May 3, 2026

Charles Wows Congress, Submarine Jokes & Meghan's Fashion Interview Strikes Again - The week in UK royal news.

Charles Wows Congress, Submarine Jokes & Meghan's Fashion Interview Strikes Again - The week in UK royal news.

It's the week in review on Palace Intrigue, and what a week it was. King Charles addressed Congress, made a submarine joke at a White House state dinner, delivered honey to a Harlem farmer, and left Washington having said nothing quotable, offended no one, and received approximately a dozen standing ovations — mission, by all accounts, accomplished. Queen Camilla delivered a replacement toy kangaroo to the New York Public Library and warned an audience her voice might not last the speech. The gifts included a Second World War bell, Resolute Desk plans, Tiffany teaspoons, and White House honey. Meanwhile, Meghan published a sixteen-designer fashion interview during the state visit, the OneOff platform controversy rumbled on, and a Heat World report claimed Harry privately winces at Meghan's money talk. Harry's forty-thousand air miles in sixty days attracted scrutiny. Tom Sykes suggested his Ukraine speech may have been AI-drafted. William and Catherine marked fifteen years of marriage with a Cornwall portrait. Eugenie resurfaced in Sicily. Sarah Ferguson was spotted in Austria. Andrew remains in Norfolk. And the British summer season is about to begin, right on schedule, as it always does.

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Royal Books:

Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors by Tom Bower

William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story

The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana

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Calorougus Shark Media. Heaw lo and welcome to Palace Weekly.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. It's been a week

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in which a king addressed Congress, a submarine joke landed

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at a White House state dinner, a queen delivered a

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toy kangaroo to a New York library, and the Duchess

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of Sussex published a sixteen designer fashion interview at the

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precise moment her father in law was the most watched

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person on earth. Timing as ever, is everything. Let's gin

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into it. We begin in Washington, because that's where history

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was made. King Charles the Third addressed a joint session

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of Congress on Tuesday, becoming only the second British monarch

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to do so, following Queen Elizabeth I in nineteen ninety one.

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The speech ran approximately twenty minutes and covered NATO, Ukraine

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democracy and the importance of checks and balances on executive power,

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a line that drew particularly strong applause from the Democratic

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sale of the Chamber. The King joked that the two

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hundred and fiftieth anniversary of American independence was just the

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other day by British standards, and dismissed any suggestion he

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had come to Washington as a cunning rear guard action

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to re establish British rule. He received around a dozen

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standing ovations. The BBC courted a diplomatic rescue mission. The

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Guardian courted a masterclass. The White House, with characteristic precision,

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posted a photograph of the King and the President captioned

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two Kings. Buckingham Palace did not respond to that particular framing.

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The state dinner that followed was equally well received. The

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King reminded the room that Britain made its own small

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attempt at real estate development of the White House in

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eighteen fourteen, and joked about Lionel Ritchie's voice suggesting he

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must gargle with port. Jeff Bezos, Tim Kirk and a

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significant portion of Fox News attended. The menu included beef

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Wellington bites, fish and chips served in combes, and a

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dessert of White House honey cremoux alongside flowerless chocolate gatteau.

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President Trump, in its toast, suggested that Charles agrees with

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me even more than I do on foreign policy. It

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claim that prompted a swift and carefully worded clarification from

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Buckingham Palace. Reiterating the monarch's constitutional position on nuclear proliferation.

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The evening was, by all available accounts, a success. The

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gifts exchanged deserve their own moment. The King presented Trump

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with a polished bell from HMS Trump, a Second World

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War era Royal Navy submarine that sank several Japanese vessels

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before being scrapped in Newport in nineteen seventy one. Should

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you ever need to get hold of us, the King said,

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presenting it, said, just give us a ring. The President

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received the joke warmly. Charles also gave Trump a framed

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replica of the eighteen seventy nine design plans for the

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Resolute Desk, which sits in the Oval Office and was

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built from timbers of the British ship HMS Resolute. Trump

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in return, gave the King a framed reproduction of a

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letter from John Adams describing his first meeting with King George,

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the third after independence, in which the King said he

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would be the first to welcome American friendship. Queen Camilla

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received Tiffany teaspoons and white House honey. She gave Millennia

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Trump a broach. Fashion critics noted that throughout the visit,

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the two women appeared in near coordinated palettes pale spring tones,

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wired brimmed hats pink at the dinner, leading The New

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York Times to suggest their wardrobes had done quite diplomatic

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work of their own. The garden party of the British

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Ambassador's residence drew six hundred guests, including Ted Cruz, Nancy Pelosi,

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and Mike Johnson, all of whom were given SCons with

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clotted cream and strawberry jam, egg mayonnaise, sandwiches, and bakewell tart.

