Prince Harry Branded a ‘Jerk’ as Meghan Markle Faces a New Kate Middleton Problem

0:03 Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Beach boy Bruce Johnston called Harry a jerk. Speaking to The Sun, Johnston said, Johnston, known for his work with the Beach Boys, said he was surprised by the couple's departure. but his remark made clear that he does not actually know what prompted it. But no one really knows why they left, apart from Oprah. They were at her home all the time. I live opposite Oprah, too.

0:43 Lady Amelia Windsor is preparing to marry property developer Ollie Lewis next year, and according to The Sun, William and Catherine are on the guest list while the Sussexes have been left off. An unnamed source told the newspaper that Amelia has curated her guest list for her big day at news of Harry and Meghan's arrival in the UK came after she had drafted her list. The source added that she isn't close to the couple, suggesting the decision may have more to do with her own relationships than the dispute between the brothers. Amelia, a model and environmentalist, is the daughter of George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews, and Sylvana Thomas Sally. The report also says she was not invited to Harry and Meghan's wedding at Windsor Castle.

1:24 There is no indication, however, that her own guest list is intended as payback. Some British fashion brands are reportedly reconsidering whether to send products to Meghan, featuring they could jeopardise their relationship with Kate. Writing in the Daily Express, Emily Ferguson quotes an unnamed industry insider describing a discussion inside one company. We've had to have a meeting about it, the source said. We were about to send some products to her team, and when someone asked, is it worth it as we currently have Kate and other royals wearing our brand? The company apparently decided against sending them. The princess is our priority and we've decided to continue supporting her. We don't want to risk losing her so Megan won't be getting anything from us. In the news.com.au, Daniela Elsa takes a look at the future, specifically Christmas, writing, While the actual day itself is an invite-only Sandringham affair with enough roast goose to cause immediate gout, the lead-up involves Kate's carol concert where she generally invites the whole royal family, working or not, Leaving Harry and Meghan off the guest list is one thing, but Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet?

2:32 To do so would make her look worse than if she was sporting a Dalmatian fur coat. And then we get to the Diana part of this. As if Kate does not have enough on her 2027 plate, next year will be the 30th anniversary of the late Princess of Wales' death, which could see the brothers do further battle. Even leaving aside the wounds and trauma of it all for William, the race will be on between him and Harry to snag the title of Diana's true heir and to own the moment. Megan's As Ever website saw a sharp rise in traffic after news broke of the Sussexes' return to Britain, giving the business its busiest month since March. Newsweek's analysis of similar web estimates puts August traffic at around 183,000 visits, up from roughly 127,000 in July, an increase of about 44% following several months of mostly declining activity.

3:22 The timing is striking. On August 18th, the day before the relocation story broke, the site recorded just over 3,000 visits. On August 19th, that more than doubled to around 6,600, and traffic reached approximately 16,000 on August 22nd. For the remainder of the month, daily visits stayed above the average recorded before the news emerged. Harry and Meghan still have television projects in development, but one public relations executive believes their reported move back to Britain will make it harder to build a future in Hollywood. Eric Schiffer, chair of reputation management consultants, delivered a scathing assessment to Newsweek. This is the kiss of death to stardom in America for both of them. They got beaten like a rented mule during this process. Among the projects still in the pipeline are adaptations of Carly Fortune's novel Meet Me at the Lake and Major Adam Jowett's Afghanistan War Memoir No Way Out.

4:18 Those productions would give the Sussexes an opportunity to establish themselves through stories and other people after so much attention on their own. Schiffer argues that the damage began before the move. This was cemented with their retreat back to Britain. They became, in part, the enemy of the people through self-inflicted wounds. There was devastating incompetence in navigating their own march to stardom in the US, and the death rattle really began with Harry's book. That was the inflection point. the consistent whininess and this lack of accountability for their own actions. Where they were going to do a great job is when they were advocates for causes that young people care about, but it kept veering back to their victimization and their avarice to cash in big to the point where it was clear what their real goals were.

5:03 Now they've returned to Britain in shame as outcasts and pariahs to the citizens of Great Britain. She may try to go back to acting, but the chance of stardom in the US is dead. There may be a B-list acting career, but there's going to be tremendous friction, and largely because most people don't care. Their strength was in giving back, and I think they were the happiest when they did that. Maybe they'll find their way back to that, because that's where they can really do good and find deeper meaning. More palace in just a moment. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could lose another of his remaining honours after the City of London Corporation approved a new legal process allowing palaces it to remove the freedom of the City of London.

5:47 Andrew has held the freedom since 2012 when he inherited it by patrimony as the son of Prince Philip, who was also a freeman. Earlier this year, the City of London Corporation publicly criticised Andrew for failing to surrender the honour voluntarily after being asked to do so. Until now, the problem was that a legal review found there was no effective lawful mechanism for taking the freedom away from someone who refused to give it up. That has now changed. Elected members have approved an Act of Common Council, establishing a formal process for removing the honour. Each case will be considered individually, and the person involved must be notified and given an opportunity to submit written representations before a final decision. The process is now being applied to Andrew, with a final decision expected to return to the court in December. City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said, Today we have approved a lawful and effective process for considering whether the freedom of the City of London should be removed from an individual. This ensures that future decisions are taken fairly, transparently and in accordance with the law, with appropriate safeguards in place for all parties involved. The process will now be followed as a matter of urgency to ensure that a decision is made in relation to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's freedom. Former Buckingham Palace Press Secretary Dickie Arbiter has shared a story about standing up to Andrew during a garden party at Buckingham Palace. Arbiter, who worked as Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, said the confrontation happened during a Lambeth conference when around 100 Anglican clergy

7:22 were attending the palace garden party. According to Arbiter, Andrew telephoned him with an idea for arranging a photograph of the Queen surrounded by the clergy. He phoned me up one day during a garden party at Buckingham Palace and said, get some chairs out because I've got a good idea for a photograph. There were about 100 priests in their crimson frocks at the garden party, and he thought he would make a good picture of the queen with all the clergy around her. I just said, no, it's not your garden party. And he slammed the phone down on me. So I picked up the phone, called him back and said, don't you ever slam the phone down on me again. And I slammed the phone down on him. Arbiter said colleagues were shocked that he had spoken to Andrew that way with one warning that he could lose his job. I said, No, he won't tell anybody. And he didn't.

8:03 Cowards and bullies don't cry at a mummy. They've all got tempers. There's the famous Windsor temper. There's no such thing as William having a temper and Harry not. They've all got tempers. I've seen Prince Philip lose it. I saw the Queen lose it. I saw Princess Margaret lose it. I've seen Charles lose it. Oh yes, they've all got tempers. But Arbiter said those explosions generally ended almost as quickly as they began. You let off steam. They go at it, but they're done within five seconds. 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 five bucks a month. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.