March 9, 2026

"Load-Bearing Architecture" - The Week in UK Royal News with Mark Francis

Show Notes
Transcript

York sisters banned from Royal Ascot carriage procession, all royal events "foreseeable future." Beatrice "blindsided," "taken it the hardest." Eugenie in Portugal creating distance. Celia Warden: harsh treatment, "no suggestion of wrongdoing." Deep Crown: institution operates on survival, not individual justice, William correct. William wanted Andrew removed from succession last autumn. Jennie Bond: remove Andrew, Harry, Harry's children, York sisters.

SNL/BRIT Awards jokes about succession. Andrew visited by chaplain, "trying to find God." Surrendered East Lodge lease after Richard Benyon visit. Peerage expert: hasn't legally lost titles. Abdication speculation: Charles could hand throne to William within 12 months. Considering offering Royal Lodge to Harry/Meghan as "ultimate olive branch." Harry/Meghan encouraging York sisters to speak publicly. Jordan trip criticized: wrong timing (Operation Epic Fury), irritated Washington.

Megyn Kelly: Meghan "doesn't know who she is." Sky News: "queen of tacky." As Ever: 2/3 traffic from outside US, no international shipping. IMDb rankings crashed: Meghan 2,133rd, Harry 36,600. Archewell restructured, "no more money to give." Edward declared new "secret weapon." Deep Crown: "load-bearing architecture, not weapon." Sophie Northern Ireland (guide dog puppies). Kate Leicester Bollywood dance. William Cornwall pasties. William operating as king-in-waiting. Netflix Crown series on Andrew. Omid Scobie Royal Spin sales struggling. Virginia Giuffre memorial protest. Ferguson: "no one is going to give her the airspace."

Get episodes of Palace Intrigue by becommming a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts. Click the button that says uninterrupted listening. Just $5 a month, and that includes many ofther shows on the Caloroga Shark network.

Royal Books:

William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story

The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:12.199
Calorougus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Pallace Intrigue, the

2
00:00:12.279 --> 00:00:16.359
weekend edition. I am your host, Mark Francis. This is

3
00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.719
a wrap up of the week's stories. If you'd like

4
00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:22.920
the episodes with more detail, just check out Palace Intrigue Daily.

5
00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:26.679
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will not take part in

6
00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:30.600
this year's Royal Ascot Carriage Procession, a highly visible event

7
00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:33.679
traditionally seen as a marker of who is firmly in

8
00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:36.799
the royal fold. According to The Mail on Sunday, the

9
00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.079
sisters have been told they will not ride in royal

10
00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:42.719
carriages in June. A source said Beatrice has taken it

11
00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:46.159
the hardest. She has been completely blindsided by all of this.

12
00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:49.200
The sisters are not invited to any other royal events

13
00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:52.840
for the foreseeable future. Royal Ascot's carriage procession is one

14
00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:55.640
of the most symbolic events of the royal calendar. To

15
00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:59.920
be excluded is widely viewed as a public demotion in status.

16
00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.640
One insiders said, each fresh Epstein disclosure feels like a

17
00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:06.200
fresh blow for the sisters. Just when they think the

18
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:09.519
worst of it might be behind them, something else surfaces

19
00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:12.680
and drags it all back into the spotlight. It's completely

20
00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:17.400
emotionally exhausting for them. Beatrice has taken a more visible

21
00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.959
loyal stance toward her father, seen horseback riding with Andrew

22
00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.680
earlier this year. Eugenie has been living in Portugal with

23
00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:27.040
her husband Jack Brooks Bank, taking a more cautious approach,

24
00:01:27.400 --> 00:01:30.920
and insiders said her priority is protecting her husband and children.

25
00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:34.280
For her, creating some physical and symbolic distance is not

26
00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:39.680
about disloyalty, It's about stability. In the Telegraph, Celia Warden wrote,

27
00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.400
there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on their part. Maybe

28
00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:45.159
it's just me, but that all fields quite harsh. They've

29
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:47.959
never played the victims, the never sold their stories, given

30
00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:53.959
Oprah the lowdown, or indulged in any Winathons Royal inside

31
00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:57.120
a Deep Crown commented, Celia Warden has written something honest

32
00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:00.000
and genuinely felt, and she is not wrong on the merits,

33
00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.640
but I would gently suggest she is asking the monarchy

34
00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:05.359
to be something it has never been and cannot afford

35
00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.840
to become. The Institution does not operate on the principles

36
00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:13.280
of individual justice. It operates on the principles of institutional survival.

37
00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.120
William is therefore correct, not because Beatrice and Eugenia deserve

38
00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:20.360
this treatment. They do not, but the photographs are the problem.

