Kate Middleton's Secret Media Strategy, Prince William's Plans for Beatrice and Eugenie, and another Royal Wedding Ahead

0:00 Ah Calorogus, shark, media, hell low, and welcome to Powers Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Normally the media is pretty united on the Kate is Wonderful front. However, Princess Catherine's carefully curated public image is the subject of a new debate ahead of the release of a book examining the role of women within the monarchy. Author Katherine Mayer, whose forthcoming book explores the experiences of royal women through history, argues that the Princess of Wales has been particularly effective in shaping her relationship with both the public and the media. Writing about the Future Queen Maya suggested Catherine has played the royal game more cleverly than anyone, through a combination of image management and carefully selected glimpses into family life.

0:48 The author contrasted Catherine's public standing with that of Megan Markel, arguing that royal women are often compared against one another in ways that can be unfair to both irreproachable. Kate is held up in contrast to flayed Meghan, an outcome damaging for both women, even if Kate herself has played in a stute role at creating her public image, Mayor wrote. A key part of that image, according to the author, is Catherine's use of photography. Over the years, the princess frequently released photographs she has taken herself, particularly family portraits of Prince William and their children, George, Charlotte and Lewis. May argues that those images help create a sense of authenticity while giving a public controlled glimpse behind palace walls.

1:28 Mayor argues those images help create a sense of authenticity while giving the public a controlled glimpse behind palace walls. Courtiers credit her with what has proved to be a wise strategy of providing the media with photographs of her family on a regular basis. She added that the images project authenticity and help present the Whales family as more relatable. According to Mayer, Catherine understands the power of visual storytelling and uses it effectively. There is no doubt she understands art and imagery as a tool of communication, the author wrote, noting that Catherine studied history at the University of Saint Andrew's. The comments come as Catherine continues to use photography as part of her public work and personal messaging, regularly releasing family photographs for birthdays, anniversaries in major royal milestones. Mayer's book Divide and Roll Royal Women in Their Battles examines the lives of several royal women across history and explores how they have navigated public scrutiny, power and perception within the monarchy. Whether one views Catherine's approach as strategic image management or simply a talented amateur photographer sharing family moments, the author argues, there is little doubt that Princess of Wales has become highly skilled a communicating through images. Part of the image control was not being photographed with controversial figures.

2:42 A source told Rob Shooter that Kate and William made little effort to socialize with Beatrice and Eugenie at last weekend's royal wedding. There was no effort to mingle, no catching up, no private conversations, no attempt to create a family moment. The same source pointed to a brief interaction between William and Beatrice, saying that's quick kiss Prince William gave his cousin, Princess Beatrice as he arrived at the wedding, before he quickly walked away. Another insider alleged William and Kate weren't seeking them out, and they certainly weren't interested in being photographed with them. A further source went even further, claiming if it had been entirely William's decision, they wouldn't have been there. The invitation came from Charles and Anne. Daniela Elsa wondered about Beatrice and Eugenie writing for news dot com Dot a You, Daniella tells us, for the last couple of decades, the Yorks have looked like they had won the Royal lottery, nabbing all the shiny good parts, like the permanent invitations to Royal ascot, but never being expected to do the drudging, deeply dull parts of being an hr age, like having just spend a wet Wednesday making small talk with the Winchley Women's Institute. But now Beatrice and Eugenie could be about to face a true reckoning.

3:46 They could see them being dumped from Princess Tom, turfed out of their royal palace homes and left go God forbid find their own tickets to Glyndenbourd The man who could be behind the hurtling down to Earth their cousin, Prince William, who just might be photograph warmly greeting Beatrice and their cousin Peter Phillips recent wedding. Looks like he's getting set to stage of pallace push on the chopping block when the new reign starts will be be and used as royal homes, the grand real estate they have been allowed to occupy for decades despite never having been working members of the royal family. This news has seemingly gone down in the UK about as well as a vegan Scott Jag, and William has proved he knows never to let a pr crisis go to waste. When he becomes king, his Kensington Palace team told The Times he will consider stopping letting non working royals live in crowned state properties. You hardly need to be a Royal kremlinologist to read the writing on the wall. The same goes for Beatrice and Eugenie's titles, despite their father being downgraded to nothing but a plebby Mister last year, a deeply deeply satisfying taking down a peg for the ages the gods have held on to theirs. Likewise, you have to wonder about the York's place in line of succession. They are currently ninth Beatrice in twelfth Eugenie and their children ten, eleven, thirteen and fourteen or sitting ahead of Princess Anne eighteen and it's Edward fifteen who under talk along with Edward's wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh Oney twenty six engagements in twenty twenty five and Beautyson Eugenie officially zero, a big fat zero. There are ongoing reports that Buckingham Palace in Downing Street are working on plans to officially remove

