Is the Royal Family Working Enough? Plus New Harry and Meghan Marriage Questions

0:03 Calarogu Shark Media, Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue and your host Mark Grancis. Questions are being raised about whether the royal family is carrying out enough official work to justify a sharp increase in taxpayer funding. Analysis by The Observer examined the Court circular the official record of royal engagements, and argues that while the sovereign grant has set to rise to one hundred million pounds beginning next year, the number of official engagements carried out by working royals has fallen dramatically over the past decade. According to the newspaper, working members of the royal family carried out two hundred seventy three engagements last year. That compares with twenty six hundred and one in twenty twenty two, the final year of Queen Elizabeth the Second's reign, five hundred and sixty seven in twenty nineteen before the pandemic, and one hundred twenty seven in twenty twelve sovereign grant was introduced. The report does point two several reasons for the decline in official engagements. The number of working Royals has fallen from fifteen to eleven. The King has reduced his schedule while undergoing cancer treatment, and the Prince and Princess of Wales have adopted a different style of monarchy, focusing on long term campaigns rather than large numbers of traditional ribbon cutting appearances.

1:21 Pallisades have argued that King Charles and Queen Camilla are working harder than Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip did at the same stage of life. The Observer compared the numbers and found that childs now seventy seven and Camilla seventy eight carried out seven hundred eight engagements last year. By comparison, Queen Elizabeth at age seventy seven and Prince Philip then eighty two completed eight hundred eight engagements together. In two thousand and three. They were still carrying out around eight hundred engagements a year as late as twenty ten. Royal author Norman Baker has renewed his criticism of Prince William's approach to royal duties, arguing in comments to The Daily Mail that the Prince of Wales is carrying out too few engagements. Baker told The Daily Mail, if you're looking for a royal to cut a ribbon, you are unlikely to secure the attendance of Prince William. He argued that that pattern is not new. Looking back at twenty twenty four, Bacon noted that Princess Anne carried out four hundred and seventy four public duties, King Charles completed three hundred seventy two, while William undertook one hundred and sixty six. He also highlighted several high profile occasions William did not attend, including the Easter service at Windsor in twenty twenty five and the funeral of former US President Jimmy Carter. Baker said William has stated firmly that his family must come first, and while that is laudable in some ways, is it really possible for the heir to the throne to absent himself from royal duties as he does? According to Baker, the Prince maintains close oversight of the Duchy's operations, requesting weekly reports and regularly communicating with staff. Baker concluded Werkshire William,

2:54 yes when it comes to undertaking royal duties, but no when it comes to adding to his already bold bank account. James Holt, one of Harry and Meghan's closest former advisers, has shared warm reflections on his years working with the couple. Holt left Archwelle in December of twenty five while preparing to take up a new role as political director to the Liberal Democrats in the UK. He made his social media accounts public, revealing several tributes to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In one post, Holt wrote, working with Prince Harriet Meghan has been one of the great privileges of my career. From the first project with Prince Harry eight years ago to improve mental health support for soldiers in the British military to our recent work helping injured children in Gaza, he has consistently challenged me to think bigger about how we can make a difference. From the moment I met Meghan, I recognized a kindred spirit, someone who finds joy even in difficult moments and connects authentically with people regardless of circumstance. Above everything else, the work we've done together to support families affected by online harm will remain the most meaningful of my professional life. These families are extraordinary and they inspire me every day. After five incredible years in Los Angeles, it's time for my family to return to London. When I passed the bat on to the team leading Archwall Philanthropies in the coming months, I'll do so with immense pride and optimism for what lies ahead. I'll miss my colleagues deeply. I'm grateful to Harry and Meghan for everything they've done for me and for the countless people we've worked to support. Holt had worked with Harry and Meghan for years, serving as their communications chief from twenty nineteen to twenty twenty one before

4:27 becoming executive director of archwell More Palating just a moment. According to Radar Online, Meghan's renewed public friendship with Chris Jenna has reportedly left Prince Harry uneasy as he continues trying to rebuild his relationship with the royal family. The report notes that Meghan recently sent Jenna and Mother's Day gift package from her as ever lifestyle brand. Jenna later thanked her publicly on social media, writing thank you Meghan for the beautiful Mother's Day gifts. These candles smelled so delicious Happy Mother's Day. One source is quoted as saying it genuinely unsettles Harry to see this relationship taking such a prominent role again at a time when he is making a conscious effort to repair long damaged tithes with his family. He worries that being publicly linked so closely with reality television figures sends the wrong message and could jeopardize their progress. From his point of view, it creates a disconnect between the life he's trying to rebuild and the image being projected. He never envisioned himself operating in these kinds of circles, and there is a sense of disbelief about how far things have shifted. It leaves him feeling uncomfortable and at times overly scrutinized in a way that doesn't sit well with him. According to another unnamed source, Megan views Chris as a powerful and highly strategic figure who understands exactly how to build and sustain influence. She recognizes the value of having someone with that level of experience and visibility firmly in her corner, particularly at a time when some of her other high profile connections have become more distant. Public backing from someone like Chris carries real weight in the entertainment and influencers circles, and Megan

6:00 sees it as not just supportive but essential to maintaining momentum. In her eyes, it's the kind of alliance that can open doors, shape perception and reinforce her position in an increasingly competitive space. Fresh tabloid reports are once again raising questions about the state of Prince Ary and Meghan Markel's marriage, with one publication claiming the couple of spending increasing amounts of time of part as their professional lives had in different directions. A source toad Closer magazine, their lives have drifted into completely different tracks. It started two years ago when they made the conscious decision to go in their own directions with their work, but that has gradually expanded to the point where it's become impossible to deny that they are now living very separate lives. Much of the time, Megan is focused on building her a business empire, while Harry often seems to be operating in an entirely different world.

6:46 Megan could easily have attended the basketball game, but she came up with the same old excuses about needing to take care of the kids and focus on work. Every time he comes back to Britain without Meghan and the children, it reinforces how separated his two worlds have become. Megan still has preservations about bringing the children over. She wants to know that every possible precaution has been taken before she agrees to a trip. Harry doesn't blame Meghan for feeling protective, but it has left him feeling very alone at times. Harry feels the more his family stays away, the more distant the children will become from the rest of their family. He would love to see his children making memories with their grandfather, perhaps almost eye catch and claim concerns the couple's day to day routine. No one is suggesting that marriage is over, but there's no denying that their relationship looks very different these days. They're spending a huge amount of time on separate schedules and separate cities, and inevitably in separate beds. It's become almost the new normal for them to be a part. According to Closer, Meghan is far less concerned about the arrangement than Harry.

7:40 The source concluded, Meghan's attitude is that they're both independent adults with their own interests and ambitions students. Any reason why they should have to do everything together, and she's very quick to shut down suggestions that there's anything wrong. Harry has adopted the same public stance, but there's no question this arrangement is a world away from the life they originally envisioned. Last year, Hary himself joked about the constant rumors during an appearance in New York. Apparently we've bought or moved house ten or twelve times, he said, with a laugh. We've apparently divorced maybe ten or twelve times as well, So it's just like what there you haven't Hey, before we go, if you're listening on Apple podcasts, we'd love for you to become a premium subscriber. Just tap that banner up there that says uninterrupted Listening to start your free thirty day trial. After that's just five bucks a month and you get this show completely ad free, no ads, no commercials, and premium access to more than twenty five other Calaoga Shark Media podcasts like all our royal series, and you get sleep peaks at them and the seasons before everybody else. Give it a try for a month, see what you think. We really appreciate you and support Mark Francis. My thanks to John mcturam about this is Pallas intrigue good dams