June 20, 2026
Why Everyone Loves Kate Middleton - Jill Biden, Princess Catherine's Secret Strength and the Future Queen
Former First Lady Jill Biden offers a revealing perspective on Princess Catherine, describing the future Queen as grounded, approachable and instantly likable. We explore why Catherine continues to enjoy extraordinary public support, how she became one of the monarchy's greatest assets, and why some commentators believe she now holds enormous influence within the Royal Family. Plus, Kate's favorite comfort foods, Princess Anne's remarkable Apollo-era brooch, and another edition of our weekly "Kate is Wonderful" roundup.
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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Calorouga, Shark Media at Lo and Welcome through Palace Intrigue.
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I am your host, Mark Francis. Often on Saturday we
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like to take a look at all the Kate Is
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Wonderful articles that regularly pop up in the media for
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First Lady Jill Biden as a big fan. In an
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excerpt from a View from the East Wing, Jill reflected
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on meeting Catherine during a joint engagement in Cornwall in
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twenty twenty one, when she accompanied then President Joe Biden
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to the UK for the g seventh Summit. The two
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women visited a primary school together and bonded over their
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shared interest in early childhood education. Writing about the Future,
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Queen Jill said, at every event we had been together,
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Kate and William were friendly. When Princess Kate and I
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coued over rabbits at a primary school in West Cornwall,
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I found her instantly likable, very unassuming. She made me
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feel at ease. She seemed so grounded. Jill also revealed
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that she encouraged Catherine to keep a personal journal as
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a way of documenting her experiences and expressing her thoughts privately.
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She recalled I encouraged her to keep a journal about
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her experiences. She said, you'd like to draw and paint,
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but I said, you can never have too many ways
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to privately express your feelings. The friendship developed around a
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cause both women have championed publicly, the importance of the
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early years of childhood development. Following their Cornwall meeting, Catherine
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and Jill collaborated on a joint article highlighting the long
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term impact of early childhood experiences. They wrote, we both
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believe that part of this vision for a stronger future
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must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach
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the earliest years of life. If we care about how
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children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers
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when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and
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physical health, then we have to care about how we
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are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the
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early years before school. The two of us believe that
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early childhood care and education should be seen as among
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the defining strategic issues of our time. Jill's memoir also
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notes that Catherine is not the only member of the
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royal family with whom she has developed a relationship. Former
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First Lady has worked closely with Prince Harry on initiatives
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supporting wounded service personnel, including the Department of Defense Warrior Games,
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and first met him during a visit to Washington in
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twenty thirteen. However, it is Jill's description of Catherine as
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very unassuming, grounded, and someone who immediately put others at
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ease that is likely to attract the most attention from
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royal watchers. Alicia Liberty, writing for The Express, tells us
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Princess Catherine now holds the power within the monarchy, and
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that is precisely why there is no realistic route back
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for Prince Harry and Megan Markle. While King Charles may
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still love his son and Prince William may eventually learn
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to tolerate him from a careful distance, Catherine is the
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one person Harry truly lost in all of this. She
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no longer needs to say a word for the message
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to land loud and clear. Once upon a time, we
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genuinely believed the so called Fab four were going to
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modernize the monarchy forever. On paper, it should have worked brilliantly.
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Prince William was the future king, navigating and changing Britain
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while balancing duty, fatherhood and unimaginable public pressure. Catherine was
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the commoner who quietly became the monarchy's greatest asset, a
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university graduate who endured years of brutal public scrutiny, battled
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relentless media intrusion, became a hands on mother, and still
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somehow manages to look composed while holding together the future
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of the Crown. People see themselves in Catherine. She champions
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early years, development, mental health, and children's well being, causes
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that actually matter beyond Instagram figures and lifestyle branding exercises.
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Then there was Harry the spare as he so famously
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branded himself, the cheeky Prince, the veteran, the royal rebel
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people rooted for because underneath all the privilege there always
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seemed to be a genuine vulnerability there too. And Megan.
