June 13, 2025
Meghan Markle Gala Canceled Amid LA Unrest PLUS Passport Delays, Foot Readings & Royal Honors
The Night of Wonder gala honoring Meghan Markle has been postponed due to citywide protests in Los Angeles, leaving the Duchess of Sussex unexpectedly free on Trooping the Colour weekend. We break down the Museum's official statement, Meghan’s history of rescheduling in response to California crises, and what this means for royal-watchers hoping for a Meghan-vs-Kate moment.
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Callaroga, Shark Media, Hellllo and walcome to Palace Intrigue and
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host Mark Francis, The Duchess of Sussex, will no longer
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attend the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County's Night
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of Wonder Gala, originally scheduled for Saturday, after the event
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was postponed amid growing unrest in the city. Megan had
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been set to receive special recognition for her advocacy work
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supporting women and underserved communities. The Museum's president and director,
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doctor Lorry Bettison Vargas, said in a statement that Los
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Angeles needs us to channel our energy towards supporting our
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neighbors and demonstrating the values that make our city and
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county strong. She added, our responsibility during challenging times as
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clear to serve as a community resource focused on healing
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and unity, not celebration. The decision to postpone the gala
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was made jointly by the museum's Board of Trustees, leadership,
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and event partners, who, according to an official release, unanimously
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agreed that delaying the event was the most appropriate response
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to the current situation on the ground. Although the gala
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will be rescheduled, the museum will continue its day to
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day operations in educational programs. The gala Night of Wonder
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was intended to celebrate the museum's mission and honor Megan,
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whose work through initiatives like her as Ever Brand and
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the Archwell Foundation, reflect the Museum's focus on equity and
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community impact. Meghan, the native of Los Angeles, had been
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due to speak at the event, alongside other leaders in
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the philanthropic and cultural space. This is not the first
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time Meghan has adjusted her public schedule out of concern
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for California's well being. Earlier this year, she delayed the
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release of her Netflix series With Love Megan due to
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the widespread wildfires across the state. The latest cancelation comes
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as tensions remain high in Los Angeles following protests over
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recent immigration and customs enforcement raids. The postponement also means
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we lose the non narrative of Meghan's event, conflicting with
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trooping the color, which from a podcasting standpoint, is a
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disappointment lost in twerk Gate was a theory behind the
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reasoning behind why Harry might have wanted to change his
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family name to Spencer. According to the Guardian, Prince Harry
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and Meghan endured nearly six months of waiting for the
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passports to be issued, a delay they reportedly suspect was
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linked to their children's royal titles. The couple are said
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to have believed that the inclusion of hur H and
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the surname Sussex on the applications may have led to
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internal obstruction. Archie, born in May twenty nineteen, was initially
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styled using the Mount Batton Windsor surname, but after the
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royal rift in the couple's subsequent relocation to California, the
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question of identity, name, status and entitlement has become a
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more complex affair. The normal wait time for a UK
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passport is roughly three weeks, yet after three months of waiting,
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Harry and Meghan reportedly tried to expedite the process using
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a twenty four hour service, only to have the appointment
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canceled at the last minute due to what officials described
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as a system's failure. It is understood that lawyers for
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the couple then issued a formal letter threatening a data
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subject access request, an action that could have revealed communications
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or internal reasoning behind the apparent stall. The passports were
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ultimately granted Megan has previously spoken publicly about the complexities
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of her surname, including in her conversation with Mindy Kaeling
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for her Netflix series, highlighting how the naming conventions of
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her family have taken on new residents since leaving royal life.
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As ever, with the Sussexes, what might have once been
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a routine, bureaucratic procedure has become yet another chapter in
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the evolving and at times deeply fraught relationship between the
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Crown and the couple once dubbed its brightest hope. It's
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a shame they don't know anyone who maybe could have helped.
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Fun fact, when traveling overseas, Harry's father does not require
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a British passport. As a British passport is issued in
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the name of His Majesty, it is unnecessary for the
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King to zes one. Sir Sadik Khan has officially received
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his knighthood from King Charles, who, according to the London Mayor,
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apologized for taking so long to bestow the honor. The
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ceremony took place at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, with Sir
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Sir Diek saying he was very toffed that he managed
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to personally give me this honor. The knighthood recognizes Khan's
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service as the capital's mayor since twenty sixteen. Growing up
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on a council estate in Tooting, I never imagined I'd
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one day received this great honor while serving as mayor.
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Khan later wrote on social medium, it's a truly humbling
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moment for myself and my family, Sir Sadik says he
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hopes the honor inspires others to believe in the opportunities
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for our great capital office. He also noted that it
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was a proud day for his family, especially his mother,
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who was present for the ceremony and had been emotional
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since it was announced. More palacing just a moment. So
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many stories were overshadowed by twerk Gate, including a moving
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and impassioned engagement ahead of the in National Day for
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the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, where the Duchess
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of Edinburgh had issued a powerful plea to society, we
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must do better. Sophie delivered her remarks during a visit
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to the Imperial War Museum in London on Wednesday, where
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she toured Unsilenced Sexual Violence in Conflict, the UK's first
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major exhibition dedicated to this harrowing yet under discussed subject.
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The exhibition traces the use of sexual violence as a
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weapon of war from the First World War to present
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day conflicts, and features firsthand testimonies, artifacts, and deeply distressing imagery,
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including drawings by Sudanese children who witnessed atrocities committed against
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their own families. As she moved through the displays with
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curator Helen Upgraft, Sophie was visibly taken aback by the
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revelation that the RAF only banned so called nosart the
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painting of scantily clad women on fighter aircraft as recently
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as two thousand and seven, surprising, she said, lifting an
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eyebrow invisible disapproval. She was also visibly affected by artwork
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from young Sudanese tuer, including one drawing depicting a soldier
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turning away in shame from the actions of a comrade.
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It's so vivid, she gasped. During her visit, the Duchess
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was reassured by staff that survivor's voices had been integral
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to shaping the exhibition. This is about them, she said.
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Their voice matters. One particularly sobering display, which described women
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forced to exchange sex for rations to feed their families.
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She remarked, it's a way of some people staying alive. Justice,
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she acknowledged, remains elusive. It's a tiny, tiny scratch on
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the surface, she said, of efforts to prosecute perpetrators. Where
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do you start. Do you prosecute a country, a leader.
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Of course this does happen, but it's important to recognize
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this at the highest level. Royal expert Richard fitz Williams
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points out that this is the kind of work that
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Megan could have been leading had she stayed within the family.
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Fitz Williams tells the male Meghan is struggling to be
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an influencer. Sophie has influenced in ways that really matter,
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which Megan could have been. Megan has always boasted about
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how she promotes feminism, yet contrasts the occasional speech she
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makes in comfortable surroundings with the remarkable work of Sophie,
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who actually visits areas of the world such as Sudan
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and Chad which have been devastated by war, and attempts
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to comfort the women who are the victims of rape
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and exploitation. Unsilenced Sexual violence in conflict is open at
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the Imperial War Museum through November. And there you have
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it plenty. Email us addresses the Palace Intrigue at a
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gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple or
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the Apple m chois. Leave us a nice review of
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enjoying the show and Mark Francis mean. Thanks to John McDermott,
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This is Palace Intrigue.
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