March 16, 2026

Meghan Markle reportedly wants total control as Netflix movie stalls

Meghan Markle reportedly wants total control as Netflix movie stalls
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s long-discussed Netflix film projects appear to be moving slowly — and insiders say creative control may be the sticking point. According to new reporting, Meghan is interested in directing one of the couple’s planned Netflix films herself and wants approval over key decisions including the script, casting and marketing. Studios are reportedly wary about handing that level of authority to a first-time director, which may be slowing progress on projects such as the adaptation of the bestselling novel Meet Me at the Lake.

We also examine growing commentary around the Sussex brand, including calls for the couple to film a more personal behind-the-scenes Netflix docuseries showing their life in Montecito.
Plus: the latest chapter in the so-called “jam wars” as Meghan’s As Ever lifestyle brand pushes spreads and chocolates globally, a blistering on-air taste test from Megyn Kelly who called the chocolates “absolutely disgusting,” and a Wall Street Journal look at Prince Harry’s quieter life in California — where friends say he sometimes appears adrift while Meghan pursues new ventures.

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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

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Ah calorouga shark media that hello and welcome to Palace intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. In The News dot

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com dot Au, columnist DANIELA. Elsa tells of William being

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described as the sea word. She writes horrible, arrogant sea word,

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So said one seasoned royal photographer about the next king,

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according to The New Statesman, who had dispatched a journalist

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up to Norfolk to report on the reporters stuck in

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a field who were waiting, waiting, waiting like goodo with

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soggy zoom lenses as they sheltered under a tree. The

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New Statesman reports the snappers were swapping war stories about

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the royals. They didn't seem to like any of them.

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William was the rudest of the lot, apparently the prince,

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the same photographer said, always tells me to f off.

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Oh dear, you cannot buy that sort of bad publicity.

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This William, fiery and irascible, is rarely seen in public

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and could not be further from the image. He and

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his reported team of about sixty staff spend considerable time,

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energy and hashtags trying to promulgate of a cool king

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in the wings, who knows his way around the recycling

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ben and loves to selfie with fans. But what has

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emerged over the last few years is that there seems

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to be two Williams, mister on and mister off duty,

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one who in public gives pictures perfect charmer rama Prince,

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and the other who has a fuse that can be

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measured in millimeters. In twenty twenty three, a video emerged

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of William Letting spectacularly rep at a photographer who was

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filming the Whales family while out for a Saturday bike ride.

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During the clip, he angrily confronts the pap, thundering, how

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dare you behave like you have done with our children?

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How dare you stalking around here looking for us and

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our children. I'm out for a quiet bike ride with

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my children. You're outrageous, You're disgusting. You really are. Still,

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at least, William's tendency towards the furious is in line

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with a not so proud royal tradition of narkiel melting down.

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George's fifth and six were famously short tempered, and who

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can forget the current king losing it over a pen

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days after his accession in twenty twenty three, Kate's wardrobe

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choices called some strays. The Princess of Wales attended the

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annual Commonwealth Day Service in the navy coat dress by

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Katherine Walker paired with a wide brimmed hat by Sean Barrett.

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While many royal fans praised the outfits, some commentators on

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social media criticized the style, saying it was too similar

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to outfits she has worn before. One user wrote on Instagram,

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her style is nice but so boring. Always a coat dress,

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mostly in one of the ninety seven or something shades

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of blue, and these shoulder pads are ridiculous, another person wrote,

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and always the maxi length so predictable. Others questioned whether

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the Princess needed another coat dress in a similar style.

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One user asked, she really needs another coat dress, while

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another commented pretty, but how many blue coat dresses with

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exaggerated shoulders does a woman need. A major housing development

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backed by the Duchy of Cornwall, now overseen by Prince William,

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has been approved after eight lengthy council debate Despite strong

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local opposition, Swale Borough Council voted to allow the construction

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of a large new community on the southeastern edge of

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Faversham in Kent. The project proposes up to twenty five

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hundred homes, along with shops, community facilities, a primary school,

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health services and sports areas. The development will be built

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on land that is currently largely used for agriculture. Supporters

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of the project argued it would help address the area's

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housing shortage and deliver a well designed new neighborhood. The

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proposal also attracted significant opposition. Bolton Parish Council of Sarah

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Moakes warned the project could lead to much larger expansion

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in the area. She told the committee a mere twelve

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letters and support against four hundred and sixty seven objections

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is hardly a ringing endorsement, more palacing, just a moment.

