Sept. 1, 2026

Prince William Reportedly Refused King Charles’s Peace Summit as Harry and Meghan Begin Their UK Return

Show Notes
Transcript

A new claim says King Charles wanted Prince William to join his July reconciliation meeting with Prince Harry at Highgrove, but William refused — despite reportedly being only twenty minutes away. Plus, Harry and Meghan spend their final California weekend with friends and family before returning to Britain, reports suggest billionaire Ian Wace may be helping with the move, the Sussexes are said to be avoiding any clash with Prince George’s first day at Eton, television insiders pour cold water on the idea that Meghan’s acting career explains the relocation, and one columnist asks the obvious question: why don’t the Duke and Duchess of Sussex actually move to Sussex?

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/palace-intrigue-harry-meghan-the-crown-royal-family-news-and-gossip--4522904/support.

Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.250 --> 00:00:12.419
Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host,

2
00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:16.899
Mark Francis. Gossip columnist Rob Shooter is claiming King Charles

3
00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:20.780
tried to bring William into his July reconciliation meeting with Harry,

4
00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:25.670
but William refused, despite reportedly being only about 20 minutes away.

5
00:00:26.390 --> 00:00:29.510
Shooter told the Nerve podcast... I was told the recent

6
00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:33.429
meeting at Highgrove, Charles desperately wanted William to come to that,

7
00:00:33.869 --> 00:00:37.320
and William said no. William said no. He did not go.

8
00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:41.119
The King, I'm told, from people close to William said, come,

9
00:00:41.179 --> 00:00:43.799
it will be a wonderful image, the three of us together,

10
00:00:43.859 --> 00:00:47.140
all making peace. And William said, no, it will be

11
00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:49.950
a lie, and he did not go. In fact, he

12
00:00:49.969 --> 00:00:52.390
was only about 20 minutes away. I looked at their schedules.

13
00:00:52.490 --> 00:00:54.030
He could have jumped in a car and been there

14
00:00:54.049 --> 00:00:57.960
in 20 minutes. They were both very close geographically that day,

15
00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:01.729
and William said no. William now is not just thinking

16
00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:05.250
about himself and personal feelings, and this isn't about vengeance

17
00:01:05.310 --> 00:01:08.890
or holding a grudge. He's thinking about the monarchy, and

18
00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:11.010
he knows that his dad was too weak to make

19
00:01:11.049 --> 00:01:14.879
any real changes. William knows that his son and his

20
00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:17.719
future grandson will be out of business if William doesn't

21
00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:22.280
set this ship straight now. He has two problems. He

22
00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:24.769
has his Uncle Andrew, and he has his brother. and

23
00:01:24.810 --> 00:01:28.129
he's not going to back down on either. And I

24
00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:30.750
think the world, Britain, will thank William for these really,

25
00:01:30.790 --> 00:01:36.069
really tough decisions. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's final weekend

26
00:01:36.109 --> 00:01:38.500
in California was apparently less of a farewell and more

27
00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:41.239
of a see you later. People reports that Harry and

28
00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:44.719
Meghan spent their last weekend before moving to Britain with

29
00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:48.719
close friends, their children's friends, and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland,

30
00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:51.829
a source tells People. They wanted to spend time with

31
00:01:51.870 --> 00:01:54.299
the people they're closest to before they left and for

32
00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:57.319
the kids to have some special time with friends. It

33
00:01:57.359 --> 00:02:00.400
wasn't a goodbye forever. It was much more. We'll be back,

34
00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:03.540
but this is what we're doing right now. They've been

35
00:02:03.579 --> 00:02:05.620
planning this for some time. They feel it's the right

36
00:02:05.659 --> 00:02:08.750
thing for their family, but that doesn't mean leaving was easy.

37
00:02:09.949 --> 00:02:12.710
Megan really loves their life in Montecito and their home there.

