March 30, 2026
Harry’s Spare Tops Bathroom Reading List as Meghan Faces Fresh Backlash
Prince Harry’s memoir Spare has been named Britain’s most popular bathroom read, topping a new survey that highlights its easy, conversational style.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle is facing renewed online criticism after sharing a video of daughter Princess Lilibet with the family’s chickens, with some questioning the authenticity of the carefully curated glimpse into their California life.
We break down the latest wave of scrutiny, including claims about their standing in Montecito, ongoing questions about their brand, and whether their public image continues to work in their favor.
Plus: commentary from across the media landscape on why the Sussexes may be better suited to life in California than the United Kingdom, and new reports suggesting Prince Harry’s relationship with King Charles remains strained.
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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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A calorogus Shark Media. Hi, and welcome to Palace Intrigue
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Game your host. Mark Francis Printerry's memoir Spare has received
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an unusual accolade ahead of his upcoming trip to Australia,
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after being voted Britain's top book to read in the bathroom.
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The Duke of Sussex's twenty twenty three memoir, which generated
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widespread attention for its candidate revelations, topped a new survey
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commissioned by toilet paper brand Coushelle. The study found that
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one in ten Britons chose Spare as their preferred reading
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material for a moment of quiet. Behavioral psychologist Joe Hemmings
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tells The Express the toilet is one of the few
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places where people feel briefly removed from demands and social expectations,
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so they often gravitate toward books that are immersive, conversational
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or even a little provocative. A memoir like Spare fits
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that perfectly. It's easy to dip in and out of,
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emotionally engaging, driven by personal storytelling, and no coincidence that
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its title could be interpreted as precious spare time. The
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Mirror went with a clever headline about Harry being first
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in line to the throne. The Duchess of Sussex's face
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renewed online scrutiny following a social media post showing a
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moment from her family life in California. Megan and She
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had a video featuring her daughter, Princess Lillabet interacting with
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chickens at the family's Montecito home. The clip, which showed
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the four year old patting the birds, was intended as
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a glimpse into their quieter lifestyle, which the couple have
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previously highlighted since stepping back from royal duties. The Sussexes
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have long spoken about their rescue hens, kept in a
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coop known as Archie's chick Inn, first introduced publicly during
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their twenty twenty one interview with Oprah Winfrey. At the time,
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Meghan said, I just love rescuing, referring to the animals
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saved from a factory farm. However, according to reports, the
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latest post prompted a mixed reaction on line. One source
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said Meghan intended her video of Littlebert with their chickens
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as a warm, personal glimpse into her home life, but
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the reaction online quickly took on a very different tone.
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What might have been seen is wholesome instead became a
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lightning rod for criticism. Trolls began questioning the authenticity of
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what they were seeing, rather than simply engaging with the
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moment itself. Another source said there is a growing chorus
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of voices online effectively telling her to cluck off Meghan,
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with critics claiming the image being presented doesn't match reality.
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Some are openly suggesting that she isn't the one tending
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to the chickens day to day, and that's soff are
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likely responsible, which has fueled a wave of trolling. A
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further source suggested the reaction reflects wider perceptions of the
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Duchess's public image, stating there is a persistent skepticism around
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anything she shares that is intended to appear relatable or domestic,
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with floods of trolls saying she just often comes across
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as desperate to be liked, but ends up coming across
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as fake instead. As a result, even something as simple
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as a moment with her daughter and a few chickens
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is being picked apart and questioned. There is a sense
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that anything Megan puts out is immediately subjected to a
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level of analysis that goes beyond what most public figures experience.
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Even something as ordinary as keeping chickens becomes a talking point,
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and that level of attention often quickly turns critical. In
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I News, Rebecca Reed writes, Meghan and Harry are living
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the dream. No wonder we can't stand them in a
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world where Harry, presumably alongside Meghan, was invited back into
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the bosom of the royal family. Is there any chance
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that they would want to return? I'm inclined to think not.
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When I say that Harry and Meghan should stay put,
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it's not because they dislike them in their own clumsy,
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cringe imperfect way. I think they're sort of charming. I
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like how Meghan keeps making a television show that no
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one really wants because it's fun for her. I find
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it endearing that she's teaching people how to cook, despite
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not really seeming to know how to do it herself.
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But generally speaking, the UK just isn't the right place
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for them. Britain fundamentally like people like Harry and Meghan,
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the Sussexes are dad pan dreamers who take themselves fairly
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seriously and talk about their feelings a lot. They're openly ambitious,
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but overtly therapized, and willing to talk about their private
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inner feelings when it suits them otherwise they want privacy.
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None of these are bad things. In fact, some of
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those personality traits are actually really very nice ones. But
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they're the kind of characteristics which absolutely slay in California.
