Aug. 7, 2026

Martha Stewart Questions Meghan as New Royal Drama Erupts Over Cookie Queens, Camilla and the King’s Reunion

Show Notes
Transcript

Martha Stewart weighs in on Meghan Markle’s latest career reinvention, Cookie Queens debuts to strong reviews, fresh claims emerge that Queen Camilla is angry over Meghan’s social media posts following the King’s private reunion, branding experts debate the future of Brand Sussex, King Charles begins his Scottish holiday, and Meghan’s birthday video sparks comparisons to William and Catherine.

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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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Ah Caloroga Shark Media Now lo and welcome through Palace Intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. Martha Stewart has offered

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a candid assessment of Megan Mirkl's evolution from actress to

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royal to lifestyle personality, questioning whether the transition feels natural.

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Speaking to People Magazine, Stuart said, if you're an actress,

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it's hard to then transition to a princess, and then

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from a princess into a homemaking guru on a television show.

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It doesn't sort of follow, so go from there. Interestingly,

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Stuart revealed that she had recently crossed paths with Meghan

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a private dinner in California. I had dinner with Meghan

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Michael the other night. We were both guests at a

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dinner party in California and she had just gotten back

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from the Palace. I didn't talk to her really, more

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than to say a couple of words, but I know

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she was talking about it, however, and inside I told

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the mirror that the two women were not seated together

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and claimed Megan did not discuss the royal vie it

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in any detail. The source said Meghan was asked by

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someone else about her European vacation and said it was

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nice and that was the extent of it. Queen Camilla

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reportedly warned Harry and Meghan not to post anything about

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their private reunion with King Charles, but one source claims

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Meghan ignored the condition. According to New Idea, Camilla was

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very clear that nothing from the Sussex's recent UK visit

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should appear on social media. However, Meghan later shared some

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photographs that appeared to show Harry and the children at

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all Thorpe, Princess Diana's ancestral home. An unnamed source told

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the magazine Camilla's words appear to have fallen on dead fears.

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She feels that she was clear about no social media

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posts and if Meghan thinks all thoughte was an exception,

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she was very wrong. According to the report, Camilla believes

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Meghan's decision to post photographs from the trip could damage

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any future relationship between them. The source claimed that if

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Meghan broke the condition, the door would remain shut for

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her forever. Meghan spoke about her new documentary Cookie Queens,

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calling one scene especially emotional from her perspective as a mother.

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The film, produced by Archwall Productions, and premiering today, follows

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four girl scouts as they navigate the world of cookie

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sales while learning leadership and business skills. Speaking to People magazine,

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Megan said, I don't want to give anything away, but

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there's a very special moment when one of the girls

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accomplishes something she never thought possible. I get misty eyed

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every time I watch that scene she did it. I

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feel so proud of her. Showing young female entrepreneurs, girls

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with financial literacy skills that will set them up for

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the future successes, and learning how to work to achieve

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their goals as so inspiring. Cookie Queens is the first

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feature documentary from Archwall Productions. The documentary received a limited

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theatrical release in the US beginning today. Reviews on Rotten

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Tomatoes were very positive when we last checked, with a

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ninety two percent score across twenty five reviews. A review

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in The Boston Globe called it everything you always wanted

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to know about thin Mints but were afraid to ask.

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They had assisted by a colorful on screen box detailing

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how far each girl has left to reach her sales goal.

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Namirs generates the requisite suspense as we root for their success. However,

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Cookie Queens is not a chronicle of winds and losses

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are a series of empty and manipulative stand up and

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cheer moments. The film's strength is in the personal dramas

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of its protagonists Aarra, Shannon, Elizabeth, Niki, and Olive. We

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see their interactions with friends and family, and hear their

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dreams in life goals. Their stories are as compelling as

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they are heartwarming. Brand and culture expert Nick E told

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Hello that while Meghan is divisive, she has an undeniable

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ability to attract attention. He suggested Harry and Meghan could

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benefit from following a strategy similar to David and Victoria Beckham,

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allowing each spouse to develop an individual public identity. He

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said it enables each of them to develop an individual identity.

