Kate Is Wonderful - the media returns to glowing Kate Middleton articles

0:03 Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Before Kate's illness, we'd often take time on Saturdays to recap the Kate Is Wonderful articles. If you're a regular listener to Palace Intrigue, you know that a typical story about Kate is about how relatable she is and just the bestest ever princess ever, unlike her sister in law, the wicked Witch of the West Coast. It's good to see nature is healing itself with the Kate's Wonderful stories. Returning, The Spectator wrote under the headline the quiet bravery of Kate Middleton, they write Megan and Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, came forward with a typically toned, deaf and self aggrandizing attack on Meta, which ended with a plug for the Archball Foundation and reminded us all of a relatively quiet twenty twenty four how irritating their presence in per life continues to be. And then the Princess of Wales, who quietly and stoically spent much of the past year undergoing cancer treatment, visited a hospital and matter of factly announced that her illness is in remission. Keith's visit to the Royal Marsden was inevitably an emotional affair. Princess Catherine, or Cater as everyone would rather refer to her, has been the Royal family's greatest asset in what has been a difficult and stressful period.

1:23 She has overcome accusations of being a Stepford wife, smiling and waving on command, and although there have been the usual unpleasant murmurings that her illness was a fabrication to conceal some nefarious plot, most right minded people would find her actions considerably more admirable than those of other members of the family she has married into, not least her brother in law and his wife. Meanwhile, The Times wrote what Keat's new normal really means. She may look pristine once more, but recovering from cancer has changed the Princess of Wales and she won't be pushed into royal duties. Kate Mansley tells us there was no sign of illness. If anything, the royal family's brightest star was back on track her usual glamorous self. Her hair, which Queen Elizabeth once described as a glossy mane was immaculately groomed in her outfit as ever pristine, and yet the tell is in the detail. Sources close to Kate point to two words in her statement on Tuesday, that we're doing some heavy lifting, that this was the new normal. But what does that look like for a family that for centuries has been resolutely sticking to the old normal, for whom the old normal was their bread and butter, their very raison de taire. Why would you go through the year she's had just to run straight back to work, palming your three children off on round the clock nannies so that you can zip around the country on old fashioned royal ribbon cutting parade. It's not going to happen. The scene goes for William. Take the funeral of the former US President Jimmy Carter, for example. William, as heir to the throne, would normally have been expected to attend at

2:53 the state funeral in Washington on January ninth, but it happened to fall on his wife's birthday, and so the baton was passed to his uncle, Prince Edward. Is this the sort of thing that the public can accommodate. Well, we know from the opinion polls that they can and will. The latest results from UGOV show that Kate is now the UK's most popular royal a spot held for decades by Elizabeth. She may have married into the royal family, but for many she represents the future of the organization she represents, and while no one can have full control over their health, her diary is something that she most definitely can control. If anything, her experience will help the future Queen in a public role, enabling her to bring a heightened sense of empathy to the job. This is a chance for Kate and William to take stock and rethink the way the monarchy operates in the modern world, not just for William's reign, but also for their son, Prince George. But going back to normal, don't expect to see that again. Angela Terry met Kate during the visit and told People magazine she was there to say thank you to the people who had looked after her, talked to patients who were in a similar situation. It was a great message of hope because she looked so well.

4:01 We don't need to know what cancer she had. We just need to know she's been through surgery, she's been through chemo, and one year later, my goodness, look she is here. She has such poise and elegance, extremely genuine and sincere. She is very personable. I watched her talking to other patients and she's amazing. She has this gentle eye contact as she talks, she reaches out and maybe touches their shoulder or holds their hand, and her smile is always there. The level of connection she makes with each and every person she meets is phenomenal. Palace intrigue be right back. Not only is Kate wonderful, her husband is pretty groovy too. The Mirror wrote a fawning piece on William, explaining how his grandmother would have loved his latest moves. With his open necked shirts, casual white trainers and approachable demeanor, William has brought a fresh, relatable energy to the monarchy that even the late Queen Elizabeth I might have admired. While William has always chosen to focus on a few deeply meaningful causes rather juggling hundreds of charities, his recent shift in tactics has solidified his reputation as a royal with a small r. This informal yet impactful approaches included moments like answering phones at an Indian restaurant, surprising patrons by serving burghers from a van, and even buying rounds of drinks for Aston Villa fans in a Weatherspoon pub. Royal expert Jenny Bond believes this strategy is key to William's popularity. He's deliberately finding ways to connect without the fuss of traditional royal visits. Jenny told The Mirror he seems to enjoy catching people off guard, whether

5:34 it's serving from a burger stare or dropping by a pub. It's refreshing for him and extremely effective in pr terms. Jenny also draws parallels between William's methods and the late Queen's philosophy. She recalls the Queen's Golden Wedding anniversary speech where she noted how deference could obscure the truth, making it essential for the monarchy to understand public opinion. By reducing the need for deference, Jenny explained, William is creating a clearer path to connecting with people, something his grandmother would surely have supported. William himself has been candid about his vision for royal duties. Speaking last year, he emphasized his focus on impact philanthropy, collaboration and empathy. He described his approach as having a smaller r in the Royal and explained what matters is helping people and making a difference.

6:20 Katherine and I are trying to bring empathetic leadership because the world could use more of that. Partridges, the family run delicatessen that has served the Royal family in Chelsea locals for more than half a century, has announced the enclosure of its flagship store, known for its Royal warrant and Saturday food market, The grocer will shut its doors at Duke of York Square on February tecod, ending an era for Chelsea. John Sheppard, co founder and owner, said, we are very sad to be leaving Chelsea after an incredible fifty three years serving local residents. Although our Chelsea chapter is coming to an end, we are looking forward to building Partridges in smaller and more sustainable shop formats across London. The shop, which began supplying Buckingham Palace in nineteen ninety one and secured its first Royal warrant in ninety four, was granted a new Royal warrant by King Charles just weeks ago. Despite its prestigious ties. Shepherd cited an inability to reach a contractual agreement with its landlord as a key reason for the closure. The Duke of York Square store has been a cornerstone of Chelsea since relocating there from Sloane Street in two thousand and four.

7:24 Its weekly fine food market has drawn tourists and supported countless small artists and businesses. Partridge's second location on Gloucester Road, established in the late nineteen nineties, will continue to operate. Reflecting on the store's legacy, Shepherd emphasized the contributions of the staff and the shop's community impact. We send all the traders our very best wishes for the future. The landlord who Seaborne added, I'm deeply sorry to see them go. And there you have it plenty email as whoddresses the Palace Intriy at gmail dot com. Please for us on Spotify, Apple or head on over to YouTube. Were on there as well, and you can be a subscriber there. Don't forget. You can get this show Mrchial free, along with hundreds of others from Callaoga Shark Media. It's all in the show notes and episode notes, and that shows like Romance Weekly great for coming up to Valentine's Day. Check out Romance Weekly. It's just fun love stories with a thriller twist.

8:16 Romance Weekly Wherever you get your podcasts. I Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott This is Palace intriguan, good turn.