Why is the media bringing up Succession and Abdication all of a sudden?

0:03 Callaroga Shark Media. Hi, and welcome through Pallace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Prince Harry has spoken publicly for the first time about the success of Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, launched under the label as Ever, which sold out its debut product line in under an hour. In an exclusive interview with People magazine, the Duke of Sussex said, I am so happy for my wife and fully support absolutely everything she's done and continues to do. I'm incredibly proud.

0:43 The remarks come as Meghan's business ventures continued to expand, including her Netflix series With Love Meghan, which premiered in March, and a new podcast entitled Confessions of a Female Founder. Harry is acutely aware of the parallels between Meghan's current situation and that of his late mother, Diana, says at Wales It echoes the painful history of his childhood, writes People. Diana lost her royal protection following her divorce and died in a Paris car crash while being chased by paparazzi. Harry, it has said, is determined that history not repeat itself. Harry's once close relationship with his father has grown so strained that the Duke of Sussex was reportedly unaware of the King's most recent hospital stay, learning of it only through news coverage. Despite both men being in the United Kingdom at the same time. Last week, the father and son did not meet. It is now said that they have not seen one another in person for over a year, and since the King revealed his cancer diagnosis, the gulf between them has only widened. Friends close to Harry have told People magazine that his attempts to contact his Majesty, including calls and letters, have gone and answered. Charles has been unavailable during Harry's last three visits to the UK, one source told the magazine. Another palace insider was blunt, stating, I don't think there is any reproachment. A second added simply, they are distant. To be fair to Charles, he wasn't so much unavailable last week as he was in Italy for a long planned, well announced trip. Curiously, Harper's Bizarre went with the story about succession planning. Royal author Tom Quinn tells half as bizarre. The people I've spoken to

2:15 have said that the succession planning, as they call it began even before charles diagnosis. I mean, he's the oldest to Prince of Wales to become king in history. So succession planning had begun before Charles came to the throne, simply because of the age issue. Officials and the aides, people who work very closely with William and Kate and Charles, they are all conscious that William might have to become king earlier than expected, partly the cancer. Partly simply because Charles is seventy six. He could go on another ten years, he could go on for twenty. But with the cancer diagnosis, it's a wake up call. Robert Hartman, author of Charles the Third, New King, New Court, The Inside Story, notes that while Charles waited longer than any air in British history, that time wasn't spent in any formal preparation for the throne.

2:58 It's always a role where you learn by example. Hardman says, Quinn concurs observing they're preparing William by giving him more of his sort of work that Charles would do. Obviously, the cancer diagnosis has made everything more urgent. Christopher Anderson, author of The King, The Life of Charles the Third, provides a sobering assessment. The palace is putting on a good front, but the situation in reality is still very fluid. When it comes to the King, it's still touch and go. While the King has shown a little sign of slowing down continuing engagements abroad and at home, there are increasing signs of strain. Anderson says Queen Camella still worries that her husband is perhaps pushing himself too hard. Nobody really expected him to be an ideal patient. King Charles has always been very impatient and is accustomed to getting his way at all times. Anyone who thought he would obey his doctors and take it easy indefinitely doesn't the man. Indeed, less than two weeks after a hospitalization in March, Charles was on a plane to Italy. The pace of his reign hasn't changed since it started. Since hardman life is carrying on as it would have done if he hadn't had the cancer. I think the best way of putting it is he's living with cancer rather than suffering from cancer.

4:07 Sally Bedell Smith, author of Prince Charles, The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, reveals the night of his March twenty seventh hospitalization. He came back to Clarence House, he had dinner with Queen Camilla, and then he proceeded to do what he does every night, which his work. That's just an indication of how committed he is to doing his job with every ounce of energy he has. It's safe to say that, even though he's working as hard as he always has, that he doesn't appear to be quite as robust as he once was. But then again, he's getting older. Bedell Smith also confirms that discussions about the succession are very much taking place and that Charles himself, like his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, is involved. I think he is probably measuring the rest of his time in years rather than decades, she says. And as for the Waleses, I think they're very much aware that their time as Prince and Princess of Wales may be limited. Bedell Smith adds it's probably safe to assume that they're preparing for it sooner rather than later. Interestingly, this was the second such story of the week Fox News had flat out talked about abdication. Royal expert Hillary Fordage told Fox News Digital Prince William has been assuming more responsibilities, and there have been preparations for more transitions of responsibility. Both Prince William and Princess Catherine have been ready to assume leadership roles with an accelerated schedule of preparation for their future positions as King and Queen, but most certainly they are not in any way actively seeking an immediate ascension the entire family. All senior roles more focused on the best interests of the monarchy's stability and continuity, hence all being content with the gradual transition rather than any immediate decisions.

