Sept. 12, 2026

Kate Middleton’s “Royal Bronde,” Princess Charlotte’s Netball Life and the Wales Family’s Growing Influence

Show Notes
Transcript

Kate Middleton is inspiring a new “royal bronde” beauty trend as experts discuss the intense pressure placed on the Princess of Wales to appear perfect. Plus, Radar Online claims Kate and Queen Camilla played major roles behind the scenes in distancing the monarchy from Andrew, Princess Charlotte is reportedly playing competitive netball, Prince Edward could become a key adviser to King William, Sophie becomes patron of Visualise Scotland, and King Charles finds comfort among the rescue hens at Highgrove’s “Cluckingham Palace.”

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Francis. The Princess of Wales has

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apparently helped give us another royal beauty trend, and this

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one comes with a name, Royal Bronde. That's bronde as

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in brunette meets blonde. Celebrity hairstylist Jason Collier tells countryandtownhouse.com,

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The look comes from combining several warmer shades rather than

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simply lightening brown hair. Collier explains, Royal Brond is a warm,

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dimensional blend of brunette and blonde tones like caramel, honey

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and chestnut woven together to create soft depth and natural brightness.

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It's warmer and more blended than standard brond. It avoids

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ashiness and instead uses caramel and honey ribbons to create richness.

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It's brond but elevated. Kate attracted plenty of attention last

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summer when she appeared with noticeably lighter hair moving away

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from the deeper brunette most associated with her. And Collier

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believes the lighter look actually has a connection to Kate's

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childhood appearance. Those photos highlight how her current blonde is

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essentially a refined, grown-up version of those creamy tones, he says.

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Princess Charlotte's naturally lighter hair has also entered the conversation,

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particularly as old photographs of Catherine have circulated online. and

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people have once again pointed out the resemblance between mother

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and daughter. With Kate's resurfaced childhood photos, people are fascinated

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by how closely Charlotte resembles her, Collier says. Charlotte's natural

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sunlit blonde has made people rethink overly cool or ashy

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white blondes and move towards warmer, more wearable shades that

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feel youthful and healthy. Kate faces an unusual pressure that

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comes with being one of the most prominent women in

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the royal family. According to royal biographer Catherine Mayer, the

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public expectation that Catherine should somehow be perfect. Mayer, author

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of Divide and Rule, Royal Women and Their Battles, said

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she is human and the projection onto her of perfection

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adds to the burdens she already carries as one of

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the most famous women in the world. And that scrutiny

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is worse for royal women because it is their job

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to be seen. Mayer argues that this isn't simply celebrity culture.

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The structure of a hereditary monarchy creates an additional level

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of public interest in the personal lives of royal women.

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She said, She continued, that appears to legitimize a closer

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interest in their love lives and bodies than other famous

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women endure, and such scrutiny is always worse for famous

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women than famous men. We're getting another version of the

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story of how Andrew lost his remaining royal status, and

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this one puts Kate right in the middle of the decision-making.

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According to one of Radar Online's sources, inside the palace,

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nobody pretends this was just Charles waking up one morning

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and acting alone. There was a long period of discussion.

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And throughout that time, Kate and Camilla were consistently making

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the case that the monarchy could not carry Andrew as

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a working royal or as Prince Andrew any longer. They

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were not shouting, but their voices carried a lot of weight.

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People talk about a female touch, and it was applied

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rather brutally in Andrew's case as Kate and Camilla were

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the key figures behind and driving forces behind Andrew's downfall.

