April 21, 2026
Meghan Expands As Ever with Archie and Lilibet Tribute as Critics Mock the Brand Push
Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand As Ever expands into candles, fragrance and gifting, with new products inspired by Archie and Lilibet as the Duchess deepens the personal side of the brand. Critics, however, are pouncing, with questions about using the children in the rollout and more sharp commentary from the press. We also hear from an Australian reporter who spent four days covering Harry and Meghan up close, plus John Oliver’s blunt new verdict on the Royal Family and Prince Andrew.
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Royal Books:
Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors by Tom Bower
William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story
The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana
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Ah Calorogus Shark Media, Hello and welcome through Palace Intrigue
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Game your host Mark Francis. Meghan Markle has expanded her
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lifestyle brand as Ever with a new product launch that
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includes a personal tribute to her children. The latest collection
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marks the first major release since the brand began operating
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independently without Netflix, and signals a broader shift beyond its
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original focus on food items such as jams, honeys, and teas.
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The brand is now moving into fragrance, apothecary products, and
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curated gifting. Explaining the direction of the brand, Meghan said,
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the goal for as Ever has always been finding ways
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we can bring beauty and ease to your life as
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a host, as a guest, as a friend, as mom,
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in whatever way you show up. I want as Ever
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to make it feel special. The new Mother's Day collection
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includes two candles inspired by her children, Prince Archie and
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Princes Lillabt. The products Signature Candle number five six and
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Signature Candle Number six oh four reference their birthdays and
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are designed with distinct scent profiles reflecting warmth and floral notes.
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The inclusion of Archie and Lilibert in the branding builds
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on Megan's previous comments about creating something with a multi
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generational focus. In an earlier interview, she said being able
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to have my own little girl, I love the heritage
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feeling of it and knowing this is something that I
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can create in front of my daughter and teach her
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what it's like to be a working mom. This is
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something that hopefully can be part of her legacy too.
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Royal commentator Phil Damphia told the son nothing happens by accident,
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and she would have thought this through and knows putting
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a photo of her children out at the same time
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as her clothing line would get maximum publicity. It begs
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the question whether Megan is exploiting her two children, who
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remain in the line of succession. I'd expect the Palace
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to take a dim view of this. The collection also
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features additional items, including a chocolate collaboration and themed gift
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by Bundles. As the brand positions itself more firmly in
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the lifestyle and gifting space, Spiked Online calls Meghan dame
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Edna without the laughs. Writer Julie Burchill points out Meghan
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may once have been reviled as a super vamp whose
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sexual powers were so extreme that they could make a
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king give up his crown, or at least make a
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spare give up bi weekly visits to Knocker's nightclub. But
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now she increasingly resembles this paragon of passive aggression, this
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sumptuous banquet of seething fury, all held together by sugar
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sweet assurances that she means the mean minded slurs she
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comes out with in a caring way. The similarities between
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the real life Duchess and the late Barry Humphrey's legendary
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drag act and nothing less than spooky, to use a
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favorite word of the departed Dane. Though Meghan has never
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written an autobiography called My Gorgeous Life, her lifestyle show
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might easily bear this title. With her stroppy pseudo feminist
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podcast archetyps Down just a memory, she has become keen
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on presenting herself as a housewife superstar, just as the
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late great Dame Edna did, and summed up in her
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television talk shows as an intimate conversation between two friends,
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one of whom is a lot more interesting than the other.
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And we can be fairly sure that Meghan thinks of
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her retreat with the broads from her best life this way.
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But the spookiest coincidence is that in two thousand Edna's
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show was called the Royal Tour, and now we are
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seeing the same from Megan, the parody of a royal
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tour as she trapes us around Australium. The difference is
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that while the Dame was mocking herself, Meghan has no
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idea that she is now viewed as a little light
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comic relief for thenews dot com dot au Bronti Coy
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takes us inside four days with Harry and Meghan. Coy writes,
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love them or hate them, and let's face it, rarely
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is there and in between Prince Harry and Meghan, the
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two of the world's most talked about people. At the
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end of four straight days with front row seats to
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the whole operation, here is what I've gleaned. On the
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brink of divorce or never happier? The most common question
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I received literally dozens of times over the past week
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was about Harry and Meghan's dynamic. It's understandable, depending on
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which publications you read, the pair are either on the
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brink of divorce or have never been happier together. Are
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they in love? People questioned over and over again. Sadly,
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press access to cover a royal tour does not include
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an invitation to join their downtime behind closed doors. Just imagine.
