WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:09.800
<v Speaker 1>Caloroga Shark Media. In today's news, Vanity Fair published what

2
00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:13.119
<v Speaker 1>might be the most damning Harry and Megan article yet.

3
00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:16.280
<v Speaker 1>Harry is gearing up for a legal showdown with Rupert

4
00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:19.920
<v Speaker 1>Murdoch's media empire, and Prince William went out to watch

5
00:00:19.960 --> 00:00:27.879
<v Speaker 1>soccer at the bar. Hello, and welcome to Palace Intrigue.

6
00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:31.800
<v Speaker 1>I am your host, Mark Francis, Vanity Fairs February cover

7
00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:35.880
<v Speaker 1>article is titled inside Prince Harry and Megan Minkle's Big

8
00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:40.200
<v Speaker 1>business Ambitions five years after their royal exit. There's a

9
00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:42.880
<v Speaker 1>lot to unpack here, so let's pick away. At the piece.

10
00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:47.119
<v Speaker 1>A producer named Jane Marie is quoted. Jane is credited

11
00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:50.640
<v Speaker 1>with collaborating with Harry and Meghan on audio projectsit Archwall

12
00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:54.359
<v Speaker 1>and tells Vanity Fair they had this naivety and their

13
00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:58.479
<v Speaker 1>hopefulness about what's possible in terms of storytelling and good

14
00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:01.200
<v Speaker 1>works and all those things. I wish I had that

15
00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:05.400
<v Speaker 1>kind of optimism. A second unnamed person is quoted. I

16
00:01:05.439 --> 00:01:07.359
<v Speaker 1>thought that I had the role of a lifetime. I

17
00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:09.280
<v Speaker 1>thought I was going to be besties with Megan and

18
00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:11.040
<v Speaker 1>Harry and we were going to like run around the

19
00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:14.959
<v Speaker 1>world saving people. An Appeal. Author of the Vanity Fair piece,

20
00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:18.120
<v Speaker 1>then tells us interest in the couple was unslackable, but

21
00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:21.200
<v Speaker 1>it remained to be seen whether they were actually interesting

22
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:25.359
<v Speaker 1>beyond Harry's uniquely difficult upbringing and Meghan's years of defending

23
00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:28.719
<v Speaker 1>herself from shoddy treatment and racism, whether in the British

24
00:01:28.760 --> 00:01:31.760
<v Speaker 1>press or from members of her husband's family. As one

25
00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:34.680
<v Speaker 1>former Spotify employee put it, the thing you're escaping is

26
00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:38.680
<v Speaker 1>the reason you're compelling. The Spotify employee tells us Harry

27
00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:41.519
<v Speaker 1>and Megan didn't do what celebrities do on podcasts, which

28
00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:43.879
<v Speaker 1>is turn on the mic and talk. They wanted a

29
00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:46.200
<v Speaker 1>big theme that would explain the world, but they had

30
00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:50.640
<v Speaker 1>no ideas. Anna also tells us people involved with production

31
00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:53.840
<v Speaker 1>say the couple did trial runs on some big ideas,

32
00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:56.879
<v Speaker 1>like a This Is American Life style show, where Harry

33
00:01:56.879 --> 00:02:00.000
<v Speaker 1>and Meghan took turns hosting and talking to interesting civilian guests.

34
00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:03.560
<v Speaker 1>As Bloomberg reported, Harry wanted to host a series where

35
00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:07.879
<v Speaker 1>he interviewed powerful men with complicated stories like Mark Zuckerberg,

36
00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:12.159
<v Speaker 1>Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. The concept wasn't just that

37
00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:16.080
<v Speaker 1>the men shared challenging early lives. It was their experiences

38
00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:20.000
<v Speaker 1>made them into sociopaths, or so Harry envisioned. One person

39
00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.479
<v Speaker 1>familiar with the ideation process says the person who worked

40
00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:26.840
<v Speaker 1>in media confirms there was a Sociopath podcast. The person

41
00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:30.120
<v Speaker 1>who worked closely with the couple on audio projects recalls

42
00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:34.560
<v Speaker 1>Harry saying, I have very bad childhood trauma. Obviously, my

