PALACE WEEKLY: EMPTY SHELVES AND SEPARATE LIVES - The week in royal news

0:03 Caloroga Shark Media ad Hello and welcome to Palace Weekly. I am your host, Mark Francis. This is a weekly wrap up of all the stories that we've tried to bring you during the week on our regular daily series Palace Intrigue. If you want the extended versions of these stories, please go back during the weekend and take a listen. Nearly two months after Megan Duchess of Sussex launched her long awaited lifestyle brand As Ever, questions are swirling over why none of the sold out products have been restocked. The brand made its debut on April second, offering a limited range of items including wildflower honey with honeycomb at a striking twenty eight dollars, raspberry jam which is possibly really fruit spread from a legal standpoint for fourteen dollars, and flower sprinkles priced at fifteen. Short Bread create mixes and various herbal teas rounded out the eight item selection.

1:01 All were priced firmly at the luxury end of the spectrum. Within half an hour of launch, the entire range was marked as sold out. Meghan posted triumphantly to her followers, our shelves may be empty, but my heart is full. We sold out in less than one hour, and I can't thank you enough for celebrating purchasing, sharing and believing it's just the start at as ever official here we go, but now some seven weeks later, shoppers are asking where is the restock. Megan has concluded the inaugural season of her second podcast series, Confessions of a Female Founder, with a relatable guest, a billionaire. Meghan welcomed Spank's founder Sarah Blakey, whose net worth is estimated at an eye watering one point three billion pounds. The two discuss the gritty realities of entrepreneurship, agreeing it was time to get real about betting on yourself. The podcast ranked number fifty seven in the Business podcast section of the Apple Charts on Tuesday.

1:57 Featured the Duchess and Blakely delving into the hard earned wisdom behind turning a fledgling idea into a global brand. Grit, intentional design, and scrapping mindset were essential in transforming a humble start into a thriving global business, they agreed. Last week, the privacy minded Megan posted a video to her Instagram stories showing herself and her three year old princess little Bit, walking hand in hand toward an apiary, no doubt to the joy of Prince Harry. The two were dressed in full beekeeper suits, complete with hoods and gloves. The soundtrack the nineteen sixty nine hit Sugar by the Archies a possible nod to Lilibet's older brother, six year old Prince Archie. Adding to the charm, young Lilibet sported rainbow colored boots on the clip. The bee keeping hobby as one. Meghan cheers with both Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton, who also keeps bees. Except when Kate does it, it's real and wonderful and genuine and probably not a phony photo op like when Megan does it for attention. Meghan recently made an impression at thirty five thousand feet, not with a selfie, but with a handwritten note. American Allies flight attendant via shared on TikTok that the Duchess of Sussex was a passenger in a recent flight and left behind more than just empty champagne flutes. You guys will not believe who I had on my flight when I had the pleasure of serving, she said the Queen, the Princess, the Duchess of Sussex, according to Ven and Meghan was so beautiful in person, so sweet. The flight crew passed Meghan a hand written note that read it's a pleasure serving you.

3:20 Love you real bad, saying the AA girlies. Meghan responded in kind with a note of her own, scribbled on a napkin, had read dear AA girly, thank you for the love hospitality in hand written note, you know me well, all love right back to you. She signed it simply as ever, Meghan. Fast Company profiled Meghan, Elizabeth Siegren writes. When I sit down to speak with her, she says she's recently taken on a new role, that of tooth fairy. Archie, her six year old son, recently lost his first tooth. Meghan rushed home to ensure she could be the one to leave a little money in a small dinosaur under his pillow. At two am, Archie woke Meghan up excitedly to tell her what had happened. I had a lot of business meetings in the next morning, but I still chose to cuddle within the rest of the night. She says.

4:03 Those mum moments energize me to be a better founder, a better employer, a better Boss. These are the kinds of work life details that Megan likes to get into in a podcast series, Confessions of a Female Founder, made with production companies Lamonada Media, which is also behind podcasts by Sarah Silverman and David Ducovny, among others. It has had more than eight hundred thousand downloads since it's April launch, and we asked our podcast industry insider about that number. It might sound like a lot, but it's not. Basic math puts it at one hundred thousand an episode for a high profile launch like that disaster the Sussex's marked Memorial Day weekend on separate continents, highlighting what's some close to the couple described as a twin track approach to their increasingly distinct public lives. On Sunday, Prince Harry made a surprise appearance in Shanghai, delivering the keynote address at the Envision twenty twenty five Global Partner Conference hosted by Trip dot Com, representing travelists the not for profit Sustainable Travel coalition he founded in twenty nineteen. The Duke spoke passionately about the intersection of climate and commerce in what some have called an ironic yet necessary pivot. The Duke and Duchess have reportedly restructured their personal team to resemble the kind of royal household Prince Harry once walked away from.