39
00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:24.560
Prince William reportedly wanted Andrew removed from the line of

40
00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.879
succession last autumn, at the same time his remaining royal

41
00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:30.960
titles were stripped. According to The Sunday Times, the Prince

42
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:33.919
of Wales has been frustrated that the issue was not resolved. Then,

43
00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:38.319
former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond argued the reform should

44
00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:41.319
go further. Of course Andrew should be removed from the

45
00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:43.719
line of succession. Personally, I think they should also remove

46
00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:46.439
Harry and his children, plus Beatrice, Eugenie and their children.

47
00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.000
I think they have William and his children, followed by

48
00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:51.840
Anne bumping her up the order and Edward is more

49
00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:57.199
than enough. Colin Jos commented on succession during Saturday Night Live,

50
00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.840
displaying the photograph of Andrew in the vehicle. Andrew mount

51
00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.879
Patten Windsor, the former Prince and current river Corpse, has

52
00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:06.280
been arrested and now may be banned from ever taking

53
00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.000
the throne. In fact, the royal family have said that

54
00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.240
the only way he can become king is if it

55
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:14.159
comes down to either him or Megan, at which point

56
00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:19.000
a photo of Meghan appeared. The studio audience laughed at

57
00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:22.280
the brit Awards host Jack Whitehall introduced James Blunt, quipping

58
00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:25.199
he was about thirtieth in line to the throne, might

59
00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:29.479
be twenty ninth. Soon the audience cheered. Andrew received an

60
00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:32.719
unexpected visitor over the weekend, a Reverend Canaan Paul Williams,

61
00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:36.680
the King's domestic chaplain. This meeting came shortly before Caenan

62
00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.879
Williams led Sunday service at Saint Mary Magdalene Church, which

63
00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:43.400
King Charles attended. Despite the close proximity, the King did

64
00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:45.919
not visit. Andrew has not seen him during his stay

65
00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:49.919
and has no plans to do so. Radar Online reported

66
00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.639
andrews increasingly turning to religion as he faces legal scrutiny

67
00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:57.680
and mounting isolation, and insiders said Andrew has effectively withdrawn

68
00:03:57.719 --> 00:04:00.840
from the outside well. In that vacuum, religion has become

69
00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:03.639
the one and only steady framework left to him. He

70
00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:08.960
is basically trying to find God. Andrew reportedly surrendered the

71
00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:12.360
lease on East Lodge, a Grade two listed cottage in Berkshire,

72
00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:15.039
after a two hour visit from Richard Benyon, the most

73
00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:19.439
senior member of the royal household. The BBC reported Andrew

74
00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.399
had been paying around sixteen thousand dollars a year in rent.

75
00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:28.079
Peerage expert Michael Rhodes claimed Andrew has not legally lost

76
00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:31.279
his noble titles, despite Buckingham Palace announcing his removal from

77
00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:34.959
the role of the peerage. Rhodes said Andrew's removal was

78
00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:37.600
designed to mislead the public into believing he is no

79
00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:40.160
longer Duke of York, but that he will retain those

80
00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:45.120
titles for life unless Parliament passes legislation. Rob Chuoter's column

81
00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:47.480
suggested that King Charles could hand the throne to Prince

82
00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:50.160
William within the next twelve months, with health cited as

83
00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.920
the official reason. Once senior courtier was quoted, the transition

84
00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:58.279
will look measured and dignified. Health provides the most unassailable explanation,

85
00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:03.399
also claimed, Charles is considering offering Harry and Meghan Royal Lodge.

86
00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:07.279
This would be the ultimate olive branch Charles wants unity. However,

87
00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:10.519
other sources viewed the proposal as complicated. The optics are

88
00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:13.920
tricky moving Harry and Meghan into Andrew's old house ties

89
00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:17.720
them to a property that's become synonymous with scandal more

90
00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:24.360
palers in just a moment. Harry and Meghan's Jordan trip

91
00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:27.639
continued to draw criticism. Radar Online reported the couple are

92
00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:31.480
encouraging Beatrice and Eugenie to speak publicly about the Epstein fallout.

93
00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:35.240
One source said Harry and Meghan genuinely believe that Beatrice

94
00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:38.639
and Eugenie would benefit from speaking for themselves rather than

95
00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:42.920
allowing speculation to define them. However, there is concern within

96
00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.360
royal circles. One insider claimed for some it feels like

97
00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:48.399
Harry and Meghan want to use them like puppets on

98
00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:51.439
their ongoing mission to bring the Royal family to its knees.