43
00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:37.319
<v Speaker 1>mother was essentially murdered. What is it about me that

44
00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:39.919
<v Speaker 1>didn't make me one of these bad guys? To implore

45
00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.199
<v Speaker 1>a season's worth of world famous sociopaths to talk about

46
00:02:43.240 --> 00:02:46.520
<v Speaker 1>how they developed sociopathy would be what is referred to

47
00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:52.400
<v Speaker 1>in access journalism as a booking challenge. Interestingly, a Netflix

48
00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.680
<v Speaker 1>sources quoted, we don't disclose our financial deals with talent,

49
00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:57.400
<v Speaker 1>but I can confirm to you on the record that

50
00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:00.879
<v Speaker 1>the one hundred million dollar figure is not correct. With

51
00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:03.120
<v Speaker 1>so much to unpack here, will take a few days

52
00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:05.520
<v Speaker 1>to break it all down, but there's plenty else to

53
00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:09.840
<v Speaker 1>cover today. In other news, Megan ignored her critics and

54
00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.439
<v Speaker 1>was spotted again last week lending a hand to relief

55
00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.759
<v Speaker 1>efforts for the victims of the devastating Los Angeles fires.

56
00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.759
<v Speaker 1>This time, the Duchess of Sussex was seen bringing large

57
00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.599
<v Speaker 1>bags of donations to the Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery Fund,

58
00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:25.680
<v Speaker 1>an initiative set up to help young girls affected by

59
00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:30.240
<v Speaker 1>the tragedy. In an Instagram reel shared by the Recovery Fund,

60
00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.560
<v Speaker 1>Meghan kept a low profile, dressed in black leggings, a

61
00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:37.560
<v Speaker 1>T shirt, trainers, and a baseball cap emblazoned with LA, which,

62
00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:40.159
<v Speaker 1>to our eye appears to be a generic LA type

63
00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:42.879
<v Speaker 1>hat a tourist might buy, not a Dodger's cap or

64
00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:45.800
<v Speaker 1>something a local might wear. A quick Google search to

65
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:48.840
<v Speaker 1>find a similar cap black with L and A in

66
00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.439
<v Speaker 1>block letters failed, but we did find a vintage nineteen

67
00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.400
<v Speaker 1>forty one La Angels cap that had the L and

68
00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:57.159
<v Speaker 1>A in red letters. Perhaps Megan is a fan of

69
00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:01.520
<v Speaker 1>defunct minor league baseball teams. The video shows Megan warmly

70
00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:05.400
<v Speaker 1>greeting volunteers and delivering donations, which reportedly included new clothes

71
00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.599
<v Speaker 1>and beauty products. Meghan also spent time chatting with families

72
00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:12.719
<v Speaker 1>stayed for luncheon assisted the young girls leading the charity effort.

73
00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:15.719
<v Speaker 1>The fund was founded by fourteen year old Avery Colvert

74
00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:18.839
<v Speaker 1>from Pasadena, who aimed to collect items for teams impacted

75
00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:22.000
<v Speaker 1>by the fires. The Mirror reported the couple also made

76
00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:25.040
<v Speaker 1>a secret donation to the charity through their Archibell Foundation,

77
00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:28.560
<v Speaker 1>a donation so secret that it made The Mirror, this

78
00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:32.360
<v Speaker 1>podcast and Instagram, where the charity posted a special thanks

79
00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:37.000
<v Speaker 1>to the Archwell Foundation for your support. Royal expert Jenny

80
00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:40.079
<v Speaker 1>Bond is bothered by how much criticism Harry and Meghan get,

81
00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:43.000
<v Speaker 1>telling the Mirror, Harry and Meghan must have expected much

82
00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:45.720
<v Speaker 1>of the criticism they received after their accusations about the

83
00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:48.759
<v Speaker 1>rest of the Royal family, but I find it disturbing

84
00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:52.079
<v Speaker 1>that almost everything and anything they do now is still criticized,

85
00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:55.560
<v Speaker 1>in my view, quite unfairly. They could have stayed holed

86
00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:59.360
<v Speaker 1>up in their Montecito haven while so much of California burned. Instead,

87
00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:01.720
<v Speaker 1>they went out and offered what help and support they could.

