March 27, 2026

Meghan Mocked Over Dog-Eared Book Pages as Australia Pushback Grows

Show Notes
Transcript

Meghan Markle is facing a fresh round of online criticism after sharing a photo of a dog-eared book — despite selling bookmarks through her As Ever brand. The post quickly prompted social media mockery, with critics pointing to what they see as another self-own from the Duchess’s lifestyle rollout.
Also in the spotlight: growing backlash in Australia ahead of Harry and Meghan’s upcoming trip, with a petition calling for the couple to pay their own way drawing more than 32,000 signatures.
Plus: Meghan sparks new engagement ring speculation, Queen Camilla’s unusual insect brooch raises eyebrows, Sarah Ferguson denies any involvement in a bizarre reality TV pitch involving the late Queen’s corgis, and Princess Anne is heckled over Andrew before quietly carrying on with royal duty — exactly as Deep Crown says she always does.

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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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A calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue.

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I am your host, Mark Francis. Meghan Markle has faced

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online criticism after a social media post showed her bending

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the corners of book pages rather than using bookmarks, despite

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selling her own through her as Ever brand. In an

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Instagram story, Meghan to flip through a copy of Jessica

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Ulrich's They Bloom Because of You poems on the infinite love,

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growth and Magic of Motherhood, revealing multiple dog eared pages.

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She later showed the cover and said so good. The

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post quickly drew backlash, with critics pointing out that Megan

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sells eighteen dollars as Ever bookmarks, including designs reading fell

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Asleep here and hold that thought. Social media users were

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quick to question the apparent contradiction. One wrote, didn't Meghan

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Markel have bookmarks, so why is she folding the corners

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of the book instead of using them? Kind of shows

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she doesn't even use her own products, doesn't it. Another added,

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she has a brand that sells bookmarks for the exact

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purpose of not folding pages, and yet she's doing exactly that.

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Kind of defeats the whole point. Others piled on with

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comments like even Meghan doesn't like her own bookmarks and

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she probably forgot she was selling them. Australians are pushing

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back against any suggestion that public money should be used

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for Prince harryan Meghan Markel's upcoming trip with a petition

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calling for the couple to cover the visit themselves, drawing

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more than thirty two thousand signatures last time we checked.

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The campaign, organized by advocacy group Beyond Australia, is urging

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the government to ensure the Sussex's visit is treated strictly

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as a private one, with no taxpayer funded security or

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official support. The change dot org petition, titled no taxpayer

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funding or official support for Harry and Meghan's Private Visit

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to Australia, had reportedly reached thirty two seven hundred and

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fifteen signatures by Wednesday morning. In a statement, the group

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said the activities are private and commercial and must be

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treated strictly as a private visit. Megan has sparked fresh

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speculation after appearing without her engagement ring at the Alliance

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for Children's Rights event on March nineteen, wearing only her

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gold wedding band, with observers noting the absence of the

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diamond ring originally given to her by Prince Harry in

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twenty seventeen. The piece has previously been modified several times

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since the couple's marriage, with changes believed to include adjustments

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to both the band and the central stone. When first presented,

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the ring featured a cushion cut diamond from Botswana flanked

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by two smaller stones from Princess Diana's collection. Prince Harry

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said at the time the ring is obviously yellow gold

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because that's her favorite. In the years since the design

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has evolved, the original gold band was replaced with a

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slimmer pavet setting, and later appearances suggested additional diamonds had

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been added, along with a change to a different cut

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for the central stone. It remains unclear whether the engagement

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ringers being redesigned again or was simply not worn on

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the occasion. Speaking of jewelry, Queen Camilla has sparked fresh

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curiosity among royal jewelry watches after stepping out wearing one

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of her more unusual brooches during an engagement with King

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Charles during the couple's visit to the Eden Project. The

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Queen wore a striking insect shaped brooch that appeared to

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be designed as a horsefly, featuring a sapphire body and

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diamond wings. The brooch first drew attention last year when

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Camilla wore it during a visit to Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings.

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On that occasion, she paired it with a more recognizable

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bee brooch, but the horsefly design immediately stood out as

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something unfamiliar to Royal watches. Its meaning remains uncertain, though

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there are a few possible explanations. One theory is that

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the piece may be a subtle nod to Camilla's a

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long known love of horses. She has often worn jewelry

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with equestrian themes, so an insect associated with stables and

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riding life would not be entirely out of character. Another

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possible explanation is that its suits the day's theme. With

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the King and Queen visiting the Eden Project, a site

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known for its plant life environmental focus in connection to nature,

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an insect themed brooch would have been an appropriate choice.