99
00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:55.000
Jan Moyer wrote in The Daily Mail, in this harsh light,

100
00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:57.360
even the bad guys look good, and don't Harry and

101
00:05:57.399 --> 00:05:59.959
Meghan know it. The couple made an eight thousand mile

102
00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:03.519
trip from Montecito to the Middle East, pantingly keen to

103
00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:07.360
show their kindness and compassion. Now they look like windsor saints,

104
00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:09.920
perhaps even the only ones likely to escape the New

105
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.680
York taint intact. Reports suggest Harry Meghan's visit to Jordan

106
00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:19.279
drew irritation from Washington officials because of its timing. Shortly afterward,

107
00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:22.920
President Trump authorized Operation Epic Furia, major joint US and

108
00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:27.879
Israeli military operation targeting Iran. A White House source said

109
00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:31.879
everyone in diplomatic circles new tensions were escalating. Having two

110
00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:35.279
high profile figures conducting a pseudo royal tour in the

111
00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:39.519
Middle East at that exact moment was not ideal. Megan

112
00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:42.120
Kelly accused Meghan of playing a role in her marriage

113
00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:45.160
and suggested she doesn't know who she is. Referring to

114
00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.720
the NBA appearance, Kelly said she recently attended an NBA

115
00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:52.240
game because she doesn't really like publicity. She sat courtside

116
00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:55.639
she offered her interpretation of a viral clip, you can't

117
00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:57.839
miss the darling. This is the whole reason we're here.

118
00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:01.759
Look into the camera and get me my shot. Sky

119
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:05.800
News Australia's Dunnaka de Georgio referred to Meghan as everyone's

120
00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:10.040
favorite non royal, the Duchess of Privacy. Comedian Michael Loftus

121
00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:12.800
said she is the Queen of Tachi. Can't she just

122
00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:14.920
come over for a family visit, have a picnic, to

123
00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:17.600
a barbecue. No, she's got a slide into town and

124
00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:21.079
try to get a free place to stay. Harry is

125
00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:24.240
reportedly privately concerned that Meghan's as Ever expansion could create

126
00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:27.519
tension with King Charles high Grove brand. A source claimed

127
00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:30.040
Harry has tried to gently encourage Meghan to take a

128
00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:34.639
more pragmatic view. The concern centers on perception in royal terms.

129
00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:38.319
Anything that appears to encroach on Highgrove's commercial space is

130
00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:42.199
not just business, it touches on legacy duty and charitable work.

131
00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:46.360
New research suggests while as Ever traffic is growing, around

132
00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.439
two thirds come from outside the US. As Ever does

133
00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:53.959
not currently offer international shipping, meaning many overseas visitors cannot

134
00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:59.360
place orders. Meghan's Instagram post showing five teaspoons of jam

135
00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:03.319
Drew mockery, the caption described three spreads, while the photo

136
00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:07.079
showed five spoons. One commenter wrote, three spreads, but five

137
00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:09.680
spoons either, she can't count two of them are doubled up.

138
00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:12.439
Reports claim Harry and Meghan have seen the sharp drop

139
00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:16.319
in their IMDb Star Meter rankings. Meghan was ranked twenty

140
00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.959
one hundred and thirty third in the most recent table.

141
00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.560
Harry's ranking fell more dramatically from number twelve in January

142
00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:25.720
of twenty twenty three to thirty six thousand, six hundred,

143
00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.319
A senior Tinseltown production source said, that's not a mistake

144
00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:32.120
or a misprint. Harry's right down there with the unknowns

145
00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:36.799
and also rans The Mirror declared Prince Edward the new

146
00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:39.840
secret weapon, noting he has quietly been getting on with

147
00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:43.679
royal duties while the family faces turmoil. Royal biographer Robert

148
00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:46.759
Jobson said in Edward, the King has found a trusted,

149
00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:51.080
steady hand royal inside a deep crown responded, one begins

150
00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:53.519
to wonder whether the secret weapon label says more about

151
00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:56.320
the limitations of royal journalism than it does about any

152
00:08:56.320 --> 00:09:00.679
actual strategic deployment. Edward and Sophie represented something the Palace

153
00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:05.879
genuinely struggled to manufacture, an authentic presentation of duty without

154
00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:09.639
visible strain. But here is where I must part company.

155
00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:13.360
A secret weapon implies tactical potency what we are actually

156
00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:17.600
describing as institutional reliability. The Edinburg's are not a weapon.