88
00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:04.199
<v Speaker 1>Megan could have let her new show go to air

89
00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:07.279
<v Speaker 1>as planned, but she either instigated or fully supported the

90
00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:10.519
<v Speaker 1>Netflix announcement that it would be postponed. Whatever they do

91
00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.759
<v Speaker 1>is dismissed as cynical by someone or another, which must

92
00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:17.680
<v Speaker 1>be dispiriting. They have a platform and they are using it.

93
00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.879
<v Speaker 1>Their criticism of the removal of safeguards by Facebook strikes

94
00:05:20.920 --> 00:05:24.959
<v Speaker 1>me as perfect use of the influence they have. The

95
00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:27.199
<v Speaker 1>danger posed by the Internet is something they have been

96
00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:30.160
<v Speaker 1>actively campaigning on for some time, and the criticism of

97
00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:33.519
<v Speaker 1>Mark Zuckerberg is totally consistent with the stand they have taken.

98
00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.040
<v Speaker 1>Good for them. Someone needs to speak out about the

99
00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:38.959
<v Speaker 1>potential dangers of the Internet. So I say give Harry

100
00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:41.319
<v Speaker 1>and Meghan a break. They haven't attacked the royal family

101
00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:44.519
<v Speaker 1>for some time. What's done is done. Time to move on.

102
00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:47.560
<v Speaker 1>Prince Harry is gearing up for a legal showdown with

103
00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:51.959
<v Speaker 1>Rupert Murdoch's media empire, as the case officially titled HRH

104
00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:55.519
<v Speaker 1>the Duke of Sussex versus News Group Newspapers Limited, kicks

105
00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:58.720
<v Speaker 1>off today in what promises to be a highly scrutinized

106
00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:01.480
<v Speaker 1>courtroom battle. The Duke of Sussex's taking on The Sun

107
00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:04.319
<v Speaker 1>and the now defunct News of the World, both owned

108
00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:07.759
<v Speaker 1>by Murdoch's Newsgroup Newspapers and Miss Harry stage is a

109
00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:10.439
<v Speaker 1>last minute retreat, the move that seems highly unlikely the

110
00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:14.759
<v Speaker 1>High Court will begin hearing his allegations against the tabloid giants.

111
00:06:15.319 --> 00:06:18.600
<v Speaker 1>This case marks another chapter in Harry's ongoing campaign against

112
00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:22.560
<v Speaker 1>the British press, as he continues to hold media outlets

113
00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:26.560
<v Speaker 1>accountable for what he claims are unethical and invasive practices.

114
00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:29.000
<v Speaker 1>The spotlight is now firmly on the court room where

115
00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:32.040
<v Speaker 1>Harry's grievances will be aired against one of the most

116
00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:36.800
<v Speaker 1>powerful media moguls in the world. Some wondered if Kelly

117
00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:40.160
<v Speaker 1>Osborne took a shot at Megan and Harry. Kelly uploaded

118
00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:43.879
<v Speaker 1>a video on Instagram in which she disapproved using other

119
00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:47.399
<v Speaker 1>people's pain and suffering as a photowhop. She said, is

120
00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:50.639
<v Speaker 1>it just me being my normal, overthinking, cynical self, or

121
00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:52.759
<v Speaker 1>is it really disturbing to see all of these celebrities

122
00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.279
<v Speaker 1>using other people's pain and suffering as a photo wop

123
00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.399
<v Speaker 1>to say, Look, I'm helping, I'm doing this, I'm doing that.

124
00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:01.199
<v Speaker 1>I don't believe you help so you can get attention

125
00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:04.000
<v Speaker 1>for helping. I believe you just help because you want to.