5:39 The only definite thing is that an abdication would be a significant departure from all tradition. She pointed to the last abdication, King Ebert the Eighth nineteen thirty six. You know the guy who gave it all the way for the love of his life, an American devor say, as a reminder of the turmoil such a move can bring. Fortage said, the last time I Royal abdicated, it caused the crisis in the UK, something firm won't want to repeat. Given his mother's values, King Charles is most likely to do all he can to continue serving, dedicating himself to duty royal biographer Ingrid Seward agrees that the king remains steadfast despite his diagnosis, telling Newsweek, the trouble is has been so conditioned to work that I don't think he functions unless he's working. When he's not working, he's probably a bit all over the place. He's always working. And it's not just as nature had taken afternoon nap, which I'm sure Camilla is trying to make him do. Cancer treatment makes you very, very tired. The trouble is it's his duty as monarch to do these stifling, boring handshakes with incoming and outgoing ambassadors. How boring that must be.

6:40 I would think that's very exhausting. But the only way he could slow down is if someone took over some of his official roles as monarch. If someone could take some of that away from him, I think his life would be easier. Queen Elizabeth the Second's final official royal engagement was meeting with Liz Truss on September sixth, twenty twenty two of Boumorral Castle, where she formally appointed Truss as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This took place just two days before her death or palaceing just a moment. When we last checked on Wednesday morning, Megan's podcast had fallen to number eleven on the US Apple Podcast charts, despite having released an episode on Tuesday. Normally, a new episode will cause a series to go up.

7:21 A check of the Spotify chart had it at number twenty one. Confessions of a Female Founder has drawn scrutiny over its early morning release strategy in the United Kingdom, a choice that has left at least one Royal commentator scratching his head. Royal expert Richard fitz Williams told The Express that releasing episodes between eight and nine am UK tyan equating to just after midnight in California doesn't make sense, particularly for a show that appears tailored to an American audience. This strategy doesn't make sense, and the listening figures are not impressive either, he said bluntly. We checked in with an American podcasting executive, who told us Fitzwilliams is wrong. You drop a show at three am East, which is midnight Pacific, so that it shows up as today in all podcast apps. The American audience is way bigger than the UK audience. Megan's right on this one. Fitz Williams also questioned who Megan thought would be tuning in at that hour in the UK, especially as the show launched with an interview with Whitney Wolf heard the co founder of dating app Bumble. Hardly typical breakfast fare for the British commute. Surely a time to suit a potential audience in the US would have been more sensible, he said.

8:28 Our executive added, I don't think mister Fitzwilliams understands how podcasts work. Royal expert Mark Borkowski tells the son that Megan appears. One could argue that's a major success because it keeps her in this sort of public gaze and keeps the global media obsessed about his story, whether it's the President of the United States or Megan Markel. It's all about noise now. But you know, what are the cut through messages? And I don't think we've seen that with Megan at the moment, because everything seems to be the next thing that's thrown against the wall hoping it will stick. Any large personality can generate a huge instant following, But how do you stop being boring? What did Trump say? Everybody needs a little crazy and there you have it. Face the email us. Our addresses the Palace Injury at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple or the Apple of your choice and leave is a nice review.

9:14 If you were joining the show and don't forget. You can get this show, along with hundreds of others from caller Roga Shark Media, commercial free with a subscription. You can hit that button up there on the Apple player that says uninterrupted listening, or just go to caller Roga dot com for any other player and you find the link in the show notes and check out our latest show called Signal Lost, an espionage thriller based on what happened if the signal conversation with the government got into the wrong hands. Check it out Signal Lost wherever you get your podcast. So, Mike Francis, my thanks to you John McDermot. This is Palace Intrigue and good Times.