PALACE WEEKLY: ROYAL FEARS AND PODCAST FAILURES

0:03 Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Weekly. I am your host, Mark Francis the Palace Weekly edition. Here is a summary of all the stories we've brought to you all week long on Palace Intrigue, and if you want the full versions of these stories, please go back and check out the daily editions. So this week in Royal family news, Meghan's Sinking podcast was at a stunningly low number one hundred and seventy two on the Apple Podcast charts. When we last checked a podcast industry inside, I told Palace Intrigue, this is what I've been telling you.

0:45 It was propped up by Apple promotions in the big promotions box, and now it's not. But this big podcasting story isn't even Meghan's own podcast. It was Meghan's appearing on someone else's podcast. The Dutchess made her podcast guest debut in the most casual of fashions, literally clad in black sweats, sneakers, and no makeup, Meghan Michael joined the Jamie kern Leema Show for an episode. The setting was as intimate as the tone, with the two women chatting from matching rocking chairs in Jamie's home. An environment, the host called one of her favorite spots where she and Meghan have shared countless moments. In California's sun drenched enclave of Montecito. The knives are reportedly out for the Duchess of Sussex, as local society figures have given Megan a rather barbed new nickname. According to male columnist Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, some have taken to calling her Pumpkin Spice, and more pointedly, Walmart, accusing the Duchess of selling out after a flurry of media and lifestyle adventures. One well placed Montecito resident reportedly remarked, she had this incredible opportunity to be the first black woman to marry into the royal family and make her mark as a shee ca and charming revolutionary. She's so obsessed with bees, why couldn't she stay in the family and make honey with King Charles? He loves that stuff.

2:02 Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown observed that Meghan appears to be aiming for a sort of instant Beyonce or instant Michelle Obama, but doesn't want to put in the years to build the foundation those women have. Gwyneth Paltrow has firmly shut down any suggestion of a feud with Megan, making her views on the matter abundantly clear. Appearing on the terribly titled The World's First Podcast with Erin and Sarah Foster Portrow addressed persistent rumors, stating bluntly, you know what, I won't be at this point in my life. I won't be a pawn in some drummed up triangulation of women feuding for your effing clickbait. Leave us out of it. Don't do that. I will not stand for that. I wish Megan nothing but the best, like it's so great what she's doing. I'm proud of her. Every woman deserves to go into anything they want to do. I was raised to see other women as friends and not foes.

2:51 I think there's always more than enough to go around. Everybody deserves an attempt at everything that they want to try. Another woman is never your competition. A former friend of Megan's, British socialite Lizzie Cundy, who had previously claimed she was dropped by Meghan shortly after the then actress began dating Prince Harry, offered her withering assessment during an appearance at the Diva Awards in London. She told Mail Online she's desperate to be liked, desperate to be powerful, and desperate to trump the Royals with anything she does. Sadly, for her, you can't buy a likability and she's lacking in that by the bucket load. Cundy also criticized Harry, saying he looks deeply unhappy. I think he is missing his family and obviously worried about his father's health. Prince Harry is reportedly petrified both of losing Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and of the Duchess herself, according to royal experts. Speaking on this week's episode of the Sun's Royal Exclusive, Royal editor Matt Wilkinson was joined by news dot com dot AU's royal reporter Bronte Coy and Royal biographer Hugo Vickers, who offered candid assessments of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relationship.

3:55 Vickers started with Meghan's cooking show, saying there are other people who are better at telling you these things. There are other people who were better doing cookery programs. I mean they're sort of latching onto things while she in particular, it's just hard to see where it's going. Turning to Prince Harry, Vickers remarked, I hate to say it, but my feeling at the end of the day is that Prince Harry is petrified of her and petrified of losing her. He's been complicit in a lot of things that have gone on, although I think he's been made to do many things. You can catch more of that story on Friday's show. In a rather surprising revelation, it has emerged that just prior to meeting Megan Markle in the summer of twenty sixteen, Harry was nearly set up with none other than Courtney Kardashian. Comedian Catherine Ryan, speaking to Hello, recounted that she once attempted to play matchmaker at a party in London attended by Prince Harry's cousin, Princess Beatrice.

4:45 I walked in and saw Courtney Kardashian with Princess Beatrice, Ryan said, I went straight over to her because I knew who she was. I'm so invested in the Kardashians and their reality show. At the time, Courtney was in an on again, off again relationship with Scott Dissick, the father of her three eldest children, Mason, Penelope and reign. Meanwhile, Prince Harry's previous relationships with Chelsea Davy and Kressida Bonis had concluded by twenty fourteen. It remains unclear whether Prince Harry and Courtney ever met or even spoke. A Kardashian also seems like an odd choice for someone whose life mission seems to be taking on the paparazzi. William is being credited with a subtle diplomatic move that paved the way for the meeting between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky during the funeral of Pope Francis. Just moments before the impromptu talks, Trump and Zelensky had been pictured alongside Prime Minister Sir Kiekstana and French President Emmanuel Macron.

