Jan. 23, 2025

Did Prince Harry lose by settling?

Show Notes
Transcript

Harry got money and an apology...but is that what he wanted, or just the best he could get.

We continue to look at the explosive Vanity Fair piece.

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Callaroga Shark Media in today's news, reactions to Harry's settlement,

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and a look behind the scenes of Megan's podcast. Hello,

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and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host Mark Francis.

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Continuing our look at Vanity Fair's cover story on Harry

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and Meghan, we learn even more about the production of

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Megan's podcast. Vanity Fair quotes a former Spotify source, archetypes

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was complicated as a podcast concept. You had to explain

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what the archetype was, then why the woman embodied it,

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but also how it wasn't true about her. Every episode

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was like, this is my friend who has been called

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that archetype, but is not that archetype. Author and Appeal

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writes these archetypes actually stereotypes, included Deva, Mariah Carey and Bimbo,

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Paris Hilton, and Eliza Schlessinger. As for those friends, there

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was an expert that Megan would be able to use

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her personal rolodecks to book the show the way hosts

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like Simmons and pod Save America guys do. The person

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who worked in media projects says the assumption was Meghan's

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going to be on the phone with the Pope tomorrow

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the former Spotify employee says, in addition to Taylor Swift,

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they heard rumors that Beyonce and Megan thee Stallion were

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asked to come on the show and decline. Other people

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who worked on the podcast also say they heard some

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of those names mentioned, though a source close to the

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situation says Megan thee Stallion's team knew nothing about any request.

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We also learned more of Dutchess difficult accusations, with someone

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described as a person who interacted with her professionally saying

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you can be yelled at even if somebody doesn't raise

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their voice. It's funny that people don't differentiate between the

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energy of being yelled at and literally somebody screaming at you, peel, adds.

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Two sources say a colleague with ties to archetypes took

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a leave of absence after working on three episodes, then

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left Kimblet altogether. Several others described taking extended breaks from

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work to escape scrutiny, exiting their job, or undergoing long

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term therapy after working with Meghan. The person who interacted

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professionally with her says, I think if Megan acknowledged her

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own shortcomings or personal contributions to situations rather than staying

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trapped in a victim narrative, her perception might be better,

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they added, with the soggy laugh of the plea rendering

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judgment on the Dungeess of Sussex. But who am I

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to criticize Meghan Markel. She's doing great, A source told

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The Daily Beast. I feel desperately sorry for the people

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affected because I have been there, But I also feel vindicated.

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All those people saying she used the world's greatest boss

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should be ashamed of themselves. It's obviously very tempting to

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work for her when you are being wooed and love bond,

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but people should be in no doubt she is a nightmare.

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I would think the atmosphere will be particularly hellish now

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everything has gone to crap. She doesn't do disappointment well.

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Many Royal watches are wondering why Vanity Fair has switched

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sides on Magan and Harry. In The Daily Mail, Tom

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Leonard explains one answer is that it's reflecting the changing

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mood of the US media, which once the couple's greatest

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champions in recent times, has turned sour as it has

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shifted over time from falling to frosty in its attitude

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to the Sussexes. The US press can console itself that

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the British media did precisely the same in the two

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years or so between their marriage and abrupt departure to

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North America, as the couple who tries so hard to

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win hants and headlines discovered once more that there's only

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so much Sussex virtuousness that any country can take. Royal

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watches believe the Vanity Fair piece could be devastating for

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the Sussexes. Royal author Tom Bauer said, having strongly denied

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the accusations that she bullied her staff in Kensington Palace,

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the revival of her image of the difficult duchess who

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torments her staff into seeking therapy to alleviate the misery

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of working for Megan is a disaster. Just on the

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eve of the launch of Netflix's With Love Megan. Having

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invested so much to rebrand herself as a loving, care

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and Californian mother and wife, the VF disclosures have poisoned

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the smiling image of the welcoming homemaker. It's a bad weekend,

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Royal commentator Richard fitz Williams ads Harry is portrayed is lost,

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out of his depth and naive, the sussexistant attempting to

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project a caring image by helping some of those affected

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by the cataclysmic wildfires currently ravaging California. They won't get

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far after publicity is given to this Her with Love

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Megan cookery series is judging from the trailer, saccharin and silly.

