Meghan Markle's Return Amid Thomas Markle Scandal as As Ever Hits Trouble and Archewell Executive Quits

0:01 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Meghan Markle is preparing to make her first public appearance since allegations against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., became public. According to Hello, the Duchess of Sussex will join Prince Harry in Brussels, Belgium next week. where the couple are expected to deliver a keynote address at the opening of the Lost Screen Memorial outside the European Parliament. The memorial commemorates children who have died following harm linked to social media. Harry and Meghan previously attended an installation in New York City in 2025, where Meghan was seen embracing bereaved parents. It will be Meghan's first appearance since the allegations against Thomas Markle. Harry and Meghan are reportedly planning to spend Christmas in the UK for the first time since 2018, with private celebrations in the Cotswolds. According to Hello! magazine, the couple are expected to spend the holiday with Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.

1:06 They are not expected to join King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family at Sandringham, where the traditional celebrations include a Christmas Day church service and family lunch. An insider told Page Six, Megan last attended a royal Christmas gathering in 2018. She first joined the family at Sandringham the previous year following her engagement to Harry. Megan's plans to expand her lifestyle brand as ever internationally have encountered trademark difficulties in several countries. According to Newsweek, trademark authorities in Brazil, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand have raised objections to applications covering the Duchess of Sussex's growing range of products and services. In Brazil, officials rejected an application after determining that descriptions of a wide variety of consumer goods were too vague. Japan's patent office issued a provisional refusal, finding that descriptions of the proposed retail services were too broad. Officials also questioned whether the company genuinely intended to use the trademark across all the services listed.

2:20 In South Korea, examiners identified a possible conflict with earlier-as-ever trademarks registered by the same company. New Zealand authorities issued a partial provisional refusal, raising questions about descriptions covering retail, entertainment and podcasting services. There has been better news in Britain, where Meghan secured substantial trademark protection after revisiting an application that initially faced objections over its lack of precision. The approved British trademark covers products including jams, marmalades, honey, tea, wallpaper, yoga mats and matchboxes. It also includes entertainment services, podcasts, television programming, digital publishing and educational workshops. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek, Megan intends to make as much money as she possibly can using her brand. She can do what she likes. As ever is a brand that is known worldwide. Megan can test the waters in any country, although the reception she gets may vary. A source close to as ever dismissed concerns about the international trademark objections.

3:23 We're not worried. This is all pretty routine. There are different processes for different territories. The main thing is the as ever brand continues to grow and go from strength to strength. Chanel Cisnik has left her role as head of non-fiction television and film at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's production company, according to Deadline. Cisnik, a former Disney Plus and CNN exec, spent nearly six years helping build Archwell Productions, which the Sussexes founded in 2020. Harry and Meghan paid tribute to one of their earliest hires, crediting her with shaping the company's unscripted output and bringing expertise and care to its storytelling. They said they would support her next move. Cisnick also spoke warmly about her time at Archwell, saying she was proud of its creative and commercial achievements and grateful for the couple's trust. Her departure leaves the company without its non-fiction chief. A TV insider tells Radar Online that MasterChef Australia will be a hate watch, per the insider. There is a genuine concern that next year's Junior MasterChef show could simply become a hate watch so critics can mock Meghan rather than a cooking show.

4:31 And it's correct. She is doomed to be a hate watch due to the amount of haters she has online. Many people would tune in simply because Megan is involved, but not necessarily because they want to see her succeed. She has become such a divisive figure that her presence will inevitably attract strong reactions. The danger is that the conversation becomes about her rather than the children taking part in the competition. There will be viewers who are curious to see what she brings to the program, but there is also a sizable group who have already decided they don't want her there. That makes the casting a gamble. The producers will know that Megan guarantees headlines, but headlines can cut both ways. For a program built around children, family, viewing, and food, the last thing anyone wants is for the contestants to become secondary to a debate about a celebrity presenter.

5:19 Megan will be aware that she is walking into a divided audience. She has the opportunity to win some viewers over, but there will undoubtedly be others watching closely in the hope that she makes a mistake. The question is whether viewers can separate their feelings about Meghan from the program itself. If they can't, the series risks becoming a talking point for all the wrong reasons. More Palace in just a moment. The royal family's long-standing involvement in horse racing could diminish after King Charles and Queen Camilla. Racing writer Marcus Armitage has suggested, pointing to Prince William's stronger interest in football. Writing after Point of Law, a horse bred by the King and Queen won the Melbourne Cup for its new owners, Armitage argued that royal participation remains an important asset for British racing. Armitage said selling valuable horses can help owner-breeders meet the costs of their operations, noting that Queen Elizabeth II also sold promising stock during her reign. Despite earlier doubts about Charles' enthusiasm for racing, Armitage believes the King and Queen have shown greater commitment than many in the sport expected. They reduced the inherited Royal String to between 15 and 20 horses in training, but Charles hosted all five days at Royal Ascot in June. Camilla also attends smaller rural meetings alongside major fixtures, such as Cheltenham and Ascot.

6:43 Charles celebrated his first Royal Ascot winner as monarch in 2023. Reporting the result at the time, broadcaster Chris Shipp wrote, Royal support for racing stretches back centuries. Charles II helped establish Newmarket as a racing centre. while Queen Anne founded Ascot. George IV introduced the royal procession in 1825. Edward VII was another enthusiastic supporter, describing glorious Goodwood as the garden party with racing tacked on. His horse Manuru won the derby in 1909. Armitage suggested that William, despite being an accomplished horseman and former polo player, would favour watching Aston Villa over attending a race meeting. Life-sized versions of William and Catherine made from sugar paste and modelling chocolate will take their place on a replica Buckingham Palace balcony when Cake International opens in Birmingham today. Cake artist Emma Jane has spent three months creating the royal centrepiece, using 60 kilos of sugar paste and 20 kilos of modelling chocolate, with visitors invited to pose for photographs alongside the finished figures.

7:47 Jane told the BBC, It is an absolute joy to recreate life-sized figures. I should have started their heads in August. but because we had that very hot weather and I'm sculpting with modelling chocolate, it was impossible. The figures' bodies were carved from marshmallow and rice pops before being covered in sugar paste, with hours devoted to their faces, clothing and finishing details. Catherine's headdress incorporates Swarovski crystals and edible luster. Jane has previously recreated Michael Jackson, King Charles and Queen Elizabeth I. This year's subjects brought their own pressure. Everyone loves William and Catherine. I wanted to do justice to Kate because she's just a beautiful person inside and out. Although the figures use edible materials, the centerpiece is intended for display rather than serving. What these features show is what you can achieve with the medium of sugar in modeling chocolate. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for just $ 5 a month. And if there is a podcaster or a content creator in your family, tell them to check out Linnet, L-I-N-N-E-T. It's at linnetmedia.com.

9:01 It's our new workstation we've built from your team here at Calaroga, and it will help you be a better creator. It's what we use to produce this show right now, and it's free to use through November. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigued. Good times.