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Initially she felt like fresh air blowing through palace corridors,
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a successful mixed race American actress, bringing new into one
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of Britain's oldest institutions. But then it all came crashing
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down because while Meghan and Harry spent years insisting the
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monarchy needed them to survive, something fascinating happened after they left.
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The monarchy carried on perfectly well without them, in fact
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arguably better. And the little reason for that is Catherine.
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Princess Catherine is no longer just William's wife anymore. She
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is the monarchy's secret weapon. The modern day people's princess
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comparison gets thrown around constantly for a reason, whether Kensington
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Palace likes it or not. Catherine occupies emotional territory once
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held by Princess Diana herself. The public adore her, women
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trust her parents relate to her, the institution feels safer
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with her standing beside William, and crucially, she understands something
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Harry and Meghan never seemed to grasp. Royal relevance is
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built slowly through consistency, not endless reinventions. In pr resets
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every six months, Catherine no longer trusts them, and when
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the future Queen no longer trusts you, the door quietly
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but firmly closes forever. Kate may spend much of her
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public life attending state banquets and formal royal engagements, but
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according to reports, her favorite mills at home are far
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more down to earth. The princess reportedly enjoys classic comfort
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food with her children, including cheesy pasta and the homemade
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pizza during a visit to Lavender Primary School in twenty nineteen.
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Matthew klan a Man, Chief executive of the Ivy Learning Trust,
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recalled Kate's speaking about cooking with Prince George, Princess Charlotte
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and Prince Louis. He said, she was telling us how
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much a children love cooking and how they cook for it.
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They make cheesy past it the other day. One stirs
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the flower, one puts in the milk and butter in,
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and they make salads and stuff. Kate has also previously
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spoken about making pizza dough from scratch with George and Charlotte.
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During a twenty eighteen visit to Saint Luke's Community Center,
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she said, I've done that with George and Charlotte, making
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pizza dough. They'd love it because they can get their
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hands messy. Royal commentator Emily Andrews also recently claimed Keat's
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preferred snacks during engagements are surprisingly relatable sayings of Wales
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is never without a can of diet coke or some
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hula hoops if she gets packish more palatin just a moment.
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Princess Anne has once again been seen wearing one of
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the most familiar pieces in her jewelry collection, a broach
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she has relied on for more than half a century.
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During her recent visit to Greece, the Princess Royal chose
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her gold ribbon brooch for a meeting with Greek President
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Konstantinos Tsulus at the Presidential Mansion in Athens. The Peace,
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designed as a loose gold nott and decorated with twelve diamonds,
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has become one of Anne's signature accessories over the years.
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Royal watchers may remember the same brooch appearing in one
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of Anne's official portraits released to Marco's seventieth birthday in
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twenty twenty, further reinforcing its status as a favorite within
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her personal collection. What makes the Peace particularly interesting is
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the unexpected royal connection tied to its earliest known public appearance.
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Princess Anne first wore the broach in nineteen sixty nine
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during a buckingha Us meeting with Apollo eight commander Colonel
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Frank Borman and his wife Susan. Colonel Borman had recently
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led the first manned mission to orbit the Moon and
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was visiting Britain as part of a good will tour
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across Europe. Photographs from the occasion show a young Princess
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Anne alongside Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Prince Edward greeting
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the American astronaut and his wife, and what appeared to
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be a relaxed family gathering inside Buckingham Palace in those images,
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and can be seen wearing the same gold ribbon brooch
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pinned to a nineteen sixties style swing dress. Unlike some
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royal brooches that are closely associated with particular countries or events,
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Anne's gold ribbon design has become something of an all
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purpose choice by comparison, pieces such as the maple leaf
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brooch are typically reserved for Canadian engagements and have famously
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been worn by Queen Elizabeth the Second, the Queen Mother
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and Kate during visits connected to Canada. And there you
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have it, Hey you all. This month, we're encouraging listeners
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of Palace Intrigued to help spread the word. If you
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enjoy the show, please tell a friend about us, or
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share an episode with one of your friends, and don't
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forget to follow on Spotify or Apple and turn on notifications,
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and we'd love to hear your thoughts. You can leave
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comments now on Spotify I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to
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John McDermott. This is Palace intrigue and good DM
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