157
00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:22.320
They are load bearing architecture. Sophie carried out engagements in

158
00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:25.639
Northern Ireland, meeting guide doog puppies Luna and Biscuit. During

159
00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:28.519
her first visit to the region in eight years. Good

160
00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.799
Housekeeping suggested Sophie, now sixty one, appears at least ten

161
00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:37.399
years younger thanks to styling choices. Operation Change. The subject

162
00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:40.559
was in full force as Kate joined Bollywood dancers during

163
00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:44.080
a visit to Lester, briefly joining in the routine. She

164
00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:48.000
watched a candle that performance, visited sari shops along the

165
00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.519
Golden Mile, and sampled chai in Indian suits at Bobby's restaurant.

166
00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:54.799
What's lovely about a family business is that the values

167
00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:58.759
still stay. That's the heart of it, she said. Williams

168
00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:00.960
spent Saint Peren's Day in corn while trying his hand

169
00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:05.000
at making Cornish pasties and thanking firefighters who responded to

170
00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.960
severe winter storms. William and Kate released a Saint David's

171
00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:11.480
Day video message entirely in Welsh, marking the first time

172
00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.200
Kate has delivered a public message in the Welsh language.

173
00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:19.600
Prince William is increasingly operating with the authority and independence

174
00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:22.720
of a future monarch. One palace source said William has

175
00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:25.919
deliberately assembled a small trusted circle around him and operates

176
00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:29.399
on a strict need to know basis. His diary strategic

177
00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:32.679
planning and key decisions are handled within his own camp.

178
00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.320
A new biography revealed William was prepared to pursue legal

179
00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:40.080
action all the way after topless photographs of Kate were

180
00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:43.679
published in twenty twelve. William reportedly viewed the images as

181
00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:48.279
an utter violation. Reports suggests William and Kate may reassess

182
00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:52.200
plans for Prince George's secondary education following a teenage boy

183
00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:57.679
being found dead at Eton on February twenty seventh. An

184
00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:00.679
unnamed Daily Mail source claimed Kate has never been close

185
00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:03.279
to the York sisters, stating there were no presents under

186
00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:05.679
the Sandringham Tree this year for Beatrice and Eugenie from

187
00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:10.480
William and Kate, something everyone pretended not to notice. More

188
00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:18.639
palacing just a moment. Netflix is reportedly in advanced discussions

189
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.399
about reviving the Crown brand for a limited series focused

190
00:11:21.399 --> 00:11:24.519
on Andrew's scandals. According to The Daily Meal, the streaming

191
00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:27.080
platform has held talks with Left Bank Pictures about a

192
00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:31.000
one off dramatized special. A source said there have been

193
00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:33.519
advanced to talks about doing a limited series under the

194
00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:38.159
Crown banner about the Andrew saga, ohbered Scurby's royal spin

195
00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:41.399
is reportedly struggling in sales rankings in the UK. The

196
00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:45.679
hardcover edition was listed at forty four thousand in books overall.

197
00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:48.159
One Reddit user wrote, this is not a good thing

198
00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:50.480
for Ohmed Right. It didn't even make the top five

199
00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:55.679
thousand lists. Campaign has staged a protest near Buckingham Palace,

200
00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.399
transforming the gardens into what they described as a memorial

201
00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:02.799
to Virginia Geoffrey. The group Everyone Hates Elon said Virginia

202
00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.840
Jeffrey never stopped standing up to Epstein and Andrew. It's

203
00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.240
thanks to her and survivors like her that they are

204
00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:12.080
being made to pay for their crimes. Sarah Ferguson faces

205
00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:15.559
a changed environment. Royal author Ingrid Seward said this time

206
00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:18.200
no one is going to give her the airspace. Historian

207
00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.679
Andrew Lowney added she will find it very hard to

208
00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:24.120
come back. Legal experts note Ferguson could be questioned by

209
00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:28.440
investigators as part of the ongoing inquiry. This is the

210
00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:30.840
week the York Sisters were banned from ASCOT, the week

211
00:12:30.919 --> 00:12:35.120
abdication speculation intensified. The week Deep Crown called the Edinburgh's

212
00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:40.080
load bearing architecture not a weapon and somewhere between Andrews

213
00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:43.960
seeking God and Megan counting jam spoons. The monarchy navigates

214
00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:48.399
another week of institutional survival. One carefully staged manage visit

215
00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:52.080
at a time, and they have it to email us

216
00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:54.960
addresses the Palace, intriger Gmail and Doug Calm. Please follow

217
00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:57.559
us Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice. I'm

218
00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:00.240
Mark Francis Mean. Thanks to John McDermott. This is was

219
00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:01.879
Intrigue Weekly.

"Load-Bearing Architecture" - The Week in UK Royal News with Mark Francis

Listen On

Recent Episodes