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While horrifying self for facing Brits personally, I admit that
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I'd love to see Harry and Meghan back in the
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UK winding up the Cambridges making headlines for wearing the
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wrong shoes to a royal event or allegedly giving side
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eye to politicians. But I just can't comprehend what about
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this gray country could for a couple of such sunny
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tempered people compete with a state where everyone is a dreamer.
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And you can imagine how their children would feel to
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be yanked out of whatever Californian school they're attending and
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plunged back into the icy, gray strictures of the British
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private education system. How Harry raised the epicenter of British
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society has turned out so naturally and spiritually American is
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anyone's guess. But whatever the reason, for it is a
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natural Californian and honestly, I mean that as a compliment.
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Americans can be a little bit cringe, but I think
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on the whole that's rather better than the mean, snarky
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Saki tendencies we revel. In page six reports, Harry and
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Meghan are facing a caller reception from some of their
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neighbors in Montecito. One source claimed they are avoiding them.
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No one wants to be seen with them. According to
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the report, the reaction is not tied to any single
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recent headline, but has developed gradually. Another source said it's
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not hate, it's just a growing awareness that the takes
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with Zero's self awareness. Everyone's exhausted by them. However, a
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source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex disputed
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their characterization, insisting they have a great relationship with their
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neighbors and love their community. In a previous interview, one
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neighbor said, I personally don't think that Megan is an
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asset to our community. She doesn't really go out or
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get involved with the community. Harry as to a certain extent,
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because he's quite jolly, but Megan doesn't seem to get
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seen anywhere and you don't see him either in the
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news dot com dot Au. Daniela also wonders will Australia
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be the scene of the great as ever renaissance, will
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we prove a fertile market for the Schmansey trials and
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asparagus tongue industries? And what exactly is a wedding fork?
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I suppose it's fitting really, two hundred and thirty eight
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years after under Harry's great great great great great grandfather
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George the Third, the UK got the bright idea of
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shipping their extrain years goods down under. The Duchess is
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about to do the same. Let the jam colonization commence
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more Palatin just a moment. Prince Harry is reportedly feeling
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increasingly discouraged about his relationship with King Charles amid claims
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that efforts to repair the rift have stalled. One source
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tells Reality Tea there's no denying there is a huge distance,
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adding that things now seem to be worse, and the
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insiders said he has continued to make efforts to stay
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in touch, explaining he reaches out and doesn't hear back
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most of the time. It's disheartening. Royal commentator Ingrid su
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had said, they are obviously trying to promote themselves and
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they need to keep a high profile in order to
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make money. I think the King has probably slightly washed
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his hands of them. He's got plenty of other things
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to worry about. They do what they like up to
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a point. I think he has got more important things
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to worry about them what Harry and Meghan are doing
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at this moment. Speaking on The Son's Royal Exclusive, Royal
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commentator Bronte Coy said there is a growing perception that
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the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are really difficult to
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work with, with similar claims emerging across multiple reports. Coy
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said people are basically saying that they're really difficult to
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work with, and that's the theme there, and it's from
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a number of sources now, a number of different outlets,
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and that is the problem with them moving forward trying
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to build an empire post royal life. Coy suggested these
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Sussexes strategy has relied heavily on personal storytelling rather than
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broader creative output, saying they went to America with dreams
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of being teas producers and all they've really been able
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to do is try to monetize their lives through factual content.
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Factual content is having a torrid time at the moment
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in drama is what's still alive. Quai continued, They've not
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been able to land those dramas, and it does feel
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like the reason is because they actually didn't have any
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of their own really fantastic ideas for fiction shows. He
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also commented on Megan's business direction, saying, what Megan's always
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leaned towards is monetizing her life, which I think is
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probably an exhausting thing to do, because you needs to
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be able to go home and live your life and
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for that to be separate, and they have it. If
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you like to email us addresses the Palace intrigu at
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gmail dot com, please follow us on your favorite podcast app.
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I'm Mark Francis. Thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace
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Intrigue and good terms
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00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:51.079
121
00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:55.600
122
00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:58.319
123
00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.680
124
00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:04.040
125
00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:07.839
126
00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:10.720
127
00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:12.600
128
00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:15.439
129
00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:18.000
130
00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.160
131
00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:22.399
132
00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.279
133
00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:28.160
134
00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.360
135
00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:34.519
136
00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:38.240
137
00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.720
138
00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.519
139
00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:46.480
140
00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:48.800
141
00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:52.199
142
00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.279
143
00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:59.480
144
00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:01.759
145
00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:05.079
146
00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:08.439
147
00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:12.319
148
00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:14.560
149
00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.240
150
00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:20.519
151
00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:23.920
152
00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:26.920
153
00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.839
154
00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:31.720
155
00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:34.639
156
00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:36.639
157
00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:40.000
158
00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:43.279
159
00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:45.000