38
00:02:13.030 --> 00:02:14.770
They know it's going to take a little bit of

39
00:02:14.990 --> 00:02:18.400
time for everyone to settle in and adjust. There's excitement

40
00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:21.319
about what's ahead too, especially for the kids. They're really

41
00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:25.280
happy for them and everything they'll get to experience. She

42
00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:27.400
has been vocal about how she felt about it before,

43
00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:29.719
but that doesn't mean things are going to be exactly

44
00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:32.860
the same again. It doesn't mean it can't be different

45
00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:36.860
and can't change. For Harry, there is another dimension. A

46
00:02:37.060 --> 00:02:40.009
source says he wants the children to understand the world

47
00:02:40.069 --> 00:02:42.729
he grew up in and where their family comes from.

48
00:02:44.409 --> 00:02:46.409
A new report claims Harry and Meghan may be getting

49
00:02:46.430 --> 00:02:50.699
some very wealthy assistance as they establish themselves back in Britain.

50
00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:56.680
The Blast, citing multiple unnamed sources, reports that British hedge

51
00:02:56.759 --> 00:03:00.639
fund billionaire Ian Weiss is helping Harry and Meghan financially

52
00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:04.599
for their return to the UK. Weiss is a major

53
00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:08.159
figure in British finance. He is a founding partner of

54
00:03:08.419 --> 00:03:11.460
Marshall Weiss, the hedge fund firm established in 1997, and

55
00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:18.469
his fortune... has been estimated at more than a billion dollars. Harry, Meghan,

56
00:03:18.650 --> 00:03:22.669
Archie and Lilibet reportedly spent time this summer on Tenerra Moor,

57
00:03:22.810 --> 00:03:27.900
Wace's privately owned Scottish island. Wace bought the roughly 800-acre

58
00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:32.740
island in 2017 and subsequently undertook an extensive restoration of

59
00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:36.520
the property. Harry and Meghan are reportedly planning to keep

60
00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:39.780
a low profile when Prince George begins at Eton College,

61
00:03:39.979 --> 00:03:43.030
with one royal commentator saying, claiming the Sussexes have given

62
00:03:43.270 --> 00:03:45.909
King Charles assurances that they will not do anything to

63
00:03:45.969 --> 00:03:51.340
compete with the attention surrounding George's first day. Royal broadcaster

64
00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.680
Neil Sean told Fox News Digital the Sussexes have assured

65
00:03:55.740 --> 00:03:59.099
the King they will not hijack or derail major royal events,

66
00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:02.099
notably the first day of school term for Prince George

67
00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:05.639
at Eton. By that, no pictures or comment from either

68
00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:10.310
one on that day in September. Archwell declined to engage

69
00:04:10.349 --> 00:04:13.560
with the claim, telling Fox News Digital, this is not

70
00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:18.000
something we would comment on. Royal commentator Amanda Matter told

71
00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:21.279
Fox that George's move to Eton represents an important stage

72
00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.269
in his development as the future king. Prince George's start

73
00:04:25.329 --> 00:04:27.850
at Eton isn't just a personal milestone, it's the beginning

74
00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:30.990
of his public-facing path as heir to the throne. The

75
00:04:31.009 --> 00:04:35.129
palace is incredibly protective of that narrative. And any competing headline,

76
00:04:35.290 --> 00:04:38.430
especially one involving Harry and Meghan, threatens to distract from

77
00:04:38.449 --> 00:04:41.509
the steady, future-focused brand the Prince and Princess of Wales

78
00:04:41.550 --> 00:04:45.100
have worked so hard to build. It would certainly be

79
00:04:45.129 --> 00:04:46.839
a shame for his first days at Eton to see

80
00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.800
him embroiled in a feud narrative with his uncle and aunt.

81
00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:53.920
Palisades know better than anyone how quickly a delicate PR

82
00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:57.959
plan and media cycle can be dominated by a competing story.

