Nov. 21, 2025

Kate and William’s Velvet “Date Night” Stuns as Meghan’s Trailer Sparks Thunder-Stealing Row

Kate and William’s Velvet “Date Night” Stuns as Meghan’s Trailer Sparks Thunder-Stealing Row

Meghan Markle faced fresh criticism after releasing the trailer for her Netflix Christmas special at the exact moment the Prince and Princess of Wales were on the red carpet at the Royal Variety Performance. Commentators accused Meghan of trying to “steal Catherine’s thunder,” noting a pattern of Sussex announcements landing during high-profile royal moments. Meanwhile, William and Kate turned the Royal Variety Performance into what one expert called a “private date night,” marking the Princess’s radiant return following cancer treatment. With velvet looks, £1.6 million earrings, flirty glances, and Paddington banter, the Waleses delivered a masterclass in royal star power—prompting new comparisons to the Duchess of Sussex. Plus: Harry and Meghan invite Princess Eugenie to “break out of the royal bubble,” and Princess Beatrice unexpectedly pops up on Jeopardy!.

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Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue Game,

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your host Mark Francis. Meghan Markle has faced fresh criticism

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after releasing the trailer for her upcoming Netflix Christmas special

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at the same time the Prince and Princess of Wales

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were attending the Royal Variety performance in London. The sixty

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five second clip features a brief appearance from Prince Harry,

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with the couple sharing a kiss in the kitchen. The

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timing prompted accusations that the Duchess was attempting to steal

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Princess Catherine's thunder. Commentators noted that this is not the

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first time Meghan has unveiled news during major royal moments.

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Earlier this month, she was photographed filming a new project

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in Los Angeles, just hours before Prince Wingham delivered a

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key Earthshot Prize speech in Brazil. Her festive episode of

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With Love Meghan will also be released on the third

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of December, the same day Germany begins its state visit

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to the UK and two days before Princess Catherine's Carroll

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service at Westminster Abbey. The Daily Mails Sarah Vine criticized

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the Duchess's timing, writing, just when you thought Christmas couldn't

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get any more cheesy or nakedly commercial, along comes the

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Duchess of Sussex to remind us all what this time

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of year is really about. Referring sarcastically two suggestions of

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deliberate overlap, she added, I can't imagine what they are

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trying to imply. And besides, when has Megan ever tried

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to steal her sister in law's thunder Vine also remarked

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on the trailer's closing shot of Meghan's as ever jam Jars,

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writing perfect for Grandpa's Christmas morning toast. Not that Archie

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and Lilibet will see much of him this Christmas. Still,

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it's the thought that counts. Some additional criticism, which we'll

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get into next week, is that the trailer doesn't use

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the word Christmas. Harry's father is the head of the

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Anglican Church. Our inside at Deep Crown reached out to

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us without us asking and texted instance of the word

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Christmas from their festive programming. It's rather telling, isn't it.

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One might charitably attribute this to a desire for inclusive

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holiday messaging, perfectly acceptable in most contexts, but when one's

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father happens to be the Supreme Governor of the Church

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of England and defender of the faith, the optics become

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rather more complicated. Prince William and Princess Kate turned this

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year's Royal Variety performance into what one expert described as

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a private date night as they returned to the Red

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Carpet together following the princess's recovery from cancer. The couple

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arrived at the Royal Albert Hall in coordinated velvet looks

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Kate and the dark green off the shouldered gown and

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William in a black velvet jacket, marking their sixth time

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attending the long running charity event. Body language expert Judy

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James told The Mirror US William and Kate bring a

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new keenness and energy to the night, turning it into

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their own private date night as well as a charitable event.

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She said the pair were often at their flirtest best

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on such occasions, noting that William appeared slightly bashful despite

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a radiant Kate, explaining his hands hanging slightly in front

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of his torso and his puckered smile, he's slightly overwhelmed

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by the grinning glances Kate throws at him. She added

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that Kate walked ahead with one eyebrow raised in that

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flirty signal, while William responded with a hand on her

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back in a gesture of steering and protection. Inside the

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Prince and Princess watched performances from the cast of Paddington

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the Musical, Jesse j and Laufey. After the show, Jesse Jay,

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who recently underwent a mistectomy for breast cancer, spoke about

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meeting Kate, saying, Mum, to Mum, who has just recently

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gone through cancer, I just wanted to give her a hug.

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We acknowledge that it's something that's not easy to go through,

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especially in the public eye. In The Express, Alicia Liberty writes,

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Princess Kate has just proved why she's so much better

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at royal life than Megan Markle. Alicia explains the moment

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I saw Princess Catherine glide onto the Royal Albert Hall

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red carpet alongside Prince William, I realized I was witnessing

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a royal fashion power play unfold in real time, one

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so decisive, so self assured that it effortlessly eclipsed Meghan

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Markel's glossy Netflix holiday debut last week. Meghan's clip may

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have set the stage for a polished promo moment ahead

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of the December third premiere, but Catherine's appearance stole the narrative.

