WILLIAM CALLED HER JUICY, ANDREW'S BUILDING A FENCE, AND NETFLIX HAS LEFT THE BUILDING - The week in UK Royal News with Mark Francis

0:00 Ah Calorougus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Weekly. I am your host, Mark Francis. It was a week that had everything in Prince answering a bakery phone and calling a customer juicy, the King managing a cancer diagnosis, a disgraced brother, an eight million dollar lawsuit, and a planned a trip to America simultaneously, a Duchess splitting from Netflix while issuing complimentary chocolate. And through it all the monarchy kept moving, kept showing up, kept doing the job, because that, as one former aide put it, this week is precisely the job. Let's start with where the week started.

0:41 At Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day, Monday morning brought the annual Commonwealth Day service of celebration to Westminster Abbey and the Palace assembled it's eighteen. King Charles and Queen Camilla led the procession. The Prince and Princess of Wales joined them. Princess Anne arrived with Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester rounded out the gathering. Eighteen hundred guests filled the abbey, representatives from fifty six nations, young people, diplomats and members of the creative community all came together for what has been one of the most significant dates in the Royal Calendar since nineteen seventy two. What was missing was the BBC. In one of the more eyebrow raising editorial decisions of the year, the broadcast had chose not to air the Commonwealth Day Service live, opting instead to broadcast an episode of Escape to the Country in that time slot. A BBC spokesperson offered the explanation that difficult funding choices had been made in light of the organization's financial pressures, adding the coverage would still appear across BBC platforms and Rolling News. Royal author Ingrid Sew had called it, with characteristic restraint, a ridiculous and appalling decision. She noted that the service has been televised since nineteen eighty nine and represents a gathering of roughly two point seven billion people across members states. If the BBC can't find room for it, she warned, the Commonwealth risks fading into irrelevance one year at a time. Royl Inside a Deep Crown put it more sharply, writing that

2:11 what we are watching is an institution discovering that goodwill is not the same as relevance, and that relevance, once lost, is not recovered by annual services and symphonic premiers, However beautifully produced, the service went ahead without the cameras. The Royals did not appear to notice. If the Commonwealth Day Service was this week's most formal moment, Prince William provided its most human one, and it came over the phone at gear Farm pasty company in Cornwall. In what has been described internally as Operation Distract the Media, and we say that with affection, William stepped behind the counter and attempted to take a customer order. The customer's name was Josie William Hurd. Juicy, Sorry, Josie, he told her. I thought he said juicy. I apologize. The laughter that followed apparently continued for some time. William, to his credit, leaned into it, adding that the pasties would in fact be juicy, which triggered another round of giggling from staff and onlookers.

3:07 He then professionally confirmed the order five fresh, ten frozen and told the customer they'd been ready by one forty five pm. The BBC, clearly sensing a story more accessible than constitutional monarchy, tracked down Josie herself. She is Josie Trewnson, a regular at gear Farm who phones ahead on busy days to make sure the pasties haven't run out. She had, she said, absolutely no idea. Who answered the phone? They said, would you be surprised to hear it was Prince William that took your order? She recalled. I couldn't believe it. I was flabbergasted. The story spread to her son in Australia. Her granddaughter's heard about it at school. Friends, she said, have been calling her dear Juicy ever since her verdict on the whole affair. I think Juicy from the future King sounds a great idea. It does, Josie, It really does.

3:53 The Whales family made another appearance this week, this one generating a different kind of excitement. The family was spotted visiting Marlborough College in Wiltshire on Sunday, with witnesses telling the Daily Mail that students were quietly ushered away from the main square before William Kate and their children arrived by car and walked through the campus. Prince George's twelve in his final year at Lambrook Prep School, and the question of where he heads next has been the subject of intense speculation for some time. Eaton has long been assumed the destination. It is, after all, where his father went, but Marlbora has a strong claim too. The Princess of Wales attended Marlboro after an unhappy experience at her previous school, and by her own account, it was where she flourished.

4:34 Princess Eugenie and Pippa Middleton are also alumni. Educational consultant Ridion Llewellyn, a former Marlborough headmaster, told The Telegraph that Catherine's positive personal history with the college works strongly in its favour, and that educating all three children in the same school would be a natural instinct for any parent. He also noted gently that while Eaton is the most prestigious school in the world, Marlboro might offer Georgia a slightly lower pri profile option, which, given everything, is not nothing. A well connected source told Telegraph columnist Sophia money Counts back in December that the decision had already been made and letters had gone out to parents. She filed the tip with appropriate caution, but added that her source isn't often wrong and treats gossip as solemnly as Oscar Wilde.

5:20 The family hasn't confirmed anything, but they did go for a walk at Marlborough Troyr owned conclusions what palace in just a moment. Beneath the pasties and the school visits, something considerably larger was taking shape this week, the prospect of a royal visit to the United States. Relations between Washington and London have reportedly reached what sources described to The Telegraph as an all time low, driven by trade, tariff tensions and friction in the Middle East into that diplomatic void. Officials on both sides are apparently hoping the monarchy can do what it has always done, show up, look magnificent and make people feel better about each other.