83
00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:01.290
It's not necessarily even about the Sussexes' actions, but it's

84
00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:05.649
completely up to the editors running headlines. Megan stepping outside

85
00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:09.170
will generate headlines, even if it's just to buy groceries

86
00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:13.300
or ice cream with the kids. Sky News has been

87
00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:17.040
asking television industry insiders whether Megan's possible return to acting

88
00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:21.060
explains the Sussexes' sudden move back to Britain. Their answer

89
00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:25.019
is pretty emphatic. No. One producer who has worked with

90
00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:28.220
Netflix dismissed the idea that a television job could have

91
00:05:28.259 --> 00:05:31.350
prompted the family's move. You don't uproot your family for

92
00:05:31.449 --> 00:05:33.589
one role in a show. There's no chance the reason

93
00:05:33.610 --> 00:05:37.290
they're coming back is TV roles like The Gentleman. I

94
00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:41.129
think the producers have said, there's a part for two episodes.

95
00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:44.699
Let's look into that, but then decided, reverse, reverse, the

96
00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:47.339
publicity is terrible. I doubt the producers or Netflix are

97
00:05:47.379 --> 00:05:51.019
enjoying this kind of attention. Other executives told Sky that

98
00:05:51.079 --> 00:05:54.959
Megan would unquestionably bring attention to a production and potentially viewers.

99
00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:57.740
I don't think people would stop watching because she is

100
00:05:57.759 --> 00:05:59.680
in it. They have a fan base already and there

101
00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:02.680
is the possibility that Meghan could add some audience. You

102
00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:05.680
need actors who inhabit roles and are believable. How do

103
00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:07.769
you get over the fact that she's a duchess? I

104
00:06:07.790 --> 00:06:09.870
don't think Meghan would get a Project Greenlit just with

105
00:06:09.910 --> 00:06:12.769
her attached because despite her being quite famous, it's quite

106
00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:17.689
unknown and she is divisive. There are logistical considerations as well,

107
00:06:17.910 --> 00:06:20.370
particularly now that security has become a major issue for

108
00:06:20.389 --> 00:06:23.629
Harry and Meghan. Imagine the security we would need on set.

109
00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:27.019
One executive told Sky that finding the right project for

110
00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:31.230
an acting comeback would not necessarily be easy. It will

111
00:06:31.250 --> 00:06:33.350
be hard for Megan to find the right roles. She's

112
00:06:33.370 --> 00:06:36.069
had success and she's a good actress, but she's not

113
00:06:36.110 --> 00:06:39.569
Grace Kelly, who was a world-famous actress who became a princess.

114
00:06:40.889 --> 00:06:43.769
At the Edinburgh TV Festival, Amanda Levin, Netflix's head of

115
00:06:43.810 --> 00:06:47.389
scripted programming in the UK, was asked directly about reports

116
00:06:47.410 --> 00:06:50.750
that Megan could be joining the gentlemen. Levin did little

117
00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:54.699
to shut down the speculation. All bets are off. She replied.

118
00:06:55.579 --> 00:07:02.319
More Palace in just a moment. In the Telegraph, Sophia

119
00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:05.939
Money Coots asks, why don't the Sussexes move to Sussex?

120
00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:08.399
She observes, it's not a great time of year to

121
00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:10.560
move to the UK, if you ask me. Yes, yes,

122
00:07:10.579 --> 00:07:12.600
they need to come back for schools. But if you've

123
00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:14.439
spent the past six years living in a climate where

124
00:07:14.459 --> 00:07:19.060
the average December temperature hovers around 18 degrees Celsius, why

125
00:07:19.100 --> 00:07:20.939
would you scurry to Britain just in time for one

126
00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:23.649
of our winters? What about surprising us all over again

127
00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.240
by choosing somewhere less talked about? A house on the

128
00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.500
Althorpe Estate has been suggested, given the couple's friendship with

129
00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:31.899
Earl Spencer, but seems to have been ruled out almost

130
00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:36.399
as quickly as Megan's mooted role in The Gentleman. Norfolk's lovely,

131
00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:39.579
sensational beaches, good shellfish, a splendid number of churches, very

132
00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:41.579
good shooting and, oh, no, hang on, can't go there,

133
00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:45.620
Norfolk's Kate and William's Patch and Uncle Andrew's. Or how

134
00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:48.220
about this for a radical idea, given the title, Sussex?