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With a single step and glittering jewels worth more than

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one million pounds. Where Meghan delivered Hollywood polish, Catherine delivered

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regal authority and timeless glamour. Her silhouette was cleaner, her

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presence sharper, her confidence unmistakable. There was no sense of competing,

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yet somehow she still won. This wasn't about trends or esthetics.

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It was about tone, authority, and placement in the royal hierarchy.

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But the real shower force came from the jewels, the

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kind of jewelry Megan simply cannot access and perhaps never will.

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Catherine chose the gravel chandelier earrings, worth an astonishing one

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point six million pounds, part of the storied Grevell bequest

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gifted to Queen Elizabeth by her parents in nineteen forty seven.

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Watching them catch the lights of Albert Hall felt like

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watching the crown itself glitter on her wrist. She wore

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the Queen Mary choker reworked as a bracelet, another heirloom

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valued at around two hundred and sixty thousand pounds. These

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weren't embellishments, they were statements of lineage. Meghan's successories photograph well,

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but Catherine's are soaked in history. That difference pulsed through

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every frame of the evening. It was timeless, it was queenly,

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and in a single appearance, she made the contrast unmistakably clear.

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Meghan may create the content, but Catherine creates the moment.

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William and Kate have gotten very good at feeding the press,

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which leads to them being left alone. A good photo

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wop goes a long way, Sussex's take note. William was

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heard admiring Paddington's trademark snack, telling him clear, shake your hand.

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Your sandwich looks very nice. The way you were singing

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was totally incredible. As Paddington tipped his hair, Prince William

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pointed again to the sandwich with a smile, saying it

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looks very yummy. Ahead of the performance that the Princess

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at Wales spoke with nine year old twins Amelia and

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Olivia Edwards, who had presented her with a winter themed

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posey dressed in a green velvet evening gown. She bent

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down to thank them, calling the flowers sweet and asking

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whether they were looking forward to the evening and whether

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they were Paddington fans. Catherine then confided that her own

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children would be disappointed not to see the bear in person.

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My kiddies will be very sad to have missed the show.

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We are going to have to keep it a big secret,

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she told the girls, bringing a finger to her lips.

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That were very sad not to be joining us, And

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that's how you do it. More palasin just a moment.

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Harry and Meggan Sussex have reportedly encouraged Princess Eugenie to

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break out of the royal bubble and spend time with

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them in the United States, according to a source quoted

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by Closer, The insiders said Harry has always had such

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a soft spot for Eugenie. She's like a little sister

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to him and he's very protective. It would do him

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a world of good to see his cousin. They added

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that Harry and Meghan are also very fond of Jack

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brooks Bank, and that the two couples have agreed to

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organize a visit to California, although no date has been set.

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Harry and Eugenie have long shared a close bond, having

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grown up together and spent holidays at Sandringham during the

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late Queen's lifetime. Eugenie and Jack were instrumental in helping

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Carry and Meghan keep their relationship private in its early stages,

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even attending a Halloween party together in twenty sixteen before

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the romance became public. They remain the only royals to

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have visited the Sussexes at their home in Montecito, traveling

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to California in twenty twenty two, when Harry and Eugenie

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were also spotted at the Super Bowl. The report notes

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that while Harry supports the decision to remove Andrew mount

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Batten Windsor's titles, he feels deep sympathy for his cousin

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and wants to ensure that she comes through this horrible

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crisis without too many scars. The source added that Harry

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has absolutely no sympathy for his uncle, but that doesn't

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mean Eugenie should suffer. Princess Beatrice received an unexpected mention

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on Jeopardy this week. Returning champion Harrison Whittaker told host

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Ken Jennings that he once worked as a bouncer for

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a company sort of run by Princess Beatrice of the

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British Royal family. Jennings quipped that Whittaker had effectively been

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a bouncer to the crown, prompting laughter from the contestant.

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The Royal family appears regularly in Jeopardy Clues. In September

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twenty twenty three, a question referencing the late Prince Philip

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contributed to a dramatic win for contestant Luigi d Gilsman,

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who went on to reach the show's Tournament of Champions.

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The answer Prince Philip's titles include Baron Greenwich and Duke

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of Edinburgh, but not Prince Consort, last used by this

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royal the question who is Prince Albert? And they have

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it if you like to email us and addresses the

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Palace intrig at gmail and dot com, Please follows on Spotify,

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TikTok as well. Hey We're everywhere. By Mark Francis My

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thanks to John McDermot. This is Palace Intrigue and good

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