6:01 King Charles and Queen Camilla are reportedly being discussed for a visit beginning April twenty eighth, with possible stops in Washington, New York, and at least one other city yet to be named. Buckingham Palace has not confirmed anything, but sources say the discussions are real and the desire to accelerate the timeline is genuine. One source told The Telegraph that when it comes to the current American administration, the President's positive feelings about the Royal family. Reportedly, Trump punintended his negative feelings about Starmer. That is either reassuring or alarming, depending on your perspective, but either way, it suggests that the visit carries real diplomatic weight. Where the story gets genuinely exciting, it's the prospect of William and Kate joining the trip. Washington officials are said to be very keen one source's words, and some reports point to a possible window around the Fourth of July celebrations. If Kate were to travel, it would mark her first major overseas engagement since her illness, and sources say the symbolism of that moment is not lost on anyone involved in the planning.

7:00 The Diana and Trivolter comparison has already been made. In nineteen eighty five, a single dance at a White House state dinner became one of the defining cultural images of Diana's time as a royal. Multiple sources this week invoked that memory unprompted, suggesting that the appetite for a similarly iconic moment involving the next generation is very much alive in diplomatic circles. William is also expected to attend World Cup events in his fa patron role. The children may come. Nobody is confirming anything, but the machinery is moving. The week's most difficult undercurrent remained, as it has for months, the ongoing fallout from the arrest of Prince Andrew and his continuing association with the Epstein scandal. King Charles has reportedly settled on a strategy. According to sources cited by Radar Online, the King's approach centers on continuity, keeping the working monarchy moving, maintaining full cooperation with investigators, and ensuring that no perception of interference takes hole. One source described it as a blueprint out of this mess, with the end physis on making clear that the Crown continues regardless of what one man, with the emphasis of making clear that the crown continues regardless of what one member of the family is facing. Andrew, meanwhile, is reportedly not going quietly.

8:13 Sources told Radar Online that the disgraced Duke feels backed into a corner and is taking a methodical approach to his own defense, reviewing old communications, safeguarding emails, reconstructing schedules, and documenting who attended which events. One insider was blunt about the implication Andrew was convinced that if he is required to provide a comprehensive account of his actions and his life inside the royal family to investigators, it will not portray him as an isolated actor. He sees that information, the source said, as leverage, not necessarily to deploy recklessly, but as protection in terms of where Andrew will actually live. Preparations continued this week at Marsh Farm on the Sandringham Estate.

8:56 New fencing was installed, CCTV cameras have been added, outdoor lighting is going in, and the no fly zone above Sandringham's reportedly been extended to cover the property. A Palace source explained the thinking plainly. The King does not want the farmhouse to become a backdrop for long lens photography or a focal point for rolling media drama. The strategy is to reduce exposure at every level. When Andrew arrives at Marsh Farm, he will be reportedly supported by two members of staff, a chef and a valet. He has been instructed to be addressed simply as sir. Palace officials have apparently sent clear guidance on the point, with one source noting with some understatement that noticeable reluctance had to be managed when determining who would serve at the new residence.

9:40 Another Andrew News One civic honor, however, cannot be removed. The City of London Corporation reviewed whether Andrew's freedom of the city, granted in twenty twelve by virtue of patrimony, meaning he inherited it because his father, Prince Philip was already a freeman, could be revoked. The answer, after careful examination was no. Rules governing inherited awards do not permit that, and we retains the rite on paper at least to drive sheep across London Bridge. We do encourage him to exercise it at a time of his choosing. Also this week, Princess Beatrice's role in the twenty nineteen Newsnight interview came under renewed scrutiny. Newsnight producer Sam McAllister and Beatrice had unexpectedly joined a key negotiation meeting just three days before the broadcast, and that, in McAllister's view, the interview would never have happened without her. McAllister called her the rain maker, saying she was the one who had his interest purely at heart, and that if her questions hadn't been answered satisfactorily, the interview was dead. Andrew's motivation at the time, McAllister said was personal. He wanted to clear his name so he could walk his daughter down the aisle and return to the life he had before Epstein hung over him like a dark cloud. We know how that went. Prince William's views on his uncle are apparently not subtle. Multiple sources this week described the future king as determined to see the Andrews situation resolved through proper legal channels before his reign begins. One senior aide said William wants absolute transparency and believes the Palace cannot afford to appear protective of privilege. Another source was more direct, He knows Andrew's

11:13 toxic for that brand and vision wants nothing to do with him. On the subject of Harry and Meghan's Jordan trip and the upcoming Australia visit, William is reportedly frustrated, with a source telling heat World that he can't wait to put a stop to it the moment he becomes king, and it tends stripping the pair of their titles to be his first order of business. Kate, for her part, apparently thought the Jordan timing was toned deaf, though she apparently tends to hold Harry less responsible than Meghan for these decisions. The source said she is not slamming the door on reconciliation, but there's no denying this has pushed things further apart one other piece of William news, a lip reading expert analyzing footage from Commonwealth Day suggested the Prince told Princess Anne he'd had enough of hearing his name, presumably Andrews, and it's up for debate. The king, greeting William, appeared to say oh finally, with an expression described as irritated.

