist did not comment. Andrew's situation continued to develop on multiple fronts simultaneously, which has become something of a weekly feature of this program. Robert Hardman revealed this week that Andrew had a long standing tactic of bypassing Palace officials by raising sensitive requests directly with the Queen during Sunday afternoon tea at Windsor What Know, when no advisers were present. Having obtained the Queen's informal agreement, he returns Monday morning and declares the matters settled. On source described this as sneaky behavior and identifying moments of minimal oversight to secure outcomes. Hardman more diplomatically called Andrew

10:32 impressionable and noted he could say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing. Former PM Gordon Brown wrote in The New Statesman that the police investigation should be widened immediately. Emily Makeeless announcing she is fronting a new Channel four documentary series examining the Epstein case, and a peerage expert argued this week that despite the Palace's announcement of Andrew's removal from the role of the peerage, he may still legally hold his titles unless Parliament passes legislation to remove them. His new front door at Sandringham is painted the scene light blue, as all the other properties on the estate. A local resident noted this shows just how far he has fallen from grace. Sarah Ferguson tillby seeking a meeting with King Charles to present her side of events, a request that it's reportedly not being warmly received. She and Andrew are also said to no longer trust each other, but once was describing the state of mutual paranoia in which fears the other could take a large payment for an interview, blaming them for everything. Neither has done so yet.

11:29 On later matters, Anne opened a new gorilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo. Silverback led the troop inside immediately and begun testing the climbing structures. Charles, we learned, has disliked cats since Princess Margaret gave them one as a child and disliked it. On site, he does not allow anyone, including William and Harry, to drive his Aston Martin. Queen Camilla prefers full sugar Coca Cola at lunch on the grounds there is no points otherwise, and Queen Elizabeth, according to former dresser Angela Kelly, used to dance to ABBA's Dancing Queen while getting dressed in the mornings, swaying to say it while Kelly spun around like it was at a disco. Queen quilt. The Queen Kelly said had a good voice. Kelly did not. We also learned from the book The Queen and Her Presidents by Susan Page, that Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were all joking at a funeral about the Queen's talent for making every Democratic president feel like her favorite. Clinton said he would be shocked if she ever singled one out. Trump meanwhile told the author he had asked her constantly what she really thought of Harry and Meghan, that she would only ever say lovely, lovely.

12:31 He claimed it hurt her. He also said he couldn't get her to say it, which was given the context, sounds very much like she handled him perfectly. The British summer season is now beginning. Chelsea Flowers Show is weeks away, Garden parties trooping the color Royal, Lascott, Wimbledon and Henley follow in sequence. The monarchy dresses itself in its fineness and proceeds through the calendar as it has for generations. This week, a king returned from Washington visited a small shop in Bermuda and was described as delighted that is, in its way exactly what the institution is for, and they have it. If you'd like to email us on and they have it. If you like to email us our addresses the Palace injuryotmail dot com. I'm Mark Francis. My thingks to the John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly and good tings