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Kate and Camilla are never going to eclipse William or

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Charles in public, but behind the scenes they have become

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incredibly powerful. But when it came to Andrew, the guidance

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was sought and listened to. Both women are acutely aware

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of how damaging it would be for William to inherit

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a monarchy still burdened by Andrew's presence and titles. Camilla,

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for her part, has lived through an era when royal

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reputations were shredded by scandal. She knows that half measures

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don't work. According to the insider, the message from Catherine

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and Camilla was essentially, if you're going to do this,

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do it properly. Remove the titles, remove the honors, remove

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the lodge. Princess Charlotte appears to have inherited her mother's

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enthusiasm for sports. Hello reports that the 11-year-old princess is

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playing for an out-of-school netball team that competes at a

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high level around England. And apparently Prince William and Catherine

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aren't watching from some special royal viewing area. According to

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the report, they're doing what plenty of parents spend their

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weekends doing, driving Charlotte to matches, setting up chairs on

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the sidelines, and watching their daughter play. A source says

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the culture surrounding the sport is particularly hands-on, giving William

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and Catherine an opportunity to participate in a relatively down-to-earth environment.

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According to the report, there's been plenty of excitement among

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other players about the possibility of William and Catherine appearing

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at matches. Kate played netball herself as a child, including

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for the under-11 team at St. Andrew's School. More Palace

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in just a moment. Prince Edward could eventually become one

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of Prince William's more important advisors when William becomes king.

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Royal author Robert Jobson tells the Daily Express, Looking ahead,

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Edward is poised to play a role akin to that

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of the Duke of Kent, a respected senior royal who

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continues public duties well beyond the reign of his siblings.

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With years of experience and a deep sense of duty,

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he offers a living link to the past and a

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steady guide for the future. When William becomes king, Edward

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is likely to be a trusted confidant, someone he can

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bounce ideas off in private with a direct line to

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the wisdom and values of William's grandparents, the late Queen

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Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward isn't

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quite as convinced, adding, I think that is a distinct possibility,

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except I'm not sure he has quite the right personality.

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He likes to be more centre stage. He's an organiser

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rather than hands-on, but someone will have to take on

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Princess Anne's many roles at some stage. But I don't

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see her giving up any time soon, so Ed will

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have to wait. He is a good person and an

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interesting mix of the Queen's shyness and humour and his

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father's impatient nature. The Duchess of Edinburgh has added another

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patronage to her royal portfolio, becoming royal patron of the

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Edinburgh-based charity Visualise Scotland. The organisation has been working with

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people with disabilities for nearly four decades. Founded in 1987,

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Visualise Scotland, originally focused on supporting people with visual impairments,

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but has since expanded its work to include people with

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a wider range of disabilities across Edinburgh. Its services now

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include housing support, supported living and day programs. The new

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patronage is a natural fit for Sophie, who has made

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supporting people with physical, social and visual disabilities a significant

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part of her work as a member of the Royal Family.

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Visualise Scotland's CEO, Pauline Gray, welcomed the Duchess's involvement, saying,

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We are honoured and proud that the Duchess has agreed

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to be our Royal Patron, supporting our mission to deliver

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outstanding services to people with disabilities through housing support, supported

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living and a range of day services. King Charles apparently

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has another source of comfort at Highgrove, his chickens. Charles'

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love of nature is certainly nothing new. He's spent decades

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developing Highgrove around organic gardening, sustainability and biodiversity long before

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becoming king. Highgrove has a flock of rescue hens and

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Scott Simpson, retail director for the King's Foundation, describes them

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as an established part of life on the estate. They're

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central to Highgrove life, and it's always lovely to see

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them happily roaming around, pecking away. They're the most marvellous animals.

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They're so friendly, and it's so calming to collect eggs.

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With rescued hens, there's something really lovely about giving them

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a second chance, and what better home than at Highgrove?

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Simpson says Charles' philosophy at Highgrove is all about living

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with nature and nature's creatures. During warmer weather, the hens

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are allowed to roam through parts of the estate's orchards

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where visitors may encounter them. And yes, their home really

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is known as Cluckingham Palace. It's been known as that

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for as long as I've been there, Simpson said. I'm

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not sure how that name came up, but it's rather fitting,

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and it makes everyone chuckle. And there you have it.

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If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue

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to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Kate Middleton’s “Royal Bronde,” Princess Charlotte’s Netball Life and the Wales Family’s Growing Influence

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