Harry & Meghan Reportedly Ready to Apologize for Oprah Interview as King Charles Meeting Looms

0:03 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Harry and Meghan reportedly want a private meeting with the royal family to apologise for comments made during their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. The Express, citing an unnamed source, claims the couple hope to address the hurt caused by the interview as part of an effort to repair family relationships. The source said, Harry and Meghan have always known since they decided to return to the UK that they would need to eat humble pie. Their one big regret about leaving the royal family for the US was their interview with Oprah, and Meghan knows her biggest mistake was her claim that a royal family member had discussed Archie's skin colour. During that interview, Meghan described concerns and conversations about how dark Archie's skin might be before his birth. Neither she nor Harry identified the family member involved.

0:57 The insider claims the couple now regret taking the dispute public. Harry was angry with his family at the time and backed Megan up, but they now realize what a low blow it was. They both know they're hot-headed and realize they took things too far and they should have kept quiet. They want to focus on the future and are hoping that will include a reconciliation at some point. They really want to sit down so they can address what they said and Megan will apologize. Megan is making a real effort to lay low and integrate herself with the locals. Their priority is making sure they stay out of the spotlight and they don't want any cameras ruining everything. any chance of smoothing things over with his family. Harry and Meghan reportedly have a meeting with King Charles scheduled before Christmas.

1:38 Unnamed sources quoted by Rob Shooter's Naughty But Nice newsletter claim the Sussexes have secured a place in the King's diary. This is not a casual, let's get together sometime, one source said. Nobody drops in on the King. If Harry and Meghan are in Charles' diary, it is because he wants them there. This is deliberate. According to another insider, Harry has also tried to contact William without receiving a response. There is no meaningful communication with William or Catherine. Charles is willing to move forward. William is not. Princess Eugenie has reportedly chosen to align herself with William and Kate rather than Harry and Meghan, according to a new claim linking the family feud to an online book listing. New Idea reports that an unnamed insider believes Eugenie wanted to make her loyalties clear following the Sussexes' return to Britain.

2:23 The claim centres on a copy of Meghan's children's book, The Bench, advertised online for more than $ 26, 000 online. It appeared to contain a personal inscription addressed to Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, before the listing disappeared. Neither the inscription's authenticity nor the book's ownership has been confirmed. Eugenie was purportedly horrified by the listing and said to have apologized to Megan, but the new account suggests the incident may have been deliberate without providing evidence that Eugenie arranged the sale. Eugenie's always tried to stay out of controversy, the insider said, claiming Harry and Meghan were now on her doorstep requesting a catch-up. This book scenario is the perfect play. No one, especially Meghan, really believes that book was discarded by accident. There continue to be suggestions that Harry and Meghan's pub outing was staged, and perhaps even fake.

3:13 Discussing the photographs on News 24, presenter Gabriella Power asked Royal Observer associate editor Josh Romm about suggestions online that the picture looked staged. Rom said Meghan's limited public appearances had encouraged speculation about whether she intended to remain in Britain. It's interesting because, of course, when there is this media vacuum created by a lack of public appearance from Meghan Markle, of course all of these deranged conspiracy theories online then start. No, this is very much Prince Harry and Meghan Markle proving that actually, no, they're very much settled here in the UK. They're exploring the local vicinity near their home in the Cotswolds area. Rom also commented on the setting of the photographs. One thing I couldn't help but notice from the paparazzi pictures is just how picturesque everything looked. When it comes to whether or not they're staged, all that I know from a showbiz perspective is paparazzi are not like how they used to be. They don't stalk people how they used to stalk, so perhaps they were tipped off. It all seemed very much self-contained. More palace in just a moment.

4:17 Prince Edward visited Mount Vernon in Virginia where he laid a wreath at George Washington's tomb. Edward was following a royal tradition begun by his great-great-grandfather, the future Edward VII, visiting Washington's tomb in 1860. The then Prince of Wales planted a small buckeye tree. Edward toured the estate with its director, Douglas Bradburn, and Britain's ambassador to the United States, Christian Turner. He also met revolutionary-era re-enactors and visitors from across North America. Edward finished with a whiskey tasting, where conversation turned to the different spellings used by American, Irish and Scottish producers Technically, it's either Scottish or Irish, so you're going to have to try and work out whether you're going to have to spell it differently to indicate it's over here. His suggested American variation, you could replace the I with a U. Edward's wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, once kept the Queen waiting to begin a state banquet speech because she could not find her chair. Sophie recalled the mishap in the ITV documentary Our Queen, explaining, The moment you go into a ballroom at Buckingham Palace, it's terrifying.

5:19 You see a wall of people, and then you think, oh, help, I've got to find my chair. Her task was made more complicated by the guest she was accompanying. Because I'm normally walking in with somebody who's never visited before, they don't know what they're meant to be doing, and I have to say, on more than one occasion, I've managed to sit in the wrong seat. On one occasion, the Queen was ready to speak while Sophie was still trying to work out where she belonged. But I shan't forget the look that I got when I couldn't find my chair and the Queen was looking to do her speech. I decided I might study my notes a little more carefully next time. Queen Elizabeth gave a young Prince William a stern telling-off after he slipped away from a riding party at Balmoral without telling the grooms. Lady Anne Glenconner recalled witnessing the exchange in 1990 when William was eight.

6:01 The former lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret shares the story ahead of her memoir, Trunks and Tiaras, which is out today. Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, she said, I was waiting for Princess Margaret and I just heard the raised voice outside and looked out and there was the Queen and there was Prince William on his pony. Glen Connor asked Margaret what had happened and learned that William had returned to the castle without letting those supervising the ride know. Evidently, Prince William had been out riding with all his cousins and grooms and had peeled away without telling the grooms. And they had come back to Balmoral without telling them and of course the grooms are frantic, you know, thinking he might have fallen off or hurt his head And quite rightly, the Queen was telling him in no uncertain terms, you know, that was not the right way to behave.

6:43 It was rather like if one's child races out onto the main road, you know, and grabs them and gives them a telling off, but that was all. William received another, rather more public correction at Trooping the Colour in 2016. As he crouched down to speak to Prince George on the Buckingham Palace balcony, the Queen appeared to tell him, stand up, William. He promptly followed his grandmother's instruction. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for five bucks a month. We appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.