135
00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:50.579
Someone in West Sussex has been doing a bit of

136
00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:53.300
a PR job on the county recently, declaring it to

137
00:07:53.339 --> 00:07:56.300
be the new Cotswolds. The sandy seaside strip of West

138
00:07:56.379 --> 00:07:59.779
Wittering has become deeply fashionable for bucket and spading, and

139
00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:02.779
an outpost of The Pig opened there in 2021, and

140
00:08:02.819 --> 00:08:06.490
there's a she-she new pub called The Swan. As it happens,

141
00:08:06.550 --> 00:08:08.829
a house has already recently come up for sale there,

142
00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:11.370
which might be perfect because it already has a royal pedigree.

143
00:08:11.970 --> 00:08:14.649
It's called Old House and just south of Crawley, but

144
00:08:14.689 --> 00:08:17.819
don't let that put you off. It's sensationally pretty. a

145
00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:21.600
very typical Sussex brick house given to Anthony Armstrong Jones,

146
00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.959
subsequently the Earl of Snowdon by his uncle, the stage

147
00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:29.139
designer Oliver Messel in 1958, not long before he married

148
00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:31.939
Princess Margaret. By all accounts, it was a bit of

149
00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.720
a wreck when Snowdon took over. The bath was outside

150
00:08:34.759 --> 00:08:36.759
and had to be filled by hand, but he set

151
00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:39.850
about transforming it into a comfortable country house suitable for

152
00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:43.429
raucous parties. He added a zip wire and encouraged his

153
00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:46.370
guests to use it paper the walls of an entire

154
00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:50.289
bathroom with scandalous newspaper articles, family photos and pages ripped

155
00:08:50.309 --> 00:08:53.830
from the visitor's book, the late queen's signature just visible

156
00:08:53.870 --> 00:08:58.009
in one. There are six bedrooms, flagstone flooring, beamed ceilings,

157
00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:01.279
a magnificent garden and a lake. The stepping stones to

158
00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:03.159
this lake were officially opened at some point in the

159
00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:06.059
1960s by the late queen mother, who cut the ribbon

160
00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:08.799
using a pair of garden shears in a ceremony presided

161
00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:10.990
over by the bishop of Horsham in a bowler hat.

162
00:09:11.830 --> 00:09:13.690
It's ten minutes or so to Gatwick and a snip

163
00:09:13.710 --> 00:09:17.360
at 3.95 million pounds. I've heard talk that Meghan wants

164
00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:20.519
to record another lifestyle television series, but the British as

165
00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:24.019
opposed to Californian version. If true, this could be just

166
00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:26.519
the place. The Duchess of Sussex at home in Sussex,

167
00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:30.570
making jam and daisy chains. The sales particulars describe it

168
00:09:30.590 --> 00:09:35.409
as a place of Marie Antoinette-like make-believe, which sounds rather fitting,

169
00:09:35.769 --> 00:09:38.379
doesn't it? And there you have it. If you'd like

170
00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:41.620
to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com. If

171
00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.379
you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple,

172
00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:46.519
hit that button up there that says listen uninterrupted and

173
00:09:46.539 --> 00:09:49.190
get the show commercial free for just five bucks a month.

174
00:09:49.409 --> 00:09:52.029
We appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to

175
00:09:52.110 --> 00:09:55.169
John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Prince William Reportedly Refused King Charles’s Peace Summit as Harry and Meghan Begin Their UK Return

Listen On

Recent Episodes