June 19, 2026
Prince William's Birthday, Meghan Markle's $100,000 Instagram Jewelry and a Royal Family Succession Problem
As Prince William gets ready to celebrate his birthday, royal commentators examine his relationship with Prince Harry and the future of the monarchy. We look at Meghan Markle's latest As Ever controversy, her appearance wearing more than $100,000 in jewelry including Princess Diana's famous Cartier watch, and reports that Princess Catherine has formed an important new friendship within the Royal Family. Plus, Japan's imperial succession crisis offers lessons for monarchies around the world, King Charles launches a new product line inspired by Princess Charlotte, and an unexpected royal protocol mishap leaves the King laughing.
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.
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Ah Calorogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. Meghan Michael found herself
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facing criticism online after sending a Father's Day themed message
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to customers of her as Ever brand. In a newsletter
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titled Say Thanks to Dad, the Duchess of Sussex suggested
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a breakfast and bad idea featuring croissants, strawberry spread, fresh fruit,
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coffee and herbal tea. Meghan wrote, whether you need a
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simple way to say thank you to Dad, or simply
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want to create a comforting morning moment, breakfast in bed
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is the perfect treat. Gather your favorite morning baked goods.
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We love a buttery, flaky croissant and served with a
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dab of salted butter and a swipe of our strawberry
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spread at a slice of favorite fresh fruit and a
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poor of steaming cup of coffee or herbal lemon ginger
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TEA breakfast served beside with a warm smile and a
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loving huggers simple way to remind those we love how
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special they are. One social media user wrote, this is
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the worst idea for a Father's Day promotion, but it's
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Meghan Markles as ever, so it's part for the course
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this weeks and screams woman not man. Another added my
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husband's idea of Father's Day breakfast scrambled eggs, bacon, hash
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Brown's home fries and pancakes, not croissants and fake jam.
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The Duchess marked Father's Day last year by sharing a
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video featuring Prince Harry where the Prince ar she and
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Princess lildit this Sunday is not only Father's Day, but
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Prince William's birthday. We'll let you know if Kate serves
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breakfast in bed and or Meghan, which is William a
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happy birthday? Megan wore more than one hundred thousand dollars
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in a new social media video. The Duchess of Sussex
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appeared in an Instagram reel filmed in a garden setting,
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and she introduced a selection of wines for summer entertaining.
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Wearing a white outfit paired with a cream blazer. Meghan
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completed the look with several high profile jewelry pieces, including
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Princess Diana's Cartier tanks Watch, a gift from Prince Harry.
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According to reports, the collections who included a Cartier just
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include necklace valued at approximately eighteen thousand, seven hundred, a
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Cartier Love bracelet worth around eight thousand dollars, a Jennifer
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Meyer Tennis brace that valued it roughly six thousand, and
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a custom Lorrange Schwartz diamond pinky ring reportedly worth seventy thousand.
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Royal commentator Dan Wakeford has suggested that one of Prince
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Harry's deepest disappointments may be watching Prince William thrive without him.
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Wakeford told the royalists, remember William and Harry were supposed
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to do this together, with the Fab Foursome splitting this
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work and the pressure the so called Fab four era.
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So William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan working together on a
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number of royal initiatives, particularly around mental health awareness, before
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the Sussexes stepped back from royal duties in twenty twenty.
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Wakeford added, I think he just desperately wanted and wants
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William to need him, and William is thriving so he
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doesn't need Harry, and that hurts him. I think Harry
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sees William blossoming and he secretly hoped he wouldn't. It's
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not malice, it's just where Harry's head is at. Kate
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is said to have found a new friendship within the
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royal family following the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Spurling.
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According to reports, the Princess of Wales has grown close
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to Harriet. Ass told The International Business Times, Kate's delighted
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to have Harriet in the family. They click naturally, There's
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no awkwardness. They genuinely enjoy each other's company. Kate and
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Harriet have found each other at exactly the right time,
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and everyone around them can see how valuable that relationship
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could become. Kate has never really had a female ally
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inside the family who shares her outlook on life. Harriet
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changes that. They have the same understated quality. Neither feels
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the need to dominate a room. Kate sees somebody who
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has worked hard, faced challenges and remained incredibly grounded. Perhaps
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a solution to Williams impending numbers problem of there not
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being enough working royals could come from Japan. Japan's Imperial
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family is facing a problem that many monarchies were envy.