126
00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:06.439
<v Speaker 1>No one asked you to come out and give hugs

127
00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:10.480
<v Speaker 1>go home. A reporter had observed the sussexes, saying it

128
00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:12.319
<v Speaker 1>looked as if the two of them might really want

129
00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.079
<v Speaker 1>to be helpful. I actually saw Meghan Markele stoop down

130
00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:17.120
<v Speaker 1>and take off the lid of a plastic bin. Do

131
00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.920
<v Speaker 1>they really want to get down and dirty. Candae Owen's

132
00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:23.040
<v Speaker 1>commented on TikTok. That's how I knew my girl was

133
00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:25.199
<v Speaker 1>real And I just want to thank Meghan for doing that.

134
00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:27.519
<v Speaker 1>It's very helpful for her to stoop down and do that.

135
00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:30.720
<v Speaker 1>If there's any plastic bins that you guys see around

136
00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:32.839
<v Speaker 1>that need picking up, you can hit up your girl.

137
00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:40.160
<v Speaker 1>Megan Michael, Well, it's intrigue a radback. Meanwhile, let's put

138
00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:43.120
<v Speaker 1>a typical Megan style media spin on this next story.

139
00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:45.680
<v Speaker 1>Instead of flying to Los Angeles to help with the fires,

140
00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:48.639
<v Speaker 1>Prince William was hanging out at a bar watching soccer.

141
00:07:49.079 --> 00:07:51.759
<v Speaker 1>Prince William found time last week to mingle with fellow

142
00:07:51.839 --> 00:07:55.560
<v Speaker 1>Aston Villa supporters at Weatherspoon's in Birmingham. The Royal was

143
00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:58.720
<v Speaker 1>in town for the College of Paramedics Emergency and Critical

144
00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:01.000
<v Speaker 1>Care conference, but he made a pit stop to talk

145
00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.439
<v Speaker 1>football over a pint before Villa's match against Everton that evening.

146
00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.399
<v Speaker 1>William treated the table to beer while sipping on side

147
00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.240
<v Speaker 1>to himself, engaging in an animated discussion about all things

148
00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:13.600
<v Speaker 1>asked in Villa. Steve Jones, one of the fans who

149
00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.680
<v Speaker 1>met the Prince, told reporters he was fantastic. I was

150
00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.040
<v Speaker 1>amazed at how engaged he was with the club. He's

151
00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.279
<v Speaker 1>not a fair weather fan. He really loves the club

152
00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:24.279
<v Speaker 1>with a passion. According to Jones, the royal meetup was

153
00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:26.680
<v Speaker 1>arranged by the club, which reached out to a few

154
00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:30.040
<v Speaker 1>lucky supporters ahead of William's visit. We talked about transfers,

155
00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:34.200
<v Speaker 1>the Champions League, trip to Monaco and everything Villa, Jones said,

156
00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:37.399
<v Speaker 1>adding that the Prince's knowledge and enthusiasm for the team

157
00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:40.519
<v Speaker 1>were evident. William also shared a bit about his family's

158
00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:44.000
<v Speaker 1>football loyalties. Like his father, Prince George is a devoted

159
00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.600
<v Speaker 1>Villa fan, but William is hoping for a bit of

160
00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:51.000
<v Speaker 1>variety among his younger children. Jones revealed. Williams said, like

161
00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:53.440
<v Speaker 1>Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to support other teams, so

162
00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:56.639
<v Speaker 1>it's not a household full of Villa fans. He was

163
00:08:56.679 --> 00:08:59.360
<v Speaker 1>massively interested and came across as a really genuine guy

164
00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:02.960
<v Speaker 1>who just wanted to talk about Villa. And there you

165
00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:04.919
<v Speaker 1>have it. I'd like to email us of addresses The

166
00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:08.039
<v Speaker 1>Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follow us on Spotify,

167
00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:09.840
<v Speaker 1>Apple or the apple of your choice and you can

168
00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:11.840
<v Speaker 1>find us on YouTube. Now head on over there and

169
00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.799
<v Speaker 1>be a subscriber, and don't forget. You can get the

170
00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:17.039
<v Speaker 1>show commercial free, along with hundreds of others from Callaoga

171
00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.320
<v Speaker 1>Shark Media. All the details, I'm in the show notes.

172
00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:22.440
<v Speaker 1>I'm Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is palace

173
00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:24.039
<v Speaker 1>intrigue in good terms.