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Caloroga Shark Media. Hey, and welcome to Palace Intrigue Game
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you host. Mark mor answers it's going to take us days,
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if not weeks, to unpack the madness of Meghan's holiday special,
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especially in a busy week with a state visit and
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Kate's Christmas concert, as well as starting tomorrow afternoon, we'll
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be bringing you the top twenty five royal moments of
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twenty twenty five. But let's begin to pick away at it.
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The Independent called it not fun, enjoyable or even aspirational,
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giving it one star. They write, did you know that
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you're supposed to wrap Christmas lights around your tree twice,
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once further in and then again on the outside. I
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suppose I didn't, but it makes logical sense. I've never
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thought to make my own Christmas plates, or considered writing
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little love notes to my family and refillable felt advent
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calendars either. But Meghan Marco has mused on many aspects
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of Christmas for her predictably insipid festive special Sadly, this
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most markily of Netflix content tests the limit of my
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holiday cheer. Before any guests a ria for her Christmas party,
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she perhaps by writing tis the seasoning in chalk on
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her kitchen chalkboard, and smashes some chocolate, biscuits and sugar
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together in a sloppy bowl to make reindeer chow. When
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she brings in her first visitor, the New York restauranteur
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Will Gadara, the energy shifts. Is this sexual tension between
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them or just the feeling of Netflix having to put
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a gun to its head. Michael tells him how Christmas
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crackers are a big deal in the UK. Christmases no way,
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he smiles back. Solo, Michael tackles wrapping Christmas gifts. One
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technique that's really fun is just a different way in
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which you're folding the paper, she says, in her hypnotic tone,
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Layering the folds of paper outwardly instead of inwardly, so
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the finished product looks like a braid that you can
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tuck in a little Christmas tree branch or candy cane
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or something, or a bow right here. Could be really darling. Wait,
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that's actually really nice. Okay. Now she shows you how
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to wrap a bottle of wine beautifully with a silk
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scarf Japanese style. The wrapping section has its merits. The
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standard went with I think Meghan Marko's team were trolling
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her with this insane holiday special. They write, absolutely, do
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not try any of these crafts or recipes at home
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unless you also want to have a nervous breakdown. Netflix
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has really hit its stride with this special episode of
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With Love Meghan. They're really leaning into the frantic energy
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of its star trying to crack puns without splashing hot
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oil or butter down her pristine cashmere sweaters. Honestly, the
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production team must be trolling Meghan here with increasingly bizarre
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and elaborate setups for her to impact hosting hacks. In fact,
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are they really hacks? They would make anyone else actually
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hosting Christmas for a big group have a nervous breakdown
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before the canopies were served. Don't feel like you have
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to do it all. Just embrace the special touches that
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bring you joy. Megan trills before embarking on a series
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of increasingly insane scenarios. The ke to being a good
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host in Megan's world is have your production team researched
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the guests they booked and give you a flavor profile
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of what they enjoy eating. The Daily Mail's Annabel Fenwick
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Elliott issued the bluntest verdict, awarding the program zero stars
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out of five. She wrote, it's the syrupy hypocrisy and
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our hostess is deep lack of self awareness that continued
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to make her and this show so unlikable. If only
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she could lean into her waspish type a personality, poke
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a little fun at herself, even she could just about
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be endearing in a Monica from friends sort of way.
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In The Times, columnists Hillary Rose labeled the Special unfathomable,
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suggesting the production amounts to four pointless crafts, three random friends,
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two unseen kids, one English print and the duchess in
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the bear tree, or at least making peer syrup. She
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described guests who queue up to say implausible things, running
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the gamut from moronic to trite, and then emote joy.
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Adding the portions of the dialogue left her feeling as
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though the English language had been fed through Google Translate
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and found wanting more Pallas in just a moment. The
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telegraphs Anna Seeing called the Special quite mad and a
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little bit sad one star out of five. Anita writes,
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you'll be reaching for the Christmas spirits make minor double
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within the first five minutes As Megan talks us through
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the basics, once a year you get to do the
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tree thing. Advent calendars are about having a surprise every
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day for twenty four days until you get to Christmas.
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Tis the season to wrap gifts you don't say. This
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is reminiscent of the advice given by Pipper Middleton and
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celebrate that seminal work of nonfiction produced by the Princess
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of Wales's sister, which recommended serving turkey on Christmas Day
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and going stargazing at nighttime because that's when it's dark.