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The head chef also noted with evident satisfaction that he

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had managed to include roast beef and horseradish sandwiches using

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the first imports of British beef to America, a rule

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bending he described as justified for the occasion. Charles shared

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a moment with Olympic diver Tom Daley, who informed the

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King that he had once try knitting at the age

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of eight. The King said he might pick it back up,

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more palasing just a moment. New York was slightly cooler.

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Mayor Zorin Mumdani declined a private meeting with the King,

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with his spokesperson confirming he would attend the wreath laying,

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but not meet separately. When asked what he would have

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said in a private audience, Lemyr replied that he would

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probably encourage the King to return the Coenur diamond. The

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King did not publicly respond to this suggestion. He visited

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the nine to eleven Memorial and Museum, met first responders

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and later wreath alongside former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A handwritten

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note left by the royal couple read beingonor the memory

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of all those that tragically lost their lives on eleventh

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September two thousand and one, and stand enduring solidarity with

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the American people in the face of such loss. At

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a Harlem community farming project, a student gave the King

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a handwritten note decorated in orange and purple. Market that's fantastic,

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he said. On his way out here, gave the founder

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a small brown box tied with a red ribbon containing

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honey from the bees a high grove. In the evening,

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the King and Queen attended the King's Trust Global Gala

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at Christie's, where Donna Tella Vasacci Amman and a when

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tour Kylie Klassen Lionel Richie were among the guests. Richie

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introduced the King, who spoke about the trust's work before

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joking about Richie's voice. Bennedy Fair observed that even in

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a room full of famous people, the King and Queen

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was still the main event. Queen Camella, whose voice was

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audibly fading by this point in the trip, warned the

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New York Public Library that she hoped to a voice

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wouldn't concount before her speech, and added, as you can imagine,

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I have been talking quite a lot over the past

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few days. She was there to deliver a replacement Roue

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the baby Kangaroo from Winnie the Pooh to the library's

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collection of original stuffed animals, ru having gone missing in

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the nineteen thirties. Officially described the gift as a royal

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soft toy power. The replacements were made by Mary Thought,

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the same manufacturer that produced the originals. On Wednesday, ahead

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of departing four Virginia, the King and Queen held a

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formal farewell with the President at the White House. Trump

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called Charles a great king and told reporters we need

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more people like that in our country. The King was

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asked for a favorite moment by reporters. He smiled and

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offered no reply. A BBC correspondent noted this illustrated the

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difference between the two men clearly from the White House.

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The couple traveled to Arlington National Cemetery, where the King

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laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier,

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following in the footsteps of his mother, who performed the

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same act during her state visit in nineteen fifty seven.

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The King then continued on a loane to Bermuda for

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the final leg of the tour, where his programme included

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visits to a church, an aquarium, a naval museum, and

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a telescope project tracking space debris. It was after the

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previous days a considerably more manageable itinerary. Deep Crown, on

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his sub stack, reflected on the week's central achievement with

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characteristic restraint. The King had walked into a room where

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everyone wanted something he was constitutionally forbidden from giving. Said

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nothing quotable offended, no one drew standing evasions from both parties,

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made a submarine joke that landed and left the crown

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itself as the message. Deep Crown wrote, you simply need

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to be in the room that remains, all things considered

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the most accurate summary of what was accomplished, more palasing

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just a moment now to these stories that ran alongside

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the state visit, and in some cases directly across it.

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Prince Harry spent the early part of the week receiving

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sustained criticism for his appearance in Kiev the previous week.

