Palace Confidential

Despite not representing the monarchy or Britain anymore, Harry and Meghan have been given the full VIP treatment on their trip to New York, their first official visit since moving to California. The Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English tells Palace Confidential that this trip has ‘the feel of an official royal visit, which of course it isn’t because they are ostensibly private citizens now.’

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Harry and Meghan are back on the front pages – but not as we’re used to seeing them. The pair grace the cover of the new Time magazine as part of its annual 100 most influential people special, and their inclusion and the accompanying photos are a hot topic for our panel.

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It was reported this week that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning a ‘summit’ with the Queen following months of recriminations following Megxit. The Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English says while they will meet in the near future, it will be in ‘a private, family get together’ with ‘certainly no officials getting involved, because they know that’s something that would really wind Harry and Meghan up.’

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TV presenter and thorn in the side of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Piers Morgan was this week cleared by Ofcom over comments he made about the truthfulness of Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah in March. Julia Hartley-Brewer agrees, arguing that it’s an important win for freedom of speech, adding that for Meghan and Harry to paint themselves as victims is disingenuous.

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Another week another royal rift. A new excerpt of the updated version of the controversial book Finding Freedom, claims that Meghan and Harry were unhappy that the royal family failed to take ‘full ownership’ and ‘accountability’ over their claims of racism.
The royal pair insist that the book is unauthorised, and that they haven’t sought to stoke tensions with the family. But broadcaster and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop says that if the claims are true, they misunderstood the institution they have just left.

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Join Jo Elvin, Richard Eden, Sarah Vine and Rebecca English as they dive headfirst into the week’s Royal news and views.As the Duchess of Sussex celebrates her 40th birthday with the launch of new initiative 40x40 (helping women left unemployed through the pandemic back into work), our panel questions the merits of having Meghan’s friends give less than an hour of their time to help bolster someone’s career.

And it’s the tale of two Sarahs, as Sarah Vine gives us some behind the scenes insight into interviewing Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, for her podcast this week. 

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As an epilogue to Harry and Meghan’s autobiography is announced, Andrew Pierce makes his Palace Confidential debut, to skewer the Sussexes for their voracious pursuit of anything that could make them money. Our panel discuss just how little new information the authors could include, and speculate that any true new revelations will come in Prince Harry’s upcoming memoir.

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The announcement that Prince Harry is writing a memoir was one of the major shocks in an already turbulent year for the Royal Family. The Firm don’t appear to have been informed much before the public and there was dismay that its publication in 2022 will coincide with what should have been a year of celebration for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced their latest project – a kids TV show called Pearl made in conjuction with David Furnish, husband of Elton John. But, we ask our Palace Confidential experts, will it turn out to be a gem?
When it comes to the themes, ‘it’s very Meghan’ says the Daily Mail’s Royal Editor Rebecca English. For the paper’s Diary Editor Richard Eden, Pearl sounds like an extension of Meghan’s persona.

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A new documentary about the catastrophic fallout between Princes William and Harry has got royal watchers talking again this week. But unusually it’s what was left on the cutting room floor that’s proved to be the biggest talking point.
Lawyers acting for Prince William complained about a section of the programme where a contributor claimed that the Palace had planted stories about Prince Harry’s mental health. Programme makers acquiesced and the film that was shown to the public made no mention of it.

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