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Megan's tips are imparted in an easy, breezy manner as
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she waxes lyrical about family traditions and spending the holiday
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with loved ones, determinedly ignoring the elephants in the room.
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Christmas trees are able to really encapsulate your family story,
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she says, you really feel the passage of time in
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the different chapters of your life through the ornaments. But
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I'm not sure how going non contact with your father,
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moving five thousand miles away from Britain because your husband
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hates his entire family, and then giving a bombshell interview
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accusing your in laws of being racists can be conveyed
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in baubles, perhaps an angel tree topper in the shape
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of Oprah Winfrey, wearing a Cartier tank watch and a
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humdinger of a diamond. Megan busies around the kitchen, laughing
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merrily at her own jokes. This feels like fun. Do
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you've never heard anyone say fun? Don't wary of being
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seen as Marie Antoinette. She mentions no fewer than four
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times that she's going to do her own tidying up.
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Guy the beagle pads around at her feet. Hang on,
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didn't he die in January? It's a Christmas miracle. Two
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of Meghan's friends come over for a pajama party, which
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I did not realize was a thing past the age
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of twelve. This is the most insufferable section. Osaka is
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press ganged decorating a play for her daughter, and when
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she mentions, in a moment of honesty, that she has
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no time to relax at home because she has a
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young child to run after, Meghan says, but that's the
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good kind of non relaxation, right, the stuff that is
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so soul filling and amazing, Yeahsaka, her soul visibly draining
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from her body. Meghan makes one allusion to her former
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life when she recalls pulling crackers while living in the UK.
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Other than that, there is no mention of Christmas at
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Sandringham or Hotel Grannie, as Harry referred to it in
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his memoir. At least dear Old Harry makes an appearance.
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He turns up five minutes from the end let out
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of the pantry where he has been locked since the
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end of series one. The Daily Styles recap starts with
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a healthy chuckle. Prince Harry's first speaking part on Meghan
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Michael's shows used to slag off a salad. Harry joins
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Meghan in the kitchen and she prepares at Christmas Eve
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gumbo traditionally made by her mother Doria Ragland. This time,
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Meghanov's for a spicy and dewey sausage rather than the
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turkey sausage. Dorria usually sets a side for Harry, telling
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viewers with a smile that he's going to sweat. Harry's
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reaction is immediate, wonderful, he replies with a grimace, before
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admitting that the spice level made him feel it puncturing
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through the top of my head. Megan looks genuinely taken
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aback when he offers his final verdict, I'm not so
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sure it's as good as your mum's, but it's certainly close.
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Megan notes that the accompanying salad includes the top things
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my husband hates to eat, listing fennel, black olives, pickled vegetables,
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and beetroot as they say in England. Harry approaches the
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dish cautiously. Oh wow, that's likely anti salad, he says, later, remarking,
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there are not many things in the world that I
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don't like, and they're all in that one bowl. But
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perhaps we spent all much time following Meghan's career that
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we can't be objective. In Vogue, Daisy Jones is a
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newcomer to the Duchess's adventures and writes, I'm going to
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admit something. I don't know anything about Meghan Markel or
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her Netflix show. I've managed to avoid any chatter about
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With Love Meghan, but maybe I'm missing out. Yeah, or
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to open my mind and heart to With Love Meghan,
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which may not be aimed towards audiences like me. After
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finishing With Love Megan holiday celebration, I'm left with a
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few takeaways. On the one hand, I can see why
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the show was critically panned. Sometimes people are given a
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platform because of who they are, rather than what they
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can bring. And with love Megan gives me the same
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feeling as when I am around very wealthy people who
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think that making a salad with friends makes them grounded
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and relatable. On the other there's something soothing, enjoyable even
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about the show's glossy in aimless. Not everything has to
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be cerebral or even enlightening. Sometimes it's enough to be comforting.
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And if we can't watch comforting, temperate, nothing but in
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a good way TV at Christmas, then when can we?
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And there you have it. I'd like to email us
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that addresses the Palace intrig at gmail dot com. Please
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follo us on Spotify, Apple, the app of your choice.
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And it's a nice review I from enjoying the show
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my friends. It's my thanks to John McDermott. This is
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Palace Intrigue and good times