April 18, 2026

Meghan spends two hours at Megstock as the Sydney Tour Turns Chaotic

Show Notes
Transcript

Meghan Markle’s Sydney wellness retreat appearance draws fresh scrutiny after a brief but high-profile stop at the so-called “Megstock,” complete with VIP photos, heavy security, and a rather Australian shoey incident as she and Prince Harry departed. We also look at the couple’s Bondi Beach crowds, their meetings with survivors and first responders, the growing criticism that parts of the tour feel staged, and the latest sharp media commentary from Britain and Australia. Plus, a café’s cheeky AI royal photo causes confusion, and an Invictus family encounter brings one of the lighter moments of the trip.

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Calarugus Shark media at lower Welcome through Palace Intrigue, I

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am your Host, Mark Francis. Meghan Markle's wellness retreat in

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Sydney has drawn attention after reports about how much time

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Meghan spent at what has been referred to as Megstock.

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The Duchess of Sussex spent approximately two hours at her

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Best Life retreat at the Intercontinental Coogie, where guests had

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paid up to thirty two hundred dollars to attend. Attendees

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began arriving from three pm, with the event officially starting

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at five and a gala dinner schedule. As part of

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the evening. VIP guests were able to take photographs with

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Megan during the event. The event began with guests arriving

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in the afternoon, followed by a welcome reception described as

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bubbles in the ballroom before VIP attendees were separated for

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group photographs with Meghan later in the day. Security around

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the event was notably high, with reports of specialist police units,

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including the New South Wales Police Dog Squad, stationed at

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the venue. Meghan left shortly after seven pm, departing the

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hotel with Prince Harry as the pair headed to a

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Lions Stadium to attend the Super Rugby match between the

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New South Wales Waratas and Moana Pacifica The Daily Mail

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shared as the couple it's a part of the venue.

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A young Ossie man rushed at the car armed with

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a long neck beer bottle in a workman's boot, asking

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carry to do a showy, an Australian tradition in which

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alcohol is drunk from a shoe. The plain clothes police

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officer forcefully pushed him away, so the man did the

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shuy himself. Earlier in the day, the couple carried out

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a number of engagements across Sydney. Meghan began with a

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coastal walk from Tamarama to Bronti before returning to the

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hotel under police protection. They later visited the Bondai Surf

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Bathers Life Saving Club, where they met first responders and

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individuals affected by the Bondai attack, before joining an Invictus

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Australia Harbor Cruz at Bondai. Harry and Meghan were mobbed

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by crowds after what had been intended as a low

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key stop quickly became public. Words spread rapidly that the

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Duke and duchess were in the area, drawing hundreds of

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people to the beach front, where fans called out to them,

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handed over gifts and tried to capture photos. As they

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made their way along the esplanade. The couple stopped briefly

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to speak with onlookers and local reporters before heading toward

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the shoreline to watch a lifeguard demonstration. The visit also

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carried a more serious tone. Harry and Meghan met with

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members of the Jewish community and survivors of last year's

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Bonday attack, listening to personal accounts from those affected. One

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mother described shielding her young daughter during the shooting, recounting

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what she believed were their final moments. They later visited

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the Bondei Surf pavilion, where a permanent memorial has been established,

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displaying items left in tribute to the victims. The mood

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lifted somewhat when the pair met local lifeguards, with one

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lighthearted moment, as a volunteer accidentally introduced to herself as Harry,

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prompting laughter from the duke, who replied, no, I am Harry,

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you're Amy. At Bonday Beach, Harry met a fan described

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by The Daily Mail who tells us the couple took

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selfies and waved at the large crowd gathered on the

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beach as they made their way onto the sand to

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watch a life saving demonstration. But no one was as

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enthusiastic as a budgy smuggler clad local who darted in

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front of the couple to record them as they moved

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across the sand. He then stopped the duke for a

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proper photo, with his tattooed, slightly sunburned arm scene wrapped

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around his shoulder in true Aussie style. The man then

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took Harry's hand, gave him a friendly slap on the back,

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and pulled him into what was probably a rather sweaty

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hug More palace in just a moment. Harry and Megan's

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appearances have been described by some as overly staged, with

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one source saying there's a growing view among critics that

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what they're presenting fiels staged rather than sincere. The body

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language is being picked apart as overly theatrical, and some

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are going as far as calling it inappropriate or even

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disgusting to watch. One insiders said people find it vile

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that they are tuning up smiling to promote their brand

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and with all that's going on, it just seems cheesy, vacant,

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a bit rotten. Body. Language experts have added to the debate.