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What remains more of a mystery is where the piece

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came from. There has been speculation that the brooch may

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have once belonged to Queen Elizabeth, even though she was

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never seen wearing it in public. Jewelry expert Stephen Stone

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has suggested there may be a link, noting that the

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late Queen owned a diamond bee brooch featuring a cabochon sapphire,

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and that Queen Camilla has inherited a number of items

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from Elizabeth's extensive collection. Reports suggesting Sarah Ferguson was involved

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in plans for a reality television program centered on cloning

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the late Queen's corgies have been denied by her representatives.

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A spokesperson said miss Ferguson regularly receives varied TV offers

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and proposals, often for reality shows, which he always declines.

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To be absolutely clear, she's declined the proposal regarding a

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reality ta TV show involving the Late Queen's corgies. She

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received the proposal following some initial conversations with Hausey on

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Media to discuss a potential program on dogs generally, but

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conversations ended following her declining the opportunity suggested more palace

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In just a moment, Princess Anne was hackled about her

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brother Andrew mount Batten Windsor as she arrived for an

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event at Oxford University. The Princess Royal had attended the

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Agricultural Economics Society Centenary Conference at Wadham College when demonstrators

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shouted questions about Andrew's links to Jeffrey Epstein. As she

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stepped out of the black car. One protester called out

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and how long have you known about Andrew and Epstein,

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while others shouted what did you know? And when did

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you know it? And when will you answer the question.

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Princess Anne did not respond and instead walked into the

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college accompanied by security. The protest was organized by the

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anti monarchy group Republic, which later shared footage of the

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incident online. The group pointed to reports that Anne has

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remained sympathetic toward Andrew despite the allegations surrounding him. According

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to the report, Republicans also claimed Anne may have offered

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Andrew a place to stay at Gatcombe Park after his

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departure from Royal Lodge, though there has been no public

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confirmation of that. Anne is now set to return to

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Jersey next month to officially open Jersey Zoo's new multi

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million pound gorilla House. The Princess Royal, who serves as

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patron of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust will visit the

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island on April thirtieth for the unveiling of the long

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awaited new facility. The development replaces the zoo's existing gorilla enclosure,

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which was built more than four decades ago and marks

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the largest capital project in Jersey Zoo's history. The zoo

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is currently home to four critically endangered Western Lowland gorillas, Bodongo, Bahasha, Hlala,

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Kahili and Amari. Durell says the new enclosure will give

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the troop significantly more room and provide a more sustainable environment.

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The building will feature in modern heating and calling system,

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eight bedrooms, too large indoor living spaces and dedicated area

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for training and weighing the animals. Becky Brewer, chief Executive

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of Durell, zeb we are so fortunate to have such

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a committed patron in the Princess Royal and look forward

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to showing Hr Agent Islanders around this astonishing place in

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his Substack Royal inside it dig Crown Rights. While the

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commentary class was occupied with streaming announcements in the Sussex

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Content Pipeline, Princess Anne was at Wadham College, Oxford, attending

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the Agricultural Economics Society Centenary conference. Before she could reach

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the entrance, protesters from the anti monarchy group Republic confronted

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her outside, shouting questions about her brother's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

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The questions were pointed, the cameras were rolling, and the

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Princess Royal did precisely what she has done in every

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uncomfortable moment across seven decades of public life. She made

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no response to the demonstrators and walked on towards the

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entrance with her bodyguards at her side. One does not

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wish to make too much of a single moment, but

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there is something instructive in it. Nonetheless, the protesters had

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a point to make, and they made it. The Princess

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Royal had a conference to attend, and she attended it.

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The footage duly posted online by Republic showed an elderly

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woman walking with characteristic purposefulness into a building where she

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was expected. It is not the image of an institution

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in crisis. It is the image of someone who has

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decided a very long time ago what she is for

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and who is not especially interested in being diverted from it.

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She will travel to Jersey at the and is able

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to open the new Gorilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo, where

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she serves as patron of the Wild Conservation Trust. The

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opening will receive I would wager a fraction of the

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coverage devoted to the Polo drama announcement. This is simply

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how things are, and you can sign up for Deep

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Crown's free substack newsletter via the link in the show notes,

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or just google deep Crown and there you have it.

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If you like to email us of addresses at the

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Palace Entry at gmail dot com. Please followus on Spotify,

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Apple or the app of your choice. I'm Francis my

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thanks to you John McDermott. This balanced intrigue and good times. MH.

Meghan Mocked Over Dog-Eared Book Pages as Australia Pushback Grows

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