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His carbon footprint was tallied at approximately thirty nine nine

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hundred air miles over sixty days, a figure that attracted

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comment given his environmental advocacy and the Travelist Sustainable Travel

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initiative he founded in twenty nineteen. He defended himself in

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an ITV interview, saying he was doing the things I

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was born to do and that he saw no conflict

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with the King's Washington visit. No, I don't think so,

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not at all, he said, when asked whether his remarks

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had complicated the trip. Donald Trump, in the same week

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responded by saying he speaks for the UK more than

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Harry does, I acclaimed. Harry did not address directly. The

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Express described the Ukraine's speech as naive. The Independent described

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it as well intentioned but self referential. Tom Sykes suggested

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with some speciifity that portions of it appeared to have

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been drafted by artificial intelligence, citing its use of repeated

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rhetorical patterns in what he called hollow, connective language. Harry's

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team did not respond to that particular analysis. Megan meanwhile

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published a lengthy interview with The Australian Women's Weekly discussing

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her fashion choices from the Australian Tour, crediting sixteen designers

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by name, and reflecting on how her master Chef outfit

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reminded her of her character Rachel Zane from Suits. The

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interview appeared on Thursday, the day after the King's address

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to Congress and the White House State Dinner. Deep Crown,

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asked by this program for a comment, noted with what

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he described as his characteristic restraint, that the Duchess had

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chosen the week of the state visit to publish a

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fashion interview in which the word master Chef appears. I

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am sure that timing was entirely coincidental, he wrote, represent

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this without further editorial comment. The one off fashion platform

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controversy continued to generate coverage. Reports suggested that images of

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Megan at a Melbourne children's hospital had been used on

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the platform to enable viewers to purchase her outfit, an

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allegation her team disputed, saying they were working closely with

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the platform to ensure only approved photography was used. The

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relevant listing was taken down. A heat Well report this

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week added a new to mention claiming the situation has

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caused friction between Harry and Meghan privately, with a source

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alleging that Harry winces at what he perceives as excessive

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focus on money, and that Megan has told him to

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wake up, stopping so hyper sensitive and get on board.

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Harry's team did not address this. The source also said

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Meghan is incredibly driven and describes their commercial ventures as

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building a dynasty. Note all of this and moved gently

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on closer to home. William and Catherine marked fifteen years

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of marriage on Wednesday with the release of a new

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family portrait taken during a recent Cornwall holiday. The image

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shows the couple relaxed on the grass with George, Charlotte

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and Lewis in bright sunshine. Separate photographs from the trip

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showed Louis playing in the sand and running along the beach.

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The couple posted it with the caption celebrating fifteen years

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of marriage. The telegraphs Hannah Finess devoted considerable warmth to

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the anniversary, quoting a source who described the couple as

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yin and yang in their support of each other, and

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noted that William is now comfortable on diplomatic duty, hosting

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Donald Trump and at a Weatherspoons in Birmingham. Another source

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called Katherine the school mum you'd called scoop your children

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up when you're running late. Both descriptions appeared to have

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been intended as compliments. William also visited RAF Valley on

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Anglesey this week, the base where he served as a

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search and rescue pilot between twenty ten and twenty thirteen,

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and when he and Catherine made their first home together.

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It was for the couple a week of looking back

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as much as forward. Catherine meanwhile intended Anne's At Day

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commemorations solo at the Cenotaph and Westminster Abbey, representing the

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King while he was abroad. It was the first time

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she had attended the event alone. She was also spotted

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at the Queen Elizabeth's centenary reception with a small bandage

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on her right thumb. The cause was not confirmed. A

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previous similar incident was attributed to trampolining Andrew Mount Batten

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Windsor remains in Norfolk, where the tourist traffic around his

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temporary residence has been described locally as an ongoing nuisance.

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Sarah Ferguson was photographed in Austria this week, the first

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confirmed sighting and some time looking subdued at a ski

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resort and keeping her distance from cameras. She is said

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to have reached out to tiger woods and approach those

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around him have reportedly received with considerable caution. Princess Eugenie

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made her first public appearance in months at a wedding

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in Sicily, looking well. As the week closes, the British

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summer season is preparing to begin. Chelsea Flower Show is

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just weeks away, Garden parties at Buckingham Palace followed shortly

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after trooping the colour Royal Ascot Wimbledon, and the full

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procession of tradition that defines this stretch of the calendar

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as assembling itself. The Monarchy, for all the turbulence of

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recent months, will dress itself in its finest, walk its

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horses out and way from the balcony it has as

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deep Crown might say, done this before, and there you

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have it, if you'd like to email us or addresses

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to the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please followus

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on Spotify, Apple, all the app of your choice. I'm

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Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace

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Weekly in good terms.