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December 18, 2025 10 mins
Tina Brown tells Katie Couric about a revealing lunch with Jane Goodall, including Harry’s early vision for fatherhood and why royal officials expected him to leave the institution — but not for a celebrity life in Montecito.

We also cover Prince Harry’s surprise appearance at snow polo in Aspen, Meghan’s reaction from home, and the possibility of the Invictus Games returning to California in two thousand twenty nine.
Plus, claims that Meghan and Harry viewed Kris Jenner’s birthday party as a key Hollywood networking opportunity, allegations Meghan sought more prestigious royal accommodation in the UK, and commentary questioning how differently things might have unfolded with her wider family.

After the break, we look at Meghan’s evolving watch collection — from a Timex to Princess Diana’s Cartier — and compare it with Prince William’s far more modest Omega Seamaster, a deeply personal gift from his mother.

Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.

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Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ah Calorogu Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue Game,
your host Mark Francis. Speaking on Katie Kirk's YouTube program,
Tina Brown said she had lunch with primatologist Jane Goodall

(00:20):
shortly before Goodall's death. Brown told Kurk that Goodall mentioned
visiting Harry and Meghan after Archie's birth, describing herself as
one of the only people outside the family that went
to see Archie when he was born, and said that
Harry introduced the baby saying this is my little African child.
Brown went on to describe what she understood to be

(00:41):
Harry's original vision for fatherhood and family life, adding it's
going to be my child who essentially, you know, wild child.
Essentially they were going to have this time together, living
a life off the grid as it were. She said
she was absolutely stunned when he chose the life that
he did. In the same appearance, Brown argued that Royal
officials had long considered it possible Harry might step away

(01:02):
from life inside the institution. In the same appearance, Brown
argued that royal officials had long considered it possible Harry
might step away from life inside the institution, but expected
a very different outcome. Brown said, I'm told that the
Queen always thought Harry would go off and want to
be out of the royal family. Nobody expected him to

(01:23):
go to Montecito and live the opposite of the off
the grid life, which is the kind of celebrity life.
And I don't think that Harry thought he was going
to do that either. Harry has made a surprise appearance
in Colorado, traveling with friends for a polo getaway, while
Meghan has offered her reaction from home. Harry was spotted
competing at the World snow Polo Championships in Aspen, where

(01:47):
he was seen riding alongside close friend Nato Figeris. Harry
appeared and eat blue pullover, black helmet, white trousers and
dark sunglasses as he took part in the snowy match.
The trip appears to be a boy's only affair, with
meg and remaining in Montecito with children despite staying behind,
The Duchess appeared amused by images from the event, sharing

(02:07):
a photograph of Harry on horseback with the caption oh
hello there. Some observers thought Harry looked happy, as he
often does of his solo adventures Prince Harry could see.
The Invictors Games returned to California in twenty twenty nine,
with San Diego named as one of the three shortlisted
host cities. The city has been selected alongside Alborg in

(02:28):
Denmark and Dejon in South Korea as contenders to stage
the International Adaptive Sports competition for Wounded, Sick and Injured
service personnel and veterans. The next edition of the Invictors
Games will take place in twenty twenty seven in Birmingham, England.
Sources tell us Prince William is likely busy that week
doing royal stuff. Megan Marco and Prince Hary's appearance at

(02:51):
Chris Jenna's seventieth birthday celebration may have been more than
a social engagement, according to a source speaking to Radar Online.
The source claim the couple viewed the star studded event
as an opportunity to reconnect with influential figures in Hollywood.
According to the account, Megan appeared particularly energized by the
setting and eager to engage, spending time introducing herself, exchanging

(03:15):
contact details, and circulating among guests. The insider described her
as being like a kid in a candy store, suggesting
the evening was seen as an important networking moment. Part
of the enthusiasm, the source said, stemmed from Meghan's growing
rapport with the Kardashian Jenna family. The insider claimed she
has the utmost respect for Chris Jenna's business acumen and

(03:38):
is pretty awestruck to be on a first name basis
with Kim and Chloe Kardashian, as well as other members
of their extended circle. From Meghan, the source suggested, being
integrated into the Kardashian's world and their media empire is
viewed as a potentially significant step. The source also alleged
that discussions have begun around possible professional collaborations. According to

(03:59):
the claims, Meghan and Harry's team has explored ideas ranging
from appearances on The Kardashians two potential brand partnerships. Megan
Michael has been accused of making demands for more prestigious
accommodation during the time she and Prince Harry were living
in the UK. Speaking to gb News, Kinsey Schofield said
Meghan Michael, after she married Prince Harry, approached the family

(04:21):
and asked if they could have suites within Windsor Castle.
She wanted to share the same space with the Queen,
and she was denied that space for multiple reasons. Schofield
said concerns included privacy issues, particularly because parts of Windsor
Castle are open to tourists, which could have resulted in
regular walkthroughs near private living areas. She also suggested the

(04:43):
request stemmed from a desire to have accommodation comparable in
status to that of then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,
now the Prince and Princess of Wales. At the time,
William and Kate were living in an apartment one A at
Kensington Palace, a large, four story residence given to them
by Queen Elizabeth Second as a wedding gift in twenty eleven.
The apartment underwent extensive renovations before the couple moved in.