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According to claim in the new book by Russell Meyers,

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Buckingham Palace considered appointing Prince Harry as a Governor General

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of Canada in an effort to keep the Duken Touches

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of Sussex within the royal structure. The role would have

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made Harry the Monarch's representative in Canada, a Commonwealth realm. However,

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it was ultimately proved unworkable because only a Canadian national

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can hold the position. The proposal was reportedly one of

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the five different scenarios presented to the couple during what

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were described as round the clock negotiations in the lead

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up to the Sandryham Summit in January twenty twenty, where

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the terms of their exit were decided. A senior Palace

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source quoted in the book said, we'd spent months trying

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to work out a role for them, and every time

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we thought someone had cracked it, there would end up

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being several reasons why it couldn't work. Harry being Governor

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General of Canada wouldn't happen because you need to be Canadian,

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Various ideas of them working across Africa had security implications,

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or someone else was already doing the job. It was

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almost an impossible task. Of the different options explored, as

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senior p Saw said, the couple got nothing in return

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in terms of workable proposals. They added, we already knew

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they were intent on signing commercial deals and that just

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wasn't going to work within the model. So we kept

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saying to them, how do you want this to work?

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Do you actually have a tangible plan that could help us?

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But we got nothing in return. Long before she became

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the Duchess of Sussex, Megan Markele described herself as a

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devoted foodie. She once told Marie Claire, I'm always on

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the quest to find amazing new restaurants and admitted to DuJour,

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I really pride myself on being the restaurant go to girl.

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Reflecting on her suits years in Toronto, she said, Toronto's

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food scene is incredible, but what I started to miss

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about California is the familiarity of the restaurants. They might

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not be the trendiest, but it's consistent, good food that

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always brings back memories. Since stepping back from royal duties

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in twenty twenty and relocating to California with Prince Harry,

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the couple have been spotted at several high profile designing

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spots at Funky and Beverly Hills. Described as a payan

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to regional Italian tradition. Meghan celebrated her forty fourth birthday

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in twenty twenty five and later shared on Instagram and

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just to get a little foodie on you, this dinner

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last night at Funky with the culinary Master of Evan

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Funky and his team is in the top five meals

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of my life. Extraordinary, thank you for a standout dining experience.

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The pair returned again in twenty twenty six to mark

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Valentine's Day weekend in Ohio. The Sussex's dined at the Duchess,

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a Burmese Californian bakery and restaurant described as a love

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letter to food, creativity and community, and onlookers told Hello,

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they came in, just the two of them, and it

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was very imprompt you, no reservations, very low key. The

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NaNs are made in house. They take two days to

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make them scratch in an imported tandory oven. The chef

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even makes his own ghee. Everyone said they were really

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great and they had a very pleasant time. Closer to

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home in Montecito, Harry and Meghan have been seen at Lucky's,

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which calls itself Montecito's Second living Room and was born

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from a old idea to take a historic building once

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deemed out of luck and give it new life. The

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couple also visited Trey Loon Build as like a trip

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to Italy without the airfare, where the manager told Hello

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they enjoyed their experience. Harry and Meghan are preparing to

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travel to Australia in mid April, but news of a

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paid retreat hosted by the Duchess of Sussex's sparked debate

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online over the ticket prices. The event, described as the

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Ultimate Girl's Weekend, is scheduled to take place at a

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beachside hotel in Sydney and we'll run for three days.

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Tickets for the retreat will start at about twenty six

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hundred dollars Australian, with a limited number of early bird

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tickets priced at twenty seven hundred Australian dollars. A VAP

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package will cost thirty two hundred Australian dollars and includes

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a group photographed with Megan seating with front two rows

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at her event, and an exclusive VIP gift bag. Following

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the announcement, some social media users reacted critically to the pricing.

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One person wrote on X is much more pathetic than

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we thought. Meghan Markle is merging a wellness spa hotel

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while using her children's titles. It will cost thirty two

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hundred dollars for two days of an open bar. Read

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her resume. She would be nothing without those titles. Another

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user commented for three thousand dollars, I'd want her to

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come around to my house and cook me dinner and

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then cut it up and feed it to me before

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she does the dishes and my laundry, and then vacuums

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the house. She can watch the car too. Three grand

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piss off, a third wrote in the f would spend

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three thousand dollars to listen to her a failure by

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every metric, only good at using many words and saying nothing.

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Others questioned the marketing of the event, with one person

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posting a three thousand dollar ticket to hear Megan Markles

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speak about wellbeing and personal development is certainly bold marketing.

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And you have it. If you'd like to email us,

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our address is the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Also,

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if you'd like to get rid of those pesky commercials,

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Check it out, and we really appreciate your support. By

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Mark Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is balanced

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intrigue and continums