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That said, there is a huge value in brand Sussex

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when they come together around shared values and purpose. The

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Beckham's work because David and Victoria have distinct careers but

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unite around family, loyalty, and entrepreneurship. Authenticity is what makes

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a couple's brand endure. If Megan consistently delivers engaging content

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and develops a clear identity independent of the royal story,

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she doesn't need reconciliation to succeed. It would certainly remove

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a major distraction, but the strength of her future brand

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will be built on trust, consistency, and giving people a

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reason to stay interested beyond the headlines. Another public relations expert,

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Mark Borkowski, took a different view, telling Hello that the

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important thing is some level of reproachment to try to

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create some healing with the royal family. Meghan needs a

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critical friend who will advise her to eat humble pie

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and look at a gradual return to Britain. She could

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be a powerful celebrity duchess, but not a working royal

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if she could find purpose and help Harry have a

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more dignified relationship with Britain. Royal commentator Hillary Fordage tells

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Fox News Digital and Meghan didn't just make a silly mistake.

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They have undertaken the fundamentally damaged, deliberate strategy to undermine

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the Royals, which is unforgivable. The firm was most welcoming

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to her, bent the rules for her, made exceptions for her,

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but she thwarted it all. She didn't want to either

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learn or accept advice. King Charles and Prince William now

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have a narrower more disciplined monarchy as a result. Yes,

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things could have been very different if Meghan had been

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dedicated to duty and not to herself in her own aggrandizement.

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British broadcaster Helena Chard added, the House of Windsor may

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appear rigid, but it has run like clockwork and survived

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through history. The one thing people marrying into in the

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firm have to learn is to adapt. Princess Catherine and

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Meghan came in as outsiders, but one chose to learn

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the institution. The system can't save someone who won't play ball.

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The institution expects sacrifice before platform. Harry himself also talked

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about leaving royal life for years. Meghan gave him that push.

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Better Handlan could have delayed it, but I don't think

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it would have prevented it. What palace In just a moment,

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King Charles has begun his annual summers stay in Scotland

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by adding a new feature to one of the royal

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family's most treasured historic estates. The King visited the Castle

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of Mayan, Caithness, where he planted the King's Rose in

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the gardens, continuing a long standing tradition of marking his

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visits to the property with additions to its grounds. The

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castle holds special significance for the royal family. It was

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purchased by the Queen Mother in nineteen fifty two and

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became her beloved Scottish retreat, which he traditionally spent several

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weeks each August. Charless continued that tradition, returning to the

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castle each summer during the week of his grandmother's birthday.

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This is not the first time Charles has left his

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mark on the gardens. In two thousand and five, he

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and Queen Camilla, then the Duke and Duchess of Rothsay,

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planted two sycamore trees at the front of the property.

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The King's Rose has also been planted at other sites

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managed by the King's Foundation, including Dumfries's House in Ayrshire

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and High Grove Gardens in Gloucestershire. The Castle of Maya

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is now operated by the King's Foundation and will reopen

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to visitors on August twelfth, following the King's stay. Sometimes

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an Instagram post is just an Instagram post, and sometimes

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it's not. Meghan Markle's birthday social media posts and drawing

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fresh comparisons with the Prince and Princess of Wales. Former

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royal butler Grant Harold believes the style of the posts

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bears similarities to the more relaxed family videos William and

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Catherine have shared in recent months, including behind the scenes

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footage released around their children's birthdays. Speaking to O l

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b G. Harold said, the video of Megan reminded me

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of how William and Kate have posted fun videos of

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themselves on holiday to mark special occasions and say thank

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you to the public. But on this occasion, I don't

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think they needed to say thank you for the birthday messages.

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I think they could have said something different. This is

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still then acting like senior members of the royal family,

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which is interesting, particularly after their recent visit. When I

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first saw it, I thought it was them almost trying

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to one up William and Kate or copy how they

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have done things and how they approach social media. It's

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very close to the bone on how they do things. However,

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they are well within their rights to put up a

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birthday message, but this does seem intentional in my opinion,

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I think there are other ways they could do a

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post like this. It is what siblings always do. They

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try to copy and one up each other. But usually

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they grow out of it. Looking at the behind the

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scenes video of MegaNet with the balloons, it's like she

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is trying to act like it's candid and she isn't

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aware the camera is there, but it's quite obvious she

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is being filmed. But this is their way of trying

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to appear normal or perhaps a woman just having a

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happy birthday. And there you have it. If you'd like

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to email us or addresses the Palace Intrigue at gmail

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uninterrupted get the show for five bucks a month, commercial free.

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We really appreciate your support. Here my Mark Francis, my

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thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good Times,

Martha Stewart Questions Meghan as New Royal Drama Erupts Over Cookie Queens, Camilla and the King’s Reunion

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