5:17 Andrew from the line of succession. So that's come to pass, and once King William's faces on the stamps, just what might happen to the Yorks more palasing just a moment. Lady Marina Windsor is set to become the second royal bride of twenty twenty six when she marries Nico McCaulay later this month. The wedding is scheduled for June twentieth, just two weeks after Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling's wedding brought members of the royal family together in Gloucestershire. Lady Marina is the granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Canton, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, making her part of the extended royal family. She is the daughter of George Windsor, Earl of Saint Andrew's and Sylvana Windsor, Countess of Saint Andrews.

5:59 Until two thousand and eight, Lady Marina was in the line of succession to the British throne. However, she lost her place after being received into the Roman Catholic Church. Changes to succession rules introduced years later did not restore places that had already been forfeited under the previous rules. Substacker Matta O fact took a moment to recognize Lady Pamela Hicks. Amanda Mada writes, Lady Pamela Hicks died on June fifth, twenty twenty six, at the age of ninety seven. The headlines have reached for the obvious framing cousin of Prince Philip, bridesmaid and lady in waiting to Elizabeth second, and all of that is true. Sally Bedel Smith, who interviewed her across multiple years, called her royal several times over.

6:41 Through her father's side, she was a first cousin of Prince Philip, a third cousin of Elizabeth the Second and a great great granddaughter of Queen Victoria. As of this year, she was the oldest living descendant of Victoria and Albert. She was also a great niece of the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Fyodorovna. All of which is to say that Lady Pamela's family tree ran straight through both the survival of one dynasty and the slaughter of another. But I want to make a slightly different case for why Lady Pamela's death is worth pausing on, because it isn't only the loss of a person who saw extraordinary things. It's the closing of a particular kind of royal life that the modern monarchy has very deliberately stopped cultivating. Lady Pamela belonged to a generation whose proximity to the sovereign was a function of blood and breeding, rather than a job application or an election. She didn't marry into the family, and she wasn't hired any sense would recognize. She was simply born into the bloodstream of European royalty and grew up within the inner circle. There are very few people left who can say that, and there will be fewer still by design of King Charles's vision of a slim down monarchy comes to pass in February nineteen fifty two.

7:46 She was lady in waiting to Princess Elizabeth and Kenya during the Faithful Trip when George the sixth died and a princess walked down from the treetops as a queen. This is where the historian in me wants to slow down, because lady in waiting sounds decorative and was anything but. The role was a holdover from a much older court, the gentlewoman of the Georgian and Victorian households who were the human infrastructure of monarchy. They were the companions, secretaries, fixes, shock absorbers, and were drawn almost entirely from the aristocracy. They served as much out of dynastic obligation as aptitude. They were also the connective tissue that made a court lady. Pamela was one of the last of that line to serve at the very top on the most demanding tour of the modern monarchy ever attempted. The job belly exists in that form anymore. Elizabeth the Second's last ladies in waiting were reclassified after her death into something more like part time volunteers. Under Queen Camilla, they had been officially rebranded to Queen's Companions. She was, by the accounts now emerging no admirer of Diana and a quiet fan of Camilla.

8:49 As a sensible, useful presence, she traded in the kind of detail that can bring monarchy to a human scale, the small complaints, the unflattering glimpses, the affectionate eye rolls, and knowing smirks of family. My favorite example came years earlier and turned the candor on herself. Attending the twenty eleven Cambridge wedding, she remarked that in a family as large as the Queen's, there comes a moment when you just have to have a cull and cut out all the people over eighty. It was a joke, so turned out of prophecy and there have it. Hey all this month more encouraging listeners of Palace Intrigue to help spread the word. If you're enjoining the show, tell a friend about us, Betty, Yeah, just share an episode with someone who loves following the royal family. You know who they are.

9:29 Be sure to follow Palace Intrigue on Spotify and Apple and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode, and we'd love to hear your thoughts on today's stories. You can leave comments for us on Spotify. My Mike Frantis thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue, Good Times,