(05:07):
Nottingham Cottage, by contrast, is a two bedroom property with
low ceilings. Harry and Meghan addressed this directly in their
Netflix series. As far as people were concerned, we were
living in a palace, Harry said, and we were in
a cottage, Meghan added. Kensington Palace sounds very regal, of
course it does. It says palace in the name, but
Nottingham Cottage was so small. In Women at Home, Emily

(05:30):
Andrews writs how different it could have been if Meghan
had thrown her arms around both sides of her family,
and not just the Syllabs like George and a Mile
Clooney who hardly knew the Sussexes. A courtier told me
if Meghan and Harry had brought over her Markel family
a couple of weeks before the wedding, put them up
in a nice hotel, and had them looked after by
palace staff, none of this would have ever happened. Instead,

(05:52):
puts on Markell, who paid to put her through private
school and university, is learning how to walk with a
prosthetic limb, knowing he will likely never see his daughter again.
No one emerges the victor here, least of all Megan
More In just a moment, Hey, if you're tired of
all these commercials, wanted you to buy yourself a Christmas

(06:13):
present from Callaoga Shark Media and a subscription to Palace Intrigue,
where you get all these shows commercial free. Just look
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says listen uninterrupted and you get this plus one hundreds,
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(06:33):
they go public, and we really appreciate the support. You
can get it for free for a month. After that,
it's four ninety nine a month, and thank you again
for all your support. The Daily Mail took a look
at Meghan's watch collection, which tells a story of sentiment,
symbolism and evolving style, from affordable pieces bought during her
suit stays to priceless airlooms once worn by Princess Diana.

(06:56):
The Duchess showcase her most famous time piece, Diana's gold
Cartier tank Franseaise in the new promo for her upcoming
Netflix holiday special with Love Meghan. In the image, Meghan
sets a Christmas table in an emerald green gown, her
wrists stacked with her eighteen carrot Cartier Love bracelet and
the late Princess's elegant watch. The tank, originally valued at

(07:18):
around eighteen thousand pounds, was gifted to Meghan by Prince
Harry after their twenty eighteen wedding and remains one of
her most worn accessories. The piece once belonged to Diana,
who wore it in the nineteen nineties at several public engagements,
including a visit to London's Hindu Temple and an event
for the British Lung Foundation. In recent months, however, Meghan

(07:40):
has been seen wearing a new watch that appears strikingly
similar to Diana's Panthea de Cartier, a design reportedly gifted
to the princess by Dodi al Fayed. If confirmed, it
would mean Megan now owns two Cartier watches linked to Diana,
a collection estimated by experts to be worth millions. Meghan's
affinity or Cartier began long before her royal life. In

(08:02):
twenty thirteen, while filming Suits, she treated herself to a
forty two hundred pound two tone Cartier take front Says,
to celebrate the show's third season. She had it engraved
to MM from MM and said she hoped to one
day pass it down to her daughter, calling it a
reminder of the connection you have to the pieces you love.

(08:22):
Her collection also includes a boem Et Mercy, a Hampton
rap watch spotted on her Instagram in twenty fifteen, and
a surprisingly affordable Timeax Originals Tonal watch, a thirty pound
piece she wore during a twenty sixteen good Housekeeping suit
just before meeting Prince Harry. William's watch tells a different
kind of story. A visit by the Prince to North

(08:44):
Wales drew attention not just to the coastal communities he
was meeting, but also to a watch with deep personal significance.
William was wearing an Omega Seamaster diver at three hundred m,
a model closely associated with the sea. The watch features
a save patterned blue dial, a matching blue bezel, three
hundred meters of water resistance, luminous markers designed for underwater visibility,

(09:08):
and a helium escape valve at the ten o'clock position
used during deep sea decompression. What makes this particular watch
especially meaningful is its origin. It was a gift from
his late mother, Princess Diana, given to William during his
school days at Eton. Among seamaster models, it is considered
relatively modest. It runs on the courts movement rather than
a mechanical one, uses an aluminum bezel instead of ceramic,

(09:31):
and has a compact case size of just over thirty
six millimeters. On today's resale market, It typically sells for
under two thousand pounds. Despite its understated nature, the design
carries considerable cultural weight. The Seamaster Diver three hundred m
was the watch that launched Omega's long winning association with
James Bond, first appearing on Pierce Brosnan's wrist in GoldenEye

(09:54):
for Prince William. The watch represents far more than a
luxury accessory. It is a practical time piece tied to
menor reason of his mother, worn quietly during public duties.
And there you have it. If you like to email
us or addresses the Palasintrigant gmail dot com, please follo
us on Spotify, Apple, Instagram, Facebook, where on all the
social media come by say hi, Hi, Mark, Frances my
thanks to John McDermot. This is Palaesintrigan. Good times,
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