5:41 It is reported that Prince William, upon seeing the gathering, respectfully peeled away to allow the leader's space for conversation, a gesture described by the telegraphers William having read the room with notable diplomatic skill. One assumes that had William not chosen that moment to shape world events, the war in Ukraine would continue for a no year. During the service Prince William, dressed in the dark suit which was totally not blue, sat in the third row in the section reserved for world leaders. A friend of William and Kate told the Daily Mails Rebecca English, William flies off the handle at any sign of Catherine being patronized and stamps that out very quickly. It's one of his triggers. Over the years. Many people have come up with great ideas for her, but if they are put across in a dismissive way, they've got pretty short shrift from him.

6:28 English rites. He particularly appreciates the way she has created a happiness and stability for their family that he didn't always experience growing up. All the Meghan news managed to distract the tabloids from focusing on how awesome Kate and William are as they celebrated their fourteenth when anniversary in the Tranquil Beauty of Scotland's in a Hebrides, spending two days on the Isle of Mull in what was described as both a working visit and a personal milestone. William and Catherine, known in Scotland by their titles that you Can Duchess of Rothsay, are undertaking a series of engagements tied to their royal film, with a particular focus on supporting community led initiatives and the island's tourism sector. Notably, the couple chose to stay in a self catering cottage on mull for their anniversary night, a move said to reflect both their desire to support local businesses and their ongoing preference for a more grounded, family oriented approach to royal life. More Palace Weekly in just a moment, the royal family has been thrust into a fresh crisis following the tragic death of Virginia Geoffrey, the woman who famously accused the Duke of York of sexual assault. According to Radar Online, Charles William senior palace aides and legal advisers attended the urgent talks. Prince Andrew, however, was pointedly excluded.

7:43 They didn't want Andrew anywhere near it. A source revealed, is seen as toxic. They know involving him would make everything worse. Reports suggest that Prince William is urging for a compassionate public response, while King Charles is understood to be primarily concerned with protecting the monarchy's long term reputation. An insider explained William thinks they need to show humanity. Charles just wants it to disappear. King Charles may be facing yet another unwelcome distraction as fresh revelations surrounding Prince Andrew's business dealings have come to light, this time involving a controversial millionaire at the center of a major PPE scandal. The BBC has reported that pitch at Palace Global, Prince Andrew's for profit business initiative, was for two years administered by knox House Trustees, a company linked to businessman Doug Barreman.

8:29 Mister Barreman, along with his wife, Baroness Michelle Mohan, is already under investigation by the National Crime Agency over suspected criminal activity involving PPE contracts awarded during the pandemic. Both deny any wrongdoing. The development could hardly come at a worse time for the King, as the royal author Andrew Lowney, currently writing a biography of the Duke, was forthright in his assessment Andrew has a long history of associating with dubious business figures and disguising his business activities behind dominie and offshore accounts. There really needs to be a full investigation into the Duke's financial activities. Last week, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, joined her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Prince Eugenie for a meaningful outing highlighting a cause close to their hearts. The three royal mothers, each a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, visited University College London Hospital to promote the charities hashtag and young People campaign, shining a spotlight on the experiences of young people with cancer.

9:28 The trio spent time at the T twelve Unit, a dedicated space for teenagers and young adults which Sarah Ferguson herself opened in two thousand and five and which this year marks its twentieth and averse read it was an especially poignant visit for the Duchess, who has faced her own health battles in recent years, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in twenty twenty three and malignant melanoma early last year. Reflecting on her visit to her unit since her diagnosis, she said, meeting in people with cancer is always an incredibly moving experience. It's incredibly important to me to try to amplify the voices and experiences of people with cancer who received less attention, whose voices are not listened to and who cannot be overlooked. Buckingham Palace has announced that their Majesties, the King and Queen will appear on the iconic balcony alongside members of the royal family on May the fifth, as part of events marking the eightieth anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the momentous occasion which brought an end to the Second World War on the continent. The royals will be joined by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and veterans of the conflict to observe a military procession and a flypast over them, all launching four days of commemorative events across the UK. It will be the first gathering on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony since June of twenty twenty four, when the King and Queen were accompanied by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis during trooping the Colour the annual birthday celebration of the Sovereign.

10:50 Annabel Elliot, the younger sister of Queen Camilla, has revealed she finds it impossible to Curtsey to her elder sibling. Despite Camilla's two decades of royal service in her current role as Queen Consort, the tradition of curtseying to the monarch remains an enduring symbol of respect, though bucking In Palace notes there is no obligation to do so for women. The custom involves a small curtsy, for men a simple nod of the head. Though the practice has it relaxed over the years, many still choose to observe it. Miss Elliott, however, says she cannot bring herself to curtsey to her sister. I think she's transitioned beautifully, actually, she said. I mean sometimes look at her and I can't really believe it, and they have it. If you need to email us our addresses The Palace Intrigue at a gmail dot com.

11:31 Please followus on Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice, and please check out our new show White Smoke, The Path to a New Pope. It's a new series from everyone here at Callaruga Shark Media, dealing with the hundreds of years and generations of popes and how they were elected, all the way up to what is happening today with daily episodes every day from what's going on in the Vatican check it out, White Smoke, The Path to a New Pope, available wherever you get your podcasts. France has Me thanks to John McDermott, This is Pallas Weekly and Good Times m