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Not scandal, not public opposition, but simple mathematics. There are
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not enough royals. Sounds familiar. The world's oldest continuing monarchy
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has been steadily shrinking for decades, and lawmakers are now
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moving forward with a plan designed to prevent a future
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succession crisis. The proposal would allow Japan's Imperial family to
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adopt distant male relatives from branches of the royal family
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that lost their status after World War Two. Supporters believe
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the move would help replenish the family's ranks and preserve
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the male only line of succession that has defined the
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Chrysanthemum throne for centuries. The issue has become increasingly urgent.
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Japan's Imperial family now numbers just sixteen members, down significantly
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from previous generations. Of those sixteen, only five her men,
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and there are currently only three recognized heirs to the throne.
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Emperor Narahito, who is sixty six, has one child, Princess Aiko,
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now twenty four years old. Despite her popularity with the
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Japanese public and her growing prof file on official engagements,
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current succession laws prevent her from becoming emperor. Under existing rules,
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the line of succession passes only through male descendants. That
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leaves just three heirs. The Emperor's ninety year old uncle,
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Prince Atachi, his younger brother, Crown Prince Akashino, and Akashino's
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nineteen year old son, Prince Hisahito. The proposed solution would
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reach back into history. Following Japan's defeat in World War Two,
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American occupation authorities dramatically reduce the size and influence of
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the imperial family. Eleven branches of the royal family lost
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their status and became ordinary citizens. Under the new proposal,
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male descendants from those former branches could be brought back
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into the imperial family. Supporters argue that doing so would
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strengthen the institution and provide future generations of potential heirs. Critics, however,
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so Japan is avoiding the more obvious solution. Poles have
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consistently shown strong public support for allowing a woman to
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ascend the throne, and many observers point directly to Princess
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Aiko as evidence that the country already has a capable
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future monarch waiting in the wings more Palace in just
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a moment, King Charles is preparing to launch a new
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range of products inspired by one of his youngest royal fans,
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his granddaughter, Princess Charlotte. According to reports, the collection will
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be sold through the Buckingham Palace Guarden Shop and will
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feature a series of plush items inspired by traditional afternoon
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tea favorites. The range, known as the Tea at the
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Palace Collection, is expected to include a cucumber sandwich and
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a Victorious sponge, with sales beginning later this summer. The
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items will also be available through the Royal Collection Trust website.
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The idea is said to have been inspired by Princess
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Charlotte's fondness for jellycat toys. If you ever find yourself
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invited to dine with King Charles's, former royal staff say
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there are two mistakes you should avoid at all costs.
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According to former royal butler Julius Smith, the rules are
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actually quite simple. The worst thing you can do is
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take the last biscuit without offering, and don't take picureatures
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of the food. Just enjoy it, he said. One royal
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source told Radar Online Charles was always believed dining should
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be a shared experience. The emphasis is on hospitality, discussion
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and enjoying the company around the table, not treating the
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occasion like a social media opportunity. King Charles had spent
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most of his life being called many things. Prince of Wales,
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your Royal Highness, and now, of course your Majesty. But
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during the visit to Grimsby last week he appeared perfectly
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happy to answer to something rather less formal. The King
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was in Lincolnshire meeting local organizations and community groups when
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an unexpected moment during a walk about to a laugh
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from the monarch. Francine Or, who works at Grimsby Town
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Football Club, had been carefully briefed on royal protocol before
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meeting the King. Like everyone else, She had been told
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how to greet him properly and what form of address
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to use. Then the moment arrived, According to Orr, when
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she shook the King's hand, nerves took over all right, darling,
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she said, before immediately realizing her mistake and adding, oh no,
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I'm sorry, your Majesty. Rather than being offended, Charles reportedly
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burst out laughing. I like being called darling, King replied.
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While Royal protocol traditionally calls for the monarch to be
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addressed as your Majesty when speaking to him and his
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majesty in writing, Charles is often shown willingness to take
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such moments and stride the habit. Hey, all this month,
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we're encouraging listeners of Palace Intrigue, that is you, please
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help spread the word. If you enjoy the show, tell
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a friend about it. So better yet, just share an
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episode with someone who loves following the royal family. And
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don't forget to hit follow on Palace Intrigue on Spotify
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or Apple. Turn on notifications and you'll never miss an episode.
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And we'd love to hear your thoughts on today's stories.
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You can leave comments for us on Spotify and My
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Francis My Thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue
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and good times
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00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:04.360
138
00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:07.680
139
00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:10.000
140
00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:13.040
141
00:08:13.079 --> 00:08:16.519
142
00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:19.519
143
00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:21.600
144
00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:23.199
145
00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.319
146
00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:30.600
147
00:08:30.759 --> 00:08:34.840
148
00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:36.879
149
00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:40.320
150
00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:43.240
151
00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:44.279
