Kate Compared to Diana as William Rejects Tribute; Meghan Blames Kate for Palace Rift?

0:03 Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Former BBC royal correspondent Jenny Bond says the current Princess of Wales has the same ability to captivate a crowd that Diana once had. Bond told the Mirror, William and Catherine definitely have the wow factor that Diana had. which spawned Diomania, people today are equally mesmerized by the new Princess of Wales. So tall, so elegant, and so chatty. But William seems to purr with pride that his wife is such a star. Author Christopher Anderson agrees. Speaking to Fox News Digital, he said, The British people adore Kate in the same way they adored Princess Diana, the daughter-in-law she never met. But rather than be jealous of his wife the way King Charles was jealous of Diana's popularity... William is more than content to let Kate shine. In fact, there are times when he is perfectly happy to bask in her reflected glory.

1:05 William put it more simply after Catherine's visit to Italy in May, saying he was very, very proud of her. For Anderson, their affection has become an important part of their public appearances. Kate has been William's rock for a quarter century and vice versa. What they have is the real thing, and I think Kate's cancer battle gave them a whole new perspective on life and a renewed appreciation of each other It's all well and good to be proper and stiff in that British way, but why go to such lengths to hide their deep affection for each other? The spontaneous hugs, the loving looks, why wouldn't William be bursting with pride? Kate continues to prove she is the royal family's Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. William and Kate are doing their very demanding jobs with a smile, and that is largely due to Kate's innate positivity. It's not overstating things to say the Princess of Wales is a force of nature, and every day William is reminded of that. Kate has admitted that even after years of royal engagements, there is one part of the job she still finds difficult, making herself heard in a crowded room.

2:06 The Princess of Wales spoke about it recently during an event marking the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's birth. An unnamed source tells Radar Online... Catherine can appear completely at ease when people see photographs from these enormous receptions, but the reality is that they can be surprisingly demanding. According to the source, Catherine's naturally quiet voice can make conversations difficult in noisy rooms, particularly because she tends to spend time listening and engaging with the person she is speaking to, rather than quickly moving from guest to guest. The source claims it has become something of a running joke that Catherine is regularly encouraged to speak louder and her tendency to become involved in conversations can sometimes cause engagements to run behind schedule. Radar's source says Catherine has worked on becoming more confident in those situations, but still prefers to be quiet rather than loud. Prince William has reportedly turned down several approaches to make or appear in films marking 30 years since Princess Diana's death. According to the Sunday Times, William wants to avoid competing tributes that could leave him and Harry pitted against each other. A royal expert tells the Mirror, If Harry does go ahead with a new film, William, I'm sure, will maintain the dignified silence he has kept through all the bitterness of the past few years, including the incendiary claims in Earl Spencer's book. But I'm afraid it would deepen the rift between the brothers, which is surely the exact opposite of

3:38 what their mother would have wished. It could also make difficult viewing for the palace, especially after Earl Spencer's broadsides against King Charles and the palace machine. William, often described as furious, may have lost his fury. Writing in his Naughty But Nice substack, Rob Shooter claims William's anger has given way to emotional distance. A source tells Shooter, Harry and Meghan can live 10 miles away or 5,000 miles away. It makes very little difference to William now. He has Catherine, his children, his work and his future. Harry is no longer occupying the enormous amount of emotional space he once did.

4:23 William declined to answer a question about Earl Spencer's memoir during his visit to a community cinema in Acton. Royal commentator Phil Dampier believes William intends to keep that approach as the dispute over his uncle's account of Diana's life continues. William and Kate have had a policy of never complain, never explain. We saw it earlier this week when a reporter asked him about the book, and he didn't reply, and that's the way they're going to play it. William is preparing for when he becomes king, and he's setting the standard for how he wants to play it. For Dampier, protecting George, Charlotte and Louis from the surrounding controversy is central to the couple's approach. Their priorities are first and foremost family and making sure the three kids have a normal background, considering the goldfish bowl in which they live.

5:08 Dampier also offered a less consequential example of William's determination to make his own choices. His preference against wearing a kilt during visits to Scotland. He doesn't want to and has never been seen wearing a kilt in Scotland, whereas King Charles will don a kilt at the drop of a hat. William doesn't like wearing them and once he's made up his mind, he tends to stick to it. If he doesn't want to wear a kilt, he won't. More palace in just a moment. A source claims Meghan believes Kate has helped shape the palace's stance towards her and Harry. According to the source, she believes Kate is just as much to blame as William is, and she's sure it's all part of a plot to turn the king against them. They've both been made to feel like total outsiders since coming back despite all the olive branches they've thrown out. It's no surprise that she's feeling defensive.

5:59 Meghan is convinced this sudden effort by Kate to be seen out and about doing all these meet and greets has aimed at outdoing her and Harry and showing them how it's done, so to speak. The coverage also draws on comments from royal biographer Tom Bower, who appeared on GB News after William and Catherine attended the Leicester Square premiere of Tom Cruise's film Digger. It was marvellous. One can imagine in the Cotswolds this morning, the Sussexes are pulling their hair out with envy and anger. Princess Diana's sisters have reportedly declined to contribute to a film tribute being organised by Prince Harry for the 30th anniversary of her death. Rob Shooter's Naughty But Nice substack reports that Harry is seeking contributions from people who knew his mother for a streaming project. According to Shooter's unnamed sources, Lady Sarah McCorkadale and Lady Jane Fellows have chosen not to participate.

6:48 An insider told Shooter, Nobody wants to choose between Diana's sons, but appearing in Harry's film will be viewed as choosing a side, and people are terrified of what that could cost them. Another source described as a palace insider claimed, Diana's own sisters saying no sends an enormous message. Nobody has to threaten anyone. People understand the consequences. Help Harry tell his version of Diana's story and the palace door could slam shut. William's position is simple. Diana was his mother too, the palace insider said. Harry doesn't own her story and William isn't going to quietly watch everyone else define it for him. Diana once asked her brother whether he could imagine her as America's first lady, according to an account in Charles Spencer's memoir. Using her nickname for her brother, Diana reportedly asked, Carlos, do you think I would make a good American first lady? Spencer writes, she explained that one of her many powerful aging American suitors keen to secure her as the ultimate trophy wife had told her he was sure he could win the presidency if she would marry him. Spencer describes the unnamed man as considerably older than Diana, but gives no age or other detail that establishes his identity. In Spencer's telling, Diana was intrigued by the possibility of an entirely different public role.

8:03 He interprets her interest as partly mischievous, imagining how a move to the White House might be received back in Britain. There was, I could see, a mischievous attraction to reinventing herself in a role that would make her enemies in the British royal family sick with jealousy, while ushering in an era of glamour in the White House that would surely have surpassed even that of Jackie Kennedy years, he writes. 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. 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.