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An enthusiastic online reaction might make the streaming giant think

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twice and dump it, and when the contract runs out

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later in the year, preserve very little of it, if any. They,

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especially Megan, now have a lot to answer. Nobody likes bullies,

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especially entitled bullies. PR expert Nick Eid also weighed in

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they don't seem to be able to do anything right

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in the eyes of the media, but now it seems

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in the eyes of their neighbors too. For such a

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well respected publication to go all out against the couple

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is bound to have negative effects on their brand and status,

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and all eyes will be on them to see what

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happens next. Their brand keeps on getting battered, and it

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feels that the tide is turning on them in the

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US and it's going to be hard for them. To

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establish themselves properly as part of the Hollywood eliteans darlings

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of the nation, which they obviously wanted. The Daily Beast

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quoted a source described as one of the Duchess's former

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UK employees are saying, I feel desperately sorry for the

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people affected because I have been there, but I also

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feel vindicated. It's obviously very tempting to work for her

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when you are being wooed and love bummed, but people

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should be in no doubt she is a nightmare. I

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would think the atmosphere will be particularly hellish now that

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everything is going to shit. She doesn't do disappointment well.

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We will continue to pick away at this Vanity Fair

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cover article as the week progresses, and this Sunday's Palace

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Weekly will feature a roundtable discussion of the article. Palace

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Weekly is our new additional episode, available to all followers,

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and comes out Sunday morning by nine am Eastern. Palace

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Intrigue will be right back. A reminder that Palace Intrigue

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If you use another podcast player, check the link in

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the show notes. After Harry's court settlement yesterday, Piers Morgan tweeted,

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so moral crusader Prince Harry took the cash. Will he

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now be issuing a full and unequivocal apology to the

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Royal family for his own serious intrusion into their lives

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for personal financial gain? Or is royal intrusion absolutely fine

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when he does it? What a hypocrite? In the Telegraph

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of Victoria Ward rites, the Duke of Sussex put everything

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on the line to take on Rupert Murdoch's media empire,

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his relationships with his family, his reputation and his own

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post royal career. However it may have been presented, the

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acceptance of a hefty eight figure financial settlement from the

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publisher of the Sun will be considered by many as

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a humiliating climb down without the specter of a long

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awaited trial, one that threatened to cause significant reputational damage

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to newsgroup newspapers. His efforts to change the media landscape

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in the UK appear to have fallen rather flat. The

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Duke was not only said to be preparing to fly

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from California to give evidence in support of his claim,

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but to be relishing the very prospect just last month.

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He defiantly insisted that he would never settle, that he

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would pursue this case on behalf of the many hundreds

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who had no option but to throw in the towel.

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He was, he said, the last person who could achieve

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accountability to obtain closure for those who did not have

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the financial resources to have their day in court. Ngan's

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at two hundred ninety word statement read out before Mister

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Justice fan Court, marked the first time the company has

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admitted unlawful activity at the Sun. However, it did not

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accept any liability on the part of journalists or executives

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working for the newspaper, despite the Duke's repeated insistence that

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he would expose a corporate cover up. The statement did

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include an apology for the intrusion into the private life

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of the Duke's late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, reflecting

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a particular grievance that had eaten away at him for decades.

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Securing an admission on behalf of his mother was almost

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certainly a red line for the Duke, who has long

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wanted to secure justice and make her proud, and they have.

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If you'd like to email us addresses The Palace Intrigue

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review of five stars. If you're enjoying the show, I'm

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Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is a

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Palace Intrigue and good terms.

Did Prince Harry lose by settling?

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