5:19 The move is widely seen as a step towards rehabilitating their public image, particularly in the UK, where their popularity has plummeted. Last week, reports surfaced that Harry and Meghan were establishing their own version of a royal household in the US. The overhaul includes the appointment of a communications specialist, Meredith Kendall Mainz, to head an eleven person team operating separately from the nonprofit foundation Archwell. The Prince of Wales has announced the debut of Guardians, a new six part docu series designed to cast a long overdue spotlight on the unsung heroes of conservation, the rangers working at the front lines of environmental protection across the globe. Speaking at a special screening of the series, Prince William shared his admiration for the brave men and women featured in the episodes, saying rangers are particularly unknown, their stories unseen, their unsung heroes of the natural world. This is all about highlighting them, showcasing them and realizing also how dangerous and how difficult this job is. King Charles struck a measured but resolute tone in his historic speech before Canada's Parliament on Tuesday, invoking shared values and national pride, while subtly addressing political tensions with the US without once naming President Donald Trump.

6:32 Delivering the first throne speech by a reigning monarch in Canada since Queen Elizabeth in nineteen seventy seven, the King opened with a formal land acknowledgment. This land acknowledgment is a recognition of shared history as a nation, he said, referencing the unseeded territory of the Algonquin and Nishebek people. He thanked First Nations, Intuit and Metis communities for their great warmth and hospitality, and expressed hope for a path found towards truth and reconciliation. Marking his twenty visit to Canada and first as sovereign, Charles noted, every time I come to Canada, a little more of Canada seems into my bloodstream, straight to my heart. He praised Canada's diversity, courage, and cultural identity, and acknowledge the immense change the nation has undergone since a sovereign last opened Parliament from becoming truly independent and multicultural to embracing reconciliation. Charles is once again blending tradition with transparency as he opens the gates to Sandringham's working farms for one day only this June, as part of the nationwide Open Farm Sunday initiative. The Norfolk State along private Royal Retreat will offer the public a rare opportunity to explore the agricultural side of royal life.

7:40 Announced on the Sandringham State website, the event promises visitors a glimpse into life on the Sandringham farms. Guests can expect to meet livestock, speak with the estate's beekeeper, and observe demonstrations from the Sandringham Warden tractors and combine harvesters. Also beyond show making, this hands on day designed to appeal to families and countryside enthusiasts. Entry is free. The event will run on June eighth from ten am to five pm. Charles is also opening up a newly refurbished royal retreat on the Sandringham estate for the public for a luxury holiday. The Victorian era property, known as the Folly, was once the romantic hideaway of Edward the Seventh and his mistress Lily Langtree, nestled in the private woodlands of Sandringham in Norfolk. The three bedroom house has now been transformed into what's described as an exceptional turreted retreat, blending timeless heritage with refined contemporary comfort. The property, which accommodates up to six guests, has been meticulously restored under the direction of the Sandraingham team. Period features such as stone hearth's, arched entryways and hand finished doors have been lovingly preserved, according to the agency handling bookings Oliver's travels More Palace.

8:48 In Just a Moment, Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's younger brother, expressed shark and sadness after vandals have fired to a farmhouse at Authorpe House, the family's started state where Diana is buried. In a post on social media, Spencer shared images of the blaze, thanking Northampton Shear Fire Service for their efforts and confirming that no one was inside the building at the time. The fire was so severe that the farmhouse had to be demolished for safety reasons. The fire department, still on site, has not determined the cause yet. Dolly Parton, who famously turned down Tea with Kate last year due to a jam packed promotional schedule, now appears king to make amends. I don't know if that office still stands, but if she wants me and I'm there, I'll be right there with a tea bag in my hand, Dolly told The Huffington Post. She also let slip that she hopes to meet the Queen, by which she means Queen Camilla naturally, we hope in October, saying that she had passion for children's literacy. Dolly's Imagination Library, which has gifted over two hundred million books since nineteen ninety five and expanded to the UK in two thousand and seven, has reportedly caught Camilla's eye, aligning neatly with her Majesty's Queen's Reading Room initiative. Dolly said, I'm going to go over there and kind of really rub elbows with the Royalty.

9:59 So yes, anything that's possible, and never say no to nothing. When asked if she might appear on Megan's Cooking Show, part and kept the door open, well, never seen. Never. You never know where you're going to go to disappoint Dolly. But season two is already in the Cairn. Royal fans are going wild after spotting Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Thompson, King Charles hot equery during the monarch's brief visit to Canada. The forty one year old Thompson serves as senior equery to both King Charles and Queen Camilla. Thompson, who had moved to a less public facing role last year due to the attention has looks guarded online, has made this recent public appearance, much to the delight of fans. Comments on social media have praised his appearance, with some fans calling him a fine sight for tired eyes and others commenting on his handsome killed and there you have it.

10:47 Email us address is the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, on the Apple of your choice and leaves a nice review. If you're enjoying the show, don't forget to catch the daily edition of this show, Palace Intrigue where you get your podcasts. I'm Aunt Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly and good terms