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Nor did either of them strike up a conversation with
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me about their feelings towards their spouse. So obviously I
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can't possibly answer that question, but I can say this,
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the Royal couple have long been known for their public affection,
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particularly during previous engagements and tours when they were still
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working for the Palace. That has not changed. The pace
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was frantic and the environment's intense, but the couple was
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often holding hands when the circumstances allowed, or throwing each
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other quick smiles from opposite sides of the room. As
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the tour began to unfold, I saw plenty of coverage
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of how it was already the Megan Show here in Australium.
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Yet even so, this time around and on the ground,
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it actually felt like the spotlight was more on Harry.
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There was an effortlessness to his presence as he tonally
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shifted between meeting sick young patients at the Children's hospital
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in Melbourne to war veterans in Canberra, to cheeky lifeguards
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Bonday Beach, he appeared completely at ease for hours on
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end as he bantered with locals, regularly tried out his
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fairly impressive Aussie accent, and listened carefully to difficult stories.
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Like his father and brother, Harry spent his life in
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training for a royal career, and despite quitting the job
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he was born into, it's very evidently still firmly grained.
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On the flip side, Meghan's background as an actress always
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meant she wouldn't struggle with the spotlight. I've been an
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entertainment journalist for a decade, and the Hollywood set always
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knows how to tickle the boxes when it comes to
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getting the job done and nail the photo opportunities. Megan
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is no different, and I suppose it's only natural that
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she'd employed that skill set when being followed around by
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a press pack laden with cameras scrutinizing her every move.
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But what really struck me this week is just how
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much that careful practice sheeers in contrast to that of
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her husband's public demeanor. Either Harry's a better actor than
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his wife, or he's simply much more at ease showcasing
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his authentic self while out in the public domain, watching
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Megan in proximity for four days, I didn't see the
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mask slip even once. Technically, she hit all the steps
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and nailed the brief of hitting all the marks listed
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in a detailed itinerary, and every photo opportunity was delivered successfully.
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But when people have repeatedly asked me what she really like,
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there's only one answer. I still have absolutely no idea well,
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palacing just a moment. A reporting gb News claims Robert
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Irwin and his family were said to have been approached
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about a potential meeting with Harry and Meghan, possibly linked
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to shared interests in wildlife conservation. However, unnamed sources suggested
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the family chose not to proceed. One factor cited was
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Robert Irwin's role as an ambassador for the earth Shot Prize,
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founded by Prince William. The report suggested that maintaining neutrality
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and long standing support for the monarchy may have influenced
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the decision. Us was quoted in the article said they
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meant no ill towards the Sussexes, but at the end
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of the day, they are all staunch monarchists and fiercely
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loyal to the firm. Another added simply, it just wasn't possible.
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The Irwin family, who run Australia Zoo, have previously appeared
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publicly alongside Prince William and have expressed support for environmental
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initiatives connected to his work. John Oliver has delivered a
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blunt assessment of the royal family, saying he is not
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a fan and criticizing their conduct over the years. Speaking
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at a charity event at Radio City Music Hall, the host
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of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver said, I think
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that the way they've behaved over the years has been horrendous.
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Oliver reserved particular criticism for Prince Andrew, who stepped back
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from royal duties amid its links to Jeffrey Epstein. When
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asked about Andrew's future, Oliver said, long term, if I
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believed in hell, it would be there. I don't know
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where he will end up. I had very little respect
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for that guy before all of this, so I don't
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know where he will end up. And to the marrow
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of my bones, I don't care. And there you have it.
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If you'd like to email us our addresses The Palace
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Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify
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or the app You are currently using Mark Francis My
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thanks to John McDermott. This Palace Intrigue in good Times
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00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:22.639
134
00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.879
135
00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:29.319
136
00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:33.240
137
00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:36.079
138
00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:39.040
139
00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:42.079
140
00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:46.199
141
00:07:46.199 --> 00:07:48.920
142
00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:52.240
143
00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.040
144
00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:57.519
145
00:07:57.560 --> 00:07:59.600
146
00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:01.560
147
00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:04.839
148
00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:07.040
149
00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:09.839
150
00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:13.399
151
00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:16.680