12:07 Princess Anne appeared to tell her husband to ignore them, likely in reference to the anti monarchy protesters outside with their yellow science. The Royal family is an entirely normal, functional household, totally fine in There more palaceing, just a moment. Harry and Meghan had a characteristically eventful week, and it began with a headline that cut through the usual noise. Netflix is out. The streaming company has ended its involvement with Meghan's lifestyle brand as Ever, which sells fruit spreads, herbal tea, rose wine, flower sprinkles and leather bookmarks. Netflix had provided staff and development support since the brand launched roughly a year ago. Both sides described the parting as amicable.

12:50 The Duchess said as Ever is ready to stand on its own. Netflix said it was glad to have played a role. Social media users, marketing consultants, and Hollywood trades were less diplomas. The Hollywood Reporter led with the headline Netflix exits Megan Markle's sixty four dollars center Candle's business. They also noted that the split follows Netflix downgrading Megan's production deal from an overall deal to a first look several months earlier. PR sources who spoke to Page six suggested it was Netflix, not Megan, who initiated the exit, noting that her show did not go on, so it did not make sense to continue the partnership. An industry insider added that as Ever has reportedly been considered for incorporation into Netflix's upcoming retail concept, Netflix House, but that there was, in the insider's words, no appetite for it.

13:37 The brand just didn't fit with Squid Game or Stranger Things or Bridgeton like they had hoped. Reputation management consultant Eric Schiffer offered perhaps this week's most memorable line, calling the split celebrity brand suicide in a cashmere apron. He told Page six that Megan now carries the scent of high maintenance disappointment, which is rat poison when executives are already gun shy. Meghan's team sent an email to subscribe as the same day The News broke the subject line three mood boosting daily rituals recommended embracing a loved one, lighting a candle, and enjoying some flower sprinkles on blueberry pancakes. She also launched a Woman's History Month promotion to spend one hundred and fifty dollars received a complimentary Compartire's chocolate bar.

14:20 The flavor, she noted, would be a surprise. Meanwhile, a leather bookmark released at five oh three pm on Friday was sold out by five oh four. PR expert Renee Smith told The Express that demand forecasting is not especially complex in twenty twenty six, and that if you are repeatedly caught short, that's not mystique, it's mismanagement. Through all of this, Megan and Harry confirmed they will travel to Australia in mid April, their first visit since the twenty eighteen Royal tour. Harry will speak at a mental health summit in Melbourne. Megan will headline a woman's retreat in Sydney at a five star hotel in Coogee Beach, with tickets starting at roughly eighteen hundred dollars per person and VAP access including a group photo with the Duchess of Vla for around twenty one hundred dollars Royal inside a Deep Crown, writing on his substack, observed that the April timing places the Sussexes on the other side of the planet during precisely the window when King Charles makes what is expected to be a historically significant visit to the United States, the first by a reigning British monarch in living memory. Deep Crown noted that the Sussex operation is many things, but naive it is not. Harry did find some genuinely warm coverage this week after a video message sent to British paralympian Scott Meenig went public. Mienig, a former paratrooper who lost both legs in Afghanistan in twenty eleven, was named a Team g B flag bearer for the Winter Paralympics in Delano, Cortina. Harry's message warm specific personal, referencing a broken running blade of the twenty fourteen in Victor's Games was everything. His critics say he's incapable of menig call it a familiar face, and laughed with delight.

15:54 A few items from the Weekend to round out the week a new biography of Carol and Bessett Kennedy revealed that she had encouraged John F. Kennedy Junior to reach out to William and Harry after Diana's death in nineteen ninety seven, believing he was uniquely positioned to offer comfort. Kennedy hesitated, he didn't know them personally and found the situation emotionally overwhelming. He never made the call. The detail is small, but it lands with some weight. Kate has been quietly wearing a sapphire and diamond eternity band since late twenty twenty four. Jewelry experts believe it may be the Cartier eten Cell band, featuring alternating sapphires and diamonds and retailing for around fifty five hundred dollars. The ring first appeared publicly in September twenty twenty four in the video where Kate announced she had completed chemotherapy. The timing has led Royal Watches to speculate it may have been a gift from William marking that milestone. Its design also bears a striking resemblance to the engagement ring worn by Carolyn Bessett Kennedy, which feels, given the biography news this week, like one of those coincidences that isn't quite a coincidence.

17:00 And finally, Queen Elizabeth one hundred and eighty five year old christening gown worn by sixty two Royal babies, first in eighteen forty one, most recently before the King commissioned a replica in two thousand and four. We'll go on public display for the first time as part of a major exhibition at Buckingham Palace from April tenth. One hundred hours of conservation work cream spittlefilleds silk, honiton lace, a note on the storage box instructing that it be washed in natural spring water after use after a week like this one, A little spring water sounds about right, and there you have it. Collect the email USO addresses the Palace Intrigue at Gmail. A dart calm. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple, on the app of your choice and leave us a nice review. If you'm joining the show, I'm Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Weekly in good times.