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Doctor Luise Milda criticized Meghan's public persona during the visit,

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telling Radar Online the domestic goddess act does not cut

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it with me, and describing moments where she appeared to

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hang on like a tiny, helpless waif. She went on

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to argue that the couple's outward warmth does not align

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with the broader context, saying there is something dreadfully and

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shockingly incongruent here that makes it alarmingly unreal, divisive, and

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for me, repulsive. Another expert, dontor Lillian Glass, also took

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issue with Megan's presentation, claiming she's got it plastered on

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phony smile when feeding the homeless, Her continuous open mouth,

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inappropriate laughter and over the top smiles are both unnerving

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and disturbing. One Royal source summed up the challenge facing

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the couple, saying they're walking a fine line between celebrity

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and service. For some, the gestures resonate, for others, they

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feel exaggerated and fake. During an appearance on Talk TV,

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Royal reporter Kinsey Schofield joined the Kevin O'Sullivan to discuss

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the couple's tour, which has included a mix of charity

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engagements and paid appearances. After clips were played of Meghan

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describing herself as the most trolled person in the world

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and Harry speaking about parenting, O'Sullivan reacted bluntly, saying, God Almighty,

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he got fifty thousand dollars for that tedious speech. He's

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down there in Australia spewing gobbledygook, total gibberish, you know,

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Californian psycho babbel clap trap. What the hell is he

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talking about. Chofield did not hold back in her response,

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suggesting the speech lacked authenticity. She said, we're supposed to

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believe this guy is like a war hero, that we

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should be falling over ourselves because of what he did

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in Afghanistan. She also urged Harry to stop pretending to

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be a royal before offering a broader interpretation of the

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couple's trip. I think that's another way we could look

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at this, and maybe this is the way I should

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be looking at this, so I'm not so hostile. What

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a glorious admission of regrets. This was Australia's We Miss

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Being Royal Tour. It truly tells that they messed up

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big time when they left the Royal family and they

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desperately miss it. The podcast aren't working out, the reality

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show ideas have run dry, and these two they're basically

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admitting to the world we messed up and we missed

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being British Royals, and this is what we want to do.

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An Australian cafe created an artificial image appearing to show

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Harry and Meghant sitting outside its premises, prompting confusion among

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some members of the public. The image, shared on social

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media by the Beachside Bakehouse in Victoria, was accompanied by

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the caption we always said we were fit for royalty,

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just didn't think they'd actually take us up on it.

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Next rounds on You has speaking to the bar of

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the cafe, explained the intention behind the posts, saying the

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image was created and shared a bit of a tongue

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in cheek fine and we didn't expect the level of

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attention it's received. A number of people have said they

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had to do a double take thinking it was real

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at first, which has been quite surreal for a small

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local bakehouse. While we can't confirm in your royal visits

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just yet, we can confirm the pyres and coffee are

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worth the stop. Back in real life, Harry and Meghan

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greeted crowds at the Sydney Opera House before boarding a

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boat for a harbor cruise, taking time to meet fans

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pose for photos. Among those they met was in Victor's

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Games veteran Joel vanders One, who competed at the twenty

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twenty two Games in the Hague along with his wife

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Alexander and their three children. A lighthearted moment followed when

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the couple's daughter Charlotte began dancing. Meghan encouraged her, and

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Prince Harry soon joined in. Joel said Charlotte asked Meghan

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if she wanted to see her dance, and Meghan obliged

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as all good wives do, wrote Harry in to be

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the prince that he is. The family also presented the

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Duke and Duchess with gifts matching custom made in Victors

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Australia branded thongs. Harry's pair read GOODE Hazard, while Meghan's

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were marked GOODA Megs and there you have it. I'd

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like to email us addresses the Palace Intrigu at gmail

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dot com. Please followus on Spotify, Apple or the app

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you're using. By Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott.

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This is Palace Intrigue and good times.

Meghan spends two hours at Megstock as the Sydney Tour Turns Chaotic

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